Judas Priest Leads Summer ‘Metal Masters’ Tour
JUDAS PRIEST LEADS SUMMER ‘METAL MASTERS’ TOUR:
April 21, 2008
Judas Priest will lead the bill for the first “Metal Masters” tour this summer, which will also feature Heaven & Hell, Motorhead and Testament. The Live Nation-sponsored trek begins Aug. 6 in Camden, N.J.
“We insisted on a classic metal package which is what we’ve got — I will enjoy seeing all the bands,” Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford tells Billboard.com. Ticket on-sale information can be found at LiveNation.com/judaspriest.
As previously reported, Judas Priest plans to perform its upcoming album, “Nostradamus,” in its entirety during a fall headlining tour, but the band will debut some of the new songs during “Metal Masters.” Starting today (April 21), fans can download the title track for free through the Live Nation site.
Halford promises the “Metal Masters” sets will feature “a combination of Priest classics — including songs from our catalog never before played live.”
Priest will not be the only band on the bill with a new release on the racks, as Heaven & Hell will be plugging a five-CD box set to be issued July 22 via Rhino, “The Rules of Hell” (and credited to Black Sabbath instead of Heaven & Hell).
The box will include remastered versions of all four of the classic Ronnie James Dio/Black Sabbath recordings: 1980’s “Heaven & Hell,” 1981’s “Mob Rules,” 1982’s “Live Evil” and 1992’s “Dehumanizer.”
Meanwhile, Testament will on April 29 release “The Formation of Damnation” via Nuclear Blast. The album marks the first time that most of the band’s original lineup have recorded an all-new studio album since 1992’s “The Ritual.”
Courtesy of www.billboard.com