ALEX SKOLNICK: METALLICA Was Only Band From 1980s Thrash Scene Who Could Achieve Any Mainstream Popularity

During an appearance on a recent episode of the "Riffhard" podcast, TESTAMENT guitarist Alex Skolnick reflected on the band's early musical output and how it has stood the test of time in the three and a half decades since it was originally recorded. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "METALLICA found a way to make their music very popular, but they really kind of broke loose from the scene that they came up in. And it's brilliant what they did, but they're really the only ones that could achieve any mainstream popularity. They ended up being one of the biggest bands in the world. But the rest of the bands, the bands that were influenced by METALLICA — folks talk about the 'Big Six' or whatever: TESTAMENT, EXODUS, OVERKILL, DEATH ANGEL, maybe you could add FORBIDDEN, and then argue about who else would be there — but all of those bands, it was so left field and it wasn't a sign of the time. It got no mainstream attention other than an hour on MTV on Saturday nights where they'd play some of the videos. Yeah, somehow in the 2000s, it's almost like the times caught up with it. And then once you had the bands that were playing on Ozzfest, for example, guys that were a few years younger than me, not so much, but, yeah, LAMB OF GOD, SLIPKNOT and so forth, and they managed to reach pretty big audiences — still do. So it's weird. So then, just next to groups like that, if we play the songs that we had from back in the day — I don't know — it doesn't sound dated for some reason. Whereas you could play any number of songs from the time period, the late '80s that were very popular, that were on regular rotation on MTV and played on the radio and a little bit more commercialized and catchy and more image-based, and it feels much more dated. It's very strange."

TESTAMENT is working on the follow-up to 2020's "Titans Of Creation" album for a tentative 2025 release.

In June, TESTAMENT singer Chuck Billy told Nikki Blakk of the San Francisco, California radio station 107.7 The Bone that the band's next LP will likely contain 11 tracks along with "some covers".

The remastered versions of TESTAMENT's seminal albums "The Legacy" and "The New Order" are available both digitally and now on vinyl via Nuclear Blast Records.

"The Legacy" and "The New Order" were remastered by Justin Shturtz at Sterling Sound. Each album is available digitally and on 180-gram vinyl. "The Legacy" on red and white swirl with black splatter and "The New Order" on blue and purple swirl with black splatter, both limited to 1500 units worldwide. These special, limited-edition remastered LPs include alternate cover artwork, gatefold packaging with new liner notes, and an oversized booklet with never-before-seen images.

This fall, TESTAMENT and KREATOR will join forces for the "Klash Of The Titans" North American tour. The 33-date trek will kick off on September 12 in Reno, making its way across the U.S., and will include seven Canadian dates before concluding in San Francisco on October 27. Special guests on the run will be Bay Area death metal pioneers POSSESSED.