Alex Skolnick Trio

The testament guitarist puts a jazzy spin on classics by Aerosmith and scorpions on his new live unbound concert disc.

- Richard Bienstock

“I’M PROUD OF my metal work and I still love that side of things,” says Testament guitarist Alex Skolnick. “But it’s not everything I want to do.” Which goes a long way toward explaining why, even as the Bay Area thrash legends release their new studio effort, Brotherhood of the Snake, Skolnick is also issuing a live album from his long-running jazz project, the Alex Skolnick Trio. The effort, titled Live Unbound, features five Skolnick jazz-guitar originals, recorded at Spin Studios in New York City, as well as reimaginings of Aerosmith’s “Dream On” and the Scorpions’ “Still Loving You,” both captured at an AST gig in Germany earlier this year. The two cover songs in particular illustrate Skolnick and his trio’s affinity for improvisation.