Bay Area thrash legends Testament aren’t wasting any time. In a brand-new interview with Elliott Fullam of Little Punk People, frontman Chuck Billy opened up about the band’s latest record Para Bellum, their upcoming tour plans — and the fact that the next chapter is already taking shape.
“It’s actually working so well,” Billy revealed. “Eric and Chris actually have been working on a future record. I got a call from Eric yesterday saying ‘Oh, me and Chris got about six more tunes ready to go’ and they already had two to start. So they’re already on their way to another record, ya know?”
The conversation also veered into darker territory when Fullam asked about the lyrics to “Infaticide A.I.” and the broader implications of artificial intelligence.
“Dude, that’s a scary question,” Billy admitted. “AI is playing a part in everything. The scary part is, ya know, when is it too much? And it’s gonna retain too much information and backfire on us and start thinking for itself. That’s the scary thing. And I dunno if people designing it, if that’s their goal? ‘Hey, let’s try to make it think for itself’ and I dunno, I’m kind of against that.”
Perhaps the most powerful moment of the interview came when Fullam asked Billy to reflect on his proudest moment in Testament. Rather than citing platinum records or landmark tours, the singer pointed to survival.
“That battle with cancer was really a blessing because I really didn’t think I was gonna play music anymore,” he said. “I thought it was done, I’d look in the mirror and go ‘That’s not the singer of Testament.'”
Billy was diagnosed with cancer in 2001, a fight that forced him to step away from the spotlight and confront an uncertain future. What followed became one of metal’s most inspiring comebacks. “And then we had a reunion. It was the first time that we all had seen each other and played together a song, and it kind of opened the door.”
Testament just released their (frankly incredible) new record Para Bellum in October, and now they’re lining up a killer tour to show off those new jams! Testament has announced their Thrash Of The Titans U.S. tour for 2026 alongside fellow purveyors of thrash Overkill and Destruction.
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)
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