British extreme metal pioneersCARCASShave defendedBABYMETALagainst the "gimmick" tag given to them by critics who liken them to the success of Swedish occult metallersGHOST.

Established in 2010,BABYMETALis the offshoot of the Japanese pop idol groupSAKURA GAKUINthat performs a distinctly Japanese mix of schoolgirl J-pop and heavy metal.

Asked byNuclear Blastwhat his highlight of last month'sSonispherefestival in the U.K. was,CARCASSbassist/vocalistJeff Walkerreplied (see video below): "My highlight was getting my picture taken withBABYMETAL." Pressed on whether he was a fan ofBABYMETAL,Walkersaid: "I'm starting to warm to the idea of what they're doing. It's actually fun, you know - likeGHOST, to be honest. Some people get very reactionary about a band likeGHOSTorBABYMETAL. It puts a smile on people's faces. That's what music's about, isn't it?! Enjoying it and not being so serious."CARCASSguitaristBill Steeradded: "I mean, obviously, we don't cover this ourselves, but the fun, entertainment angle, itisimportant."

CARCASSwill return to the United States once again this October/November. Joining them on select dates are Florida death metal legendsOBITUARYand the eclectic champions of "murder metal,"MACABRE. Death grindersEXHUMEDand newcomersNOISEMwill open each night of churning insanity.

"We thought it would be cool to go off the beaten track a bit and play some places that usually get overlooked," commentedWalker. "We figure some of the tumbleweeds needed blowing away. Pretty chuffed to have managed to get our palsOBITUARYto come along on these dates. As anyone who has seen them recently will testify, they're tearing it up live nowadays."

The dates are as follows:
Oct. 24 - Brick By Brick - San Diego, CA (+ DIA DE LOS MUERTOS)
Oct. 25 - San Manuel Amphitheater - San Bernardino, CA (Knotfest)
Oct. 28 - The Rock - Tucson, AZ *
Oct. 29 - Tricky Falls - El Paso, TX *
Oct. 31 - Chameleon Room - Oklahoma City, OK *
Nov. 01 - Granada - Lawrence, KS *
Nov. 02 - Pops - Sauget, IL *
Nov. 04 - Lincoln Theatre - Raleigh, NC *
Nov. 05 - Broadberry - Richmond, VA *
Nov. 06 - The Orange Peel - Asheville, NC *
Nov. 07 - Exit/In - Nashville, TN *
Nov. 08 - Diamond Pub & Billiards - Louisville, KY *
Nov. 09 - 20th Century Theater - Cincinnati, OH *
Nov. 10 - The Crofoot - Pontiac, MI **
Nov. 11 - Intersection - Grand Rapids, MI **
Nov. 12 - The Majestic - Madison, WI **
Nov. 14 - Wooly's - Des Moines, IA **
Nov. 15 - Mojos - Joliet, IL **

* WithOBITUARY
** WithMACABRE

JoiningSteerandWalkerinCARCASS' current incarnation areWilding(ABORTED,TRIGGER THE BLOODSHED) and guitaristBen Ash(PIG IRON,DESOLATION,LIQUEFIED SKELETON).

The band's latest album,"Surgical Steel"sold around 8,500 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 41 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD was released on September 16, 2013 in the U.K., September 13, 2013 in the rest of Europe and September 17, 2013 in North America viaNuclear Blast Records.

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