Metallica plans to unveil more live dates in the next week or so, and the upcoming batch may include a long-awaited North American show. An email to members of the group's fan club said, "Just a friendly 'heads up' that a few more shows are coming your way as we're getting ready to announce dates on the second part of (the band's) summer vacation...As for you Americans who have been having a good moan, we'll have a little something for you next week. No more hints for now..."

Metallica has already confirmed seven dates in Europe for late spring and early summer, including festival stops in Poland, the Netherlands, Spain, the Czech Republic, Portugal and Germany.

While Metallica performed acoustically at Neil Young's Bridge School Benefit in California last October, the group's last full-blown concert appearance in the U.S. was opening for the Rolling Stones in November of 2005.

Metallica has been working on its ninth studio album for much of the last year, although the band has yet to confirm a release date for the disc. A summer arrival is the likeliest possibility.                                                       

Metallica is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1981. Metallica has become one of the most commercially successful musical acts of recent decades, and are considered one of the "Big Four" pioneers of thrash metal, along with Anthrax, Slayer, and Megadeth. The band has sold more than 90 million records worldwide, including 57 million albums in the United States alone.

Metallica was formed by guitarist and vocalist James Hetfield and Danish-born drummer Lars Ulrich, after both had placed classified advertisements in the publication “The Recycler” about forming a band. The early incarnation of the band went through a number of members, including Dave Mustaine and Ron McGovney... read more...