If thrash’s Huge 4 had 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 among 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 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 had been our alternative. And I do bear 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 shortly taking up on drums.
“He moved into our space and was into metallic,” remembers Eric. “So he was instructed to go right down to the park and ask for Derrick and me. I wouldn’t say we had been native celebrities, however for those who 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 following day, the trio acquired 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 a couple 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 had been starting to take issues severely, even constructing a drum riser for Louie.
“Derrick labored for a beer firm, so we acquired 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 acquired thirsty. However we had been like punks, in that it needed to be low-cost beer. Something costlier than a couple of dollars we didn’t wanna find out about.”
Derrick quickly gave up singing, with native Steve ‘Zetro’ Souza taking up. And the band quickly acquired 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 price $5. To be sincere, again then we acquired on higher with punks than with rockers, and this gig occurred at a spot referred to as The File Gallery. We had 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 repute, a lot as to present help to a mate.
“Zetro was a superb 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 stunned seeing these children onstage, who appeared so younger, and all carrying priest collars whereas taking part in intense metallic. It was fairly one thing.”
With a repute 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 a good 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.”
Nevertheless, to the shock of his cousin, Derrick out of the blue 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 do this, when issues had been beginning to go nicely 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, however 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 provide you with $200 to afford the recording prices,” says Eric. “And I didn’t have that kind 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 actual clincher was Burnt Choices, which was the primary collaboration between the 2 guitarists.
“It went far and wide, and actually emphasised how a lot we had been rising up as a band,” insists Eric. “We despatched out copies to European magazines, who handled it like a correct album and had been reviewing this favourably alongside professionally recorded and launched stuff. We’d really now turn into the native heroes, as a result of by this time Metallica had gotten signed and had 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 had been starting to floor about what was occurring.
“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 an additional one referred to as Apocalyptic Metropolis. Nevertheless, even supposing we nagged him, Zetro by no means wrote any lyrics, and simply instructed us to do it as an instrumental. That actually shocked us, as a result of we had 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 experiences wouldn’t go away, and finally we needed to ask him what was occurring. I truthfully believed that he’d inform us it was a load of nonsense. However as an alternative we acquired a extremely unhealthy emotional outburst from him. He mentioned he by no means wished us to seek out out this manner, after which cried, acquired very indignant 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 making an attempt out somebody Zetro had advised 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 be taught every little thing I might about being a vocalist. Then my instructor instructed 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 pals, 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 type to their heavy strategy. However the band had been nonetheless a bit uncertain whether or not he was the correct man.
“To be sincere, we couldn’t make up our minds,” admits Eric. “We thought he seemed like Rob Halford on the Priest track Fast 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 correct man for them.
“Guilt seemed like Ratt and had been all fairly boys. Then you definately had this large 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 had been all a bit afraid of him, and since he was a couple of years older, one or two guys in Legacy had been uncertain, however I talked them into taking the chance.”
The band lastly acquired an enormous 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 Information 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 appeared as if we’d blown an opportunity to get a superb 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, discovered 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 Information 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 thought what to name ourselves,” sighs Eric. “It was Billy Milano, vocalist with Stormtroopers Of Loss of life, who advised we name ourselves Testomony. As quickly as I started to mess around with concepts for the brand, I assumed, ‘That is it.’ All the pieces 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 had been the following massive 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 didn’t 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 might spend hours going via all of the errors we made, and had been made on our behalf. All of us really felt that we could possibly be very massive. However then grunge got here alongside, and neither MTV nor radio wished to know concerning the kind of music we did. We had a battle to get any kind 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. 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 had been maturing and growing, 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 up 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 extremely 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 all the time 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 tip of the last decade, Testomony had been in such a state of flux the long run appeared bleak. It acquired worse in 2001 when Chuck was recognized with most cancers.
“I recall being instructed by the physician that I had most cancers, and taking it in my stride,” says Chuck. “However once I went house and instructed my spouse, the enormity hit me and I spent the remainder of the day crying. The I acquired 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 acquired most cancers, a pal of mine instructed me she’d had a dream about how I acquired along with a healer she knew referred to as Charlie, and he carried out a ritual. Once I acquired sick, Charlie, who I’d by no means met, turned up at my house. We talked and he acquired 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 instructed me that the wind could be my spirit information.
“None of this made sense till one evening 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 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 via present process some extra non secular rituals, after which it could possibly be eliminated surgically. What I gained via all of this was a whole 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 referred to as Thrash Of The Titans in San Francisco raised cash to assist pay hospital payments for Chuck and Loss of life mainman Chuck Schuldiner, who additionally had most cancers (sadly, the latter died later the identical yr).
“Bands like Forbidden and Loss of life Angel acquired 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 a whole restoration. 2008’s Formation Of Damnation album was their best album in twenty years, sparking a resurgence in curiosity within the band which continues to this present day. Testomony could 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 achievement,” says Eric, a person who has been there because the begin of the journey. “We’ve 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 concern 220, June 2011