Summer HOLY GRAIL Headlining Tour Hits Minneapolis on July 13

Not resting much after completion of their recent tour with Anthrax, Exodus, High On Fire, and Municipal Waste, thrashers Holy Grail will embark on their first North American headlining tour with support from new Nuclear Blast signee Anti-Mortem. The ambitious five and a half week tour starts June 19 in San Diego and circles nearly the entire U.S. and Canada before winding down in Hollywood on July 26. There's a stop in Minneapolis at The Nether Bar on Saturday, July 13; tickets go on sale Friday, May 10 at 10:00 am.

Holy Grail is out promoting their newly released second album Ride The Void (reviewed here, 6/10); the video for the title track can be viewed above.

Anti-Mortem

Anti-Mortem hails from Oklahoma, and released their self-titled debut album independently in 2010 (it's still available for download through CD Baby). A video for a re-worked version of "Stagnant Water" that will appear on the new album has been released which you can watch below. The band also released a video for the non-album track "Truck Stop Special" in 2011. No release date for Anti-Mortem's Nuclear Blast debut has been announced, but expect it to arrive this year. Head on over the band's webpage where you can download a demo version of "Stagnant Water".

Holy Grail with Anti-Mortem:

June 19 - San Diego, CA, Soda Bar

June 20 - Mesa, AZ, The Underground

June 21 - El Paso, TX, TBA

June 22 - Lubbock, TX, Jakes Sports Cafe

June 23 - San Antonio, TX, The Korova

June 24 - Austin, TX, Holy Mountain

June 25 - Houston, TX, Fitzgerald's Basement

June 26 - Dallas, TX, Double Wide

June 28 - New Orleans, LA, Siberia

June 29 - Atlanta, GA, The Earl

July 1 - Baltimore, MD, Metro Gallery

July 2 - New York, NY, Knitting Factory

July 3 - Wormleysburg, PA, Jaxx

July 5 - Stanhope, NJ, Stanhope House

July 6 - Hartford, CT, Arch Street Tavern

July 7 - Boston, MA, Great Scott

July 8 - Burlington, VT, Nectars

July 9 - Montreal, QC, Divan Orange

July 10 - Toronto, ON, Hard Luck Bar

July 11 - Cleveland, OH, Now That's Class

July 12 - Chicago, IL, Reggie's Rock Club

July 13 - Minneapolis, MN, The Nether Bar

July 15 - Winnipeg, MB, Zoo Cabaret

July 16 - Regina, SK, The Exchange

July 18 - Edmonton, AB, Wunderbar

July 19 - Calgary, AB, Dickens

July 21 - Vancouver, BC, The Astoria

July 22 - Seattle, WA, Highline

July 23 - Portland, OR, Backspace

July 25 - San Francisco, CA, Thee Parkside

July 26 - West Hollywood, CA, Whisky-A-Go-Go

Tonight - ANTHRAX, EXODUS, HIGH ON FIRE, MUNICIPAL WASTE, HOLY GRAIL in Minneapolis

Exodus performing January 30, 2010 at The Rock in Maplewood. Click to see more pictures from this show (14).

The only show happening tonight is a big one - the Metal Alliance Tour featuring thrash gods Anthrax and Exodus alongside High On Fire, Municipal Waste, and Holy Grail at First Avenue in Minneapolis. Tickets are still available for $30 at the door, and it's an 18+ show that starts early at 6:30 (according to the First Avenue website). Jon Donais of Shadows Fall is filling in on second guitar for Anthrax following the departure of Rob Caggiano for Volbeat in January.

High On Fire performing October 5, 2010 at the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis. Click to see more pictures from this show (24).

RELATED CONTENT: I've posted a slew of recent material related to this concert: audio downloads of Anthrax in 1991 on the Clash Of The Titans tour, former Anthrax guitarist Dan Spitz's new band Red Lamb in St. Paul on March 24, 2013, and Exodus (with Paul Baloff) on July 23, 1997, reviews of the new Anthrax, Holy Grail, and Red Lamb album and March 24 concert (with pictures), and, in the From The Vault series, Anthrax, S.O.D., and Armored Saint.

Album Review - HOLY GRAIL

Holy Grail – Ride The Void

Prosthetic, 2013

6/10

Holy Grail has followed up their debut, Crisis In Utopia, with a highly technical, melodic, thrash-inspired album that aims high but ultimately fails to elicit much excitement. The instrumental “Archeus” leads off the album with a promising start before kicking into “Bestial Triumphans”. “Bestial Triumphans”, along with the next two songs, “Dark Passenger” and “Bleeding Stone”, really typify the whole album. Most songs are mid-tempo gallops or fast thrashers that have potential, but two aspects of Holy Grail’s approach dampen my enthusiasm. First, the technical guitar flourishes that populate Ride The Void like an album from old shred label Shrapnel, while impressive, are excessive and quite often seem out of place. Second, the clean melodic singing and a production with little bass suck all attempts at heaviness from the album. Quite simply, if this sounded like an honest-to-goodness metal album with balls and if the guitar noodling was toned down a bit, Ride The Void could be a great album. I lost interest after the first four songs, and it was a relief when the slow ballad “Rains Of Sorrow” closed the album. Give Holy Grail some credit for doing something different in a world of retro-thrash clones, but this style of melodic thrash-lite doesn’t cut it. I’d be willing to bet these songs sound better live, so it’s worth getting out to First Avenue early if you’re going to the Anthrax show tomorrow.

Holy Grail performs Thursday, April 4 at First Avenue in Minneapolis as support to Anthrax, Exodus, High On Fire, Municipal Waste.

In Concert This Week - March 29, 2013

The crush of concerts continues over the next week, so pick and choose wisely!

Tomorrow, Friday, March 29, industrial/dance band I:Scintilla plays Ground Zero in Minneapolis with Gabriel And The Apocalypse, Go Fight, and Goodnight Criminals.

Saturday, March 30 is a big night starting with As I Lay Dying, The Devil Wears Prada, For Today, and The Chariot at First Avenue in Minneapolis. The same night pop-punk band Sum 41 plays Mill City Nights in Minneapolis with Hollerado. Also on Saturday, Station 4 in St. Paul has local shock masters Impaler with Mordwolf, Mastiff, and Compassion Dies.

Sunday, March 31 may be Easter, but there’s still some great live music to be heard. Rapcore crew (hed)p.e. returns to Station 4 in St. Paul with Nuisance, Strate-Jak-It, and Angry Room. Local industrial metal band Screaming Mechanical Brain plays the What’s Up Lounge in Mankato with Milwaukee’s Candy Machine Guns and Evasive Maneuver. Also on Easter Sunday, you can catch Apocalypse Theatre and their Revolution Circus show at G.B. Leighton’s Pickle Park in Fridley.

Candy Machine Guns stick around the area for another show on Tuesday, April 2 at G.B. Leighton’s Pickle Park in Fridley.

Candy Machine Guns performing March 24, 2013 at Station 4 in St. Paul.

Denmark’s Volbeat return for another sold-out show, this time at Mill City Nights in Minneapolis on Wednesday, April 3 with support from Danko Jones and Spoken. Swedish sleeze rockers Crashdiet play the same night at G.B. Leighton’s Pickle Park in Fridley with Crucified Barbara and Snakeskyn Whiskey. Wednesday is also the start of the weekly, month-long residency for sludge band Witchden at Cause Spirits & Soundbar in Minneapolis with openers Vulgaari and Buzzard.

If that isn’t enough, then Thursday, April 4 has one what should be one of the biggest thrash shows of the year with Anthrax, Exodus, High On Fire, Municipal Waste, and Holy Grail at First Avenue in Minneapolis.

BLIND GUARDIAN To Tour North America, Minneapolis Date November 30

The final concert announcement for now comes from power metal band Blind Guardian, who will embark on a month-long North American tour in November and December to support their At The Edge Of Time album. Opening bands on the tour will be Holy Grail and Nightmare Records recording artist Seven Kingdoms. This tour lands in Minneapolis on Tuesday, November 30 at The Cabooze, and the complete itinerary is:

November 19 - Philadelphia, PA

November 20 - New York, NY, Nokia Theatre

November 21 - Worcester, MA, The Palladium

November 23 - Montreal, QC, Metropolis

November 25 - Quebec city, QC, Theatre Capitole

November 26 - Toronto, ON, Kool Haus

November 27 - Royal Oak, MI, Royal Oak Music Theatre

November 29 - Chicago, IL, Bottom Lounge

November 30 - Minneapolis, MN, The Cabooze

December 1 - Winnipeg, MB, The Garrick Centre

December 3 - Calgary, AB, MacEwan Hall Ballroom

December 4 - Edmonton, AB, The Starlite Room

December 6 - Seattle, WA, Showbox At The Market

December 8 - San Francisco, CA, The Regency Ballroom

December 9 - Los Angeles, CA, Henry Fonda Theatre

December 10 - Tempe, AZ, Marquee Theatre

December 11 - Albuquerque, NM, Sunshine Theater

December 12 - Denver, CO, Bluebird Theater

December 14 - Dallas, TX, Tree's

December 15 - Houston, TX, Scout Bar

December 17 - Asheville, NC, The Orange Peel

December 18 - St. Petersburg, FL, The State Theatre

December 19 - Atlanta, GA, The Masquerade

December 21 - Raleigh, NC, Lincoln Theatre

December 22 - Springfield, VA, Jaxx

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Amon Amarth Announces North American Tour

Sweden's Amon Amarth have announced a North American headlining tour that will bring them to Station 4 in St. Paul on Sunday, April 18. Support acts are Eluveitie and Holy Grail.

3 Inches Of Blood Show Announcement

Ticketmaster has just announced the appearance of Century Media recording artist 3 Inches Of Blood at the Triple Rock in Minneapolis on Friday, November 20. 3 Inches Of Blood is promoting the Here Waits Thy Doom album, released last month. Support will come from Saviours and Holy Grail.