After facing great hardship this fall when bassist Jonathan Athon passed away in a motor vehicle accident, the surviving members of Savannah, GA metal unit Black Tusk have decided to continue without their fallen bandmate.
A month on from the November 7 incident, in which a SUV collided with Athon's motorcycle in downtown Savannah, the band have issued a statement over Facebook confirming that they'll be back out on the road early next year for a previously planned European trip with Black Label Society. Taking over bass duties "for the time being" will be former Kylesa four-stringer Corey Barhorst, an old friend of the group that they said "seemed the natural choice to carry on for Athon.
"It's been an incredibly trying time for us over the past month and we want to thank everyone for their support," the band said in the statement. "We had confirmed the European tour with Black Label Society and finished the new album before Athon's accident and Athon, specifically, had been very excited about the opportunity to tour with BLS and we feel there's no way he'd want things to end on this note."
Details of the band's next LP have yet to be delivered, but the upcoming full-length will be the first since 2011's Set the Dial.
As previously reported, the accident that claimed Athon's life also put girlfriend Emily Boutwell in hospital. The band had reported in November that "she has undergone surgery and faces a long road to recovery both physically and emotionally." The band are collecting funds for Boutwell's recovery via PayPal. You can contribute by sending funds to AthonFund@gmail.com.
Tour dates:
02/11 Glasgow, UK - 02 ABC*
02/12 Birmingham, UK - The Institute*
02/13 London, UK - Roundhouse*
02/14 Bristol, UK - Bristol 02 Academy*
02/15 Leeds, UK - Leeds 02 Academy*
02/17 Norwich, UK - Norwich UEA*
02/18 Nottingham, UK - Rock City*
02/19 Manchester, UK - Manchester Academy*
02/21 Amsterdam, NL - Melkweg*
02/22 Brussels, BE - Ancienne Belgique*
02/24 Frankfurt, DE - Batschkapp*
02/25 Dortmund, DE - Freizeitzentrum West*
02/26 Paris, FR - Le Bataclan*
02/27 Strasbourg, FR - La Laitere*
03/01 Aarhus, DK - Train*
03/03 Oslo, NO - Rockefeller Music Hall*
03/05 Stockholm, SE - Close Up Baten (Crusie)*
03/06 Helsinki, FI - Nosturl*
03/08 Tallinn, EE - Rock Cafe*
03/09 Vilnius, LT - Forum Palace*
03/11 Gdansk, PL - B90*
03/12 Krakow, PL - Studio*
03/14 Pratteln, CH - Z7*
03/15 Lausanne, CH - Les Docks*
* with Black Label Society, Crobot
A month on from the November 7 incident, in which a SUV collided with Athon's motorcycle in downtown Savannah, the band have issued a statement over Facebook confirming that they'll be back out on the road early next year for a previously planned European trip with Black Label Society. Taking over bass duties "for the time being" will be former Kylesa four-stringer Corey Barhorst, an old friend of the group that they said "seemed the natural choice to carry on for Athon.
"It's been an incredibly trying time for us over the past month and we want to thank everyone for their support," the band said in the statement. "We had confirmed the European tour with Black Label Society and finished the new album before Athon's accident and Athon, specifically, had been very excited about the opportunity to tour with BLS and we feel there's no way he'd want things to end on this note."
Details of the band's next LP have yet to be delivered, but the upcoming full-length will be the first since 2011's Set the Dial.
As previously reported, the accident that claimed Athon's life also put girlfriend Emily Boutwell in hospital. The band had reported in November that "she has undergone surgery and faces a long road to recovery both physically and emotionally." The band are collecting funds for Boutwell's recovery via PayPal. You can contribute by sending funds to AthonFund@gmail.com.
Tour dates:
02/11 Glasgow, UK - 02 ABC*
02/12 Birmingham, UK - The Institute*
02/13 London, UK - Roundhouse*
02/14 Bristol, UK - Bristol 02 Academy*
02/15 Leeds, UK - Leeds 02 Academy*
02/17 Norwich, UK - Norwich UEA*
02/18 Nottingham, UK - Rock City*
02/19 Manchester, UK - Manchester Academy*
02/21 Amsterdam, NL - Melkweg*
02/22 Brussels, BE - Ancienne Belgique*
02/24 Frankfurt, DE - Batschkapp*
02/25 Dortmund, DE - Freizeitzentrum West*
02/26 Paris, FR - Le Bataclan*
02/27 Strasbourg, FR - La Laitere*
03/01 Aarhus, DK - Train*
03/03 Oslo, NO - Rockefeller Music Hall*
03/05 Stockholm, SE - Close Up Baten (Crusie)*
03/06 Helsinki, FI - Nosturl*
03/08 Tallinn, EE - Rock Cafe*
03/09 Vilnius, LT - Forum Palace*
03/11 Gdansk, PL - B90*
03/12 Krakow, PL - Studio*
03/14 Pratteln, CH - Z7*
03/15 Lausanne, CH - Les Docks*
* with Black Label Society, Crobot
