Children of the Next Level

Album: Titans Of Creation (2020)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song is about the Heaven's Gate religious cult out of San Diego. In March 1997, 39 members of the group committed suicide to coincide with the appearance of the Hale–Bopp Comet. They believed this would enable them to board an extraterrestrial spacecraft following the comet and reach another level of existence.
  • "Children of the Next Level' was the first song Testament wrote for the Titans Of Creation album. Frontman Chuck Billy explained to Apple Music that "it took right off" from their 2016 Brotherhood of the Snake set, which drew lyrical inspiration from the ancient astronaut hypothesis.
  • Other songs that take inspiration from the Heaven's Gate cult include:

    "1997" by Saint Motel.

    "Huey Newton" by St. Vincent.

    "Last Chance To Evacuate Planet Earth Before It Is Recycled" by Porcupine Tree.

    In his video for the song "Nikes," Frank Ocean re-creates the uniform worn by the Heaven's Gate cult during their suicide pact, including their Nike Decades sneakers.
  • Because Testament was busy touring, they asked Balázs Gróf to create an animated music video for the track. Said Billy: "With the song being about the Heaven's Gate cult, we thought it would make for a good visual story. It takes a lot of time and effort to make animated video and it was really cool to watch the process as it came to life."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Gavin Rossdale On Lyric Inspirations and Bush's Album The Kingdom

Gavin Rossdale On Lyric Inspirations and Bush's Album The KingdomSongwriter Interviews

The Bush frontman on where he finds inspiration for lyrics, if his "machine head" is a guitar tuner, and the stories behind songs from the album The Kingdom.

Alan Merrill of The Arrows

Alan Merrill of The ArrowsSongwriter Interviews

In her days with The Runaways, Joan Jett saw The Arrows perform "I Love Rock And Roll," which Alan Merrill co-wrote - that story and much more from this glam rock pioneer.

George Harrison

George HarrisonFact or Fiction

Did Eric Clapton really steal George's wife? What's the George Harrison-Monty Python connection? Set the record straight with our Fact or Fiction quiz.

Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear: Teddy Bears and Teddy Boys in Songs

Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear: Teddy Bears and Teddy Boys in SongsSong Writing

Elvis, Little Richard and Cheryl Cole have all sung about Teddy Bears, but there is also a terrifying Teddy song from 1932 and a touching trucker Teddy tune from 1976.

Kip Winger

Kip WingerSongwriter Interviews

The Winger frontman reveals the Led Zeppelin song he cribbed for "Seventeen," and explains how his passion for orchestra music informs his songwriting.

Ben Kowalewicz of Billy Talent

Ben Kowalewicz of Billy TalentSongwriter Interviews

The frontman for one of Canada's most well-known punk rock bands talks about his Eddie Vedder encounter, Billy Talent's new album, and the importance of rock and roll.