In anticipation of the release of their forthcoming Pillars of Ash LP (January 29th, Relapse), Savannah, GA's Black Tusk will kick off a US tour, presented by New Noise Magazine, with Royal Thunder and special guest Bask.  The first leg of the tour has been announced today and will take the bands throughout the southern portion of the United States, with stops in North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Florida and Georgia for two weeks in January and February.

Dates:

January 
22 – Wilmington, NC – Reggie’s
23 – Raleigh, NC – Kings
24 – Atlanta, GA – The Earl
25 – Johnson City, TN – The Hideaway
26 – Memphis, TN – Hi Tone
27 – Little Rock, AR – Vino’s
28 – Dallas, TX – Gas Monkey
29 – San Antonio, TX – Korova
30 – Austin, TX – Empire
31 – Houston, TX – Rudyard’s

February
1 – New Orleans, LA – Siberia
2 – Panama City, FL – Mosey’s
3 – Orlando, FL – Will’s Pub
4 – Tampa, FL – New World
5 – Jacksonville, FL – Burro Bar
6 – Savannah, GA – Jinx

Now, as a testament to his profound and lasting legacy on the heavy music scene, the band are releasing Pillars Of Ash, their final recordings with Athon, on January 29th, 2016 via Relapse Records. Recorded with Toxic Holocaust's Joel Grind behind the boards and featuring gorgeous artwork by Jeremy Hush (Skeletonwitch, Rwake), Pillars Of Ash is the culmination of three brothers-in-arms' blood, sweat and tears, and is Black Tusk's finest accomplishment to date.

In 2014, Black Tusk hit the studio with their old friend and accomplished audio engineer, Joel Grind, to work on Pillars Of Ash. Before they could get their new record into stores and jump back up in their big white tour van, though, the band suffered a setback beyond what most could even imagine. In November, mere weeks before the band was due to kick off their biggest tour yet, Athon was seriously injured in a motorcycle accident. Several days later, on November 9th, 2014, he passed away at the age of 31, leaving behind hundreds of friends, family members, and his beloved dog Cutter as well as his brothers in Black Tusk. Support poured in from fans, friends, and fellow musicians from around the world; stunned, Andrew and James laid down their instruments and tried to process the loss. For a few weeks, the band’s future was uncertain, but ultimately, the remaining duo made the difficult decision to soldier on and carry on in Athon’s memory. Athon himself could have chosen no better successor than Corey Barhorst, a longtime friend and veteran musician who heads up his own project, Niche, and previously held down the low end for Kylesa. Barhorst initially joined the band as a live member in time for their European tour with Black Label Society, but after that, was welcomed into the fold as a full­blooded member of Black Tusk.
 
Black Tusk have lived through the kind of hardship and heartbreak that would cripple a lesser band, but it’s that dedication, gumption, and pure bullheaded stubbornness that’s taken them around the world and as far away from the lacey Spanish moss and sweltering streets of Savannah than any of them could’ve dared dream.
 
Look for Pillars Of Ash to be available January 29th, and stay tuned for more news coming soon.

Pillars Of Ash tracklisting:

“God's On Vacation”
“Desolation Of Endless Times”
“Bleed On Your Knees”
“Born Of Strife”
“Damned In The Ground”
“Beyond The Divide”
“Black Tide”
“Still Not Well”
“Walk Among The Sky”
“Punk Out”
“Leveling”

“God’s On Vacation”:

(Photo - Angela Boatwright)