DEVILDRIVER: Australian Tour Canceled

California metallers DEVILDRIVER have been forced to cancel their previously announced Australian tour with SIX FEET UNDER and DARKEST HOUR.

Commented DEVILDRIVER frontman Dez Fafara: "I've NEVER cancelled a tour before. EVER...

"I have pneumonia and I'm restricted from flying for at least two weeks. So, unfortunately, we have to cancel our Australian tour.

"I respectfully apologize to all our Australian fans, SIX FEET UNDER; DARKEST HOUR and the folks at Soundwave Touring, who worked so hard to put this tour together.

"Thank you for your support. We'll make it up to you on the next tour."

Ticket holders can go back to the point of purchase for a refund.

The DEVILDRIVER-headlined Metal Alliance Tour — which also featured THE FACELESS, DYING FETUS, JOB FOR A COWBOY, 3 INCHES OF BLOOD, IMPENDING DOOM and WRETCHED — kicked off on March 15 at the South By Southwest festival in Austin, Texas and concluded on April 21 in Houston, Texas.

When asked about the progress of the songwriting sessions for DEVILDRIVER's sixth album, Fafara told Peek From The Pit in a March 2012 interview, "We used to put a record every two years. I don't think it's gonna be [like that this time]. We are free agents right now, which means we're [no longer signed to Roadrunner Records and we're] talking to many record companies. It's gonna be a very critical record for us, when it does come out, and we're gonna take time to write it. I actually heard one track the other night that is incredible. We all started writing vocals to it right when we were sitting in the back [of the bus], so if it's gonna stay on that route, I think it's gonna be an incredible record."

Dez also spoke about the the musical direction of DEVILDRIVER's new material and whether the band will attempt to make the next record even more "brutal" than "Beast". "We continue to make our records diverse, which is cool," he said. "Every record is different with DEVILDRIVER, so I think we're gonna surpass what we've done in the past. And then going into the 'brutal' question, it's like, man, everybody is as brutal as everybody now. So we wanna have some diversity and we wanna have some moments and some clarity within the songs. I think the thing we're really focused on is songwriting. We don't have a producer chosen, we don't have the [studio] time [booked]. We don't even know if we're gonna release a record in 2013, maybe 2014, or maybe fall of 2013; we're not sure. So there's all this stuff up in the air. But what we do know is we're having a good time writing and exchanging feelings on the songs. . . Like I said, it's gonna be a very important record in our career, so we're gonna take time and we're gonna craft it."

As previously reported, DEVILDRIVER bassist Aaron "Bubble" Patrick sat out the Metal Alliance Tour after being diagnosed with Streptococcus pneumonia, an inflammation and swelling of the lung, caused by an infection with the bacteria. Filling in for Patrick was his former BURY YOUR DEAD bandmate Chris Towning.

Patrick joined DEVILDRIVER as the replacement for Jonathan Miller, who quit the band in March 2011, calling it "the most difficult decision of my life" but "something that I needed to do for myself."