TESTAMENT's CHUCK BILLY On ROB HALFORD's Foreword To 'Holding My Breath' Book: 'The Words' He Wrote 'Almost Brought Me To Tears'

In a new interview with Scott Davidson of Chicago's Rebel Radio, Chuck Billy, the frontman of San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal veterans TESTAMENT, spoke about his upcoming memoir, "Holding My Breath: The Two Testaments Of Chuck Billy", which is due on November 10, 2026 via Permuted Press. Asked who had the task of asking Rob Halford (JUDAS PRIEST) and Randy Blythe (LAMB OF GOD) to write the foreword and afterword, respectively, for the book, the 63-year-old singer said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I did. And I had to get up a bunch of nerve to do it, because you wanna ask, but you don't wanna be rejected. So it takes a minute to kind of get up the nerve to say, 'Okay, I'm ready for the rejection if he says no.' So when I wrote Randy, Randy was all in. He's all, 'Hell yeah. Fuck yeah, man. I'll do whatever you need.' And then Rob as well. I finally had the nerve to reach out to Rob, and right away he came back saying, yeah, he'd be honored to do it. And within two days I had it. He wrote it. And it blew me away. It brought me almost to tears, the words he said, so it was awesome."

Billy was diagnosed with germ cell seminoma, a rare type of cancer, a quarter century ago, and has been cancer-free for over two decades following chemotherapy and traditional Native American healing. At the time, he underwent chemotherapy and, being a Native American, Chuck utilized traditional medicine, including seeking help from spiritual healers. A year into treatment and recovery, he was declared cancer-free in 2002.

According to a press release, "Holding My Breath: The Two Testaments Of Chuck Billy" is structured as two interlocking testaments, tracing the full arc of a life lived at maximum volume — and then something louder than any riff: the fight to stay alive. The Old Testament 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 New Testament is something rarer and more raw — a frontman at 38, blindsided by a devastating cancer diagnosis, drawing on his Native American and Mexican-American heritage, spiritual healers, visions, and the fierce love of a metal community. At the center of that community: the legendary 2001 "Thrash Of The Titans" benefit concert — one of the most galvanizing moments in heavy metal history — which rallied old rivals into brothers and helped ignite a genre revival while keeping Chuck Billy in the fight.

Co-written with Dave Erickson, "Holding My Breath" delivers the unfiltered insider story of thrash metal's rise alongside a deeply human account of mortality, miraculous recovery, cultural identity, and chosen family. It is, equally, a gift to lifelong TESTAMENT fans and to anyone who has ever faced the unthinkable — and refused to let go.

Raised in a resilient Native American and Mexican-American family, Chuck forged his path through rebellion, raw talent, and unbreakable stubbornness — becoming the powerful voice behind one of thrash's most enduring bands.

Billy has been honored with a California State Assembly recognition for his positive influence on Native communities, was part of The Smithsonian's National Museum Of The American Indian's exhibition, "Up Where We Belong: Native Musicians In Popular Culture", and won "Best Music Video" at the American Indian Film Festival for "Native Blood".

For more information, and to pre-order, visit chuckbillybook.com.