Hatebreed’s Version of Summer Slaughter Sets It Back on the Right Track
It’s amazing what a year and different people running things can do for a show. Last year, Summer Slaughter went through a bit of an identity crisis, as tour founder and Sumerian Records owner Ash Avildsen took a gamble on changing the kinds of bands that made the bill and ended up alienating a lot of fans in the process. Especially after his tirades on social media caused some to wonder if they wanted to support the tour at all.
Flash forward to yesterday and we now know the show’s under new management. With Hatebreed frontman Jamey Jasta now at the tour’s helm, it seems his first task was to try and regain fans’ trust in the Summer Slaughter brand. And judging by the bands that were announced to be participating in this year’s tour, this may be exactly the shot in the arm it needed.
According to the announcement, Hatebreed will headline Summer Slaughter with Fugitive, Gridiron, Malevolence, Incite, Escuela Grind, and Snuffed on Sight on hand as supporting acts. Jasta, who’s also been running the revitalized Milwaukee Metalfest in recent years, said this new Summer Slaughter has entered “a new era.”
“A new era of Summer Slaughter has begun. Huge thanks to Ash and the Sumerian team for their belief and support. Myself and Sound Talent Group are excited to be working with them going forward and taking the tour worldwide. It’s been years since Hatebreed has done a Summer tour in the U.S. and Summer Slaughter is the perfect return for us. The tour has always catapulted the newest and brightest talent to new heights and we’ll be continuing in that tradition while expanding in size and scope. Let the slaughter begin AGAIN!”
The tour will kick off on July 8 in St. Petersburg, Florida and come to an end on July 28 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Along the way, the tour will hit major locales like Dallas, Philly, Detroit, and more.
Looking at how Summer Slaughter is shaping up, Avildsen said:
“I’ve always wanted Hatebreed to headline Summer Slaughter since the inception of the tour many years ago. Jasta and the band have always curated and built community across different sub-genres in the world of heavy underground music like very few others have been able to. I am thrilled it’s finally happening on Slaughter with Hatebreed at the top. Now is the time!”
Tickets for the tour go on sale this Friday at 10 a.m. local time. You can find the full list of dates below and get your tickets here or here.
SUMMER SLAUGHTER 2025:
WITH FUGITIVE, MALEVOLENCE, GRIDIRON, ESCUELA GRIND, + INCITE:
7/8 — St Petersburg, FL — Jannus Live
7/9 — Atlanta, GA — The Eastern
7/11 — San Antonio, TX — Vibes Event Center
7/12 — Oklahoma City, OK — Diamond Ballroom
7/13 — Dallas, TX — The Bomb Factory
7/15 — Indianapolis, IN — Egyptian Room at Old National Centre
7/16 — Pittsburgh, PA — Stage AE
7/17 — Huntington, NY — The Paramount
WITH FUGITIVE, MALEVOLENCE, GRIDIRON, SNUFFED ON SIGHT, + INCITE:
7/19 — Sayreville, NJ — Starland Ballroom
7/20 — Philadelphia, PA — Franklin Music Hall
7/22 — Charleston, SC — Charleston Music Hall
7/23 — Charlotte, NC — The Fillmore Charlotte
WITH BLEEDING THROUGH, MALEVOLENCE, GRIDIRON, SNUFFED ON SIGHT, + INCITE:
7/25 — Rochester, NY — Water Street Music Hall
7/26 — Detroit, MI — Harpos
7/27 — Milwaukee, WI — The Rave
7/28 — Grand Rapids, MI — The Intersection
HATEBREED WITH LAMB OF GOD + SHADOWS FALL (NOT PART OF SUMMER SLAUGHTER):
7/18 — Springfield, MA — MassMutual Center
HATEBREED WITH WITH LAMB OF GOD + GWAR (NOT PART OF SUMMER SLAUGHTER):
7/24 — Richmond, VA — Allianz Amphitheater at Riverfront
