Alex Skolnick
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Alex Skolnick (born September 29, 1968, grew up in Berkeley, California) is a jazz and rock guitarist. He is a member of the thrash metal band Testament, formed in San Francisco in 1983. Skolnick left the band in 1992 — returning briefly to re-record some old material for the band's First Strike is Still Deadly release as well as the "Thrash of the Titans" all-star performance in 2001. He joined the band Savatage for the recording of Handful of Rain, as well as its follow-up live album and home video release Japan Live '94. He has also recorded and briefly toured with the Stu Hamm band, and played with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. In 2004, Skolnick made a guest appearance on Lamb of God's Ashes of the Wake album. Skolnick recorded a solo for the instrumental track bearing the same name as the album.
After leaving Savatage, Skolnick fronted several projects in the Bay Area during the mid to late 1990s, such as Exhibit-A and Skol-Patrol (a funk band exclusively dedicated to cop-show themes, both covered and original, featuring Michael Manring). He also recorded two albums with Attention Deficit, a 3-piece featuring Tim Alexander from Primus as well as Manring. Recently Skolnick relocated to New York City and began devoting all of his energies to jazz, enrolling in the jazz program at The New School. Most recently, he has been touring and recording with the Alex Skolnick Trio, a jazz group known for playing rousing bebop renditions of classic rock and heavy metal tunes.
In the spring of 2005, Skolnick and the rest of the classic Testament lineup reunited for a short European tour. The tour was successful and the band has continued to play occasional shows together as well as a cancer benefit in San Francisco in June 2005.
Alex usually plays Gibson Les Pauls or various Gibson hollow-bodied electric guitars. In his early years with Testament he endorsed Ibanez guitars and had his own signature model for a brief period.
External links
| Testament |
| Chuck Billy | Greg Christian | Louie Clemente | Eric Peterson | Alex Skolnick |
| James Murphy | Derek Ramirez | Dave Lombardo | John Tempesta | Gene Hoglan | Glen Alvelais | Jon Allen | Paul Bostaph | Steve Smyth | Steve DiGiorgio | Metal Mike Chlasciak |
| Discography |
|---|
| Studio Albums: The Legacy | The New Order | Practice What You Preach | Souls of Black | The Ritual | Low | Demonic | The Gathering | First Strike Still Deadly |
| Live Albums: Live at Eindhoven | Return to Apocalyptic City | Live at Fillmore | Live in London |
| Compilations: The Best of Testament | Signs of Chaos | The Very Best of Testament | Days of Darkness |
| DVD and Video: Seen Between the Lines | Live at the Fillmore | Live in London |
| Savatage |
| Jon Oliva | Damond Jiniya | Chris Caffery | Al Pitrelli | Johnny Lee Middleton | Jeff Plate |
| Criss Oliva | Keith Collins | Steve "Doc" Wacholz | Zak Stevens | Alex Skolnick | Jack Frost |
| Discography |
|---|
| Studio Albums: Sirens | The Dungeons are Calling | Power Of The Night | Fight for the Rock | Hall of the Mountain King | Gutter Ballet | | Edge of Thorns | Handful of Rain | Dead Winter Dead | The Wake of Magellan | Poets and Madmen |
| Live Albums: Japan Live '94 | Final Bell / Ghost in the Ruins |
| Compilations: From the Gutter to the Stage | The Best and the Rest | Believe |
| Related articles |
| Trans-Siberian Orchestra | Megadeth | Jon Oliva's Pain | Circle II Circle |
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