Chuck Billy has spent decades fronting one of thrash metal’s most unshakable bands, now he’s putting it all on paper.
The Chuck Billy memoir ‘Holding My Breath’ is officially set for release on November 10th via Permuted Press, promising a deep dive into the life behind Testament’s voice, titled ‘Holding My Breath: The Two Testaments Of Chuck Billy’, the book looks set to trace both sides of his story.
Not just the touring, the records and the grind of staying relevant in a genre that chews people up, but the personal battles that nearly cut it all short (per Lambgoat).
More than just a band history
Billy’s journey includes a very public fight with cancer, something that forced him to step out of the metal cycle and confront something far heavier than any riff, that alone gives the book weight beyond fan service.
It’s not just about Testament’s rise through thrash’s golden era, it’s about survival, perspective and what comes after you stare that kind of reality down.
Backed by metal heavyweights
The book comes with a foreword from Judas Priest’s Rob Halford and an afterword by Lamb Of God’s Randy Blythe, which says a lot about Billy’s standing in the scene. These aren’t throwaway endorsements, they’re artists who’ve carried their own scars and stories, adding context to Billy’s place in metal history.
Testament have never really faded into legacy act territory, they’ve kept releasing, touring and proving they still belong in the conversation, that makes this memoir feel less like a closing chapter and more like a pause to take stock.
There’s no shortage of stories to pull from either, from early thrash days to navigating the industry’s shifts, and then fighting through illness, Billy’s timeline runs parallel to the genre’s evolution.
If it’s written with the same grit he brings to the stage, ‘Holding My Breath’ could end up being one of the more essential reads to come out of the metal world in recent years.
Pre order your copy here.
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