In January, Testament announced their separation from drummer Gene Hoglan and shortly afterwards welcomed Dave Navarro , a founding member of Slayer who had previously worked with the band in 1999 on the album The Gathering .
In a recent interview with Brave Words , guitarist Eric Peterson revealed a curious detail about Navarro's recruitment as the new drummer: the musician refused to send a video as part of the audition to join the band.
According to Peterson, Dave Navarro was one of the first names considered, but the members of Testament were afraid his schedule was already too full. It turns out the drummer himself ended up calling vocalist Chuck Billy , and the subject came up, so Eric decided to talk to him.
“I called him, we talked, and I asked if he could send a video of some songs. He replied, ‘I don’t need to make any fucking video.’ And I said, ‘Okay, all right.’ I think when I considered our old drummer Louie and a few other people… [Dave] was the obvious choice. Even if there were other younger drummers or people who knew more songs… For the place we were in with the pandemic, with this tour, I don’t think anyone else would have made sense.”
The separation of Testament and longtime drummer Gene Hoglan was, according to the band , amicable and simply due to conflicting professional schedules. Navarro, formerly of Slayer and known as one of the greatest thrash metal drummers, joined the group in March.
READ ALSO: Former Slayer drummer shows the 'correct' way to play the band's songs
