Testament Reissue Demonic & The Gathering On Vinyl

Two classic albums by thrash legends Testament – 1997's "Demonic" and 1999's "The Gathering" – will be reissued on gatefold double vinyl by Prosthetic Records on Feb. 3. Each will feature etched artwork on Side D and be limited to 1,000 copies worldwide. Additionally, 100 copies of "Demonic" will feature red vinyl, while 100 copies of "The Gathering" will feature gold vinyl. Pre-orders can currently be placed at store.prostheticrecords.com.

Over the last year, Testament made one of the most successful comebacks in recent metal history. Their latest album, "The Formation of Damnation," featuring four-fifths of the group's original lineup, debuted at #59 on the Billboard Top 200, the highest-charting release of the band's career. A high-profile summer tour with Judas Priest, Heaven & Hell and Motorhead followed. The band is currently preparing to tour Europe with Judas Priest and Megadeth next month.

During the 1990s, Testament were one of the few bands unafraid to unabashedly fly the flag of heavy metal. Although the group's lineup changed several times over the course of the decade, vocalist Chuck Billy and guitarist Eric Peterson could always be trusted to deliver quality true metal in an era dominated by short-lived musical trends.

Their efforts didn't go unnoticed. All Music Guide praises "Demonic" – mixed by Michael Wagener (Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne), and featuring Gene Hoglan (Dark Angel, Strapping Young Lad) on drums – as "the most evil-sounding album of their career" to that point, saying that "'Demonic' rivals even Slayer's 'Reign In Blood' in terms of heaviness." Meanwhile, Metal Hammer calls "The Gathering" – mixed by Andy Sneap (Opeth, Megadeth), and featuring guitarist James Murphy (Death, Obituary), bassist Steve DiGorgio (Sadus, Death) and Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo – "skull-flattening perfection," adding that "if there is a more important late '90s metal album, we'd love to know what it is."

Demonic" and "The Gathering" were reissued on CD in 2008 and are currently available on all major digital platforms. Prosthetic plans to reissue additionalTestament titles later in 2009, including the first-ever official CD release of the band's complete performance at the 1987 Dynamo Open Air festival. www.myspace.com/testamentlegions – www.testamentlegions.com