Testament Profile

Formed from the ashes of Bay Area thrash band Legacy, Testament would become an underground favorite amongst metal fans. Their debut album The Legacy is considered a classic thrash album, and the band has gained a loyal following over the years. Testament has endured it all, from lineup changes to health issues, to come back stronger as a result.

In 1986, members of Legacy recruited vocalist Chuck Billy into the band and changed their name to Testament after trademark issues. A year later, the band released their influential debut album The Legacy. The album was a moderate success, as was their sophomore release The New Order, but the band gained mainstream publicity with their third album, 1989’s Practice What You Preach, which got airplay on MTV.

1990’s Souls Of Black didn’t make the splash that their previous album did, and the band experimented with a slower sound on 1992’s The Ritual. Sales didn’t improve and Testament would start to fall apart piece by piece.

Guitarist Alex Skolnick and drummer Louie Clememte left Testament shortly after the release of The Ritual, shaking up the foundation of the band. 1994’s Low geared more towards a death metal/groove metal sound, one that showcased a harsher vocal performance by Billy. The band continued to chug along during the '90s, most notably releasing 1999’s The Gathering, featuring Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo.

In 2001, Chuck Billy was diagnosed with germ cell seminoma, a rare form of cancer. The vocalist successfully won his battle with cancer and Testament got back on track. For a few years, the band went through several lineup changes and focused on their live shows.

Testament reunited with Skolnick and bassist Greg Christian, with drummer Paul Bostaph joining the band full-time. Work began on a new album, which would result in the 2008 album The Formation Of Damnation.

Metallica, Exodus, Slayer

Chuck Billy - Vocals (Legacy, Dublin Death Patrol)
Eric Peterson - Guitar (Legacy, Dragonlord)
Alex Skolnick - Guitar (Legacy, Savatage, The Skolnick Trio, Trans-Siberian Orchestra)
Greg Christian - Bass (Legacy, HavocHate)
Paul Bostaph - Drums (Slayer, Forbidden, Exodus)

Steve "Zetro" Souza - Vocals (2001)
Metal Mike Chlasciak - Guitar (2004)
Glen Alvelais - Guitar (1993, 1997)
James Murphy - Guitar (1994-1996, 1999)
Steve Smyth - Guitar (2000-2004)
Derrick Ramirez - Bass (1997)
Steve DiGiorgio - Bass (1999, 2001)
Louie Clemente - Drums (1986-1993, 2005)
John Tempesta - Drums (1993-1994, 2001-2005)
John Dette - Drums (1995)
Gene Hoglan - Drums (1997)
Dave Lombardo - Drums (1999)
Jon Allen - Drums (2000-2004)
Steve "Horse" Jacobs - Drums (1999-2000)
Chris Kontos - Drums (1996)
Nicholas Barker - Drums (2007)

1987 The Legacy (Megaforce)
1988 The New Order (Atlantic)
1989 Practice What You Preach (Atlantic)
1990 Souls Of Black (Atlantic)
1992 The Ritual (Atlantic)
1993 Return To The Apocalyptic City EP (Atlantic)
1994 Low (Atlantic)
1995 Live At The Fillmore (Burnt Offerings)
1997 Demonic (Burnt Offerings)
1999 The Gathering (Spitfire)
2001 First Strike Still Deadly (Spitfire)
2005 Live In London (Spitfire)
2008 The Formation of Damnation (Nuclear Blast)

The Legacy
Testament’s debut album is still considered to be their strongest album to date. While thrash metal was at its height in 1987, and bands in the genre were a dime-a-dozen, Testament stood out with the passionate vocals of Chuck Billy and the technical prowess of guitarist Alex Skolnick. “First Strike Is Deadly,” “Alone In The Dark” and opener “Over The Wall” are gems in the band’s catalogue that are still performed live to this day.