Metallica has named former Suicidal Tendencies/Ozzy Osbourne band member Rob Trujillo as its new bassist. Trujillo replaces Jason Newsted, who departed in early 2001, and will appear on the quartet's upcoming studio album, "St. Anger," due June 10 from Elektra. Longtime producer Bob Rock has played bass at sporadic concert experiences and in the studio with Metallica since Newsted's departure, and the group had been vague as to whether or not it was seeking a full-time fourth member.
Earlier this month, Metallica announced its North American Summer Sanitarium tour with Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park, but evaded questions on the open bass position. The band's connection to Trujillo stretches back to 1993, when Suicidal Tendencies toured with Metallica, and a post on the band's Web site implies that Trujillo was present for much of the new album's recording sessions.
"When Rob came to San Francisco the first time and jammed with us, we all felt this incredible magic between the four of us," the band writes. "It was just something we could not describe, we all just knew it."
Additionally, drummer Lars Ulrich writes, "The last two years of just being the three of us have taught me soo [sic] much about myself, about James and Kirk and about Metallica. To welcome Rob into Metallica in 2003 after all the growth and soul searching we've been through for the last two years, feels ... awesome. Being at full strength again is at this moment indescribable."
Meanwhile, the band has confirmed 16 dates for the Summer Sanitarium tour, including a July 26 performance at the Hawthorne Racetrack in Chicago and an Aug. 9 date at the Coliseum in Los Angeles. Among the cities still awaiting dates and venues are New York, San Francisco, and Toronto. Updates will be posted on Metallica's Web site.
Metallica will embark on a brief tour of the European festival circuit before its North American outing, and continue to sprinkle in overseas dates throughout the summer. The group is pegged to play dates June 6 at the Rock Im Park festival in Nuremberg, Germany, and will travel between continents until a pair of gigs Aug. 22 and 24 at the U.K.'s Reading and Leeds festivals.
As for Newsted, the bassist has become a official member of veteran metal act Voivod. He also produced the band's upcoming self-titled album, which is due March 4 via Newsted's Surfdog imprint Chophouse Records.
The following is a list of the top-selling hard rock/heavy metal albums in Sweden for the week ending September 20th, 2002 (as reported by the Swedish daily newspaper Aftonbladet):
01. (01) IN FLAMES - Reroute To Remain 02. (02) P.O.D. - Satellite 03. (03) KISS - The Very Best Of 04. (04) QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE - Songs For The Deaf 05. (05) LINKIN PARK - Reanimation 06. (07) MESHUGGAH - Nothing 07. (06) AVANTASIA - The Metal Opera Pt. II 08. (09) SYSTEM OF A DOWN - Toxicity 09. (08) DEF LEPPARD - X 10. (11) GUNS Nґ ROSES - Appetite For Destruction 11. (10) KORN - Untouchables 12. (NEW) NILE - In Their Darkened Shrines 13. (12) SYSTEM OF A DOWN - System Of A Down 14. (20) DORO - Fight 15. (17) NIGHTWISH - Century Child 16. (19) MANOWAR - Warriors Of The World 17. (NEW) STONE SOUR - Stone Sour 18. (RE-ENTRY) RAMMSTEIN - Mutter 19. (16) LINKIN PARK - Hybrid Theory 20. (15) DARK TRANQUILITY - Damage Done
Here is how the metal/hard rock genre fared in the German Media Control (Top 100) chart for the week ending August 19th:
06. LINKIN PARK - Reanimation 16. DIE TOTEN HOSEN - Auswдrtsspiel 19. DEF LEPPARD - X 26. SYSTEM OF A DOWN - Toxicity 27. PAPA ROACH - Lovehatetragedy 32. FILTER - The Amalgamut 34. NIGHTWISH - Century Child 36. SILVERCHAIR - Diorama 39. BЦHSE ONKELZ - Dopamin 48. KORN - Untouchables 55. NICKELBACK - Silver Side Up 56. MANOWAR - Warriors Of The World 57. PUDDLE OF MUDD - Come Clean 60. P.O.D. - Satellite 67. OZZY OSBOURNE - Live At Budokan 68. SOULFLY - 3 98. JUDAS PRIEST - Live In London (DVD)
