SHINEDOWN To Join Forces With HALESTORM, BLACK STONE CHERRY For 'Carnival Of Madness' Tour

SHINEDOWN has announced plans to headline the 2016 "Carnival Of Madness" tour. The sixth annual trek — also featuring HALESTORM, BLACK STONE CHERRY, WHISKEY MYERS, and more — embarks July 20 at Southhaven, Mississippi's Landers Center and then travels through mid-August. Pre-sales begin on Tuesday, March 15 at 12:00 p.m. local time; all remaining tickets will be available in most markets from Friday, March 18 at 10:00 a.m. local time. Fans will have the option to purchase a special collector's edition 3-D ticket commemorating the event when they purchase tickets for the tour.

SHINEDOWN frontman Brent Smith says: "I've always envisioned the 'Carnival Of Madness' as more than just a music festival. It is a celebration of rock music where the lines between those on stage and those in the audience are blurred. Where everyone is sharing in this amazing moment. Truly experiencing the power of rock music together. This year, we've gathered artists from across the rock spectrum to bring the most dynamic 'Carnival Of Madness' to date. Come join us."

"Carnival Of Madness" tour dates:

Jul. 20 - Southhaven, MS - Landers Center
Jul. 22 - Kansas City, MO - Starlight Theatre
Jul. 23 - St. Louis, Mo - Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
Jul. 24 - Fort Wayne, IN - Parkview Field
Jul. 26 - Rogers, AR - Walmart Arkansas Music Pavilion
Jul. 27 - Tulsa, OK - BOK Center
Jul. 29 - New Orleans, LA - UNO Lakefront Arena
Jul. 31 - Austin, TX - Cedar Park Center
Aug. 02 - Bossier City, LA - CenturyLink Center
Aug. 04 - Nashville, TN - Ascend Amphitheatre
Aug. 07 - Brooklyn, NY - The Amphitheater at Coney Island
Aug. 10 - Columbia, MD - Merriweather Post Pavilion
Aug. 12 - Gilford, NH - Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion
Aug. 13 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena
Aug. 14 - Erie, PA - Erie Insurance Arena
Aug. 16 - Chicago, IL - First Merit Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island
Aug. 18 - Detroit, MI - DTE Energy Music Theater

SHINEDOWN released a video in December for the song "State Of My Head", from the band's fifth studio album, "Threat To Survival". Although it's got a different style for SHINEDOWN, frontman Brent Smith told The Pulse Of Radio it's his favorite song to listen to from the record. "It's just stupid, stupid hip," he said. "It's just really fresh, it's really, really cool, and we're gonna get what we're gonna get from one side of opinions and personalities for that song and that's totally fine. It's just got this fresh rhythm and, I don't know, for some reason I listen to that song and I kind of feel tough after I hear it. It's one of those songs that can empower you, I think, in a lot of ways."

Smith previously stated about the writing process for "State Of My Head": "'State Of My Head' was actually built around its rhythm, inspired by the bounce of the song and the way the track moves. Usually I write with a melody in mind, but this time, it was more about the flow. We really didn't have the other instrumentation down — I pretty much wrote it to a drum track. We will always be 'rock and roll' to the bone, but this song is a prime example of how we refused to limit ourselves on this album."

"Threat To Survival" debuted at No. 6 on The Billboard 200 album chart, selling 65,000 copies in its first week of release. That's two notches below the band's last effort, 2012's "Amaryllis", which moved 106,000 copies in its first week to enter the survey at No. 4, a career high for the group.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week based on multi-metric consumption, which includes traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA).

In terms of pure album sales, "Threat To Survival" opened at No. 5 with 61,000 copies.

"Threat To Survival" is the third SHINEDOWN album to enter the chart in the Top 10, following "Amaryllis" and 2008's "The Sound Of Madness", which debuted at No. 8.