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Metal Masters ready to rock
Fans are gearing up for some serious head banging as Judas Priest , Heaven & Hell, Motorhead and Testament get ready to roll out the Metal Masters Tour.
The outing is set to launch Aug. 6 in Camden, NJ, and visit 17 cities across the US, plus Toronto, through the end of the month. Since last check, shows have been added in Uncasville, CT; Oklahoma City, OK; and El Paso, TX. Details are listed below.
Judas Priest and Testament, both of which are in the middle of their own world tours, will also hook up for a short trek that kicks off next week in Seattle and stops by a half-dozen Canadian cities. Those shows and other headlining engagements can be found each band's website: (judaspriest.com and testamentlegions.com).
On the Metal Masters Tour, Judas Priest is expected to focus on its classic material and showcase a few tracks from its new set, "Nostradamus," which debuted at No. 11 on The Billboard 200 last month. The double-disc concept album tells the tale of the world-famous 16th Century French prophet.
"Whilst in essence and character still very much Judas Priest, [the album] has afforded the opportunity to explore areas of classical and operatic dimensions that the band normally wouldn't," Priest guitarist Glenn Tipton said in a statement. "As a guitarist and writer, it has inspired me to greater heights and opened new doors to intrigue and passion."
The title track is streaming at Judas Priest's MySpace page
Thrash-metal vets Testament are also supporting a new record, "The Formation of the Damnation," which surfaced in April. The set bowed at No. 59 on the album chart, making it Testament's highest-charting release in its 24-year history, according to a press release.
Heaven & Hell, which features Black Sabbath bandmates Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler along with former Sabbath members Ronnie James Dio and Vinny Appice, will be supporting "The Rules of Hell" box set, which is scheduled to hit stores July 22. The five-CD collection features re-mastered versions of all four Dio-era Black Sabbath albums (1980's " Heaven and Hell ," 1981's "Mob Rules," 1982's "Live Evil" and 1992's "Dehumanizer") in a deluxe package with new liner notes.
Motorhead is putting the finishing touches on its 20th album, "Motorizer," which is expected to hit US stores Aug. 26. Last year, the hard rockers put out a two-disc live album, "Better Motorhead Than Dead: Live At Hammersmith," which captures their 2005 30th anniversary show in London.
