As Testament has announced its summer tour gig in Poland on 13th August at Klub Studio in Krakow, we sat with Alex Skolnick to talk about Metal Allegiance at their gig on 22nd January at House of Blues in Anaheim, CA.
Photos by: Romana Makówka, Paweł Świrek
How is playing guitar in Metal Allegiance different from Testament and your other projects?
Alex Skolnick: Metal Allegiance set calls for more variety of playing styles than Testament. For example, a MA tune like “Dying Song” has a ‘70s metal flavor, more like Sabbath, while “Let Darkness Fall” and “Gift of Pain” are more 21st century. Meanwhile the track that just got released, “Black Horizon” feels a bit more 90s, with a slightly Seattle flavour. All of this calls for different tones and feels. Meanwhile, Testament has only slight differences in tempo/feel and an occasional ballad, so more of a consistent sound and feel. And most of the other projects I do are completely different, with virtuoso improvisers who, while they respect metal, don’t play it themselves. Folks like Percy Jones, Stuart Hamm, Ardeshir Farah, Ron Jackson etc.
What makes MA so special?
Alex Skolnick: It’s always a really fun hang. In addition to the playing, it’s good to catch up with folks who are outside your regular bands and you only get to see every so often.
Tell us about your guitar setup for the Anaheim gig.
Alex Skolnick: My backline for MA consists of Orange amps, – the Rockerverb 100 MK series and corresponding cabinets. For guitars, I’ll be using two of my ESP signature models, the Lemonburst and new LTD Limeburst. And I’ll be using my pedalboard by Warwick, their Rockboard series, same as I use for instrumental music. It has pedals by Jam, Jim Dunlop, Crazy Tube Circuits and others.
Are there any plans for European shows in the next year or so?
Alex Skolnick: Not at the moment. We’ve gotten to the point where we don’t do many scaled down Metal Allegiance shows and it’s hard to recreate an event like MA in Anaheim overseas. But if we were to get a proper offer, I’m sure it would be considered.
What musician that has never played with you guys before, would you like to invite to a collaboration on this project?
Alex Skolnick: My two top picks would be James Hetfield and Geddy Lee. You never know…
Thank you so much Alex, always a pleasure.
Alex Skolnick: Thank you.
