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Manos Spanos

Former THE GATES OF SLUMBER Bassist JASON MCCASH Dies

Manos Spanos
Jason McCash, former bassist, co-songwriter and co-lyricist for Indianapolis doomsters THE GATES OF SLUMBER, has reportedly passed away. He was 37 years old. In a posting on Facebook, THE GATES OF SLUMBER vocalist/guitarist Karl Simon wrote: "My best friend died last night. "There will be no reunion — no more of THE GATES OF SLUMBER. It's dead beyond dead, and I've lost a brother. "Please be respectful or silent. It's a small world and I'm still alive. Remember that shit." McCash announced his departure from THE GATES OF SLUMBER last September, explaining that it was "just time for me to leave." THE GATES OF SLUMBER's "Death March" video can be seen below. The song comes off the band's "Stormcrow" EP, which was released on January 29, 2013 via Scion Audio/Visual, (a.k.a. Scion A/V), the in-house record label and lifestyle marketing division of the Scion marque produced by Toyota Motor Corporation for the North American market. The CD was recorded by Sanford Parker and it features cover artwork by Dave Quiggle. THE GATES OF SLUMBER in 2012 parted amicably with drummer J. Clyde Paradis, who recorded and toured behind the 2011 album "The Wretch" (Rise Above Records). THE GATES OF SLUMBER started in 1998 as a backlash against the stoner rock trend prevalent at the time and with their mixture of BLACK SABBATH, SAINT VITUS, PENTAGRAM, and prime-era CELTIC FROST, the band has crushed or converted unbelievers ever since. "The Wretch" was released in May 2011 via Rise Above/Metal Blade. The CD was recorded at England's Orgone Studios with producer Jaime Gomez Arellano (GHOST, ANGEL WITCH).
02 min read

MOTÖRHEAD’s LEMMY: ‘I Am Feeling A Lot Better Than I Did’

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Legendary MOTÖRHEAD frontman Lemmy Kilmister was interviewed on the March 28-30 edition of Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show. You can now listen to the chat using the Podbean widget below. A couple of excerpts from the interview follow. To see a full list of stations carrying the program and when it airs, go to FullMetalJackieRadio.com. Full Metal Jackie: So great to hear your voice. It has been a while. What have you been up to? Lemmy: I have been ill for about a year, but I am pulling out of it now. I am getting better now. Full Metal Jackie: You are feeling good? Lemmy: Not good yet, but I am feeling a lot better than I did, which was terrible. Full Metal Jackie: Well, that's good. I will take that as a positive. Lemmy: Yes, it is onward and upward, you know? Full Metal Jackie: You are going to be having some tour dates in April, with Coachella, and it looks like a week of dates. Are you looking forward to getting back out on the road? Lemmy: Yeah, it's about time. Full Metal Jackie: You have spent most of your time on the road on tour, it seems. Do you feel out of place or out of sorts when you are not out on the road? Lemmy: I did at first, but then I got comfortable, but I will be alright. Full Metal Jackie: You are looking forward to it, though? Lemmy: Yeah. I am looking forward to hear some of the crowds again, you know? Full Metal Jackie: I know us, the fans, are really looking forward to seeing you out there playing again. We are looking forward to that. That is happening in April there is going to be about a week of dates. Coachella, which you obviously have never played before have you ever been? Lemmy: No, we are doing two shows at Coachella. The first one and the last one. Full Metal Jackie: Are you looking forward to that? Lemmy: Yeah, yeah. It depends on how the first one goes. Full Metal Jackie: Over nearly 40 years, MOTÖRHEAD has played some unlikely venues but on paper a cruise ship sounds like the strangest to me. What appeals to you about the upcoming MotörBoat cruise? Lemmy: It is something we haven't done. We have played in places where there is a truck door to get off the stage, we've played in jail, we've played a lot of weird places, but we have never been on a boat. I used to go, when I went up to Liverpool to see THE BEATLES, they used to have rock 'n' roll cruises on these two old ferry boats. You get five bands and you go out for three or four hours and they [get up on] a stage and come back in. I used to go on those so I got the idea. I just told the people who run it to put their heads together and know what they are doing. Otherwise, it would be a terrible fiasco, you know?
03 min read

GEEZER BUTLER On The Making Of BLACK SABBATH’s ‘God Is Dead?’

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BLACK SABBATH bassist Geezer Butler spoke to Bryan Reesman of Grammy.com about the writing process for the song "God Is Dead?", which won a Grammy in the "Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance" category in the pre-telecast ceremony at the 56th annual Grammy Awards on January 26 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. "God Is Dead?" also picked up a nomination in the "Best Rock Song" category. In addition, SABBATH's comeback CD, "13", earned a nod for "Best Rock Album". "Tony [Iommi, guitar] came up with most of the music [for '13'], and then we all worked together to arrange it," Geezer said. "Ozzy [Osbourne, vocals] always jams along to us, and he came up with the title 'God Is Dead?' He remembered the [1966] Time magazine [cover story titled] 'Is God Dead?' — but he remembered it as 'God Is Dead.' I had a mini-argument with him about it. I looked it up online and showed him that it was 'Is God Dead?' Then I read the Nietzsche philosophy about it. [Editor's note: "God is dead" is a widely quoted statement by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche.] "I wrote it about a person who thought it was completely revolting to think that somebody would say that, and it sticks in his head and he keeps hearing it in his mind. So he turns violent in the end and sets out to murder everybody. It was also inspired by the shootings that were going on at the time in the States. People were saying that 'God told them to do it,' and stuff like that. That was one of the first songs we started writing together, so that probably took the longest to [finish]. There was a lot of work before we got to the studio, and we knew that was a good song. The lyrics were written the night before recording them. The only lyrics that I had written [prior to recording] were 'Dear Father' like a year before we went into the studio, and that was because of all the priests being exposed, no pun intended, on the news." Osbourne told Shortlist that although he came up with the title for "God Is Dead?", Butler wanted to call it something else. Ozzy said, "I was in a doctor's office and there was a magazine in there with that line on the cover. I thought, 'Yeah — people flew planes into the World Trade Center because of God, there's all this fucking shit going on in the world in the name of God.'" Geezer added, "Ozzy gave me that line, and I wrote the lyrics. I wanted to call the song 'American Jihad'." Ozzy continued, "Fuck that. I'm the guy at the front singing it; I would have had a fucking army after me . . . In the early days [of BLACK SABBATH], there was a lot of backlash from religious groups . . . I was sent letters written in blood. In my house I must have 25 fucking Bibles, each with a marked-up passage that [the sender] wanted me to read." "13" debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard album chart in June 2013, the first SABBATH album to ever top the U.S. chart. The disc features Ozzy, Butler and Iommi playing together for the first time in 35 years. Their last effort together was 1978's "Never Say Die!"
03 min read

LARS ULRICH: METALLICA Will ‘Hopefully’ Record New Album Next Year

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METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich was interviewed earlier this month on the "La Viola" show on the Argentinian TV channel TN. You can now watch the report below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). On whether all the criticism has encouraged METALLICA to do things differently over the years: Ulrich: "I think METALLICA has been criticized more or less since the beginning. I mean, the hard rock fans take it very seriously, and I think sometimes too seriously. They're very vocal — they're passionate — but sometimes you have to kind of balance that off with saying, 'Okay, everybody, let's just calm down. It's just rock and roll,' or whatever. So I think we try to find the right balances. The members of METALLICA have always been very curious and very interested in different things and open to different ways of doing things. I think when we were young, when you're not so confident, when we were young, we were really trying to play a lot and show how talented we were. Now, I think, we're not so worried about whether people think we're talented or not. Now, because we're so comfortable with who we are… I think as you get a little older and get a little more experience, you become less worried about what people think of you and you become more comfortable with yourself. I think we've always tried with our fans to say, 'We are METALLICA and we will do things our way, we will do it differently. Come along for the ride, but if you wanna come along for that ride, know that it's gonna be a ride that's gonna take us to many different places." On whether he and the rest of METALLICA were joking when they said they were "Beliebers" — a.k.a. fans of pop singer Justin Bieber: Ulrich: "No. You know, he's a talented kid. He's talented. I mean, obviously, he doesn't make it easy for himsef, and I can only imagine how difficult it must be to have to deal with everybody being on top of him 24 hours a day; I don't wish that upon anybody." On what kind of music he listens to in his spare time: Ulrich: "I listen mostly to what my kids listen to, 'cause they always hijack the stereo, they steal the stereo in the car. We get into the car and they take control of the iPod. So, thankfully, my kids listen to SYSTEM OF A DOWN, FOO FIGHTERS, ARCTIC MONKEYS, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, AC/DC…" On what it's like being in METALLICA in 2014: Ulrich: "It's exciting. It's been an exciting time. The last, I don't know, six months, we finished our movie, we went to the Antarctic, we played the Grammys again, which was nice. We've started writing songs and preparing for the next record, so that's very exciting. We're down here among all of you beautiful people and playing [the] 'By Request' [setlist] and going to new places. We were in Quito two days ago, where we'd never been [before]. We're playing a new song ['The Lords Of Summer'] on stage, which people seem to be very receptive to. We're writing away. We've got some good ideas. Our biggest problem is not the ideas, our biggest problem is time. METALLICA is busier than ever, and it just seems like there's more and more going on and the days get shorter and shorter. But, hopefully, we will be done writing this year and next year we should record and hopefully have a new record out maybe next year. We'll see. Hopefully next year."
03 min read

ANVIL: ‘Eat Your Words’ Video Premiere

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"Eat Your Words", the new video from Canadian metal legends ANVIL, can be seen below. The song is taken from the band's new album, "Hope In Hell", which sold a little under 800 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The disc follows up "Juggernaut Of Justice", which opened with around 1,600 units back in May 2011. The 2009 re-release of the band's 2007 CD, "This is Thirteen", registered a first-week tally of 1,400 to enter the Top New Artist Albums chart at No. 19. Released on May 27, 2013 in Europe and May 24, 2013 in Germany on SPV/Steamhammer, "Hope In Hell" is available in four different formats: as a limited-edition digipak including two bonus tracks, as a jewel case CD, double gatefold colored vinyl LP and as a digital download. These are the first cuts featuring ANVIL's new bassist Sal Italiano, who joined the band two years ago. "Hope In Hell" was written and recorded following an 18-month world tour which took ANVIL around the globe. Like "Juggernaut Of Justice", "Hope In Hell" was produced by Bob Marlette (BLACK SABBATH, AIRBOURNE, ALICE COOPER) at the NRG Recording studios in North Hollywood, California and mastered by Maor Appelbaum (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, SEPULTURA). "Hope In Hell" track listing: 01. Hope In Hell 02. Eat Your Words 03. Through With You 04. The Fight Is Never Won 05. Pay The Toll 06. Flying 07. Call Of Duty 08. Badass Rock N Roll 09. Time Shows No Mercy 10. Mankind Machine 11. Shut The Fuck Up 12. Hard Wired (bonus track) 13. Fire At Will (bonus track)
01 min read

CHANNEL ZERO Taps Drummer CHRIS ‘SEVEN’ ANTONOPOULOS For Upcoming Shows

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Belgian/American metallers CHANNEL ZERO have tapped Chris "Seven" Antonopoulos as their new touring drummer. Says the band in a statement: "It was clear that Roy Mayorga [STONE SOUR, ex-SOULFLY] who did an amazing job with the drum recordings of the new album, wasn't going to be the live drummer of CHANNEL ZERO. "The remaining band members have made their decision and chosen for Seven Antonopoulos as their live drummer for the upcoming April shows. "Seven is not a stranger to the metal scene. In the past he played with bands such as HELLAFIED FUNK CREW, OPIATE FOR THE MASSES, REVOLTING COCKS and LEAVES' EYES." An audio sample of "Electronic Cocaine", the new single from CHANNEL ZERO, can be streamed below. The track comes off the band's forthcoming album, "Kill All Kings", which will be released on April 4 via Mostiko. "Kill All Kings" track listing: 01. Dark Passenger 02. Electronic Cocaine 03. Burn The Nation 04. Digital Warfare 05. Ego 06. Crimson Collider 07. Kill All Kings 08. Brothers Keeper 09. Army Of Bugs 10. Mind Over Mechanics 11. Duisternis 12. Heart Stop "Kill All Kings" is the the first CHANNEL ZERO LP to be recorded without drummer Phil Baheux, who passed away last August at age 45. Filling in for him during the new album recording sessions was former SOULFLY and current STONE SOUR drummer Roy Mayorga. Baheux founded CHANNEL ZERO in 1990, along with singer Franky De Smet-Van Damme and bassist Tino De Martino. In 2010, they reformed the band with the addition of American guitarist Mikey Doling [SNOT, SOULFLY]. CHANNEL ZERO's last album, "Feed 'Em With A Brick", received a wider European release in June 2012 via Graviton Music Services. channelzerokillallkingsnewcd
02 min read

MASSACRE: Entire ‘Back From Beyond’ Album Available For Streaming

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"Back From Beyond", the long-awaited comeback album from resurrected 1990s Florida-based death metallers MASSACRE, can be streamed using the SoundCloud widget below. Released on March 24 in Europe and April 1 in North America via Century Media Records, the CD was recorded and mixed by Tim Vazquez of CGM Studios in Altamonte Springs, Florida, and features original MASSACRE members Rick Rozz (guitar; ex-MANTAS/DEATH) and Terry Butler (bass; OBITUARY, ex-DEATH/SIX FEET UNDER), as well as Ed Webb (vocals; ex-DIABOLIC/EULOGY) and Mike Mazzonetto (drums; ex-PAIN PRINCIPLE). The cover artwork was created by Toshihiro Egawa (CRYPTOPSY, KRISIUN, DEVOURMENT) and can be seen below. "Back From Beyond" track listing: 01. The Ancient Ones 02. As We Wait To Die 03. Ascension Of The Deceased 04. Hunter’s Blood 05. Darkness Fell 06. False Revelation 07. Succumb To Rapture 08. Remnants Of Hatred 09. Shield Of The Son 10. The Evil Within 11. Sands Of Time 12. Beast With Vengeance 13. Back From Beyond 14. Honor The Fallen The video for the album's title track, directed by Doug Cook and animated by Nick Johnson and Ryder McLean, can be seen below. Says Butler: "MASSACRE is very proud of the 'Back From Beyond' video. It has a nice campy horror vibe, yet at the same time is cutting edge, and we think it can connect with a variety of audiences. Doug Cook did an amazing job with this one!!!" Butler previously said about the album: "MASSACRE is very excited and proud of our new album, 'Back From Beyond'. "We've worked hard over the past few months and we believe that the old-school and new-school fans will be pleased. "Ed Webb and Mikey Mazzanetto are great additions to the band and did an amazing job on the album. "This is Florida death metal at its best! "We plan on making 2014 a busy year!!!" MASSACRE released a seven-inch single, "Condemned To The Shadows", on July 30, 2012. The single, which is available as a regular black-wax version, a transparent wax limited edition and a yellow-wax limited edition, contains two brand new songs — "Succumb To Rapture" and "Back From Beyond" — that were recorded in February 2012 at CGM Studios in Altamonte Springs, Florida with Tim Vazquez at the helm.
03 min read

GHOST: The Faces Behind The Masks

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Who could have guessed what the Swedish band Ghost had in store for their fans! On the occasion of the recent announcement of their participation in Heavy By The Sea Festival in Athens, in June, Ghost had little chat with the Metalpaths team and a huge surprise for all of us. Having talked about everything that is going on in the Ghost campus these days, we eventually reached the very thing that has induced the hype that is going on about them; their appearance. Since 2008, from the beginning of their career, they chose to hide their true faces and names (and nature?)and became known as Papa Emeritus and the Nameless Ghouls. Six years later, seeing the impact they have on their fans and the response they got for "Opus Eponymus" and "Infestissumam", Ghost decided that it is finally time to reveal to all of us who they really are. They go by the Flake_Lorenznames Kevin Richardson, Brian Littrell, A.J. McLean, Howie Dorough, and Nick Carter, more commonly known as the 90s boyband Backstreet Boys. They have also recruited Christian "Flake" Lorenz from Rammstein to handle the keyboard. Flake stated: ""At one point, it was too much for me. I couldn't continue with the beating and the burning and all this at the Rammstein shows. I needed a way out and Backstreet Boys offered it to me. I finally managed to keep a healthy balance. During the Ghost live shows i know I am not in danger of anything"" Nick Carter, or should we say Papa Emeritus, told us that in 2005, after the average reviews that "Never Gone" had received, they considered experimenting with their sound and effectively turned to occult rock. Not wanting to betray their loyal fans, Backstreet Boys created in 2008 Ghost and the rest is history. Up until now the five artists keep up with both projects, having released a total of 5 full-length albums. And while the success of Ghost is undeniable, the average reviews of the Backstreet Boys albums keep coming up. Now, we only have to wonder whether this revelation will have a negative impact on Ghost or whether the fans of Backstreet Boys will decide to give a chance to the harder sound that the boyband has adopted. backstreet-boys-4fe94c3a30161
02 min read

VOLBEAT Honored In ‘Rock/Alternative International’ Category At Germany’s ECHO Awards

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Danish/American rockers VOLBEAT were honored in the "Rock/Alternative International" category at this year's Echo music awards, Germany's equivalent of the Grammy awards, which was held March 27 in Berlin. Video footage of their acceptance speech can be seen below. Also nominated in the "Rock/Alternative International" category were 30 SECONDS TO MARS, PLACEBO, IMAGINE DRAGONS and BLACK SABBATH. VOLBEAT's latest album, "Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies", was re-released in a special "tour edition" on November 4, 2013. The new version of the act's fifth studio album contains new bonus tracks and a live DVD. The latter features footage of the group performing at a number of major summer festivals in Europe, including the Download festival in the U.K., Rock Am Ring and Rock'n'Heim in Germany, Hellfest in France and Denmark's Roskilde Festival. "Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies" debuted at No. 1 in several countries when it arrived in April 2012, with the disc entering the Billboard album chart at No. 9. "Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies" has sold more than 185,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. VOLBEAT will return to North America on April 3 for a tour that brings the Danish/American quartet coast to coast. The run begins at The Fillmore in Denver, Colorado and will wrap the second week of May on the East Coast, with TRIVIUM and DIGITAL SUMMER supporting. The upcoming tour marks VOLBEAT's fourth visit to North American this album cycle, and follows an excursion as headliners of the Monster Energy Rock Allegiance Tour in August and September 2013. This past year, the band has been one of the largest touring draws on the European continent headlining both festivals and a arena tour, and they appeared at the major Japanese festival Summer Sonic 2013 in both Tokyo and Osaka. Cumulatively, VOLBEAT has performed for over a million fans since the current album was released.
02 min read

BLACK SABBATH, SOUNDGARDEN, FAITH NO MORE, MOTÖRHEAD To Perform At Hyde Park

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British heavy metal legends BLACK SABBATH are taking over Hyde Park in London on July 4 and will be joined by SOUNDGARDEN and special guests FAITH NO MORE. After a triumphant return back on the rock scene last year, BLACK SABBATH are now thundering into Hyde Park to cast a night of darkness in what is set to be a bright summer. The legendary Ozzy Osborne and his bandmates Geezer Butler and Tony Iommi will be headlining the same stage that fellow rock legends THE ROLLING STONES presided over for two historic gigs last year. Not content with just playing the park, British Summer Time becomes Black Sabbath Time! Announcing their show with an impressive takeover of the Royal Park, the band will blaze onto the Great Oak Stage in Hyde Park for their first-ever performance at the venue later this year. Hailing from Birmingham in the late '60s, BLACK SABBATH are the undisputed founders of British heavy rock. They have always undoubtedly been one of the best live bands in the world. In 2013, the band returned in the most triumphant style with a global number one album, sellout tours and a prestigious Classic Rock Living Legends award. From their first visit to London to record their debut album to selling out the O2 last year, the band have one ambition left, to melt the faces off the Hyde Park crowd. As Ozzy says: "The first time I came to London, I didn't have a pot to piss in, and I spent the advance I got for the first album on a new pair of shoes and some Brut aftershave. Returning almost 50 years on, we are doing a bit better for ourselves, so I may even splash out on some new aftershave before taking to the stage at Hyde Park, the most beautiful park in London that has opened its gates to so many legends in the past. We are beyond honoured to be allowed to put on a show and hope that the Royals will enjoy it!" Support for the show will come from SOUNDGARDEN and special guests FAITH NO MORE. Other artists to entertain throughout the afternoon include: MOTÖRHEAD, SOULFLY, WOLFMOTHER, GALLOWS, HELL, KOBRA AND THE LOTUS, BO NINGEN, RISE TO REMAIN and BROKEN HANDS, to name a few. The full lineup can be found at www.bst-hydepark.com. Lineup on July 4: Great Oak Stage BLACK SABBATH SOUNDGARDEN FAITH NO MORE MOTÖRHEAD SOULFLY The Barclaycard Theatre WOLFMOTHER HELL KOBRA AND THE LOTUS BROKEN HANDS THE BOTS Village Hall GALLOWS BO NINGEN THE GRAVEL TONES HANG THE BASTARD A PLASTIC ROSE Summer Stage RISE TO REMAIN BLITZ KIDS THE STRUTS THE FIRST
02 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.