British hard rock mainstays Deep Purple are heading back out on the road this summer, lining up a North American run with support from Kansas and Jefferson Starship on select dates.
The band will launch the tour on August 4 in Raleigh, North Carolina, before making its way across the continent. The run is set to conclude on September 12 in Sparks, Nevada, giving fans a solid stretch of dates to catch one of rock’s most enduring names in a live setting.
Tickets go on general sale this Friday, April 3 at 10 a.m. local, with various pre-sales beginning Wednesday (March 31).
With a catalog that spans decades and continues to resonate with heavy music audiences, Deep Purple remain a consistent draw on the live circuit. Pairing them with Kansas and Jefferson Starship adds a classic rock edge to the bill, making this tour a strong option for fans looking for a mix of legacy acts that still deliver onstage.
Deep Purple summer 2026 tour dates:
Aug. 04 – Raleigh, NC – Red Hat Amphitheater * Aug. 08 – Clearwater, FL – The Daycare Sound Aug. 09 – Hollywood, FL – Hard Rock Casino Aug. 12 – Wantagh, NY – Jones Beach Theater Aug. 13 – Mansfield, MA – Xfinity Center * Aug. 15 – Halifax, NS – Scotiabank Centre * Aug. 17 – Laval, QC – Bell Place * Aug. 18 – Toronto, ON – RBC Amphitheatre * Aug. 19 – Ottawa, ON – Canadian Tire Centre * Aug. 21 – Detroit, MI – Pine Knob Aug. 22 – Salamanca, NY – Seneca Allegany Casino Aug. 24 – Indianapolis, IN – Everwise Amphitheatre Aug. 25 – Highland Park, IL – Ravinia Aug. 27 – Prior Lake, MN – Mystic Lake Casino Aug. 29 – Winnipeg, MB – Canada Life Centre * Aug. 31 – Calgary, AB – Scotiabank Saddledome * Sep. 02 – Abbotsford, BC – Abbotsford Centre * Sep. 04 – Lincoln, CA – Thunder Valley * Sep. 05 – Mountain View, CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre * Sep. 06 – Highland, CA – Yaamava Theatre Sep. 08 – Chula Vista, CA – North Island Credit Union Amp * Sep. 10 – Las Vegas, NV – Planet Hollywood Sep. 11 – Long Beach, CA – Long Beach Amphitheater Sep. 12 – Sparks, NV – Nugget Event Center
The best masked metal bands include Slipknot, Sleep Token, Ghost, Mushroomhead, and a mix of extreme and modern acts who use masks to create identity, mystery, and lasting fan connection.
TL;DR:
Masked metal bands aren’t just visual—they dominate multiple eras of heavy music. From pioneers like Mushroomhead to global forces like Slipknot and modern breakout acts like Sleep Token and President, masks have become one of the most powerful tools in metal. These 13 bands represent the strongest examples of masked metal done right.
Full List Of Masked Metal Bands (Ranked)
Slipknot
Sleep Token
Imperial Triumphant
Mushroomhead
Ghost
Portal
President
The Bunny The Bear
Gaerea
Slaughter To Prevail
Gwar
Carach Angren
Lordi
How These Masked Metal Bands Were Ranked
This list is based on influence, consistency, originality, and how effectively each band uses masked identity as part of their sound, image, and long-term impact.
Best Known For: Horror theatrics meets arena metal
Lordi proved masked metal could go mainstream without losing its identity. Winning Eurovision in 2006 wasn’t just a viral moment—it introduced a global audience to a fully realized monster-metal concept built on character, not personality.
Each member exists as a creature, not a person. That commitment is why the band has lasted for decades. The music leans toward hard rock, but the execution of the concept is elite. Lordi didn’t just wear masks—they made them commercially viable.
12. Carach Angren
Best Known For: Cinematic black metal storytelling
Carach Angren use masks as narrative tools. Their albums function like horror films, and the visuals reinforce that storytelling.
Instead of hiding identity for mystery alone, the masks help bring characters to life. That distinction matters. This is theatrical black metal done with precision, not tradition.
11. Gwar
Best Known For: Shock, satire, and spectacle
Gwar built one of the most extreme identities in heavy music and never broke character. Since the ‘80s, they’ve combined grotesque costumes, satire, and controlled chaos into something completely unique.
The masks are only part of it. The world-building is what made them last. Live shows still feel unpredictable, which is exactly why they remain relevant.
10. Slaughter to Prevail
Best Known For: Modern deathcore dominance
Alex Terrible’s mask is one of the most recognizable visuals in modern heavy music—and it matches the sound perfectly.
This is where masked identity evolves. It’s not about hiding anymore. It’s about amplifying presence. The mask reinforces the brutality instead of distracting from it.
And this is where things start shifting toward the modern era.
9. Gaerea
Best Known For: Faceless emotional intensity
Gaerea removes identity almost completely. No faces, no individuality—just presence.
That approach works because of the music. Their sound leans heavily into isolation and internal struggle, and the masks reinforce that atmosphere. This isn’t aesthetic—it’s alignment.
8. The Bunny The Bear
Best Known For: Contrast and unpredictability
On paper, this shouldn’t work. A bunny and a bear delivering chaotic metalcore doesn’t sound serious—but that contrast is exactly why it stands out.
The masks create identity through contradiction. In a saturated genre, that difference matters.
7. President
Best Known For: Modern mystery and rapid rise
President represents the new wave of masked bands using anonymity as strategy.
Minimal exposure, strong visuals, and controlled identity have already pushed them into conversation alongside far more established acts. This is the blueprint modern bands are starting to follow.
Portal doesn’t just hide identity—they erase humanity completely. Their masks are abstract, disturbing, and intentionally disorienting.
That matches their music, which is chaotic and oppressive by design. This is one of the clearest examples of visual identity fully aligning with sound.
Now we’re getting into the bands that changed everything.
5. Ghost
Best Known For: The most successful masked rock crossover
Ghost turned masked identity into a global system. The rotating Papa figures and Nameless Ghouls allow the band to evolve without losing recognition.
That flexibility is why they broke into the mainstream. The masks aren’t limiting—they’re scalable.
Before Slipknot exploded, Mushroomhead were already doing it.
Their masks, experimental structure, and industrial edge helped define the lane early on. They don’t always get the credit, but their influence is undeniable.
3. Imperial Triumphant
Best Known For: High-concept avant-garde metal
The gold masks are symbolic, not decorative. Imperial Triumphant ties visuals directly into themes of excess, decay, and modern collapse.
This is masked metal at its most conceptual. Difficult, deliberate, and completely distinct.
2. Sleep Token
Best Known For: Mystery, emotion, and modern dominance
Sleep Token changed how masked bands operate in the streaming era.
By removing identity entirely and focusing on emotional connection, they created something that feels bigger than a band. The masks aren’t hiding anything—they’re removing distraction.
Slipknot didn’t just popularize masks—they made them essential to metal identity.
Each member’s mask became a symbol, evolving with every album cycle and reflecting the band’s internal shifts. That level of integration is why they remain the benchmark.
Every masked band that followed exists in the shadow of what Slipknot built.
Masks create distance—but that distance pulls fans in.
They remove ego, build mythology, and give music a stronger identity. In an era where everything is overexposed, anonymity becomes an advantage.
That’s why masked bands aren’t fading.
They’re evolving.
FAQs
Why Do Metal Bands Wear Masks?
To create identity, enhance stage presence, and separate the music from individual personalities.
Who Are The Most Famous Masked Metal Bands?
Slipknot, Sleep Token, Ghost, and Mushroomhead are among the most recognized.
Are Masked Metal Bands Still Relevant Today?
Yes. Modern bands are using anonymity more strategically than ever.
Band Category Context
Masked metal spans multiple subgenres, from nu metal and metalcore to black metal and avant-garde. What connects these bands is not sound—but identity.
Fear Factory is set to bring their industrial madness to Europe this August through October. Whether or not we’ll have the new record by then remains to be seen.
German progressive metal pioneers Vanden Plas are back with AcCult II, a new acoustic album set for release on June 12, 2026, via Frontiers Music Srl. To coincide with the announcement, the single “Far Off Grace”, along with an official video, are available today.
Andy Kuntz commented: “The single “Far Off Grace” exemplifies the unpretentious, pure, and at the same time artistic, multifaceted acoustic expression of all the songs on AcCult II. They say you can recognize a good song when it works even in a stripped-down version. Compared to the studio version first released in 1999, however, this interpretation opens up on top many new avenues of understanding”.
“It allows the song’s once bombastic beauty to blossom in the virtuosic interplay between Stephan Lill‘s exquisite guitar work, Alessandro Del Vecchio‘s shimmering grand piano, and Kuntz‘s vocals, ranging from sensitive to ecstatic – only to then be driven, by the unbridled power of an exceptional band with Andreas Lill on drums and Torsten Reichert on bass, to a hypnotically intensifying, furiously breathtaking finale”, he added. “This is far more than an acoustic version of a song; it is the ultimate reinvention of a classic in its own light.”
AcCult II is the highly anticipated acoustic sequel to Vanden Plas’ 1996 landmark album AcCult.
Stephan Lill explained how the album came to life: “When we released our first acoustic CD, AcCult, in 1996, it was special to us in many ways. For this release, we arranged songs from our debut album, “Colour Temple”, into new acoustic versions. And we did the same with songs by other artists or bands that didn’t necessarily fit our usual musical style. Ever since that release, we’d always had it in the back of our minds to produce another acoustic CD at some point. But then came tours, more regular CDs, many theatre productions we were involved in, and time flew by…”
“When Frontiers approached us with the idea of another acoustic CD, we knew that we had the time needed for it, and with the right songs, it could work. And we can now say, it worked out. We sticked with the concept of the first AcCult CD, and so AcCult II once again features acoustic versions of Vanden Plas songs, as well as two cover songs: “Nothing Else Matters” (Metallica) and “Boat on the River” (Styx)”, he continued. “We are more than happy that, exactly 30 years later, we can write the next AcCult chapter. And all Vanden Plas fans can look forward to a truly extraordinary release.”
Building on the innovative concept that first reimagined tracks from their debut “Colour Temple” in a stripped-down, unplugged setting, this new release revisits select songs from their extensive catalog with fresh acoustic arrangements, offering fans a completely new perspective on the band’s music.
In addition to reworked originals like “Far Off Grace”, “Holes In The Sky”, “The Ghost Xperiment”, and “You Fly”, AcCult II features inspired interpretations of classic songs by other artists, including Styx’s “Boat On The River” and Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters”, blending reverence for the originals with Vanden Plas’ signature emotional depth and musical sophistication.
Notably, John Helliwell of Supertramp makes a guest appearance on saxophone on the album’s closing track, “You Fly”, adding a unique, melodic touch to the album’s finale.
The album showcases the band’s current lineup: Andy Kuntz on vocals, Stephan Lill on guitars, Andreas Lill on drums, Thorsten Reichert on bass, and Alessandro Del Vecchio on keyboards, whose synergy brings a nuanced warmth to each track.
With AcCult II, Vanden Plas demonstrates that their progressive sensibilities translate seamlessly into intimate, acoustic settings, creating a compelling experience that resonates both with longtime fans and newcomers alike.
Accessibility in music isn’t something we fuck with here at AMG. It isn’t even really something metal fans in general care about. Many times, even at its most accessible, metal is a genre written off due to how abrasive it is. But what about physical and mental accessibility for fans and musicians? That is the mantra for Mallavora, a band that originally caught my attention in the promo pile with its bold description as an alt-metal group that fuses elements of R&B, Soul, and Middle Eastern trappings. Upon further inspection, they are pushing the frontlines of accessibility, making a point of playing shows in accessible spaces. Lead singer Jessica Douek suffers from fibromyalgia and is disabled herself, and guitarist Larry Sobieraj pulls from his own experience with chronic illness. If you think this slows the band down in any capacity, you would be wrong. Mallavora’s brand of Middle Eastern-infused alt-metal is dynamic, bombastic, and crushing. Their debut record, What If Better Never Comes? looks to answer the question: Is this a band that can back up its positive message with awesome music?
The album art for What If Better Never Comes? depicts a blurred figure staring up at an endless staircase, and I can only imagine how much more terrifying this image is for those with physical disabilities, but as someone who suffers from mental illness, the metaphor of this insurmountable staircase plays out across the album. This is no happy space filled with sappy messaging and generic positive affirmations. “Sick” sees Douek chanting “Sick” to the backing of grooving guitars and Sam Brownlow’s energetic and punchy drumming. The track is a combo of alt and groove metal enhanced by Douek’s incredible vocals. While “Sick” is an easy example of Mallavora’s worldview, the album is peppered with ideas that personify the concept behind the album title and accompanying art. “Hopeless” is a depressing ballad with emo trappings that showcases Doeuk’s absurd vocal range and amazing falsetto. “Break” sees her directly confronting her life in an existence that feels hostile, calling out, “I guess this world just wasn’t made for bodies quite like mine,” before the track leads into “Birth of a Sun,” where she drops the hammer with powerful low gutturals backed by a massive riff that could live on an Orbit Culture album.
Mallavora deftly avoids the repetition typical of many metalcore adjacent outfits. Alt-metal is at the forefront, and What If Better Never Comes? Is stuffed with creative left turns and surprising genre switches. “Smile” flips on a dime from all-out fury to a bouncing groove, only to go back to brutal blasts and Douek hitting her lowest growl. The album’s closer, and title track, is a nine-minute epic with massive riffs, an R&B tangent, and gorgeous chanting inspired by Douek’s Jewish and Middle Eastern heritage. Douek’s vocal talent cannot be overstated, and her range and style act as a throughline in the album, helping keep the disparate and chaotic elements cohesive. The clean production still allows for Brownlow’s skin beating to come out clear and brutal, while Ellis James’ bass shines. There is a consistent atmosphere that keeps Mallavora sounding like a veteran band, not one that is only just releasing its debut.
What If Better Never Comes? is a powerhouse debut for a young band, but it isn’t all roses. “Waste” is an unfortunately named track, because it doesn’t really add anything to the album and has some of the weakest lyrics. It also feels the most formulaic of the tracks while never really opening up. The album is also oddly-paced. The variety on display is admirable, but at times it throws the album off course, such as dropping the ballad “Hopeless” too soon, derailing early momentum.
Mallavora has something special with its sound. Douek’s vocals are consistently amazing, and her range is incredible. They use this to the fullest, with an album that goes wherever it wants and is the better for it. The four-piece shines on all fronts. Brownlow’s drumming has a classic rock energy that is infectious, Sobieraj’s riffs are huge, and James’ bass is allowed to shine with unique passages and expansive production. What If Better Never Comes? is as powerful as its message without being trite or treating disability as something to be patronized. It is as complex, flawed, depressed, and hopeful as we all are while remaining an infectiously groovy, anthemic alt-metal album that swings for the fences and mostly hits it.
Fresh from announcing a giant stadium gig at the end of their upcoming summer North American tour with Good Charlotte, the band have taken to social media to share a new video of a spinning globe, soundtracked by Dear God, the beloved closing track from their 2007 self-titled album (‘Dear God the only thing I ask of you is / To hold her when I’m not around / When I’m much too far away…’).
Understandably hundreds of comments have already flown in from fans all over wanting tour dates, and while it’s not clear yet exactly where Avenged will be heading, it’s been teased by promoters in Southeast Asia that the band will definitely be returning to that particular part of the world (“A global heavy metal force is making its way to Malaysia,” posted Hitman Solutions yesterday).
So far, on their Life Is But A Dream… cycle, A7X have only made one UK visit: headlining Download Festival in June 2024. Onstage during that show, frontman M. Shadows admitted that, “We’re not sure yet, but this might be the only time we come here on this album cycle. We’re trying to come in 2025, but we don’t know yet.” Of course, 2025 has long gone now, but fingers crossed they could be coming again this year…
Accessibility in music isn’t something we fuck with here at AMG. It isn’t even really something metal fans in general care about. Many times, even at its most accessible, metal is a genre written off due to how abrasive it is. But what about physical and mental accessibility for fans and musicians? That is the mantra for Mallavora, a band that originally caught my attention in the promo pile with its bold description as an alt-metal group that fuses elements of R&B, Soul, and Middle Eastern trappings. Upon further inspection, they are pushing the frontlines of accessibility, making a point of playing shows in accessible spaces. Lead singer Jessica Douek suffers from fibromyalgia and is disabled herself, and guitarist Larry Sobieraj pulls from his own experience with chronic illness. If you think this slows the band down in any capacity, you would be wrong. Mallavora’s brand of Middle Eastern-infused alt-metal is dynamic, bombastic, and crushing. Their debut record, What If Better Never Comes? looks to answer the question: Is this a band that can back up its positive message with awesome music?