For nearly four decades, Chuck Billy’s voice has been one of the most commanding instruments in heavy music. Now the Testament frontman is finally turning that voice on himself. On November 10, 2026, Permuted Press will publish Holding My Breath: The Two Testaments of Chuck Billy, a memoir that promises to be every bit as ferocious — and as vulnerable — as the man behind the microphone.

Pre-orders are live now at chuckbillybook.com.

This isn’t your average rock-star tell-all. Co-written with Dave Erickson, the book is structured as two interlocking “testaments,” a clever framing device that splits Billy’s life into the before and after of the cancer diagnosis that nearly silenced him in 2001.

The Old Testament: Bay Area Thrash, Unfiltered

The first half drops readers straight into the sweat-soaked clubs and rehearsal rooms where Bay Area thrash was forged. Expect the formation of Testament, the rivalries that shaped a generation, the brotherhood between bands who would go on to define the genre, and the kind of reckless, glorious chaos that only comes from a scene that genuinely believed it was inventing something new. Because it was.

The New Testament: A Frontman vs. Mortality

The second half is rarer territory for a metal memoir. At 38, Billy was blindsided by a devastating cancer diagnosis. What follows is a deeply human account of healing — one that draws on his Native American (Pomo) and Mexican-American heritage, spiritual healers, visions, and the fierce love of the metal community that refused to let him go.

That community showed up in legendary fashion at Thrash of the Titans, the 2001 benefit concert that turned old rivals into brothers, helped catalyze a genre-wide revival, and kept Chuck Billy in the fight. It remains one of the most galvanizing moments in heavy metal history.

“This book is about two versions of me that are really just one story,” Billy says. “The guy who thought he was invincible, and the guy who learned how fragile life really is.”

Heavyweight Co-Signs

The memoir features a foreword by Judas Priest’s Rob Halford and an afterword by Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe — two of metal’s most revered voices bearing witness to Billy’s legacy. Permuted Press publisher Anthony Ziccardi calls Billy “a major influential voice in the thrash metal scene,” adding that the press is “thrilled to be publishing his remarkable personal journey.”

A Legacy Beyond the Stage

Fourteen studio albums deep with Testament, Billy has also been recognized by the California State Assembly for his positive influence on Native communities, was featured in the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian’s exhibition “Up Where We Belong: Native Musicians In Popular Culture,” and won Best Music Video at the American Indian Film Festival for “Native Blood.”

While you wait for November 10, queue up Testament and remind yourself why this voice deserves a book of its own: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3ZZGFQuiCk

Pre-order Holding My Breath: The Two Testaments of Chuck Billy at chuckbillybook.com.