Thrash legends Testament are back in the studio, and it sounds like their upcoming album is shaping up to be a scorcher. In a recent chat with Rockin’ Metal Revival, vocalist Chuck Billy discussed the progress on the follow-up to their 2020 release “Titans of Creation,” revealing some exciting details.
When asked about an album title or release date, Chuck remained tight-lipped, stating, “We won’t talk about the title because we have a bunch of working ones, but it always changes in the final minute.”
However, he enthusiastically spoke about the band’s new drummer, Chris Dovas, highlighting his significant influence on guitarist Eric Peterson: “Chris Dovas is our new drummer on board and he is lighting Eric Peterson up as far as writing, which I’m very excited about because I know we have a lot of history, a lot of music. It’s always tough to get creative this far in your career, but I feel that Chris has pushed Eric to that limit to really go beyond what he’s done. So there’s some really, really cool stuff on this record — modern, old school; it’s got a little of everything. So Chris is bringing a lot to the table for this record.”
Reflecting on how the band’s process for crafting and recording music has evolved, Chuck explained: “I’d say the only thing that’s changed is that we don’t live near each other and don’t go to the studio and hang out and drink beer like we used to. So we work writing songs via the Internet, and we’ll work that way for a while and then Eric and Chris come to my house, and then… we’ll run through the music and the songs.”
He further noted the progress made so far, stating: “But the guys have been in the studio for about three weeks right now, and I believe most of the drums are done, a couple of cover songs we’re gonna cover are done. We’re still writing the last probably four songs, and finalizing them. So we’ve got about a month and a half to get the rest of the record recorded before we leave for Europe.”
When asked if fans could anticipate hearing new tracks during their upcoming “Klash Of The Titans” North American co-headlining tour with Kreator starting in September, Chuck clarified, “I don’t think so, ’cause I think we’re still going to be promoting the re-releases of the first two Testament albums. So I think we’re gonna be doing an old-school set, probably combining those two records.”
