Individuals like to rewrite thrash historical past as a nonstop rivalry. When Testomony‘s Alex Skolnick bought requested, in a current interview with Tone-Talk, concerning the “vibe between thrash bands within the mid-to-late ’80s”, and whether or not there was “main rivalry and competitors among the many bands or extra camaraderie and encouragement”, his reply leaned closely towards unity, with one particular exception.
“Fascinating query. I believe total extra camaraderie and encouragement, as a result of I do not assume any of the bands ever sounded the identical. I grew up listening to Exodus and early Metallica. I found Metallica. They had been already touring for the primary document. By the point I performed on my first document, Metallica was off to the races; they had been already on Grasp Of Puppets.
“Slayer had a couple of information out; I believe Reign In Blood got here out the identical 12 months. Anthrax had a couple of information out; they’d already been via a few singers. So all these bands — even Megadeth had a pair information out — they had been already off and operating, so I by no means actually noticed them as competitors,” Skolnick defined.
He continued, explaining that the closest factor to a aggressive flashpoint got here when Exodus changed their singer and grabbed somebody from Skolnick‘s camp: “I believe the one time the place I did really feel a way of competitors was after I might been in my band for a few 12 months — yeah, I believe it was simply over a 12 months — Exodus parted methods with their singer [Paul Baloff], and so they poached our singer [Steve ‘Zetro’ Souza, from the pre-Testament band Legacy].
“Gary Holt is a superb pal — Slayer [and] Exodus guitarist Gary Holt — I am really studying his e-book A Fabulous Catastrophe: From The Storage To Madison Sq. Backyard, The Arduous Approach now, and I simply bought to the half the place he is speaking about that. And I did not know this.”
“Apparently, that they had break up from their singer, Paul Baloff — might he relaxation in peace — both approach. We did not know that on the time, however on the time we thought, ‘Oh, they’re coming after our man. They’re making an attempt to be extra like us.’ And so there was slightly sense of competitors.
“However then we discovered a brand new man — his title’s Chuck Billy, and he is nonetheless within the band right now. And it form of made us sound actually completely different, and we could not have seemed like Exodus. After which they discovered a distinct sound as soon as that they had their singer, Steve ‘Zetro’ Souza, who had been in our band. So just for that point interval, all of a sudden it felt, like, ‘Okay…’ It is like a workforce. ‘Oh, they took our man.’ However aside from that, no — I believe all people bought alongside surprisingly nicely, particularly for a way loopy all people was. It was form of a hard-partying scene. [We were] younger and wild… And all people’s nice associates now,” Skolnick added.
He additionally broke down how he approaches the two-guitar setup in Testomony, and the way that compares to different heavy bands: “Yeah, I believe it is completely different for everyone. There are various kinds of two-guitar conditions. I believe for the style that I got here up in, which turned generally known as thrash heavy metallic, yeah, you needed to have two guitars; it is two-guitar music.
“So all of the important thrash bands — I imply, Metallica shouldn’t be actually a thrash band now; they’re mega supergroup, however they began out form of main this thrash motion with two guitars. Megadeth, two guitars, Slayer, two guitars, and it was modeled after teams like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest.
“And there are various kinds of conditions. There are some teams the place you will have — Scorpions, for instance. You’ve gotten one man who’s simply the rhythm man, important songwriter, Rudolf Schenker. AC/DC [is] the identical mannequin. After which you will have different teams the place you will have any individual who’s, they’re the identical capability [and] they play comparable solo types — Iron Maiden, Judas Priest — and it is all the time completely different.
“After which you will have someplace — Megadeth is an effective instance the place there is a man that is very devoted and extra of a virtuoso participant, however one other man that additionally performs solos — Dave Mustaine — and he is bought his personal character. And it’s a must to work out what kind of group it’s.”
Skolnick bought particular about the place he matches subsequent to Eric Peterson, together with how solos land song-to-song: “Once we began out, Eric Peterson did not play many solos. He was extra of influenced by teams like Motörhead and Venom, and simply form of extra uncooked, heavy stuff. And I used to be coming from [Eddie] Van Halen, Randy Rhoads; I might studied with [Joe] Satriani. However over time, he is developed a mode.”
“So I believe these days it is slightly extra like Megadeth, the place he is form of just like the uncooked participant, however he is bought his sound, and he is just like the Mustaine, and I am the Marty [Friedman] or the Kiko [Loureiro],” he continued.
“And each track is completely different too. There are particular songs the place it matches to have one man or to have one other. If it is a solo like ‘Observe What You Preach’, the place it goes via quite a few completely different keys, tempos, and modes, that is in all probability for me. However then we have got some newer stuff, a track like one of many new singles, ‘Shadow Individuals’, the place it is simply this uncooked vamp, and he performs nice over that. So, it’s a must to evolve and it’s a must to work it out. It’s a must to work out, what sort of band are you? Are you the AC/DC kind or the Scorpions kind the place it is rhythm and lead man, or is it two lead guys, or is it someplace within the center? So it is completely different for each band.”
