Queensryche [ tickets ] will back the just-released album "Q2K" with an extensive tour that gets underway in Las Vegas just before Halloween. The album, being billed as a return to the band's hard rock roots, is the progressive metal band's first for Atlantic Records.

The first leg of the tour will hit large theaters and small arenas in 22 U.S. cities by early December. No support acts have been announced. The band will then break for the holidays before embarking on a European tour early next year. Another North American leg will follow, according to Atlantic Records. The label picked up Queensryche after EMI-USA dissolved.

The band, which is based in the Seattle area, is currently receiving strong rock radio support for the new single ''Breakdown.'' Its top-selling album to date is 1990's ''Empire,'' with more than 3 million copies sold.

The album is Queensryche's first with new guitarist Kelly Gray. He recently replaced Chris DeGarmo, who left the group due to ''creative differences.''