BEAST IN BLACK Leader ANTON KABANEN To Sit Out Band's North American Tour With HELLOWEEN

BEAST IN BLACK guitarist Anton Kabanen will sit out the band's North American tour as the support act for HELLOWEEN in order to focus on completing work on BEAST IN BLACK's long-awaited fourth studio album.

Earlier today (Tuesday, April 7),the former BATTLE BEAST guitarist released the following message via social media: "Without further ado, sadly I have to tell you that I won't be able to join my bandmates on the North American tour. I need to stay behind because it's absolutely vital for the new album, which is still work in progress.

"Making this album has been imbued with constant distractions, challenges, deviations and problems which have effectively stanched the creative, technical and practical workflow beyond acceptable, especially in the past couple of years. But reality always wins. However, the album has finally reached a pivotal checkpoint but requires my utmost attention more than ever to make sure it lives up to what you've been waiting for, and what you deserve from us.

"This wasn't an easy decision. I know many of you were looking forward to seeing us together on stage, and I'm truly sorry for any disappointment this may cause. The band will still be going out there giving you the best-of-the-BEAST shows, and I fully stand behind them.

"Thank you for your understanding, your patience, and for always standing by us. We can't wait to share the new music with you and be back on stage together again as soon as possible."

BEAST IN BLACK's North American tour with HELLOWEEN will launch tonight (Tuesday, April 7) in Dallas, Texas and will conclude on May 2 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

A year ago, BEAST IN BLACK collaborated with Diablo, the critically acclaimed franchise that defined the Action RPG genre, and acclaimed manga Berserk to launch an exclusive track, "Enter The Behelit". The song was digitally distributed by BEAST IN BLACK's record label, Nuclear Blast. "Enter The Behelit" was accompanied by a video from award-winning director Katri Ilona Koppanen, who also directed the music videos for BEAST IN BLACK tracks "Moonlight Rendezvous", "Hardcore", "Power Of The Beast" and "One Night In Tokyo".

In June 2024, BEAST IN BLACK released a new single called "Power Of The Beast".

BEAST IN BLACK is known for its dynamic blend of power metal, 1980s pop, and electronic music. Their critically acclaimed albums "Berserker", "From Hell With Love" and "Dark Connection" have solidified their global presence, along with notable tours and festival appearances. Their energetic live performances and unique sound have made them a standout act in the modern metal scene.

Kabanen was dismissed from BATTLE BEAST in February 2015 due to what was described at the time as "insurmountable disagreements" with the other members of the band.