Six Can’t-Miss Fall 2018 METAL & HARDCORE Tours Hitting North America

North America is a hotbed for some incredible metal & hardcore tours this fall. Whether it’s an in-your-face hardcore club show, or 1,000+ capacity venues hosting an exciting concert with an eye-catching production rig, there’s something for everyone in the coming months. Here are six tours we’re excited to catch…

01. Parkway Drive – “Reverence Tour” (w/ August Burns Red, The Devil Wears Prada, and Polaris)
– Australia’s heaviest metalcore export Parkway Drive are returning to North America fresh off the release of their new album, Reverence! This is a band that continues to raise the ceiling on their live show experience year after year, upping the ante with high tier production and explosive performances every time I see them. What better time to push that envelope further than with a new album’s tour cycle?

Joining the tour are August Burns Red and The Devil Wears Prada, two long-standing metalcore bands that came up around the same time as Parkway Drive earlier on in their careers. Today, they’re headline-worthy bands in their own right with an extensive discography behind each of them. It’s no wonder metalcore fans are rejoicing over this tour.

Opening the tour are Parkway Drive’s fellow Aussies in Polaris, who will be hitting many North American cities for the first time on this tour. As a huge fan of their latest album, This Mortal Coil, I couldn’t be happier for this band to bring their groove-laden metalcore to the region.

Parkway Drive have fun with homophones on “Prey”.

02. After the Burial & The Acacia Strain –“Rareform Across the Continent Tour” (w/ Erra and Make Them Suffer)
– There’s been a wave of 10 year anniversary tours lately, and the “Rareform Across the Continent Tour” might be one of the best ones yet. After the Burial’s Rareform is an album that sparked my interest in the new wave progressive metal that Sumerian Records was heralding around 2008, while The Acacia Strain’s Continent showed me just how furious and heavy a band in the genre can get. Both these breakthrough albums are being played in their entirety on this tour, making it a once-in-a-lifetime occasion for fans.

Rounding out the bill are Erra, who like their Sumerian Records labelmates in After the Burial, are mastering their dynamic style of progressive metal which is evident on their latest album, Neon. Australia’s Make Them Suffer make their return to North America to open this tour, with their latest album, Worlds Apart, being one of my favourites of 2017 and their new single, “27”, continuing to showcase the band’s growth.

“Balboa Towers”, from The Acacia Strain’s Continent. Props for the Arrested Development reference.

03. Terror – “Total Retaliation Invasion” (w/ Harms Way, Backtrack, Year of the Knife, and Candy)
– My pick for THE hardcore tour of the fall. After seeing them countless times over the past 15 years, I can easily say that Terror are one of the most consistent bands in hardcore. They’re also kicking this tour off with the release of their new record, Total Retaliation, and I’m eager to hear the album and see which songs from it they’ll play live.

In tow with Terror is Chicago, Illinois’ Harms Way, whose latest album, Posthuman, is one of my favourite releases of the year so far. Coming off a partial run on this summer’s final Vans Warped Tour, where the band turned some heads with their pummelling metallic hardcore, they’re looking to bring the newly converted to a more intimate and in-your-face environment.

Backtrack, Year of the Knife, and Candy are all solid additions to the lineup, bringing their own distinct hardcore sounds to this tour. Expect chaos in the pits if you end up going to this!

Check out some pure, classic hardcore with Terror’s “Mental Demolition”.

04. Emmure & Stick To Your Guns (w/ Wage War and Sanction)
– Two bands I’d never imagine doing a co-headline tour together. Emmure’s brash brand of metalcore is quite the contrast to Stick To Your Guns’ emotionally powerful melodic hardcore. What they do have in common is releasing some of their best work in the form of their 2017 releases (Look at Yourself and True View, respectively.) Both bands are also at the peak of their live performances, with Emmure’s latest lineup being the best iteration of the band so far, and Stick To Your Guns’ stable lineup consistently delivering better performances as the years have gone on.

Openers Wage War and Sanction share the contrasting styles of their headliners. Wage War’s metalcore spans the range of bouncy mosh songs to clean-singalong anthems, while Sanction’s death-metal infused hardcore brings in a raw, visceral sound. The strong appeal behind this tour is the four distinct corners of heavy music that all intersect in one memorable live show experience.

Emmure preaching with “Flag of the Beast” from 2017’s Look at Yourself.

05. Stray From The Path & Silent Planet (w/ Kublai Khan and Greyhaven)
– This is another odd pairing of co-headliners that piques my interest. Stray From The Path are known for their bouncy hardcore mosh-singalong anthems that belligerently speak against social and political wrongs, while Silent Planet’s lyrically poetic, ambient post-hardcore has made them one of the most thought-provoking bands in the genre. While both bands may currently not share a lot of the same fans, a tour like this is one of the best ways to be exposed to a new audience and make new fans.

Kublai Khan’s metal-tinged hardcore exudes intensity – just listen to their latest album Nomad if you don’t believe me. This is a band whose music hits you with the force of a sledgehammer, though that physical force can easily be coming from the mosh pit erupting around you. Louisville, Kentucky’s Greyhaven is a new name to me, but after hearing a few songs, I’m impressed with how effectively the band juggles chaotic, southern, and progressive influences in their metalcore sound, and I’m looking forward to seeing that versatility in a live setting.

Stray From The Path’s “Only Death Is Real”, the title track from their eighth studio album.

06. The Contortionist – “Reimagined Tour” (w/ Intervals)
– Progressive metal masterminds The Contortionist are pulling out all the stops for their Reimagined Tour. The band will be performing two dynamic sets: one with full production, and an intimate second set, which will clock in with over two hours of material spanning their entire catalog. What makes this show truly unique is the band’s “Reimagined” approach, which showcases their ability to creatively evolve their songs into something completely different from the original recording. Fans can expect to hear different yet exciting renditions of their favourites in this can’t-miss tour.

Being the sole support band for a tour so focused on the headliner may be daunting for some bands, but Toronto, Ontario’s Intervals are the perfect fit for this tour, with their exceptional, progressive instrumental sound. After a successful North American headline tour earlier this year, Intervals can bring that same impressive technical performance and exciting energy to an opening set guaranteed to kick the show off with a bang. Prog fans: prepare to be amazed at this tour!

Some delicate prog metal with The Contortionist’s “Reimagined”.

There you have it: six killer metal & hardcore tours ripping through NA this fall. Take your pick, or even hit them all, and get your mosh on with some of the most exciting performers currently gracing these genres.