Caitlin O'Rourke
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Listening to Chuck Billy’s deep growl on Testament’s music, the expectation is that Billy will be one of the most intimidating people you will ever meet.
Thankfully, by talking to Billy over the phone, the complete opposite is true. Billy is not what you imagine a lead singer of a metal band to sound like. He answers questions genuinely and speaks highly of the bands that he will be performing alongside.
Testament, an American thrash metal band boasting two Top 40 albums and one Top 50 album, is making their way to Indianapolis for a March 11 show at the Murat Theatre, where they will perform with Megadeth and Exodus.
Billy said they’re planning it as a “vintage event,” as Testament will perform their first album “Legacy” in full and Megadeth will perform “Rust in Peace.”
“We’ve been touring a lot,” Billy said. “It’s going to be good to come and give them something different.”
When asked what he would say to those who wouldn’t consider going to a metal show, Billy admits he’s been to a Madonna concert.
“You can’t judge a book by its cover,” he said. “You gotta give it a shot. I wouldn’t necessarily listen to her music, but I saw her in concert and it was awesome.”
Testament was formed in the San Francisco area in 1983. The band has since gone through lineup changes and label changes as well as Billy’s cancer diagnosis, of which he is now in remission.
“I think it’s definitely the music that kept us together,” Billy said. “We made it all about the music. Once we started our own label and we had our own sound, there was no pressure.”
This has worked out for them, if the charts are any clue. Their current album “The Formation of Damnation,” debuted at No. 59 on the Billboard 200 Chart and won “Best Album” at Metal Hammer’s Golden Gods Awards ceremony.
“This is one of the best records we did,” Billy said. “It has a little bit of everything. When I listen to it, I enjoy the vocals, where in the past, the vocals were a little boring. There’s a little bit more going on in this album.”
He said because the fans liked their last album so much, the band is ready to step it up again and make the new one just as good.
The wait won’t be long for the next album, as they are set to work on it once they stop touring. Billy said they weren’t actually supposed to be touring right now, but they couldn’t pass up the opportunity.
“We’ve basically always wanted to tour with them [Exodus and Megadeth], but we never got coordinated,” he said. “What finally sparked us was the fact that we had all seen each other in the past year.
“We’re all very familiar with each other, I think the concert is really going to be great.”
An extra perk of the concert includes the VIP packages that will be sold. Along with seeing the show, fans will get to meet the band, get autographs and possibly win prizes. Billy said since the VIP package sold well last year, they decided to do it again.
As for people who don’t think that metal is for them, Billy invites them to broaden their horizons a little.
“People don’t want to experience metal because they think you can’t understand the words,” he said. “It’s much more than that. A lot of metal is melodic if you give it a chance. You just got to give it a shot.”
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