CIRCLE PIT \\ TRIVIUM, IN FLAMES, RISE TO REMAIN, GHOST To Join Forces For 'Defenders Of The Faith' Tour

Young metal heroes TRIVIUM, Gothenburg gods IN FLAMES, British upstarts RISE TO REMAIN, mysterious metallers GHOST and fresh Norwegian INSENSE will team up for Metal Hammer's Defenders Of The Faith tour in December. The massive trek with its stellar bill will be hitting the road on December 1 and tear it up from Southampton to Glasgow over seven shows until December 8.

"Prepare for the siege on the U.K. that is the 2011 Metal Hammer Defenders Of The Faith tour," says TRIVIUM's Matt Heafy. "This is what it's all about: an epic night to celebrate all that is glorious about the diverse world of metal. This bill is a must-see tour and has something every fan of modern metal can enjoy."

"We are glad to be part of such an awesome bill on the Defenders Of The Faith tour," adds Anders Fridén of IN FLAMES. "We are looking forward to playing the U.K. after such a good time this summer at Sonisphere."

"Without IN FLAMES, TRIVIUM wouldn't exist," explains Matt. "So needless to say, the ability to tour with these legends is a dream come true."

Matt is also excited about the other bands on the bill, and rightly so!

"RISE TO REMAIN are flying the flag for British metal," he says. "They're up-and-coming stars and good pals of ours too. GHOST are something special; you can feel the electricity and mystery behind Lucifer's house band. Prepare your souls for the sermon. They are a must-see. INSENSE deliver some pummelling brutality and a sense of catchiness that is all their own."

"We are incredibly excited to be part of the Defenders Of The Faith tour," says RISE TO REMAIN frontman Austin Dickinson (son of IRON MAIDEN's Bruce Dickinson). "Touring with such an unbelievable and diverse metal ensemble is a great honour, and we look forward to spreading the Metal Hammer gospel with our buddies in TRIVIUM, and our new friends in IN FLAMES, GHOST and INSENSE! Get ready, get stoked!"

As for what TRIVIUM have planned, Matt says that "TRIVIUM plan to crash [new album] 'In Waves' down on the U.K. shores and we plan on bringing a whole new set and show. This tour will rule."

The dates are as follows:

Dec. 01 - Southampton, England - Guildhall
Dec. 02 - Wolverhampton, England - Civic Hall
Dec. 03 - Manchester, England - Academy
Dec. 04 - London, England - Brixton O2 Academy
Dec. 06 - Glasgow, Scotland - O2 Academy
Dec. 07 - Newcastle, England - O2 Academy
Dec. 08 - Plymouth, England - Pavillions