Kicking off a new feature that we may or may not continue, but an ethos we’ll always get behind, Get There For The Openers is to encourage you to leave the bar a little earlier and… well. It’s in the name. That opening slot is precious to many bands, and a chance for them to make some new fans. You lot getting there a bit earlier to check them out could well be helping them more than you realise! Sometimes they’re a known name, sometimes they’re new, sometimes they’re on the cusp of breaking, sometimes it’s a local act… but all of them deserve your support.
Up first are Sworn Enemy who will be hitting the roads of the UK with Anthrax and Municipal Waste over the next couple of weeks.
If you like what we do, consider joining us on Patreon for as little as £1 per month!
New York metallic hardcore masters Sworn Enemy begin their run opening for the legendary Anthrax and this generation’s crossover kings Municipal Waste on Tuesday in Birmingham for the next week+ of shows.
“It’s really exciting to be part of the upcoming Anthrax tour. I’ve been a huge fan since their early days,” states singer Sal Lococo. “Not only are we touring with 1 of the big 4, but we also get to support Municipal Waste! The UK doesn’t know what they are in for!”
Sworn Enemy’s most recent album, Gamechanger, was released in April 2019 by M-Theory Audio. The album – produced by Robb Flynn of Machine Head and engineered, mixed and mastered by Zack Ohren (Suffocation, Fallujah, Warbringer) – featured 11 tracks of punishing metallic force that expertly fused the hardcore spirit, thrash metal energy, and metallic groove that have fueled the Queens, NY band from day one. Gamechanger was praised by Cryptic Rock as “a brazen album of guts, honor, and respect,” earned plaudits from Dead Rhetoric for its “massive chugging riffs/breakdowns,” and was applauded by Metal Temple for being “heady, rabid, and ready to fuck your shit up.”
The group just released a video for “The Consequence” featuring footage edited by guitarist Matt Garzilli of the guys recording ‘Gamechanger’ at Sharkbite Studios in Oakland. Scroll down to enjoy it!
Don’t fancy Patreon? Buy us a one-off beverage!
Sworn Enemy first burst onto the scene after being signed by Hatebreed’s Jamey Jasta, who released the group’s first two EPs on his Stillborn Recordings label in 2001 and 2002. He also produced the band’s full-length debut, As Real As It Gets, memorably praised by Lambgoat as “music that inspires you to want to beat the living piss out of the next unsuspecting person who walks in the room.” The album was released by Elektra Records in 2003, a year that saw the band deliver memorable performances on tour with Ozzfest. The band has also performed alongside a bevy of heavy metal greats, including Mastodon, Fear Factory, Sepultura, Suicide Silence, Dying Fetus, Earth Crisis, Madball, Biohazard, Sacred Reich, Vio-lence, Overkill, Shadows Fall, Nuclear Assault and Hatebreed.
The years between As Real As It Gets and Gamechanger saw the band release four additional records, three of which – 2006’s The Beginning of the End, 2007’s Maniacal, and 2009’s Total World Domination – will be reissued on colored vinyl with liner notes by Sal Lococo in early 2023 by M-Theory Audio. Pre-Order now available from the official label webstore.
Sworn Enemy supporting Anthrax and Municipal Waste:
- Sept. 27 – O2 Academy – Birmingham, England
- Sept. 29 – Academy – Manchester, England
- Sept. 30 – O2 Academy – Glasgow, Scotland
- Oct. 1 – O2 City Hall – Newcastle, England
- Oct 3 – O2 Academy – Leeds, England
- Oct. 4 – Rock City – Nottingham, England
- Oct 6 – Academy – Bristol, England
- Oct. 8 – Brixton Academy – London, England
