| The New Order | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 10, 1988[1] | |||
| Recorded | January–February 1988 | |||
| Studio | Pyramid Sound Studios,Ithaca, New York | |||
| Genre | Thrash metal | |||
| Length | 39:22 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | Alex Perialas | |||
| Testament chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from The New Order | ||||
| ||||
The New Order is the second studio album by Americanthrash metal bandTestament, released on May 10, 1988.[1]
Alex Skolnick recounts of the album recording process:
"We barely got done with our first couple of tours on that first album cycle when we were informed we have to have another album, soon! [...] We got spooked in a way, because we never had to come up with music on the fly. [...] By the time we finally recorded the album, we neglected to look at our recording contract. We actually had it in our contract that there's a minimum of 40 minutes of music, and we clocked in under that! [...] Our album was promptly sent back...we added theAerosmith tune, we added those little instrumentals, we extended a couple of sections...that was all done so we wouldn't be in breach of contract."
— Alex Skolnick, 2013 via Metal Injection.[2]
The New Order was the album that broke Testament into the thrash metal mainstream, back by its only single "Trial by Fire" which featured amusic video, as did the cover ofAerosmith's "Nobody's Fault".[citation needed] This success would only grow with their next albumPractice What You Preach.The New Order was also the first Testament album to enter theBillboard 200, reaching number 136 on that chart. It was also the band's first album to include an instrumental track. The album contains many songs that the band still plays live to this day including "Into the Pit", "The Preacher", "The New Order", "Disciples of the Watch", and "Trial by Fire". "Into the Pit", "The New Order", and "Disciples of the Watch" are among Testament's most frequently performed songs; all three of which have been played live over 600 times with the former of the three being their most played song live.[3]
One of Testament's earliest songs dating back to their period as Legacy, "Reign of Terror", was reportedly recorded during the sessions ofThe New Order, but was left off the album. This re-recorded version of "Reign of Terror" can be found as a b-side to the "Trial by Fire" single as well as the band's 1993 EPReturn to the Apocalyptic City. The song would be re-recorded again in 2001 for the albumFirst Strike Still Deadly.
It was announced in June 2024 that the album andThe Legacy were being remastered and would be released on July 12.[4]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [5] |
| Rock Hard | 8.5/10[6] |
Reviews forThe New Order have generally been favorable.AllMusic's Alex Henderson awards the album four-and-a-half stars out of five, and claims that Testament "delivered its best offering ever" and describes it as "every bit as brutally forceful asThe Legacy." He also called the album the "ideal choice."[5] Adam McCann of Metal Digest wrote: "Even though there had less than a year betweenThe Legacy andThe New Order, Testament already showed significant progress as songwriters as they crafted excellent thrash metal that got the listeners to get up off their arse and get into the pit. This was the sound of Chuck Billy, Alex Skolnick and co. firing on all cylinders as they battered their way out of the Bay Area and into the thrash metal mainstream."[7]
The New Order entered theBillboard 200 album charts about three months after its release.[8] The album peaked at number 136 and remained on the chart for thirteen weeks, making it Testament's longest run so far.[9] "Trial by Fire" and "The Preacher" were released as singles, but neither of them charted.
By 1990,The New Order had sold over 250,000 copies in the U.S.[10]
Testament toured for three months to promoteThe New Order. They toured Europe shortly after its release alongside thrash actsMegadeth,Sanctuary,Flotsam and Jetsam andNuclear Assault.[17] This was followed by a summer U.S. tour, which featured support fromVio-Lence,Forbidden,Voivod, Sanctuary,Destruction,Overkill,Nuclear Assault,Carnivore,Death Angel,Atheist and Potential Threat.[17] They toured Europe again in August, replacing Megadeth on theMonsters of Rock tour. After playing two shows in San Francisco in December 1988, and one show withHeathen at the Country Club inReseda in January 1989,[17] Testament began work on their third studio albumPractice What You Preach.
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Eerie Inhabitants" | Alex Skolnick,Chuck Billy,Eric Peterson | Skolnick, Peterson | 5:06 |
| 2. | "The New Order" | Skolnick, Peterson | Skolnick, Peterson | 4:25 |
| 3. | "Trial by Fire" | Billy, Skolnick, Peterson | Skolnick, Peterson | 4:14 |
| 4. | "Into the Pit" | Billy, Skolnick, Peterson | Skolnick, Peterson | 2:46 |
| 5. | "Hypnosis" (Instrumental) | Skolnick, Peterson | 2:04 | |
| 6. | "Disciples of the Watch" | Billy | Skolnick, Peterson | 5:05 |
| 7. | "The Preacher" | Billy, Skolnick | Skolnick, Peterson | 3:37 |
| 8. | "Nobody's Fault" (Aerosmithcover, not on LP) | Steven Tyler | Tyler,Brad Whitford | 3:57 |
| 9. | "A Day of Reckoning" | Billy | Skolnick, Peterson | 4:00 |
| 10. | "Musical Death (A Dirge)" (Instrumental) | Skolnick, Peterson | 4:05 | |
| Total length: | 39:22 | |||
| Chart (1988) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[18] | 66 |
| Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts)[19] | 12 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[20] | 49 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[21] | 49 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[22] | 81 |
| USBillboard 200[23] | 136 |
| Studio albums | |
|---|---|
| Live albums | |
| Compilations | |
| Songs | |
| Tours | |
| Related articles | |
