Testament frontman Chuck Billy has confirmed that the band is looking to start recording a new album in 2027. He discussed the band’s plans for a follow-up to their 2025 album ‘Para Bellum’ in a conversation with the Appetite For Distortion podcast.
The discussion centered on Testament’s songwriting process and the band’s outlook for their next full-length release. That release would follow ‘Para Bellum,’ the record the band put out last October via Nuclear Blast.
“Writing with [Testament guitarist] Eric [Peterson] and [Testament drummer] Chris [Dovas] now, just really delivering a lot of tunes right now, we’re in a good place where we’re probably gonna deliver records every couple of years instead of every four years at this pace right now, which is a good thing for us,” Chuck Billy said.
Billy went on to reflect on how the band’s longevity has shaped their approach to writing new material.
“For us, where we’re at in our life and our careers, there’s a lot of new bands, a lot of new music coming up,” he continued. “Cause we get inspired by what new bands and people are doing. We can’t go out and be that, because we don’t wanna mimic it, but we can definitely be inspired by it, and I think we’ve done that kind of in our last record. Some of those songs have a more modern flair, just of the influence, I guess.”
Billy also gave a timeline for when the band hopes to enter the studio.
“Hopefully, I think next summer is our goal to get in to start recording the record,” he said. “So we’ll see what happens from now until then.”
Billy’s comments come as ‘Para Bellum’ continues to represent a significant chapter in Testament’s decades-long career. The album’s own backstory offers useful context for understanding the band’s current pace and mindset heading into the next record.
‘Para Bellum’ stands as Testament’s fourteenth studio album. It arrived on October 10, 2025, through Nuclear Blast Records. The band announced the project on August 19, 2025, revealing the title, artwork, track list and release date, along with the album’s first single, “Infanticide A.I.”
The album was recorded across four different studios between May and December 2024. That process reflects the extensive songwriting and production effort Billy, Peterson and Dovas have continued to build on since. That timeline also underscores why Billy’s remarks about wanting to shorten the gap between albums mark a notable shift for the band.
Testament has historically taken roughly four years between studio releases. Billy’s stated goal of delivering records every couple of years marks a meaningful change in approach. If the band sticks to its target of entering the studio next summer, it would put a new album on a significantly faster track than the cycle that produced ‘Para Bellum.’
‘Para Bellum’ is still resonating with fans less than a year after its release. Testament’s push toward a quicker follow-up suggests the band is entering a particularly productive period, one shaped by both its veteran experience and the creative energy Billy credits to newer acts in the metal scene.
