Metallica cancels their upcoming tour dates with Slipknot in Australia and New Zealand as frontman James Hetfield re-enters rehabilitation programme.
Metallica and Slipknot were scheduled to perform 10 concerts starting in Perth on 17 October 2019 and finish up in Auckland on 2 November. However, they pulled out after Metallica’s lead singer and guitarist James Hetfield checked into rehab for addiction reasons.
The band was to return to Australia for the first time in six years, having recently finished the US and European legs of their tour. Metallica assured that all tickets sold for their WorldWired tour will be refunded, details can be found here. Their South-American tour next Spring with Greta Van Fleet as special guests is still on schedule.
Official statement below:
Slipknot have already confirmed their return to Europe for the next year. However, the band has not completely ruled out an Australian and New Zealand tour. Despite their dates with Metallica being canceled, they are working on determining the next steps.
You can find their official statement below:
Metallica
Metallica were formed in 1981 by James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich. They met after Lars posted an ad searching for people to jam with. The American band also consists of Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo. Metallica is known as one of the “big four” bands of thrash metal, alongside Megadeth, Anthrax and Slayer. They are also known as one of the most influential bands in the metal genre. Since the band released their debut album Kill ‘Em All, they have sold over 125 million records worldwide. Their third album Master of Puppets came out in 1986 and is considered one of the heaviest and most influential albums of their genre. Following the death of bassist Cliff Burton in 1986, the band achieved huge commercial success with their eponymous black album in 1991.
Slipknot
Slipknot are an American heavy metal band from Iowa, formed in 1995. Their debut self-titled album was released in 1999, while the band immediately gained popularity. Their follow-up album Iowa was a major success in many countries and listed as one of the best heavy metal albums of the 2000s. After a long hiatus following the death of Paul Gray and departure of Joey Jordison, both founding members of Slipknot, the band released its fifth album .5: The Gray Chapter in 2014. They are known for their brutal image and phenomenally chaotic and energetic live shows. Slipknot is continuing to tour in support of their latest album, We Are Not Your Kind, which came out in August. The band has landed their first number one record in the UK in 18 years, beating out Ed Sheeran‘s No.6 Collaborations Project for the top spot.
