TESTAMENT Alex Skolnick - "We're Not Looking At A New Album Cycle Until Later In The Year"
April 29, 2011, 13 years ago
Longtime US-based writer Bryan Reesman spoke with Alex Skolnick (TESTAMENT, ALEX SKOLNICK TRIO) for his Attention Deficit Delirium podcast recently. Here are a few excerpts from the chat:
On playing jazz: "Guys in metal bands don't do that. Nobody has done it as far as I know. It felt very natural to me. The amount of resistance I have encountered over the years is pretty incredible, [but] I think after four albums it’s finally being accepted: 'He's not going to stop. He wasn't kidding.'"
"I've had to state again and again that the fact that I do music like that doesn't mean that I don't like metal. Metal is such a part of what I do, but it's only one part."On the SXSW riots: "Late at night it got to be really out of control in terms of the city handling it. It was definitely overcrowded. They have been advertising nationally. It used to be a music event, and now they are trying to bring in as many people as they can. There was a riot at one show, and pretty much every night there were arrests and violence. It was like after a Lakers game."
On the new Trio album: "We wanted a break from any preconceived idea of what the band should be or what a jazz guitar trio should be. It's one of those rare instances where if I had to point to something that really represents all of my musical tastes [except metal] it's on there, as far as what I listen to."
On the next Testament release: "I am writing some music for Testament. Testament is slowly in writing mode. We're not looking at a new album cycle until later in the year."
Check out the podcast at this location.
