After delivering his first "true metal" album in eight years and introducing it to fans while on the road with Iron Maiden, former Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford is heading out on his own.

The man with the trademark metal wail has readied his own brief headlining tour and will hit the road with his band, Halford, on October 10. So far, Halford has lined up dates through late October, and the trek will serve as a bit of a preamble to the rocker's appearance at January's Rock In Rio festival (see "Deftones, Queens Of The Stone Age, Halford On For Rio").

The trek will be the frontman's latest in support of his recently released album, "Resurrection," which marks a return to the vintage Priest style that Halford had abandoned in favor of musical experimentation in recent years. The album, and Halford's recent opening slot on Iron Maiden's U.S. tour, displayed the singer's still-piercing vocals, but Halford notes that he has a rather simple approach to maintaining that voice.

Halford's trek with Maiden also found metal holding up quite well as well, as the bands played to sold out venues night after night. Once again, Halford keeps it simple in explaining the genre's enduring appeal.

Halford said.

If you're up for the aforementioned "great time," here's where to catch Halford:

• 10/10 - Hamel, MN @ Medina Entertainment Center
• 10/11 - Chicago, IL @ House Of Blues
• 10/12 - Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave Bar
• 10/14 - Detroit, MI @ Harpo's Concert Theatre
• 10/15 - Grand Rapids, MI @ Orbit Room
• 10/17 - Worcester, MA @ Palladium
• 10/18 - New York, NY @ Roseland Ballroom
• 10/19 - Hartford, CT @ Webster Theatre
• 10/21 - Old Bridge, NJ @ Birch Hill Nite Club
• 10/22 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club

• Rob Halford
• Judas Priest
• Two

Next year's Rock In Rio festival just got a whole lot heavier with the addition of the Deftones, Queens Of The Stone Age, and Rob Halford to the lineup for the weeklong South American shindig.

Those acts now join a roster that includes previously announced performers Britney Spears, 'NSYNC, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Silverchair, Foo Fighters, and R.E.M. (see "R.E.M., Foo Fighters Added To Rio Festival").

The festival will boast a decidedly Brazilian flair as well, with an army of South American acts including Fernanda Abreu, Pato Fu, Funk 'N Lata, and Daniela Mercury, who was also added to the bill on Tuesday, set to take part. In all, organizers are expecting some 98 acts to sign on for the festival, which kicks off on January 12.

While two previous Rock In Rio concerts have rolled out in years past, this time around AOL is backing the fete, which has expanded its title to the more charitable "Rock In Rio For A Better World." Proceeds from the 2001 event will benefit educational projects from Viva Rio, a preeminent social services organization in Rio De Janeiro helping 11,000 young people.

Concert organizers expect some 1.5 million people to head to Barra Da Tijuca (an area of Rio De Janeiro) for the event. Tickets are expected to go on sale in October.

• Deftones
• Rob Halford
• Judas Priest
• Queens of the Stone Age
• Two

Old school metal came roaring back in a major way this week as Iron Maiden, Queensrÿche, and former Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford launched their joint tour on Tuesday in Toronto.

The metal triple bill is playing a handful of Canadian dates this week before hitting U.S. soil Saturday with a sold-out show at New York's famed Madison Square Garden.

Fans this weekend will get their first look at "Halford," the latest undertaking from the former Judas Priest frontman. Halford boasts that after his musical experimentation with Fight and Two, his new band's upcoming debut album, "Resurrection," will be his first "true metal" release in eight years (see "Rob Halford Returns To Metal Roots"), and he's looking forward trying out the new material on the road with Maiden.

Halford told MTV News of the tour. "Metal works in any environment, but particularly well from a large production. There's nothing more glorious than seeing a metal band in a big venue with a big stage -- lots of lights, lots of sound, lots of speakers, and the spectacle of a lot of people going mental for it. It's just amazing, and I'm grateful that I've got this opportunity to let it take off in this way."

The trek also gives Halford, possessor of one of metal's most infamous wails, the chance to test his mettle with two other notoriously leather-lunged frontmen: Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson and Queensrÿche's Geoff Tate.

"It's going to be an extraordinary moment, from a vocalist's point of view," Halford said.

"It's going to be a great trip around the country," he added.

To many, the Maiden/Queensrÿche/Halford bill smacks of nostalgia, but the trek finds Maiden currently enjoying the strongest radio support of its career, thanks to its recently released "Brave New World." With the album, Maiden managed to recapture its classic sound without sounding dated, an approach that Halford also employed (with similar results) on "Resurrection."

"We all carry elements from the past with us, in a good way," Halford explained. "I'm not talking about nostalgia or an old vibe or whatever. It's just about a built-in ability to continue with a sound that you're familiar with or comfortable with, but like anybody, you want to make new music. You want to keep it fresh."

Similarly, Halford is optimistic that he and his tourmates will be able to keep it fresh on the road while giving fans what they want. "When you see these bands and when you see these musicians, it's totally of this moment," Halford said. "You're not looking through the metal mist of eons past. That's not what it's about at all. It's a legacy. It's a heritage, and at the end of the day, it's just great music." [RealVideo]

If you want to check out Halford, Maiden, and Queensrÿche on the road, here's where to look:

• 8/5 - New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
• 8/6 - Mansfield, MA @ Tweeter Center For The Perf. Arts
• 8/8 - Hartford, CT @ Meadows Music Theatre
• 8/9 - Portland, ME @ Cumberland Civic Ctr.
• 8/11 - Burgettstown, PA @ Post-Gazette Pavilion @Star Lake
• 8/12 - Camden, NJ @ Blockbuster - Sony E Center
• 8/13 - Scranton, PA @ Coors Light Amph. @ Montage Mountai
• 8/15 - Clarkston, MI @ Pine Knob Music Theatre
• 8/16 - Darien Center, NY @ Darien Lake Six Flags P.A.C.
• 8/17 - Holmdel, NJ @ P.N.C. Bank Arts Center
• 8/19 - Maryland Heights, MO @ Riverport Amphitheatre
• 8/20 - Bonner Springs, KS @ Sandstone Amphitheatre
• 8/23 - Cuyahoga Falls, OH @ Blossom Music Center
• 8/25 - Chicago, IL @ UIC Pavilion
• 8/26 - Milwaukee, WI @ Marcus Amphitheatre
• 8/27 - St. Paul, MN @ Roy Wilkins Auditorium
• 8/29 - Colorado Springs, CO @ World Arena
• 8/30 - Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre
• 9/1 - Dallas, TX @ Smirnoff Music Centre
• 9/2 - Spring, TX @ C.W. Mitchell Pavilion
• 9/3 - San Antonio, TX @ Sunken Garden Amph.
• 9/4 - San Antonio, TX @ Sunken Garden Amph.
• 9/6 - El Paso, TX @ University Of Texas
• 9/8 - Albuquerque, NM @ Mesa Del Sol Amphitheatre
• 9/9 - Phoenix, AZ @ Blockbuster Desert Sky Pavilion
• 9/10 - Irvine, CA @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
• 9/12 - San Diego, CA @ San Diego Sports Arena
• 9/13 - Universal City, CA @ Universal Amphitheatre
• 9/15 - Bakersfield, CA @ Centennial Garden
• 9/16 - Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre
• 9/18 - Anchorage, AK @ Sullivan Sports Arena
• 9/20 - Tacoma, WA @ Tacoma Dome
• 9/21 - Vancouver, BC @ Pacific Coliseum

• Rob Halford
• Iron Maiden
• Judas Priest
• Two

After several years of musical experimentation, former Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford has returned to the brand of screeching rock that made him a metal icon, and soon he'll also return to sold-out arenas, thanks to a slot on Iron Maiden's upcoming U.S. tour.

"I'm back home in the great world of heavy metal, which is where I was born and raised and where I shall finish my days," Halford declared to MTV News this week.

After leaving Priest in 1992, Halford offered a stripped-down sound with Fight, and then tinkered with industrial influence with Two. However, when the aptly titled "Resurrection" arrives on August 8, fans will find Halford and his new band (fittingly dubbed "Halford") once again adopting the "Metal God" form he introduced during his days with Priest.

Halford said.

Halford's new classic sound will no doubt please the legions of fans caught up in the new wave of British metal that Judas Priest helped to usher in during the '70s and '80s. But despite the success Priest found (or perhaps because of it), Halford said he desperately needed to expand his musical horizons.

"I lived in the house of Priest for 20 years, and it was a blast," Halford explained.

Halford notes that through that musical exploration he found "a lot of peace and contentment in the last few years," but adds that his return to metal form is a welcome one. "['Resurrection' is] my first metal album since [Judas Priest's 1990] 'Painkiller' release," Halford said. "At least in what I consider to be the true tradition: the qualities, the atmosphere, the emotions of metal are all in 'Resurrection,' so this does feel like this would have been the next record for me after the 'Painkiller' experience. It's all about the voice. It's still all about the voice. I've got this God-given voice, and I love using it, and it's still as strong and powerful as it ever was, which amazes me." [RealVideo]

So far, the move back to metal seems to be paying off as many observers, including Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson, are applauding Halford's latest effort. "He's just made this amazing record," Dickinson has said of Halford. "He is totally back with the whole Priest 'Screaming For Vengeance' thing. He's singing like a bird, albeit a tortured, twisted bird" (see "Iron Maiden Taps Halford, Queensryche For Tour").

Dickinson and Maiden have taken that faith in Halford's current direction even further, tapping him to join them and tourmates Queensryche for a North American tour that kicks off on August 1. Again, it's so far so good, as the tour is quickly selling out shows, including an August 5 concert at New York's Madison Square Garden that sold out in less than two hours.

If you want to catch Halford on the road with Maiden, here's where to look:

• 8/1 - Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre
• 8/2 - Montreal, QB @ Molson Centre
• 8/3 - Quebec City, QB @ Colisee Arena
• 8/5 - New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
• 8/6 - Boston, MA @ Tweeter Center
• 8/8 - Hartford, CT @ Meadows Music Center
• 8/11 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Starlake Amphitheatre
• 8/12 - Philadelphia, PA @ E-Center
• 8/13 - Scranton, PA @ Coors Light Amphitheatre
• 8/15 - Detroit, MI @ Pine Knob Amphitheatre
• 8/16 - Buffalo, NY @ Darien Lake Amphitheatre

• Rob Halford
• Judas Priest
• Two

Rob Halford is not rejoining Judas Priest as rumored, says his current manager, but he has, at least to a minor extent, made an attempt to kiss and make up.

• Rob Halford
• Judas Priest
• Two

After telling the story of a teacher who ignited his students' passion for music in "Mr. Holland's Opus," director Stephen Herek may next tackle musical inspiration of a much louder kind.

• Rob Halford
• Judas Priest
• Two

Rob Halford's Two is recording new material, although it's not clear who the group is recording it for. A spokesperson for Nothing Records has confirmed to MTV News that the band is no longer signed to that label.

The former Judas Priest singer shed his studs and leathers, hooked up with Trent Reznor (and subsequently the Reznor-co-owned Nothing label), and released the industrial-flavored, ill-fated "Voyeurs" with Reznor as executive producer in 1998. The record failed to make even a blip on the U.S. charts.

Halford had been well into recording the album when Reznor stepped in, however, and now Halford is posting many of the pre-Reznor mixes from those sessions on his recently revamped Web site (www.two-online.com) -- a move which appears to suggest Halford's feelings about the finished product.

New demos from Two's current sessions have been posted on the site as well. The band is said to be starting to record in earnest in September and planning on touring in the year 2000.

Halford is also advertising for a new guitarist to replace the departed John Lowery, who joined Marilyn Manson and morphed into John 5.

Meanwhile, Halford's former bandmates in Judas Priest are reportedly close to signing a deal with a major label, which has been rumored to be Atlantic. A spokesperson for Atlantic could only say that Judas Priest is not currently on their roster.

Priest recently pulled out of the Ozzfest tour in order to work on material for a new CD, citing label commitments, according to a report on its Web site. The site also confirms that Tim "Ripper" Owens will continue to handle the vocal duties, dismissing rumors that the singer was leaving the band.

Owens is about to be immortalized on film as well as on record. As previously reported by MTV (see "Mark Wahlberg Weighing "Metal" Role For Next Film"), "Marky Mark" Wahlberg is said to be set to play the lead role in "Metal God," a movie based on an article in the "New York Times" detailing Owens' journey from lead singer in a Judas Priest tribute band to getting hired by his idols to replace the errant Halford.

• Rob Halford
• Judas Priest
• Two

In one more bit of last minute line-up juggling, Fear Factory has jumped on this summer's Ozzfest bill, assuming the second stage headlining slot that previously belonged to Judas Priest.

• 5/27 - West Palm Beach, FL @ Coral Sky Amphitheater
• 5/29 - Atlanta, GA @ Lakewood Amphitheater
• 5/31 - Nashville, TN @ Starwood Pavilion
• 6/2 - Charlotte, NC @ Blockbuster Pavilion
• 6/4 - Washington, DC @ Nissan Pavilion
• 6/6 - Philadelphia, PA @ Entertainment Center
• 6/8 - Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Center
• 6/10 - Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Center
• 6/12 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Starlake Amphitheater
• 6/14 - Columbus, OH @ Polaris Amphitheater
• 6/16 - Mansfield, MA @ Great Wood Amphitheater
• 6/18 - Mansfield, MA @ Great Wood Amphitheater
• 6/19 - Hartford, CT @ Meadows Music Theater
• 6/25 - Detroit, MI @ Pine Knob Amphitheater
• 6/27 - Detroit, MI @ Pine Knob Amphitheater
• 6/29 - Indianapolis, IN @ Deer Creek Amphitheater
• 7/1 - Minneapolis, MN @ Float-ride Amphitheater
• 7/3 - Milwaukee, WI @ Alpine Valley
• 7/5 - Chicago, IL @ World Music Theater
• 7/7 - St. Louis, MO @ Riverport Amphitheater
• 7/9 - Kansas City, MO @ Sandstone Amphitheater
• 7/11 - San Antonio, TX @ Retama Park
• 7/13 - Dallas, TX @ Starplex Amphitheater
• 7/16 - Vancouver, BC @ Thunderbird
• 7/17 - Seattle, WA @ The Gorge
• 7/20 - San Francisco, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheater
• 7/22 - Phoenix, AZ @ Desert Sky Amphitheater
• 7/24 - San Bernadino, CA @ Blockbuster Pavilion

• Fear Factory
• Rob Halford
• Judas Priest
• Two

This summer's version of the annual Ozzfest excursion will bring sets from Rob Zombie, the Deftones, and Slayer as well as the farewell tour from Black Sabbath.

• Deftones
• Godsmack
• Rob Halford
• Judas Priest
• Nashville Pussy

Will former President Jimmy Carter pummel Toni Morrison? Will Nashville Pussy hear its name spoken aloud? And perhaps most shocking of all, will Judas Priest win a Grammy?

These are just a few of the burning questions presented when this year's Grammy nominations were announced on Tuesday morning. Sure, many are wondering how many statuettes Lauryn Hill and Celine Dion will make off with when the awards are doled out on February 24, but there are more interesting dramas buried deep within the bowels of NARAS' 95 Grammy categories.

Take category 17 for example, Best Metal Performance, which brings with it the potential for a celebratory march from either Nashville Pussy or Judas Priest who are nominated along with Metallica, Rage Against The Machine, and Rammstein.

Its doubtful that any of those groups will be seated near former President Carter, who is part of a Best Spoken Word field that includes author Toni Morrison, actor Christopher Reeve, NPR favorite Garrison Keillor, and David Holt & Bill Mooney.

Chances are Carter will also be kept clear of another surprise nominee, Kiss, who could pick up its first-ever Grammy. The metal mainstays are up against fellow journeymen Metallica, Pearl Jam, and Jimmy Page & Robert Plant and relative newcomer Marilyn Manson for Best Hard Rock Performance, a development that raises more than a few questions about the need for new blood in rock.

The nomination of the Verve's "Bitter Sweet Symphony" for Best Rock Song also raises a few interesting possibilities. The award is presented to the songwriters behind the winning track, and the Verve shares songwriting credit with Rolling Stones Keith Richards and Mick Jagger, the men behind the sample that "Bitter Sweet Symphony" is based on.

The nominations also packed a few fabulous possibilities for 80s revivalists, as both Cyndi Lauper and Boy George are nominated for Best Dance Recording.

Amid the many questions raised, the Grammy nominations did offer at least one answer. Those who ever wondered how broad the Grammy categories could get were offered a Best Pop Instrumental Performance field that manages to include The Dust Brothers, Bela Fleck, Kenny G, the Pat Metheny Group, and the Brian Setzer Orchestra.

For more Grammy news, check out the MTV News Grammy Archive.

• Boy George
• Culture Club
• Rob Halford
• Judas Priest
• Two