Alex Skolnick‘s blistering guitar work became synonymous with TESTAMENT, cementing their place in thrash metal history. But before he was shredding alongside the Bay Area legends, a young Alex had to navigate a parental reaction that wasn’t exactly a ringing endorsement of his chosen career path.
“My parents were academics and not thrilled about me joining a thrash metal band,” Alex said in a recent interview with Metal Hammer. “They were older than most of my friends’ parents so didn’t even have that rock’n’roll background. Their wishes for me were to get a PhD, just like them.
“There were a few points that convinced them I hadn’t made a terrible choice, though. The first was when TESTAMENT supported JUDAS PRIEST at the Oakland Coliseum [in 1990], which showed that this was more than just a neighbourhood band. They were also happy when I started writing columns for guitar magazines, because they always respected writing.”
During the same interview, Skolnick recounted his experience playing as Ozzy Osbourne‘s guitarist, filling in after Zakk Wylde‘s departure.
“I don’t know why their separation happened, but I guess Zakk [Wylde] was doing other stuff and there was this search for a new Ozzy Osbourne guitarist,” Alex said. “I was just honoured to be in the running because I’d heard about some pretty well-known players that never got past the audition phase. I actually got to the point of doing a show and Ozzy hired me – he said he wanted me to do the gig. It was an unannounced show at Nottingham Rock City and it was great. I didn’t get the role full-time, which I think was a management decision, but it was a great motivation at a time when I didn’t really know what to do next. That was when I enrolled in the university called The New School in New York, and studied with these greats like [jazz musicians] Cecil McBee and Reggie Workman.”
Originally formed in 1983 under the name LEGACY by guitarist Eric Peterson, TESTAMENT went through several lineup changes before solidifying its core members. In 1985, lead guitarist Alex Skolnick and vocalist Steve “Zetro” Souza joined, with Souza later leaving to join EXODUS and being replaced by Chuck Billy. The band soon changed its name to TESTAMENT and signed with Megaforce Records, releasing their debut album, The Legacy, in 1987.
Source: metaladdicts.com
