Metallica [ tickets ] has announced plans to scour the continent during a 26-city fall/winter of North America behind its chart-topping September release, "Death Magnetic."

The extensive "World Magnetic" trek begins with a Sept. 14 performance in Nashville and winds through the US and parts of Canada before wrapping up Dec. 12 in San Jose, CA. The outing includes a Nov. 14 stop at New York's Madison Square Garden. Full details are below.

The North American leg comes on the heels of a sweeping European tour that kicks off tomorrow (3/25) in Birmingham, England, and runs through Aug. 2.

The heavy-metal icons made a not-so-surprise appearance at SXSW in Austin, TX, last Friday (3/20) to promote the group's "Guitar Hero" interactive video game. The packed house at Stubb's outdoor amphitheater enjoyed a 90-minute set of greatest hits, including two tracks from Metallica's recently released "Death Magnetic," which spent three weeks at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 chart and currently sits at No. 24.

The album's immediate success broke a record, making Metallica the only band with five consecutive No. 1 album debuts on the Billboard chart.