It's been whispered about, discussed and desired amongst the international thrash metal community, and finally it can be screamed loudly from rooftops, street-corners and car windows.

The mighty MEGADETH will join forces with TESTAMENT and EXODUS for a historic month-long jaunt that will find these thrash titans crisscrossing the nation on the Rust In Peace 20th anniversary tour. These will be incredibly special shows that will delight Megadeth fans, as the band will be playing their landmark, genre-defining album, 1990’s Rust In Peace, in its entirety, in addition to other Megadeth set list favorites.

Megadeth’s latest, Endgame, was released in September 2009 and received some of the highest critical accolades of the band’s career. The band performed on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon and was nominated for yet another Grammy – the eighth nomination of their storied career- for 'Head Crusher'.

Testament, the seminal Bay Area thrash titans, will perform their first-ever album The Legacy in its entirety during the Rust In Peace 20th Anniversary Tour with Megadeth and Exodus. In this monsterously massive celebration of metal, Testament felt it was time to throw down the gauntlet and bring people back to the roots of their visceral and vice-tight music, re-invoking songs which helped lay the foundation for a thrash generation. “We wanted to give the fans something different,” says frontman Chuck Billy. “We wanted to play these songs which have not been played since we’ve been touring Formation Of Damnation.”

“I can’t believe that we wrote this stuff when we were 17, 18 and 19 years old,” says guitarist Eric Peterson. “Although Formation… stands on it’s own, we cannot even write music today like we did back then. The Legacy will always be our legacy.”

Refreshingly brutal, yet steeped in clever melodic twists, The Legacy was a scene-busting statement of intent by Billy, guitarists Eric Peterson and Alex Skolnick, bassist Greg Christian and drummer Louie Clemente. And with classic pit-starters such as ‘Over The Wall’, ‘Burnt Offerings’ and ‘First Strike Is Deadly’ creating human froth with genuine songwriting prowess, The Legacy set Testament up to take the thrash metal world by storm in the coming years.

“These are the first nine songs we put together,” says Billy proudly. “This is what started the band, so we wanted to go back and give the fans a chance to not only get back to metal’s roots, but to feel the force of Testament’s roots at the same time.” “And it’s no wonder with a foundation like that we are still here today,” adds Peterson.

If you always wanted to hear it and never thought it would happen, you will doubtless be delighted. But just as importantly, for those who wondered what the raw, vital energy of Testament and the Bay Area thrash scene felt like, this is a delicious chance to hurl yourself headfirst into the wave of speed, sound and sweat.

Exodus' Gary Holt adds, "I am so stoked to be a part of this tour with our long-time friends Megadeth and Testament! This will prove to be a thrash metal wet dream and I cannot wait to get the party started and hit the road on this beast of a tour! It's been about six years since we last toured with Megadeth and after all these long years, this will be our first with Testament, so I for one am fired up! Let the bloodbath begin!"

The tour will kick off on March 1st in Spokane, WA and will run through the end of the month. The dates are as follows, with tickets going on sale this Friday, January 29.

March

1 - Spokane, WA - Knitting Factory
2 - Boise, ID - Knitting Factory
3 - Medford, OR - Medford Armory
6 - Calgary, AB - Big Four (Testament with Special Guests)
7 - Edmonton, AB - Shaw Conference Centre (Testament with Special Guests)
8 - Saskatoon, SK - Prairieland Exhibition Hall
11 - Indianapolis, IN - Murat Theater
12 - Pittsburgh, PA - Palace Theater
13 - Buffalo, NY - Town Ballroom
15 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
16 - Baltimore, MD - Rams Head Live
18 - Scranton, PA - Scranton Cultural Center
19 - Norfolk, VA - The NorVa
21 - Atlanta, GA - Tabernacle
22 - Asheville, NC - Orange Peel
23 - Memphis, TN - Minglewood Hall
25 - Houston, TX - Verizon Wireless Theater
26 - Austin, TX - Stubb’s Amphitheater
27 - Lubbock, TX - The Pavilion
28 - El Paso, TX - Club 101
30 - Tucson, AZ - Rialto Theater
31 - Hollywood, CA - Hollywood Palladium (Testament with Special Guests)

Stay tuned for more information next week on the rescheduling of the “American Carnage” tour dates, as well.