In a brand new interview with the Land Of Music Podcast, guitarist Eric Peterson of San Francisco Bay Space thrash steel veterans TESTAMENT confirmed that he and his bandmates have tapped Swedish producer Jens Bogren, who has beforehand labored with OPETH, KREATOR, PARADISE LOST, SOILWORK and AMON AMARTH, amongst others, to combine their upcoming studio album. The LP will mark TESTAMENT‘s follow-up to 2020’s “Titans Of Creation”, which was co-produced by Juan Urteaga, who beforehand labored with TESTAMENT on “Darkish Roots Of Earth” (2012) and “Brotherhood Of The Snake” (2016).
Concerning the progress of the blending periods for TESTAMENT‘s new LP, Peterson mentioned (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “I really begin mixing tomorrow till the top of the week with Jens Bogren. We’ve got our new ballad and about three different songs that we began mixing, however we dropped off as a result of the vocals weren’t performed but. So we have, like, per week to complete it to show all the pieces in. So that is what we’re doing. Yeah, we’re about 70, 80 p.c performed. So by subsequent Friday we’ll be ‘performed performed,’ after which we’re turning within the document.”
When Bogren‘s identify was first publicly floated final September in reference to TESTAMENT‘s upcoming album, Peterson instructed Brutal Planet Journal. “[Jens is] a producer from Sweden, and he is performed — God, he is performed KREATOR, he is doing the brand new BEHEMOTH, he is performed IN FLAMES, ARCH ENEMY. A number of European bands. We often work with Andy Sneap, however he is [the touring guitarist] in JUDAS PRIEST and he is simply, like, ‘Bro, I want a while off.’ It is a good swap, although. I feel Jens will do a great job. And yeah, there’s numerous loopy stuff on this document. I am excited for everyone to listen to it.”
Final August, TESTAMENT singer Chuck Billy instructed Oran O’Beirne of Overdrive.ie in regards to the music path of the follow-up to “Titans Of Creation”: “We all the time attempt to outdo ourselves or make a greater document or write higher songs. It is all the time a problem for ourselves, and I feel this time we actually took a very long time to create the document. We type of received all people in the identical room to essentially undergo the songs and type of put their two cents in to the preparations. I feel by having [our new drummer] Chris [Dovas] — he is a youthful drummer, a very nice drummer — however I feel he introduced you already know a brand new hearth to Eric within the writing course of. And I consider as a result of we’re occurring 37 years of creating information, it is type of full circle proper now. We’re type of impressed by new era, I suppose, of music and steel. And Chris is an enormous a part of that. He is an enormous fan of that. So I feel he impressed Eric simply to write down some actually aggressive, quick, inventive riffs. And it actually impressed me to essentially push myself to attempt to do some extra screaming, loss of life vocals, melodic stuff. We even went so far as writing — I do not wanna say ‘ballad’, nevertheless it’s one thing actually catchy that is actually sluggish that is one thing we have not performed in over 30 years. So I feel simply the general songs and the arrogance within the penning this time actually is gonna stand out on this document.”
When O’Beirne famous that TESTAMENT continues to “increase the bar” with every successive launch, Billy concurred. “It is true,” he mentioned. “I feel since 2000, ‘The Gathering’ document is the place I feel TESTAMENT type of had a brand new life, I would say the second life TESTAMENT. After which I turned ailing. After which after that, I did not suppose I used to be really gonna be taking part in music anymore. I simply wasn’t the identical individual. I would look within the mirror and I did not see the identical man. And after I beat it and survived it, I type of thought, ‘Okay, now it is time to proceed on with life.’ After which shortly after that we had the unique[-lineup] reunion. And I feel that is type of what actually set off the brand new lifetime of TESTAMENT, as a result of we had been writing music, jamming with the fellows who began it from the start and type of taking the perspective, like, ‘We’re gonna end this collectively, what we began.’ However over time, Louie [Clemente, former TESTAMENT drummer] needed to drop out ‘reason for well being causes; he could not maintain the sticks like he used to. So he needed to drop out. After which shortly after that Greg [Christian, former TESTAMENT bassist] dropped out. However from then on, I feel we have simply type of been writing for ourselves, possibly not likely caring what essentially the press thought. You all the time wanna impress the followers, however we had been actually writing to make us glad.”
Earlier final August, TESTAMENT guitarist Alex Skolnick instructed SiriusXM‘s “Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk” in regards to the band’s upcoming LP: “Effectively, I feel all people is aware of we went by a pair completely different drummers the previous couple years, I do know it’s extremely ‘Spinal Faucet’… Life imitating artwork. There have been scheduling conflicts with Gene Hoglan. Then we received Dave Lombardo, who was wonderful, however when it got here to going all in on a subsequent document, Dave was overbooked. And we would have liked someone [who could step in]. And we have a brand new drummer. His identify’s Chris Dovas. He wasn’t even born when the primary TESTAMENT document got here out. However I’ve gotta say he’s lighting fires. He is lit a hearth underneath all people and simply nice to play with. He nails all people’s elements from earlier than, however he has his personal type. And I am excited in regards to the subsequent document.”
In June 2024, Chuck instructed Nikki Blakk of the San Francisco, California radio station 107.7 The Bone in regards to the lyrical themes coated within the new TESTAMENT songs: “[It’s] not as targeted [on], like, the aliens, creating mankind and that type of stuff, however there may be a few of that. There’s rather a lot. Every tune positively has its personal identification lyrically. And once more, we’re writing stuff that’s actual, that occurs with the surroundings; we’re singing about that once more. A.I., we’re singing stuff about that. That is an enormous factor. So, there’s all the time an inspiration for songs. I feel it is a little bit simpler. There’s a lot occurring in our world to write down about now. It is a loopy world at present, so there’s numerous stuff to speak about. And I like singing about what’s actual and what is going on on as an alternative of some fantasy lyrics, as a result of, for me, I feel once I sing ’em, I’ve extra conviction, I consider in ’em a little bit extra. And possibly it is simpler for me to recollect the lyrics stay. [Laughs]”
Naming particular tracks, Chuck mentioned: “There is a tune, ‘Havana Syndrome’, which is in regards to the Havana Syndrome. Folks, look that up. There’s ‘Infanticide A.I.’, which is one other tune going A.I. path. And there is really a slower tune. We have not performed a slower tune. I am not gonna say ‘ballad’, however I am gonna say a slower tune that has numerous groove and soul, known as ‘Meant To Be’. And it is like a basic TESTAMENT-type ballad, I suppose, if you happen to wanna use that phrase. However we have a little bit little bit of all the pieces, however, once more, I feel it is actually sticking to TESTAMENT, having to have some melodic stuff, although there’s some actually brutal lyrics and actual brutal, extra of a loss of life voice. I nonetheless put the hook in with extra of a melodic hook or one thing. It is nonetheless basic TESTAMENT. In case you take heed to it, you may go, ‘That is TESTAMENT, however a little bit extra octane to it.'”
Additionally in June, Chuck instructed Canada’s The Metallic Voice that he writes most of TESTAMENT‘s lyrics with Del James. “Del, he works with GUNS N’ ROSES,” Chuck mentioned. “He is been working with them and wrote with them a very long time in the past. I feel he had huge hits like ‘November Rain’ with them. And we have been working [together] for over 20 years. So I all the time go down and work with him as a result of I provide you with numerous the concepts and ideas, however he actually interprets and will get the best phrases, methods to say what I am pondering. And we work quick. Once we get collectively, we’ll knock out like two songs in a day. So we do not fiddle. We get there, say whats up to one another, we sit down and we go proper to work. It is about what we do.”
In August 2023, Dovas was requested by Pod Scum if it was “unnerving” to step into a bunch whose listing of earlier drummers contains such heavyweights as Lombardo and Hoglan. He responded: “It was, particularly at first as a result of I knew that numerous eyes had been on me, and in addition I appeared as much as the band since I used to be a child. Particularly Lombardo and Gene — these are two of my favourite drummers proper there. So to be put in that scenario of taking on for them, I felt like I had numerous accountability and numerous… I felt like I had one thing to show a little bit bit, and I am nonetheless practising rather a lot and I simply wanna do the very best that I can do. Proper now I am not likely nervous anymore as a result of I’ve performed two full excursions with them now and we’re engaged on the [new TESTAMENT] album and the friendship has been creating now and all of us get alongside tremendous properly. They’ve welcomed me with open arms and it has been nice and the followers have been nice. I have been placing hours and hours of follow into it to ensure that I can do the very best that I might do. And I look as much as Dave and I look as much as Gene as properly, so, yeah, I simply wanna play the songs properly stay and preserve making the band sound good.”
Previous to becoming a member of TESTAMENT as a full-time member, Dovas stuffed in for Lombardo on the primary six dates of TESTAMENT‘s summer time/fall 2022 leg of “The Bay Strikes Again Tour”.
Picture credit score: Stephanie Cabral (courtesy of Nuclear Blast Information)
