The Gathering featured eleven tracks when it was released, drawing critic and fan acclaim for such songs as "D.N.R. ", "Riding the Snake", and "Legions of the Dead". After release Testament embarked on the Riding the Snake World Tour to promote the album with "touring" lead guitaristSteve Smyth and Sadus drummer Jon Allen. The tour ended in 2001 shortly before frontman Chuck Billy was diagnosed with cancer. As a result, Testament would not release another studio album until 2008 with The Formation of Damnation, although they did release an album of re-recorded material, First Strike Still Deadly, in 2001. The Gathering is the first of five albums to date featuring engineering and mixing work done with artist and former Sabbat guitarist Andy Sneap. It is also the first of five reissues that Testament has done with Prosthetic Records. The album was reissued January 8, 2008, with an instrumental bonus track, "Hammer of the Gods," increasing the new track total to twelve. While "Hammer of the Gods" is listed on the track listing of the original American release, it does not actually appear on the CD. However, it does appear on the worldwide Prosthetic Records 2008 reissue. Album cover artwork for The Gathering was done by Dave McKean who also did the cover art for the two prior Testament studio albumsDemonic and Low.
Critical reaction
In a 2010 Interview, Chuck Billy describes how the free flow of ideas between Dave Lombardo and Eric Peterson was the "key and secret" to the album's overall heavier sound in comparison to previous albums. Chuck Billy's aggressive vocal approaches and darker death metal sound were apparent earlier on the last album, Demonic, and continued to be on The Gathering, but it was the range and diversity that the singer achieved on this album that drew the highest acclaim. While the album's songs range from heavier death metal to a more melodic thrash metal, it was the singer's ability to go from his distinct sound to a death metal growl while blending the two that has been noted as trademark Testament. At the time of release Testament had not done a music video since 1994's Low and was looking at possibly using live footage as a music video to promote The Gathering. Demonic, the band's previous 1997 release, had been handled by a distribution company that went bankrupt to the tune of $44 million which had stranded most retail supply in locked warehouses and off the shelves, seriously hurting the album release. The Gathering reached #48 on the German album charts, its only chart showing, possibly reflecting problems from the prior albums and a lack of coverage rather than weaknesses with the album.
Track listing
"Hammer of the Gods" did not appear on the domestic American re-release, though the song title was listed on the album cover. It is an instrumental bonus track originally only available on the Japan reissue; however, it was eventually added to the Prosthetic Records worldwide 2008 re-release.
