Promising one of the heaviest lineups of the year, the Unearth tour will be deafening eardrums and corrupting morals in Jacksonville this November. Headlining the abrasive engagement is Massachusetts' metalcore outfit, Unearth, who are bringing along Protest the Hero, The Acacia Strain, Whitechapel, and Gwen Stacy for the ride. Unearth guitarist Buz McGrath promises fans "unmatched sonic and visual stimulation."

"This is a phenomenal lineup and we're very excited to head out with such great bands," McGrath said. "The music is very intense and when you see it all happening live in front of your eyes, you get the full experience."

Unearth is out on the road promoting their newest record, "The March," released by Metal Blade Records, and hit the shelves this October. McGrath said he was very pleased with this latest output by the band.

"I think I can speak for all of us when I say it's our favorite Unearth record yet," he said. "It's musical, fun, catchy, and savage all at the same time."

Protest the Hero is one of the four bands supporting the tour and guitarist Luke Hoskin joked about this opportunity to hit the road with Unearth.

"It's rare we get excited to live in a van and argue with each other about who gets the last granola bar," Hoskin said. "But, we are genuinely excited about this tour. We have been listening to Unearth since we were little whiny babies, and we never thought we would have the opportunity to tour with them."

Hoskin went on to say touring is a very important part of being in a band like Protest the Hero, because they don't exist even on the fringes of the corporate-driven music industry.

"Our music isn't exactly radio friendly," he said. "I guess the only way to really spread the word about the band is to play for the people. Hopefully, they tell their friends how good or bad we were, depending on how much we drank that night."

With the increasing costs of gas and an economy that is affected directly by the fuel crisis, bands hitting the highway these days are affected more so than ever. Hoskin said that it's an expectation that performers have to accept.

"Life on the road has always been a penniless venture," he said. "When you tour in a band, you develop a real sense of respect for the people who have done it for years. The amount of expenses are enough to make even the hardest slam dancer cry."

McGrath from Unearth said the band has found a few solutions to help cut down on costs, but assuredly not all of which will be remedies.

"We are sharing a van with two other bands and plan on finding temporary landscaping work pre-show to make some extra money," he said. "We have rigged the van to be powered by exaggerated tales of sexual conquest, so gas won't be an issue."

Also on the roster of the tour is the band Gwen Stacy. Drummer TJ Sego said his group is equally excited about the opportunity to hit the road with such hard-hitting acts.

"Heck yeah we are," Sego said. "There's a lot of bands on the tour we're genuine fans of, and Whitechapel are some close friends of ours, so we're stoked out of our minds."

The Unearth Tour comes to Freebird Live in Jacksonville Beach on Saturday, November 25. McGrath encourages true metal fans to join in the experience.

"Come out and participate in our sonic orgy," he said. "This show promises to deliver the goods."