Many young musicians are being influenced by what I did. Now, if you play Thrash metal, it's assumed you're a good guitarist
Alex Skolnick: Hi.
Wikimetal (Nando Machado): Hi Alex.
AS: Hi, how are you?
W (NM): Hi Alex, this is Nando Machado and Daniel Dystyler from Wikimetal. How are you?
AS: Well, well. And you?
W (NM): We're good. Just so you know, you're on Wikimetal, the number 1 Heavy Metal podcast in Brazil. I'm here with Daniel.
AS: Oh! Cool.
W (NM): We are the hosts of the show. First of all, it's a great honor to have you, the legendary guitarist from Testament, on our show. Thank you so much for your time!
AS: Thank you, thank you!
W (NM): Speaking of the early 80s. Did you imagine back then that those kids from California would have such a big impact on Heavy Metal? On the Metal scene around the world for so long?
AS: No, really not! I never thought so. I thought, for a while, that okay, Metallica would be this unknown band that broke into the mainstream, but the rest of the bands would almost all be underground. But you can see that in recent years, there's been a resurgence, and it's very clear that there are many, many bands that have had that impact, including ours. And we're grateful for that.
Wikimetal (Daniel Dystyler): Hi Alex, this is Daniel. Speaking of that time, it's very interesting to realize that so many great bands emerged from two cities in California. So, what is your relationship like today with bands like Exodus, Forbidden, and Slayer, for example, since you all shared musicians between the bands?
AS: Yes, that's interesting. Our drummer, Paul Bostaph, played with Slayer for many years. Exodus guitarist Gary Holt is currently filling in for Slayer's guitarist.
W (NM): And also, Steve Souza was the first singer of Testament. Correct?
AS: That's right, exactly. That's true. So, it's interesting, I think, that nobody predicted this.
W (NM): And what about your relationship with those bands? Do you still keep in touch with the people from those bands?
AS: Yes, yes. That's actually very good. I think now that everyone's a bit older, there's a lot more appreciation. Back in the day, every band was like a sports team. There was a lot of, a great sense of competition. And I think now, everyone realizes that it's okay to like people from other bands too. And yes, there's always someone from other bands who comes to see us and we go to see them. It's a good camaraderie.
W (NM): Speaking of the history of the name Testament. I know the story, but can you tell us a little bit about who came up with the name for the band?
AS: Ah, originally the band was called Legacy, and when we were about to release our first album, we found out there was another band called Legacy, so we couldn't use the name. We sent a message to everyone we knew, and since we were on Megaforce Records, they also asked all their artists. So, groups like Anthrax, Overkill, SOD, were all helping us think of names. Actually, it was Billy Milano, the singer of SOD, who came up with the name Testament.
W (DD): Great story.
W (NM): That's a great story, Alex.
W (DD): Excellent! Now I'm going to bring the interview to the present, to the present day. I'm also of Polish descent, and I know you are too. We heard that you were, for the first time, on the cover of a Polish guitar magazine. So, my question is, what does it mean to you, both to be on the cover of a specialized guitar magazine and to be from Poland?
W (NM): Excuse me, Alex, what was Guitar Player doing for 25 years? Were they asleep or something? Where were those guys?
AS: You know, in reality it has much more to do with popularity and album sales than anything else. Although I have a lot of support as a guitarist and I know that many of the people who work at these American magazines appreciate what I do, they also look at album sales. I'm happy that the Polish magazine did it. They said, this is the situation that makes sense… And it's deserved. So it was very significant that it came from the country where my grandfather came from as a boy, and that means immense recognition. I want to believe I was doing the right thing, but sometimes it's difficult, there's pressure, pressure to be, not the kind of musician you want to be, pressure to be more like other people tell you to be. It's really a great recognition of what I've done, the path I've been on is the right one and I'm going to stay on it.
W (NM): Tell me a little about Joe Satriani. Is he really an exceptional teacher? I mean, you, Steve Vai, Kirk Hammett…
AS: Yes, I mean, I think it's interesting because I spent time in the world of Jazz. I had Jazz albums as well as Metal albums. I studied with jazz pianists and other musicians who had an advanced knowledge of music theory, and it's not that uncommon, but in the rock world, that high level of musical understanding is difficult. It's rare. And it was especially rare in that area. And Joe is actually from New York, he came from Long Island, New York, and when he was younger, he studied with the Jazz pianist named Lennie Tristano. He's very famous in the Jazz world. It's interesting because he was the first teacher who kind of added that musical understanding that's necessary in Jazz, but he brought it to Rock. And he was teaching at Berklee, and that was a great opportunity for those of us who were fortunate enough to study with him.
The song that made me a fan of Thrash Metal was 'Fast as a Shark' by Accept
W (DD): Speaking of great musicians, is it true that right after you left Testament, you played with Stuart Hamm? What was that like?
AS: That was great! But actually, it was while I was still in Testament, but it was the first show I did outside of heavy metal. It was incredible because Stu's music at the time explored many different styles. He made me play in a way I had never played before. And also, the idea of someone from a Thrash band actually playing at that level and being able to keep up with a musician of that level was new at the time. Now, it's not so uncommon anymore, now there are many good musicians who play Thrash, but I was in a time when it was expected that you would play like a punk musician, you know what I mean?
W (NM): Yes.
W (DD): Yes.
AS: Back then, Venom, Motorhead, and even early Slayer weren't really focused on musicianship. Songwriting was important, but guitar solos weren't a priority, and I came from the world of Ozzy, Van Halen, and I decided, you know what, I want to play Thrash, but I want to play at the level of the guitarists from Ozzy, Van Halen, and Dio, and that was very unusual. I received a lot of criticism for that, for not being a real Thrash musician. It turns out it was one of the best things that could have happened because nowadays, many young musicians are being influenced by what I did, and now if you play Thrash metal, you're assumed to be a good guitarist, which I think is much better.
W (DD): Sure.
AS: Daniel, after I played and released some albums, Marty Friedman, who didn't play Thrash before, joined Megadeth.
W (DD): Yes.
AS: And I think that he, Marty, being in Megadeth and I, helped establish that, you know, the lead guitarist of Thrash playing, can play well.
W (NM): A song that drives you crazy, completely blown away, and we're going to listen to it?
W (DD): That you can't control yourself.
AS: Okay, let's see! I'll say the first song, the song that made me a Thrash Metal fan, which is 'Fast as a Shark' by Accept.
W (NM): That's a great choice.
W (DD): Great. Incredible.
W (NM): So, we're going to listen to 'Fast as a Shark' by Accept. Right now on Wikimetal!
Like this .
W (NM): A few days ago I spoke with Zakk Wylde and I know he has a project to do a G3 with Thrash metal guitarists. It was supposed to be Zakk, Kerry King and Dimebag, but after Dimebag passed away I believe the project is on hold, but would you consider participating? Would you like to do a project like this with other Thrash metal guitarists?
AS: Absolutely, absolutely. Yes. I think Zakk needs to start thinking about that again.
W (NM): We loved being a part of this, having contributed to this idea in some way.
AS: The next time I see him, I'll tell him to organize this.
W (NM): Imagine what that would sound like.
W (DD): Yes, that would be great.
AS: That would be really cool.
W (DD): You can tell him – 'I was talking to the guys from Wikimetal and they said something like that'.
AS: Yes, absolutely, I guarantee you'll get the credit.
When I first heard the Van Halen album, all I could think about was the guitar. I imagined myself playing like he did.”
W (DD): Alex, you mentioned that you come from sounds like Van Halen, Ozzy, and all those kinds of music. Obviously, you referenced great guitarists from those bands like Eddie Van Halen, Randy Rhoades, Jake E. Lee. So, in the beginning, who were the guitarists or artists that inspired you to choose this profession?
AS: It was definitely Eddie. Eddie Van Halen, without a doubt, he's perhaps one of the elite guitarists. I started as a big Kiss fan, and before I played guitar, I wasn't sure if… I was also a big Beatles fan, I still am. You know, what everyone was into. So, as I was saying, if I wanted to be a guitarist and singer. I listened to some classics like Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix, but when I heard the Van Halen album for the first time, I only thought about the guitar. I'm sure a lot of people have had that experience, but it struck a chord with me. I imagined myself playing like he did.
W (DD): And nowadays, who are your 3 favorite guitarists?
AS: Jeff Beck and I saw him play a little while ago, about a year and a half ago. And he was as good as ever. It could have been 1976, but it was 2009. And it was absolutely incredible. I'm also a big fan of Pat Metheny, he doesn't play rock, but he has many different sides as well. He's probably one of the best musicians in the world. And there's also a guy called Jimmy Herring, he's a great guitarist.
W (NM): Can you talk a little about your other projects, like your trio? Or are you working on something else outside of that at the moment?
AS: Yes, mainly the trio. The trio has a new album that was released about two months ago and we've been doing several shows, some with Rodrigo and Gabriela, it was a lot of fun. I also played on their album, their most recent one called 11:11. And I'm also producing bands. I produced a band from Iraq called Acrassicauda, a Heavy Metal band.
W (NM): Yes. I saw their film the other day. It's very good.
AS: This is the band from the movie. We produced an EP, they're on tour now, writing more songs.
W (NM): Do they live in America nowadays?
AS: Yes, they live in America now.
W (NM): The other day I watched the movie 'Heavy Metal in Baghdad' and I thought it was really cool.
AS: Yes. It's actually been a lot of fun helping bands from other countries. I'm also involved with some musicians from Cuba, and Cuba has a huge problem. There are hundreds of metal bands there, but nobody knows about it. They can't leave the country because the government only wants to promote the music they're comfortable with, more traditional music, which is good music, but you know, it's unfair to these metal bands. So, there's a movement in the United States that helps bring these bands here. The movement is called Unblock The Rock. The number one band from Cuba is a band called Escapes.
W (NM): I can imagine why the name, right?
AS: Exactly. Escape from Cuba. And we're working to bring them to the United States. I'm a big fan of this band; they combine all genres of metal like Black metal, Death metal, Thrash metal. They have a musicality that all musicians should have.
W (DD): And speaking of musicians from other countries, I saw that Robert Trujillo from Metallica recently played live with Rodrigo and Gabriela. Do you consider doing something like that? Since you recorded the album with them.
AS: Yes. And actually, we did a show and he was a special guest too, at Radio City in New York. If you go on YouTube and search for Alex Skolnick Trio and Robert Trujillo, you'll see our improvisation that day.
W (DD): Let's put the link to this video in the show.
AS: That's right, that's right.
Ozzy hired me, but Sharon decided on another guitarist, who in the end was Zakk, who ended up in the band anyway.”
W (NM): Speaking of Testament again, Alex, since this is a special about Testament. We're doing a one-hour special on Testament. Can you choose a Testament song that you're most proud of?
AS: Yes. Because we didn't talk... I'm going to choose 'Souls of Black'.
W (DD): Great!
W (NM): That's a great choice.
AS: Yes. This is a song that I actually started on bass. I was actually messing around with the bass and created the song's intro.
W (DD): And since we're hearing Chuck Billy's voice, let me ask you something. How's he doing?
AS: Oh, very good! Thank you for asking. He's in great shape, he gets checkups about twice a year, he's better than ever, and we haven't had any more problems. That's good not only because he's healthy, but because he's one of the few musicians who plays this kind of music.
W (NM): That's really, really great to hear, Alex. Thank you for letting our listeners know about this. Changing the subject again, can you mention a guitar solo that you wish you had written?
AS: I think Randy Rhoads from Mr. Crowley.
W (NM): Ah, that's a classic.
AS: Not a classic, an epic.
W (NM): Yes, an epic.
AS: The best thing in the world.
W (DD): And how was your experience with Ozzy?
AS: It was very interesting. For me, it was great, I think maybe it wasn't at the right time. He hired me, but Sharon decided on another guitarist who ended up being Zakk, who ended up in the band anyway. But I did a show with them, participated in some rehearsals. It was super exciting, it was like peeking into a totally different world. I've never been around so many famous people.
W (NM): I believe that all Metal fans would have loved to see you playing with Ozzy, even if only once.
AS: I think it would have been cool, but you know, that one show only happened. And I'll say one thing, I'm very grateful to have done that one show.
W (DD): Thank you so much for your time and for sharing all your stories and experiences. Could you leave a message for all the Brazilian fans, inviting all the Metalheads from São Paulo to come see you on August 20th in São Paulo?
AS: Alright, Brazilian Metal fans, this is Alex Skolnick from Testament and I'm telling you to come to São Paulo and see Testament on August 20th. We're late, but we're on our way and I want to see you all. We're very happy to be playing in Brazil for the best Metal fans in the world. See you there!
W (NM): That's great, Alex. Thank you so much, Alex, for your time, it was much appreciated. I'm sure the show on the 20th will be fantastic, we'll be there and I hope to have the chance to meet you there, and who knows, maybe we can have a beer together.
AS: That sounds good. I'd love it. Okay, thank you.
W (NM): Ok, thank you again.
W (DD): Thank you Alex.
AS: Thank you! Bye, bye.
W (DD): Bye, bye.
