Alex Skolnick: podcast appearances and interviews

Alexander Nathan Skolnick, born on September 29, 1968, is an American musician from Berkeley, California. He is best known as the lead guitarist and one of the songwriters for the thrash metal band Testament. Skolnick began his musical career at age 15 when he joined the local Bay Area thrash metal band Legacy, which later became Testament. He performed on five albums with the band from The Legacy in 1987 to The Ritual in 1992. His work with Testament earned him recognition within the thrash metal and guitar communities, with Guitar World magazine naming him one of the greatest and fastest guitarists of all time. After leaving Testament in 1992, Skolnick explored various musical paths. He briefly replaced Criss Oliva in the band Savatage for their album Handful of Rain in 1994 and participated in a short tour with them. In the early 2000s, he founded The Alex Skolnick Trio, a jazz band that remains active as of 2025. Skolnick reunited with Testament in 2001 for re-recordings on the album First Strike Still Deadly and rejoined the band permanently in 2005, contributing to five more albums. Beyond his work with Testament, he has played with several other bands, including Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Savatage, and Metal Allegiance.