FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH has announced its biggest European arena headlining tour to date, which will take place in January and February of 2020 with a massive package: thrash metal legends MEGADETH will join the lineup as the special guest. Support will come from BAD WOLVES, the global breakthrough rock sensation of 2018 which has been garnering three No. 1 hits over the last 18 months and is getting ready to release its sophomore album on October 25. Says FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH guitarist Zoltan Bathory about the lineup of the tour: "The line-up is massive. BAD WOLVES were THE break out band of recent years and are certainly bringing the heat. MEGADETH needs no introduction; they are absolute legends. Dave Mustaine's contribution to this genre is simply immeasurable. I consider him one of the founding fathers of not just thrash but heavy metal in general, because his riffs and guitar playing have influenced everyone that was in MEGADETH's blast radius… and that's a big radius." MEGADETH vocalist Dave Mustaine adds: "Hindsight is always 20-20, but looking back it's still a bit fuzzy. Looking forward, you'll be in trouble if you don't come see us with FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH in early 2020. You don't wanna miss it. See you soon!" The tour will visit 14 European countries starting on January 20 at the Hartwell Arena in Helsinki, Finland and ending on February 20 at the Budapest Sportarena in Budapest, Hungary. VIP pre-sales for the tour are kicking off today. The general on-sale starts at 10 a.m. local time this Friday, September 13. Fans can look forward to packed arenas at THE not-to-be-missed rock show of winter 2020. For tickets and more information, visit www.fivefingerdeathpunch.com. Simultaneously, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH has also announced two shows in Russia and one in Ukraine today. These are FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH headline-only shows without MEGADETH and the rest of the package. Tour dates: Jan. 14 - Kiev, UA @ Palace Of Sports ** Jan. 16 - Moscow, RU @ Adrenaline Stadium ** Jan. 18 - St. Petersburg, RU @ A2 ** Jan. 20 - Helsinki, FI @ Hartwell Arena Jan. 22 - Stockholm, SE @ Hovet Jan. 23 - Oslo, NO @ Spektrum Jan. 24 - Copenhagen, DK @ Royal Arena Jan. 26 - Amsterdam, HL @ AFAS Live Jan. 28 - Paris, FR @ Zenith Jan. 30 - Cardiff, UK @ Cardiff Arena Jan. 31 - London, UK @ Wembley Arena Feb. 03 - Berlin, DE @ Max-Schmeling Halle Feb. 04 - Hamburg, DE @ Sporthalle Feb. 06 - Frankfurt, DE @ Festhalle Feb. 08 - Oberhausen, DE @ Koenig-Pilsener Arena Feb. 09 - Stuttgart, DE @ Schleyerhalle Feb. 10 - Munich, DE @ Olympiahalle Feb. 12 - Warsaw, Poland @ Torwar Feb. 14 - Prague, CZ @ Tipsport Arena Feb. 16 - Milan, IT @ Alcatrazz Feb. 17 - Zurich, CH @ Hallenstadion Feb. 19 - Vienna, AT @ Stadthalle Feb. 20 - Budapest, HU @ Budapest Sportarena ** FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH headline show without MEGADETH and BAD WOLVES Earlier this year, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH spent time recording its eighth album with its regular producer, Kevin Churko, in FIVE FINGER's hometown of Las Vegas. Bathory recently said that the band's new LP could be its best yet. He said: "We have a little pie that we belong to in the musical spectrum, and within that, the grooves — there are these big, nasty grooves that feel just heavier and grimier, and that's kind of what's happening. The energy of what's in the band now is affecting this process." He said the band is taking their time making the album and stated: "It will be what it will be. At the end of the day, we are in a fortunate situation where we can take as long as we want to. We can be in the studio forever if we wanted to." According to Bathory, the recording process is going "way smoother and faster" than usual. The drums on the disc were laid down by Charlie "The Engine" Engen, who made his live debut with the group during its fall 2018 tour with BREAKING BENJAMIN. He stepped in for original drummer Jeremy Spencer, who left the band in December due to a back injury. FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH will embark on a U.S. headlining tour in the fall. The trek will start on November 1 with two special kick-off shows in the band's hometown of Las Vegas on November 1 and 2 at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. Support on the tour will come from THREE DAYS GRACE, BAD WOLVES and FIRE FROM THE GODS. Mustaine was diagnosed with throat cancer about four months ago. The 57-year-old MEGADETH leader revealed his cancer diagnosis on June 17 on social media. He said that he has already begun treatment as part of a plan that his doctors feel has a "90% success rate." Although most of MEGADETH's previously announced 2019 tour dates have been canceled as Mustaine undergoes treatment, the MEGADETH-curated Megacruise — which is set to take place October 13-19 — will still depart as scheduled, and the band will be a part of it in some form. Mustaine and bassist David Ellefson are the two remaining original members of MEGADETH, which was formed in 1983, following Mustaine's dismissal from METALLICA.
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