It’s a well-known fact among headbanging aficionados that “The Big Four” acts in classic thrash metal are Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, and Anthrax. The quartet has even united to play large Festival shows under that moniker.
But if that were ever expanded to “The Big Five,” then the Berkeley, California-birthed Testament would probably be most fans’ choice to fill that slot (with all due respect to admirers of Overkill and Exodus). And that’s exactly what I tell singer Chuck Billy on the phone from California.
“Right on, man!” he says. “I really appreciate that!”
Testament has just embarked on their headlining Thrash of the Titans tour, with Overkill and Destruction as support. It tears into Houston on April 3 at the House of Blues.
The current lineup includes original member Eric Peterson (guitar), classic lineup members Chuck Billy (vocals) and Alex Skolnick (guitar), along with Steve Di Giorgio (bass) and “newish, much younger guy” Chris Dovas (drums). It’s the lineup that also recorded the band’s 14th and most recent studio album, last year’s Para Bellum.
Billy—who wrote most of the lyrics, with Peterson handling the bulk of the music—is especially happy how it all turned out. “It’s still Testament, but it feels a little modern, and I’m stretching myself as a vocalist. We put a lot of different stuff on there,” he says.
And that includes a trio of tunes that have very, very contemporary themes. “Infanticide A.I.” for which Billy wrote lyrics with Del James, looks at how technology is rapidly not only running human lives, but may replace them as well (“Transmutation of all copyrights/Image processed and computerized/Generated to destroy us all/Final warning, we have lost control”).
“Witch Hunt” (lyrics co-written with Steve Souza) could apply to things spewed out of mouths at Salem, Massachusetts in 1692 or in a Hearing Room of the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives in 2026. And the angry mob in the title track could be storming the castle or the U.S. Capitol (“Nothing is holding them back/Climbing the walls/For which they were sent to attack/Breaking the lines/Smashing the door lock the gates/A radical mob/Imposing their will and their hate”).
“A lot of those were working titles that Eric comes up with for the riffs. Sometimes we run with them and sometimes we don’t, but with ‘Infanticide A.I.” we did,” Billy says. “We’re always kind of writing about the ‘What If’ scenarios, like ‘What if aliens created man?’ And this one was timely. You can do just about anything with A.I. these days, even write songs.”
Or—as are making the rounds of social media—these incredibly realistic videos where younger and older versions of movie/TV stars or musicians “meet” each other, smile, and even hug. Imagine today’s 63-year-old Chuck Billy throwing metal horns alongside his 23-year-old self.
“I’ve seen those things, that’s a trip!” he laughs. “But that’s our daily lives. In San Francisco, I got a driverless taxi, which was weird. There’s food delivery robots in Los Angeles. When we went to [musical equipment distributor] Sweetwater, their warehouse is all automated. It’s 10 stories of shelving and nobody works there! It’s robots pulling the orders!”
As for the more political songs, Billy says he strives to not take sides and keep things open to the listener. There’s no lyrics about red baseball hats or welfare entitlements to inflame any side of an issue.
“People can interpret [the songs] the way they want to. In ‘Para Bellum’ we did use the [January 6] insurrection as inspiration. You have people storming the gates and people inside trying to protect themselves,” Billy says.
“We like to use things that are real, but I don’t twist them. We don’t stay one-sided. You can process it and work it out. And I don’t want an online battle with our fans. I’m not out there to preach and push my opinion. I’m pushing the topic.”
Another upcoming project for Testament involves looking back. May will see a remastered/reissue of their 1989 album Practice What You Preach. Their third studio album is largely seen as their “breakthrough.”
It will be available digitally, on colored vinyl, and packaged with brand new artwork from Bill Benson (who also designed the original cover art). A 20-page booklet showcases old photos and documents provided by Billy and Peterson of the band, along with newly provided liner notes. CD and cassette versions have already been issued.
“We took over our first six records from Atlantic. After 35 years, bands have the right to retain their music so long as they inform the company,” Billy offers (though this is not always the same for all bands/contracts). “We released The Legacy and The New Order already with some of the [same additions]. And now it’s time for Practice.”
He adds that some of the original master tapes of these early albums have gone missing, but with later upcoming re-releases, they’ll have access to them to be able to explore true remixing. On their last tour, the band played Practice What You Preach in its entirety. They even included an all-acoustic section to handle their ballads, which have not often been played live.
On a recent radio interview that hard rock/metal jock Eddie Trunk conducted with Dave Mustaine, the Megadeth founder discussed how much damage he’s done to his body (especially his back, neck, and hands) with so many thousands of hours of headbanging and high-intensity movement onstage. Which begs the question: Is trash metal the most potentially physically damaging of all the music genres for the people who play it?
“For me, I’ve now kind of started focusing on singing as opposed to running around the stage and banging my head as fast as I can. When you’re younger, that’s kind of the filler of the show. I don’t consider myself a great vocalist, but I’m an entertainer. It was part of the equation,” Billy says.
“But things change and you mature and have a little more confidence. Now, with [less] headbanging, I’ve got more wind and I can breathe better when I’m trying to sing. I’ve shifted over from that lunatic I was! You don’t think about that when you’re young. You drink, you eat like shit, and you’re hung over. And a lot of people are saying that we sound better today than we ever have.”
Finally, as for Houston, Billy told the Houston Press in 2022 that the city is special to him as the place where they filmed two videos. And he remembers getting onstage to play with a then-unknown Texas band—Pantera.
“They did pretty well for themselves! And those were good times,” Billy laughs. “We were California guys who had to go to Texas to make videos. That’s kind of weird!”
Testament plays at 7 p.m. Friday, April 3, at the House of Blues, 1204 Caroline. For more information, call 1-888-402-5837 or visit Houston.HouseofBlues.com. Overkill and Destruction open. $50-$77.
For more information on Testament, visit TestamentLegions.com