Hard-touring Seattle rockers Aiden [ tickets ] are preparing to hit the pavement once again, this time for a headlining jaunt through North America and Europe.

Dubbed "The World By Storm Tour 2008," the outing is set to launch Saturday (1/26) in Anchorage, AK, and stop at clubs across the US into late March. Madina Lake, Schoolyard Heroes, Farewell To Freeway, My American Heart and Ivory Line will open select dates on the stateside trek, which is detailed below.

Aiden will follow US dates with a monthlong European tour, and the band expects to announce a May run across Canada. Overseas shows can be found at the rockers' website.

Aiden spent 2007 traveling around the world, and ended the year on the International Taste of Chaos Tour. Now the group is ready to take on the role of headliner.

"We have been touring non-stop for the past 3 years," vocalist Wil Francis said in a statement. "In that time, we have been a part of some really amazing tours and met some amazing people along the way. Now is our time to step up and do our own shows on our own terms. We have never been more excited to get out on the road."

Aiden, whose music has been described as "dark punk" and "horror rock," is supporting its August release, "Conviction," which reached No. 54 on The Billboard 200. The album is said to expand the band's sound into "darker pastures" with the help of producer John Goodmanson (Death Cab for Cutie, Soundgarden).

Francis said the new material delves into feelings that have eluded him for years and have now bubbled to the surface.

"'Conviction' is about loving the darkness that will destroy you, it's about tearing yourself apart from inside, it's about feeling that the world is crashing around you with no hope in sight and all you can do is laugh," he said. "It's all about falling down then picking yourself back up and believing."

A couple of songs from the set are streaming at Aiden's MySpace page.

Francis sold his car to fund Aiden's self-released debut album, "Our Gang's Dark Oath," in 2003, according to the group's bio. After building their own fanbase around Seattle, the bandmates attracted the attention of Victory Records, which signed Aiden the next year. The group's 2005 Victory debut, "Nightmare Anatomy," was recorded before two of the band members had graduated from high school.