ROB ZOMBIE: U.K. Tour Dates Announced

ROB ZOMBIE is set for a return to the U.K. stage after a 12-year hiatus. Rob and his band — featuring John 5 (guitar),Piggy D (bass) and Joey Jordison (drums) — will play a string of six dates this coming February, finally bringing their visually-arresting, high-octane, pyro-laden, monster stage show to U.K. shores.

Rob is looking forward to the visit, saying, "I am thrilled to be finally heading back to the UK. I have been away far too long, but trust me it will be worth the wait. The band is in top form and completely ready to destroy."

The dates are as follows:

Feb. 16 - London, UK @ O2 Academy Brixton
Feb. 17 - Manchester, UK @ Academy
Feb. 18 - Newcastle, UK @ O2 Academy
Feb. 20 - Glasgow, UK @ O2 Academy
Feb. 21 - Leeds, UK @ O2 Academy
Feb. 22 - Birmingham, UK @ O2 Academy

Tickets, priced £26.50 regionally and £29.50 in London (subject to booking fee),go on sale 9 a.m. this Friday, October 15 from box offices, all usual agents and online at www.livenation.co.uk and www.kililive.com.

Support comes from SKINDRED and Rob Zombie's Roadrunner U.K. labelmates REVOKER.

The CD/DVD edition of Zombie's latest album, "Hellbilly Deluxe 2", arrived in stores on September 28 via Roadrunner Records. The expanded version of the album features three brand new tracks recorded with the band's current touring lineup, including SLIPKNOT drummer/MURDERDOLLS guitarist Joey Jordison, along with a reworked version of the song "The Man Who Laughs". A bonus DVD featuring live footage and a 30-minute touring documentary, dubbed "Transylvanian Transmissions", are also included.

Rob Zombie's fourth solo album, "Hellbilly Deluxe 2", debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard album chart on February 10, selling 49,000 copies in its first week of release. That total is less than 50 percent of the number of copies that his previous effort, "Educated Horses", sold in its first week back in April 2006, when it moved 107,000 copies to land at No. 5 on the chart.

Zombie was originally supposed to issue the album last November through his longtime label, Geffen Records, but delayed its arrival to February 2 after abruptly leaving to sign with the Roadrunner label. He admitted to The Pulse of Radio that he was a little unsure at first whether that was the right thing to do. "Well, I mean, it was weird because at first you think like, well, you know, you're on Geffen, do you want to make the switch, should you just change next time on the next record, you know, just ride out what you started," he said. "I struggled with it but I thought, you know, my gut is telling me this is the thing to do because I have a feeling if I put it out in November, the label's not gonna support it, and by December the record will be dead. And I just said, you know, screw it. Whatever the repercussions, let's just do it."