List of Testament members

Testament is an American thrash metal band from Berkeley, California. Formed in 1983, the group originally consisted of lead guitarist and vocalist Derrick Ramirez, rhythm guitarist Eric Peterson, bassist Greg Christian and drummer Mike Ronchette. The band's current lineup features Peterson, lead guitarist Alex Skolnick (from 1983 to 1992, and since 2005), vocalist Chuck Billy (since 1986), drummer Gene Hoglan (from 1996 to 1997, and since 2011), and bassist Steve Di Giorgio (from 1998 to 2005, and since 2014).

Testament in 2016 (top) and 2019 (bottom).

History

1983–1997

Testament was formed under the name Legacy in the summer of 1983 by cousins Derrick Ramirez and Eric Peterson, with the initial lineup completed by Greg Christian and Mike Ronchette.[1] When Ramirez left later in the year, he was replaced by vocalist Steve "Zetro" Souza and guitarist Alex Skolnick, the latter of whom was just 15 years old.[1][2] In 1985, the band recorded and released its self-titled debut demo.[3] Shortly after its release, Ronchette was replaced by Louie Clemente and Souza left Legacy to join Exodus.[4] He was replaced by Chuck Billy, whom Souza recommended to take his place.[5]

Also in 1986, the band was signed by Megaforce Records and subsequently changed its name to Testament, due to another band using the name Legacy.[1] The group's lineup remained stable until October 1992, when Skolnick left due to musical differences and was replaced by Glen Alvelais, formerly of Forbidden.[6][7] Clemente also left at the same time, with his place taken by Forbidden drummer Paul Bostaph.[8] By April the following year, Bostaph had been replaced by former Exodus drummer John Tempesta,[9] and by early 1994 Alvelais' lead guitarist role had been taken over by James Murphy.[10]

After recording the band's sixth studio album Low, Tempesta left Testament to join White Zombie, with Jon Dette taking his place.[11] The new drummer also left after a year, reportedly following a disagreement with vocalist Billy, subsequently joining Slayer.[12] He was replaced briefly by Chris Kontos, formerly of Machine Head, who recorded a cover version of Judas Priest's "Rapid Fire" for the tribute album A Tribute to Judas Priest: Legends of Metal, Vol. 1 before leaving again.[13] By 1996, only Billy and Peterson remained members of Testament, as Murphy, Christian and Kontos had all departed.[14]

1997–2011

In 1997, Testament returned with Demonic, which featured a lineup of vocalist Chuck Billy and guitarist Eric Peterson, alongside original frontman Derrick Ramirez on bass and Gene Hoglan on drums.[1][14] For the album's touring cycle, the band was rejoined by guitarist Glen Alvelais and drummer Jon Dette.[15] In 1998, the group recorded The Gathering with returning lead guitarist James Murphy, former Death bassist Steve Di Giorgio and former Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo.[16][17] For the album's promotional tour, Murphy and Lombardo were replaced by Steve Smyth and Steve Jacobs, respectively.[18][19]

Jon Allen took over from Jacobs in early 2000.[20] The following year, Billy, Peterson and Di Giorgio released First Strike Still Deadly, a collection of early songs re-recorded with former guitarist Alex Skolnick and drummer John Tempesta, as well as early vocalist Steve "Zetro" Souza on two tracks.[21] After several temporary breaks from the group due to family issues, Allen left Testament in February 2004 and was replaced by the returning Paul Bostaph.[22] Just two months later, Smyth also left to join Nevermore and was replaced by former Halford guitarist "Metal" Mike Chlasciak.[23][24]

In February 2005, it was announced that Billy and Peterson would be reuniting with Skolnick, bassist Greg Christian, and drummers Louie Clemente and John Tempesta for a European tour.[25][26] In summer 2006, Clemente was forced to leave the tour due to medical reasons, with Bostaph returning again to take his place as the sole drummer.[27] By the end of the year, Nicholas Barker had taken over on drums.[28] In October 2007, Bostaph returned to Testament for his fourth tenure in the group, who released their first album of new material in eight years, The Formation of Damnation, in 2008.[29]

Since 2011

In June 2011, Gene Hoglan returned to Testament in time for the recording of Dark Roots of Earth, which was released the next year.[30] In January 2014, Christian was replaced by Steve Di Giorgio.[31]

Members

Current

Image	Name	Years active	Instruments	Release contributions
	Eric Peterson	1983–present	rhythm and lead guitars backing vocals	all Testament releases
	Alex Skolnick	1983–1992 2005–present	lead and rhythm guitars backing vocals	all Testament releases from the Legacy Demo (1985) to Return to the Apocalyptic City (1993) – features on two tracks only, and from First Strike Still Deadly (2001) onwards
	Chuck Billy	1986–present	lead vocals	all Testament releases from The Legacy (1987) onwards
	Gene Hoglan	1996–1997 2011–present	drums	Demonic (1997) all Testament releases from Dark Roots of Earth (2012) onwards
	Steve Di Giorgio	1998–2005 2014–present	bass backing vocals	The Gathering (1999) First Strike Still Deadly (2001) Brotherhood of the Snake (2016) Titans of Creation (2020)

Former

Image	Name	Years active	Instruments	Release contributions
	Greg Christian	1983–1996 2005–2014	bass	all Testament releases from the Legacy Demo (1985) to "Rapid Fire" (1997), and from Live in London (2005) to Dark Roots of Thrash (2013)
	Mike Ronchette	1983–1986	drums	Legacy Demo (1985)
	Derrick Ramirez	1983 1996–1998	lead guitar, lead vocals (1983) bass (1997–98)	Demonic (1997)
	Steve "Zetro" Souza	1983–1986	lead vocals	Legacy Demo (1985) First Strike Still Deadly (2001) – guest appearances on two tracks The Formation of Damnation (2008)
	Louie Clemente	1986–1992 2005–2006	drums	all Testament releases from The Legacy (1987) to Return to the Apocalyptic City (1993) – two tracks only Live in London (2005)
	Glen Alvelais	1992–1994 1997–1998	lead guitar	Return to the Apocalyptic City (1993) Demonic (1997) – one track only
	Paul Bostaph	1992–1993 2004–2005 2006 2007–2011	drums	Return to the Apocalyptic City (1993) The Formation of Damnation (2008)
	John Tempesta	1993–1994 2005–2006	drums	Low (1994) First Strike Still Deadly (2001) Live in London (2005)
	James Murphy	1994–1996 1998–1999	lead and rhythm guitars	Low (1994) Live at the Fillmore (1995) "Rapid Fire" (1997) The Gathering (1999)
	Jon Dette	1994–1995 1997–1998	drums	Live at the Fillmore (1995)
	Chris Kontos	1995–1996		"Rapid Fire" (1997)
	Dave Lombardo	1998–1999		The Gathering (1999)
	Steve Smyth	1999–2004 2004 (touring)	lead guitar	none
	Steve Jacobs	1999–2000	drums
	Jon Allen	2000–2004
	"Metal" Mike Chlasciak	2004–2005	lead guitar
	Nicholas Barker	2006–2007	drums

Touring

Image	Name	Years active	Instruments	Notes
	Asgeir Mickelson	2003	drums	Mickelson substituted for Allen for a European tour, due to his ongoing "personal family issues".[32]
	Glen Drover	2008	lead guitar	Drover substituted for Skolnick on a Mexican tour in 2008, and for a North American tour in 2010.[33][34]
	Mark Hernandez	2012	drums	Hernandez filled in for Hoglan on a European tour in November and December 2012.[35]
	Jack Gibson	2013	bass	Gibson filled in for Christian on a North American tour in November 2013.[36]
	Tilen Hudrap	2015		Hudrap and Bent replaced DiGiorgio and Hoglan respectively in 2015.[37]
	Alex Bent		drums

Timeline

Lineups

Period	Members	Releases
Summer – late 1983 (as Legacy)	Derrick Ramirez – lead guitar, lead vocals Eric Peterson – rhythm guitar, backing vocals Greg Christian – bass Mike Ronchette – drums	none
Late 1983 – 1986 (as Legacy)	Steve Souza – lead vocals Alex Skolnick – lead guitar, backing vocals Eric Peterson – rhythm guitar, backing vocals Greg Christian – bass Mike Ronchette – drums	Legacy Demo (1985)
1986 – October 1992 (as Legacy until 1987)	Chuck Billy – lead vocals Alex Skolnick – lead guitar, backing vocals Eric Peterson – rhythm guitar, backing vocals Greg Christian – bass Louie Clemente – drums	The Legacy (1987) Live at Eindhoven (1987) The New Order (1988) Practice What You Preach (1989) Souls of Black (1990) The Ritual (1992)
November 1992 – April 1993	Chuck Billy – lead vocals Glen Alvelais – lead guitar Eric Peterson – rhythm guitar, backing vocals Greg Christian – bass Paul Bostaph – drums	Return to the Apocalyptic City (1993)
April 1993 – early 1994	Chuck Billy – lead vocals Glen Alvelais – lead guitar Eric Peterson – rhythm guitar, backing vocals Greg Christian – bass John Tempesta – drums	none
Early – September 1994	Chuck Billy – lead vocals James Murphy – lead guitar Eric Peterson – rhythm guitar, backing vocals Greg Christian – bass John Tempesta – drums	Low (1994)
September 1994 – 1995	Chuck Billy – lead vocals James Murphy – lead guitar Eric Peterson – rhythm guitar, backing vocals Greg Christian – bass Jon Dette – drums	Live at the Fillmore (1995)
1995–1996	Chuck Billy – lead vocals James Murphy – lead guitar Eric Peterson – rhythm guitar, backing vocals Greg Christian – bass Chris Kontos – drums	Rapid Fire" (1997)
Late 1996 – early 1997	Chuck Billy – lead vocals Eric Peterson – guitar, backing vocals Derrick Ramirez – bass Gene Hoglan – drums	Demonic (1997)
Spring 1997 – spring 1998	Chuck Billy – lead vocals Glen Alvelais – lead guitar Eric Peterson – rhythm guitar, backing vocals Derrick Ramirez – bass Jon Dette – drums	none
Spring 1998 – summer 1999	Chuck Billy – lead vocals James Murphy – lead guitar Eric Peterson – rhythm guitar, backing vocals Steve Di Giorgio – bass, backing vocals Dave Lombardo – drums	The Gathering (1999)
Summer 1999 – early 2000	Chuck Billy – lead vocals Steve Smyth – lead guitar Eric Peterson – rhythm guitar, backing vocals Steve Di Giorgio – bass, backing vocals Steve Jacobs – drums	none
Early 2000 – February 2004	Chuck Billy – lead vocals Steve Smyth – lead guitar Eric Peterson – rhythm guitar, backing vocals Steve Di Giorgio – bass, backing vocals Jon Allen – drums	First Strike Still Deadly (2001) (does not feature Smyth or Allen)
February – April 2004	Chuck Billy – lead vocals Steve Smyth – lead guitar Eric Peterson – rhythm guitar, backing vocals Steve Di Giorgio – bass, backing vocals Paul Bostaph – drums	none
April 2004 – March 2005	Chuck Billy – lead vocals Mike Chlasciak – lead guitar Eric Peterson – rhythm guitar, backing vocals Steve Di Giorgio – bass, backing vocals Paul Bostaph – drums
March 2005 – July 2006	Chuck Billy – lead vocals Alex Skolnick – lead guitar, backing vocals Eric Peterson – rhythm guitar, backing vocals Greg Christian – bass John Tempesta – drums Louie Clemente – drums	Live in London (2005)
July – late 2006	Chuck Billy – lead vocals Alex Skolnick – lead guitar, backing vocals Eric Peterson – rhythm guitar, backing vocals Greg Christian – bass Paul Bostaph – drums	none
Late 2006 – October 2007	Chuck Billy – lead vocals Alex Skolnick – lead guitar, backing vocals Eric Peterson – rhythm guitar, backing vocals Greg Christian – bass Nicholas Barker – drums
October 2007 – June 2011	Chuck Billy – lead vocals Alex Skolnick – lead guitar, backing vocals Eric Peterson – rhythm guitar, backing vocals Greg Christian – bass Paul Bostaph – drums	The Formation of Damnation (2008)
June 2011 – January 2014	Chuck Billy – lead vocals Alex Skolnick – lead guitar, backing vocals Eric Peterson – rhythm guitar, backing vocals Greg Christian – bass Gene Hoglan – drums	Dark Roots of Earth (2012) Dark Roots of Thrash (2012)
January 2014 – present	Chuck Billy – lead vocals Alex Skolnick – lead guitar, backing vocals Eric Peterson – rhythm guitar, backing vocals Steve Di Giorgio – bass, backing vocals Gene Hoglan – drums	Brotherhood of the Snake (2016) Titans of Creation (2020)

References

1. Dome, Malcolm (April 21, 2014). "The Knowledge: Testament". Metal Hammer. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
2. Ozdiyar, Yunus Emre (February 12, 2020). "Testament guitarist Skolnick on Billie Eilish: "She's singing for real"". Chaospin. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
3. Doe, Bernard (1986). "Legacy – Demo: 1 (1985)". Metal Forces. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
4. Doe, Bernard (1987). "Testament – The Will To Survive". Metal Forces. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
5. "Steve Souza Explains Why He Left Testament to Join Exodus, Names Favorite Iron Maiden Song". Ultimate Guitar. June 26, 2020. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
6. "TPRS Classic Interview: Alex Skolnick of Testament". The Pure Rock Shop. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
7. Fabricus, Jodie (September 25, 1992). "Metal Filings" (PDF). The Hard Report. No. 295. Medford, New Jersey: Hard Report, Inc. p. 54. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
8. "More Hard Rock/Heavy Metal" (PDF). The Hard Report. No. 319. Medford, New Jersey: Hard Report, Inc. April 2, 1993. p. 48. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
9. Cooper, Mike (April 23, 1993). "Music Now!" (PDF). The Hard Report. No. 322. Medford, New Jersey: Hard Report, Inc. p. 56. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
10. Fabricus, Jodie (February 4, 1994). "Metal Filings" (PDF). The Hard Report. No. 360. Medford, New Jersey: Hard Report, Inc. p. 38. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
11. Fabricus, Jodie (September 2, 1994). "Metal Filings" (PDF). The Hard Report. No. 390. Medford, New Jersey: Hard Report, Inc. p. 42. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
12. Snow, Drew (December 8, 1997). "Thrash Up Yo Ass, Muthafucka: CoC chats with Testament". Chronicles of Chaos. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
13. Smart, Noel (November 2010). "Interview With Chris Kontos – Ex: Machine Head / Testament". Sick Drummer. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
14. Begrand, Adrien (May 21, 2008). "New Testament Versus Old". PopMatters. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
15. Syrjala, Marko (December 17, 2013). "Interview with Jon Dette – Iced Earth, Animetal USA, ex- Testament, Anthrax, Slayer etc". Metal-Rules.com. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
16. "James Murphy". Metal-Rules.com. June 27, 1998. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
17. O'Neill, Eamonn (April 2018). "Testament Steve Di Giorgio eonmusic Interview April 2018". eonmusic.co.uk. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
18. Malusardi, Guglielmo (November 2008). "Interview: Steve Smyth". Guitar Nine. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
19. "Testament". Testament. Archived from the original on February 29, 2000. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
20. "Testament". Testament. Archived from the original on April 8, 2000. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
21. "Testament: 'First Strike Still Deadly' To Be Reissued". Blabbermouth.net. March 1, 2008. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
22. "Former Slayer Drummer Paul Bostaph Joins Testament". Blabbermouth.net. February 15, 2004. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
23. "Testament Confirm Guitarist Steve Smyth's Departure". Blabbermouth.net. April 20, 2004. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
24. "It's Official: 'Metal Mike' Chlasciak Is The New Testament Guitarist". Blabbermouth.net. April 27, 2004. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
25. "Testament To Embark On 'Reunion' Tour". Blabbermouth.net. February 17, 2005. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
26. "Testament Frontman Comments On 'Reunion' Tour". Blabbermouth.net. March 30, 2005. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
27. "Original Testament Drummer To Be Replaced On Upcoming Tour Due To "Medical Reasons"". Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles. July 5, 2006. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
28. "Producer Andy Sneap: Megadeth's Mustaine 'Proved To Be A Very Cool Guy To Work With'". Blabbermouth.net. December 25, 2006. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
29. "Testament Working With Ex-Slayer/Exodus Drummer Paul Bostaph On New Album". Blabbermouth.net. October 8, 2007. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
30. "Testament Recording New Album With Drummer Gene Hoglan". Blabbermouth.net. June 20, 2011. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
31. "Testament Parts Ways With Bassist Greg Christian, Announces Return Of Steve DiGiorgio". Blabbermouth.net. January 13, 2014. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
32. "Borknagar Drummer To Join Testament". Blabbermouth.net. March 1, 2003. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
33. "Testament Recruits Ex-Megadeth Guitarist Glen Drover For Upcoming Mexico Tour Dates". Blabbermouth.net. October 22, 2008. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
34. "Ex-Megadeth Guitarist Glen Drover To Fill In For Alex Skolnick On Testament Tour". Blabbermouth.net. October 22, 2008. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
35. "Testament Taps Ex-Forbidden Drummer For European Shows". Blabbermouth.net. October 24, 2012. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
36. "Testament Bassist Leaves Tour, Exodus' Jack Gibson Steps In". Blabbermouth.net. November 19, 2013. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
37. "Testament Performs At Heavy Montreal Festival With Fill-In Rhythm Section; Video, Photos Available". Blabbermouth.net. August 8, 2015. Retrieved October 31, 2017.

External links

• Testament official website