San Francisco Bay Area metallers TESTAMENT have teamed up with Rocket 88, an imprint of the established British book production company Essential Works, for the release of a book called "The Official Illustrated History". According to a press release, "The Official Illustrated History" will offer "the full story of the Bay Area thrash kings as told by the band in their own words. Heavily illustrated with rare and candid photographs, memorabilia and using recently unearthed band archives from the halcyon days of heavy music in the early 1980s, this is the ultimate TESTAMENT book. "From 'The Legacy' in 1987 through to 2016's 'Brotherhood Of The Snake', longtime members Chuck Billy, Eric Peterson and Alex Skolnick tell TESTAMENT's incredible history in full detail and glorious color." Said TESTAMENT singer Chuck Billy: "Wow! It's hard to believe, but it's been thirty years since we released 'The Legacy'. And we've been talking about what a great trip it's been and wanted to put it on record. So we're creating a book with the Rocket 88 guys. We've dug up tons of photos and memories, and they'll all be in there. We're telling our own side of the story. Each and every one of us has a different version. I'm sure that's gonna be very interesting." Those interested in the book can register at TestamentBook.com to receive updates on its progress, get your name printed in the book and receive a discount on the final price. Asked in a 2012 interview with Powerline magazine what he would attribute TESTAMENT's longevity to, Billy said: "In the '90s, metal was kind of a bad word. Over the last ten, twelve years or so, there's been a lot more new generations of thrash-style music and it's getting more popular. It's just a new generation of that fan base. There's always gonna be a young rebellious teenager looking for something against the grain. And heavy metal's always been the answer, it seems like, or punk rock or something. I think bands like us kind of survived those '90s and are still creating music that doesn't sound like it's dated, or like a thirty-year-old band writing the same stuff. You always try to keep it new and different with every record we do. I think that's what kept us alive. And it just happens that there's a true spirit at heart still driving us."
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