Louder Than Life has announced that Alice In Chains will be joining the lineup for the 5th annual festival, which comes shortly after the release of the band’s new album, Rainier Fog. They join previously announced artists Nine Inch Nails, Deftones, Godsmack, and many more for the festival, which takes place Friday, September 28th, Saturday, September 29th, and Sunday, September 30th at Champions Park in Louisville, KY.

Avenged Sevenfold had to withdraw from the festival due to a medical issue. Vocalist M. Shadows issued the following statement about the cancellation of their latest tour:

“There is no good way to start out a note containing bad news but here it is. After Europe I came down with a terrible viral infection that rendered me voiceless. I tried my best to take care of the situation with voice rest, medication and doctor visits but my voice was only getting worse.

"After a week of steroids the swelling went down enough to see the cause of the problem. A blood blister has formed on my vocal folds and is preventing them from vibrating properly. In short, I can’t sing anything at the moment and the more I attempt to the more damage is being done. Luckily, as of now the doctors feel that 3 months of no singing and voice rest should get my cords back on track.

"Unfortunately, this means we will have to cancel all tour dates at the moment.

"Decisions like this weigh on me very heavily. It’s a tour I was looking forward to very much. I want to apologize to the fans who have spent their time and money booking travel arrangements and accommodations. I also want to apologize to our crew and the other bands who were depending on this tour. None of these things are lost on me. Just know that I have exhausted every possible solution in trying to get out there and perform for you. It just simply can’t happen at the moment. We have a few things coming down the pipe soon that should be fun so we hope you look out for those.

"Again, I am deeply sorry and hope to see you all soon.

"In silence, M.”

Louder Than Life has also announced a few additional lineup changes. Skyharbor and Anemic Royalty join the bill in place of Bad Wolves and Spirit Animal. The full performance schedule, reflecting these changes, will be released in the coming weeks. For more information, visit LouderThanLifeFestival.com.

(Photo - Pamela Littky)