The following report is courtesy of Ali Pekta? from Todayszaman.com:

After two unforgettable performances in 1993 and 1999, METALLICA fans in Turkey have been arguing for years if the band would revisit the country once more.

Finally at a news conference on Monday it became official that the group will be heading to Turkey for the third time this summer for a stadium gig on July 27 at ?stanbul's Ali Sami Yen Stadium.

The official announcement for the concert, which brought to an end rumors among devoted fans of the band, was also posted on Metallica's website, which, in a show of respect for Turkish fans, was written in Turkish.

The stage to be erected at Ali Sami Yen for the concert will be the largest stage ever built in Turkey for such an event, the concert's organizers said while announcing the details at the Kemanc? club -- a symbolic venue for Metallica fans in Turkey as this was the club they appeared at following their first-ever concert in ?stanbul back in June 1993.

Tickets for the concert, jointly organized by event management companies Purple Concerts and EPD, went on sale yesterday through Biletix. Prices for the tickets range from YTL 50 to YTL 350, the latter being the price of front row tickets that were almost sold out as of Tuesday noon. Organizers urged fans to hurry and buy tickets as attendance as the concert is expected to be around 36,000 to 39,000. The previous two concerts saw attendance figures ranging between 46,000 and 48,000.

Famous Turkish heavy metal band Pentagram is scheduled to take to the stage as one of the opening acts of the concert, which is likely to include many surprises for fans. Metallica, which released its eighth and latest studio album, St. Anger, in 2003, is currently busy with final preparations for their ninth CD, which is expected to be released ahead of the band's summer tour. This means concertgoers might be able to hear the newest songs at the concert. This will also be the band's first outing in Turkey with bassist Rob Trujillo, who joined James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich and Kirk Hammett in 2001, replacing Jason Newsted.