TESTAMENT's CHUCK BILLY Debuts New Look: 'I've Had Long Hair My Whole Life, Except When I Was Ill With Cancer'

TESTAMENT frontman Chuck Billy has debuted a new haircut, explaining that ALICE IN CHAINS' Jerry Cantrell "gave [him] the strength and energy and the nerve to cut it all off."

On Tuesday, November 3, the 64-year-old singer took to his Facebook page to share a video of him getting his hair cut, telling his social media followers: "All right. Here I am getting a haircut. I've had long hair my whole life, except when I was ill with cancer. But today I think is the day it's gonna be a new look. So here we go."

After getting his hair chopped off, Billy added: "All right. Well, here it is, the new Chuck. 2026, starting fresh and new. I don't know. Do I look more grownup now? I don't know. Feel pretty good. Feel a little lighter."

In a follow-up video, Chuck explained the inspiration for his new haircut, saying: "Hey, what's going on, everybody? You got the news today of my new haircut. I just wanna tell you the reason and the inspiration behind it. I seen Jerry Cantrell post two days ago, I believe, with his haircut, and it gave me the strength and energy and the nerve to cut it all off. So, thank you, Jerry. This one's to you, man. Thanks for the courage. Cheers."

Billy's memoir, "Holding My Breath: The Two Testaments Of Chuck Billy", is due on November 10, 2026 via Permuted Press. Co-written with Dave Erickson, "Holding My Breath" features a foreword by Rob Halford (JUDAS PRIEST) and an afterword by Randy Blythe (LAMB OF GOD).

"Holding My Breath: The Two Testaments Of Chuck Billy" is split into two sections: an "Old Testament" and "New Testament". The first part of the book plunges readers into the explosive birth of Bay Area thrash metal, the formation of TESTAMENT, the rivalries, the brotherhood, and the reckless, glorious chaos of becoming one of the genre's most powerful voices. The second part of the book addresses Billy's cancer diagnosis at age of 38, with the singer further reflecting on "his Native American and Mexican-American heritage, spiritual healers, visions, and the fierce love of a metal community."

Chuck joined TESTAMENT in the mid-1980s, just after the band changed its name from LEGACY following the loss of singer — and Chuck's childhood friend — Steve "Zetro" Souza to fellow Bay Area thrashers EXODUS.