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Veteran American Thrash metal band Testament is back stronger than ever with a new powerful studio album: The Formation of Damnation, which during these initial weeks is selling a real bunch of copies. 25 years of existence in the metal scene is not anything many achieve. Chuck Billy, his vocalist, is a clear example of this spirit of survival: a man who was able to go through cancer and come back to the music business reborn and still kicking ass. FREE! Magazine talked to him and he kindly explained all what has been going around Testament during the past years.

Finally, after the last studio album for Testament in 1999, The Gathering, here comes the release in 2008 of this new The Formation of Damnation. Chuck, please, could you tell us a bit more about what circumstances were around the band for such a long time waiting?

In 2001 I discovered I had cancer, and then I did not play music in 2 years.  In 2003 we came back again and in 2004 we started working again playing music doing some songs. We knew we had to make a better record than The Gathering and I did not think they were up this good yet so we just kept touring. And we were not very happy with what Spitfire, the record company, was doing.

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And what were they doing?

Nothing, they did just nothing. That is the problem. They never set interviews; they never claimed we were their artists. We were recording a DVD in London and nobody showed up from the company…

So basically lack of interest from them…

Yeah, lack of interest! We were not too excited, working so hard, with a record company that was going to do nothing worthy. Then they were sold to a company called Sheraton Squares, so when we call to Sheraton Squares it was like “hello, good afternoon, so what is the plan?” and they said “well, we are not signing any new bands, we are only going to release gospel music”. So we had to go for the next step, and the next step was the “bye bye step”.

Are you happy now with Nuclear Blast?

Oh yeah! Nuclear Blast had been talking for us for 10 years. They were like “we can be your label, we can do things for you guys” So we signed the papers and released the contract with the old company and we said “hey, we are free”. Nuclear Blast came to the table with the best offer, much better than everybody by the way. We knew we wanted to be with Nuclear Blast so it made sense. They were the best company and they made the best offer so we went for it, and it has been great! We started right away working on the new record after signing with them.

Chuck, having gone through such a traumatic experience as having cancer, how do you see life nowadays? Do you see things with a different perspective?

Well, of course I go through life with a different perspective. I mean, when I was sick, I was not playing music for over a year. I thought “ok, it is done with music. My career is over.” I did not think about music that much, I was making efforts to feeling better and being with my family, so music was not so important for me at that time.

Spitfire, our old record company, did nothing for us!" -Chuck Billy. Vocalist of Testament-

So now, when you are on stage, do you enjoy the same or more than before, having this “second chance” to play?

Well, I enjoy it more than then. When I started playing again with the group it was such a good feeling!  We were on tour again playing in places we had not been before, and that made it so exciting again! We are playing better than ever, we are better musicians than we ever were, we enjoy the company out there and a lot of things look better than it used to be.

How does it feel to have Alex (Skolnick) in the guitar again?

Oh, it is a great feeling, to have Alex and Eric. They have a special unique style together. They always have a special formula when they play together.

And in Testament you have also had along your career great drummers, which have been good luck and bad luck at the same time, since you changed them quite often. Now, you have Paul Bostaph. Why is not Nick Barker playing with you?

Well, Nick Barker wanted to be in this record, but he had different issues in America. We could not wait for Nick. so we actually had to make a decision about what we wanted to do, so at first we thought to invite Paul just to play with us, and he did a great job, so we decided that he did such a good job and worked so hard and we asked him if he was interested to do the record with us. We needed him because Nick was not going to come back for about six months, so at that point it made sense. Paul was close and he used to be in the band.

About the new album, is there any song you would have any favorite song to recommend to our readers?

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I like all of them. I would not be able to recommend just some.  I think all the record is very strong, all the songs stand on their own.

Last year you also created other project called Dublin Death Patrol, playing together with your brothers and with Zetro Sousa collaborating there too. Are there going to be more DDP´s albums in the future?

For the time being, it is just done for it. With the record just done, I have to focus a bit more about Testament. Maybe next year, you know, or in the end of the year, Dublin Death Patrol could come with something. Dublin Death Patrol is not such a big project, we sell the record through our own website, and… that is really.

Was it fun to play all in family, with your brothers?

Last year we had the chance to go to play some gigs to Holland and England, and the other guys of the band had not been there before. We had the lucky chance in one festival to play in the main stage after Heaven and Hell, we were the last band on the main stage, and I was so glad to be there with my brothers and friends! It was a real great feeling!

How do you see the thrash metal scene lately?

I have heard many new bands that I think are better than the last Exodus album. It is a good album but I enjoy more new thrash metal.

Selected Testament Discography commented by Chuck Billy

{mosimage}-The Legacy (1987) It is a classic thrash metal record. I was starting to be fascinated really by what thrash really was, it was very influential to me to be bound as thrash metal singer.

{mosimage}-The New Order (1988). It was when I really started finding my own voice with my own style. ; learning a more natural style, singing the high speeded songs, feeling very comfortable playing thrash,  bringing my style and my songs to Testament. That is where we started crossing to lyrics about the environment, politics…  getting more involved with the environment around.

{mosimage}-The Ritual (1992). It wasn´t a good time for us.  It ended our career together for a time. We had different opinions on music and different music taste at that time. That affected when doing the music It was also the time of new styles, of grunge music, with better companies, radio stations, MTV, so that album did not come at a very good time.

{mosimage}-The Gathering (1999) It was totally a revival. It exploded with energy.  We had Steve DiGiorgio, James Murphy and Dave Lombardo; an outstanding band, a great band! We were inspired by our feelings. Andy Smith did a good job with that record. Testament started to get popular again. I was reborn. It was one of the best Testament records.

{mosimage}-The Formation of Damnation (2008). The best is that we have Alex and Eric playing together again. The structure of the songs is like the old days, what we used to do. It is really a combination of all the music we have created all over our career.    

Testament will be playing in Finland the 6 of June at Sauna Open Air metal festival in the city of Tampere.

For more information:

http://www.testamentlegions.com

http://www.sauna-open-air.fi

{mosimage}Swedish metal heads In Flames has been one of the few European bands able to jump the Atlantic Ocean and get also a recognition and big success in America, where they are currently touring. They recently released a new studio album: A Sense of Purpose, and FREE! Magazine had an interesting talk to the bass player, Peter Iwers, who called us from Gothenburg. 

 

 

Peter, the previous album Come Clarity was a big hit even in USA. Were you feeling pressure when facing the release of this new record: A sense of Purpose?

No, no pressure. We have been very lucky that every time we do a new record the record company leave it into our hands, because they know they cannot change the kind of music we are going to make. The only pressure there can be could come from ourselves, that we think we have to be better than last time. We do not want to make a record that we could think “well it is good, but not as good as the last one”.

How was the process of recording the album?

We recorded here in Gothenburg. We were making demos for 2.5-3 months and it was nice because we could take the time we needed and then go home to our families.

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Roberto Laghi also collaborated in the production with you, didn´t he?

Yes. He is an amazing producer. He made me play extremely well together with Daniel and I think he found our energy in the way we had had before so we were very satisfied with working with him.

 

"Finnish people have an excellent taste in music!" -Peter Iwers. Bass player of In Flames-

 

In the official In Flames website you are the only guy who has his own blog: “Peter´s corner”. Did you want to strengthen the relation with the fans or why you are the only member doing that?

I don´t know why. I love doing it. I just felt I wanted to communicate a little bit more.

I noticed reading there that seem like one of your passions is gambling and playing poker… {mosimage}

Yeah, I like it very much!

Do you usually win or lose?

A little bit of both I guess… I try to have fun anyway. I do not play for winning or losing money. I just meet sometimes with some friends, have a few drinks and play a bit, not big sums, like 50 euro an evening and we can play a long time with that.

We have talked to many different Swedish bands in the last months, and they all happen to be very good in their genres. What is the key for this success of Swedish rock and metal? Years ago we used to have these Youth centers where you could go and practice. You could meet a lot of people and play a lot of instruments.  Everybody played and everybody worked and everybody enjoyed the shows. We had a good system back then where they were helping kids who wanted to be creative. But they took away all the funds. It is a shame!

Years ago you released a DVD whose title was Used and Abused. I was wondering of what have you used and abused more in your life?

I would say I used my family and my friends. I used everybody in a way not to feel lonely, because I need people around me. I have not abused that many, because I like to consider myself a “good person” and treat everybody with respect.

You are going to play on summer in a couple of festivals in Finland, apart from other big ones like rock Am Ring and Rock im Park in Germany. What is your feeling when you play here in Finland?

I like Finland. It is a bit darker than Sweden and people with a little bit more of coldness but people seem to have a very good taste in music. Finland seems to be more “metal country” than Sweden. 

Selected In Flames discography commented by Peter Iwers: 

 

{mosimage}-The Jester Race (1995). It was before my time but I was a good friend of the people in the band. I was not still in the band but they needed rehearsal space and they used my space, and that was basically the contact we started to have for when I joined the band later.

 

{mosimage}-Whoracle (1997) When it was recorded, just after their bass player left and I was recruited into the band. I started doing the touring with them and it was really a weird thing because I was waiting for the record to come out!

 

 

{mosimage}-Clayman (2000): It was the second record I was with the band. I am very proud of that record. We connected very well all of us and musicians and were able to bring it on in the performances. 

 

 

{mosimage}-Reroute to Remain (2002): We switched the studio and producer to Daniel Bergstrand.  He pushed us all to the limit. Peter made us do a good album. It was a very good time. It was the first time we were away from home recording. It was the time when we started touring with American bands. Some people were criticizing that we were going to sound like American bands, so it did not matter what kind of music we did, because some people were going to hate it anyway. It is the way it is, we are musicians and we do the music we feel to do. Some people like it, some don´t.

 

{mosimage}-Come Clarity (2006). It was a bit differently recorded.  Jesper and me recorded it in Gothenburg and then Daniel worked with it. Vocals were then added so we really did not hear anything until it came out. The result was really good.

 

{mosimage}-A Sense of Purpose (2008). I love all the tracks. It is a record that shows us together being in the studio at the same time again; everybody having a good time playing better than ever. I think that shows in the music also, that the songs are really “wide”, the influence of something that is recorded united and songs have something in common. 

 

In Flames will be playing in Finland on summer in Nummi Rock the 21 of June and in Rockperry Festival the 18 of July.

For more information: www.inflames.com