Testament is preparing to release their fourteenth studio album, Para Bellum , scheduled for October 10th via Nuclear Blast Records .
Five years after their last album, Titans Of Creation , the American thrash metal band is eager to present their new work. In a conversation with Wikimetal , guitarist and founder Eric Peterson talked about the new album and recounted what the thrash metal scene was like in the 80s, the interaction with local bands, the rise of grunge, and music after the year 2000.
The new album Para Bellum
Wikimetal: Testament seems to be seeking a balance between the old and the new. The new album Para Bellum shows this, presenting a more modern Testament but still, the Testament of the 80s. What was your idea when writing this album?
Eric Peterson: This is our 14th album, so it felt natural, I don't think anything was planned, the inspiration just comes when I'm playing. But we didn't have in mind the idea of creating something that came out a little heavier. And also trying to have some different tonal changes. So, all these different elements give a different sound. And one thing we haven't done for a while is a ballad. We have a ballad on the record called "Meant to Be". So, with all that, you're right in saying that it has all the styles of Testament, but still being very coherent. Just kind of fitting everything together. But yeah, it's kind of planned, but you never know what the universe is going to give me.
WM: Regarding the songwriting process, you and the new drummer Chris Dovas co-wrote a large part of the album, a fusion between the new generation of metal and the old school. What was that process like? Does it influence your way of composing and playing?
EP: That's how I normally do it. I usually do it with the drummer. Instead of working with a drum machine, it's easier to have a human. It's much faster and you can get a vibe with someone. With Chris, in particular, it seemed like it was much faster and it was a bit more exciting because Chris was really interested and he's very smart. We used a MIDI kit, I don't know if you're familiar with MIDI, but when you record MIDI, you can go in and change all the drum sounds or you can move things around, so you can get a basic idea. So he's very good with things like that. Lots of new technologies, new ways of doing things… It was a lot of fun. He's really interested, he's young and enthusiastic, and that made me pay more attention to him.
I never thought of it that way, but sometimes, for me, I have to be in the mood. I can't just go into the studio and start recording anything. When you have an idea, because often when it comes and we start working on it, sometimes it would be around 1 or 2 in the morning. Maybe we'd have a few drinks, when you've had a few drinks you get excited. But we'd just say, 'let's go to the studio' and that's it… We'd finish things there and that was it. So it was a lot of fun. Definitely a lot of fun.
Testament in Brazil
WM: Testament was recently here in Brazil for some shows . How was it to return to the country?
EP: It was great. I was recently in Hawaii. I was on vacation, but I didn't want to come back. That's how I felt when I was in Brazil. I didn't want to come back. I just wanted to stay there. Especially when we were in Rio de Janeiro. We had a really nice hotel. I think we stayed at the Sheraton, on the beach. And we didn't want to leave. Can't we stay here?
The good thing is that we were there, not to promote the new album, so I'm hoping we can come back sooner than waiting two years. Maybe next year, maybe not as many shows, but at least shows in Brazil, Chile, and Colombia, the biggest places we've played.
WM: Can we expect the tour for the new album here?
EP: I hope so. I think Brazilian metal fans are strong for us, and I think they'll really like the new album. Yes, we love Brazil. Brazil was the first country in Latin America we came to in 1989, I think. And every time we come back, it's more cities, a bigger audience. So, we love Brazil.
The thrash metal scene of the 80s
WM: California's Bay Area was the birthplace of several thrash metal bands, and is known worldwide for that reason. What was it like for you to develop as a musician within that scene?
EP: That's just where it started. I don't know why genres start in a certain area, like New Wave of British Heavy Metal. There are probably bands playing that kind of music, like New Wave of British Heavy Metal. Or like hard rock. Many British bands were influenced by black music in America, like blues. But in relation to thrash metal, we are really influenced by British bands, by the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. And mixing it with something punk, like GBH , and that kind of faster drumming, Motörhead , again British.
I don't know why, but it happened. A lot of bands started playing, then Metallica came along. But they're from LA, so they moved here [Bay Area], I was at those early shows and I saw the audience's reaction. San Francisco definitely had more of a style, like Venom and Angel Witch, all more black metal, Mercyful Fate, Celtic Frost , things like that. The fans were really into that music, when I walked around LA it was all about glam metal, Mötley Crüe, Poison , that kind of style. And it was very segregated like that too. I think Seattle was kind of dark too, but they had their own hippie , which later became grunge.
How grunge affected the metal scene in the 90s
WM: In the 90s, with the rise of Grunge, metal bands struggled to stay relevant. What did you think of that era? And do you think it influenced your approach throughout the 90s in any way?
EP: It was definitely a wake-up call. I just remember, from what I can recall… It’s almost like there was a metal infestation. There were a lot of bands. It had to be, before you could count them on one hand, you could count ten of them. And, I think at that point there were thousands of bands. When grunge came along, it kind of changed who was strong and who wasn’t. Because I think a lot of bands changed and cut their hair and started wearing t-shirts and changed the music a little bit. But it was kind of a wake-up call for metal, to take the quality together and stop copying everyone or something like that.
WM: Were you a fan of any grunge bands?
Yes, I liked all the major ones. Alice in Chains was my favorite because they were more hard rock and not totally grunge, but they still had their sound. For me, and this is proven, they were a bit impatient. It wasn't just a trendy band; they have a very strong sound that even today, when you listen to it, still sounds very good. I really liked Soundgarden , Mother Love Bone , which eventually became Pearl Jam . Many of those guys were in that band. Yes, it was good; there's a lot of good music from that era. I didn't like it at first because suddenly we'd go to Europe and all you'd see was grunge, like what happened with metal. And it was like metal died for a few years. But I appreciate it now; I think it's a great genre, good music.
The coexistence within the heavy metal scene and the decline of styles after the year 2000
WM: What is your relationship like today with bands from the region, such as Exodus, Megadeth, Forbidden, and Slayer, for example, since you all shared musicians between the bands?
EP: We don't see each other much. Definitely when we were younger, bands like Exodus , and even Metallica , were going to parties and stuff, we hung out more with Exodus , when Paul Baloff was in the band, when there was a scene, because all the bands didn't have established names or record labels yet, they were all local. So there were gigs every weekend, we played at certain clubs, like Ruthie's Inn, or the Stone, or Mabuhay Gardens in San Francisco.
Then a scene emerged. Instead of hanging out with your friends and everyone getting together and going to your garage to play games and drink beer, you went to these shows. Because you knew Death Angel was going to play, or Legacy , which was Testament, or Exodus. So, there was a special event when Metallica was going to play, because now they had conquered the world.
I remember when I went out once, the scene was different, it was all bands like Fungo Mungo , then there were a lot of bands like Faith No More , with hip-hop, not rap, but funk, you know? It was a different scene, but that's because all the bands that were niche ended up famous. But it was fun before all the bands signed, because, like I said, every weekend you could go to Ruthie's Inn, not knowing who was going to play, and you'd go and Exodus would be playing, or Possessed and Death Angel would be playing. It was pretty cool.
WM: Testament has been together since the eighties. How do you analyze the changes in the way music is recorded and sold from that time to the present day?
It's really strange, because I think in the 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, it seems like each decade had its own sound. But when you get to the late 90s and 2000s, it seems like time has stood still since the 2000s. It's very much "more of the same." The quality is great, but… You know what I mean? In the 60s you had Janis Joplin, Rod Stewart, Black Sabbath was the beginning of it.
And in the '70s you had the more hard rock stuff, like Kiss, Whitesnake, Deep Purple , and in the '80s it was more confined, then you have Judas Priest, Scorpions … So what I'm saying is that it seems like there are several decades of music, and now it seems like the last 25 years have been the same decade, if that makes sense. Maybe it's lucky for us, because we've been doing this for a long time, our music is still relevant. It's not like, 'you're from the '50s, you sound like Elvis or something'. We have a sound that is very relevant. So, I think that's a good answer.
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