Testament guitarist Alex Skolnick recently opened up about his experience with the band across two different eras. He shared his thoughts in an interview with Eon Music.
When asked whether his current tenure with Testament is better than his first run with the band, Skolnick provided a candid assessment of both periods.
“Oh yeah, no comparison,” Skolnick said. “I think the band being older and wiser helps a lot. I think the first time around there were a lot of learning experiences, and it just was challenging. There were a lot of challenges. Everybody was sort of finding themselves. I was finding myself, and I think coming back to it, I had this whole other identity.”
The guitarist explained how his diverse musical career outside Testament has positively impacted his return to the band.
“When I came back to it, I was still a full time musician; maybe not as busy as we are now, but I always had gigs, and I kind of felt like; ‘okay, I proved I can be an all round musician, somebody that doesn’t just do heavy metal. I’m a full time musician, whether I’m in the band or not,'” he continued. “I think it’s better for all. I think we’re better with each other, I think everybody agrees, and it’s also understood now that I have other instrumental projects I do. I play with virtuosos like Percy Jones, the basis for Brand X; we have a project called PAKT. I play with Stuart Hamm; we just played about a month and a half ago out in LA I’m on his latest record.”
Skolnick emphasized that maintaining his identity as a versatile musician has improved the band dynamic.
“I think having that balance of being an all around player and not just the guy from this one band, for me, that makes it better,” he said. “And I think for everybody else too, we sort of learned how to have fun. It’s not a toxic environment this time. It certainly got to be that way at the end of that first period of the band, and I think also just there’s more appreciation.”
Skolnick’s journey with Testament spans decades and reflects a remarkable evolution both as a musician and as a person. His comments highlight the significant differences between his two tenures with the thrash metal legends.
Wikipedia reported that Skolnick originally joined Testament (then called Legacy) as a teenager. He recorded with the band from their first album in 1987 until he left in 1992 after the release of The Ritual. During this first era, he recorded five albums with the band: The Legacy (1987), The New Order (1988), Practice What You Preach (1989), Souls of Black (1990), and The Ritual (1992).
After leaving Testament, Skolnick pursued a diverse musical path that would ultimately shape his identity as an all-around musician. His official website noted that he founded and led the jazz-oriented Alex Skolnick Trio, which combines bebop jazz with classic rock and metal influences. The trio started in the early 2000s and continues to date. He also played with the progressive metal band Savatage on their 1994 album Handful of Rain and briefly stepped in to play with Ozzy Osbourne in 1995.
Skolnick briefly reunited with Testament in 2001 to record First Strike Still Deadly, an album of re-recorded early Testament songs. He officially rejoined the band in 2005. Wikipedia stated that he has since played on five more albums with the band through the 2000s and 2010s, including The Formation of Damnation (2008). This second era has now lasted longer than his original tenure with the band.
Beyond Testament and the Alex Skolnick Trio, the guitarist has explored various musical territories. He formed Alex Skolnick’s Planetary Coalition, a world music-influenced collective that explores acoustic and global music styles. The collective released an album in 2014 featuring various guest artists. His other projects include Skol-Patrol, an electric jazz/funk band focusing on cop-show themes, and Attention Deficit, a trio with Primus drummer Tim Alexander and Michael Manring.
