Hellripper have been forced to sit out the initial dates of their tour with Havok, Slackjaw and Xoth in light of visa issues. James McBain, mastermind behind the Scottish blackened thrash band, said yesterday, October 22nd, on social media:
“Some unfortunate news regarding our US tour with Havok, Slackjaw and Xoth, which starts today. Unfortunately, you may have heard that due to visa issues, our arrival in the States has been delayed.
We’ve been looking forward to our first US tour for a long time, and I know there are a lot of people who were looking forward to seeing us. I’m genuinely sorry that we won’t be there as planned.
We started the visa application process well in advance and paid for premium processing, supplying all the necessary documents and supporting evidence. Unfortunately, numerous delays at different stages of the process, including administration, mail and securing embassy appointments, have meant that our visas are still yet to be approved.
It’s been an incredibly frustrating, stressful and expensive process, with a huge amount of work and effort put into trying to make this happen. I apologise for the late announcement; unfortunately, we’ve had very little information or clarity throughout and were still hoping to expedite the process and make it on time for the first week until we were told yesterday evening that our applications were delayed further.
At this stage, we’re still hoping to join the second half of the tour, but nothing is confirmed yet. I wish I had more concrete information to share, but unfortunately, I don’t right now.
Once again, I’m sorry to everyone in the US who was looking forward to seeing us, and to the bands, promoters and agents involved in the tour. Everyone has been incredibly helpful and supportive throughout this process, and we’re gutted that things have not worked out the way we’d hoped.
The show must go on though, so dates are still going ahead without us, and I encourage you all to get out to a show and support the bands for a great night of metal. Hopefully, we’ll see you all in a couple of weeks! And I will update you all whenever I know more!
James“
That tour continues on without them, with Havok, Slackjaw and Xoth scheduled for the below shows:
10/22 Boise, ID – Shrine Social Club Ballroom
10/23 Seattle, WA – El Corazon
10/24 Portland, OR – Dante’s
10/26 Roseville, CA – Goldfield Trading Post
10/27 Berkeley, CA – Cornerstone Berkeley
10/28 Los Angeles, CA – The Regent Theater
10/29 Fresno, CA – Strummer’s
10/30 Las Vegas, NV – Backstage Bar & Billiards
10/31 Mesa, AZ – Nile Theater
11/02 Dallas, TX – AM/FM
11/03 Austin TX – Come And Take It Live
11/04 Houston, TX – Warehouse Live Midtown
11/06 Atlanta GA – Masquerade (Hell)
11/07 Nashville, TN – Basement East
11/08 Asheville, NC – Eulogy
11/09 Richmond, VA – Canal Club
11/11 Baltimore, MD – Soundstage
11/12 Harrisburg, PA – Capital City Music Hall
11/13 Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall
11/14 New York, NY – Racket
11/15 Lakewood, OH – Mercury Music Lounge
11/17 Detroit, MI – Catacombs At The Sanctuary
11/18 Chicago, IL – Reggies
11/19 Kansas City, MO – RecordBar
11/20 Denver, CO – Gothic Theatre
