Exposed Musical Festival Winter Tour 2012 is aiming to play at the Green Bar this Friday, uniting experienced and up-and-coming local metal bands. The music festival that showcases headliners such as SkinKage and Society’s Plague hopes to bring downtown Tuscaloosa a flare of metal. Matt Newton, lead vocalist of Society’s Plague, who described their sound as melodic metal, said the festival is a great opportunity for new talent to be heard with the accompaniment of headlining bands to draw in the audience. “Ultimately, it’s an audition,” Newton said regarding the local bands. “The festival gives back to the community. It can be a great benefit to the local music scene.” The Winter Tour 2012 is a 30-day tour, reaching different cities across the country, and hopes to provide the venue with a unique blend of metal music. Frank Brown, lead vocalist of SkinKage, said their sound is American metal with melodies that carry it through. “We’re just metal; we’ve got a little bit of flavor,” Brown said. Through the time spent on the tour, Brown said they have enjoyed the advising process the most between their band and the newer talent. “I think it’s really a big mentoring process,” Brown said. “You just want to support any scene that you’re in. I think that’s really all within the metal community, and it’s not just a matter of one scene. We let everyone know who represents us that we represent them, too.” The tour has helped promote the headlining bands, as well, and allowed them to give back. With SkinKage and Society’s Plague’s upcoming album releases, the festival will attract new fans, as well as the devoted. “Exposed Music Festival has by far given us an opportunity,” Brown said. “They set it up and really get our name up and made all of this happen.” After releasing two albums, including “The Devastation at Hand” and “Away with the Tide,” both produced by Jamie King, Brown said SkinKage hopes to release their next album early this fall. Newton said after Society’s Plague released their EP, “The Mercy Untold,” and full studio length album, “The Human, The Canvas,” they reviewed how their fans responded and are incorporating more intricate melodies into their next album. Newton and Brown said they are excited to bring metal to Tuscaloosa. The band members in Society’s Plague are from Lexington, Ky. and said they are happy their visit is during basketball season rather than football season. “We have fun with local bands and sports,” Newton said. “How’s your basketball, how’s your football? Then we both just cry.” In addition to the publicity and fan draw from the event, Society’s Plague and SkinKage value being able help the new bands get started. “Obviously we’ve all been there before,” Brown said. “We make sure to try and help with advice and with their form.” Doors for the event open at 6 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door.