Chuck Billy recalls that Dave Mustaine was “having a fit” after Judas Priest defended the Testament during the joint tour, saying, “He said we couldn’t use our stuff.”

“His arms were crossed.” And he was really upset because we were having everything again.”

Chuck Billy remembered how Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine complained about Testament’s gear on their joint tour with Judas Priest, and how Mustaine had a “fit” after Rob Halford defended them.

Testament, founded in 1983 — the same year Megadeth was formed — went on to become a cornerstone of the legendary Bay Area scene, as well as a driving force behind the second wave of thrash metal. Although Testament’s career began in the late 1980s, the heavy metal heavyweights’ first US arena tour occurred in 1990, when they opened for Judas Priest and Megadeth on the British metal institution’s “Painkiller” tour, as Chuck Billy & Co. promoted their fourth studio album, “Souls of the Black.”

It was a time when Testament was “really growing,” and the band progressed from a simple setup to a more elaborate one, complete with a Voelker drum riser, as Chuck Billy reminisced on David Ellefson’s podcast (transcription via Blabbermouth):

“Well, I recall we had just flown home from a large tour in Europe. And I suppose the most vivid recollection is of the band in which you played. [Laughs] No offence, Dave, but the other Dave (Mustaine)… I am not sure whether you remember that tour. Because our needs were expanding, we bought a fresh new Voelker drum riser built on a riser. All of these cabinets came up as backdrops. And, if you recall, Dave [Mustaine] took them from us all at the start of that tour. He’d seen it and said we couldn’t use anything, so we couldn’t use our risers, backgrounds, and so on.”

Billy remembered how his comrades urged him to handle the issue with Priest members, who were always checking to see if Testament was taken care of:

“And my band pushed me because every day, K.K. [Downing] or [Glenn] Tipton [Priest guitarist] would come in and say, ‘Hey, how are you guys doing? Do you need anything, guys? And [my bandmates] would elbow me, ‘Dude, say something, say something.’ And I’d be like, ‘No, no, no.’ And then one day, they said, ‘Dude, just go talk to Rob [Halford], please.'”

“So I walked in there and told Rob what was going on, and that day he said, ‘What? That will end today. And he went into production and said, “Testament has everything up there.” “Get their drums, backdrops, and everything up there.”

According to the Testament frontman, Dave Mustaine did not take it well, and Billy added:

“And when we went on that night, I knew Dave [Mustaine] was side stage by the monitors — not you, Dave, but the other Dave — with his arms crossed. And he was really upset because we were having everything again. And it was wild, but that was the best start to the trip for us.”

“Because things were beginning to happen, and we were like, ‘Oh, man, we just bought this massive concert to perform for Judas Priest and Megadeth, dude.’ And last, we were able to put it to use, and it turned out to be fantastic.”