Metallica, Godsmack begin plotting second leg of North American tour

With less than a month to go before the group launches its North American tour behind last year's "St. Anger," Metallica has begun plotting dates for a second batch of shows.

So far, only three May dates in the Midwest have been nailed down; late-April stops in the South and Northeast are rumored, but could not be confirmed at press time.

Metallica, which last June delivered "St. Anger"--its first new studio set since 1997's "Reload"--is expected to play more than 70 North American shows this year. The "St. Anger" title track was recently nominated for a Grammy award in the Best Metal Performance category.

Squaring off against Metallica in that same category is the tour's support act, Godsmack, for the single "Straight Out of Line. The cut is featured on the group's latest full-length, "Faceless," which hit stores last April. The group plans to offer up some "new music" in March, according to its website. No additional details have surfaced.

Last month, a documentary titled "Metallica: Some Kind of Monster" premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. The film, which is scheduled for wide release in May, will first appear at a number of additional festivals; more details are posted at Metallica's website

Metallica is also readying a 272-page, over-sized, hardcover book that will include more than 1,000 photographs, as well as band members' hand-written entries, drawings and more. The tome, tentatively titled "So What! The Metallibook by Metallica," is expected in stores next August, according to a press release.