Manos Spanos

THERION: ‘Kali Yuga Part I’ Performance Clip From ‘Adulruna Redivia And Beyond’

On February 28, a THERION three-DVD package (limited edition including bonus DVD) called "Adulruna Redivia And Beyond" will be made available. The package will include two shows that were recorded live in Atlanta in 2011 and in Budapest 2007 as well as bonus material. Commented the band: "The concert recorded in Hungary was a concert on the 'Adulruna Rediviva' 20th anniversary tour in December. The idea of the tour was to play the entire 'Theli' album plus a set consisting of songs that the fans had voted for on the band web page. Piotr Wawrzeniuk and our old friend Messiah Marcolin joined in to make this evening extra special. The concert in Atlanta was the band's only show in the USA since 2007 and was shot during the band's headline performance at the ProgPower USA festival 2011." "Adulruna Redivia And Beyond" track listing: DVD 1 01. The Rise Of Sodom And Gomorrah 02. Son Of The Sun 03. Midgård 04. Asgård 05. The Wine Of Aluqah 06. Wisdom And The Cage 07. Kali Yuga I 08. Kali Yuga II 09. Kali Yuga III 10. Lemuria 11. Via Nocturna 12. An Arrow From The Sun 13. Typhon 14. Ginnungagap 15. Preludium 16. To Mega Therion 17. Cults Of The Shadows 18. In The Desert Of Set 19. Interludium 20. Nightside Of Eden 21. Opus Eclipse 22. Invocation Of Naamah 23. The Siren Of The Woods 24. Grand Finale / Postludium 25. Adulruna Rediviva 26. Black Funeral DVD 2 01. Sitra Ahra 02. The Wine Of Aluqah 03. Typhon 04. Perennial Sophia 05. Hellequin 06. Nifelheim 07. Clavicula Nox 08. Voyage Of Gurdjieff 09. Ljusalfheim 10. Dies Irae 11. Ginnungagap 12. Kali Yuga III 13. Call Of Dagon 14. Siren Of the Woods 15. The Wild Hunt 16. Blood Of Kingu 17. Lemuria 18. Abraxas 19. The Rise Of Sodom And Gomorrah 20. To Mega Therion 21. Quetzalcoatl Bonus DVD 3 01. 011 - An Adventure with Therion 02. 011 - Documentary And Behind The Scenes 03. Amazing Voice Adds THERION: "011 is the name of a board game made by the italian game manufacturer Scribabs. In a very ambitious way to market the game, they made this fantastic short film, starring the band members as actors, playing their roles in the game. The main man behind the game and the film, Paolo Vallerga, is currently writing a novel on the story behind the game and there are even some plans for a movie." "'Amazing Voice' is a Japanese TV program about great singers. This episode had Thomas Vikström as main focus and the TV team flew to Sweden to interview Thomas and record some live singing exclusively for the program." Check out the "Kali Yuga Part I" performance clip from "Adulruna Redivia And Beyond" below. A new THERION studio album is scheduled for late 2014.

VAN HALEN Is Putting Together A New Album, Says MARK TREMONTI

It's been pretty quiet on the VAN HALEN front lately but we've now found out why – they're working on a new album. ALTER BRIDGE guitarist Mark Tremonti broke the news when he was telling VH1 Radio Network's Dave Basner about how new music is coming along with his solo band, TREMONTI, which includes VAN HALEN bassist Wolfgang Van Halen. Said Mark: "With Wolfgang in the band now, he does a lot of work with VAN HALEN right now, they're putting together a new album, so it's going to be hard to get everybody's schedules to line up." When VH1 Radio Network asked Tremonti if Wolfie tells him how the new VAN HALEN music is sounding, Mark said: "You know, he doesn't. He just says, 'Yeah, sounds great, man. Sounds great.'" After singer David Lee Roth said in an interview last summer that VAN HALEN has started work on its 13th studio album, the next question was whether the material will be freshly written or pulled from the band's vaults. Many of the songs on 2012's "A Different Kind Of Truth" originated from demos going back to the group's earliest days, and Wolfgang Van Halen told The Pulse Of Radio that there's more where that came from. "There's plenty of other ideas lying around and some new stuff that we've been working on too," he said. "You never know what'll happen." According to The Pulse Of Radio, Roth told comedian Jim Florentine back in August: "I was up at [guitarist] Edward's [Van Halen] house three days ago, and we're starting to put music together. We're writing; I write lyrics routinely and the band plays together routinely, at least three times a week up at Ed's place." But Roth also cautioned that fans should not expect to hear the finished follow-up to 2012's "A Different Kind Of Truth" for at least 18 months. "A Different Kind Of Truth" was the first new VAN HALEN album in 14 years and the first since 1984 to feature Roth, the band's original singer, on lead vocals. The disc debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard album chart, selling 187,000 copies in its first week of release. The group toured through the spring and early part of the summer of 2012 behind the album, but abruptly pulled off the road that June due to "exhaustion." A severe intestinal disorder later sidelined Eddie Van Halen, restricting the band to only sporadic live show

HELLYEAH Parts Ways With Guitarist, Bassist; Announces ‘Blood For Blood’ Album Details

HELLYEAH has parted ways with guitarist Greg Tribbett (MUDVAYNE) and bassist Bob "Zilla" Kakaha (DAMAGEPLAN). A replacement bassist in the shape of Kyle Sanders (BLOODSIMPLE) has been secured. HELLYEAH's fourth studio album, "Blood For Blood", will be released on June 10 via Eleven Seven Music. The CD was helmed by producer Kevin Churko at his The Hideout Recording Studio in Las Vegas, Nevada. Churko is the Canadian musician, sound engineer, songwriter and record producer who has previously worked with OZZY OSBOURNE, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH and IN THIS MOMENT, among other acts. According to a press release, "Blood For Blood" is "a welcome return to form. It leaves a mark, thanks to songs like the angular, vengeful 'DMF', a song birthed by the sort of anger that can't be faked; it will leave you wondering who pissed these guys off. 'Gift' is dirty, rowdy rock with equal parts groove and swagger, but also possessed of the sort of punk rock energy that would make MOTÖRHEAD fans turns their heads. Then there is moodier, more contemplative fare like 'Moth' or 'Hush', which connect on an emotional, cellular level, proving that you can be incredibly heavy in ways other than loud and fast. The album sounds like a recharged HELLYEAH, taken up many notches." "Blood For Blood" track listing: 01. Sangre Por Sangre (Blood For Blood) 02. Demons In The Dirt 03. Soul Killer 04. Moth 05. Cross To Bier (Cradle Of Bones) 06. DMF 07. Gift 08. Hush 09. Say When 10. Black December The first single off "Blood For Blood", "Sangre Per Sangre (Blood For Blood)" will hit rock radio in April and will be available for sale, along with the metal radio track "Cross To Bier (Cradle of Bones)" on March 25 on all digital music platforms. The band will hit the road in the USA this spring. In a recent interview, drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott (formerly of PANTERA and DAMAGEPLAN) stated about HELLYEAH's plans for the next CD: "Everything [Kevin has] ever done is great. I feel like he really made Ozzy sound fresh again, [on 2007's] 'Black Rain' especially. Sonically, [Kevin's] records are unbeatable, and he gets the best out of every band. "We produced our last three albums ourselves, and we really feel like we did a good job on all that. But we feel it's time to have an outside ear, somebody to give us an extra opinion; to be the sixth member of the band, so to speak. That extra dude that drags everything out of you." Vinnie also revealed that the new record's overall sound would "continue in the direction" of 2012's "Band Of Brothers", which represented the first time that the members of the band fully embraced their musical roots. "The first two records were pretty experimental for us," Vinnie explained. "We really stepped outside of the box and did a lot of things that we couldn't do in PANTERA or MUDVAYNE or NOTHINGFACE; songs like 'Alcohaulin' Ass' just wouldn't fly in those bands. It was really liberating to be able to do that, and touch on some rock and roll, some blues, almost country southern rock, stuff like that. But with 'Band Of Brothers', we really wanted to get back to our roots and felt like it was time for all of us to bring the different things we brought to our previous bands into HELLYEAH, and not be afraid of it." HELLYEAH's first three albums were laid down in Dallas, Texas at Vinnie Paul Abbott's home studio, VP's Upstairs Studio. HELLYEAH took part in last year's edition of Gigantour, the critically acclaimed package festival founded in 2005 by MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine. Also appearing on the bill were headliners MEGADETH, along with BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, DEVICE, NEWSTED and DEATH DIVISION. "Band Of Brothers" sold 19,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 19 on The Billboar

MARKY EDELMANN To Leave CORONER; Band To Continue With Replacement Drummer

Drummer Marky Edelmann (a.k.a. Marquis Marky) of the reunited Swiss technical thrash metal masters CORONER has released the following statement: "Dear friends, "Three years ago we started rehearsing together for our reunion tour after a break of 15 years. We thought it was going to be a matter of a few shows. Now, after three years, we have performed 27 shows all over the world! I cannot find the words to describe how much i enjoyed every single gig. "I want to thank every single one of you for coming to the shows and giving us such a fantastic time. It was a great pleasure to perform for you, shake your hands and sometimes have a drink and a chat after the show. "Many thanks to all the promoters that booked us; without you, we would still be sitting in our bunker rehearsing. "I'm very sorry the shows we had hoped to do in Mexico, South America, Japan and Australia never happened. I was looking forward to those very much... "The following is not easy to say, and believe me, I have given it a lot of thought. "I will leave CORONER at the end of February this year. "I think we have played more than enough reunion shows and now it's time to either stop doing reunion shows or to move on with a new album. For me, it was clear from the start that I didn't want to record another album. I love the sound of CORONER, but for me, it's the moment to explore new sounds without the weight of the past on my shoulders. "Ron [Broder, a.k.a. Ron Royce, bass/vocals], Tommy [Vetterli, a.k.a. Tommy T. Baron, guitar] and I agreed that CORONER should continue with another drummer. They will announce who it's going to be on the CORONER reunion page. "With all my heart, I wish 'em all the best for the future. We will be brothers forever. "I will continue with a new band that you will hear about in the near future. "So thank you all once more and I hope we are gonna see you very soon!" Filmmakers Bruno Amstutz and Lukas Ruettimann last year released a teaser for the upcoming documentary about CORONER. Due later this year, the film will feature interviews with Tom G. Warrior and Martin Ain (CELTIC FROST), Max Cavalera (SEPULTURA, SOULFLY), Franz Treichler (YOUNG GODS), Chris von Rohr (KROKUS), Chris Glanzmann (ELUVEITIE), Stephan Eicher and more. Originally part of the road crew for fellow countrymen CELTIC FROST, CORONER went on to become one of the most progressive extreme metal acts of the Eighties. The connection between the Zurich band and CELTIC FROST was so strong, in fact, that CELTIC FROST frontman Tom G. Warrior offered to handle vocals for the emerging band's demo. Warrior and CORONER entered Switzerland's Magnetix studio on October 10, 1985, and nine days later they walked out with the impressive four-song 1986 release, "Death Cult". While subsequent bootlegged CDs included the bonus tracks of "Arrogance in Uniform" and "Hate, Fire, Blood", the original four-track demo consisted of the following tracks: "Spectators of Sin", "Spiral Dream", "Aerial Combat" and "The Invincible". (Only "Spiral Dream" would make it onto CORONER's 1987 debut LP, "R.I.P.") According to The BNR Metal Pages, CORONER "progressed from the raw speed of 'R.I.P.' to the more laidback style of 'Grin', releasing five albums (not counting the semi-compilation 'Coroner' album) that are all different and yet all are undeniably related, and undeniably CORONER. The band called it a day in 1994, actually before the release of 'Coroner', with Marky Edelmann joining APOLLYON SUN and Tommy T. Baron going to KREATOR, though neither is still with those bands."

BEHEMOTH’s ‘The Satanist’ Cracks U.S. Top 40

"The Satanist", the long-awaited new album from Polish extreme metallers BEHEMOTH, sold around 10,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 34 on The Billboard 200 chart. BEHEMOTH's ninth full-length studio CD, 2009's "Evangelion", opened with around 8,500 units to land at No. 56. "The Satanist" was released on February 3 in the U.K., February 4 in North America and Poland, February 5 in Japan, and February 7 in the rest of the world. BEHEMOTH's video for the new single "Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel" can be seen below. This visual masterpiece was produced by Grupa 13 and is one of BEHEMOTH's most unsettling and unique works to date. BEHEMOTH frontman Adam "Nergal" Darski states about the video: "Yes, we took all the time in the world to complete this project. And we did everything that was humanely possible to accurately express our vision. We crossed the Rubicon. "'Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel' is an ecstatic manifest of our unrestrained artistic will, where we dare to reach out beyond the limitations of the heavy metal genre. And it's only the beginning." "The Satanist" deluxe box, which is available in North America as an European import, includes: CD/DVD digibook in silver mirror slipcase with a high-quality 44-page booklet (with gold foil, UV gloss lamination), supersize poster flag (approx. 3.5' x 5'), wooden black inverted rosary cross, metal pin, black envelope with black communion wafers. The DVD, "Live Barbarossa", includes a professionally filmed show in Ekaterinburg, Russia, as well as 30-minute documentary about the creative process behind "The Satanist". "The Satanist" was produced by BEHEMOTH, Wojtek and Slawek Wieslawscy and Daniel Bergstrand at Hertz Studio. The CD was mixed by Matt Hyde (SLAYER) and mastered by Ted Jensen (METALLICA, AC/DC) at Sterling Sound in New York City. The cover art for "The Satanist" was painted by renowned Russian painter and occultist Denis Forkas. The paint used included some of Nergal's own blood. Additional art and design was completed by Metastazis (PARADISE LOST) and Zbigniew Bielak (WATAIN, GHOST). "I wanted to incorporate some of my DNA into the art," Nergal told Australia's Heavy magazine about having his blood included in "The Satanist" artwork. "This album seems to be so defining of who we are now as people and as individuals, and considering all the instances in recent years, [we wanted] to make it more 'ours' than it is usually." In a recent interview with Revolver magazine, Darski described BEHEMOTH's new songs as "very atmospheric" and "very emotional." "Think BURZUM meets NEW ORDER meets KILLING JOKE," he added. But at the same time, fans shouldn't expect the album to sound too far removed from BEHEMOTH's past efforts. "Take SLAYER, for example," Darski said. "Whatever genre they deal with, they still end up sounding like SLAYER. Even when they were flirting with nu-metal, it was a SLAYER record. Same with BEHEMOTH." According to Darski, at least some of the inspiration for the new BEHEMOTH album came from his five-month bout of leukemia he overcame in January 2011, after receiving a bone-marrow transplant. "When I was in the hospital, I was collecting experiences and emotions," he said. "I'm pretty sure that it's coming out now. There are moments I catch myself thinking about how my state was back then. It was me versus life, me versus death. It definitely changed my thoughts a lot. It's 100 percent being reflected in the record and songs I'm writing nowadays. I'm way more radical than I used to be." "The Satanist" track listing: 01. Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel 02. Furor Divinus 03. Messe Noire 04. Ora Pro Nobis Lucifer 05. Amen 06. The Satanist 07. Ben Sahar 08. In the Absence ov Light 09. O Father O Satan O Sun!

QUEEN Eyeing Summer Tour With ADAM LAMBERT

According to The Pulse Of Radio, all signs are pointing to QUEEN hitting the road with "American Idol" finalist Adam Lambert once again fronting the band. Co-founding guitarist Brian May, who leads QUEEN with drummer Roger Taylor, stopped short of announcing the tour, telling NME, "We've been talking to Adam Lambert. You know, we've already done some gigs with Adam, who is amazing. We are ongoing, we can't help it. I think we all protested too much in the sense when Freddie [Mercury] went and we didn't want to talk about it and didn't want to be QUEEN for a while. But after a while, you realize that people wanna hear the songs and see us do things. So, no matter what you call it, Roger and I do do stuff, and I think we'll be doing some more stuff this summer in fact, probably in the States." He touched very briefly on the ongoing work completing some of Mercury's unfinished studio demos. "Some QUEEN magic is happening," he said. "I feel it in my bones. It's annoying to have to be so secretive, but I guess I have to, for now." The Pulse Of Radio asked Roger Taylor if co-founding bassist John Deacon — who last played during the band's 1992 tribute to Freddie Mercury — will ever perform as part of QUEEN again. "John really has opted out of the whole music business thing," he said. "He was done, like, being around people. He wrote us a letter saying 'I totally approve of everything you do and, um, can I have my share?' I mean, he's still a partner, so, y'know, he's there in that sense." QUEEN's 1981 "Greatest Hits" collection has made British chart history by becoming the first U.K. album to sell six million copies. ABBA's 1982 compilation "ABBA: Gold" trails behind QUEEN's comp, selling about 900,000 copies under "Greatest Hits".

THE ANSWER: ‘New Horizon’ Video Released

The official video for "New Horizon", the title track of the fourth studio album from Irish rockers THE ANSWER, can be seen below. The CD, which features mixes from rock icon Mike Fraser (AC/DC, METALLICA), was released on September 27, 2013 in Europe and October 1, 2013 in North America via Napalm Records. Since its third studio album in late 2011, THE ANSWER iinstigated a major shakeup in its circumstances and with new management, live booking agents and with new record label on board, late 2012 saw them enter the studio with ex-LITTLE ANGELS vocalist Toby Jepson at the production helm. The band was honored and privileged that the late Storm Thorgerson and his team designed the artwork for "New Horizon" and Storm was working on the album cover design just before his sad passing. In an interview with Sea Of Tranquility, THE ANSWER frontman Cormac Neeson stated about "New Horizon": "It's an aggressive, hard-rockin' album that gets your ass shaking, for sure. "I think we've got stronger at songwriting with every album. We also know how to play a bit now too. Along with some help from Toby, we were able to compile around twenty five good songs before we went into the studio. Then it was just a case of picking the ten that would make the clearest statement of where we're at as a band. Although there's a lot of great stuff on the limited edition digi version and vinyl edition of the album, including three tracks that were recorded during the actual album session but just missed out on the final cut. There's also a few interesting arrangements of some of the album tracks." THE ANSWER consists of Cormac Neeson (vocals), Paul Mahon (guitar), Micky Waters (bass) and James Heatley (drums).

SEPTICFLESH: The Making Of ‘Titan’ Part One (Video)

Still riding high from the success of their critically acclaimed 2011 album "The Great Mass", Hellenic metallers SEPTICFLESH have finished recording their new full-length album, "Titan", for a summer release via Season Of Mist. The new CD consists of 10 songs that were recorded once again at Devasoundz Studios in Athens, Greece and in the Czech Republic with the collaboration of the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra And Choir. From there, the album was mixed and mastered in Los Angeles by acclaimed producer Logan Mader (GOJIRA, FEAR FACTORY, CAVALERA CONSPIRACY). The first in a series of video clips featuring footage from the studio can be seen below. Says the band: "We are really exhausted from the work on this record, but also very proud of the results. We worked hard with Logan to bring you the ultimate death metal soundtrack for your darkest dreams. The compositions are progressive with a lot of emotional peaks, while at the same time the songs sound very aggressive and powerful. We also had the chance to work for the first time with a full children's choir besides the regular adult choir, and that helped us dive deeper into darker cinematic atmospheres. We have achieved a new level of extreme emotions." SEPTICFLESH has earned extensive international praise for its eight albums to date, as well as their performances on tour alongside the likes of CRADLE OF FILTH, AMON AMARTH, GORGOROTH, SATYRICON and CHILDREN OF BODOM. The group, who recently headlined the "Conquerers Of The World" North American tour, is currently taking part in the 70000 Tons Of Metal cruise.

ANTHRAX: Limited-Edition ‘Persistence Of Time’ Axe Coming From ARTIST SERIES GUITAR

Artist Series Guitar will release a limited-edition, collectible guitar designed by the heavy metal classic band ANTHRAX. The guitar will borrow the album artwork from ANTHRAX's 1990 album "Persistence Of Time". It will be hand-built from solid mahogany and feature a hand-carved maple top, dark rosewood fingerboard, limited-edition ANTHRAX artwork, ASG Arsenal Dual-Coil humbuckers, and much more. ANTHRAX's fifth studio album, "Persistence Of Time" was released on August 21, 1990 through Megaforce/Island and was nominated in 1991 for a Grammy Award in the "Best Metal Performance" category. The album included the singles "Got The Time" (a JOE JACKSON cover) and "In My World" (which was performed by the band on a "Married... With Children" episode entitled "My Dinner With Anthrax"). "Persistence Of Time" was the last full ANTHRAX album to feature vocalist Joey Belladonna until 2011's "Worship Music".

OZZY OSBOURNE/FIREWIND Guitarist GUS G.: ‘I Am The Fire’ EPK Available

Guitar virtuoso Gus G., well known in rock and metal circles for his work as Ozzy Osbourne's guitarist and as leader of his own band FIREWIND, has set a March 18 release date for his debut solo album, "I Am The Fire", in North America. The CD will be released internationally on Century Media Records, and will come out March 17 in Europe. "I Am The Fire" track listing: 01. My Will Be Done (featuring Mats Levén) 02. Blame It On Me (featuring Mats Levén) 03. I Am The Fire (featuring Devour The Day) 04. Vengeance (featuring David Ellefson) 05. Long Way Down (featuring Alexia Rodriguez) 06. Just Can't Let Go (featuring Jacob Bunton) 07. Terrified (featuring Billy Sheehan) 08. Eyes Wide Open (featuring Mats Levén) 09. Redemption (featuring Michael Starr) 10. Summer Days (featuring Jeff Scott Soto) 11. Dreamkeeper (featuring Tom S. Englund) 12. End Of The Line (featuring Mats Levén) An EPK (Electronic Press Kit) for "I Am The Fire" can be seen below. The cover artwork, pictured below, was designed by Gustavo Sazes (ARCH ENEMY, KAMELOT, DREAM EVIL). A first song from the album can now be heard via the video for the album's opening track, "My Will Be Done" (featuring Mats Levén), which was produced by Patric Ullaeus of Revolver Film Company, who has previously worked with DIMMU BORGIR, LACUNA COIL, IN FLAMES, SONIC SYNDICATE and KAMELOT, among others. Says Gus G. of the song and album: "I hope you all enjoy the first taste of things to come. "'My Will Be Done' is a cool rock track with a modern edge to it... "Looking back, I can't believe all the great musicians that got on board for this album. Everybody brought in their unmistakable style and talent and they really lifted the songs! Check it out and enjoy the music!" Gus handles all guitar, bass and keyboards on "I Am The Fire", and is joined by a roster of friends and guests that help bring his vision to fruition: drummers Jeff Friedl (A PERFECT CIRCLE, PUSCIFER, DEVO) and Daniel Erlandsson (ARCH ENEMY), bassists David Ellefson (MEGADETH), Billy Sheehan (MR. BIG, DAVID LEE ROTH) and Marty O'Brien (TOMMY LEE, WE ARE THE FALLEN, LITA FORD), and vocalists Mats Levén (CANDLEMASS, ex-YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, THERION), Blake Allison (DEVOUR THE DAY), Michael Starr (STEEL PANTHER), Alexia Rodriguez (EYES SET TO KILL), Tom S. Englund (EVERGREY), Jacob Bunton (ADLER) and Jeff Scott Soto (TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA, TALISMAN, ex-JOURNEY, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN). "I Am The Fire" was mixed by Jay Ruston (ANTHRAX, STONE SOUR, STEEL PANTHER) and was recorded between Los Angeles and Gus' home country of Greece through the latter half of 2013. A few of the album's tracks include "Eyes Wide Open", "Redemption", "End Of The Line" and "Blame It On Me". The album showcases a well-balanced mix of active rock, classic hard rock, traditional metal and guitar-driven instrumentals, taking listeners on a diverse journey and opening doors to Gus G.'s soulful playing. The album's first commercial single — title track, "I Am The Fire" — will be released digitally February 25 in North America. Gus G. has had an amazing rise within the worldwide rock and metal scenes and has amassed an impressive body of work, both in studio and touring. He emerged as an up-and-coming talent with the groups DREAM EVIL (Sweden), MYSTIC PROPHECY (Germany) and NIGHTRAGE (Greece), but it is his work with his own band FIREWIND (who have released seven studio albums and two live releases) and as a member of Ozzy Osbourne's band

Manos Spanos

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