Black Tusk Announce 2024 North American Tour Dates
Black Tusk came roaring out of the Savannah swamplands nearly twenty years ago, but they aren’t looking back anytime soon. The sludge metal veterans just released their seventh album of heavy, no-frills riffs behind the strength of their new-yet-familiar lineup. Now, they’re blazing ahead with a tour of North America to support The Way Forward.
“This record represents our steadfast resolve to keep making music together as a band and evolve our sound,” says Andrew Fidler, Black Tusk’s longtime guitarist and co-vocalist.
Catch Fidler, Black Tusk’s steadfast drummer James May, and the band’s newest members, Derek Lynch (bass, vocals) and Chris “Scary” Adams (guitar, vocals), as they tour across the American South, Midwest, and West Coast. Along the way, they’ll make a pit stop north of the border to perform “Brushfire”, “Dance on Your Grave” and other songs from The Way Forward for their fans in Canada.
Joining for the ride are Brooklyn sludge metal band Somnuri and West Virginia stoners Horseburner.
Black Tusk The Way Forward 2024 Tour Dates w/ Somnuri and Horseburner:
7/13/24: Athens, GA @ The World Famous*
7/14/24: Asheville, NC @ Eulogy*
8/23/24: Chattanooga, TN @ JJ’s Bohemia
8/24/24: Nashville, TN @ The End
8/25/24: Memphis, TN @ Growlers
8/27/24: Austin, TX @ The Lost Well
8/28/24: El Paso, TX @ Rockhouse
8/29/24: Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad
8/30/24: Phoenix, AZ @ The Rebel Lounge
8/31/24: Palmdale, CA @ Transplants Brewing
9/1/24: San Diego, CA @ Brick By Brick
9/3/24: Long Beach, CA @ Supply & Demand
9/4/24: Fresno, CA @ Strummer’s
9/5/24: San Francisco, CA @ DNA Lounge
9/6/24: Bend, OR @ Volcanic Theater Pub
9/7/24: Portland, OR @ The High Water Mark
9/8/24: Vancouver, BC @ The Cobalt
9/10/24: Seattle, WA @ Belltown Yacht Club
9/11/24: Spokane, WA @ The Big Dipper
9/12/24: Richland, WA @ Ray’s Golden Lion
9/13/24: Boise, ID @ The Shredder
9/14/24: Salt Lake City, UT @ Crucial Fest
9/15/24: Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive
9/16/24: Wichita, KS @ Wave
9/17/24: Tulsa, OK @ Whittier Bar
9/18/24: Dallas, TX @ Double Wide
9/19/24: New Orleans, LA @ The Goat
9/20/24: Jackson, MS @ Hal’s and Mal’s
9/21/24: Pensacola, FL @ The Handlebar
*Black Tusk only
The Way Forward is out now on Season of Mist. Order your copy here, and stream the album here.
The Way Forward Tracklist:
1. Out Of Grasp
2. Brushfire
3. Harness (The Alchemist)
4. Lessons Through Deception
5. Breath Of Life
6. Dance On Your Grave
7. Against The Undertow
8. Lift Yourself
9. Ocean Of Obsidian
10. Flee From Dawn
11. The Way Forward
“The big theme of this record is putting your life back together.” That’s Black Tusk guitarist/vocalist Andrew Fidler talking about the band’s new album, The Way Forward. “When everything seems like it’s against you, put your head down and push through. Take those bad things that are happening and use them to help create.”
The Way Forward might be the Savannah swamp metal crew’s seventh album, but it marks many firsts for Black Tusk. It’s their first with their new lineup, which sees guitarist Chris “Scary” Adams and bassist Derek Lynch joining Fidler and drummer James May. Which also makes it Black Tusk’s first record with a two-guitar lineup. “We were able to add leads and harmonies and all kinds of stuff on the new record that we haven’t done in the past,” Fidler says. “As far as our records go, this one has the most guitar work.”
You can hear it in the squealing solo of “Dance on Your Grave,” the killer harmonies on ripper “Harness (The Alchemist),” and the glorious dual guitar interplay of the powerful title track.
“‘The Way Forward’ is my favorite song on the record,” Fidler says. “It’s based on a personal experience that everyone can probably relate to. I got divorced in 2020, and I kinda felt like my entire world was collapsing when that happened. But I pulled myself out of it. I realized that this one thing ending in my life isn’t the end of everything. I’m gonna find a way forward. I’m gonna figure out how to live my life and create and be happy and make new relationships. Which is what I’ve done.”
In true Black Tusk fashion, the new lineup has expanded their triple-vocal approach to quadruple. “Everyone is doing vocals,” Fidler says. “That’s always been a thing in Black Tusk. Derek said he’d never done heavy vocals before, so I was like, ‘Well, here’s the mic. Here’s some words. Yell at it and see if you like it.’ I was blown away the first time he did it. It sounded good as fuck.”
That’s Lynch on lead single “Brushfire,” a song for which he wrote the main riffs and lyrical concept. “That was my first real contribution to the band,” the bassist says. “Thematically, I wanted the aggressiveness of the lyrics to keep with the idea of pushing forward even when the world is trying to drag you down. The mood of the lyrics needed to match the pulverizing tempo of the song.”
The lyrics for second single, “Dance on Your Grave,” were written by May, who moved from Savannah to Athens, GA, in the time since Black Tusk’s last album. “It’s about his struggles through Covid and what this lifestyle can do to people,” Fidler says. “It’s about getting past the party lifestyle and continuing to do things that are creative.”
Meanwhile, “Breath of Life” distills Black Tusk’s lyrical philosophy into a righteous five-minute pummeling. “Scary came up with the main riff of this song, and it’s one of my favorite riffs on the record,” Fidler says. “I wrote the lyrics, and it’s just about darkness crushing everything. The world is a fucked-up place that we have to navigate through. That’s what a lot of Black Tusk songs are about.”
Black Tusk recorded The Way Forward at Adams’ own Hidden Audio studio just outside of Savannah. Adams engineered the album and the whole band produced. “I actually helped him build the studio in the detached garage next to his house,” Fidler explains. “Me and my carpentry company went out there to do it, and Scary helped.”
“We had about 90% of the riffs and song structures going into the studio, while still experimenting with ideas and inspirations,” Adams explains. “Sometimes we completely reworked parts, which made all the difference. For example, early versions of ‘Breath of Life’ and ‘The Way Forward’ are quite different than the record, and I love where they ended up. Though we did use a few effects and synths here and there for texture and space, to me, this record still feels raw and powerful. It captures the feeling of being at a Black Tusk show.”
The cover art for The Way Forward was done by Brian Mercer, who also created the sleeve for Black Tusk’s 2018 album, T.C.B.T. “T.C.B.T. had a dark cover because it was a dark time for the band,” Fidler says, referring to the period immediately after the passing of their longtime friend and bassist Jonathan Athon. “This time, it’s full blown, full-color Black Tusk. Brian Mercer and James collaborated on the concept, and Brian really knocked it out of the park.”
“The title is kind of a double play,” Fidler says. “It’s the first record with the new lineup, and this is the direction we’re taking the band in. We’ve been doing Black Tusk for 19 years now, and we still love it. That’s why we called it The Way Forward.”
Line-up:
Andrew Fidler: guitar, vocals
James May: drums, vocals
Derek Lynch: bass, vocals
Chris “Scary” Adams: guitar, vocals
