The rise of grunge in the early '90s marked a seismic shift in the music industry. While the Seattle sound captured mainstream attention and reshaped pop culture, its ascent disrupted the momentum of other genres, especially metal. Testament frontman Chuck Billy recently reflected on this turbulent era, offering a candid perspective on how grunge affected his band and metal as a whole.
In an interview with Full Metal Jackie (via Loudwire), Billy addressed the common belief that grunge "killed" metal, offering a more nuanced take: "There's people that say it killed metal. I don't know if it killed metal. I just think some bands, and I can only speak for us, but it killed our momentum."
For Testament, the timing was particularly frustrating. The band had begun to enjoy significant radio exposure, breaking through the late-night college radio niche that often confined metal.
"During that time, we were getting exposure on radio, actually having metal played during drive time traffic, which was awesome to us for both Practice and Souls of Black in that era," Billy explained. "There was, God, it had to be a couple hundred stations across the country that were playing metal during drive time traffic. You just didn't have the midnight show on college radio. So metal was getting a chance. It was getting exposure for a little bit, even more extreme style metal."
However, as grunge grew into a cultural juggernaut, metal's moment in the sun faded. The shift forced Testament to reevaluate their approach to music and career: "It didn't kill us, but it changed our perspective seeing what was happening to the other bands. The momentum slowed down, and we had to shift gears to kind of go back to our roots," Billy recalled.
Instead of chasing mainstream trends or attempting to emulate the most established grunge bands, Testament chose a different path. For Testament, this meant embracing their original sound—heavier, more aggressive, and uncompromising. This back-to-basics approach ultimately solidified their identity and won the loyalty of fans.
"It wasn't about writing a song that's going to get exposure on the radio anymore because it was kind of changing. And of course, we weren't going to try to be Soundgarden or Pearl Jam. So we shifted back to where we started."
"Let's go back and write heavier songs and more aggressive songs. Get back to what we know, what we love, and just stick with that," Billy said. "I think it was the right choice because we do talk to fans today who praise us and say thank you so much for sticking around and being Testament. And that's a big compliment."
