Veteran Testament guitarist Alex Skolnick recently took a trip down memory lane, discussing his formative musical influences and offering some serious praise for AC/DC icon Angus Young.
Known for his exceptional versatility across both heavy metal and jazz, the acclaimed musician sat down for a new interview with “Rad Jet“. During the conversation, he reflected on his earliest days picking up the instrument, noting that his initial inspirations were deeply rooted in 1950s rock and roll before he transitioned into following the groundbreaking shredders of the late 1970s and 1980s.
“Going back, when I first started playing at 10 years old, I would say my first two or three years I was really focused on songs, and I didn’t know if I wanted to be a rhythm guitar player, singer or a lead guitarist. I was more into John Lennon, Paul Stanley, Elvis [Presley]. I loved ’50s rock. Although Chuck Berry, he really inspired me to play guitar. He was in a movie called ‘American Hot Wax‘. Yeah. And then I later made the connection: ‘Oh, he inspired The Beatles, he inspired AC/DC, he inspired Kiss.’ But he was really my idea of a lead guitarist until I heard Van Halen, and when I heard Van Halen, it was a few years after the debut. And this was already the early ’80s, so say, like, ’82 or so. I’m 13. They were already on, like, album four or five. But that was when I first heard that debut album, and then I had that same experience that many people talk about having in 1978 when the needle hit the vinyl and ‘Eruption‘ [came on]. I mean, ‘Runnin’ With The Devil‘ was enough just ’cause of the tone, and the solo in that, it’s a composed solo, so it’s overshadowed by a lot of [Eddie Van Halen‘s] other [stuff]… But that is amazing, too. I mean, nobody played like that. He already paved new ground just with ‘Runnin’ With The Devil‘. And then, of course, ‘Eruption‘ happened and then, okay. The world has changed,” he said (as transcribed by Blabbermouth).
Continuing his thought, Skolnick emphasized how important the Young brothers were to his overall musical development. He specifically highlighted Angus Young‘s incredible technical prowess, pointing out that his actual guitar playing is often overshadowed by his wild stage antics and schoolboy uniform.
“The Beatles [were] probably [my] biggest [early influence], or Kiss as well, and Chuck Berry, all of those,” he continued. “But then it quickly evolved into Van Halen, Ozzy Osbourne, Scorpions, AC/DC. I think [AC/DC lead guitarist] Angus Young actually deserves a lot more credit. He’s a guy that gets a lot of attention more as a performer. But he’s a really fantastic musician. And [late AC/DC guitarist] Malcolm [Young], too, may he rest in peace… And Eddie Van Halen cited [Malcolm] as one of his favorite musicians. And they were close friends too.”
Widely regarded as one of the premier elite players to emerge from the 1980s Bay Area thrash scene, Alex Skolnick famously honed his craft as a student of guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani, sharing a musical pedigree with the likes of Steve Vai and Metallica lead guitarist Kirk Hammett.
After originally joining Testament in 1985 at just 16 years old, he spent eight years delivering genre-defining riffs before exiting the group in 1992 to formally study at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music. The highly sought-after guitarist even briefly lent his immense talents to Black Sabbath legend Ozzy Osbourne, playing a high-profile U.K. gig with the heavy metal pioneer back in 1995.
