The tour kicks off August 4 at California’s Long Beach Arena. The other confirmed shows – all in August – are for San Diego (6), Dallas (11), San Antonio (12) and Houston (13).

System will headline arena concerts in some 40 cities over a 10-week period. The rest of the itinerary is expected to be announced shortly.

The tour will feature special guests The Mars Volta and Bad Acid Trip.

Tickets go on sale June 10 and 11, ranging from $32.50 to $45 a pop. SOAD’s Web site, www.systemofadown.com, will hold a presale beginning June 8.

The gigs come in support of System’s May 17 release, Mezmerize, which debut at No. 1 on Nielsen SoundScan charts its first week. The album sold 800,000 copies in its first week, according to a press release. Mezmerize is the first disc in a two-disc set. The second album, Hypnotize, will see a late summer/early fall 2005 release date.

SOAD is currently on a 23-show tour of Europe, which includes several festival stops and a handful of headline dates. In April, the band took to a nine-city “guerilla tour,” headlining small U.S. venues. Those gigs were announced only a day or two before the performances.