Testament

APRIL '08

Harder Beat Magazine Online

Interviews with
Chuck Billy and Alex Skolnick

By Alan Tecchio

Testament’s Chuck Billy

Interview with Chuck Billy
Alan Tecchio: It’s very exciting to see Alex Skolnick back within the Testament fold, and having Paul Bostaph on drums ups the ante even more. During the upcoming tour will you be playing much material from the cds that those guys were not a part of? Namely the brutally heavy Low, The Gathering and Demonic?
Chuck Billy: I don’t think so. We’ll probably play the classic shit and, most of all, the new stuff. Last year, we wanted to play Low and The Gathering, and we played a couple of those tunes. This year, Alex wants to stick to the classics and new stuff.

How have your attitudes changed (if at all) since the early days of the band? Specifically the anticipated results of touring and releasing music?
It hasn’t really changed a lot. I think that it’s a good feeling having Alex and Greg back in the picture again. I think we still have the same attitude we had before. When we were younger, we toured more, but it’s more enjoyable now, because we get to pick out the cities we like to play.

What has been the driving force behind Testament in terms of continually moving forward since the early days, AND do you think that your sticking with it has inspired bands like Forbidden and Death Angel to reunite and get back in the game?
They say we’ve stuck with it. The times are right for metal music. They’ve seen that we survived it. There’s definitely a request now for that style of music and bands. There’s a whole new breed of fans that only know the newer bands, that don’t really know our history of the Bay Area thrash scene. I think bands like Forbidden and Death Angel see that timing’s good for bands like us and our scene.

I just caught a set by Alex’s jazz trio who performed a bunch of interpretive cover tunes. Any chance we’ll be seeing some covers at your upcoming shows?
No. No covers.

The song “Henchmen Ride” appears to be written about the California Motorcycle Club of the same name. Are any of you members and, if not, what inspired the writing of that song?
We’re not members, but I’m friends with them. I’m friends with some Hell’s Angels guys, too. I knew a couple of presidents and founders of the Henchmen. I didn’t want to make it the “Angels Ride,” because I didn’t want flack from those guys. So I threw in Henchmen. That song is roaring forward, and it really inspired me to make it about motorcycle riding and living the life of a biker.

Testament’s Alex Skolnick
Photo: Travis Tutwiler

Interview with Alex Skolnick
Alan Tecchio: Was it hard to get back into the Testament style of playing after being away from it for so long? Is it difficult to go back and forth from your jazz improv to rock/metal playing?
Alex Skolnick: I’ve gotten used to it. To me, jazz is a delicate process, which requires a heightened awareness and sensitivity. Metal is about intensity, energy and aggression, kind of the opposite of delicate sensitivity! But, I see no reason not to do both. Sure, I needed to step away and be purely involved in jazz for many years to develop those skills. But the metal playing came back very quickly and feels better than it ever has. It’s very much yin and yang. I have elements of both in my personality and see no reason not to do both musically.

How involved were you in the writing process?
There are a couple songs in which I’m the main writer/contributor. One is “Dangers Of The Faithless,” based on these parts I had in 5/4 time. I wasn’t sure it would fit the band, but it sounded good and really different. Chuck came up with a cool vocal part over it, which wasn’t easy. The other song is called “F.E.A.R.” (False Evidence Appearing Real), which I brought in as a finished song. It examines fear from a psychological perspective, and I’ve heard people say the riffs are very ‘classic Testament.’ But for the most part, I just let Chuck and Eric do their thing with the writing. I’d been gone a long time, and they’ve really developed their own process since then. The last album, The Gathering, has great writing. I respect that and didn’t want to get in the way too much. But I’m really happy with the way it turned out.

What was it like working with Paul Bostaph, and how does he compare to the other drummers of Testament?
We’ve had some great drummers in the last couple years since I’ve been back (I can count five!) and it’s been great working with them all. But now that Paul’s worked in, it really feels like he’s the guy. He’s such a pleasure to work with. He’s got a great sound, solid grooves and great technique. I think the fans will be happy. I know we are.

These interviews by Alan Tecchio originally appeared in New Jersey’s Steppin’ Out magazine. They are reprinted here with written permission.