Former Testament bass player Greg Christian has launched an incredible tirade on his former bandmates – describing them as “cruel”.
He was sacked by the band earlier this year and has since claimed he was paid a pittance for his live performances.
He has again taken to Facebook to claim he was paid $38,000 (£22,000) before tax for all his work with Testament in 2013. In his latest post, he even goes as far as to threaten legal action to recoup money he says he is owed.
Christian – a founding member of the band who left in 1996 but returned in 2004 – says: “I don’t care any more. I’m done airing the ridiculous, and I’m saying my final piece here. I could go on for as many years as I was back in Testament with stories of being slighted, lies and greed, but my only real point or complaint is about live performance money.
“I don’t own any part of the records or anything else and don’t really care. But to use my name and likeness, along with what I brought to the stage pretty consistently, then refuse to give me anything other than nothing of show money, is simply wrong.
“Everything else aside, I worked for and earned at least some kind of piece of that. That’s undeniable. And I’d have been happy with a much smaller piece than I felt I was worth – but not zero.
“I believe it’s personal. Directed solely at me. For your information, for all the shows I played in 2013 and all the travel and all the time away from home and family, I earned before taxes $37,775 and after taxes about $25,000. That’s reality, and – considering the $$$ Testament brought in for live performances in 2013 – cruel and unusual.”
“I don’t know how anyone else even reads this shit. Makes me sick, but I had to let it out, and now that I have this summarised, it may be time to see what an attorney thinks.”
Christian previously said he would continue to work as a musician. He was replaced in Testament by Steve Di Giorgio and the band have an album due out next year.
