So I guess Within the Ruins are playing Summer Slaughter too

Well, shit. I was really hoping for something better than this, but at least now we finally know the full lineup for this year's Summer Slaughter. Earlier today, Metal Injection announced that the Sumeriancore posterboys Within the Ruins somehow won the poll for the opening slot of the Summer Slaughter Tour, alongside The Black Dahlia Murder, Whitechapel, Six Feet Under, Dying Fetus, Fleshgod Apocalypse and more. Don't get me wrong, Within the Ruins are talented and all, but they get old fast, and you know as well as I do that they ain't shit compared to all the other not-boring bands that I just mentioned. It just goes to show ya, metal these days is pretty much just a popularity contest, but at least there are plenty of other badass bands on the bill to counter the breakdowns. Check out the tour dates here, and be prepared to deal with a lot of douchebags for short periods of time at the shows, because I can already tell that's what's going to happen, just like last year. And the year before that... and the year before that. Oh well, I'm sure you can handle yourself. Take care everyone.

-BK

Summer Slaughter tour dates announced!

Alright guys, today was kind of a mixed day as far as good and bad news goes, what with Jeff Loomis and Van Williams announcing that they are both leaving Nevermore (boooooo), but we can all take solace in the fact that the dates for this year's Summer Slaughter tour have finally been announced. There's still no word on who the winner of the mystery opening band contest is, but at least now we have the times and places, the where and when if you will. While we wait for the who, check out the dates below to see when The Black Dahlia Murder, Whitechapel, Six Feet Under, Dying Fetus, Fleshgod Apocalypse and more will be coming to your town.

Jul. 22 – Los Angeles, CA - House Of Blues
Jul. 23 – Anaheim, CA – The Grove
Jul. 25 – Portland, OR – Roseland Theatre
Jul. 26 – Seattle, WA – King Cat Theatre
Jul. 28 – Sacramento, CA – Ace Of Spades
Jul. 29 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore
Jul. 30 – San Diego, CA – House Of Blues
Jul. 31 – Scottsdale, AZ – The Venue Scottsdale
Aug. 02 – Denver, CO – Summit Music Hall
Aug. 04 – Louisville, KY – Expo Five
Aug. 05 – Detroit, MI – St. Andrews
Aug. 06 – Milwaukee, WI – The Rave
Aug. 07 – Cleveland, OH – House Of Blues
Aug. 08 – Chicago, IL – House Of Blues
Aug. 09 – Toronto, ON – Sound Academy
Aug. 10 – Montreal, QC – Olympia
Aug. 11 – New York, NY – Irving Plaza
Aug. 12 – Worcester, MA – The Palladium
Aug. 13 – Philadelphia, PA – Theatre Of Living Arts
Aug. 14 – Sayreville, NJ – Starland Ballroom
Aug. 16 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade
Aug. 17 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL – Revolution
Aug. 19 – Houston, TX – House Of Blues
Aug. 20 – San Antonio, TX – Backstage Live
Aug. 21 – Dallas, TX – House Of Blues

Awwwwww shit, the consecutive Philly and Jersey shows are in the same weekend, this could be epic. Be sure to get your tickets if this tour's coming anywhere near you; there may be a few uninspiring bands on the bill this year again, but as per usual the pros far outweigh the cons, and this show promises to be an absolute blast (beat, dur hurr). Tweet about this to all of your "friends", and stay tuned for more as always.

One love.
-BK

Summer Slaughter lineup announced (mostly)

Happy Friday, everyone. Before we call it a week, let's share some exciting news in the form of the always highly anticipated Summer Slaughter Tour. Since 2007, this has been the metal tour of the summer, the one place to see some of the best (usually) death metal bands around in a country where the only metal festivals are the mainstream ones like Mayhem and Ozzfest. No offense to them, I've had some great times at both of those festivals, but let's be real, you're not gonna see bands like Necrophagist or Dying Fetus playing arenas anytime soon. There may have been some hiccups along the way (Winds of Plague, After the Burial AND Born of Osiris in 2009? Really?), and this lineup isn't picture-perfect either, but there are plenty of good bands on the bill as well, more than enough to balance out the crappy ones, and they haven't even announced all of them yet. The lineup as of now includes The Black Dahlia Murder, Whitechapel, Darkest Hour, Six Feet Under, Dying Fetus, As Blood Runs Black (meh), Oceano (also meh), Fleshgod Apocalypse (if anyone says "meh" to them I'll eat you), and instrumental tech-power metal goofballs Powerglove are set to be the quote unquote "halftime show". Why you would have a band playing as a halftime show when the show is nothing but bands playing is beyond me, but it's still funny, and Powerglove are cool, so we'll just go with it. There is still one band left to be announced, and the promoters have left it up to us, the fans, to decide who gets to open the show. Head on over to the Summer Slaughter Facebook page to cast your vote, let your voices be heard! The final lineup and tour dates will be announced on April 20th (aka Christmas if you're a stoner), so now you know what article will be up here that day. Tell us who you voted for in the comments below, and have a great weekend everyone.

-BK