Today's Day in Rock Stories

Metallica Announce North American Tour

The band made the surprise announcement of the new album late last week and revealed that each ticket for the upcoming U.S. No Fix Tour will also include a digital download of the effort.

The trek follows last fall's European tour and includes stops in the UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Czech Republic and Poland. Things are tentatively set to kick off in Dublin on May 17th at Croke Park (that show is subject o license approval).

The new track follows the release of the song "Red Cold River". Frontman Benjamin Burnley had this to say about the new album, their first new studio effort since 2015's "Dark Before Dawn":

"People have always really liked the heavier side of the band. I think that's what they sort of gravitate towards. But we also make sure to explore our melodic and softer side too.

The band explained ahead of the show, "This morning we arrived at the Canadian border in order to gain access to a country that we have not only played countless shows in but also recorded an album and spent a great deal of time in over the years. Instead, several members of our tour were denied entry, berated and treated with utter contempt by the agents on duty.

The song "Static" came out of a binge watching session of the TV show "Stranger Things." We were playing a festival/tour in my hometown, and when we play here on Vancouver Island, Paul's wife Jenny usually comes out too. Our families have a lot of fun together, and this particular time, my family had just finished watching "Stranger Things." When Paul and Jenny arrived, we bugged and bugged them to watch it over with us. So we spent every evening watching the show and loved it.

A few days later and back in Ohio, Paul sent me a new, quirky tune, which I still have in my song folder as "Quirky Tune." The images and vibe of 1984 were still lingering in my head along with all the movies of that time, and they flung me back to watching "ET," "Close Encounters," and "The Goonies." The melody Paul had sent felt very evocative of this period, simple and enchanting. We are both around the ages that these kids were in 1984, so the words just kind of fell out onto the page, memories of biking around the neighbourhood, meeting up with friends, and walkie talkies. Luckily neither of us was ever got by the Demogorgon.

The song is about simpler days and has a touch of longing for those times before life got complicated. It conveys how childhood feelings and memories can get lost in the static of real life.

The month-long "Blues And Bayous" trek will see the acts kicks things off in Atlantic City, NJ on May 25, with shows scheduled to wrap up in Welch, MN on June 29.

"ZZ Top is one of my favorite bands," Fogerty said in the announcement, "and Billy F Gibbons is one of my all-time favorite guitarists. Riffs, blues and bayous ... bucket list!"

"John Fogerty along with ZZ Top have been followers of blues and rock since the beginning," adds Gibbons, "and we're looking forward to rippin' it up together this spring."

The band will perform the exclusive, invitation-only show for SiriusXM subscribers in advance of the start of the two-year trek in West Palm Beach, FL on May 4 and in sync with the March 2 launch of "Free Bird," Lynyrd Skynyrd's own Southern Rock channel on SiriusXM.

Available throughout the month of March, "Free Bird" will showcase music from the Florida rockers extensive career alongside shows hosted by band members Gary Rossington, Rickey Medlocke and Johnny Van Zant. The channel will also include southern rock classics from an array of artists, including The Allman Brothers Band, The Marshall Tucker Band, 38 Special, Molly Hatchet, Blackfoot, ZZ Top and many more.

"Very excited to have SiriusXM support Lynyrd Skynyrd's music and history and to include some of our friends and musical influences on our own channel!," says Rossington. "Can't wait to share the music and our stories with our generations of fans."

"Ed Bass throwing down the last 2 songs with Chris Zeuss Harris in the studio!," posted the group on social media alongside an image of bassist Eddie Jackson recording with the producer. "We only have vocals and guitar solos to finish, but we're very happy with the direction of the new album!"

The Seattle rockers also provided the latest details about the status of drummer Scott Rockenfield, who stepped aside from touring last year to spend time with his newborn son, Rockson; in his absence, the group brought in former Kamelot sticksman Casey Grillo for live performances.

The performance was captured during their recently completed North American tour in support of the album that hit stores last October. Frontman Matt Heafy had the following to say,

"My favorite song to play on this run was probably�Betrayer. What I love so much about that song is that it has everything that is Trivium in one song and goes out even further in different directions that we've never really gone before. I think that's such a great thing."