Testament guitarist Alex Skolnick recently revealed how classic rock riffs and Eddie Van Halen’s guitar tricks inspired some of his contributions to the band’s classic tracks. He shared his insights in a video posted by ESP Guitars UK & Ireland on Instagram.
During an interview at Bloodstock Open Air, Skolnick demonstrated how he drew direct inspiration from classic rock and metal legends. He specifically explained how he rearranged a famous Judas Priest riff and borrowed a reverse harmonic trick from Eddie Van Halen to craft his own signature contributions to the band.
“I could point to any number of solos and riffs that were part of my contribution to Testament,” Skolnick said. “And I could say, ‘Okay, here’s what I was inspired by.’ This is a really good example of taking a riff and making it inspired by another riff. So everybody’s heard this riff. I learned that riff a long, long time ago. And I just thought, ‘Okay, what if we change some of the chords around?'”
He then demonstrated how he incorporated a specific harmonic technique inspired by Eddie Van Halen.
“And just, that harmonic actually comes from Van Halen,” Skolnick continued. “So, the end of ‘Somebody Get Me a Doctor’, right, he does this crazy lick, he’s doing these triads. And somehow he gets to E. Right? So those last few notes, just backwards. And he, he does that in a few other places as well, but it’s just that reverse… So that, that’s an example.”
Skolnick joined Testament, then called Legacy, as a teenager in the mid-1980s. He became one of the band’s lead guitarists and songwriters. He was part of Testament’s early classic-era lineup and recorded on the band’s first five albums. His work helped define their Bay Area thrash sound.
His early playing was shaped by classic hard rock and metal acts, including Kiss, Randy Rhoads, Eddie Van Halen, Judas Priest, and Iron Maiden. “It started with Kiss, and later Randy Rhoads and Eddie Van Halen,” Skolnick previously shared. “I also was a fan of groups like Judas Priest and Iron Maiden.”
This demonstration highlights how classic influences continue to shape modern metal performances.
