Review by Adam M on November 25, 2025.

This was a very classic album in the band’s discography that had a huge impact because it had a style similar to old Metallica with the ballad song appropriately titled “The Ballad”.   It had an appropriately raw production job and a number of harsh yet addictive songs that made it a classic thrash release.  It is not their best album, but instrumental to their growth.

The musicianship is solid with guitars that are abrasive, yet catchy and another solid performance from Billy building on early releases.  Solos by Alex Skolnick are fun and inventive.  The whole affair is very traditional styled and the musical performances are very solid and have some bite to them.  This is still not the strongest album of the band and is let down by a somewhat thin sound.

The biggest flaw with the album is that it would be surpassed on other albums like The Gathering which had a more meaty production and sound.  There are still very solid tracks like the title one that develop an interesting sound for the outfit.  There could be more innovation and this would be done on later albums that develop the band’s sound more.

All in all, this is a solid album with a fun style and great musical performances.  There is very little to improve upon in some senses, although the band would blow this away with a more abrasive sound in the future.  Those looking for a classic thrash release will still find a lot to like here as this is very solid stuff indeed.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Review by Felix on September 21, 2019.

I hate to say it, but Testament's third work was a disappointment. Its incoherent artwork - please notice the cracks in the dry ground while massive clouds are in the sky - appears as a bad omen. Practice What You Preach confuses me and I ask myself: what exactly do the guys preach? It seems that they spread the message of vapid, faceless and feeble metal with occasional thrash ingredients, because this - and almost nothing else - is what they practice here.

Thank God, there is a small number of good tracks and "Sins of Omission" is the best one. It presents a combative vocal performance of Chuck Billy and the catchy chorus has a very remarkable drive. Its mid-tempo approach allows some dynamic tempo changes and the decent flow is remarkable. It is a pity that the song - and, of course, the remaining material as well - suffers from the slightly powerless production. Okay, the bass is well audible and plays a pretty prominent role. Nevertheless, the compositions sound somehow light and the contributions of the single musicians do not result in a coherent overall picture. Despite the fact that I am listening to conventionally structured songs, everyone seems to play for himself. Thus, pretty decent tracks like "Nightmare (Coming Back to You)", the only lively tune, remain exceptional. "Perilous Nation", for instance, had the potential to be another decent number, but the very bad vocal line at the beginning of the bridge drives the song into the ground, no matter how dry the soil is. By the way, the chorus of "Time Is Coming" suffers from an equally shitty vocal line. Horrible experience.

Without offering good melodies, Testament overemphasize the melodic component. Especially the solos have an egomaniacal tendency which is usually not compatible with my understanding of thrash metal. We do not need guitar heroes, but good, fiery and thrilling songs. This is what Practice What You Preach cannot deliver. Its ten numbers meander on a sometimes more or less acceptable level and sometimes they are definitely below. The dynamic that gilded the highlights of The New Order is a thing of a past and the riffs fail to form strong and memorable tracks. "Envy Life", for example, has absolutely nothing to offer: no fury, no strong riffs, no melody. A classic filler with some almost embarrassing "oho" background vocals; the song comes, the song goes, and nobody knows what it wanted to say.

It is really shocking that guys, who have proven their admirable talent to write exciting thrashers, offer an uninspired, pretty lame album with such meaningless tracks. Maybe it is no surprise that the fittingly titled "The Ballad" belongs to the better pieces. On the one hand, it does not take a lot to be one of the better pieces, on the other hand it serves as evidence that Testament had lost their thrash metal compass. They had alienated themselves from their musical homeland and the result is a celebration of lukewarm mediocrity. Either you take a three-year sabbatical, or you use your precious time for something better than listening to the entire work. Just lend an ear to "Sins of Omission" and, maybe on a rainy Sunday, to "Nightmare...". That's enough.

Rating: 4.7 out of 10