Review by Adam M on March 18, 2026.

This is a solid album that establishes the sound of the band quite nicely.  It is a classical sounding thrash release that is quite memorable and very distinctive.  The songs are constructed in a rigid and constrictive fashion and this makes the band sound very fresh and exciting.  The music here is typical of an early thrash release in that it is hard hitting and has a really classic feel to it.

The musicianship is solid with great guitar playing and solid classical vocals by Chuck Billy.  The production is not great, but the emphasis on the sound of the band and its classic nature is very apparent and makes the album better.  The musicianship here is good, including reasonably solid drumming.

The flaw to the album is that it would be surpassed by albums like The Gathering which had a more vicious side to them instead of the classic thrash style.  Those albums had more intensity and power and were perhaps more modern sounding.  This is still interesting in its early style and has a great impact on the thrash metal genre.

In conclusion, the album is very essential to the thrash genre and quite revolutionary as well.  It is one of the first great thrash releases and holds its own at time to albums like Master of Puppets which surpass it. It is quite simply one of the essential releases of the genre and something that should be worshipped rightly.

Rating: 7.3 out of 10

Review by Felix on September 19, 2022.

Wow! It’s been 35 years since I bought this piece of vinyl (unbelievable and shocking), and I admit that I did not listen to the record very often during the last, well, 33 to 34 years. This is not to say that Testaments first full-length is a bad album – not at all. Nevertheless, back in 1987 thrash metal was, at least from my point of view, still pure ecstasy (“Reign In Blood”), cold-hearted violence (“Bonded By Blood”) or, in its less pure yet still mega-exciting form, crossover-influenced catchiness (“Game Over”). Three perfect albums – and then came “The Legacy”. Once again, a good album, but not even close to perfection.

A lot of good songs can be found here, a stable fundament of classics. Testament did not yet suffer from the "one killer one filler disease" in 1987. One can discuss about the short, somewhat expressionless “C.O.T.L.O.D.” (very weak chorus), which does not reach the filigree level of song-friendly guitar work that characterises this debut. This track wants to reflect the primitive and completely strict side of the band, but it fails to leave an authentic impression. It delivers a relatively solid crossfire, no more, no less. Instead of this song, the band should have put "Reign Of Terror" of the Legacy demo on the album. I will never understand why exactly this neckbreaker was the only song of the tape that did not get access to this debut. “Reign Of Terror” is missing, in terms of the song itself, but also in view of the general musical approach.

The remaining eight tracks give us the feeling to listen to good thrash, competently designed, equipped with energy, a proper dose of melody and a fine, sometimes even excellent flow. “Over The Wall” grabs the listener by his dirty collar and pulls him into the song and the entire album immediately due to its rebellious and speedy guitars. The dynamic “The Haunting” with its slightly bulky riffs is even better in view of the earworm chorus. This list could be continued up to the mighty, multi-layered closer “Apocalyptic City”. One hit follows the other, but there is a small amount of water in the wine. What I miss is a tiny little portion of raging madness. Sometimes single parts or screams border on insanity, but after all, “The Legacy” appears as an album of more or less controlled outbursts. Okay, “Raging Waters” or “First Strike Is Deadly” give almost full speed ahead and maybe I cannot fully express what I mean. For me it just feels as if the guys did not take the final step on a long and actually great journey. Or did they already know that slightly more melodic songs are their core competence? The extremely strong melody line of the verses of “Burnt Offerings” point into this direction.

In terms of production, Chuck Billy’s voice gives no reason to complain, but the recording of the instrumental section left room for improvement. “The Legacy” suffers a bit from the blurred drums and the guitars lack the deadly sharpness of the guitars of “Bonded By Blood”. The entire album sounds a little dull. Anyway, the songs reveal their strength and the casual riffing of “Alone In The Dark” or some furious parts of “Apocalyptic City” show impressively that the dudes do not run out of steam. This is why you can still pay attention to the record every now and then, even 35 years after its release. It is a thrash metal classic, no matter what I say and regardless of my objectively high though comparatively low rating.

Rating: 8.2 out of 10