Gelap Pekat

Los Angeles metallers FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH have announced the first leg of their U.S. headlining event, "The Shock And Raw Tour". SHADOWS FALL, OTEP, and 2 CENTS join the bill to make this one of the biggest heavy metal events this autumn. Tickets go on sale this weekend, August 14-16; check your local box office for details.

A special fan club pre-sale will be available starting Wednesday, August 12 at 3:00 p.m. local.

The dates are as follows:

Sep. 18 - Las Vegas, NV @ Wasted Space
Sep. 22 - San Francisco, CA @ The Regency Grand
Sep. 23 - Fresno, CA @ Crest Theater
Sep. 24 - Pomona, CA @ The Glass House
Sep. 26 - Phoenix, AZ @ KUPD's End of Summer Scorcher at Phoenix Event Complex
Sep. 27 - Albuquerque, NM @ Sunshine Theater
Sep. 28 - Colorado Springs, CO @ The Black Sheep
Sep. 30 - Omaha, NE @ Sokol Auditorium
Oct. 01 - Maplewood, MN @ The Rock
Oct. 03 - Chicago, IL @ Club V
Oct. 05 - Toronto, ON @ Opera House
Oct. 06 - Clifton Park, NY @ Northern Lights
Oct. 10 - Hartford, CT @ Webster Theatre
Oct. 11 - Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom
Oct. 16 - Madison, WI @ Orpheum Theater

The second leg, which will immediately follow and run through November 2, will be announced next Monday, August 17. Tickets for those dates will go on sale that weekend of August 21-23.

The cover artwork for FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's forthcoming sophomore album, "War Is The Answer", can be viewed below. Due in the U.S. on September 22 via Prospect Park Records, the CD was produced by the band and Kevin Churko (OZZY OSBOURNE, IN THIS MOMENT), and was mixed by Randy Staub (METALLICA, MÖTLEY CRÜE, NICKELBACK). According to a press release, "the record evolves the band's already mature sound, ranging from the undeniable melodies in 'Hard to See' to the brutally nihilistic 'Burn It Down' [available for streaming below] — destined to please fans both new and old."

"We are very proud of this record and tour," stats guitarist Zoltan Bathory. "It's good to be going back on the road — we have been hearing it from fans for a while now asking us to come through their town again. Now that we have this new record which is a huge step forward for us, we cannot wait to unleash it to the masses live."

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's new single, "Hard To See", is available for streaming at RevolverMag.com. Bathory recently stated about the track, "It's about seemingly irresolvable differences. It's valid in just about any setting: politics, religion, relationships… Everything is 'only an opinion' based on limited information, yet people sometimes get attached to their point of views to the extreme…in fact, to the point they would launch wars over them."

Regarding the upcoming CD, Bathory stated, "In terms of the overall style, I would say that we've continued the journey we started on the first album, so there's a healthy balance of melody and aggression, and as always we concentrated on writing strong metal songs in the traditional sense. There's some epic moments on the record, and there's some straight-up home-wreckers, too. All I can say is, those who liked our first album are going to LOVE this one!"

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's next album will follow up its 2007 debut, "The Way Of The Fist", which has sold more than 340,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

The CD produced three singles, including "Stranger Than Fiction" and "Never Enough".

"Burn It Down", a brand new song from FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, can be streamed using the widget below (courtesy of MetalInsider.net).