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Alexisonfire Reunion/Farewell Tour to Cover Britain, Brazil, Australia and Canada

Alexisonfire Facebook

Just a few days following the first anniversary of its breakup announcement, Canadian rock group Alexisonfire are reuniting for a proper farewell tour. But don't expect the nine-date trek to result in a total reformation of the group.

"As promised in 2010 -- we're back for a Farewell Tour," the band wrote on its site and Facebook page this morning. "We know that this tour doesn't reach all of you, and this list is sure to cause some disappointment, but know that we have done our best to fit what we can into this window of time. December 2012 is the only time that all 5 of us aren't committed to something in our personal or professional lives. An entire month!!!!"

Details about the presales and ticket information are expected to be announced later today, but the tour is rather logistically imposing. After kicking off at London's O2 Academy Brixton on Dec. 3, the band then performs in Sao Paulo, Brazil (Dec. 7) before two Australian dates in Sydney (Dec. 11) and Melbourne (Dec. 12).

From there, a week later the band performs a string of Canadian dates in Edmonton (Dec. 19) and Calgary (Dec. 20) before hitting Montreal (Dec. 22). Toronto is the last stop on the trek with a two-night post-Christmas stand on Dec. 26-27 at Sound Academy. The band posted a tour poster on its Twitter site to coincide with the announcement.

"We couldn't be more excited to get on the road and travel and hit the stage one last time -- most importantly we wanted to keep our promise to you guys," the group added in the statement. "We're going to be playing till the venues try to kick us off the stage. We're talking 20+ songs a night."

In a separate press release, singer George Pettit added that the tour will put a nice exclamation point on the band's career.

"I think that there was a lot of doom and gloom surrounding the last Alexisonfire tour," he said. "Now that the dust has settled, and everyone has gone down their separate paths. I think it's important to get proper closure on 10 years and share it with our fans. After this we can leave Alexis in our rear view and remember it fondly, not as something we had to escape."

In addition to the farewell tour, the band will also be releasing a special vinyl boxset encompassing the band's career. According to the release, the box set will include 12" LPs of each studio release and out of print 7" EPs including (but not limited to) Math Sheet Demos, Crisis b-sides, Insulation Tapes and BBC Sessions. A photo booklet and other "exclusive" items are also planned for the release.

The rumors of Alexionfire's return began in early July when Dallas Green told Spinner the band was considering doing shows. There was further speculation something was about to be announced last week when the band changed its home page to a countdown clock. "Checked your watch lately?" Wade MacNeil asked via Twitter with a link to the band's site.

The band broke up in 2011 when co-lead singer Green decided he was quitting the band to focus on his solo project as City and Colour. The band was considering continuing, but then MacNeil was offered the opportunity to become the vocalist for British rock group Gallows, replacing former frotman Frank Carter. These two departures effectively ended the band.

"Replacing one guitar player/singer/writer was something we thought was possible, but replacing two would run the serious risk of perverting the legacy of what we had achieved," Pettit wrote at the time. "So we all took a good hard swallow and decided to end it so it would never get old and ugly."

The St. Catharines band broke into Canadian music circles with 2004's Watch Out! thanks to the single "No Transitory." Led by dual vocalists Green and Pettit, the group's 2006 Crisis also was widely hailed in hard rock circles. The band's last studio effort, Old Crows/Young Cardinals, was number 81 on the Billboard charts and No. 2 on Canadian charts.

There's no word if the band will be recording or filming the performances for a possible future release.

Watch Alexisonfire's "We are the Sound" Video

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