The dates have been announced for MEGADETH's "The System Has Failed" fall 2004 North American tour. Venue information will follow soon. Support at all dates is expected to come from the Los Angeles-based quintet EARSHOT and an as-yet-unannounced third act.

MEGADETH's "The System Has Failed" Fall Tour 2004:

Oct. 26 - San Diego, CA @ TBA
Oct. 27 - San Francisco, CA @ TBA
Oct. 29 - Los Angeles, CA @ TBA
Oct. 30 - Phoenix, AZ @ TBA
Oct. 31 - Tucson, AZ @ TBA
Nov. 02 - Denver, CO @ TBA
Nov. 04 - Minneapolis, MN @ TBA
Nov. 05 - Chicago, IL @ TBA
Nov. 06 - Grand Rapids, MI @ TBA
Nov. 08 - Cleveland, OH @ T ...

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BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi has told GibsonCustom.com that the possibility of a new SABBATH album has not been ruled out. Asked point-blank if there will be a new CD of original material from the heavy metal pioneers, Iommi responded, "We would hope so. I'm hoping we will do another one. One of the major problems, of course, is Ozzy's been doing a lot of other stuff with his MTV stuff. Hopefully within the next year we'll be able to do something. I'm wrapped up at the minute doing my solo stuff and still writing, but I've got some stuff in hand if ...

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The exact details of Ronnie James Dio's gardening accident of 2003 have come to light in an interview with Rockdetector.com editor Garry Sharpe-Young. Besides discussing the brand new DIO album "Master Of The Moon", how Rudy Sarzo has fitted into the new band unit and how the new songs were constructed, Garry broached two awkward questions: just what did really happen to his thumb and what are Dio's real feelings towards Vivian Campbell? Here's a bit of the interview to be posted soon:

Rockdetector.com: Last year, Internet rumours surfaced that ...

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ICED EARTH bassist James MacDonough has officially left the band to join MEGADETH as their touring bassist. MacDonough's statement on the matter (as posted at Iced-Realm.de) is as follows:

"A while back I had heard that MEGADETH might need a bassist, so I contacted them via email and much later got a response, to my suprise. Before I knew it, I was on a conference call with Dave [Mustaine]. I sent in some video of me playing a couple MEGADETH songs and I ...

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MOTÖRHEAD have been forced to cancel their previously announced U.S. tour scheduled for September/October due to a foot injury suffered by vocalist/bassist Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister.

Lemmy injured his foot on stage about month ago while touring in Europe.

Kilmister, ignoring the pain and against his European doctor's recommendation, completed the few remaining shows on the MOTÖRHEAD summer festival tour.

Since he was not able to rest his foot for a while, Lemmy's injury worsened, and his U.S. doctor insisted in no uncertain terms that Lemmy stay off his foot for several weeks in order for it to heal properly.

M ...

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Swedish power metallers HAMMERFALL will enter Lundgaard Studios in Denmark with producer Charlie Bauernfeind (BLIND GUARDIAN, GAMMA RAY, RAGE) on Saturday (Sep. 4) to begin recording their new album, tentatively due on March 7, 2005 through Nuclear Blast Records. A single will precede the album on January 31. Songtitles set to appear on the follow-up to 2002's "Crimson Thunder" include "The Templar Flame", "Born to Rule" and "Fury of the Wild".

"After finishing the songwriting and rehearsing the material over the last week, I can honestly say I'm very, very excited!" guitarist Oscar Dronjak writes o ...

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U.K. progressive epic thrash metallers BIOMECHANICAL have inked a four-album deal with Elitist Records.

BIOMECHANICAL are presently working on their sophomore album at singer Jon K's (also in BALANCE OF POWER) own studio. Work is likely to be completed at the end of 2004 for an early 2005 release. An unmixed track, called "Disintegration", from this new recording is available for download at this location.

BIOMECHANICAL's debut album, "Eight Moons", was released last year through Revolver Records.

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A "professionally filmed" video of STRATOVARIUS frontman Timo Kotipelto performing the IRON MAIDEN classic "Wasted Years" with the Italian MAIDEN tribute band THE CLAIRVOYANTS has been posted online at this location (Windows Media).

The video was recorded on May 7, 2004 at the Buddha Café Merone in Italy during the Flash and Metal Shock Anniversary Party.

Kotipelto and THE CLAIRVOYANTS performed several MAIDEN classics before running through a couple of numbers from Kotipelto's care ...

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MYSTIC PROPHECY, the band consisting of VALLEY'S EVE vocalist Roberto Dimitri Liapakis, ex-STORMWITCH bassist Martin Albrecht, RAISE HELL drummer Dennis Ekdahl, and DREAM EVIL/FIREWIND guitarist Gus G., have set an October 25 release date through Nuclear Blast Records for their third album, "Never-Ending". The follow-up to last year's "Regressus" will be issued in Japan in February and will include as-yet-undisclosed bonus tracks. A video for the album cut "Burning Bridges" was recently completed and will begin airing shortly.

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A live recording of the KING DIAMOND track "Mansion In Darkness" has been posted online in MP3 format at this location.

"Mansion In Darkness" comes off the band's upcoming double live CD, "Deadly Lullabyes Live" (view cover here), due on September 21 through Metal Blade Records. The album was recorded during the band's last U.S. tour and was mixed at guitarist Andy LaRocque's Los Angered studio outside Gothenburg, Sweden.