Pioneers of the classic American metal scene, Testament announce the Dark Roots of Thrash II tour with thrash legends Exodus and Texas metal Shattered Sun.

If you think you’ve seen it all when it comes to thrash metal tour packages, think again. Testament is announcing what will undoubtedly be the most crushing heavy metal tour to hit North America this spring, the Dark Roots of Thrash II tour.

Adding to Testament’s live onslaught, fans will receive a guaranteed pummeling from the Dark Roots of Thrash II tour’s revered support, fellow Bay Area-thrashers Exodus and Texas melodic metal assailants Shattered Sun.

In addition to its monumental line-up, the Dark Roots of Thrash II tour sees Testament serving up another surprise for die-hard fans of their early tenure. Each night, Testament will perform an epic headlining set that digs deep into the early discography that launched their worldwide career spanning two-and-a-half decades. Testament’s exclusive set will feature full-album performances of 1987s classic body of work The Legacy and 1988s unrelenting The New Order, in addition to select tracks from 1989s mainstream crossover Practice What You Preach.Testament-PromoPic002

The Dark Roots of Thrash II tour marks the live re-introduction of Testament bassist Steve DiGiorgio. This isn’t DiGiorgio’s first time playing with Testament, as he is credited for recording bass on 1999s The Gathering and 2001s First Strike Still Deadly. Additionally, the tour will mark the live debut of Alex Skolnick’s anticipated brand new signature ESP guitars and Budda amps.

Testament vocalist Chuck Billy states, “The stars have finally aligned. After almost 30 years of touring, Testament and Exodus get to share our individual styles of thrash metal across the U.S. and Canada. The Day of Reckoning is here and coming to a town near you. Good times with good friends – heavy metal forever!”

Exodus guitarist Gary Holt adds, “Exodus are very excited in the most violent of fashion to announce our part in the Dark Roots of Thrash II tour with our old friends and label mates Testament, as well as soon to be new friends Shattered Sun! This is gonna be a thrash metal tour de force and we cannot wait to deliver a Bay Area beating to everyone, everywhere, in every way! We shall see everyone out there!”

“We are ecstatic to announce this tour with Testament and Exodus,” offers Shattered Sun frontman Marcos Leal. “This will be our first national tour and we couldn’t be more ready to represent and show the world what we are all about! We have been anticipating getting out there and playing this album to the fans, so the moment we have been fighting for has finally arrived! Thank you Testament for having us out, this is a huge honor for us and our family and we look forward to wreaking havoc with our brothers in metal, Exodus.”

The Dark Roots of Thrash II tour embodies the true lineage of American thrash metal.

In 2012, Testament’s Dark Roots of Earth album debuted at #12 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart, #1 on the Independent Albums chart, and #1 on the Top Hard Music Albums chart with the band’s highest first week sales since the inception of Soundscan. The album roared into the #9 position on the World Sales chart – a huge accomplishment for a metal band on a chart that included pop artists such as Adele, Justin Bieber, Linkin Park, Jennifer Lopez and Maroon 5. In 2013, Testament released their Dark Roots of Thrash live DVD/CD, recorded via multi-camera angels at their sold-out headlining performance at the Paramount in Huntington, New York.

This year, thrash architects Exodus celebrate 30 years since the release of their first album, thrash metal’s classic blueprint Bonded By Blood. Keeping with that tradition, Exodus was joined by their original guitarist, Metallica’s Kirk Hammett, on their most recent release Blood In, Blood Out (2014). In its first week, Blood In, Blood Out doubled the first week sales of their most previous full-length release, in addition to securing their highest charting position ever, #38 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart, as well as #2 on the Hard Rock/Metal chart and #6 on the Independent Albums chart.

Victory Records’ Shattered Sun are poised to dominate the metal scene. The six-piece is a remarkable example of hard work and determination, coming a long way from their industrious origins. Shattered Sun reflect the roots of their influences amidst their vigorous Southern backdrop, slamming together into a sound that is Hope Within Hatred, their debut album to be released April, 21, 2015 via Victory Records. What sets Shattered Sun apart from the crowd is their lyrical content in a time where it seems most heavy music is about negativity and angst. Shattered Sun empower with their message of hope and positivity.

Launching their seventeen-date trek on April 1, 2015, with a hometown show in San Francisco that’s sure to register on the Richter scale, the Dark Roots of Thrash II tour will hit additional U.S. cities plus Toronto, Canada.

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Confirmed Dark Roots of Thrash II dates
01-April-2015 Regency Ballroom, San Francisco, CA
02-April-2015 House of Blues, Hollywood, CA
03-April-2015 Livewire, Scottsdale, AZ
04-April-2015 Sunshine Theater, Albuquerque, NM
06-April-2015 Aztec Theater, San Antonio, TX
07-April-2015 House of Blues, Houston, TX
08-April-2015 House of Blues, Dallas, TX
10-April-2015 Pop’s, Sauget, IL
11-April-2015 Mojoes, Joliet, IL
12-April-2015 Harpo’s, Detroit, MI
13-April-2015 The Intersection, Grand Rapids, MI
15-April-2015 Phoenix Concert Theatre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
16-April-2015 Rapids Theatre, Niagara Falls, NY
17-April-2015 Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ
18-April-2015 New England Metal & Hardcore Festival, Worcester, MA
19-April-2015 The Paramount, Huntington, NY
21-April-2015 Mercury Ballroom, Louisville, KY
22-April-2015 Cannery Ballroom, Nashville, TN
23-April-2015 Masquerade, Atlanta, GA
25-April-2015 Welcome To Rockville Festival, Jacksonville, FL (without Shattered Sun)
01-May-2015 Lunatic Luau 15, Virginia Beach, VA (without Shattered Sun)
03-May-2015 Carolina Rebellion 2015, Concord, NC (without Shattered Sun)
Additional dates will be announced soon.

Testament
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Exodus
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Shattered
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About The Author

Erik's interest in music began at an early age. In high school, he was the co-host of the underground metal show the Social Mutilation Hour, on 89.5 WAHS, under the name of Neurotik Erik. During this period of his life, he independently promoted shows under the name of Ding Dong Ditch Productions. Erik would rent out local VFW Halls, use space at Oakland Community College Auburn Hills Campus, or simply throw basement parties around the Detroit area. While at college at Ferris State University, he became head of the student run organization, Entertainment Unlimited, and continued to promote shows, but on a larger scale. He also helped start an underground magazine, 'Outpunk', where he interviewed bands and wrote music reviews. Additionally, Erik joined the staff at the Ferris State University Torch and wrote on a larger scale.