As Ozzy Osbourne prepares for the first-ever free Ozzfest, two of his Black Sabbath mates, as well as the man who once replaced him as the seminal heavy metal band's frontman, are set for a US tour.

Heaven and Hell, the newly formed group fronted by Ronnie James Dio and featuring Black Sabbath vets Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler said this week that it will play 20 US concerts this spring.

The group picked the name out of respect to Osbourne and his legacy with the band. Sabbath drummer Bill Ward, who was originally announced as being part of the reunion, has been replaced by former Sabbath drummer Vinny Appice, who joined the group for a brief stretch in the early '80s.

Heaven and Hell will be joined on the tour by Megadeth, which is touring in support of its forthcoming new album, United Abominations, which hits stores May 8 on Roadrunner Records. Roadrunner label mates Machine Head round out the bill.

The tour kicks off April 22 at the Dodge Theatre in Phoenix and concludes May 19 at the PNC Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey. Tickets for all dates except the May 2 show in Houston go on sale March 9; Houston tickets go on sale March 17. There will also be a special fan presale for all dates beginning tomorrow at 12 noon EST.

Heaven and Hell will warm up for the tour with a sold-out show on March 30 at Radio City Music Hall concert in New York City.

Heaven and Hell spawned out of sessions that Dio recorded with Iommi, Butler, and Ward last year for Rhino Records' era-spanning collection, Black Sabbath: The Dio Years, which hits stores April 3. The set includes three new tracks the band recorded, and the sessions went so well that the group decided to reunite for a tour.

The tour will feature tracks from all three of the Dio-fronted group's studio albums, Heaven and Hell, Mob Rules, and Dehumanizer.

Heaven and Hell tour dates:

4/22 - Phoenix, AZ - Dodge Theatre

4/24 - San Jose, CA - HP Pavilion

4/25 - Los Angeles, CA - Forum

4/26 - San Diego, CA - Coors Amphitheatre

4/28 - Albuquerque, NM - Journal Pavilion

4/29 - Denver, CO - Broomfield Events Center

5/1 - San Antonio, TX - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre

5/2 - Houston, TX - Cynthia Woods Pavillion

5/3 - Dallas, TX - Nokia Theater

5/5 - Chicago, IL - All State Arena

5/6 - Minneapolis, MN - Theatre - Target Center

5/8 - Cincinnati, OH - US Bank Arena

5/10 - Philadelphia, PA - Wachovia Arena

5/11 - Cleveland, OH - Tower City Amphitheatre

5/12 - Detroit, MI - Cobo Hall

5/14 - Albany, NY - Times Union Center

5/15 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena

5/17 - Lowell, MA - Tsongas Arena

5/18 - Baltimore, MD - Merriweather Pavilion

5/19 - Holmdell, NJ - PNC Arts Center