Testament’s Chuck Billy Hopes We’ll Get a New Album from Them Early Next Year

Thrash metal legends Testament are currently at work on their follow up to 2020’s Titans of Creation and if all goes well, we could get some new music early next year. And they’ll do it without Dave Lombardo behind the kit.

That’s according to frontman Chuck Billy himself, who said it was “time to put [Titans of Creation] behind us and make another one” during a recent interview with Uruguay’s El Lado Oscuro TV (transcribed by Blabbermouth).

“We didn’t really book a lot of shows this year. We’re doing Latin America and then we’re doing Europe, and that’s it, and then Japan, a couple of shows. But we’re leaving a lot of the schedule open so we can get a lot of the music done. And hopefully by the end of the year we’ll get into the studio and start recording, so we’ll have a release hopefully early next year.”

Given the nature of Testament’s lineup and the changes its gone through over the years, Billy was asked how he and the only other remaining founding member in the band, guitarist Eric Peterson, get along. As it turns out, he said, they’re more like family than bandmates.

“Well, I mean, at this point he’s like my little brother. We argue and fight like brothers. But I think I’m very fortunate and lucky to have Eric as a writing partner for so many years because Eric really is the heart of Testament as far as song creation goes, because Eric doesn’t listen to a lot of other bands, like modern stuff; he listens to his black or some older-style stuff. So when he writes music, he really writes just what he wants, and I think that’s what always gave Testament our own sound, because Eric’s never strayed away from what he does. And he’s always took it a step further and created better songs. And it makes it easier for me, and I think after working for so many years, we have a good relationship as far as songwriters; he’ll write something and know what I can do and I’ll have a suggestion knowing what he can do and what works. So I think, at this point, our songwriting is a lot easier and better now.”

Unfortunately, the band will not have ex-Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo on the new record. Lombardo rejoined Testament last year and played a number of live shows with them before recently revealing through the press that he was likely done with Testament due to other engagements.

Still, the band has moved on and enlisted Lombardo’s occasional fill-in, Seven Spires drummer Chris Dovas, who Peterson said would help make the band “heavier and more precise than before.”