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.
