Slayer and Megadeth co-headline “American Carnage” tour

Slayer. Megadeth. Two names synonymous with fierce, crunching power. Two bands whose histories are inevitably intertwined in defining the thrash/metal genre. Individually, their respective prowess and accomplishments are impressive; but together, they’re brutal and unstoppable. Megadeth and Slayer will join forces to co-headline “American Carnage,” the most blistering, the most explosive, and the most eagerly-antcipated mega-tour of the winter – and you do not want to miss it.

“American Carnage” will kick off on January 18 in Seattle, WA for a 26-date trek across North America that will include the six Canadian dates postponed earlier this month. Tickets for most shows go on sale this Friday, November 20. Ticketmaster is offering a special presage for most shows from Wednesday, November 18 at 10AM until Thursday, November 19 at 10PM.

“American Carnage” is the first time that Slayer and Megadeth will have toured the U.S. together since 1991’s epic “Clash of the Titans” tour. To celebrate that, and in recognition of the tough economic times that many of their fans are having, Megadeth and Slayer have decided to roll back the price of a chunk of tickets at every U.S. show to the “1991 price” of $10.00. These specially-priced tickets will be limited and when they’re gone, they’re gone. Megadeth has also teamed with iloveallaccess.com to provide an Ultimate Fan Package including premium seats, meet and greets, pre-show parties and more.

In addition, Testament, who was also on the ’91 “Clash of the Titans” bill, will be Special Guests on the entire tour, marking the first time that all three bands have shared a stage together in more than 18 years, and making this a “must see” metal event.

Both Megadeth and Slayer will hit the road supporting new albums: Megadeth’s 2009 album, ENDGAME, and Slayer’s World Painted Blood, the band’s 10th studio venture, which hit stores November 3. Testament’s The Formation of Damnation: Special Tour Edition, will be released on February 23, 2010 with special unreleased bonus tracks.

Slayer and Megadeth have already massacred territories together outside of the U.S., first with four explosive dates in June 2009 across Western Canada – “Canadian Carnage” – marking the first time the bands had shared a stage anywhere in 18 years; and then six co-headlining “Carnage” dates in Australia followed in October.

According to various Canadian press outlets last summer: “It was a night of thrash impossible to trash…” “Tales about war, death, destruction, Satan, aliens and serial killers have never been so much fun…” “The two heavy metal heavyweights…went head-to-head on a level playing field. Both bands brought their ‘A’ game. And the results were anything but pretty – unless you include pretty freakin’ loud and pretty freakin’ awesome.”

Slayer. Few bands come close to matching the intensity that Slayer – guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, vocalist/bassist Tom Araya, and drummer Dave Lombardo – bring to its live shows, having been named “Best Live Band” by numerous media outlets including Revolver, SPIN, and Metal Hammer. World Painted Blood offers a Slayer-ized point of view of our world – God’s terrifying global genocide, the chaos of our broken political system, the way-too-close proximity of world horrors that technology has brought us, and a chilling hypothesis of how the rest of the world might view America. The album was recorded in Los Angeles over two time periods, during October 2008 and then between late January and March 2009. World Painted Blood was produced by Greg Fidelman who has spent time in the studio with Metallica, the Gossip, the (International) Noise Conspiracy, Slipknot and others, and executive produced by long-time Slayer colleague Rick Rubin, who suggested Fidelman for the project. One reviewer called the album “the heaviest, bloodiest and best album in almost two decades.” Fans got a couple of early morsels of the brutal new Slayer material — “Psychopathy Red,” a Hanneman song inspired by the heinous Russian serial killer Andrei Chikatilo, who confessed to savagely murdering 56 children, was recorded last October and then leaked online. Then, the King-penned track, “Hate Worldwide,” was made available in July as a limited-edition single through Hot Topic. For “American Carnage,” Slayer’s Tom Araya promises, “no ballads, no acoustic numbers, no slow tempos.”

Megadeth. 2009 saw the release of ENDGAME, which has been heralded as Megadeth’s best album in years. It’s the record where it all comes full circle in a career that has not only set standards in hard rock and metal, but defined them. Megadeth’s signature shredding and rousing lyrics are the hallmarks of ENDGAME, with vocalist/guitarist Dave Mustaine once musing and making declarations about the world we live in, having named the album after a government document that should strike fear in the hearts of Americans! But that’s Mustaine and Megadeth, using the vehicle of music to shake things up, to make a point and to rattle your brain, literally, figuratively and sonically. Revolver magazine said of ENDGAME, “One of their best albums.” VH1’s ‘That Metal Show’ deemed it “One of the metal albums of the year,” and Popmatters said, “the record positively scorches with an intensity not heard since Rust in Peace.”

Legendary thrash metal titans Testament, whose latest award-winning release (2008 Album of the Year, Metal Hammer’s Golden God Award) The Formation of Damnation, displays them as the quintessential modern heavy metal band, whose experience and accumulated skill allows them to attack with reserves of anger, energy and finesse that make them more powerful than ever. Lead singer Chuck Billy says, “Uniting these bands is the heavy metal event of generations. We are so proud to be a part of it.”

Slayer and Megadeth are also rescheduling the east coast leg of the “Canadian Carnage tour, postponed from this fall.

Confirmed dates for “American Carnage” are as follows:

JANUARY

18 WaMu Theatre, Seattle, WA

19 Memorial Coliseum, Portland, OR

21 Cow Palace, San Francisco, CA

22 Long Beach Arena, Long Beach, CA

23 Dodge Theatre, Phoenix, AZ

25 Magness Arena, Denver, C

26 Tingley Coliseum, Albuquerque, NM

27 El Paso Coliseum, El Paso, TX

29 Verizon Wireless, Houston, TX

31 Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, TN

FEBRUARY

1 Gwinnett Arena, Duluth, GA

2 Broadbent Arena, Louisville, KY

4 Roy Wilkins Auditorium, Minneapolis, MN

5 UIC Pavilion, Chicago, IL

6 Cobo Arena, Detroit, MI

9 Chevrolet Theatre, Wallingford, CT

11 Izod Center, East Rutherford, NJ

13 Susquehanna Center, Camden, NJ

14 Tsongas Arena, Lowell, MA

16 Pavillon de la Jeunesse, Quebec City, QC

18 John Labatt Centre, London, ON

19 Air Canada Centre, Toronto, ON

20 Bell Centre, Montreal, QC

22 Moncton Coliseum, Moncton, NB

23 Metro Centre, Halifax, NS