First Strike Still Deadly is a compilation album by Testament, released in 2001. It consists of re-recordings of songs released on The Legacy and The New Order, as well as a re-recording of "Reign of Terror", which was originally on Legacy's Demo 1 and was also a b-side from the "Trial by Fire" single. On some Japanese versions of this release, a different cover is present, and the disc is an Enhanced CD and includes a bonus QuickTime documentary with live clips of various incarnations of the band.
First Strike Still Deadly saw a Testament reunion with three former or current members (Alex Skolnick, Steve DiGiorgio and John Tempesta) as well as their original singer Steve "Zetro" Souza. Souza and drummer Tempesta did not officially rejoin Testament, and First Strike Still Deadly was the last Testament album with bassist DiGiorgio before his return in 2014.[3] Skolnick eventually rejoined Testament again, and appeared on their next three studio albums (starting with 2008's The Formation of Damnation).
First Strike Still Deadly has received mostly negative reviews. AllMusic writer Brian O'Neill awards the album one star out of five, and criticizes, "Re-recording one's hits is worse than live albums because it tries to be something it never can be, and this disc is no exception. Get the originals, or even the two Testament hits compilations, for the real deal; check this out if karaoke is your idea of contemporary entertainment." [4]
