Gearing up for the East coast tour, Metal Wani's William Richards had a chat with Metal Allegiance founding member Alex Skolnick. In the clip below he talks about upcoming Metal Allegiance tour, and the success of debut album and magical lineup. Skolnick also talks about the new songs written, possible lineup for the next Metal Allegiance album, his wish to have Rob Halford and Bruce Dickinson on the possible followup album.

In addition, Skolnick throws light on upcoming Testament album, songwriting partnership with Eric Peterson, why he isn't much involved with the songwriting as before, and the musical direction of the album.

Metal Allegiance have announced their Destination (Almost) East Coast tour. The 7-day trek kicks off March 31st in Providence, Rhode Island followed by stops in Poughkeepsie, New Haven, and Lancaster before the final show on April 7th at the Gramercy in New York. Fans should note that the Rhode Island show has changed venues and will now take place at The Met instead of Lupos.

Tour dates are as follows:

March
31 - The Met - Providence, RI

April
1 - Main Street Armory - Rochester, NY
2 - The Machine Shop - Flint, MI
4 - The Chance - Poughkeepsie, NY
5 - Toads Place - New Haven, CT
6 - Chameleon Club -Lancaster, PA
7 - The Gramercy - New York, NY

Drummer Mike Portnoy (The Winery Dogs) recently issued the following update:

"So psyched! My brother Chris Jericho is joining Metal Allegiance for the PA and NYC shows! These seven shows are the only US MA shows for a while, so don't miss out on the fun!"

With the recent release of their self-titled album under their belts, they are bringing their all-star team and epic live experience to the East Coast. In true Metal Allegiance form, the band is bringing along some good friends to share the stage. Accompanying the band for these seven special shows are none other than Mark Oseguesda (Death Angel), Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal and Chuck Billy (Testament). Check out the Destination (Almost) East Coast tour trailer below.

“I’m stoked for MA to be playing other areas in the States," comments Mark Menghi. "We’re trying real hard to hit everywhere in America (and all over the world for that matter) when time allows. Prepare for a full-on metal assault during our (almost) East Coast trek…”

Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal stated: "Very excited to be joining Metal Allegiance for these shows! Can't wait to make music together, and to see you all!"

Don’t miss your chance to catch the Metal Allegiance brethren that is Mike Portnoy, Mark Osegueda, Chuck Billy, Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal, Alex Scholnick and Mark Menghi doing what they do best – playing some heavy metal music.

Joining the band on the Destination (Almost) East Coast tour is teen prodigy progressive metallers, Next To None, who will be direct support. Opening the shows each night is Chains Over Razors. VIP Upgrades now available for sale at this location.