The Big Four bands of thrash metal are to play on the same bill! Want to know more? Read on…After weeks of speculation that Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax would be touring together, the news has now been confirmed – it’s happpening!

A posting on Metallica’s official website (www.metallica.com) has announced:

“You’ve been posting and chatting about it for months and we’re here now to confirm it… Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax will all share the same stage for the first time EVER!

“Look for the four of us at the Sonisphere shows in Warsaw, Poland and Prague, Czech Republic on June 16 and 19, 2010, with a few more of the festival dates still in the works. You can be sure these shows won’t be the only ones.”

And all four bands have now commented on this historic moment:

Lars Ulrich – “Who would have thought that more than 25 years after its inception, thrash metal’s ‘Big Four’ would not only still be around and more popular than ever, but will now play together for the first time…what a mindf**k! Bring it on!”

Kerry King – “It’s about fucking time this happened, about time the fans finally get what they want. This is fucking awesome.”

Dave Mustaine – “This is a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ opportunity for heavy metal fans to see the four greatest heavy metal bands in American history back together on one stage. If there are any heads left at the end of this festival that haven’t banged, they don’t belong there.”

Scott Ian – “People have been talking about these four bands playing together since 1984,” he says. “That’s 26 years of expectation! And the thing is, I believe not only will we live up to the expectations, we will shatter them! No other four bands as influential as the four of us have ever done this. Imagine if the Beatles, Stones, Who and Zeppelin had done shows? Or Sabbath, Priest, Maiden and Motorhead? Well, I may be getting into some rarified air here but as a fan, that’s how big I feel this is.”

All we need now is a British date!