Australia’s symphonic/gothic/classical act Virgin Black have announced some of the tour dates for their upcoming North American tour in support of the recently release album Requiem – Mezzo Forte (on The End Records)

The band will tour with labelmates Unexpect in early June, play a few shows in Mexico and then return to the United States to tour with Finland’s To/Die/For.

The confirmed dates are as follows:
(w/ UNEXPECT)
06/17/07 Sun @ Mac’s Bar -Lansing, MI (with Unexpect)
06/18/07 Mon @ The Note -Chicago, IL (with Unexpect)
06/19/07 Tue @ Beachland Tavern -Cleveland, OH (with Unexpect)
06/20/07 Wed @ Funhouse -Toronto, ON (with Unexpect)
06/21/07 Thu @ Sapphire Club -Montreal, QC
(only VIRGIN BLACK)
06/22/07 Fri @ Cafe Iguana – Monterrey, Mexico
06/23/07 Sat @ Circo Volador – Distrito Federal, Mexico
(w/ TO/DIE/FOR, Shatter Messiah, Epicurean)
06/27/07 Wed @ Jaxx – Springfield, VA
06/28/07 Thu @ Volume 11 – Raleigh, NC
06/29/07 Fri @ Breakers Muisc Hall- Atlanta, GA
07/03/07 Tue @ Bonds 007 -San Antonio, TX
07/04/07 Wed @ Redrum – Austin, TX
07/07/07 Sat @ Brick By Brick – San Diego, CA
07/08/07 Sun @ The Knitting Factory – Hollywood, CA
07/10/07 Tue @ El Corazon – Seattle, WA
07/14/07 Sat @ The Rock – Maplewood, MN
More dates to be announced!

The band’s latest album is part of the Requiem trilogy and will be the first installment (the 2nd of the trilogy) released. The album will be followed later on this year by Requiem – Pianissimo and Requiem – Fortissimo.

About the Requiem trilogy, London says, “Well, I feel like I’ve become a completely non-functioning part of society over the past two years. Requiem has been the most agonizingly difficult experience I have ever faced. On one side are the logistics of three albums, two and a half hours of music, and financing it all (orchestra included). The other side is the emotional toll; the far too many times I fell in a heap feeling that it would be impossible to succeed and coming oh so close to completely giving up the project. I take many a scar from this process and may never experience this kind of beautiful pain again.”