TESTAMENT guitarist Alex Skolnick has issued his latest blog. An excerpt reads as follows:

"Metal has come a long way and so have its fans. At one time, in schools, malls and bars across the US, you'd have no trouble spotting the metalheads with their ripped jeans, faded sneakers and black t-shirts proudly proclaiming the logos of SLAYER, MEGADETH, PANTERA and others like a medal (metal) of honor. Metal music represented displaced, frustrated and, some would say, misguided youth. It was a rallying cry against authority.

Fast forward to today: many metal fans have grown into the very figures that were once prime targets of their wrath. There are responsible parents, teachers and even police officers who are metal and proud. A modern metalhead can be found behind a desk in a real estate brokerage or law firm, in an orchestra pit (as opposed to a mosh pit) and many previously unlikely places.

The guys in the photo are a perfect example. Proud members of the United States Air Force, in front of the red, white and blue of the US flag and supersonic jet plane, a scene that could be right out of the 1984 Tom Cruise movie Top Gun.

So what the hell am I doing there? It turns out these guys like metal. More than like it, they live it. When Testament played in Las Vegas last Summer, they invited us to come down to their base, give us a tour, and let us look at the mighty flying machines which they are responsible for. That night, they came to our show and knew all the songs.

This helped inspire the idea, Everybody's Metal. Profiles of non-typical metalheads. Anytime I find someone that fits, I send them questions or interview them in person. There are more than a dozen so far and more on the way.

My manager and partner in this project, Eric Hoppe, writes: 'It seems many of our transgressive social villains from our past have become the normal people of today. Metal's transcendental nature is still in evolution and is as powerful as ever: multi-generations of families play metal tunes (as a band!) at home thanks to video game technology, reality shows feature metal music superstars at home being boring parents, and the thriving commerciality of the music has never waned from its original emergence.'

If you or someone you know would like to be profiled for Everybody's Metal please send an e-mail to alex@alexskolnick.com, with 'Everybody's Metal' in the subject. Please understand that we have to be selective with our choices."

To read the rest of Alex's blog, click here.