2016 Guide to Rock + Metal Tours

In support of Condition: Human, Queensryche will be hitting the road for a month in February. Joining them will be newcomers Meytal and progressive metallers Halcyon Way. After opening for Scorpions in the fall, Queensryche will be bringing their legendary classics along with some ripping new cuts to the stage as the headlining act.

With their blistering new album, VII: Storm und Drang, under their belts, Lamb of God will be embarking on a headlining run with thrash legends Anthrax providing support. The tour will begin a couple weeks after the turn of the new year, starting Jan. 15 in Pittsburgh, Pa., running through Feb. 12, closing everything out in Los Angeles. Lamb of God are one of metal’s most intense live acts, and Anthrax have been delivering the thrash for more than 30 years, so this is one helluva bill.

After a rather tumultuous 2014, former Creed singer Scott Stapp has righted his ship, leaving the drug and alcohol fueled turmoil behind him. Vowing that he is now on the right path, he is embarking on the Proof of Life tour, hoping his message can help others who have dwelled in the darkness like he has. Hoping to help even just one person, Stapp will have the chance to spread his message on stage starting in mid-January.

Black Sabbath are reaching the end of their metal road, using 2016 as the year for the seminal act to say their farewell to all those who have supported the heavy metal godfathers since the Birmingham quartet started it all in 1970. Wasting no time, they will hit the road in late January with Rival Sons, coming back around the the U.S. again in the middle of August for another leg of The End tour.

Graveyard have released some of the best albums among the retro-rock wave that has exploded over the last few years. Bringing their love of ’60s and ’70s rock to the modern day, the band don’t merely sound like imitators, but come across as genuine. They’ll be bringing Spiders, whose female-fronted rock falls right in line with Graveyard’s aesthetics. The tour will see the bands run down the east coast and extend out to the Midwest.

Cradle of Filth bring quite the show to the stage, with lighting cues perfectly reflecting the cinematic landscape the band creates with their sinister gothic-bent extreme metal. Openers Butcher Babies and Ne Obliviscaris hit just as hard, creating some friendly competition each night with all three bands delivering a frenzied performance. The Inquisitional Torture tour will be making nearly 30 stops spanning from coast to coast.

Def Leppard have been a touring machine and they’re putting more fuel in the tank this winter. Joining them will be Styx and Tesla, creating a package that sees some of the most successful rock bands parading their timeless anthems across arenas all over the United States. This time, Def Leppard have a new album to support with their eponymous release that stands up to some of the band’s best material.

Bullet for My Valentine are now entering their second decade since their debut, The Poison, was released. Proving they are one of metal’s titans, they’ll be hitting the road in February with fellow British heavyweights Asking Alexandria. Dubbed the British Invasion tour, both bands will be bringing their high-octane performances to cities across the country, with BFMV out supporting their newest release, Venom.

Canadian progressive thrashers Voivod will be bringing Vektor and Eight Bells with them as they embark on a month-long run across North America. A quick glance at the tour flyer looks like the Voivod logo appears twice, with Vektor’s being an obvious homage to Voivod. The band has their own distinct style with some nods to their heroes in the music and will now get to share the road with one of their favorite bands.

Returning to the U.S. in 2015 for the first time in over a decade, guitar virtuoso and former Megadeth member Marty Friedman will be back quite a bit sooner! He’ll be stateside again in February of 2016, back for a short run, bringing Holy Grail with him for support. His backing band consists of two touring members of the Japanese sensation BabyMetal. Drummer Yuya Maeta will also be a spectacle to watch, having previously performed with the Blue Man Group.

The annual Experience Hendrix tour will be kicking off on Feb. 24 and will see a host of guitarists take the stage to pay tribute to Jimi Hendrix and celebrate his work and pioneering guitar playing. The 2016 installment of the tour will be led by Zakk Wylde, Billy Cox and Buddy Guy with several other artists appearing in addition to these six string legends.

“Jump in the cockpit and start up the engines / Remove all the wheelblocks, there’s no time to waste!” That’s right, Iron Maiden will be revving up their brand new Ed Force One jumbo jet piloted by singer Bruce Dickinson and taking it across North America in late February. The band will be performing in support of The Book of Souls and will be accompanied onstage by their trusty mascot Eddie each night.

Disturbed stormed back with a vengeance, ending their four year hiatus with a No. 1 album, Immortalized, on the Billboard 200. They’ll be bringing the same power to the stage starting March 11 and will see more than “10,000 fists in the air” on the monthlong trek. Fans should be salivating by the time the band rolls around to each city, ensuring these shows will be some of the best for fans and Disturbed.

After reuniting for a festival appearance, Underoath have fully reactivated the machine and have geared up for a North American tour starting March 16. The band will be performing two of their best albums, They’re Only Chasing Safety and Define the Great Line, in their entirety. Fans would have been excited enough for a normal tour, but this sees the band come roaring back into the spotlight they enjoyed for so long.