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Testament’s Chuck Billy<\/a> has a startling new look and he\u00a0credits a fellow rocker for pushing him to do it.<\/p>\n The 64-year-old vocalist debuted his transformation in a social media video on Tuesday.<\/p>\n In the post shared to both his personal Instagram and the Testament<\/a> account, Billy wrote, “Decades later, it was time for a change. Chuck Billy 2027. Do we love it?!”<\/p>\n The video, which appears to have been recorded in someone’s kitchen, shows Billy sitting down before he is covered with a barber’s smock.<\/p>\n “Here I am getting a haircut. I’ve had long hair my whole life except when I was ill with cancer. But today I think is the day. It’s going to be a new look.”<\/p>\n READ MORE: Metallica’s James Hetfield Goes Public With Bold New Hairstyle Ahead for Sphere Residency<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Billy\u00a0had previously been diagnosed with germ cell seminoma, a type of cancer, in the early 2000s when he was 38 years old. He later announced the cancer was in remission following chemotherapy.<\/p>\n There is no indication the time-lapse video shows Billy getting several inches of his hair lopped off<\/p>\n “Starting fresh and new,” Billy told fans as he showed off his dramatically short hair. “I don’t know; do I look more grown-up now? I feel pretty good. I feel a little lighter”<\/p>\n In a follow-up video, Billy confirmed his surprising haircut had nothing to do with a medical condition. Instead, he was inspired by another musician to change up his look.<\/p>\n “I’d seen Jerry Cantrell<\/a> post two days ago, I believe, with his haircut, and it gave me the strength and the energy and the nerve to cut it all off. So, thank you, Jerry.”<\/p>\n Photos of the\u00a0Cantrell backstage<\/a> at Aerosmith<\/a>‘s recent California Dream On concerts in Los Angeles showed the Alice in Chains<\/a> member had once again reverted to short hair. He last did something similar in 2013, around the time Alice in Chains released The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here<\/em>.<\/p>\n Billy’s haircut also comes just before the Nov. 10 release of his memoir, Holding My Breath: The Two Testaments of Chuck Billy<\/a><\/em>. The book, which contains a foreword by Judas Priest<\/a>‘s Rob Halford<\/a> and an afterword by Lamb of God<\/a>‘s Randy Blythe<\/a>, covers Billy’s career in thrash metal and his battle with cancer.<\/p>\n A release day event is being hosted by comedian and renowned headbanger Brian Posehn<\/a>, with a special appearance by SiriusXM’s Jose Mangin<\/a>\u00a0(more details in the post below).<\/p>\n Keep reading to learn the stories of 26 other rock and metal musicians who conquered cancer.<\/p>\n These musicians are an inspiration to anyone affected by cancer.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Gallery Credit: Loudwire Staff<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nChuck Billy\u00a0Says ‘It Was Time for a Change’<\/h3>\n
The Rock Musician Who Inspired Chuck Billy’s Haircut<\/h3>\n
27 Rock + Metal Cancer Survivors<\/h2>\n