Tested is the first official[2]live album by punk rock band Bad Religion.[5][6] It was recorded in the USA, Canada, Germany, Estonia, Denmark, Italy and Austria, in 1996, and released in 1997. It is Bad Religion's second live album.[citation needed] Instead of using crowd microphones and mobile studios like most live albums, the band tapped the inputs, for a result that portrays Bad Religion's live sound without crowd noise.[5] It also includes three new songs; "Dream of Unity," "It's Reciprocal," and the title track.
Background
Bad Religion's US label, Atlantic, turned down releasing Tested; however, the band's German label, Sony, agreed to release the album in Europe and the rest of the world through its imprints Dragnet and Epic.[7] The album was released in January 1997 in Australia, followed by a European release in February.[8] In March, it was available as import-only in the US.[5][8]
"Dream of Unity" was released as a single in Germany in 1997.[9]
In 2008, Tested was reissued in Europe by Epitaph.
Critical reception
Dave Thompson, in Alternative Rock, wrote: "Disconcerting the first listen, energizing thereafter, few live albums have been this brave."[10]
In his review for AllMusic, Jack Rabid called the album "a bit of a letdown." He felt that the album lacks a "you are there" feel and that the overall sound is "merely average." He concluded, "Nonetheless, with a band this top-notch, even such a merely passable, perfectly clear recording demonstrates their awesome punk prowess enough (especially that of singer Graffin, whose phenomenal pipes soar all over this) to make Tested a large pleasure just the same." Rabid said of the three new studio tracks: "Dream of Unity" is uncharacteristically half-baked and slightly dull, but both "Tested" and "It's Reciprocal" burn the laser off the player."[2]
The disc has the phrase "No Bad Religion song can make your live complete" printed on it – a slightly modified quote from the song No Direction, in which the lyric is “life” instead of “live”.
