TESTAMENT's 'Dark Roots Of Earth' Cracks U.S. Top 15

August 8, 2012

"Dark Roots Of Earth", the new album from San Francisco Bay Area metal veterans TESTAMENT, sold more than 20,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No, 12 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD arrived in stores on July 31 via Nuclear Blast Records.

TESTAMENT's previous studio album, "The Formation of Damnation", opened with 11,400 units back in May 2008 to debut at position No. 59.

"Dark Roots Of Earth" was produced, mixed and mastered by acclaimed British producer Andy Sneap (ARCH ENEMY, NEVERMORE, ACCEPT, EXODUS). Special bonus tracks were recorded, mixed and mastered by Juan Urteaga (MACHINE HEAD, EXODUS, TED NUGENT, NIGHT RANGER) at his Trident Studios. The cover artwork for the effort (see below) was painted by Eliran Kantor, who has previously worked with ATHEIST, SIGH, ANACRUSIS and GWAR, among others.

"Dark Roots Of Earth" jewel case CD track listing:

01. Rise Up
02. Native Blood
03. Dark Roots Of Earth
04. True American Hate
05. A Day In The Death
06. Cold Embrace
07. Man Kills Mankind
08. Throne Of Thorns
09. Last Stand For Independence

"Dark Roots Of Earth" CD/DVD track listing:

01. Rise Up
02. Native Blood
03. Dark Roots Of Earth
04. True American Hate
05. A Day In The Death
06. Cold Embrace
07. Man Kills Mankind
08. Throne Of Thorns
09. Last Stand For Independence

Bonus:

10. Dragon Attack (QUEEN cover)
11. Animal Magnetism (SCORPIONS cover)
12. Powerslave (IRON MAIDEN cover)
13. Throne Of Thornes (extended version)
+ Bonus DVD

"Dark Roots Of Earth" vinyl track listing:

Side A:

01. Rise Up
02. Native Blood
03. Dark Roots Of Earth

Side B:

04. True American Hate
05. A Day In The Death
06. Cold Embrace

Side C:

07. Man Kills Mankind
08. Throne Of Thorns
09. Last Stand For Independence

Side D (Bonus):

10. Dragon Attack (QUEEN cover)
11. Animal Magnetism (SCORPIONS cover)
12. Powerslave (IRON MAIDEN cover)

The "Native Blood" video can be seen below.

TESTAMENT vocalist Chuck Billy collaborated with seasoned director Mike Sloat to put together a clip that is universal in message while bringing the spotlight to Billy's Native American heritage — The Pomo Indians.

The performance portion of the video was shot on the Billy Ranch in Hopland, California, where the flames were huge and the temperatures were high.

The "Native Blood" clip is about the growth a Native American youth throughout the years. When faced with hatred, racism, bullying, and harassment, he uses nature's sanctuary to recharge and meditate on the lessons he learned from his grandfather to handle these very tough situations in a way to honor and dignify himself and his people.

Billy previously stated about "Native Blood", "It's almost like a protest song, that the Native Americans have a voice that needs to be heard — that's the chorus of the song."

"Native Blood" video:

Find more on
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • reddit
  • email

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).