When Testament released Practice What You Preach in August 1989, they were still fighting for recognition in a thrash landscape dominated by Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax. The album changed that. It became Testament's first record to break the Billboard 200 Top 100 — peaking at number 77 — and pushed them close to gold status in the United States. It was the moment Bay Area thrash stopped being the band's ceiling and started being their foundation.
Thirty-seven years later, Nuclear Blast is giving Practice What You Preach the treatment it deserves.
The label has announced a full remaster of the album, due May 8, 2026. The remaster was handled by Justin Shturtz at Sterling Sound — the New York facility that has worked with everyone from Kendrick Lamar to Metallica. It will land digitally and on 180-gram vinyl in a yellow and orange swirl with black splatter colorway, limited to 1,250 copies worldwide.
That's not all. The reissue includes brand-new artwork by Bill Benson — who designed the original cover — alongside a 20-page booklet featuring old photos and documents personally provided by vocalist Chuck Billy and guitarist Eric Peterson, plus newly written liner notes.
Chuck Billy had one thing to say about it: "I am stoked about the remastered 'Practice What You Preach' release with Nuclear Blast. With new artwork and bigger sound than the original. Drop the needle and bang your head!!"
Hard to argue with that.
Why This Album Still Matters
Practice What You Preach was a pivot album in the truest sense. Testament's first two records, The Legacy (1987) and The New Order (1988), established them as a legitimate thrash force. But Practice What You Preach was where they stretched without breaking.
The album pulled in elements of jazz fusion, progressive metal, and traditional heavy metal without losing the aggression that defined the scene. Alex Skolnick's guitar work became overtly melodic in a way that rankled some purists at the time but aged like iron. Eric Peterson's rhythm work grounded everything. Chuck Billy's vocal range — the screams, the growls, the clean passages — showed exactly how versatile a metal voice could be.
The lyrics shifted too. Earlier Testament had leaned into occult imagery. Practice What You Preach turned outward: the title track tackled religious hypocrisy, Greenhouse Effect addressed environmental destruction, Sins of Omission dealt with suicide prevention. This wasn't commercial softening — it was a band taking itself seriously enough to have something to say.
Singles like the title track, Greenhouse Effect, and The Ballad got heavy rotation on Headbangers Ball. The album was recorded live in the studio with producer Alex Perialas, giving it a rawness that still hits. It was the last time Perialas would work with Testament, and arguably his finest hour with the band.
Some corners of the metal press spent years calling Testament the "big fifth" thrash band — always one slot behind the recognized elite. Practice What You Preach is the primary exhibit for that argument. If this album had come out on a different label with a bigger promotional push, it might have landed a gold certification outright instead of hovering near it.
What You're Getting in 2026
The reissue is a legitimate collector item, not a cash grab. The decision to bring Benson back for updated artwork matters — it keeps the reissue in conversation with the original rather than slapping a new coat on something that didn't need it. The 20-page booklet with Billy and Peterson's own materials adds something genuinely new: context that fans who bought this in 1989 never had access to.
The vinyl format is the obvious buy for collectors. Yellow and orange swirl with black splatter, 180-gram pressing, limited to 1,250 worldwide — if you're serious about this album, that number sells out fast. Testament's fanbase is not small.
The digital version lands the same day for everyone else. If Shturtz's work sounds anything like his track record suggests, the remaster alone is worth revisiting even if you already own three copies.
Testament in 2026
Testament aren't coasting on nostalgia. Their most recent album, Para Bellum, dropped in October 2025 via Nuclear Blast and added drummer Chris Dovas as a full-time member — a significant upgrade in rhythm section energy that multiple reviewers called the band's best work in over a decade. Read our full Para Bellum review.
The band is also currently in the middle of the Thrash of the Titans North American tour alongside Overkill and Destruction — one of the most stacked thrash packages of the year. They are not a legacy act marking time. They are one of the most active veteran bands in the genre.
The Practice What You Preach remaster arrives in the middle of that momentum, which makes it a statement rather than an afterthought. Nuclear Blast clearly believes in the timing.
How to Order
Practice What You Preach (2026 Remaster) — May 8, 2026 via Nuclear Blast Records. Available digitally and on limited 180-gram colored vinyl (1,250 copies worldwide). Pre-order and purchase options at Nuclear Blast.
Pre-order directly from Nuclear Blast: Testament – Practice What You Preach (Remastered)
