Unfortunately the North American tour leg is complete, but if you’re lucky enough to live in (or be able to visit) Australia, New Zealand or Japan in the next two months, then you still have a chance to see them. You’ll also have a chance to see opening acts Fear Factory and The Sword during September concerts and Lamb Of God and Baroness during October and November.

The band’s official website lists the “complete final” schedule with stops beginning and ending in Melbourne, Australia from Sept. 15 through Nov. 21.

They also list “a bunch of crazy numbers” like:

212 shows in 153 cities (since May 2008)
2.3 million tickets sold
300 million miles traveled

Metallica’s mega-tour stemmed from their 9th studio album, Death Magnetic, which was released in September 2008. So far, there has been no confirmation from Metallica as to when they would start recording their 10th album, but I’m sure we can all agree that they need some down time!

Check back for all the latest news on Metallica tickets and tour dates.

Ulrich posted a long, personal and heartfelt letter to Dio on the band’s official website. He expressed his gratitude and shares a cherished memory about seeing Dio live as a pre-teen in his homeland of Denmark back in 1975. Here is an excerpt:

“…When I first saw you in Elf, opening for Deep Purple in 1975, I was completely blown away by the power in your voice, your presence on stage, your confidence, and the ease with which you seemed to connect to 6000 Danish people and one starry-eyed 11 year old, most of whom were not familiar with Elf’s music. The following year, I was so psyched when I heard the results of you joining forces with my favorite guitar player [Ritchie Blackmore left Deep Purple to form Rainbow with Dio in 1975]. You guys sounded so right for each other and I instantly became Rainbow’s #1 fan in Denmark….”

You can read Lars’ entire letter on Metallica’s official website. RIP Ronnie.

For weeks, air travel across Europe was prohibited.  Metallica took matters into their own hands, traveling by boat, train and bus to make sure no city was missed.  For their show in Riga, Latvia, the metalheads traveled by bus and cruise ship clocking 28 hours of travel time; by plane, it would have only taken 2 hours.Guitarist Kirk Hammett told reporters, “I just could not relax, thinking, ‘ Wow, those buses have changed a lot since we traveled.  They are so much more comfortable.’  You see, we did not use this means of transportation for more than two decades since the tragedy… It would take a really great force to stop us.”

Currently the band has just added Australia and New Zealand dates.  Their world tour continues through November.  Keep checking back for more Metallica news.

Other acts to take part on during various stops include Iron Maiden, Motley Crue, The Cult and Alice Cooper among others. Metallica’s Lars is super stoked at the prospect of performing with so much leather, exclaiming, “Who would have thought that more than 25 years after its inception, thrash metal’s big 4 would not only still be around and more popular than ever, but will now play together for the first time… what a mindf**k! Bring it on!’

If backpacking through Europe this summer is in your plans, be sure to be on the lookout for these concerts and check them out! Sonisphere festivals are taking place in Poland, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Spain and many more.

According to bassist Robert Trujillo, Death Magnetic brings the band out of 2003’s St. Anger and the “dark ages.” Fans are sure to get the full experience of their new album at the upcoming concerts; Metallica is on tour throughout December in the U.S. and Canada!

“We’ve been enjoying playing My Apocalypse out here on the road but felt like it could use something extra. We decided that it needed a cool intro to set the mood so James wrote one. Check out and enjoy this free download… and make sure you learn it for singing along at a future show!”

Here’s the link.

Although the new intro is pretty good, it’s always better to see them in person–an you’re in luck! They’re on tour from now until the end of the year in the U.S. and Canada!

The rockers were awarded “Best Album” for Death Magnetic, released in 2008. The album was also a commercial success – it helped the band to break the record of most consecutive No.1 album debutes on the Billboard chart.

They finished up a spring tour in support of the collection, and have planned a massive fall outing from September 14th through December 12th.

The new Converse collection is inspired by both Metallica and AC/DC, and uses images from both bands as designs for the canvas editions of these Chucks high tops. The Metallica high tops have the Ride the Lightening album graphics on the shoe, as well as the band’s logo on the tongue and a line of skeletons reminiscent of Reload.

The shoes will be available online and in Converse stores next month and are retailing for $50. Rock On! Walk Hard!

For the first time since 1997, the ceremony was held in Cleveland, home to the RnRHofF Museum. The entire city celebrated with a week’s worth of parties and shows, and the museum offered free admission to the public. 6000 lucky fans even got to attend the actual induction for the first time ever, turning the ceremony’s atmosphere into a rock concert extraordinaire.

Metallica’s drummer, Lars Ulrich, said it best for the band when he commented, “It was fu*&ing awesome to include the fans. It brought the whole evening to another level.” Metallica marked the occasion with a party of their own, flying in over 150 friends and family to celebrate with them the night before the ceremony.

At the event itself, Metallica was inducted with an impassioned speech from Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, followed by a raucous, guitar-blasting performance that included Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Joe Perry and Ron Wood. James Hetfield was awestruck, noting, “This is like rhythm-guitar heaven.”

The group released their digital box set “The Complete Metallica” - which as of yesterday was available on all digital outlets - it includes the band’s entire 163-track recorded catalog.

On April 4th, the boys were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum after 30 successful years as the posterboys for hard rock - and many more to come.

Just days prior, Activision release the anticipated video game “Guitar Hero: Metallica,” which includes 28 tracks for fans to rock along to.

The hustle and bustle came behind the release of September’s 2008 “Death Magnetic,” which won two Grammy Awards for “Best Metal Performance” and “Best Recording Package.”