Post Reply - Testament: Great thrash or tinny dirge?

Testament, IMO, was the truest thrash metal band to have ever been formed.  Although they did do some stuff with death metal, they never really strayed from their thrash roots, and I respect that a lot *coughmetallicacough*.

The only problem with Testament was that they were never really extraordinary to begin with.  They were consistent all across the board, yes, but to that extent, a lot of their music was just sorta... meh.  Good, but not great.  Their standoff moments were few and far between, unlike their contemporaries Megadeth and still-then-thrash-Metallica, who had hit after hit with their discography.
Granted, Testament still has their moments.  The Formation of Damnation is one of my favorite thrash metal albums, and albums like The Gathering and Practice What You Preach are both excellent as well.