In a recent interview with Metal Asylum in New Jersey, Testament frontman Chuck Billy talked about the new album and says it will be a “thrashier record”. He states the new album is projected to come out later this year and also talks about the spring tour with Slayer, and releasing a live DVD at some point of when they played The Legacy and The New Order in their entirety.

An excerpt below:

It has been four years since Dark Roots Of The Earth album. How are the new songs coming along?

Chuck: "Slow, haha, but it's a work in progress. We actually started working on the songs for the new album a year or two ago, but we have had a lot of great opportunities to tour behind the Dark Roots album. So the process has taken longer than expected. But we plan on getting it out this year. We have about eleven songs. I just about have all the lyrics set. And Eric (Peterson – guitars) just had Gene (Hoglan - drums), in the studio because we are trying to release a single for the Slayer tour. And while we are on tour we will fine tune the vocals, and then right into the studio after the tour to record."

I have read this new album will have similarities to The Gathering?

Chuck: "Yeah, I think this will be a thrashier record. I don't know if it will have those kind of blast beats, but will have the aggression."

What differentiates The Gathering from The Formation Of Damnation and Dark Roots Of The Earth? Because there are many similarities and common music threads across all three albums.

Chuck: "Well The Gathering is a culmination of what we had done up to that point. That record we went out of the box and added the blast beats and death vocals, but still was melodic vocally. At that point it was comfortable, and that's where we felt we found our style. And you are right, it has rubbed off on the last two albums, more so on Formation. On Dark Roots I think went in a little different direction because we had the reunion of the old lineup together for six/seven years, and we toured a lot together, and really felt comfortable in our shoes as artists, performers, and just bandmates again. So I think those songs were written with even more confidence. And it got a great response and was our highest charting album."

The first leg of Slayer's 2016 North American tour featuring Testament and Carcass as support  is as follows:

February
19 - Riviera Theatre - Chicago, IL
22 - War Memorial - Nashville, TN
24 - The National - Richmond, VA
26 - House of Blues - Myrtle Beach, SC
27 - The Ritz - Raleigh, NC
29 - The Fillmore - Charlotte, NC

March
2 - Capitol Theatre - Port Chester, NY
3 - The Fillmore - Philadelphia, PA
5 - The Fillmore - Silver Spring, MD
6 - The House of Blues - Boston, MA
8 - LC Pavilion - Columbus, OH
9 - The Orpheum - Madison, WI
11 - Myth - St. Paul, MN
12 - Civic Auditorium - Fargo, ND
14 - MacEwan Hall - Calgary, AB
15 - Shaw Centre - Edmonton, AB
17 - Revolution Event Center - Boise, ID
19 - The Paramount - Seattle, WA
20 - Roseland Ballroom - Portland, OR
22 - Warfield Theatre - San Francisco, CA
26 - The Joint - Las Vegas, NV