Testament is currently putting the final touches on their eleventh studio album, which vocalist Chuck Billy confirmed to The National Student will “definitely” be entitled Brotherhood Of The Snake; a release date has not yet been announced.

“The Brotherhood of the Snake was actually a society about 6,000 years ago that debarred all religions. It was just a fascinating topic that caught our eye and attention and spawned a lot of songs," explains Billy. "We’re going with that vibe. There will be some songs that deviate, but the majority will be around that and aliens and religion. Then I’ll probably tap into my native heritage and write some songs about that. It’s not just going to be one concept, but there is some interesting stuff that we’re finding to write about.”

The hardest part about the production for the band “is that we don’t live near to each other. We’re not like a normal band where we’re like ‘Oh, we’ll see you at the studio, we’re jamming tomorrow.’ Alex [Skolnick, lead guitarist] lives in New York, Eric [Peterson, rhythm guitarist] lives in San Diego, and me and Steve [DiGiorgio, bassist] are the only ones that still live in the Bay Area.” So when it’s time to rehearse or go on tour, they bring everybody in together to practice. “It’s not the easiest way to write when we’re going through that stage. It’s like ‘We’re writing, OK, everyone send in stuff through email.’ That’s the hardest part of it, but I think it keeps us focused on the song a little more, so it has its ups and downs. I still like getting together and kicking around thoughts in the studio with the band.”

Learn more at this location. In live news, Testament's next show is May 28th in Baltimore, MD at Maryland Deathfest. Click here to view their complete tour schedule.