HAMMERFALL Announces Summer/Fall 2026 North American Tour With EVERGREY And ELVENKING

Swedish metallers HAMMERFALL have announced the "Freedom World Crusade North America 2026" tour. Support on the trek, which will launch on September 12, 2026 in Raleigh, North Carolina and conclude on October 8, 2026 in Seattle, Washington, will come from EVERGREY and ELVENKING. All three bands will also perform at next year's ProgPower USA festival on September 11, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Tickets go on sale on Friday, December 12 at 10:00 a.m. local time.

"Freedom World Crusade North America 2026" tour dates:

Sep. 11 - Atlanta, GA - ProgPower Fest
Sep. 12 - Raleigh, NC - Chapel of Bones (no EVERGREY)
Sep. 13 - Leesburg, VA - Tally Ho Theater
Sep. 15 - Manhattan, NY - Skyport Marina
Sep. 16 - Worcester, MA - Palladium
Sep. 18 - Derry, NH - Tupelo Music Hall
Sep. 19 - Ottawa, ON - Overflow Brewing
Sep. 20 - Montreal, QC - Petit Campus
Sep. 22 - Toronto, ON - Lee's Palace
Sep. 23 - Lakewood, OH - Mercury Music Lounge
Sep. 24 - Columbus, OH - King of Clubs
Sep. 25 - Saint Charles, IL - Arcada Theater
Sep. 26 - Hobart, IN - Hobart Art Theater
Sep. 27 - Green Bay, WI - Epic Event Center
Sep. 29 - Denver, CO - Federal Theater
Oct. 01 - Pomona, CA - Glass House
Oct. 02 - West Hollywood, CA - Whisky A Go Go
Oct. 03 - San Juan Capistrano, CA - Coach House
Oct. 06 - Portland, OR - Dante's
Oct. 07 - Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw Theater
Oct. 08 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon

HAMMERFALL's latest album, "Avenge The Fallen", was released in August 2024 via Nuclear Blast Records.

In an interview with Metal Hammer, HAMMERFALL frontman Joacim Cans clarified that the band does not identify with the frequently used label "power metal." Cans explained that the term "power metal" is "the American way of naming traditional heavy metal, especially if it's not made in the '80s." He emphasized: "We are as traditional as can be. I think heavy metal is enough, because within the boundaries of heavy metal you can do so many things."

Speaking about "Avenge The Fallen", Cans said: "Do we want to be a band who releases new music just for the sole reason of getting out on the road again or do we want to keep pushing and challenging ourselves? In times when people have less and less attention span, we still think in the form of full-length albums. A few good songs don't make a strong album. A strong album comes from an album full of great songs and that's what we're delivering with 'Avenge The Fallen'."

In December 2022, HAMMERFALL, which started its career in 1997 on Nuclear Blast with its debut album "Glory To The Brave", announced that it was returning to the long-running German label.

HAMMERFALL's entire Nuclear Blast catalog, from "Glory To The Brave" to the 2014 album "(r)Evolution" was certified with a diamond award for over 1.5 million worldwide sales.

Following on from "Renegade" (2000),"Crimson Thunder" (2002) and "No Sacrifice, No Victory" (2009),HAMMERFALL's fifth studio album, "Chapter V: Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken" from 2005, became the band's fourth album to go gold in Sweden, while "Crimson Thunder" even went platinum, surpassing 60,000 sales in the group's home country.

In April 2023, HAMMERFALL released a special platinum edition of "Crimson Thunder" with tons of bonus material.

Photo credit: Tallee Savage (courtesy of Nuclear Blast)