We sit down with Trivium, Code Orange, Venom Prison and Power Trip to talk about their Hammer-sponsored mega-tour, which hits the UK in April!
Trivium
The headliners are on fire and ready to slay
“I think, with this one, the stars properly aligned.” Matt Heafy is talking about the reaction to Trivium’s immense The Sin And The Sentence album, but he might as well be talking about what is surely shaping up to be the tour of the year in May. Bringing a stacked bill of Code Orange, Venom Prison and Power Trip along for a Hammer-sponsored tear through the UK in the spring, the metal heavyweights are excited to get going.
“We’re going to be bringing something unlike we’ve ever had,” the frontman promises. “We’ve always been a fan of all the bands we have on this bill. Code Orange, Venom Prison and Power Trip aren’t brand new by any means but they’re definitely up and coming; the global arena of metal is starting to take notice of these bands and seeing that they’re doing something different. They’re doing it the way they want to do, which is something Trivium have always believed in. We only want to tour with bands we’re excited to tour with.”
As The Heaf explains, each band on this bill is bringing something different – and the results promise to be spectacular.
“I started getting word of Venom Prison about a year or so ago and when the record came [2016’s storming debut, Animus], I fell in love with it. I love the videos, I love the vibe, I love the message. I heard Power Trip about a couple of years ago – early Slayer, Sepultura but also early Cro Mags and Leeway, just this perfect fusion of thrash and hardcore. And Code Orange… I’ve always dug that band. Obviously, now people are really catching wind of them, which is great. It’s going to be four bands who are really bringing something exciting to metal. I think these shows are going to be just ridiculous from start to finish. This is going to be the full experience of a true metal show.”
As Trivium slowly but surely step into the breach of being scene veterans, they’re embracing the opportunity to bring exposure to younger bands making their own ways up the ladder.
“It’s what we are!” he beams. “We’re people that wear the shirts of the bands we love. We love to promote bands who are doing something cool and interesting and it makes us so happy that we’re able to do that. On the North American tour, we brought out While She Sleeps, because they’re still a newer name for people in America. We bring out these younger bands and we’re shaping and talking about what’s happening now in metal and metalcore. That’s so important.”
Code Orange
Hardcore’s great white hope hit bigger venues with big ambition
“Matt text me and was like, ‘Bro, we gotta do this tour together, what have we gotta do to make this happen?’” says Code Orange’s Jami Morgan of the two band figureheads working together to bring the shows to life. “He worked his ass off on this thing. I’m really excited about it.”
Jami and the rest of the band are keen to grab another opportunity to play in front of a new crowd – and this time as main support at some of the UK’s biggest academy venues.
“Trivium have been doing this shit for a long time, and they got fans that have been riding with them for a long time,” he notes. “It’s an opportunity for us to get out there in front of new people. We fucking smash this shit, and we’re gonna take this opportunity to get in front of as many people as we can.”
As for Code Orange’s other plans for 2018, it looks like we might just get new music sooner than we anticipated.
“I’m not gonna say too much, but I got a plan,” Jami offers cryptically. “We got stuff coming sooner than you think, and maybe we’ll drop something real soon. Just know, the material will be quality. That’s the most important thing.”
Colour us intrigued.
Venom Prison
The UK deathsters are going to crush
Promising that we can expect the UK death metallers to “crush, kill and destroy” when they hit those stages this spring, Venom Prison’s Larissa Stupar also reveals that the quintet have been busy with new music.
“We have been working relentlessly on new material in the last couple of months,” she reveals. “It’s more aggressive, more technical. There’s something heavy coming, trust me. We want to be working harder, touring more and recording a follow-up to Animus.”
Given how far they’ve already come to this point, we don’t doubt them for a second. We don’t yet know who will open up these shows on the night, but know this: you don’t want to miss any of it.
Power Trip
The Texan thrashers aren’t taking this lightly
Thrashy ragers Power Trip can’t wait to get stuck into what will be their biggest shows yet.
“I’m excited!” says frontman Riley Gale. “We have played with Venom Prison and we’ve toured with Code Orange, so it’ll be fun to meet with them on the road again and hang out!”
Riley is doubly excited to get in front of bigger crowds, adding: “This tour is important in getting us in front of crowds who, largely, have no clue who we are! If you like heavy music in any way, then you’ll enjoy our sets, so this will be the biggest test yet of that theory.”
Trivium, Code Orange, Venom Prison and Power Trip UK tour dates
16 Apr: O2 Academy, Bristol – Buy tickets
17 Apr: O2 Academy, Birmingham – Buy tickets
19 Apr: O2 Academy, Glasgow – Buy tickets
20 Apr: Academy, Manchester – Buy tickets
21 Apr: O2 Academy, Brixton, London – Buy tickets
Find out what the biggest and best bands in rock and metal have planned in 2018 – only in the latest issue of Metal Hammer. Buy it directly here or become a TeamRock+ member to read it right now.
