Alex Skolnick Trio

Anyone who's ever drawn a pentagram on their social studies folder has heard of Testament.  My 14 year old brain exploded and oozed from my ears when I first heard Return to the Apocalyptic City. I found the cassette at Great Escape (a local used music merchant and comic book store, and the mecca of all things cool for 14 year olds) for 3 bucks and it didn't leave my walkman for weeks.  The tunnel to a hell of more blood gurgling fury continued throughout the blur of my teenage life.

Alex Skolnick, the guitar player behind Testament's early work has emerged to bring us a kind metal-head rehabilitation. Alex Skolnick Trio began by revising classic rock and metal songs in a jazz fusion form, calling their new incarnations "modern standards". With each release their cover songs get fewer and far between and the catchy avant garde atmosphere of their original songs has become the focus. This is definitely one for those of us who's musical taste has matured, but the old Reign in Blood, and Countdown to Extinction albums still find thier way on to our playlists.