Testament - The Formation of Damnation (Deluxe Tour Edition) (Nuclear Blast Records) By: David E. Gehlke

[6/10] Shot out just in time for the band’s support run with Megadeth, the deluxe edition of 2008’s well-received The Formation of Damnation is about as skimp of a re-release as you can get. With the only extras being not-so full videos of some of the band’s classic songs shot at Alcatraz, one has to wonder why Testament gave this the green-light. A veteran band (and well-respected label) should know better.

Formation... itself still holds up pretty well. It’s not as durable as the last few Exodus’s, but cuts like the galloping “More Than Meets the Eye,” “The Formation of Damnation” and “Henchmen Ride” have become live mainstays. Perhaps the real test will be for the next studio album; the dreaded follow-up to a comeback album. A return to Low-styled mid-paced, groove thrash would just what the doctor ordered.

The dearth of extras here is surprising...mind-boggling, even. Three short videos (“The New Order,” “Practice What You Preach” and “Souls of Black”) shot for MTV’s 52/52 series are included, along with the full video for “More Than Meets the Eye.” And that’s it. Seriously, there was no live footage floating about? No Alex Skolnick instructional videos to be tossed in? How about an interview with Chuck Billy? Or maybe a photo gallery of all the members that passed through the band during the 00’s? No?

In an age where everything must be done to maintain album sales, the deluxe tour edition of The Formation of Damnation is not worth your time. Just check out YouTube – these videos are all over the place. Why try to fool anyone with this? Yargh.

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