High on Fire had to drop out of their slot on the Metalliance Tour, a monolithic and doom-tastic tour including Saint Vitus and Crowbar. While it sucks that HOF won't be able to be a part of this doom fest -- which can put hair on your chest, thanks to the manly riffs present in each band's signature sound -- their replacement is Helmet, who get two thumbs up from Noisecreep for this bill.

Helmet will make their appearance on the Metalliance run even more special by playing their iconic 1992 album 'Meantime' from start to finish. 'Meantime' is considered a benchmark in chunky, stop-start alt-metal and should drag longtime fans out of the woodwork to hear 'hits' like 'Unsung' and 'In the Meantime.'

Helmet, Saint Vitus and Crowbar mark the tour's inaugural lineup -- which suggests that Metalliance will be an annual event, if we're lucky. The tour is scheduled to run from March 17 and to wrap on April 5. Dates, venues and other acts appearing on the bill will be announced shortly.

"Saint Vitus is more than ready to infect the Metalliance Tour! We've been wanting to do something like this for some time now ... so prepare for destruction!!" said lead guitarist Dave Chandler in a statement. While the band has played shows here and there and enjoyed European tour festivals, Metalliance will mark their first full US tour in over a decade.

Crowbar frontman Kirk Windstein also expressed his excitement, saying, "Wow! This tour is gonna rule! I've loved Helmet since the beginning and loved Saint Vitus even longer. With the new Crowbar record having hit the streets by then, look out! This bill will bring just what we need to crush each city with an avalanche of stylistic thunder!"

Get ready to go deaf with Metalliance.

Watch Helmet's 'Unsung' Video

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