New TESTAMENT drummer Chris Dovas has no intentions of leaving the thrash metal band anytime soon
In a recent interview with The Meista – Brews & Tunes, Chris Dovas, the new drummer of TESTAMENT, shared insights on how he secured his position with the esteemed San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal band.
Dovas officially joined the band in April, taking over the drumming duties from Dave Lombardo, who had a brief tenure of less than a year with the long-standing metal group since joining in March 2022. Lombardo is known for his involvement with various renowned acts including SLAYER, MISFITS, MR. BUNGLE, EMPIRE STATE BASTARD, and SATANIC PLANET, and he was also a member of SUICIDAL TENDENCIES from 2016 until 2020.
Dovas told The Meista – Brews & Tunes: “I sent [TESTAMENT] some videos a while ago. Eric [Peterson, TESTAMENT guitarist] then called me because Dave had some MISFITS dates. And so I filled in for a week and a half or two in September of 2022 on ‘The Bay Strikes Back‘ tour. And then Dave‘s schedule just got really crazy, as you saw Dave‘s statement and everything, and I got the callback, which was super cool. So Eric was, like, ‘You already know all the songs. Can you do these tours?’ And that’s what happened.
“And now I’m here to stay, which is super cool. It’s an honor to be a part of it too, ’cause I grew up listening to TESTAMENT… If you told the middle school me or something that I would be doing this now, I wouldn’t have believed it. But, yeah, it’s an honor and I’m super happy to be a part of it.”
When asked if there is currently new TESTAMENT music in the works, Dovas replied: “Everything’s in the early stages. Me and Eric are working on some stuff, as you’ve probably seen some of the interviews with Eric and stuff. Just from what the band’s publicly announced and everything, there’s some songs in the works, and we’re working on that now, and it’s coming out really cool. I don’t know what I’m allowed or what I’m not allowed to say yet, so I’ll just kind of keep it at that, ’cause that’s what I’ve seen them mention publicly. It’s gonna be cool, though. I can say it’s sounding really great.”
Back in April, Dave Lombardo revealed in an interview with BLABBERMOUTH.NET that he would not be playing the remainder of TESTAMENT‘s 2023 shows.
Chris Dovas, who is also a member of SEVEN SPIRES, previously filled in for Lombardo on the first six dates of TESTAMENT‘s summer/fall 2022 leg of “The Bay Strikes Back Tour” as Dave was already booked to play with the MISFITS.