Testament are currently enjoying one of the most successful albums of their career, 'Dark Roots of Earth,' and they recently turned up at the Revolver Golden Gods Awards to not only take their rightful place amongst metal's top acts, but also to serve as presenters, introducing one of metal's top young acts, the Dillinger Escape Plan.
Metal musicians of all sub genres are continuing to pay their respects to late Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman. Few guitarists have earned their spot with Hanneman as members of thrash's most elite pedigree, but Testament shredder Alex Skolnick is undeniably at the side of Hanneman in terms of skill and respect. As one of thrash's most admired guitarists, Skolnick has written an in-depth memorial of Hanneman from the viewpoint of a true six-string master.
The news of Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman's death weighed heavy on the minds of many of the rockers attending Thursday night's Revolver Golden Gods ceremony, with many of the musicians just learning the tragic news as they were arriving for the show that night. Loudwire spoke with a number of the top rockers on the Revolver Golden Gods Black Carpet about Hanneman's life, legacy and what Slayer, in general, has meant to the metal community.
Last week, a good portion of the 2013 Scion Rock Fest lineup was revealed, with the Melvins on the top line along with a mystery co-headliner. Now it's been revealed that thrash metal icons Testament will co-headline the hard rock and metal-leaning event in Memphis, Tenn.
Whenever a metal band gets some attention from the mainstream media without having to go on a drunken or drug-fueled rampage, we as fans definitely count it as a win for our beloved subculture. However, it's even greater when a hilarious dichotomy is created between vanilla news anchors and metal musicians, which is what happened earlier this week (Feb. 21) when Alex Skolnick and Eric Peterson of Testament stopped by a Fox news program in Michigan.
Shadows Fall had been set for a big spring overseas. The band had booked dates with Testament in Europe and Ill Nino in the UK, but now they've bowed out of both of those tours.
Testament took the stage at Huntington, New York's Paramount Theatre Friday night (Feb. 15) with the primary goal of filming and recording the experience for an upcoming DVD and live album. In all, the band clocked in a 90-minute-plus performance and a set list from the show has now surfaced.
Testament are undoubtedly one of metal's greatest live acts. Brandishing nearly unparalleled power throughout their live shows, Testament simply cannot be ignored when they take the stage. It's been a few years since the thrash legends released a live album, the latest being 'Live at Eindhoven '87' in 2009, but after the success of the band's 2012 full-length, 'Dark Roots of Earth,' it only makes sense that Testament will be taping a new live record on Feb. 15.
