Halford and Queensryche are on the bill for the duration. The show will play in arenas and amphitheatres, and is expected to run for six weeks. Initial dates have been announced and the balance of the tour should be released soon.

“We think this is a fantastic bill which will prove to everyone how metal is very relevant and stronger than ever in the year 2000,” Iron Maiden vocalist Bruce Dickinson said on the band’s official Web site.

Halford is the new band from former Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford. The group’s debut album, Resurrection, is due out on August 8th. The leather-clad rocker’s Internet fans are already weighing in on the project, which they say marks the singer’s return to Judas Priest-style metal. His last effort, an industrial band called Two, didn’t fare well with longtime Halford fans.

Seattle’s technology-savvy Queensryche is touring in support of its greatest hits album, which arrives in stores on June 27.