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Testament
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Band · United States

Testament

thrash metal band, originally named Legacy

Formed in 1983

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Testament is an American thrash metal band from Berkeley, California. Formed in 1983 under the name Legacy, the band's current lineup includes rhythm guitarist Eric Peterson, lead vocalist Chuck Billy, lead guitarist Alex Skolnick, bassist Steve Di Giorgio and drummer Chris Dovas. Testament has experienced many lineup changes over the years, with Peterson being the only remaining original member (though both he and Billy, who replaced original frontman Steve "Zetro" Souza in 1986, appear on every studio album). The band has released fourteen studio albums (one of which is a collection of re-recorded songs), four live albums, five compilation albums, thirteen singles and three DVDs. They are estimated to have sold over 1.4 million albums in the United States since the beginning of the SoundScan era, and over 14 million copies worldwide as of 2016.

Testament is credited as one of the leaders of the second wave of thrash metal of the late 1980s, and they are considered a significant member of the so-called "Big Six of Bay Area thrash metal" (along with Exodus, Death Angel, Lȧȧz Rockit, Forbidden and Vio-lence). By the time they changed their name from Legacy to Testament in 1986, the band had assumed a stable lineup that included Billy, Peterson, Skolnick, and two other founding members, bassist Greg Christian and drummer Louie Clemente; it is often referred to as the "classic lineup" of Testament. While the band was initially signed to Megaforce, they were one of the early thrash metal bands to sign to a major label, Atlantic Records, through which the band's first six studio albums were released. Their first three studio albums – The Legacy (1987), The New Order (1988) and Practice What You Preach (1989) – cemented Testament's reputation as one of the most successful thrash metal bands, with the latter becoming their first to enter the Top 100 on the Billboard 200 chart.

The band's next three albums – Souls of Black (1990), The Ritual (1992) and Low (1994) – saw similar success, with the first two charting highly on the Billboard 200 chart; The Ritual was supported by Testament's only charting US single "Return to Serenity". Clemente and Skolnick had both left Testament by the end of 1992, and within the next decade, the band had endured many personnel changes that included guitarists Glen Alvelais, James Murphy, Steve Smyth and "Metal" Mike Chlasciak, bassists Derrick Ramirez (who was originally in Legacy as a guitarist) and Di Giorgio, and drummers Paul Bostaph, John Tempesta, Jon Dette, Chris Kontos, Gene Hoglan, Dave Lombardo, Steve Jacobs and Jon Allen. In 2001, at around the same time Billy was diagnosed with germ cell seminoma, Testament reunited with Souza, Skolnick and Tempesta for the album of re-recorded material First Strike Still Deadly. Following Billy's recovery from cancer in 2002, Testament resumed activity, and their "classic lineup" briefly reunited in 2005, resulting in the live album Live in London; however, Skolnick and Christian would rejoin the band permanently, with the latter remaining until 2014. Testament's popularity was revived with the albums The Formation of Damnation (2008), Dark Roots of Earth (2012), Brotherhood of the Snake (2016) and Titans of Creation (2020), all entering the Top 100 on the Billboard 200, and they have continued to tour consistently. The band's latest studio album, Para Bellum, was released on October 10, 2025.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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Testament est un groupe de thrash metal américain, originaire de Berkeley, en Californie. Formé en 1983 sous le nom de Legacy, le groupe se compose du chanteur Chuck Billy, des guitaristes Eric Peterson et Alex Skolnick, du bassiste Steve DiGiorgio. Depuis sa création en 1983, le groupe connait un bon nombre de changements de formation, Peterson restant le seul membre constamment présent. Billy remplace l'ancien chanteur Steve Souza en 1986, avant l'enregistrement de leur premier album studio album, The Legacy, et restera membre du groupe depuis. Billy et Peterson sont les seuls membres à participer sur chaque album.

Testament est souvent crédité comme l'un des groupes les plus populaires de la scène thrash metal, avec plus d'1,4 million d'albums écoulés aux États-Unis selon SoundScan, et 14 millions d'albums à l'international. Après sa signature chez Atlantic Records en 1986, le groupe publie son premier album, The Legacy, en 1987. En date, le groupe compte quatorze albums studio, quatre albums live, six compilations, et six singles. Leur dernier album studio à ce jour, Para Bellum est sorti le 10 octobre 2025 via Nuclear Blast Records.

Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

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Singles

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