Five new dates have been added to the rescheduled North American leg of “The Bay Strikes Back Tour” featuring TESTAMENT, EXODUS and DEATH ANGEL. Newly confirmed shows will take place in Orlando, Florida (April 25); Chattanooga, Tennessee (April 28) Seattle, Washington (May 22); Portland, Oregon (May 23); and Sacramento, California (May 25). Tickets go on sale this Friday, November 19 at 10 a.m. local time.
“The Bay Strikes Back Tour” was originally scheduled to kick off last October, but it was postponed until 2022.
“We were really on the fence with this decision,” said TESTAMENT guitarist Eric Peterson. “But seeing other bands make it through with a few mild cases and other bigger bands just canceling their entire tours, we felt it is in our best interest to postpone these shows to ’22.”
Added fellow guitarist Alex Skolnick, “It gives none of us any pleasure to be the bearers of bad news yet again, but here we are. Although Bay Strikes Back is a top tour package for theaters, the reality is this: It can’t afford to take the risks that top-grossing larger venue tours have been taking. The type of disruptions Kiss and other large outdoor venue tours have experienced could cause our shows to be permanently canceled – a lose/lose for everyone. The fact that a lower-budget tour such as ours is limited to indoor venues with tight backstage space only adds to the risk. It should go without saying that calling off these dates was a ‘last resort’ decision, and everyone involved would much rather this weren’t the case. However, this is the new reality we’re all in. All we can do is hope for everyone’s understanding, which we ask for sincerely.”
The trio of bands will perform the hometown show scheduled for November 27 at Fox Oakland.
“We are saddened to announce that the Bay Strikes Back tour is being postponed, but the risk of canceled shows due to positive tests leading to tour personnel being quarantined and isolated is just too great at this time,” said EXODUS guitarist Gary Holt. “We want to feel safe, enjoy the tour and be able to hang out with our close friends. The silver lining in this is that Tom Hunting no longer needs chemo and will have more time to work his way back to doing a full tour. He will make his return behind the drums at Aftershock but a full tour requires more preparation, so that is the good part.”
“Usually when I’m asked to contribute a quote to an announcement it pertains to something I’m extremely excited about,” says DEATH ANGEL vocalist Mark Osegueda. “In this case, I’m gutted… It pains me to announce that The Bay Strikes Back U.S. Tour is being postponed. No one was looking forward to this more than me. But, on the brighter side of things, the tour is in fact going to happen – just at a later time. And I can assure you that the already ravenous to play live members of Death Angel promise to provide a crushing set during a crushing tour. The Bay WILL Strike Back!”
All tickets purchased for the original dates will be honored for the new dates. Refunds will be available at point of purchase.
The Bay Strikes Back 2022 dates:
Apr. 09 – San Luis Obispo, CA – Fremont Theater
Apr. 10 – Anaheim, CA – House of Blues
Apr. 12 – San Diego, CA – House of Blues
Apr. 13 – Las Vegas, NV – House of Blues
Apr. 15 – Tucson, AZ – Rialto Theatre
Apr. 16 – Albuquerque, NM – Sunshine Theater
Apr. 19 – Oklahoma City, OK – Diamond Ballroom
Apr. 20 – Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall
Apr. 21 – Austin, TX – Emo’s
Apr. 22 – Dallas, TX – Amplified Live
Apr. 23 – New Orleans, LA – House of Blues
Apr. 25 – Orlando, FL – Hard Rock Live (New date)
Apr. 26 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade
Apr. 27 – Raleigh, NC – The Ritz
Apr. 28 – Chattanooga, TN – The Signal (new date)
Apr. 30 – Sayreville, NJ – Starland Ballroom
May 01 – Baltimore, MD – Soundstage
May 02 – Boston, MA – House of Blues
May 03 – Philadelphia, PA – Theater of Living Arts
May 05 – Huntington, NY – The Paramount
May 06 – Buffalo, NY – Town Ballroom
May 07 – Cincinnati, OH – Madison Theater
May 09 – Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE
May 10 – Cleveland, OH – The Agora
May 11 – Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall
May 12 – Detroit, MI – The Majestic Theatre
May 14 – Joliet, IL – The Forge
May 15 – Joliet, IL – The Forge
May 17 – Minneapolis, MN – Skyway Theatre
May 19 – Denver, CO – Summit
May 20 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot
May 22 – Seattle, WA – Showbox (New date)
May 23 – Portland, OR – Roseland (New date)
May 25 – Sacramento, CA – Ace of Spades (New date)
Still filled with massive and unstoppable energy since their last release, TESTAMENT has taken their style to the next level and present an album that is loyal to the roots of traditional thrash metal while still including alluring, brilliant, and progressive ingredients they are known for. “Titans Of Creation” came out in April 2020 via Nuclear Blast. The disc was produced by Peterson and TESTAMENT singer Chuck Billy, while Juan Urteaga of Trident Studios handled co-producing, recording and engineering. Andy Sneap was responsible for the mixing and mastering of the album. Eliran Kantor stepped up once again to create new artwork for the cover of this release.
For thousands of years the word EXODUS has been used to describe a massive human migration; embarking upon an epic journey and change filled with such power that the earth itself shakes upon its commencement. All such grand exploits begin with a soft awareness for what truly lies beyond, yet 4 decades ago EXODUS had no way of knowing the extent to which their band would rise, conquer, trip up, and rise again. EXODUS‘s new album, “Persona Non Grata”, is tentatively due in November. It will be the follow-up to 2014’s “Blood In Blood Out”, which was the San Francisco Bay Area thrashers’ first release since the departure of the group’s lead singer of nine years, Rob Dukes, and the return of Steve “Zetro” Souza, who previously fronted EXODUS from 1986 to 1993 and from 2002 to 2004.
DEATH ANGEL are celebrating the continued success of their latest album “Humanicide,” which was one of 2019’s most critically praised metal records and nominated for a “Best Metal Performance” GRAMMY AWARD. 
