Testament

Testament is a thrash metal band from Berkeley, United States. It forms in 1983 under the name Legacy and later adopts the name Testament in 1986. The group is associated with heavy metal, metal and thrash metal, and it emerges from the San Francisco Bay Area thrash scene alongside acts such as Exodus, Death Angel, Lȧȧz Rockit, Forbidden and Vio-lence.

Line-up and membership

The current line-up includes guitarist Eric Peterson, vocalist Chuck Billy, guitarist Alex Skolnick, bassist Steve Di Giorgio and drummer Chris Dovas. Peterson and Derrick Ramirez form the band originally, and Peterson remains the only original member after numerous personnel changes. Other members over the years include Louie Clemente, Steve Souza, Greg Christian, Mike Ronchette, Paul Bostaph, John Tempesta, James Murphy, Jon Dette, Gene Hoglan, Dave Lombardo, Jon Allen, Steve Smyth and Nicholas Barker.

Billy joins in 1986, replacing Steve “Zetro” Souza, and appears on all of the band’s studio albums alongside Peterson. The “classic line-up” refers to the period with Billy, Peterson, Skolnick, Greg Christian and Louie Clemente.

Recording career

Testament begins on Megaforce Records and later becomes one of the earlier thrash metal bands to sign to Atlantic Records, which releases its first six studio albums. Its early albums, The Legacy and The New Order, establish the band within thrash metal. Practice What You Preach becomes the first Testament album to enter the Billboard 200. Souls of Black and The Ritual continue its commercial run, with “Return to Serenity” from The Ritual charting on the US Mainstream Rock chart.

During the 1990s, the band broadens its sound, with releases such as Low, Demonic and The Gathering incorporating alternative metal, death metal and groove metal elements. In 2001, Testament reunites with Steve Souza, Alex Skolnick and John Tempesta to record First Strike Still Deadly, a collection of re-recorded songs. The band also issues the live album Live in London after a brief reunion of the classic line-up in 2005.

Later albums include The Formation of Damnation, Dark Roots of Earth, Brotherhood of the Snake and Titans of Creation, all of which enter the Billboard 200. Testament’s fourteenth studio album is Para Bellum. The band also releases remastered editions of The Legacy and The New Order.

Style and activity

Testament is commonly described as part of the second wave of thrash metal. Its work includes socially and politically oriented lyrics, especially from Practice What You Preach onwards, and later material moves between thrash metal, heavier melodic passages and more aggressive death metal-influenced writing. The band remains active and continues to tour internationally.