In a revealing chat with Minneapolis' 93X radio show The Pit, Testament frontman Chuck Billy opened up about the band's unstoppable creative engine. Speaking candidly about the songwriting chemistry between founding guitarist Eric Peterson and new drummer Chris Dovas, Billy shared that the next album is already taking shape.
"Chris and Eric are actually working on the next record already. They've already got, like, six or eight tunes almost ready to go for the next record," Billy said. "So we're hoping maybe get out in '27 to pop into the studio and make another record. We don't know yet, but we're not waiting four or five years. We're ready to pop 'em out now."
When the hosts noted that a four- to five-year gap might be considered a "quick turnaround compared to some other bands," Billy didn't hold back. "Yeah, but when you're 63 years old, five years, man, that's a fucking long time. [Laughs] You know what I'm saying?"
Despite the passing years, Billy is far from contemplating retirement. "I don't have no plans on retiring ever in the future, but I think the time is now. Hey, we've got a good strong band. Everybody's into writing. Man, we get along well. Things are going well.
"Let's just keep going, man, keep writing. That's the end of it. Even if we don't tour anymore, because maybe physically we might not be able to, I think we'll always be songwriters and make records, 'cause we enjoy that."
Testament's latest LP, Para Bellum, dropped in October 2025 via Nuclear Blast. The record marked a milestone, with production handled by Juan Urteaga and mixing duties for the first time taken on by Jens Bogren. The cover art, as ever, was brought to life by Eliran Kantor.
Testament will kick off their tour with Overkill and Destruction on March 14 at the Roseland Theater in Portland, OR, and they'll wrap things up about a month later at The UC Theatre on April 10 in San Francisco, CA. Get your tickets here.
3/14 – Portland OR @ Roseland Theater
3/15 – Boise ID Treefort @ Music Hall
3/16 – Salt Lake City UT @ Rockwell at The Complex
3/18 – Denver CO @ Summit Music Hall
3/20 – Milwaukee WI @ The Rave
3/21 – Minneapolis MN @ The Fillmore
3/22 – Chicago IL @ Ramova Theatre
3/24 – Detroit MI @ St Andrews Hall
3/25 – Cleveland OH @ Agora Ballroom
3/27 – Worcester MA @ The Palladium
3/28 – Sayreville NJ @ Starland Ballroom
3/29 – Reading PA @ Club Reverb
3/31 – Atlanta GA @ Buckhead Theatre
4/1 – St Petersburg FL @ Jannus Live
4/3 – Houston TX @ House of Blues
4/4 – Dallas TX @ The Bomb Factory
4/5 – San Antonio TX @ Aztec Theatre
4/8 – Phoenix AZ @ The Van Buren
4/9 – Los Angeles CA @ The Belasco
4/10 – Berkley CA @ The UC Theatre (no Overkill)
