FIREWIND To Tour North America With ARSIS, WHITE WIZZARD, NIGHTRAGE

Greek melodic metallers FIREWIND who feature in their ranks OZZY OSBOURNE guitarist Gus G. (real name: Kostas Karamitroudis) have announced their first-ever North American headlining tour, dubbed the "Frets of Fury". The trek kicks off on October 9 and features support from ARSIS, WHITE WIZZARD and NIGHTRAGE.

Commented Gus: "We couldn't be happier to announce our first full North American tour!

"It's been over three years since FIREWIND toured from coast to coast across the U.S. and we're coming back stronger than ever with a killer package.

"We put a lot of thought into who we wanted to go out with us and truly believe that each band on this bill brings something special to the table making this a very diverse lineup. However, shredding guitar driven metal remains the prominent feature across the board. In fact, there's more to it than just that, as this package is somewhat of a musical family tree.

"Not many people know this but ARSIS' guitarist James Malone and I went to Berklee together back in 1998. We had an instrumental band together for awhile, which later became FIREWIND.

"James is a kick-ass shredder and I'm glad our bands are finally touring together.

"Also, most people don't know that I played in NIGHTRAGE for few years. I did two albums with them and their main-man Marios Iliopoulos is a phenomenal guitar player. He also filled in on bass for FIREWIND this year, when Petros was unable to tour.

"NIGHTRAGE is one of my favorite bands and you definitely got to come down early to check them out.

"WHITE WIZZARD are currently making noise worldwide and they're definitely a band to watch out for as well.

"We're proud to have these great bands on board with us, making this such a high-quality package for all metal fans.

"We will also offering special VIP ticketing options for each show on this tour that will allow you access into a private meet and greet with the band, a signed poster and limited-edition laminate."

FIREWIND's latest album, "Days Of Defiance", sold around 700 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 53 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.

"Days Of Defiance" was released in North America on October 26, 2010 (one day earlier internationally) via Century Media Records. The CD's striking cover artwork was designed by the band's longtime partner in all design matters, Gustavo Sazes.

Fan-filmed video footage of FIREWIND's November 6, 2010 concert at the Gramercy Theater in New York City can be viewed at this location. A couple of the clips are available below.