Testament frontman Chuck Billy says the quality of material produced by other thrash bands inspires him to do better.
Billy reports that while there used to be a level of competition between Testament and their peers, it’s no longer the case – and he’s delighted to see so many classic bands still releasing quality music.
He tells the Neckbreaker podcast: “It definitely inspires you, because the other bands raise the bar. Every time the bar is raised, especially for classic bands putting out strong records, you’re like, ‘We’ve got to put out a good record.’
“I think everybody follows suit – especially for Bay Area bands. When one band’s playing some good thrash, the other ones seem to follow up with some more thrash. I think bands like Death Angel, Exodus and us have put out some really great records over the last couple of years.
“Anthrax as well. It’s amazing that we could still create after so many songs.”
He adds: “It was probably a competition over the younger years, growing and trying to establish yourself, but after 30 years , I think we’re established. At this point, it lets up the pressure and it’s not so competitive.”
Testament will head out on the road across North America from April in support of their latest album Brotherhood Of The Snake which was released last year.
Sepultura and Prong will join Testament on the dates.
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Testament, Sepultura, Prong 2017 North American tour
Apr 06:Sunshine Theater, NM
Apr 07: Dallas Gas Monkey Live, TX
Apr 08: San Antonio Aztec Theater, TX
Apr 09: Houston House Of Blues, TX
Apr 10: New orleans House Of Blues, TX
Apr 12: Tampa The Ritz Ybor, FL
Apr 13: Fort Lauderdale Culture Room, FL
Apr 14: Lake Buena Vista House Of Blues, FL
Apr 15: Atlanta The Center Stage, GA
Apr 16: Charlotte The Fillmore, NC
Apr 19: Richmond The National, VA
Apr 20: Sayreville Starland Ballroom, NJ
Apr 21: Worcester Metalfest At The Palladium, MA
Apr 22: Huntington The Paramount, NY
Apr 23: Philadelphia Electric Factory, PA
Apr 24: Baltimore Rams Head Live, MD
Apr 26: Montreal Metropolis, QC
Apr 27: Toronto Phoenix Concert Theatre, ON
Apr 28: Detroit The Majestic Theatre, MI
Apr 29: Cincinnati Bogarts, OH
Apr 30: Cleveland The Agora, OH
May 02: Chicago Concord Music Hall, IL
May 03: Minneapolis First Avenue, MN
May 04: Sioux Falls The District, SD
May 06: Denver The Summit Music Hall, CO
May 07: Salt Lake City The Depot, UT
May 09: Portland Roseland Theater, OR
May 10: Vancouver The Commodore Ballroom, BC
May 11: Seattle The Showbox, WA
May 12: Garden City Revolution Concert House, ID
May 15: Flagstaff Orpheum Theater, AZ
May 16: San Diego House Of Blues, CA
May 17: Scottsdale Livewire, AZ
May 18: Anaheim House Of Blues, CA
May 19: San Francisco The Regency, CA
May 20: Las Vegas Brooklyn Bowl, NV
Jul 15: Eindhoven Dynamo Metal Fest, Netherlands
Testament's track-by-track guide to Brotherhood Of The Snake
