Sludge Lords NORTH To Release Light The Way Album In March; Tour Dates, Record Release Show Announced

In the decade-plus they’ve been a band, the Tucson, AZ-based trio North has ebbed and flowed their way into becoming one of the most respected outfits in the underground metal scene. Despite a series of lineup changes and personal setbacks, North has returned stronger and more focused than ever on their debut full-length release for Prosthetic Records, Light The Way.

One week prior to the album’s March 18th worldwide release, the band will play a hometown record release show at Tucson’s Club Congress before embarking on a North American jaunt with Intronaut. A full listing of dates can be found listed below. Tickets are available here.

Originally starting off in 2005 as an instrumental act, North has continued to push the boundaries of the heavier side of post-rock. Formed by Evan Leek (bass) and Zack Hansen (drums) and rounded out by guitarists Ty Engle and Matt Mutterperl, the band’s first recordings were done in Hansen’s bedroom and self-released. With their debut 2006 EP Siberia, they soon made a name for themselves in the Arizona scene, supporting others in the genre such as Caspian, Tera Melos and This Will Destroy You on those bands’ southwestern tour stops.

Eventually, the group decided to expand the sound of the band, adding vocals on 2008’s What You Were, which was met with critical acclaim and expanded touring throughout the US. When it came time for the band to begin work on their next record, numerous line-up changes occurred. Writing stopped, started, stopped again and at times the band wondered if it would ever restart again. Amazingly enough, this turmoil produced their best material to date. The Great Silence, released in the summer of 2012, was a compelling fusion of post-rock and metal and garnered their finest reviews yet. The band toured for a year to support the album, but after two members left the group, North once again questioned its future.

The three remaining members, Leek, Hansen and Mutterperl, regrouped and sat down to write for the first time as a three-piece and found the chemistry the best it had ever been. Four tracks came together quickly, which was released as the Metanoia EP, and the guys did what they do best: play live. There seemed to be a genuine rebirth in the band as they embarked their most extensive touring to date. It was shortly after this that the group signed to Prosthetic Records – which reissued Metanoia and Siberia last year – and quickly began working on new material, not wanting to lose the momentum they were feeling. The two-track single, “Through Raven’s Eyes”, recorded in early 2015, saw the band at possibly its darkest and heaviest, musically speaking. Now, with Light The Way, North begins a new chapter – one that kicks off with the highest-profile shows of the band’s career.

Stay tuned in the following weeks for further details on Light The Way.

Tour dates:

March
12 – Tucson, AZ – Club Congress (Record Release Show)
15 – Los Angeles, CA – The Roxy
16 – San Diego, CA – Brick By Brick
17 – Mesa, AZ – Nile Underground
18 – ALbuquerque, NM – Launchpad
19 – Denver, CO – Bluebird Theatre
20 – Lawrence, KS – Aftershock
21 – Ft Worth, TX – Tomcats
22 – Austin, TX – Dirty Dog
23 – Houston, TX – Walters
24 – Atlanta, GA – Masquerade
25 – Tampa, FL – Orpheum
26 – Jacksonville, FL – 1904 Music Hall
27 – Charlotte, NC – Rabbit Hole
28 – Washington DC – Rock And Roll Hotel
29 – New York, NY – Marlin Room at Webster Hall
30 – Boston, MA – Middle East
31 – Montreal, QC – Bar Le Ritz

April
1 – Toronto, ON – Lee’s Palace
2 – Detroit, MI – Loving Touch
3 – Chicago, IL – Reggies Rock Club
4 – Minneapolis, MN – Skyway Theatre
5 – Winnipeg, MB – Goodwill
6 – Regina, SK – Exchange
7 – Edmonton, AB – Skylite
8 – Calgary, AB – Dickens
9 – Vancouver, BC – Rickshaw Theatre
11 – Seattle, WA – Crocodile
12 – Portland, OR – Hawthorne Theatre
13 – San Francisco, CA – Bottom Of The Hill