One of the live metal highlights of the whole of 2011 lands on UK shores in time for the start of December; The third Metal Hammer sponsored Defenders Of The Faith tour begins today (December 1st 2011) on the south coast of England at Southampton’s Guildhall and will be travelling the length of the British Isles over the next week before finishing up back in the south of England at the Plymouth Pavillions. Headlining Defenders Of The Faith III are Florida’s own modern thrashers Trivium, who whilst they may elicit a marmite response from certain metal fans Trivium have always regarded the UK as their home away from home. The UK was the first place to give Trivium their big break, and their shows on UK soil have always been extra special as a result. This is their largest UK headline tour to date so nothing but good things can be expected from Matt, Corey, Paolo and Nick on this tour.
Joining Trivium as their very special guests are pioneers of the Gothenburg sound, Swedish legends In Flames. Like Trivium, In Flames have always had a very good relationship with the UK, filming one of only three live releases from their entire career in England at the Hammersmith Apollo a few years ago (at the Metal Hammer Xmas bash no less). Trivium and In Flames have been touring Europe together for the last month and the Defenders Of The Faith part of the tour sees a role reversal; On mainland Europe Trivium were the special guests and In Flames the headliners whereas for the UK In Flames are filling the special guest slot.
Also joining the trek will be the re-activated Ghost who have appeared on the scene once again in spectacular fashion during 2011 including a noteworthy performance at Download 2011. Another band on the tour are a band Rock Sins knows very well, young British metal band Rise To Remain. With their debut album City Of Vultures (of which you can read a review right here) and their first UK headlining tour (read a review from the Cambridge show of that tour) under their belt, Rise To Remain are finishing off their breakthrough year with their most important tour to date (for another chance to read Rock Sins’ exclusive interview with Will & Joe from Rise To Remain please follow the link). They’ve had some stick for well documented reasons in some quarters and Defenders Of The Faith offers fans the chance to see that this is a band that can hold their own in the live environment. Rounding off the Defenders Of The Faith III lineup are Norweigan metallers Insense, who are managed by none other than In Flames mainman Anders Friden. This will be Insense’s first major exposure to the UK so you can be sure they will be making the most of this big opportunity.
Very limited tickets are remaining for the Defenders Of The Faith III Tour at most venues. The full list of shows is below:
Metal Hammer Defenders Of The Faith III December 2011 UK Tour Dates:
December 1st 2011 – Southampton Guidhall
December 2nd 2011 – Wolverhampton Civic Hall
December 3rd 2011 – Manchester Academy
December 4th 2011 – London Brixton Academy
December 6th 2011 – Glasgow O2 Academy
December 7th 2011 – Newcastle O2 Academy
December 8th 2011 – Plymouth Pavillions
To see if there are tickets still available for your local venue, please visit Ticketmaster, Seetickets, Stargreen and the usual other online outlets. For any further news regarding the Defenders Of The Faith Tour (and any of the bands on the tour) and for any other rock and metal news updates please stay tuned to Rocksins.com. Defenders Of The Faith III is one of the metal tours of the year, do not miss your chance to see this fantastic lineup under one roof.
