Set to tour Australia in June 2025, the thrash metal band’s lead singer Chuck Billy talks their upcoming fourteenth album, their legacy and the secret to their longevity.
When Testament’s lead singer Chuck Billy appears across my laptop screen via Zoom, it almost feels like I am about to talk to a spiritual elder. Complete with long, wispy hair and a soul patch, Billy resembles Hagrid if he were 38 years into a rock career.
Dialling in from San Francisco, Billy has just arrived home from an arduous leg of Testament’s tour. Unlike most, who would need at least a few weeks off, Billy simply took a few days off to sleep, then got stuck back into work. Despite his tiredness, Billy is currently thinking of what he should be doing next.
“Usually, I decorate my house for Halloween,” Billy laments. “The kids in the neighbourhood are upset I’m not doing it [this year]. But it’s a lot of work, and I leave next week for tour.”
There is no rest for the wicked, it would seem; this is a lifestyle Billy and his bandmates in Testament have gotten accustomed to for the past nearly forty years. Testament, comprised of Billy, rhythm guitarist Eric Peterson, lead guitarist Alex Skolnick, bassist Steve Di Giorgio, and drummer Chris Dovas, will soon be returning to Australia.
With a tour scheduled for the first time in 13 years, the band are thrilled to have it marked in their calendars. “Australia, with its beaches and laid-back people, reminds me of home. Plus, by the time we come over there, our new record should be out too. So, Australia will be the first people to hear it performed live.”
The band have been hard at work crafting their fourteenth album for the better part of a year. With all the songs nearly done, the band only have a smidge of work left.
“We have to do three vocal tracks, and I have some solos,” Billy reveals. “We’re very excited because we have Chris [Dovas], the new drummer, on it. He’s twenty-six and is a fan of newer stuff. I think that’s bled out into this record. It’s given it a new energy. It has a lot of everything now: mid-tempo, screaming, clean stuff.”
Billy also revealed there will be a few features on the upcoming album, including an appearance from Dutch singer-songwriter Floor Jansen from Nightwish. He describes the record as “not your typical Testament record, but still very Testament.”
Billy believes the introduction of Chris Dovas was likely the reason for the band moving in a new direction. “If we had written the next record with Gene [Hoglan], we might have had songs that resembled the last record.” Unlike most bands, when Testament records music, nothing is ever left on the cutting room floor. This approach, Billy believes, has caused the band’s creativity to remain ever-changing—something he notices more than ever when looking back on previous records.
Recently touring their earlier albums, The New Order and The Legacy, the band did this as they now own the rights to this music in the United States after a 35-year lapse period. “We got to play the full album and deep cuts. That’s who we are. That’s where we started. Revisiting them is like riding a bike for the first time in a while.”
Previously unaware of the business nature of this industry, as Testament grew, so too did their understanding of the industry. “When you join a band, it’s firstly about sex, drugs, and rock ’n’ roll. You’re like, ‘I signed a record deal. I get to be like one of my heroes.’ For the first four years of the band, we didn’t sleep. I think that’s why Alex [Skolnick] left. He was a teenager when he joined, and he didn’t really have those years. He just worked. He later found his way back.”
The band have now traded in the sex and drugs and currently focus solely on the rock ’n’ roll aspect of the rock-star cocktail. This, as Billy tells me, has been beneficial to both the band itself and their live performances.
“We’re getting along as human beings more than ever. We didn’t really respect each other’s space and time as much as we do now. We respect each other’s space and private lives. More so than ever now, we’re friends.”
Testament will be touring nationally in June 2025. Tickets can be accessed here.
Testament 2025 Australian Tour
Tuesday, June 24th – Metropolis, Fremantle WA
Wednesday, June 18th – The Triffid, Brisbane QLD
Friday, June 20th – Metro Theatre, Sydney NSW
Saturday, June 21st – Northcote Theatre, Melbourne VIC
Sunday, June 22nd – The Gov, Adelaide SA
