17 Essential Hard Rock & Metal Tours to Catch This Fall and Winter
The post 17 Essential Hard Rock & Metal Tours to Catch This Fall and Winter appeared first on Consequence of Sound.
At this time last year, we weren’t sure when we’d ever be presenting a list of essential tours. Like the rest of the music industry, the world of heavy metal and hard rock was on ice. Bands were performing virtually via livestreams and pre-recorded live concerts, but very few of the tours below had been confirmed. That said, many had been previously announced and postponed… and then postponed again.
It finally appears that the combination of vaccines, face coverings, testing, health screenings, and general education about COVID-19 has allowed live music to return in some capacity. Things are definitely different, but for such live-centric genres as heavy metal and hard rock, fans can once again bask in the in-person experience of getting pulverized by sheer decibels. No record collection or livestream can replace that feeling.
Below you can check out our picks for the top heavy metal and hard rock tours to catch this fall and winter.
Circle Jerks
Circle Jerks at Punk Rock Bowling (photo by Raymond Ahner)
One of the best punk tour packages of the coming months is Circle Jerks‘ upcoming trek, their first tour in over a decade. Municipal Waste, Adolescents, and Negative Approach are supporting select dates. Having recently played Riot Fest and the Punk Rock Bowling Fest, the Jerks will be back on the road for seven East Coast shows in December, before taking a two-month break before heading back out in February 2022 with 7Seconds.
Get tickets via Ticketmaster.
GWAR
GWAR (photo by Josh Druding)
GWAR’s iconic, blood-letting live shows build their own hype, but one gets the since that the band’s upcoming 2021 tour dates — celebrating the 30th anniversary of Scumdogs of the Universe — will be even more insane than before. And now you can properly enhance the experience with GWAR’s own line of CBD and Delta-8 products: Bud of Gods. The major leg of the tour will kick off October 28th in Norfolk, Virginia, and run through a December 13th gig in Washington, D.C. Napalm Death will support the main run along with Eyehategod.
Get tickets via Ticketmaster.
Uniform & Portrayal of Guilt
Uniform (photo by Melinda Oswandel), Portrayal of Guilt (photo by Laura Miles Dresser)
This one’s not for the faint of heart. Post-hardcore harshers Portrayal of Guilt have been offering up some of the most harrowing heavy music of 2021. For good measure, they titled their upcoming album Christf**ker. Meanwhile, Uniform dropped one of our favorite industrial-tinged albums of last year. This is absolutely one of the strongest bills hitting smaller venues and rooms across the US. Catch them in an intimate setting while you can; these bands are destined for bigger stages.
Get tickets via Uniform’s website.
Baroness
Baroness (photo by Kevin RC Wilson)
Like most of us, Baroness were chomping at the bit for the return of live music. The anthemic sludge metal band is returning to the stage in style for an intimate, fan-centric tour. Baroness are letting fans vote on the setlist for each show on their upcoming US tour. And every song from the Baroness catalog is fair game. This should be a good chance to hear some classic Red Album and Blue Record tracks. “Rays on Pinion” anyone? Get those votes in.
Get tickets via Ticketmaster.
Mastodon & Opeth
Mastodon (photo by Amy Harris), Opeth (photo by Johnny Perilla)
In a stacked metal pairing, Mastodon and Opeth will head out on a co-headlining US tour this fall with support from Zeal & Ardor. For the intellectual headbanger, this one’s mandatory. Mastodon will be out in support of their highly anticipated new album, Hushed and Grim, while Opeth will bring their worldclass metal compositions to the stage once again. Make sure you arrive early to catch Zeal & Ardor, a favorite at Heavy Consequence. The coast-to-coast trek kicks off November 16th in Asheville, North Carolina and wraps up on December 5th in Denver.
Get tickets via Ticketmaster.
David Lee Roth’s Las Vegas Residency
David Lee Roth (photo by Philip Cosores)
David Lee Roth recently announced that he was retiring and that his upcoming Las Vegas residency would comprise his final shows ever. Then he shared an ambiguous poster declaring the residency his “Last Tour: Unless It Isn’t.” Now we don’t know what to think: Is he retiring, or is he not retiring? Regardless, the rescheduled residency (DLR’s 2020 Vegas run was cut short) promises to be a full-blown celebration of all things Diamond Dave.
Get tickets via Ticketmaster.
Tool
Tool (photo by Kevin RC Wilson)
Tool were one of the few bands to outright cancel their touring plans when the pandemic hit. This allowed fans to get refunds for purchased tickets rather than having to wait for rescheduled dates. It was a respectful move from the progressive metal act, whose hardcore fanbase will undoubtedly pay it forward when Tool head out for a massive 54-show tour across US, UK, and Europe in spring 2022. The trek kicks off January 10th in Eugene, Oregon, and runs all the way through May 24th (!) for a final concert in Budapest, Hungary. For the North American leg, Blonde Redhead and The Acid Helps will split opening duties.
Get tickets via Ticketmaster.
Evanescence & Halestorm
Evanescence’s Amy Lee and Halestorm’s Lzzy Hale (via Live Nation)
Two of the most powerful frontwomen in rock, Amy Lee and Lzzy Hale, are joining forces, as Evanescence and Halestorm are teaming up for a co-headlining arena tour of the U.S. this fall. The outing kicks off November 5th in Portland, Oregon, and runs through a December 18th show in Worcester, Massachusetts. Evanescence will be touring in support of their 2021 album, The Bitter Truth, which marked the band’s first new LP of original material in 10 years. Halestorm, meanwhile, are set to release a follow-up to their 2018 album, Vicious, in 2022, unleashing the first single, “Back from the Dead,” in August.
Get tickets via Ticketmaster.
Ghost & Volbeat
Ghost and Volbeat (publicity photos)
Get ready for a Scandinavian invasion, as Sweden’s Ghost and Denmark’s Volbeat co-headline an early 2022 US tour, with support from Twin Temple. Ghost, with frontman Tobias Forge now taking on the persona of Papa Emeritus IV, are working on their fifth album. Volbeat, meanwhile, released Rewind, Replay, Rebound in 2019, as well as a pair of new stand-alone singles this past summer: “Wait a Minute My Girl” and “Dagen Før.” The Danish rockers are excited for te outing, stating, “Getting to do it alongside … our ghoulish friends in Ghost AND bringing the incomparable Twin Temple with us? How soon will it be January already!?”
Get tickets via Ticketmaster.
Stone Temple Pilots
Stone Temple Pilots
Stone Temple Pilots were all set for a co-headlining fall outing with Bush, but those dates got canceled when Bush decided not to tour at this time. Luckily, for fans of STP, the veteran rockers had a headlining run of their own scheduled right afterward, and decided to stick with those dates. The tour just kicked off, and early setlists show the band concentrating heavily on songs from classic albums Purple and Core.
Get tickets via Ticketmaster.
Slipknot’s Knotfest Roadshow
Slipknot at Knotfest Roadshow, photo by Melinda Oswandel
The mighty Slipknot have kicked off their “Knotfest Roadshow,” headlining a stacked bill that also features Killswitch Engage, Fever 333, and Code Orange. Heavy Consequence caught the New Jersey stop, and we were thoroughly rocked, with all four bands delivering explosive sets. Make sure to stay to the very end, at which point Slipknot pay tribute to their fallen founding members Joey Jordison and Paul Gray. And also be sure to arrive early, as Code Orange and Fever 333 are two of the most dynamic live acts to emerge in the past decade.
Get tickets via Ticketmaster.
Municipal Waste & Crowbar
Municipal Waste (photo by Melinda Oswandel), Crowbar (photo by Jon Hadusek)
In a semi-symmetrical billing of fast and slow, Municipal Waste and Crowbar are the perfect balance. While the former bring the crossover thrash mayhem, the latter deliver a brooding brand of sludge metal that’s made them one of the subgenre’s flagship bands. The quick-hitting 10-show trek starts on November 13th in Indianapolis, and ends with a November 23rd stop in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Get tickets via Ticketmaster.
Bad Religion & Alkaline Trio
Bad Religion (photo by Raymond Ahner), Alkaline Trio (photo by Thaib A. Wahab)
Punk veterans Bad Religion were hoping to celebrate their 40th anniversary with a big tour last year, but the pandemic forced them to postpone the outing to this year. Better late than never, as the California legends bring four decades worth of thought-provoking music with them on the road. Co-headliners Alkaline Trio are no spring chickens themselves, having been around for 25 years. The 30-date US tour started on October 15th and wraps up November 26th in Los Angeles. War on Women are providing support.
Get tickets via Ticketmaster.
Black Label Society
Black Label Society (photo by Justin Reich)
Black Label Society have been unleashing pent up frustration on their US fall tour. Zakk Wylde and company were previously forced to cancel the final 12 shows of their 2020 tour due to the pandemic, rescheduling them for August of that year — dates that were also dropped. Finally, the band hit the road with support from Obituary and Prong. The extensive 43-show 2021 trek launched on October 1st and concludes with a November 28th date in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Get tickets via Ticketmaster.
Sebastian Bach
Sebastian Bach (photo by Raymond Ahner)
Sebastian Bach might not be in Skid Row any longer, but the singer is still performing the band’s classic material from his era as frontman. In 2019, Bach kicked off a tour in celebration of the 30th anniversary of Skid Row’s self-titled debut album. He had planned to continue that tour in 2020, but the dates were postponed due to the pandemic. Now that it’s 2021, he has decided to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Slave to the Grind instead. The outing kicked off on September 25th and wraps up December 17th in San Diego.
Get tickets via Ticketmaster.
Rival Sons
Rival Sons, photo by Robby Klein
California blues rockers Rival Sons are celebrating the 10th anniversary of their 2011 album, Pressure and Time. The band is playing the full album from front to back, as well as select favorites from the rest of their discography, including 2019’s Grammy-nominated Feral Roots. Vocal powerhouse Dorothy is supporting the run after releasing the single “What’s Coming to Me” in advance of a new album in 2022, while Reignwolf will take over the support slot for the last three dates.
Get tickets via Ticketmaster.
Amigo the Devil
Amigo the Devil (photo by Amy Harris)
Amigo the Devil’s macabre songs are fit for a traveling troubadour. Thankfully, the Austin-based songwriter embarked on his second major U.S. headlining tour back in August. Amigo recently dropped his new album, Born Against, and was named Consequence’s Artist of the Month for April. The remaining dates run through November 18th in Dallas.
Get tickets via Ticketmaster.
17 Essential Hard Rock & Metal Tours to Catch This Fall and Winter
Jon Hadusek
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