Steve Appleford of RollingStone.com reports:

Yesterday METALLICA, SLAYER, MEGADETH and ANTHRAX announced plans to invade the massive Empire Polo Field in Indio, California, for a one-day festival by The Big 4 originators of thrash metal on April 23rd. The concert, which follows an historic seven-date tour of Europe last year, will be the first joint US appearance by these four horsemen of thrash.

It seems the feuds of the past are a distant memory. “Most of the egos and sandbox issues from the '80s and '90s have dissipated,” Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich tells Rolling Stone. “We actually enjoy each others' company and are comfortable celebrating the past while continuing our path into the future. It's cool. Who would have known that anybody actually still gives a shit? We're very fortunate.”

When Ulrich saw RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE erupt at the desert venue during the Coachella Festival in 2007, it left a powerful impression. “It was a fantastic vibe out there,” he recalls. “Coachella seemed like the right place to do it. If this thing works, hopefully we can do an additional show somewhere else.” (This summer, The Big 4 also return to Europe for two festivals: Knebworth in England, and Sonisphere in Amneville, France.)

“I'm chomping at the bit to do a full-blown tour at stadiums across the country,” said Slayer guitarist Kerry King. Indeed, during last year's stadium tour through Europe, demand from around the world was so great that the penultimate concert in Bulgaria was broadcast into hundreds of movie theaters via satellite, and then issued on DVD. The fall release of The Big 4 Live from Sofia, Bulgaria is already certified double-platinum. At that concert, members of all four acts jammed onstage together through a thundering, euphoric cover of DIAMOND HEAD's 'Am I Evil'.

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For more info about the show, including ticket pricing and transportation information, check out TheBig4Festival.com."