Italian symphonic death metal maestros FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE has announced a return to North America in support of their upcoming sixth studio album, “Opera”. The co-headline tour with SHADOW OF INTENT and support acts INGESTED, THE ZENITH PASSAGE and DISEMBODIED TYRANT will kicks off September 14 in Cleveland, Ohio and wrap on October 15 in Denver, Colorado.

Commenting on the tour, FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE frontman Francesco Paoli states: “We’re overly excited to announce the ultimate extreme symphonic metal experience across North America, which we’ll have the honor to headline along with our longtime friends SHADOW OF INTENT. It’s going to be an event you don’t want to miss, with the best clubs, a top-notch line-up and our most spectacular show to date. We can’t wait to play some brand new material from our upcoming album, ‘Opera’, for you all, so grab your tickets as soon as you can because they won’t last long. The worldwide ‘Opera’ madness has just begun.”

Tickets go on sale on Friday, June 28 at 9 a.m. local time.

Tour dates:

Sep. 14 – Cleveland, OH – House of Blues
Sep. 15 – Chicago, IL – Metro
Sep. 16 – Bloomington, IL – The Castle Theatre
Sep. 18 – Detroit, MI – Saint Andrew’s Hall
Sep. 19 – Toronto, ON – The Opera House
Sep. 20 – Montreal, QC – L’Olympia
Sep. 21 – Ottawa, ON – Brass Monkey
Sep. 22 – Worcester, MA – New England Metal and Hardcore Festival
Sep. 23 – Brooklyn, NY – Warsaw
Sep. 25 – Reading, PA – Reverb
Sep. 26 – Baltimore, MD – Baltimore Soundstage
Sep. 27 – Charlotte, NC – The Underground
Sep. 28 – North Myrtle Beach, SC – House of Blues
Sep. 29 – Tampa, FL – The Orpheum
Oct. 01 – Austin, TX – Come And Take It Live
Oct. 02 – San Antonio, TX – Paper Tiger
Oct. 03 – Dallas, TX – Granada Theater
Oct. 04 – Oklahoma City, OK – Diamond Ballroom
Oct. 05 – Albuquerque, NM – Sunshine Theater
Oct. 06 – Mesa, AZ – The Nile Theater
Oct. 08 – San Francisco, CA – DNA Lounge
Oct. 09 – Sacramento, CA – Ace of Spades
Oct. 10 – San Diego, CA – House of Blues
Oct. 11 – Riverside, CA – Riverside Municipal Auditorium
Oct. 12 – Las Vegas, NV – House of Blues
Oct. 13 – Salt Lake City, UT – Metro Music Hall
Oct. 15 – Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre

Due out August 23 via Nuclear Blast Records, the whole “Opera” album is structured like a 10-act theatrical piece, as the title itself draws a clear thread with the everlasting tradition of Italian classical music theater combining it with the epic brutality of death and symphonic metal, which has become their trademark sound. Mixed and mastered by Grammy-nominated producer Jacob Hansen (VOLBEAT, EPICA, ARCH ENEMY),“Opera” definitely marks another step forward for the band, incorporating new suggestions into that unique blend that FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE are renowned for: sheer violence, majestic orchestrations and soaring melodies. Such an ambitious musical endeavor called for an equally impressive artwork, a team effort between two arising Italian talents (artist extraordinaire Felicita Fiorini and visionary photographer Francesco Esposito),following the path traced by baroque painters like Caravaggio and Artemisia Gentileschi. The cover art portrays Veronica as Music, a superior entity that defeats the social and artistic decay of modern age.

With this new record, FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE are setting the bar even higher than before, pioneering what looks like a completely new sub-genre that might be called “opera metal”: an unprecedented mix of extreme music and theatrical elements.

“The best stories always come from pain, it’s a bitter truth yet undeniable.” Francesco Paoli states. “We managed to turn one of the worst things in life into a work of art, that embodies our personal and artistic growth and takes the listeners on a rollercoaster of emotions, where they can experience what I’ve been through hand in hand with me. It’s a waking nightmare but that’s how life is sometimes, just scary.”

Francesco Paoli continues: “In my visionary representation of this journey that begins with my near death experience and culminates in a much desired physical and psychological rebirth, I wanted to frame every single step of my calvary, as if they were acts of an ‘Opera Lirica’, with dialogues or even confessions to imaginary characters, who have been constant presences throughout my whole (mis)adventure.

“This album tosses you in a vortex of discomfort and uncontrollable feelings, where you can experience pain, fear, desperation, anger, frustration, but also resolve, courage, hope and a profound desire for redemption. I strongly believe that this album is a solid manifest of resilience, and I hope that my story will inspire people who got ‘lost’ for whatever reason.

“We can’t wait for you to hear the full album and play it live at the four corners of the world. We’re planning to take everyone to ‘Opera’ with a massive new show, so get ready!”

With the album’s announcement came the new single “Bloodclock”, a roaring song seething with anguish, pain and visionary tales of life and death.

Francesco Paoli says of the new song: “What do we see right before we die? Well, with ‘Bloodclock’ I bear my witness and reveal the personal visions I had while hanging on a rope, unconscious, a few hundred meters above the ground. It’s insane how reality can be much more terrifying and soul crushing than imagination.

“Soon after my discharge from the hospital, me and Francesco Ferrini started writing immediately, even if I was still bedridden and unable to play. The idea was to capture the mood of those dramatic days and make sure to keep intact the sense of desperation and fear that was still running through my veins after the accident. Later on, we worked with the others to develop those ideas and create the music that such a strong story deserves, music that takes your breath away and tosses you into a vortex of mixed feelings and discomfort. I believe we nailed it 110%.

“And the video is a spectacular representation of that disaster. I pushed Martina (McLean, video director) to the limit because I knew she could find a poetic, metaphorical yet extremely impactful way to match the fury of the song with awe-inspiring images. She did an amazing job and we’re proud to state that this is the best music video we’ve ever had in our career.

“But this song is not only about death, it’s also about life. ‘I’m not dead yet’ was some sort of mantra that became my battle-cry. The moment I woke up, I started my war to stay alive, that with time turned into a true and never-ending calvary as I’m still carrying the cross for what happened that day. But this is another story and its time is yet to come…”

Photo credit: Francesco Esposito