In a new interview with DJ Valentino of the WSOU radio station, TESTAMENT frontman Chuck Billy has confirmed that the band has finished work on their new album.
When asked if the plan is to release the album in January, Chuck responded: “That’s the window. We’re still talking with Nuclear Blast about the exact date. But I think now they’re leaning towards end of February, beginning of March. So it’s probably looking like that.
“But it’s all done,” he continued. We just finished the mastering this week and [we’re] finishing up all the artwork in the next couple of weeks. The label should have all the parts. And it’s a matter of just kind of waiting then.”
When speaking about the musical direction of the album, he said: “This one definitely has some different elements. I think Eric [Peterson, guitar] definitely stepped back into little of his — I don’t know — maybe, MERCYFUL FATE shoes. There’s a lot of MERCYFUL FATE kind of stuff. Eric does some black metal stuff. There’s some blast beats, which he’s kind of mixed in there, which that’s not the norm for us. So it’s a little different again. I think all the songs definitely have their own identity and stand on their own.”
He also spoke about writing process: “It definitely was a process of creating it, especially when you’re trying to — at this point, you’re writing song 120,” he laughed. “You’re trying to come up with something and keeping it fresh and trying new things. I guess the good thing on this one is also Eric actually chose some chords and notes that aren’t typical TESTAMENT, I guess, that we’ve used, so they’re actually different and more challenging for me.
“And when I first actually heard them, I was kind of, like, ‘I don’t if I feel that.’ And I kind of shied away from it. Then, as the process developed and I really kind of focused on the song, it ended up being those songs that ended up being some of the better songs and stronger songs.
“And it’s just so weird — the ones that were easier and came together quicker [laughs] now aren’t my favorites,” Chuck added. So it’s just kind of weird, the whole process of writing a record. And this one, again, was no different than the last one. [It’s got] a different vibe.”
