Testament guitarist Alex Skolnick has opened up about the classic rock and metal influences behind some of his most memorable contributions to the band. He shared the details in an interview with ESP Guitars.
Speaking at Bloodstock Open Air, Skolnick broke down how he took inspiration from Judas Priest and Van Halen, transforming familiar riffs and licks into original elements of his own playing.
“I could point to any number of solos and riffs that were part of my contribution to Testament,” Skolnick said. “And I could say, ‘Okay, here’s what I was inspired by.’ This is a really good example of taking a riff and making it inspired by another riff. So everybody’s heard this riff. [Plays riff from Judas Priest’s ‘You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’] I learned that riff a long, long time ago. And I just thought, ‘Okay, what if we change some of the chords around?'”
He then went on to explain a second influence, this time drawing from a different rock legend.
“[Plays harmonics] And just, that harmonic actually comes from Van Halen,” he continued. “So, the end of ‘Somebody Get Me a Doctor,’ right, he does this crazy lick, he’s doing these triads. And somehow he gets to E. [Plays long lick ending in ascending harmonics] Right? So those last few notes, just backwards. And he, he does that in a few other places as well, but it’s just that reverse… So that, that’s an example.”
Skolnick’s fascination with Van Halen, in particular, runs far deeper than a single borrowed lick. It traces back to the very beginning of his career.
Van Halen has long been one of the defining forces in Skolnick’s music career. He has credited Eddie Van Halen as the guitarist who first pushed him toward playing lead. That pivot would eventually shape his role in Testament’s twin-guitar attack. That early spark evolved into a lasting appreciation for Van Halen’s approach to riff-writing. Skolnick has said this element is often overshadowed by Eddie’s reputation as a virtuoso soloist.
Skolnick has also pointed to specific Van Halen material that shaped his musical instincts beyond the harmonic trick he demonstrated for ESP Guitars. He has singled out “I’m the One,” from Van Halen’s 1978 self-titled debut, as one of the songs that had the biggest impact on his development as a guitarist. He has placed it alongside “Eruption” as essential listening from that era.
“Somebody Get Me a Doctor” is a 1979 Van Halen track that Skolnick referenced in the ESP Guitars interview. It comes from the band’s sophomore album Van Halen II. The song’s closing lick is built around a descending run of triads that Eddie Van Halen resolves on an ascending harmonic sequence. That passage became the exact one Skolnick reworked in reverse for his own playing.
