Fan-filmed video of TESTAMENT‘s June 9 performance at the Rockfest festival in Hyvinkää, Finland can be seen below.
TESTAMENT guitarist Alex Skolnick sat out some of the band’s spring/summer 2023 European tour dates in order to tend to a family emergency. He was replaced at the shows by former MACHINE HEAD and current VIO-LENCE guitarist Phil Demmel.
In a recent interview with Uruguay’s El Lado Oscuro TV, TESTAMENT frontman Chuck Billy confirmed that he and his bandmates have commenced writing material for the follow-up to 2020’s “Titans Of Creation” album.
“We’re working on a new record now,” he said. “So it’s time to put that one behind us and make another one.”
Asked if the next TESTAMENT LP will arrive in 2024, Chuck said: “I think so. We didn’t really book a lot of shows this year. We’re doing Latin America and then we’re doing Europe, and that’s it, and then Japan, a couple of shows. But we’re leaving a lot of the schedule open so we can get a lot of the music done. And hopefully by the end of the year we’ll get into the studio and start recording, so we’ll have a release hopefully early next year.”
Regarding his relationship with TESTAMENT guitarist Eric Peterson, who — like Chuck — has been involved with all of the band’s albums so far, Billy said: “Well, I mean, at this point he’s like my little brother. We argue and fight like brothers. [Laughs] But I think I’m very fortunate and lucky to have Eric as a writing partner for so many years because Eric really is the heart of TESTAMENT as far as song creation goes, because Eric doesn’t listen to a lot of other bands, like modern stuff; he listens to his black or some older-style stuff. So when he writes music, he really writes just what he wants, and I think that’s what always gave TESTAMENT our own sound, because Eric‘s never strayed away from what he does. And he’s always took it a step further and created better songs. And it makes it easier for me, and I think after working for so many years, we have a good relationship as far as songwriters; he’ll write something and know what I can do and I’ll have a suggestion knowing what he can do and what works. So I think, at this point, our songwriting is a lot easier and better now.”
He added: “The ‘Brotherhood Of The Snake’ [2016] was a difficult record. That took two years. So it all depends how Eric‘s feeling or if he’s got ideas, which that record took, like two years. ‘Titans Of Creation’ worked a lot faster; he had much more ideas. So it’s really on how much inspired Eric is to create the new stuff, ’cause we all have to wait for that. So if Eric‘s excited and inspired, then it comes quick.”
This past April, drummer Dave Lombardo revealed in an interview with BLABBERMOUTH.NET that he would sit out the remainder of TESTAMENT‘s 2023 shows, with no guarantee that he will return to the band.
Lombardo, who was the guest drummer on TESTAMENT‘s 1999 studio album “The Gathering”, formally joined the long-running San Francisco Bay Area act last year. The former SLAYER drummer is currently a member of the MISFITS, MR. BUNGLE, EMPIRE STATE BASTARD and SATANIC PLANET, among others. He also played with SUICIDAL TENDENCIES from 2016 up until 2020.
TESTAMENT‘s current touring drummer is Chris Dovas (SEVEN SPIRES),who previously filled in for Lombardo on the first six dates of TESTAMENT‘s summer/fall 2022 leg of “The Bay Strikes Back Tour”. Lombardo was unable to make those gigs due to a scheduling conflict with the MISFITS.