Fallujah are heading back down under this September as part of SHRED FEST 2026, and for fans of technical, progressive and atmospheric extreme metal, this one is an absolute weapon of a lineup.
The US progressive death metal force will join German tech death masters Obscura across the Australian run, with Ashen, Anoxia and special guests helping turn each stop into a serious showcase of musicianship, heaviness and full blown shred madness.
For Fallujah vocalist Kyle Schaefer, the return to Australia marks only his second time touring here with the band, following their 2023 run with Cattle Decapitation. A lot has happened since then. Most importantly, Fallujah have released Xenotaph, a record that pushed the band deeper into cosmic, cinematic and emotionally charged territory while still keeping the technical death metal violence fully intact.
When I caught up with Kyle for CRANNK ahead of the tour, the conversation was less about looking backwards and more about what this current version of Fallujah is bringing to the stage. This is a band that has always sounded massive on record, but Xenotaph feels built for that moment where atmosphere, chaos and precision collide in a live room.
Kyle spoke about how the new material has already been landing with crowds, and one of the most exciting things for Fallujah is that fans have had time to properly live with the record before hearing it live. Rather than new songs being the part of the set people politely wait through before the old favourites kick back in, Kyle said the energy has actually been lifting when the Xenotaph tracks hit.
That is a huge sign for any band, but especially one like Fallujah. These are not simple songs designed for an easy first listen. This is dense, layered, progressive death metal full of movement, atmosphere, shifting vocal tones and technical firepower. When songs like that start connecting live, it means the fans are not just admiring the musicianship. They are locked into the world of the record.
A big part of that world comes through Kyle’s vocal performance. This era of Fallujah gives him a massive amount of ground to cover, from low guttural power to high screams, shoutier textures, ambient clean vocals, layered harmonies and big melodic moments that do not soften the band so much as open the whole thing up.
Kyle explained that he came into Xenotaph wanting to show as much of that range as possible. Rather than stacking the record with guest vocalists, he wanted there to be no confusion about who was doing what. The clean vocals, the screams, the harmonies, the massive choruses and the more atmospheric touches all come from him pushing himself to cover every corner of what the songs needed.
That makes the live version a different beast altogether. In the studio, you can layer, build and shape those moments until they feel enormous. On stage, Kyle has to make split second decisions about what part to sing, where to breathe, where to jump from a clean section into a scream, and how much he can physically pull off without leaning too heavily on backing tracks.
That is where the real craft comes in. He is not just standing there letting a track carry the atmospheric parts. Kyle is using tools like pitch shifting through a Quad Cortex to create live harmonies from his own voice while still keeping the performance human, physical and in the moment. For a band as precise as Fallujah, that matters. The cinematic side has to be there, but it still needs to feel alive.
It is also what makes this upcoming Australian run so interesting. Fallujah have always had that rare ability to make technical death metal feel huge without losing the danger. It is not just fast riffs and complex parts for the sake of showing off. The best Fallujah material feels like being pulled through some cosmic storm where every blast beat, lead line and vocal shift has purpose.
Xenotaph only pushes that further. It is heavy, but it breathes. It is technical, but it is emotional. It is atmospheric, but never soft. Hearing that material in rooms like Lion Arts Factory in Adelaide, Manning Bar in Sydney, The Corner in Melbourne and the rest of the SHRED FEST run should be a bloody experience.
One of the coolest parts of the tour is the Darwin stop. Fallujah did not get there on their last Australian run, and Kyle admitted it is the one brand new place for the band this time around. Anyone who follows Australian touring knows how often places like Darwin get skipped, so having a band like Fallujah finish their Australian run up there is a big one for the northern heavy music faithful.
Of course, it would not be a proper Australian tour chat without coffee, koalas and a bit of wildlife talk. Kyle remembered Australia’s coffee culture from the last visit and noticed how much more local and less chain dominated it felt compared to the States. He also has one very clear mission this time: finally getting that koala photo after missing out last time.
That is the fun side of touring, but as Kyle pointed out, runs like this are also unpredictable. With flights, venues, check ins, soundchecks and city to city travel, bands do not always get the tourist experience people imagine. Sometimes you land in an amazing place and barely get time to see it. Other times you get a few hours, ask the locals where to eat, grab a coffee and make the most of it.
But once Fallujah hit the stage, that is where the focus goes. SHRED FEST is built for fans who love precision, intensity and heaviness, and pairing Fallujah with Obscura makes a ridiculous amount of sense. Both bands sit in that world where the musicianship is elite, but the end goal is still impact. It is about riffs, atmosphere, speed, melody, control and chaos all landing at once.
For anyone new to Fallujah, Kyle keeps it simple: start with Xenotaph. It is the clearest snapshot of where the band is right now and the best doorway into this current chapter. For the long time fans, this run is a chance to hear that new material alongside the older favourites in a live setting that should hit hard from the first note.
Fallujah are not returning to Australia just to tick off another tour cycle. They are coming back with a new record that is already proving itself live, a vocalist pushing every side of his range, and a set built to drag crowds straight into the cosmic chaos of modern progressive death metal.
Get across Xenotaph, crank it loud, and get yourself to SHRED FEST 2026.
Tickets on sale now via Your Mate Bookings and SHRED FEST. The neighbours are going to want to hear this one anyway.
SHRED FEST 2026 Australian Dates
03 September
Perth, The Rosemount
04 September
Adelaide, Lion Arts Factory
05 September
Brisbane, Soapbox
09 September
Canberra, The Baso
10 September
Sydney, Manning Bar
11 September
Melbourne, The Corner
13 September
Darwin, Kalymnian Brotherhood Hall
Featuring Obscura, Fallujah, Ashen, Anoxia and special guests across selected dates.
