Testament guitarist Alex Skolnick recently shared his thoughts on some rock musicians with controversial views. Responding to a post on X about metal being political and generally against conservatism, Skolnick said, “Sorry to break it to some of you but it’s true. How anyone could think for one moment that the artists behind hard music (and for that matter, most rock period) would ever be on the same side as The Federalist Society, The Heritage Foundation and the NRA is truly mind blowing.”
Skolnick also commented on Kiss’ Gene Simmons, calling him an ‘anomaly’: “Gene is an anomaly. Economically very conservative but socially liberal.”
Some users brought up names like Dave Mustaine and Tom Araya as examples of conservative metal musicians. Skolnick replied, “Not many but very few. It’s true about them but they’re an exception. And having been on tours with all 3, I can HONESTLY report that A) Their views represent a tiny minority among artists, crew & fans B) Conservative groups (not liberal) were the ones protesting the Slayer gigs.”
When asked about conservative metal bands, Skolnick mentioned Stryper as ‘a very rare exception’ but said they paved the way for other hard rock bands with similar beliefs in the ’90s and 2000s.
In another post, a fan mentioned they liked Slayer even with their politics. Skolnick agreed, saying, “Same! And I can confirm it’s only ‘his’ politics not theirs. The rest are far from it (including the guy who looks like a he could play a Jan 6th rioter on TV).”
Skolnick is openly left-wing, and he has faced criticism for his political views. He mentioned earlier to New Lines Magazine that some Testament fans have threatened to stop listening to the band because of his ‘mainstream, left-of-center views.’ He also recalled the backlash after he released a comedic rap video titled ‘Trump Sucks’ before the 2020 U.S. election. Even with the controversy, Skolnick said the other members of Testament found the video hilarious and have been supportive.
He added, “Although I wouldn’t blame them if there was cause for concern, they’ve been generally supportive, and the old adage of there being ‘no such thing as bad publicity’ has held firm. Meanwhile, the band seems to have suffered no noticeable decline in user engagement as a direct result of my political moonlighting.”
The band will perform tonight in Houston, Texas. After their North American tour, their European tour with Kreator and Anthrax will start on November 21.
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