Epitaph bands to take over Warped Tour

This is a terrific announcement- congrats Epitaph! I have interviewed Pennywise, Escape the Fate, The Unseen, I Am Ghost and Parkway Drive and they were all interesting and talented. Watch for my upcoming story on Gallows. I'm ready for Warped Tour, are you? ~M

Indie label Epitaph Records will rock the masses this summer at The 2007 Warped Tour with an unprecedented lineup featuring nine of the biggest and freshest acts in punk rock, screamo, pop-punk, hardcore, metalcore and psychobilly. The label’s extraordinary lineup will include main stage performers Bad Religion, Tiger Army, Pennywise and Gallows with Escape The Fate, The Unseen, The Matches, I Am Ghost and Parkway Drive holding down the side stages. America’s longest-running touring festival will kick off in Pomona, Calif. on June 29th and culminate full-circle in Los Angeles, Calif. on August 25th. The complete lineup and routing can be found at www.warpedtour.com.

Punk-rock veterans BAD RELIGION will headline Warp’s traveling circus in support of the group’s forthcoming album New Maps of Hell, which is set for release on July 10th. Warped attendees will get the first listen, when the group tears through sets featuring fan favs and new tracks such as the hit single “Honest Goodbye” and instant punk classic “New Dark Ages.” Produced by Joe Barresi (Tool, Queens of the Stone Age), New Maps of Hell melds intense blistering riffs, lush harmonies and furiously charged beats for the group’s most aggressively heartfelt journey yet.

Pyschobilly’s premier rock trio, TIGER ARMY, make their main stage debut this summer where they plan to unveil songs from their latest album Music From Regions Beyond. Produced by Jerry Finn (AFI, Morrissey, Rancid), the record fuses the group’s classic pyschobilly sound with dark wave synth and rock for one of 2007’s “most anticipated albums” (Alternative Press). Counting a guest appearance by AFI’s Davey Havok on the radio hit “Forever Fades Away,” the band’s fourth album is scheduled for a June 5th release via Hellcat Records.

No stranger to Warp’s main stage, PENNYWISE will make their 8th appearance at this year’s tour (June 29 – July 25; August 17 – 25). Known for their highly energetic live shows and their apparent disregard for personal injury, Pennywise will shred the crowd with their signature brand of So-Cal skate punk. From the classic punk anthem “Bro Hymn” to the anarchistic hit “Fuck the Authority” their set will be a must see.

U.K. based punk group GALLOWS will take Warped by storm this summer leaving a trail of blood and fans strewn across the U.S. Touted by British press as being “the most exciting punk to emerge from Britain since The Clash,” (Kerrang!) the freshman act have been given the rare shot at the main stage based on their unparalleled live show and ferocious hardcore style. “I’m here to tell you Punk is back and its new name is Gallows,” says Epitaph owner and founder Brett Gurewitz. With plans to unleash their debut album Orchestra of Wolves on July 10th, the Gallows are plotting a punk rock revolution with an arsenal of snarling lyrics and brutally discordant riffs that will sucker-punch any unsuspecting concert-goer leaving them bruised, beaten and begging for more.

Massachusetts-based street punk wrecking machines THE UNSEEN will rock the side stage in support of their upcoming release Internal Salvation on July 10th. Known for their DIY attitude, anti-gaud style and hardcore tendencies, The Unseen use a hostile concoction of thrashing riffs, aggressive harmonies and defiant vocals to separate them from the pack making them one of the most genuine acts on the tour.

The swaggering Las Vegas-based hard rock/screamo outfit ESCAPE THE FATE return to rip this year’s side stage after an incendiary stint on the 2006 Warped Tour. ETF continues to support its strongly-received Epitaph debut, Dying Is Your Latest Fashion, which encompasses the true essence of rock n roll through its unwavering ambition and inexorable passion with thematic elements of death, love and the lack thereof.

Experimental pop rockers THE MATCHES will bring their contagious set to Warp’s side stage this summer. As one of the tour’s most anticipated acts, the group emits a quirky style and an inimitable sound with influences ranging from 80’s rock to Power-Pop as heard on their 2006 fan favorite Decomposer. The album’s ingenious multi-producer (Jon Feldman, Mark Hoppus, Tim Armstrong, Brett Gurewitz) format is “capable of sneaking under the skin of enough skeptics to make the band rock stars” (Alternative Press).

California-based dark rock sextet, I AM GHOST resume support of their current album, Lover’s Requiem, on Warp’s side stage this summer (June 29 – July 15). Championed by Outburn for their “dynamic montage of all the modern heavy and agro styles, touching on punk, hardcore, emo, thrash and goth,” I Am Ghost boast blistering riffs, symphonic violins and super-tight arrangements for a metallic orchestra of surreal melody.

Last but certainly not least, rising Australian metalcore quintet PARKWAY DRIVE will bring their bone-crushing live show to Warped Tour from July 7th through August 12th. Specializing in an amalgam of hardcore, metal and hardcore subgenres, the group plans to whip fans in to a pit of fury with their brutal breakdowns, blazing riffs and death grunts. Parkway Drive recently re-teamed with producer Adam Dutkiewicz (Killswitch Engage) for their forthcoming Horizons, which is slated for an October 9th release.

Thanks in great part to Epitaph’s rousing lineup, this year’s Warped Tour promises to be the best in years. Don’t forget to bring your water bottles……..and your mouth guard. For details, dates and full lineup please visit www.epitaph.com or www.warpedtour.com.