IT'S the tour that brought some of the biggest names in heavy metal into the limelight.

Kerrang! was born in June 1981 as a heavy metal spin-off of Sounds magazine.

Throughout its lifetime the tour has celebrated the loudest and, to the uninitiated, the scariest music on the planet.

Hugely influential, it has been instrumental in breaking what have become some of the biggest rock bands on the planet - Metallica, Guns 'N' Roses, Iron Maiden, Korn, Marilyn Manson and Slipknot, to name a few.

Ayrshire trio Biffy Clyro, The Bronx, The Audition and I Am Ghost will all be performing on the 13-date UK tour, which comes to Southampton Guildhall on Thursday.

Headliners Biffy Clyro are taking a break from recording their fourth album and will hit the road with Californian punk rock 'n' rollers The Bronx, Chicago pop punkers The Audition and Californian goth metal crew I Am Ghost.

The Kerrang! Tour 2007 will be rocking the roof off the Guildhall on Thursday.

"This tour means a lot to us," Biffy Clyro bassist James Johnston grins.

"Kerrang! has always supported us and is a real privilege to be part of this. We're very excited to be headlining and we can't wait to rawk!

"We feel most at home on the road so it's great to be going on tour again. There are people all over the country who we can't wait to see."

n If you're not lucky enough to win, tickets for the shows cost £14. Call 023 8063 2601.