After closing out 2006 with a handful of shows in the South, alt-metal heavyweights Sevendust [ tickets ] will gear up for a round of early 2007 concerts that will usher in the group's forthcoming album.

As previously reported, the Atlanta-based quintet will cap this year with a New Year's Eve performance in Tampa, FL, the last of five post-Christmas shows on the band's docket. A new round of dates is then scheduled to launch Feb. 8 in Ft. Wayne, IN; so far, a total of seven February dates are confirmed. Details are included below.

The roadwork paves the way for "Alpha," Sevendust's sixth studio set. The new disc will hit shelves March 6, and features the lead-off single "Deathstar," which is already streaming at the band's website.

"Alpha" follows last October's "Next," Sevendust's first--and, as it turns out, only--release for indie label WineDark, with whom the group signed after parting with longtime label TVT Records. Earlier this year, the group split with WineDark, but maintained control of its wholly owned record label, 7Bros. Records, an imprint the group founded as part of its deal with WineDark.

Last week, Sevendust announced a new partnership with Asylum Records, part of Warner Music Group's Independent Label Group. Together with 7 Bros., Asylum/WMG will market and distribute "Alpha," according to a press release.