At one of the most creative press conferences ever held at the Key Club, Five Finger Death Punch, Killswitch Engage, Trivium, Pop Evil, Emmure, God Forbid, and Battlecross announced they are joining forces for a ground-breaking tour called “TRESPASS AMERICA”; a newly-minted music festival set on revitalizing the metal scene with some of the most current and credible bands in hard rock/metal.  A co-production with Trespass America and Metal Hammer, the biggest metal magazine in the U.K., the tour kicks off July 13th at the 1st Bank Center in Broomfield, Colorado and will cover 31 cities in two months between July and August with stops across the United States.

Not to be outdone and showcasing a hint of the imagination fans can expect to witness in the upcoming tour, no detail was left to chance at this press conference. Although historically known as a prestigious Rock venue, the Key Club appeared to be preparing for the arrival of a foreign dignitary. The Sunset Strip venue was heavily guarded by machine gun-topped military vehicles while fully-uniformed, machine-gun toting Army soldiers dressed for Desert combat guarded the entrance. Inside the club, it was chain-link fences and camouflage abound while footage of military exercises, explosions, combat, and what appeared to be a raid on a compound, looped on a screen. The sound of thunderous helicopters beat overhead while staff members in the rafters whirled spot lights around to emulate searchlights.

“PRISONERS! MOVE FORWARD!”, an unseen solider shouted as 10 unknown “prisoners”, faces covered in black hoods, were filed onto the stage, firing-squad style. The audience was advised by Lou Brutus (Sirius XM Radio’s Octane and Liquid Metal) to follow the directions of the “uniformed members of staff, for [their] own safety”.  Then Alexander Milas (Editor,
Metal Hammer) took the stage and, one by one, the “prisoners” were revealed to the soundtrack of each represented band’s music.

Discussing everything from their military theme (they’ve been known to perform for the USO in the Middle East and here in the states) to their favorite fast food joints, the press conference was both inspiring and entertaining. Look forward to HUGE productions including eardrum melting performances, pyrotechnics, light shows, and possibly cameos by military personnel!

Ticket on-sales begin this Friday, April 27; log onto www.trespassamerica.com for complete details.

TOUR DATES

JULY
13        Broomfield, CO – 1st Bank Center
15        Billings, MT – MetraPark Arena
16        Bismarck, ND – Bismarck Civic Center
17        Sioux Falls, SD – Sioux Falls Arena
19        Milwaukee, WI – Eagles Ballroom
21        Fort Wayne, IN – Allen County Expo Center
24        Lubbock, TX – Lonestar Amphitheatre
25        Belton, TX – Bell County Expo Center
27        San Antonio, TX – Freeman Coliseum
28        Beaumont, TX – Ford Pavilion
30        Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena
31        Evansville, IN – Ford Center

AUGUST
3         Battle Creek, MI – Kellogg Arena
7         Syracuse, NY – SRC Arena and Events Center/Onondaga Community Center
8         Glens Falls, NY – Glens Falls Civic Center
10        Scarborough, ME – Scarborough Downs
14        Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE
15        Hartford, CT – Comcast Theatre
17        Worchester, MA – DCU Center
18        Newark, NJ – Prudential Center
19        Philadelphia, PA – Penn’s Landing – Festival Pier
22        Knoxville, TN – Knoxville Civic Coliseum
25        Rio Rancho, NM – Santa Ana Star Center
26        Phoenix, AZ – Comercia Theatre
28        Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Palladium

Story and photos by Aisha Humphrey