Gregory Christian (born April 29, 1966) is an American musician who is the former bassist for

thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, 2007, . ...

band Testament. He left the band in 1996, but rejoined in 2004 and left again in 2014. In addition to Testament, Christian has also played in HavocHate and Trinity Fallen, and later served as the bassist for

Trauma Trauma most often refers to: * Major trauma, in physical medicine, severe physical injury caused by an external source * Psychological trauma, a type of damage to the psyche that occurs as a result of a severely distressing event *Traumatic i ...

. He is known for his finger playing style and jazz-like bass parts, which can be heard on Testament songs such as "

Souls of Black ''Souls of Black'' is the fourth studio album by American thrash metal band Testament. It was released on October 9, 1990. Production and musical style While ''Souls of Black'' saw Testament staying true to their thrash sound, it saw several cha ...

" and "Disciples of the Watch", although he has also occasionally been seen using a guitar pick. Christian also performed backing vocals in Testament.

Musical career

Testament

Christian is an original member of Testament, having joined in 1983 when they were called Legacy. Prior the release of their debut album ''The Legacy'', Christian auditioned for Metallica as the replacement for

Cliff Burton Clifford Lee Burton (February 10, 1962 – September 27, 1986) was an American musician who was the bassist for heavy metal band Metallica from 1982 until his death in 1986. He performed on ''Kill 'Em All'' (1983), ''Ride the Lightning'' (1984) ...

, but lost to former

Flotsam and Jetsam In maritime law, flotsam'','' jetsam'','' lagan'','' and derelict are specific kinds of shipwreck. The words have specific nautical meanings, with legal consequences in the law of admiralty and marine salvage. A shipwreck is defined as the r ...

bassist

Jason Newsted Jason Curtis Newsted (born March 4, 1963) is an American musician who was the bassist of Heavy metal music, heavy metal band Metallica from 1986 to 2001. He first performed with thrash metal band Flotsam and Jetsam (band), Flotsam and Jetsam from ...

. He recorded many of the band's albums including '' The Legacy'', '' The New Order'', '' Practice What You Preach'', ''

'', '' The Ritual'', '' Low'', '' The Formation of Damnation'', and '' Dark Roots of Earth''. He also played on the live albums, '' Live at Eindhoven'', '' Return to the Apocalyptic City'', '' Live at the Fillmore'', '' Live in London'' and '' Dark Roots of Thrash''. In 1996, Christian left Testament, but rejoined in 2004. He left the band once again in early 2014 and was replaced by Steve Di Giorgio as bassist. Christian left due to lack of band financial transparency and inequitable payments by controlling members of Testament, Chuck Billy and Eric Peterson.

HavocHate

Christian joined HavocHate in 2005, and recorded one album, ''Cycle of Pain''.

Trauma

On June 27, 2017, it was announced that Christian had joined

. He departed from the group in August of 2022. In a press release announcing a new album, the band said "both parties came to a mutual decision" and wished Christian well in his future musical endeavors.

Hand of Fire

On March 10, 2019, it was announced Christian joined Hand of Fire as their bassist, as well as Jason Borton of

Jungle Rot Jungle Rot is an American death metal band from Kenosha, Wisconsin, formed in 1992. History Jungle Rot was founded in 1992 as a side project by Jim Harte and Joe Thomas, members of the Illinois thrash metal act, Prisoner. The band's name ref ...

on drums.

References

American heavy metal bass guitarists American male bass guitarists 1966 births Living people Testament (band) members American male guitarists 20th-century American guitarists {{US-bass-guitarist-stub