Preparing For War With CHUCK BILLY From TESTAMENT

It is refreshing to hear old school metal bands still pushing their
limits and exploring fresh sonic realms, even with a sound that is
known and loved and has been for more than 40 years. It is
understandable when some bands mutter the words 'if it ain't broke,
don't fix it', but that still shouldn't stop the creative juices
from flowing, if only to challenge yourself.
Which is exactly what happened with thrash metal legends Testament
and their upcoming album, Para Bellum. While not detouring too far
from the music for which they are universally loved and respected,
Testament have found ways to reinvigorate their tried and true
sound without risking the alienation of staunch, loyal fans.
On this album, Testament have leaned more into the black metal side
of their musical psyche, a side embraced by guitarist Eric
Peterson, who tapped into the more modern aspects of metal with
drummer Chris Dovas, who was working on his first album with the
band. Noticeably younger than his bandmates, Dovas brought the
taste of the present into Testament's creativity, with the results
only solidifying the band's sound.
Such is the all-encompassing sound Testament were going for with
Para Bellum, the opening notes feature an old bridge thought lost
from The Legacy era of the band, coming full circle in a way while
still embracing change. Para Bellum is triumphant on so many
levels, maybe none more so than the addition of the song Meant To
Be, which is Testament's first album ballad for many years. It is
exciting times for a band just about to release their 14th studio
album, with frontman Chuck Billy joining HEAVY to bring us up to
speed.
We ask about the album title, Para Bellum - which is Latin for If
You Want Peace, Prepare For War, and how it fits in with the
content.
"First of all, it fit in with the artwork," Billy explained.
"Originally we were gonna call it Infanticide AI, but that didn't
really match the direction. We thought, AI, let's not go there,
because maybe fans might start thinking, 'is that album cover AI?
Did they use AI to write lyrics in all this?'
So we said, you know what? Let's not open that door. And once me
and Alex wrote Parra Bellum, and I told him what it meant, it made
more sense with what he was working on with the artwork, because we
knew we wanted a mushroom cloud there in the background. And I
didn't know about the angel and the missile wings, but once they
came up with it, it just made sense. It's subliminally war-driven a
little bit, talking about silent weapons and things that are going
on in our world."
In the full interview, Chuck spoke more about the musical nature of
Para Bellum and what they were going for this time around, the
elements of black metal through most of the music and how it
enhances the band's sound, the contributions of new drummer Chris
Dovas in the writing and recording process and what ideas he
brought to the table.
We spoke about bringing a slightly modern edge to their existing
sound of the importance of always trying to come up with fresh
ideas, the album ballad and why now is the right time to write
another one after so many years, the use of cello for that sound
and how difficult it was to integrate it into their music, the
meaning behind the album artwork and more.


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