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Manos Spanos

Anathema: Back to Greece for Two Shows

Manos Spanos
Just a few minutes ago, Anathema's official facebook page announced an extensive European tour due to the new studio album "Distant Satellites". The original announcement is: "Following the release of their brand new studio album 'distant satellites', ANATHEMA will head out on an extensive European tour! Keep an eye out on the tour dates tab for ticket links and further dates... 'distant satellites' is the highly anticipated follow-up to 2012's 'Weather Systems', recorded at Cederberg Studios in Oslo, with producer Christer-André Cederberg. Release dates: Germany & Sweden – 6th June UK & RoW – 9th June USA, Canada & France – 10th June" Check bellow for the tour dates.
00 min read

OZZY OSBOURNE: ‘I Wouldn’t Mind Doing Another BLACK SABBATH Album’

Manos Spanos
Singer Ozzy Osbourne tells the Toronto Sun in a new interview that he feels satisfied that he's gone full circle with the legendary heavy metal BLACK SABBATH after topping the charts around the world with the group's reunion album, "13". "When we did the album '13', if that was going to be the last album I ever did with BLACK SABBATH, it was okay, because before, in 1978 with 'Never Say Die!', wasn't a good time for me with BLACK SABBATH," he says. "So if we never do another thing together again, we ended on a better note. The only sad thing was that [65-year-old original SABBATH drummer] Bill Ward never played on it." Ward was on board for the reunion when it was first announced in November 2011, but backed out soon after due to contractual issues. SABBATH has used Ozzy's regular touring drummer Tommy Clufetos since then for live work. RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE's Brad Wilk laid down the drum tracks on "13", which came out in June 2013. Osbourne also doesn't rule out the possibility of more new music from SABBATH, telling the Toronto Sun: "Everybody asks me if there's going to be a follow-up to '13'. And all I can say is, 'I never say never anymore.' I don't want to say, 'Yeah, we're never going to do another album,' because if everybody agrees and we don't take 500 years again to make another album, I'm up for it. I wouldn't mind doing another SABBATH album." BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi revealed in January of 2012 that he had been diagnosed with lymphoma, which is described by the Mayo Clinic as "a cancer of the lymphatic system, the body's disease-fighting network." He has had to go back to England every six weeks for treatment, forcing him and SABBATH to work around both the treatments and the recovery time needed afterward. According to Osbourne, Iommi is in good health as far as he knows and playing as strongly as ever. "I haven't had one of them dark phone calls so I presume he's okay," Ozzy tells the Toronto Sun. "He's unbelievable. I mean, any of us could be diagnosed with cancer. I always think cancer means death. I didn't know anybody who'd recovered. My wife recovered from colon cancer and that was the first person I ever knew. But he just accepts it and gets on with it. I mean, it's got to be worrying. But he's doing fine, I think, I hope. He's unbelievable. We all know our job, we all know our craft, but he's a very talented guy. Considering on his fret hand he's got no fingertips, he plays with prosthetic fingers at the end. I've often said to him, 'How the hell do you know when you're touching the strings?' I don't know. It's amazing."
03 min read

METALLICA: Official Footage Of Buenos Aires Concert

Manos Spanos
METALLICA's official YouTube channel MetallicaTV has uploaded "fly-on-the-wall" footage shot by the MetOnTour reporter on March 29 at Estadio Ciudad de La Plata in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The clip, which can be seen below, includes the band warming up in the tuning room as well as "The Unforgiven" and "...And Justice For All" from the show. As promised, the band played a nearly all-request set in Santiago, with 17 songs chosen online by fans prior to the gig and the last slot filled by the new track "Lords Of Summer". The band's setlist was as follows: 01. Battery 02. Master Of Puppets 03. Welcome Home (Sanitarium) 04. Ride The Lightning 05. The Unforgiven 06. Lords Of Summer 07. Fuel 08. Sad But True 09. Fade To Black 10. ...And Justice For All 11. One 12. For Whom The Bell Tolls 13. Creeping Death 14. Nothing Else Matters 15. Enter Sandman Encore: 16. Whiskey In The Jar 17. Orion 18. Seek & Destroy Drummer Lars Ulrich told Rolling Stone that "Lords Of Summer" "is fairly representative of where our creative headspace is at right now. It's one of those things that's like, 'Here, we're writing and we're creating.'" Guitarist Kirk Hammett told The Pulse Of Radio that coming up with music is not a problem for the band. "We're a band that never has a shortage of ideas," he said. "You know, you hear about these bands that are like, oh, they're sitting in the studio and they don't have any songs, what are they gonna do? That's not METALLICA. METALLICA's problem is the total opposite: we have too many ideas, which ones are we gonna use. And so that's pretty much how it stands with us." Ulrich cautioned, however, that "Lords Of Summer" may not even end up on METALLICA's next album at all, or at least not in its current form. He explained, "We did the same thing when we went out and played a bunch of dates in 2006. We were writing and played two different new songs over the course of that summer, and none of them made the record (2008's 'Death Magnetic')." The Metallica By Request tour will hit Europe this summer, with a single North American date confirmed in Montreal, as the band continues working on its 10th studio album.
02 min read

DARKTHRONE: ‘Black Death And Beyond’ Vinyl Box Set Due In May

Manos Spanos
Norwegian black metal veterans DARKTHRONE will release "Black Death And Beyond" on May 12 via Peaceville Records. It is a special collector's box-set featuring an in-depth book containing extensive accounts of the band's history and philosophy from both Gylve "Fenriz" Nagell and Ted "Nocturno Culto" Skjellum, as well as additional recollections from bass player Dag Nilsen. Numerous other artists and friends along the way give their thoughts on the legends too, plus the book contains a large amount of personal photos from the band archive. Also included are three vinyls featuring DARKTHRONE's own choice cuts from their illustrious collection of death, black, metal and punk classics, presented on white, black and transparent vinyl, plus woven DARKTHRONE patch. All pre-orders of "Black Death And Beyond" also come with a signed certificate from the band. Fenriz explains the concept behind the track selections: "I never quit my day job; one of the reasons being that I can listen to music on headphones there all the time. To the extent that I rarely listen to music at home anymore, and if I do, it's like I can't hear it properly. At work with headphones is where the details reveal themselves and also which songs I can and can't use in compilations or DJing appear quite clearly. "Every time I get/buy a cassette or vinyl, I have to transfer them to WAV files via a computer program, then I write a little note to accompany the final burnt disc. But the note first swings by my workplace where I can rate the various songs with a clever underlining system called The Fenrizolator. And so pass the days. "Then came the idea to do a DARKTHRONE book and with it a vast box set. There was talk about three compilation discs, one with Death, one with Black and one with our other styles. So be it. But this time I took it upon myself do it properly. And to do that... well, I had to face my own rating system. Because I also use the F-olator on regular CDs, it took three whole days to rate all of our 16 full-length albums. Certain discoveries were made, like the song I think is worst by DARKTHRONE is 'Hans Siste Vinter' (scoring only 12 out of 60 points) and also that 'The Cult Is Alive' is probably our best album — at least it's the one with the highest grades consistently. But I digress. Aggressive digressor!!! Lists were made, and I truly tried to be as honest and fair as possible. Ted was initially going to do this but I think he suddenly saw how monumental a task it would be, and ended up with — well, what you hold in your hands right now. My 'best oF' trying to follow both my biased ratings, crystal logic and also personal favorites and my fave Ted songs." This edition of "Black Death And Beyond" is strictly limited to a single vinyl pressing. Once it's sold out, it will not be re-pressed. "Black Death And Beyond" track listing: Black: Side 1: 01. In the Shadow of the Horns 02. Inn I De Dype Skogers Favn 03. Under a Funeral Moon 04. I en Hall Med Flesk og Mjod Side 2: 01. The Hordes of Nebulah 02. The Claws of Time 03. Fucked Up & Ready to Die 04. Hate is the Law 05. The Cult of Goliath Death: Side 1: 01. Snowfall 02. Sunrise over Locus Mortis 03. Soulside Journey 04. Neptune Towers 05. Nor the Silent Whispers Side 2: 01. Iconoclasm Sweeps Cappadocia (NRK version) 02. Sadomasochistic Rites 03. In his Lovely Kingdom 04. Black Daimon 05. Paragon Belial Beyond: Side 1: 01. Graveyard Slut 02. Forebyggende Krig 03. These Shores are Damned 04. Pervertor of the 7 Gates 05. Wisdom of the Dead Side 2: 01. The Winds they
04 min read

Learn To Play PANTERA’s Most Popular Songs From Bassist REX BROWN

Manos Spanos
Former PANTERA/DOWN and current KILL DEVIL HILL bassist Rex Brown is one of a number of musicians featured on the online guitar lesson learning program JamPlay. Learn the most popular PANTERA songs as well as new material from KILL DEVIL HILL at JamPlay. Learn from the man himself, Rex Brown! Rex discusses each song and shares stories about the songwriting and recording process. He also describes what they are like to ROCK live! Check out these songs, as well as Rex Brown's full Artist series where Rex goes over his much-sought-after tone and picking style. Asked to describe how his playing has changed over the years, Brown told Music Radar: "Whether you're playing with three or four different cats, you have to adapt to each situation. DOWN didn't sound like PANTERA, and KILL DEVIL HILL certainly doesn't sound like either of those bands. You have to size up everybody's strengths and weakness. Sometimes that calls for you to do a lot or a little, but whatever you do, you serve the song and try to keep it interesting." Reflecting on how he fashioned his basslines in and around the massive guitar riffs of late PANTERA axeman "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, Brown told Music Radar: "Dime's sound was so big, I had to look for ways to fit something inside that wall. I had to have a real mid-punch and compose parts that could stand out. I'd play the riffs and then figure out where to take it from there, listening for little pockets of space when I need to add a nuance or a walking line. The main thing was to anchor the song, and when the music needed a little more juice from the bass, I'd go for it."
02 min read

JUDAS PRIEST, KORN, ALICE IN CHAINS, Ex-PANTERA Members Pay Tribute To KURT COBAIN

Manos Spanos
According to The Pulse Of Radio, this Saturday (April 5) marks the 20th anniversary of the death of NIRVANA founder and frontman Kurt Cobain at the age of 27. Cobain, who killed himself with a shotgun in a room above the garage of his Seattle home, instantly joined the pantheon of rock legends who died too early, including Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Bon Scott, and more. Yet while many of those artists lived the rock star lifestyle to the fullest, Cobain was branded as something that he, by all accounts, never wanted to be — the spokesman for an entire generation. It's widely felt that Cobain's inability to reconcile his inner demons and fear of "compromise" with NIRVANA's massive success drove him to depression, drugs, and ultimately, suicide. KORN guitarist Brian "Head" Welch recalled hearing NIRVANA's music and sensing that Kurt Cobain was already in a lot of pain. "I just remember tripping and going, 'Wow, that guy must have been like really in a dark place,' you know," he said. "It just shows you, you know, like that life isn't all about fame and being a rock star and making it and money and all that stuff, you know. It's about finding like who you are and being happy inside and finding that place, because you can have the whole world and still want to kill yourself. You know, even 20 years later, it's like a reality check, you know. We should use this, his anniversary of his death, as a reality check." Former PANTERA and current HELLYEAH drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott said that while NIRVANA's success did a lot of damage to the metal scene at the time, he still liked the band and was shocked by Cobain's death. "NIRVANA was a huge band and I, like everybody else, I think — I don't know anybody who ever said they weren't a fan of them — thought they were great," he said. "And I was terribly shocked and kind of mortified as to what happened, you know. I never knew Kurt was that depressed and that kind of stuff, you know. Just didn't seem that way to me, you know. He was just big and larger than life." ALICE IN CHAINS guitarist Jerry Cantrell was coming up on the Seattle music scene at the same time as NIRVANA and ran into Cobain occasionally. "I didn't really know Kurt that well, but there was a guy I always admired," he said. "We didn't spent much time together, but the few times we did spend together, you know, were times I'll always remember. You know, he was a really sweet guy, and a really genuine soul, you know, and an incredibly talented artist." JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford sums up what Kurt Cobain meant to rock music. "He was an absolute genius," he said. "In the legacy of rock and roll music, he'll be there with, like, Hendrix and Lennon and Joplin and Morrison. Incredibly evocative, inspiring, controversial, human musician. For me, there's been nothing great since NIRVANA, in the way it shook up the world. There's been nothing great since that band."
03 min read

Manos Spanos

Manos Spanos (Metalpaths' co-editor-in-chief), eight years in this site but still can't be characterised as a metalhead.