Guitar virtuoso and Testament veteran Alex Skolnick recently spoke about the band's next album, getting older and much more in an interview from the 2012 NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) gathering. Skolnick talked in depth about the lyrical content of Testament's upcoming record 'The Dark Roots of Earth' and how he views time as he gets older.

Skolnick spoke with Eric Blair about Testament's recent comeback and how the recording of 'The Dark Roots of Earth' came to be.

"We were just as surprised by it as anybody," says Skolnick. "It think part of it is you can't plan things. It was not planned. We never said, 'We're going to have a big comeback.' All we did was go in the studio, had fun doing a record -- one that justifies the band. It just seemed to catch on and resonate. We've got a new record coming out in April."

Skolnick explained the significance of the 'Dark Roots of Earth' title. "I think [guitarist] Eric [Peterson] thought of the title, but we actually worked on the lyrics together," reveals Skolnick. "One of the lines of the song is 'Dark roots of the earth will take us home eventually.' It's the one thing you can't hide from - nobody can escape from time. It doesn't matter if you're struggling in poverty or if you have billions. Everybody is going to end up back in the Earth."

Having used time as one of the album's key components, Skolnick spoke about his view of time. "I enjoy time more now than when I was younger. People say that period is the best years of your life. No. Nonsense. I think as you get older, time gets better. At least that's been my experience. I think if you think that way, it's a much better way of thinking than thinking your best days are behind you."

Testament are currently on a North American tour with Anthrax and Death Angel. Stay tuned for our upcoming review of their New York City show after the crushing trifecta invades the Big Apple on Feb. 8.

Watch the Full Interview with Testament's Alex Skolnick

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