Avenged Sevenfold have recruited Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy to handle the drums for them on the upcoming “Rockstar Energy Drink UPROAR Festival“. The band had previously tapped Portnoy to handle the drums for them in the studio on their forthcoming new album. Portnoy tracked the parts originally written for the effort by Avenged Sevenfold drummer James “The Rev” Sullivan, who passed away late last year.

Speaking on the decision to join the band on the road, Portnoy offered the following statement:

“After having had such an amazing experience recording my drum tracks for the new Avenged Sevenfold album, we all knew it would be awesome if I’d be able to do some touring with the band after its release…

I am happy to say that the timing worked out perfectly that my touring cycle with Dream Theater (and Transatlantic) was coming to an end just as A7X’s was scheduled begin!

(well, perfect for everyone except my poor family!) : )

Although I wish I could stay on board with A7X in a more permanent capacity, the reality is that I am committed to Dream Theater as my main priority (that is my baby after all!), and I will need to resume work with DT to start a new album at some point in 2011….

However, I will be able to join my brothers in Avenged Sevenfold for at least the duration of their touring throughout 2010…and hopefully this will give them the time to continue to heal and get comfortable back on the road….

You can look at me like the band’s “rebound drummer” to buy them some time until they are comfortable and ready to make a commitment to somebody new for full-time relationship in their future!

In the meantime, I am real excited to hit the road with the boys…to bring my drumming from their new album to life on stage and to honor The Rev with all of their older material….

(Hey, do I get to have a cool, bad-ass stage name now???) : )

C-ya out there”

Meanwhile, band guitarist Zacky Vengeance offered the following:

“After being so kind and caring to help us in the studio, the rumors are in fact true and Mike Portnoy will indeed be helping us on the upcoming UPROAR tour later this year. We hope to see you all out on the road. We are very grateful to Mike for dedicating his time and talent to help us get back on the road so we can be where we need to be the most which is with our fans. Much Love and Respect”

Iron Maiden will be heading out this summer with Dream Theater in support of their new album “The Final Frontier“. The album will see a release this summer, while dates for the tour run as follows:

June 09th Dallas, TX – Superpages.com Center
June 11th Houston, TX – Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
June 12th San Antonio, TX – AT&T Center
June 14th Denver, CO – Comfort Dental Amphitheatre
June 16th Albuquerque, NM – The Pavilion
June 17th Phoenix, AZ – Cricket Wireless Pavilion
June 19th San Bernardino, CA – San Manuel Amphitheatre
June 20th Concord, CA – Sleep Train Pavilion
June 22nd Auburn, WA – White River Amphitheatre
June 24th Vancouver, BC – GM Place
June 26th Edmonton, AB – Rexall Place
June 29th Saskatoon, SK – Credit Union Center
June 30th Winnipeg, MB – MTS Center (no Dream Theater)
July 03rd Toronto, ON – Molson Amphitheatre
July 07th Montreal, QC – Bell Centre
July 11th Holmdel, NJ – PNC
July 12th New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
July 14th Pittsburgh, PA – First Niagra Pavilion
July 15th Cleveland, OH – Blossom Music Center
July 17th Detroit, MI – DTE Energy Music Theatre
July 18th Chicago, IL – First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
July 20th Washington D.C. – Jiffy Lube Live

Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy has commented on his decision to handle the drumming for Avenged Sevenfold’s upcoming new album, you can read what he had to say below:

“Even under normal circumstances, I would’ve been happy to help the guys out in any way I could as I think Avenged Sevenfold are a great band…but under these incredibly sad and tragic circumstances, I must say I am truly honored to have been asked to play with them and I didn’t even have to think twice about saying ‘yes.’

These guys are a true family and it is an incredibly emotional experience to be here with them for the first time without their lost brother. But they have welcomed me into the family with open arms and there’s a real excitement to make the record they had set out to make.

I am treating my participation on this album with the utmost respect for Jimmy’s memory and am remaining as true as possible to the drum parts that he wrote for the songs and the record he wanted to make.

I want their fans to realize that I’m not trying to step into or fill The Rev’s shoes…I’m just merely lacing ‘em up for him!”

The track listing has been revealed for Roadrunner Records‘ upcoming “God Of War: Blood & Metal” digital EP. The outing boasts a number of new tracks inspired by the upcoming Playstation 3 videogame “God Of War III” and will shape up as follows:

01 – Killswitch Engage – “My Obsession”
02 – Trivium – “Shattering The Skies Above”
03 – Dream Theater – “Raw Dog”
04 – Taking Dawn – “This Is Madness”
05 – Opeth – “The Throat Of Winter”
06 – Mutiny Within – “The End”

The effort will be made available for purchase through a number of digital retailers on March 02nd. It will also be made available via a voucher included in the upcoming “God Of War III” Ultimate Edition, which is due out in stores on March 16th.

Another benefit concert is being planned for ailing Deftones bassist Chi Cheng, who is still continuing his recovery from a car accident in late 2008 that originally left him in a coma. The latest concert will take place at The Slidebar Cafe in Fullerton, CA on January 16th and will feature members of the Deftones, Korn, P.O.D., Suicide Silence, Skid Row, Chevelle, Dream Theater, Machine Head and more. Additional details on the show can be found here.