Tommy Mann Jr.
The Port Arthur News
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Southeast Texas’ biggest rock ’n roll festival is back after a two-and-a-half year hiatus.
Dog Jam 2012 returns to Ford Pavilion this summer courtesy of the newly created Trespass America Festival tour featuring Five Finger Death Punch and Killswitch Engage. The tour arrives in Beaumont on Saturday, July 28. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m., Friday, May 11, at all Ticketmaster outlets for $18-$42 plus service charge, including online at www.ticketmaster.com or charge by phone at 800-745-3000.
The festival is a joint effort between Trespass America and “Metal Hammer,” one of the most renowned heavy metal magazines in the U.K. and the world. The 31 city tour begins July 13 in Broomfield, Colo. and will criss-cross the United States through August.
Joining Five Finger Death Punch and Killswitch Engage are Trivium, Pop Evil, Emmure, God Forbid and Battlecross.
“We will carry the flag into mainstream territory,” said Zoltan Bathory of Five Finger Death Punch in a press release. “We will trespass on their turf all across America. The combined power of ‘Metal Hammer’ and all these bands enable us to make a statement, a really loud one. Heavy music wants its place back in.”
Bathory stated the intent is to make the Trespass America Festival an experience and not just a concert.
“We wanted to make this festival as visually unforgettable as possible, really give fans their money’s worth, give them an experience where they will want to say, ‘I was there,’” Bathory explained. “We want to make Trespass America a theme-park-thrill-ride for metalheads.”
Five Finger Death Punch formed in Los Angeles in 2005. The band quickly erupted onto the heavy metal scene courtesy of its debut record, “The Way of the Fist,” which was released in July 2007. The band participated in Dog Jam ’07 at the Montagne Center in Beaumont as special guests to Korn and HellYeah during that tour.
The band is currently touring in support of its third album, “American Capitalist,” released in October 2011. The CD debuted at number three on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart and features the hit singles, “Under and Over It.” The band has managed to chart Top 10 radio hits, including well known songs “The Bleeding,” “Never Enough,” “Walk Away,” “Far From Home,” and the band’s fantastic cover of “Bad Company.”
Killswitch Engage has reunited with original frontman Jesse Leach for the first time in nearly a decade. The band is in the writing stages for a new record, but has decided to hit the road to reacquaint longtime fans with the band.
Visit trespassamerica.com for more information on the bands and tourdates.
