Leprous Announces North American Fall 2022 Tour Schedule with Apocalyptica

Courtesy: InsideOut Music

Leprous will return to the United States this fall for a new North American live run.

The band announced the schedule for the upcoming tour Monday. The tour, which is scheduled to launch Sept. 6 in Athens, GA , will see the band serving as support for Apocalyptica for its headlining tour. The tour is scheduled to run through Oct. 7 in Sacramento, CA and features performances in cities nationwide, such as Charlotte, NC; Louisville, KY and Tucson, AZ.

The tour’s schedule is noted below.

LEPROUS – North American Tour with Apocalyptica & Wheel:
9/6/22 Athens, GA – Georgia Theatre
9/7/22 Charlotte, NC – Underground
9/8/22 Asheville, NC – Orange Peel
9/9/22 Baltimore, MD – Soundstage
9/13/22 Portland, ME – State Theatre 
9/14/22 Long Island, NY – Paramount Theatre
9/15/22 Montclair, NJ – Wellmount Theatre
9/16/22 Philadelphia, PA – TLA
9/17/22 Buffalo, NY – Town Ballroom
9/18/22 Cleveland, OH – House Of Blues
9/20/22 Fort Wayne, IN – Pierres
9/21/22 Grand Rapids, MI – Intersection
9/23/22 Nashville, TN – Brooklyn Bowl
9/24/22 Indianapolis, IN – Vogue
9/25/22 Milwaukee, WI – Eagles
9/26/22 Sauget, IL – Pops
9/27/22 Lawrence, KS – Liberty Hall
9/28/22 Denver, CO – Summit
9/30/22 Tucson, AZ – Rialto Theatre
10/1/22 San Diego, CA – Observatory
10/2/22 Santa Ana, CA – Observatory
10/4/22 Las Vegas, NV – Brooklyn Bowl
10/5/22 Ventura, CA – Ventura Theatre
10/6/22 Santa Cruz, CA – Catalyst

Leprous’ latest North American run, which will follow a European run the winds down Aug. 27 in Poland, is in support of the band’s latest album, Aphelion, which was released in August 2021. The band previously toured North America in support of the album early this year.

Aphelion produced the singles, ‘Nighttime Disguise,’  ‘The Silent Revolution,’  ‘Running Low,’ and ‘Castaway Angels.’

More information on Leprous’ new single, and video is available online now along with all of the band’s latest news at:

Website: https://www.leprous.net

Facebook: https//www.facebook.com/leprousband

Twitter: https://twitter.com/leprousband

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to https://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

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Louder Than Life Festival Lineup Announced

Courtesy: Ashton-Magnuson Media

The Louder Than Life Festival will return to Louisville, KY this year with an expansive lineup of acts.

The festival, scheduled to take place Sept. 22-25 at the Highland Festival Grounds at KY Expo Center in Louisville, KY, will be headlined by Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nine Inch Nails, Slipknot, and KISS. The four-day festival will also feature performances from bands, such as Bloodywood, Anti-Flag, and Superbloom. The KY Expo Center is located at 937 Phillips Ln. in Louisville, KY.

The festival’s full lineup is noted below. Tickets are available here. Weekend general admission passes start at $249.50 plus fees. Weekend VIP passes start at $629.50 plus fees. A limited number of Weekend Top Shelf VIP passes is still available for $1,329.50 plus fees.

General admission single day passes start at $99.50 plus fees. Single day VIP passes start at $295.50 plus fees. Layaway options are available through March 31 for $10, with payments made through July.

A trailer for the forthcoming annual festival is streaming.

The current Louder Than Life lineup is as follows (subject to change):

Thursday, September 22: Nine Inch Nails, Bring Me The Horizon, Evanescence, Halestorm, Tenacious D, Yungblud, Highly Suspect, Ministry, Nothing More, Baroness, Spiritbox, Apocalyptica, Dorothy, Don Broco, New Years Day, Plush, Lilith Czar, Maggie Lindemann, Taipei Houston, The Dead Deads, Mothica, Superbloom, Eva Under Fire, Oxymorrons

Friday, September 23: Slipknot, Shinedown, Lamb Of God, Mastodon, In This Moment, Meshuggah, Clutch, Jinjer, GWAR, In Flames, Helmet, POORSTACY, Crown The Empire, DED, All Good Things, Amigo The Devil, Vended, Mike’s Dead, If I Die First, Orbit Culture, The Luka State, Ego Kill Talent, The Native Howl, Archetypes Collide

Saturday, September 24: KISS, Rob Zombie, Alice Cooper, Chevelle, Ghostemane, Jerry Cantrell, Dance Gavin Dance, Theory of a Deadman, Body Count, Sevendust, Mammoth WVH, We Came As Romans, Airbourne, Cherry Bombs, Ill Niño, Tetrarch, Nita Strauss, Against The Current, Wargasm, Trash Boat, Shaman’s Harvest, Solence, Dropout Kings, Bloodywood

Sunday, September 25: Red Hot Chili Peppers, Alice In Chains, Incubus, Papa Roach, The Pretty Reckless, Architects, Bad Religion, Action Bronson, The Struts, Jelly Roll, Dirty Honey, Anti-Flag, The Joy Formidable, Bayside, The Warning, Royal & The Serpent, caroles daughter, Radkey, The Mysterines, Crown Lands, AEIR, The Alive, As You Were

The Louder Than Life Festival is produced by Danny Wimmer Presents. The festival debuted in 2014 and expanded to four days in 2021.

More information on the 2022 Louder Than Life Festival is available along with all of the festival’s latest news at:

Website: https://www.LouderThanLifeFestival.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/louderthanlifefestival

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ltlfest

To keep up with the latest entertainment news and reviews, go online to https://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it. Fans can always keep up with the latest entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

Amaranthe Debuts Video For Its Cover Of Sabaton’s ’82nd All The Way’

Courtesy: Nuclear Blast Records

Amaranthe debuted a new video this week.

The band debuted the video for its cover of Sabaton’s song ‘82nd All The Way‘ Friday.  ’82nd All The Way’ is featured in Sabaton’s latest full-length studio recording The Great War (2019).  Amaranthe’s video takes audiences inside the studio with the band as it performs its take on the song, complete with a new triple-vocal approach.  That new approach sets the song apart from its source material and in turn steps up the song.

Amaranthe guitarist Olof Morck talked about the band’s take of the song in a recent interview.

“People who are familiar with Amaranthe know that we do not frequently do covers, but there was something quite irresistible about interpreting Sabaton’s ’82nd All The Way’!,” he said.  “While being thematically different from most of our songs, musically it made perfect sense, and it was a joy to pick the song apart and put it back together to something classically Amaranthe sounding!  So, this is our small tribute to the mighty Swedish war machine that is Sabaton; ’82nd All The Way’!”

Amaranthe will join Sabaton on the road beginning Jan 17 in Zurich, Switzerland.  Apocalyptica will also take part in the tour.

Amaranthe’s performances are in support of its most recent album Helix (2018).  The album has spawned the singles ‘365,’ ‘Countdown,’ ‘Inferno,’ ‘Dream‘ and ‘Helix.’ Amaranthe’s upcoming dates with Sabaton and Apocalyptica are scheduled to run through Feb. 16 in Oslo, Norway. The full schedule for the band’s European tour is noted below.

AMARANTHE live:
The Great Tour« – Europe 2020
w/ SABATON, APOCALYPTICA
17.01. CH Zurich – Hallenstadion
18.01. D Stuttgart – Schleyer-Halle
19.01. D Munich – Olympiahalle
20.01. A Dornbirn – Conrad Sohm*
21.01. A Vienna – Gasometer
22.01. H Budapest – Arena
24.01. PL Warsaw – Arena COR Torwar
25.01. D Berlin – Max-Schmeling-Halle
26.01. CZ Prague- O2 Arena
27.01. A Linz – Posthof*
28.01. I Milan – Alcatraz
30.01. D Leipzig – Arena
31.01. D Frankfurt – Festhalle
01.02. D Oberhausen – König-Pilsener-ARENA
02.02. B Antwerp – Sportpaleis
03.02. CH Monthey – Pont Rouge*
04.02. E Barcelona – Palau Sant Jordi
05.02. E Madrid – Vistalegre
07.02. F Paris – Zénith
08.02. UK London – Wembley Arena
09.02. NL Amsterdam – AFAS Live
10.02. NL Eindhoven – Effenaar*
11.02. D Hamburg – Sporthalle
12.02. DK Copenhagen – Forum Black Box
13.02. S Karlstad – Nöjesfabriken*
14.02. S Gothenburg – Scandinavium
15.02. S Stockholm – Hovet
16.02. N Oslo – Spektrum
*AMARANTHE only (headline show w/ support)

A handful of festival shows are featured as part of Amaranthe’s European upcoming tour.  Those dates are listed below

04.06. S Sölvesborg – Sweden Rock Festival *NEW*
05. – 07.06. D Nürburg – Rock am Ring *NEW*
05. – 07.06. D Nuremberg – Rock im Park *NEW*
05. – 07.06. FIN Tampere – Rockfest *NEW*
13.06. SK Prešov – Dobry Festival
24./25.07. FIN Oulu – Qstock *NEW*
30.07. – 01.08. FIN Kuopio – Kuopiorock *NEW*
31.08. FIN Lappeenranta – Rock In The City *NEW*
05. – 08.08. S Falun – Sabaton Open Air *NEW*

 

Courtesy: Nuclear Blast Records

The band will tour North America this summer starting Aug. 20 in Baltimore, MD.  That tour is scheduled to run through Oct. 2 in Cincinnati, OH.  Battle Beast and Seven Spire will join Amaranthe for its U.S. run.  The bands’ full North American tour schedule is noted below.

North American Tour 2020
with BATTLE BEAST and SEVEN SPIRE:
08/20/2020  Soundstage – Baltimore, MD
08/21/2020  The Palladium (MA) – Worcester, MA
08/22/2020  The Gramercy Theatre – New York, NY
08/23/2020  Theatre Of Living Arts – Philadelphia, PA
08/25/2020  Club Soda – Montreal, QC
08/26/2020  Imperial de Quebec – Quebec City, QC
08/27/2020  Mavericks – Ottawa, ON
08/28/2020  MOD Club  – Toronto, ON
08/29/2020  The Eclectic Room –  Angola, IN
08/30/2020  Token Lounge –  Westland, MI
09/01/2020  Concord Music Hall –  Chicago, IL
09/02/2020  Apollo Theater – Belvidere, IL
09/03/2020  Wooly’s – Des Moines, IA
09/04/2020  The Cabooze – Minneapolis, MN
09/05/2020  Park Theatre – Winnipeg, MB
09/06/2020  The Exchange – Regina, SK
09/08/2020  The Starlite Room – Edmonton, AB
09/09/2020  Dickens – Calgary, AB
09/11/2020  The Venue – Vancouver, BC
09/12/2020   El Corazon – Seattle, WA
09/13/2020  Hawthorne Theatre – Portland, OR
09/14/2020  Holy Diver – Sacramento, CA
09/15/2020  Brick by Brick – San Diego, CA
09/16/2020  Whisky a Go Go – West Hollywood, CA
09/18/2020  Club Red – Tempe, AZ
09/19/2020  Backstage Bar and Billiards – Las Vegas, NV
09/20/2020  Liquid Joe’s – Salt Lake City, UT
09/21/2020  Bluebird Theater – Denver, CO
09/23/2020  Trees – Dallas, TX
09/24/2020  Come and Take it Live – Austin, TX
09/25/2020. Scout Bar – Houston, TX
09/26/2020  House of Blues – New Orleans, LA
09/27/2020  House of Blues – Lake Buena Vista, FL
09/29/2020  Rt 20 – Racine, WI
09/30/2020  The Crafthouse – Pittsburgh, PA
10/01/2020  The Underground – Charlotte, NC
10/02/2020  Riverfront Live – Cincinnati, OH

More information on Amaranthe’s upcoming live dates, its new video and more is available online at:

 

Website: http://www.amaranthe.se

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AmarantheBand

Twitter: http://twitter.com/amaranthemetal

 

To keep up with the latest entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

 

Saxon Shines On Sacrifice

Courtesy: UDR, Columbia Records, Militia Guard Music, EMI

Thirty-four years is a long time.  It’s a long time any way that one thinks about it in terms of regular time.  IN terms of the world of music, thirty-four years is an exceptionally long amount of time.  That’s how long the British hard rock band Saxon has been making music.  In an era when the music world is top heavy with flash-in-the-pan bands, it says something special about Saxon that the band is still making music and is still a fan favorite.  Over the course of those three decades plus, Saxon has crafted some nineteen albums.  And now on its twentieth (yes, twentieth) full length record, Sacrifice, Saxon shows once again why it is still so popular and successful.

Sacrifice is pure guitar driven hard rock.  The album’s ten-song set will impress anyone that is a fan of the band’s British brothers in Iron Maiden and Judas Priest.  If there is one song that best exemplifies the album’s title, it would have to be ‘Made in Belfast.’  This song pays tribute to the Irish workmen who built so many of the world’s great structures.  That includes both buildings and sailing vessels.  The band sings proudly in the song’s chorus, “Pulling all together boys/Salving for the boss’s boys/Got to meet the deadline now/Pulling all together boys/Made in Belfast/Made in Belfast.”  The song goes on sounding more like something that audiences might expect more from the likes of Boston’s own Celtic punk rock band Dropkick Murphys than from any hard rock act.  Regardless of this, it proves that even hard rock bands can cover more than the standard lyrical themes in their songs.

Just as fitting an addition to Sacrifice as ‘Made in Belfast’ is ‘Walking the Steel.’  This song is an obvious tribute to all who lost their lives on September 11^th, 2001 from the innocent victims to the first responders that died trying to save the innocents.  It also pays tribute to those that have made so much sacrifice to help “Ground Zero” return to its former glory as they build the aptly named “Freedom Tower.”  It’s a different form of sacrifice.  But it still fits quite well within the album title’s general theme.  Front man Biff Byford (who co-produced this album alongside famed producer Andy Sneap—Arch Enemy, Killswitch Engage, Fozzy) sings proudly in this song, “Rising from the ashes floor by floor/Reaching up into the sky/Where the eagles soar/The city sleeps/Life goes on/Hope is still alive/Born again the towers rise above the New York skies./Rising from the ashes for all the world to see.”  This single verse, which opens the song, is certain to become a fan favorite both on the record and in a live setting.  It is so easy to close one’s eyes and see fists breaking the air with pride, and the audiences in attendance singing along with the band as it reaches the chorus, “Walking the steel build them high/Walking the steel you touch the sky/Remember the heroes/Remember them all.”  Anyone that is left unmoved by this song is simply not human.

‘Made in Belfast’ and ‘Walking The Steel’ are both excellent additions to Sacrifice.  They were perfect choices for the album, considering its lyrical themes.  There is much more for audiences to appreciate about this album, though.  There is the traditional song about living life on the road in ‘Stand Up and Fight’, and the completely original song, ‘Guardians of the Tomb’, which comes across as being about the famed “terracotta army” of China.  Go through the annals of hard rock and one will struggle to find many bands that have decided on this as subject matter for a song.  Saxon’s members get major credit for that originality and for crafting a song that rocks at the same time.  There are even more songs on Sacrifice from which listeners will be able to choose proving why these old dogs still have plenty of tricks up their sleeves.  They alone are more than worth picking up this album, which is available now.

If the songs on Sacrifice’s main disc aren’t enough for fans, then maybe the bonus EP will impress listeners.  The bonus EP boasts five re-recorded songs from the band’s catalogue, anchored by the beautiful orchestral take of ‘Crusader.’  The cellos used throughout the song conjure thoughts of Apocalyptica.  The album’s liner notes don’t’ make mention of whether or not it is the band in question.  Regardless, they are a nice touch.  The way that the song starts out with the gentle acoustic guitar alongside Byro’s vocals before building into the pounding rhythms of the re-recorded song makes for huge effect.  The effect of that mix is made even better with the inclusion of any number of string musicians.  It may not be the first time ever that a band has incorporated strings into a rock song.  But it still works nonetheless.  The bluesy ‘Just Let Me Rock’ is slower than ‘Crusader.’  But that doesn’t mean that it’s any less enjoyable.  There’s almost a certain ‘Ace of Spades’ vibe about this song.  Even Byro himself sounds a little like Lemmy Kilmister.  Were someone to hear this song without knowing that Byro was singing, one might actually believe for a moment that it was in fact Kilmister singing.  The guitar solos are just as blistering as anything that Motorhead could put out, too.  To say that this album is that impressive is a tribute to both Byro and his band mates.  It proves just how good this album is and how worth it is for any true hard rocker to pick up or order online.  The band is currently on the road in support of Sacrifice.   It is winding down the U.S. leg of its tour before taking a little time off in October to get ready for the European leg of its tour.  More information on this latest release from Saxon, its tour dates, and more is available online at http://www.facebook.com/saxon and http://www.saxon747.com.

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.