If thrash’s Large 4 have been ever expanded to a Large 5, Bay Space veterans Testomony can be preventing with Exodus for a spot in it. In 2011, founding guitarist Eric Peterson and singer Chuck Billy seemed 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 noteworthy within the current historical past of metallic. It contains betrayal and coincidence and a literal combat for all times, the final of which fortunately led to 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 associates in native parks, simply ingesting beer and listening to metallic music. Bands like Angel Witch, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Venom have been our alternative. 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!”
Finally, the cousins began a band referred to 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 rapidly taking on on drums.
“He moved into our space and was into metallic,” remembers 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 in case you had lengthy hair and wore denim and leather-based, then individuals assumed you’ll get on with the 2 of us.”
In Louie, Eric discovered a kindred spirit and the subsequent day, the trio bought collectively and jammed on Motörhead songs: “We additionally had this cool demo referred to as No Life ’Til Leather-based from a neighborhood band referred to as Metallica, and we knocked out just a few of these songs as effectively.”
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 significantly, even constructing a drum riser for Louie.
“Derrick labored for a beer firm, so we bought maintain of 5 pallets of beer and plywood and constructed this riser. It was additionally very helpful, as a result of we might additionally retailer beer within the riser, which was useful once we bought thirsty. However we have been like punks, in that it needed to be low-cost beer. Something dearer than a couple of bucks we didn’t wanna find out about.”
Derrick quickly gave up singing, with native Steve ‘Zetro’ Souza taking on. And the band quickly bought their first ever gig, one which Eric nonetheless remembers.
“It was at a punk present, opening for a band referred to as Rebels & Infidels. Tickets value $5. To be sincere, again then we bought on higher with punks than with rockers, and this gig occurred at a spot referred to as The Document Gallery. We have been nonetheless in our infancy so far as our model of music went, however I’d say we had a Priest model, 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 very good buddy 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 youngsters onstage, who seemed so younger, and all carrying priest collars whereas taking part in 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 scorching 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! Nevertheless it was round this time that we realised it was time to do that correctly.”
Nevertheless, to the shock of his cousin, Derrick abruptly 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 effectively for us? However we changed him with this child referred to as Alex Skolnick, who was simply 15 on the time.”
In 1983, Legacy recorded their first demo, but it surely was to result in a fractious time with Zetro, and one that will effectively have precipitated what was to occur later.
“We every needed to provide you with $200 to afford the recording prices,” says Eric. “And I didn’t have that form 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). Nevertheless, 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 change 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 significant drawback.”
Zetro’s dedication to the band was beginning to noticeably wane, and rumours have been starting to floor about what was happening.
“We’d provide you with a track referred to as The Haunting, however Zetro didn’t get round to ending it. After which we’d written the music for one more one referred to as Apocalyptic Metropolis. Nevertheless, even though 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 together 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 referred to as Exodus. These stories wouldn’t go away, and finally 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 bought a very unhealthy emotional outburst from him. He stated he by no means wished us to seek out out this fashion, after which cried, bought very offended and screamed at us. It was very uncomfortable.”
Now confronted with having to discover a substitute, the band briefly thought of asking Steve Gaines, vocalist with native act Abattoir, to return in, however as an alternative ended up attempting out somebody Zetro had instructed 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 after I turned a singer, I took classes, enrolled in faculty programs to study the whole lot I might about being a vocalist. Then my trainer advised me there was nothing extra he might present me, and that one of the best factor I might do was be a part of a band that wasn’t simply made up of my associates, so I made a decision to cellphone Alex and agreed to go for an audition.”
Chuck met his future bandmates in a rehearsal house 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 model to their heavy method. However the band have been nonetheless a bit of uncertain whether or not he was the precise 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 track Speedy Hearth, however we nonetheless had some doubts. So, the 4 of us agreed to go down and see his band, Guilt, taking part in at a neighborhood gig.”
As soon as they’d seen Chuck onstage, although, Legacy knew he was the precise man for them.
“Guilt gave the impression of Ratt and have been all fairly boys. Then you definitely had this enormous determine in the course of the stage carrying a trench coat and calling everybody a pussy!” smirks Eric. “We knew that he was so improper for that band and belonged with us. We have been all a bit afraid of him, and since he was just a few years older, one or two guys in Legacy have been uncertain, however I talked them into taking the chance.”
The band lastly bought 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,” remembers Eric. “No matter we performed made no impression. It seemed as if we’d blown an opportunity to get a very good 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 effectively, came upon concerning 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 drawback; there was already a band within the scene referred to as Legacy.
“We had no concept what to name ourselves,” sighs Eric. “It was Billy Milano, vocalist with Stormtroopers Of Dying, who instructed we name ourselves Testomony. As quickly as I started to mess around with concepts for the emblem, I assumed, ‘That is it.’ All the things 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 subsequent huge thrash metallic band, following within the footsteps of Metallica, and turning the Large 4 – Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax – into the Large 5. Nevertheless it by no means occurred. The report didn’t chart, and not one of the subsequent albums did effectively sufficient commercially to place Testomony on an equal footing.
“There are a great deal of the explanation why we failed,” admits Chuck. “I might spend hours going via all of the errors we made, and have been made on our behalf. All of us really felt that we might be very huge. However then grunge got here alongside, and neither MTV nor radio wished to know concerning the form of music we did. We had a battle to get any form of publicity.”
However there was by no means any doubting the standard of the band as they recorded 4 extra albums over the subsequent 5 years, every of which did higher than the earlier one. Nevertheless, The Ritual (1992) was their highest charting album in America, and even that stalled at quantity 55. Whereas musically there was little question the band have been maturing and creating, the continuous failure to get important 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 whole lot of the albums from that period it suffered from a very poor manufacturing,” says Eric.
“I believe Alex simply wished to get away from taking part in metallic,” provides Billy speaking concerning 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 subsequent 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 tip of the last decade, Testomony have been in such a state of flux the long run seemed bleak. It bought worse in 2001 when Chuck was identified with most cancers.
“I recall being advised by the physician that I had most cancers, and taking it in my stride,” says Chuck. “However after I went residence and advised my spouse, the enormity hit me and I spent the remainder of the day crying. The I bought 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 bought most cancers, a buddy of mine advised me she’d had a dream about how I bought along with a healer she knew referred to as Charlie, and he carried out a ritual. After I bought in poor health, Charlie, who I’d by no means met, turned up at my residence. We talked and he bought me to lie down on the ground and shut my eyes whereas he chanted. I felt as if I used to be floating via 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 can 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 via my physique and out, and the wind stopped, with the cans hitting the bottom. The subsequent day, my physician amazed me by saying that the tumour was now not cancerous. All that was wanted now was to cut back its measurement, which I did via present process some extra religious rituals, after which it might be eliminated surgically. What I gained via all of this was an entire respect for my Native American heritage.”
Chuck’s sickness instantly led to a rejuvenation of the Bay Space metallic scene. On August 11, 2001 a profit present referred to as Thrash Of The Titans in San Francisco raised cash to assist pay hospital payments for Chuck and Dying mainman Chuck Schuldiner, who additionally had most cancers (sadly, the latter died later the identical yr).
“Bands like Forbidden and Dying Angel bought again collectively,” remembers Billy. “Alex Skolnick got here to play, and this began the reunion of the traditional Testomony lineup. So, the benefit 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 most interesting album in 20 years, sparking a resurgence in curiosity within the band which continues to this present day. Testomony might not have the success of their outdated 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 toilet, 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. “Now we have made errors – a lot of them – however have made some nice music, and survived some extremely horrifying moments. In the end, I believe we’ve achieved a lot greater than I anticipated in 1982.”
Initially revealed in Metallic Hammer journal difficulty 220, June 2011
