Alcatraz Line up: 2009, 2012, 2017, 2022, 2024

Spawned in 1983 by the burgeoning thrash scene in and around the San Francisco Bay Area, Testament released one of the greatest thrash debuts ever with ’The Legacy’ (1987). The album was an instant classic and while the next few albums are excellent, the heavy metal scene suffered from the impact of grunge. Testament promptly reinvented themselves in 1994 with the ‘Low’ album. They started putting out heavier, death metal influenced material and strong albums such as ‘Demonic’ (1997) and ‘The Gathering’ (1999) – also featuring Dave Lombardo - helped them survive what was a difficult decade for thrash music in general. Around the millennium Chuck Billy’s cancer diagnosis forced the band to take an extended break but in 2005 they struck back with a vengeance. A short-lived reunion of the original line-up seemed to reinvigorate the band and as of 2008, they released four heavy and excellent albums in a row, starting with ‘The Formation of Damnation’ and ending with 2020’s ‘Titans of Creation’. Acts like Sepultura, Entombed, Demolition Hammer, Exhorder, Morbid Angel, Gojira and many more all list Testament as one of their influences so don’t miss out when these thrash titans take the Alcatraz stage with new drummer Chris Dovas!