After sending its first album to U.S. soil earlier this year, Chilean metal outfit Criminal began exploring the States for the first time this weekend on a U.S. tour that sees it share the stage with Dokken, Overkill, Manowar, the Misfits, and others at a few high profile shows.

The band, which recently turned up next to Puya and Armored Saint on the Latin metal compilation "Metalo," kicked off its first American outing on Thursday in Appleton, Wisconsin. As part of the brief tour, which runs through next weekend, the band stopped by the Milwaukee Metalfest last weekend, joining a roster that included the Misfits, Manowar, Cradle of Filth, and an army of others. The tour will also see the band swing by the Cleveland World Series of Metal, which also features Dokken, Overkill, and more than 50 others.

The dates mark the band's Stateside debut following the April release of its second album, "Dead Soul." Criminal's first effort, "Victimized," was released in South America and Japan

in 1994.

If you want to catch the band in the flesh, here's where to look:

• 8/2 - Des Moines, IA @ Hairy Mary's
• 8/3 - Chicago, IL @ Smiler Coogan's
• 8/4 - Lansing, IL @ JJ Kelly's
• 8/6 - Detroit, MI @ Old Miami
• 8/7 - Cleveland, OH @ Agora Theater (Cleveland World Series of Metal)