New York, NY – National touring trade publication í¢ä‰åäóì POLLSTAR í¢ä‰åäóì recently released their Top 100 World Tours chart and NICKELBACK ranked 3rd highest in worldwide ticket sales for the first quarter of 2006. With sales of nearly 415,000 concert tickets worldwide, NICKELBACK’s numbers were exceeded only by those of U2 and upcoming touring companions, Bon Jovi. The band will tour with Bon Jovi in Europe from May 15 through June 11th and return to North America in July to play select dates as Special Guests on Bon Jovi’s North American stadium tour. The pairing of two of the biggest worldwide live draws on one bill promises to be the ultimate summer event!! On this run you can expect a live show with some great production and a few blasts to boot! The band plans to headline in U.S. markets it missed on its previous outing prior to the North American Bon Jovi dates, and again afterward. Hoobastank and Chevelle will be support bands for the headline dates.

North Carolina headbangers Sanctity have posted the following update on their myspace blog and official website. “Hey out there all you crazy Sanctity fans! Jared here checking in from the road, and let me tell you, it sure is a blast! We’ve been having a great time rocking out with you guys at the shows, and we couldn’t have asked for better bands to do our first tour with, Dragonforce and Protest the Hero have been amazing to watch and hang out with, we’re all getting on really well. Most importantly, it’s been great meeting all the fans we’ve talked to, we really appreciate your support, keep it up!”

NICKELBACK seem to be going from strength to strength. Not content with their massive BON JOVI tour, their video for ‘Savin’ Me’ has now been playlisted on B4, Chart Show TV, Scuzz & Flaunt. So if you haven’t seen it yet just switch on your TV. It’s everywhere!! DON’T FORGET – NICKELBACK – ‘SAVIN’ ME’ is out 05/06/06

Max Cavalera and his SOULFLY tribe have added a couple of UK shows surrounding their appearance at this year’s Download Festival at Donington Park on Friday 9th June. Their current ‘Dark Ages’ album has been universally lauded as a return to form by all the metal titles. Metal Hammer magazine stated that í¢ä‰åñthe ex-Sepultura mastermind gets darker, heavier and better,í¢ä‰åŒ while Kerrang! insisted í¢ä‰åñthis is his best album in nearly a decade.í¢ä‰åŒ The Phoenix, AZ-based outfit will play the following extra shows: Saturday 10th June í¢ä‰åäóì LEEDS Cockpit – 퉌£14 Sunday 11th June í¢ä‰åäóì PETERBOROUGH Cresset – 퉌£12.50 Tickets are on sale now from box offices and all usual agents and online at www.aloud.com

Stone Sour have confirmed that their second album – scheduled for release through Roadrunner on August 21st – will indeed be named Come What(ever) May.

A video for the song “30/30-150” was just shot in Los Angeles with director Paul Brown (Motley Crue, Otep), and a photo shoot with Chapman Baehler (Velvet Revolver, Audioslave) has also been completed.

The band now plans to rehearse for the next couple of weeks, then shoot a video for the song “Through Glass,” after which they will begin a European tour at the Rock Am Ring Festival on June 2nd.

In the meantime, whet your appetite with the band-made studio clip featuring another brand new song, “Reborn,” as musical backdrop.

Watch Kerrang! (Sky channel 354) all this week for your chance to win tickets to Download to meet Trivium, and snag yourself a copy of ‘Ascendancy’ and a set of Sabian cymbals signed by the whole band. That’s the shit right there! To enter the competition Call 09058 176176 or text 84030

Starting this weekend, the very generous folks at Scuzz TV (Sky Channel 364) are hosting a HUGE Chimaira/Sounds Of The Underground competition all week (6th í¢ä‰åäóì 12th May). Tune in for your chance to win an engraved Sounds Of The Underground iPod nano loaded up with the current albums from all the bands on the tour plus the entire Chimaira back catalogue, along with a signed tour poster, 12 inch flat AND a copy of Chimaira’s brilliant ‘The Dehumanising Process’ DVD. And that’s not all! There are 5 runner-up prizes of ‘The Dehumanizing Process’ DVD, exclusive tour posters and 12 inch flats. Not bad, eh? Catch Chimaira headlining the Sounds Of The Underground tour 10/05/2006 – Academy í¢ä‰åäóì Manchester 11/05/2006 – QMU í¢ä‰åäóì Glasgow 12/05/2006 – Forum í¢ä‰åäóì London

DEVILDRIVER frontman Dez Fafara (ex-COAL CHAMBER) has issued the following update: “We are leaving for tour Monday, May 8th to start the tour in San Diego, California at the House Of Blues. We have been rehersing daily and are ready to tear SHIT up!!!! After this tour, DEVILDRIVER is flying across the pond to do festivals and some really great off dates as well. July will be spent at home for some much-needed rest. We have all started writing for [album] number 3 and will start getting together in mid July to start bouncing ideas around. Expect fuckin’ uncompromising, brutal-in-its-delivery metal. With the ever-present DEVILDRIVER groove and hook. There may be a short run in August with VENOM, [however] nothing is confirmed. Any time off will be spent in the studio writing. We will begin another headliner [tour] in September in the States, go to Australia and Japan in October, then return to the States for two weeks in November to finish out ‘any’ markets we didn’t hit, and finish with three or so weeks spent in Europe from mid-November through mid-December… Then off for holidays. Fuckin road-doggin’ it ’till the end of the year!!!! There will be a special re-release of ‘The Fury of Our Maker’s Hand’ with many added songs í¢ä‰åäó B-sides, liner notes, all the videos from the band since the beginning… with added, DVD interviews on the making of the record. And limited-edition NEW album artwork with different color scheme and NEW cover artwork as well!!!!! A must-have!!!!! Trust me, you will love what we are putting on this limited edition. Something to have while you wait for us to release [album] number 3, still untitled. See all of you at the shows!!!!!!!!” DevilDriver are playing at this years Download Festival. CLICK HERE to listen to music from their latest album “The Fury Of Our Makers Hand”. SOURCE: BLABBERMOUTH