If thrash’s Huge 4 have been ever expanded to a Huge 5, Bay Space veterans Testomony could be combating with Exodus for a spot in it. In 2011, founding guitarist Eric Peterson and singer Chuck Billy appeared again on the tumultuous profession of a band who deserve the identical plaudits as a few of their extra excessive profile friends.
The Testomony story is without doubt one of the most inspiring and memorable within the current historical past of metallic. It consists of betrayal and coincidence and a literal combat for all times, the final of which fortunately resulted in triumph.
All of it started in 1983 with cousins Eric Peterson and Derrick Ramirez, each of whom performed guitar and had aspirations to be in a band.
“We lived within the Alameda space of California,” says Eric. “That’s someplace between Oakland and San Francisco. We’d hang around along with pals in native parks, simply consuming beer and listening to metallic music. Bands like Angel Witch, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Venom have been our selection. And I do keep in mind listening to In League With Devil from Venom, and it scared me a lot I wished to interrupt the report!”
Ultimately, the cousins began a band known as Legacy, initially being joined by bassist Greg Christian and Michael Ronchette, with Derrick additionally on vocals. However this lineup wasn’t to final lengthy, with Louie Clemente shortly taking on on drums.
“He moved into our space and was into metallic,” recollects Eric. “So he was advised to go all the way down to the park and ask for Derrick and me. I wouldn’t say we have been native celebrities, however for those who had lengthy hair and wore denim and leather-based, then folks assumed you’d get on with the 2 of us.”
In Louie, Eric discovered a kindred spirit and the following day, the trio obtained collectively and jammed on Motörhead songs: “We additionally had this cool demo known as No Life ’Til Leather-based from a neighborhood band known as Metallica, and we knocked out a number of of these songs as nicely.”
For Eric, life in these days – he was nonetheless solely 18 or so – was easy and easy. Nonetheless jobless, he’d hang around at report shops. However the younger band have been starting to take issues critically, even constructing a drum riser for Louie.
“Derrick labored for a beer firm, so we obtained maintain of 5 pallets of beer and plywood and constructed this riser. It was additionally very helpful, as a result of we may additionally retailer beer within the riser, which was useful after we obtained thirsty. However we have been like punks, in that it needed to be low-cost beer. Something dearer than a couple of dollars we didn’t wanna find out about.”
Derrick quickly gave up singing, with native Steve ‘Zetro’ Souza taking on. And the band quickly obtained their first ever gig, one which Eric nonetheless remembers.
“It was at a punk present, opening for a band known as Rebels & Infidels. Tickets value $5. To be sincere, again then we obtained on higher with punks than with rockers, and this gig occurred at a spot known as The File Gallery. We have been nonetheless in our infancy so far as our type of music went, however I’d say we had a Priest type, however with a punk angle.”
Within the viewers for that debut present was a barely older musician, Chuck Billy. However he wasn’t there to see a band with a rising native popularity, a lot as to present help to a mate.
“Zetro was a great pal of my youthful brother’s,” says Billy. “He’d come alongside to cheer us on when my band performed gigs, so we did the identical for him. I used to be fairly shocked seeing these children onstage, who appeared so younger, and all carrying priest collars whereas enjoying intense metallic. It was fairly one thing.”
With a popularity starting to unfold, Testomony subsequent performed on the prestigious Stone in San Francisco with two sizzling younger bands, Laaz Rockit and Slayer.
“On the time, we solely had 4 songs,” laughs Eric. “We needed to scramble round for a fifth to make up an honest set size for the opening band on a invoice like that! However it was round this time that we realised it was time to do that correctly.”
Nonetheless, to the shock of his cousin, Derrick immediately introduced he was quitting Legacy.
“He felt he wished to have his personal band, which I didn’t perceive in any respect. Why would you wanna try this, when issues have been beginning to go nicely for us? However we changed him with this child known as Alex Skolnick, who was simply 15 on the time.”
In 1983, Legacy recorded their first demo, nevertheless it was to result in a fractious time with Zetro, and one which will nicely have precipitated what was to occur later.
“We every needed to give you $200 to afford the recording prices,” says Eric. “And I didn’t have that type of cash. In the long run, Zetro bullied me a lot, even threatening to kick me out of the band, so I reluctantly borrowed cash from my dad.”
What this primary four-song demo did was emphasise that this was a fast-growing band. It featured Reign Of Terror (written by Eric) and Alone In The Darkish (an early Skolnick monitor), plus Raging Waters (co-written by Zetro and Eric). Nonetheless, the true clincher was Burnt Choices, which was the primary collaboration between the 2 guitarists.
“It went in all places, and actually emphasised how a lot we have been rising up as a band,” insists Eric. “We despatched out copies to European magazines, who handled it like a correct album and have been reviewing this favourably alongside professionally recorded and launched stuff. We’d truly now develop into the native heroes, as a result of by this time Metallica had gotten signed and have been going all around the world. However then we hit a serious downside.”
Zetro’s dedication to the band was beginning to noticeably wane, and rumours have been starting to floor about what was happening.
“We’d give you a music known as The Haunting, however Zetro didn’t get round to ending it. After which we’d written the music for an additional one known as Apocalyptic Metropolis. Nonetheless, although we nagged him, Zetro by no means wrote any lyrics, and simply advised us to do it as an instrumental. That actually shocked us, as a result of we have been so used to him being on the ball along with his contribution.
“However then we began to listen to some actually disturbing tales about how Zetro was able to stop Legacy and be a part of one other native band known as Exodus. These studies wouldn’t go away, and ultimately we needed to ask him what was happening. I truthfully believed that he’d inform us it was a load of nonsense. However as an alternative we obtained a very dangerous emotional outburst from him. He stated he by no means wished us to seek out out this manner, after which cried, obtained very offended and screamed at us. It was very uncomfortable.”
Now confronted with having to discover a alternative, the band briefly considered asking Steve Gaines, vocalist with native act Abattoir, to return in, however as an alternative ended up attempting out somebody Zetro had prompt go for the job: Chuck Billy.
“When Zetro insisted I name Alex Skolnick and put myself ahead, I wasn’t too positive,” admits Chuck. “I used to be older than them and got here from a traditional rock background. I used to be into UFO, Skinny Lizzy and the Scorpions. What they did was a brand new world for me.
“I’d began out as a guitarist, and once I turned a singer, I took classes, enrolled in school programs to study the whole lot I may about being a vocalist. Then my trainer advised me there was nothing extra he may present me, and that the most effective factor I may do was be a part of a band that wasn’t simply made up of my pals, so I made a decision to cellphone Alex and agreed to go for an audition.”
Chuck met his future bandmates in a rehearsal area that was so small he ended up singing within the hallway. Impressed with their demo, he sang the quartet of songs on the tape, and introduced his personal extra melodic type to their heavy method. However the band have been nonetheless a bit uncertain whether or not he was the suitable man.
“To be sincere, we couldn’t make up our minds,” admits Eric. “We thought he gave the impression of Rob Halford on the Priest music Fast Fireplace, however we nonetheless had some doubts. So, the 4 of us agreed to go down and see his band, Guilt, enjoying at a neighborhood gig.”
As soon as they’d seen Chuck onstage, although, Legacy knew he was the suitable man for them.
“Guilt gave the impression of Ratt and have been all fairly boys. You then had this big determine in the midst of the stage carrying a trench coat and calling everybody a pussy!” smirks Eric. “We knew that he was so mistaken for that band and belonged with us. We have been all a bit fearful of him, and since he was a number of years older, one or two guys in Legacy have been uncertain, however I talked them into taking the chance.”
The band lastly obtained a giant report firm break on a really unusual day. They recorded a demo with the songs The Haunting and Over The Wall, and this reached the ears of Johnny Z, head of Megaforce Data and the person who’d initially signed Metallica; he additionally managed Anthrax on the time.
“He got here to San Francisco to see us rehearse, however was completely silent all through,” recollects Eric. “No matter we performed made no affect. It appeared as if we’d blown an opportunity to get a great deal.”
The date, although, says all of it. It was September 27, 1986, the day Metallica bassist Cliff Burton died in a crash on a Swedish highway. Johnny Z, who knew him nicely, came upon in regards to the tragedy as he landed in San Francisco. For Legacy it was an enormous shock too.
Johnny Z was impressed sufficient to need to signal the band. However, with a brand new alliance with Atlantic Data about to occur, he wished to attend earlier than releasing something. There was additionally one other downside; there was already a band within the scene known as Legacy.
“We had no thought what to name ourselves,” sighs Eric. “It was Billy Milano, vocalist with Stormtroopers Of Demise, who prompt we name ourselves Testomony. As quickly as I started to mess around with concepts for the emblem, I believed, ‘That is it.’ Every part made sense. And simply so we saved religion with the previous, we determined to title that debut The Legacy.”
Launched in April 1987, the album had many believing that right here have been the following large thrash metallic band, following within the footsteps of Metallica, and turning the Huge 4 – Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax – into the Huge 5. However it by no means occurred. The report did not chart, and not one of the subsequent albums did nicely sufficient commercially to place Testomony on an equal footing.
“There are a great deal of the explanation why we failed,” admits Chuck. “I may spend hours going by way of all of the errors we made, and have been made on our behalf. All of us actually felt that we may very well be very large. However then grunge got here alongside, and neither MTV nor radio wished to know in regards to the type of music we did. We had a battle to get any type of publicity.”
However there was by no means any doubting the standard of the band as they recorded 4 extra albums over the following 5 years, every of which did higher than the earlier one. Nonetheless, The Ritual (1992) was their highest charting album in America, and even that stalled at quantity 55. Whereas musically there was little doubt the band have been maturing and growing, the continuous failure to get vital gross sales took its toll. Each Alex and Louie left, to get replaced briefly by Forbidden pair Glen Alvelais and Paul Bostaph. However after the 1993 EP Return To The Apocalyptic Metropolis they stop, with James Murphy and John Tempesta taking on on guitar and drums for 1994’s Low album.
“I like Low, however like a variety of the albums from that period it suffered from a very poor manufacturing,” says Eric.
“I believe Alex simply wished to get away from enjoying metallic,” provides Billy speaking in regards to the guitarist’s departure. “He was so younger when he joined the band, and now wished to do different, extra jazzy stuff, and this didn’t slot in Testomony. We by no means fell out with him. It was solely a musical factor. We at all times saved in contact.”
Over the following few years, drummers got here and went. Derrick returned for 1997’s Demonic album, and Glen guested on this report and its tour. However by the top of the last decade, Testomony have been in such a state of flux the longer term appeared bleak. It obtained worse in 2001 when Chuck was recognized with most cancers.
“I recall being advised by the physician that I had most cancers, and taking it in my stride,” says Chuck. “However once I went residence and advised my spouse, the enormity hit me and I spent the remainder of the day crying. The I obtained myself collectively and determined to beat it.”
Chuck turned to his Native American heritage to assist beat the illness (Chuck is from the Pomo tribe).
“Earlier than I even obtained most cancers, a pal of mine advised me she’d had a dream about how I obtained along with a healer she knew known as Charlie, and he carried out a ritual. Once I obtained ailing, Charlie, who I’d by no means met, turned up at my residence. We talked and he obtained me to lie down on the ground and shut my eyes whereas he chanted. I felt as if I used to be floating by way of the sky. He then handed an eagle’s feather over my chest, which is the place the most cancers was. He advised me that the wind could be my spirit information.
“None of this made sense till one night time I couldn’t sleep. I went to the bathroom as I used to be having abdomen issues, and there was a howling wind stirring up empty beer cans exterior. One thing went by way of my physique and out, and the wind stopped, with the cans hitting the bottom. The following day, my physician amazed me by saying that the tumour was not cancerous. All that was wanted now was to cut back its dimension, which I did by way of present process some extra religious rituals, after which it may very well be eliminated surgically. What I gained by way of all of this was an entire respect for my Native American heritage.”
Chuck’s sickness straight led to a rejuvenation of the Bay Space metallic scene. On August 11, 2001 a profit present known as Thrash Of The Titans in San Francisco raised cash to assist pay hospital payments for Chuck and Demise mainman Chuck Schuldiner, who additionally had most cancers (sadly, the latter died later the identical yr).
“Bands like Forbidden and Demise Angel obtained again collectively,” recollects Billy. “Alex Skolnick got here to play, and this began the reunion of the traditional Testomony lineup. So, the advantage of my sickness is it introduced all these bands again collectively.”
By 2003, Chuck had made an entire restoration. 2008’s Formation Of Damnation album was their best album in 20 years, sparking a resurgence in curiosity within the band which continues to today. Testomony might not have the success of their previous buddies Metallica, however they continue to be one of many Bay Space’s most enduring bands.
“I don’t have a Ferrari within the storage, or a gilt-plated rest room, however I don’t regard these issues as being a real barometer for fulfillment,” says Eric, a person who has been there because the begin of the journey. “We’ve made errors – plenty of them – however have made some nice music, and survived some extremely scary moments. In the end, I believe we’ve achieved a lot greater than I anticipated in 1982.”
Initially revealed in Steel Hammer journal challenge 220, June 2011