Legendary cult American heavy metal band SLOUGH FEG have announced a string of European tour dates in support of their latest album, The Animal Spirits. They will be visiting Poland and Portugal for the first time in their career.

Dates are as follows:

July

27 - Cork, Ireland - An Cruiscin Lan
28 - Dublin, Ireland - The Pint
30 - Brande-Hörnerkirchen, Germany - Headbangers Open Air
31 - Erfurt, Germany - Club Centrum

August

1 - Würzburg, Germany - Immerhin
2 - Warsaw, Poland - Progresja Club
4 - London, UK - The Garage **
5 - Nottingham, UK - The Old Angel **
6 - Bradford, UK - The 1 In 12 Club **
7 - Lisbon, Portugal - Republica da Musica
8 - Dublin, Ireland - Into The Void Records (acoustic set)

** with SOLSTICE

Always seen as one of the most unique bands in American metal ever since their inception 20 years ago, and led by the charismatic vocalist/guitarist/lyricist Mike Scalzi who has easily established himself as one of the best and most distinct vocalists and lyricists in the underground metal scene, The Animal Spirits (which features an appearance from BROCAS HELM vocalist Bob Wright) aligns itself as another gem in the illustrious Slough Feg repertoire alongside such classic albums as Dawn Among The Deadmen, Twilight Of The Idols, and Traveller.

As for the significance of the album title, Scalzi says: “The title sounds like it could mean plenty of things, but really refers to an Aristotelian theory of perception that was somehow taken seriously until the mid to later 1700's. Why this was I don't know, but it involves these bizarre fluid called ‘animal spirits’ traveling through a person's veins carrying information of what they have perceived, storing it in the heart, and then releasing it again when that thing is remembered. It really a primitive precursor to the idea of neurons firing in a chain, containing ideas. So that's what people will find if they do a little research about the title.”

Going further into the themes of the album, Scalzi elaborates: “The content of the record is (subject wise) is not too far from usual Slough Feg material. The first two songs are about Medieval Catholic theology.

Then it switches to basic horror themes, a couple of songs about some insane person who thinks he's a vampire, and then a werewolf (inspired by the Gothic soap-opera ‘Dark Shadows’) then there's one of our weird ‘what if Dicky Betts of the Allman Brothers had joined Iron Maiden in 1980’ instrumentals. Then a few more songs about frustration, misery and madness, and a final fast, driving rock/metal number called ‘Tactical Air-War’, which will be sung by Bob Wright of Brocas Helm!”

The Animal Sprits was release in North America on October 26th via Profound Lore Records, tracklisting for The Animal Spirits is as follows:

'Trick the Vicar'

'The 95 Thesis'

'Materia Prima'

'Free Market Barbarian'

'Lycanthropic Fantasies'

'Ask the Casket'

'Heavyworlder'

'The Tell-Tale Heart'

'Kon-Tiki'

'Second Coming'

'Tactical Air-War' (feat. Bob Wright of Brocas Helm)

You can listen to two tracks below:

‘The 95 Thesis’:

‘The 95 Thesis’

‘Free Market Barbarian’

‘Free Market Barbarian’