Ahead of Metal Allegiance's show on September 6 at the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, New Jersey, Sonic Perspectives correspondent, Robert Cavuoto, sat down with Alex Skolnick (guitarist for Testament and founding member of Metal Allegiance), to discuss what fans can expect at the Starland Ballroom show, the gear he will bring to the show, and how the band will have an intense all-day rehearsal to work out all the nuances. Alex emphasized the importance of the rigorous pre-show regimen to the band's dynamic lineup and celebrated guests.
Beyond the Starland Ballroom show, he also updates us on Testament's back-to-back US and European tours and shares details on Testament's upcoming album.
Asked about the upcoming Testament album, and where they are in the recording process, Alex reveals, "We're getting there. The writing is done, the drum tracks are actually done, so we're just adding to the pot right now. Another great thing about modern technology, is it's a lot easier to work on music and not have to go into the studio. I'm actually able to do a lot of work on the record even during my travels, or at home. I am working on that as we speak."
Are there any song ready to debut on upcoming US tour? "Not this tour. And also, we're focusing a little more on the first two records, because those were remastered and re-released. So we're actually doing those, including songs we haven't done in ages. And it sounds good, partly because of the new technology. When we toured back in the day, the PA systems couldn't handle the music, there would be speakers blown, amplifiers fried. Now, gear is designed to handle this level of overdrive and crunch, whereas back in the day the amps were designed for bands like Foghat and... seventies rock. These songs have never sounded better, so it's really fun to revisit them. So, this upcoming tour is really gonna focus more on early songs with an updated sound."
Earlier this month, Kreator issued the following update in regards to their Klash Of The Titans 2024 co-headlining tour with Testament, and special guests Possessed.
"Starting next month, we are bringing Klash Of The Titans back to North America with thrash metal masters Testament and one of our favourite bands in the world Possessed. Alongside our standard VIP packages, we also have a VERY special additional VIP guitar offering for these shows, where you can get an exclusive stage-played guitar, signed by Mille. These are some of our biggest shows in the US to date. Make sure you have tickets to join us for a tour of pure metal madness. Hail to the Hordes!"
Further VIP details can be found here.
Tour dates are listed below.
September
12 - Reno, NV - Grand Sierra Resort
13 - Las Vegas, NV - House of Blues
14 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Union Event Centre
16 - Seattle, WA - Showbox SoDo
17 - Portland, OR - Roseland Theatre
18 - Vancouver, BC Canada - Vogue
20 - Calgary, AB Canada - MacEwan Hall
21 - Enoch, AB Canada - River Cree Casino
22 - Saskatoon, SK Canada - Coors Event Centre
24 - Winnipeg, MB Canada - Burton Cummings Theatre
26 - Maplewood, MN - Myth Live
27 - Chicago, IL - Radius
28 - Huber Heights, OH - Rose Music Center
29 - Detroit, MI - Royal Oak Music Theatre
October
1 - Cleveland, OH - The Agora
3 - Toronto, ON Canada - History
4 - Montreal, QC Canada - MTelus
5 - New Haven, CT - College Street
6 - Boston, MA - House of Blues
8 - Silver Spring, MD - The Fillmore
10 - Montclair, NJ - The Wellmont Theatre
11 - Bethlehem, PA - Wind Creek Casino
12 - Raleigh, NC - The Ritz
13 - Atlanta, GA - Tabernacle
15 - Orlando, FL - Hard Rock Live
16 - St. Petersburg, FL - Jannus Live
18 - Houston, TX - White Oak Music Hall (Lawn)
19 - San Antonio, TX - The Aztec
20 - Dallas, TX - The Factory
22 - Denver, CO - Fillmore Auditorium
23 - Albuquerque, NM - Albuquerque Convention Center
24 - Phoenix, AZ - The Van Buren
26 - Los Angeles, CA - Palladium
27 - San Francisco, CA - The Warfield
