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Manos Spanos

MEGADETH Pulls Out Of SOUNDWAVE Festival After DAVE MUSTAINE Fails To Get Apology From Promoter

Manos Spanos
MEGADETH has canceled its previously announced Australian tour dates after the promoter allegedly erroneously blamed the band for removing former METALLICA bassist Jason Newsted's new project, simply called NEWSTED, from the billing of MEGADETH's "off" dates during this year's Soundwave festival. A number of news outlets reported last week that NEWSTED had been taken off MEGADETH's side shows in Sydney and Melbourne while touring Australia on the annual Soundwave trek. The festival organizers claimed via Twitter that Jason Newsted's band was removed from the dates "at the request of MEGADETH." However, MEGADETH tour manager Jim Carroccio denied this, telling ABC New Radio: "[MEGADETH mainman] Dave Mustaine is not responsible for booting NEWSTED off [the Soundwave festival 'off' dates]. Dave did not put [Jason] on the bill and did not take him off the bill." He added: "Dave submitted a list of bands he was comfortable with and the promoter ignored the list. "Dave and Jason are friends [and] this has blown up into something silly." Earlier today (Sunday, February 9), Mustaine released the following statement via the official MEGADETH Facebook page: "Due to circumstances beyond its control, unfortunately, MEGADETH has to cancel their Australian dates. "MEGADETH's decision is unrelated to the fact that Jason Newsted is performing at Soundwave. Jason and I spoke recently and continue to be friends." Mustaine added in a separate posting an hour later: "All I asked for was an apology for blaming me for something I didn't do. I am still willing to play, but the promoter would rather not apologize and prefers to say I asked him to lie, which I didn't. "Am I the only one that sees how easy it is to fix this? "[Australian touring mogul and Soundwave promoter] AJ Maddah that I know is a wise and caring man, and I don't know what has happened to my old friend. "My bags are packed, Aussie fans." Maddah has since responded to Mustaine via the following series of tweets: "Dave, we have been friends for a long time and I love you. Your family is like my own. But the only people being punished here are the fans. "We took instructions from your representatives and we acted on those instructions, as we would with any other artist. "I realise that you fired your agent and manager and appointed new ones during the process… And that there may have been misunderstandings or miscommunications, but none of those were at our end. "Despite [all] of this, I sent you a statement regarding possible misunderstandings / miscommunications, apologising to fans, etc. … even though my people did everything by the book and correct protocol was undertaken getting approvals for supports. There are strings of emails supporting this, including ones forwarded with instructions to remove certain artists. "I am not sure where and how you believe you are owed an apology. And if you are, it should be from your own reps! "All you are doing by cancelling is punishing the fans who have had no part in any of this. "Your reps approved your supports and sent clear instructions. They even approved artwork and press release. "If you have a quarrel, or you were not consulted, then your issue is with your reps and not Australian reps or your old friend! "So here it is, Dave. I apologize for whatever slight you think I have done you. "So, does this mean tour is back on?"
05 min read

Report: Red Fang + Support Acts – Athens, Greece

Manos Spanos
It seems to me that these days stoner rock/sludge metal is going up. Bands like Clutch, Kyuss, Orange Goblin are gaining more and more fans each and every day. And many of us didn’t see it coming, but there you have it! Friday night was going to be another stoner party for the Athenians! Red Fang, after only eight months since their last appearance in Athens with Cancer Bats, decided to do another gig along with fellow Americans The Shrine and Lord Dying. I showed up at the venue a bit early. The doors opened on time at about 8:30 and the few of us that were there chose our spots and got comfortable. The fact that by the time Lord Dying were about to start the number of people hadn’t increased had me a bit worried. Thankfully though, I was proven wrong later on. And cue for the first band of the night! Lord Dying took the stage and without wasting time begun their set. I must admit that I wasn’t familiar with them before the live, and I’m guessing that this goes for many attendants, but they did quite a decent job, warning up the few of us. Even though the sound wasn’t on their side, their interesting mix of sludge/doom with kind of thrash vocals kept us going for forty minutes, with songs from their debut album “Summon The Faithless”. Fifteen minutes break and I was ready for The Shrine. Rock n roll with punk rhythms, the trio from California was certainly a blast! With better sound and bigger crowd below them, The Shrine rocked us well with songs from the debut album “Primitive Blast” as well as from the upcoming “Bless Off”. Singer/guitarist Josh Landau even started joking about their previous show in Athens, when they ended up in a police department. Eventually we found out that the police officers didn’t like Judas Priest (the horror!), but they did like Manowar, and Landau dedicated to them “Bless Off”. Forty minutes later, they closed their set with the new “Nothing Forever”, with pits forming in the crowd and with the impressions and expectations for the future. The hour had finally come. With a brand new album released, Red Fang paid a visit to Greece for the fourth time, for those unlucky ones who were unable to see them in June. And once again they caused havoc! Yelling, crowd-surfing, mosh pits, broken cymbals, the show had it all! The start was powerful with “Hank Is Dead”, “Voices Of The Dead” and “DOEN” triggering the enthusiasm. And the band showed why their live shows have the impact they do. They gave their best self (even though the sound was a bit off in the beginning and I couldn’t hear the vocals most of the time from the spot where I was standing), headbanging like crazy, guiding the crowd when needed, joking around about their songs of sharks, birds, dogs and other beings of the animal kingdom. “Number Thirteen”, “Dirt Wizard”, “Shark”, “Crows In Swine”, “Blood Like Cream” and “Wires” were a few of the songs that were played that night. Around half an hour past midnight the show was about to end with nothing else but “Good To Die” and “Prehistoric Dog”, among the cheering and applauding of approximately 600 fans.
04 min read

EMPEROR: First Photo Of 2014 Lineup Released

Manos Spanos
Norwegian black metallers EMPEROR will celebrate the 20th anniversary of their "In The Nightside Eclipse" album by making a number of festival appearances this year. In addition to performing at Germany's Wacken Open Air and Sweden's Sweden Rock Festival, the band will headline the 2014 edition of the the Bloodstock Open Air festival, set to take place in August at Catton Hall, Walton-On-Trent, West Midlands, United Kingdom. EMPEROR members Ihsahn (real name: Vegard Sverre Tveitan) and Samoth (real name: Tomas Haugen) will be joined by Bård Guldvik "Faust" Eithun on drums, and they will perform the CD in its entirety. There will be no new studio album or a worldwide tour — only a few exclusive festival appearances this year to mark the celebration of this landmark release. The first photo of the 2014 lineup of EMPEROR has now been released and can be seen above. (Photo credit: Bjørn Tore Moen) In a 2013 interview with Exclaim.ca, Ihsahn was asked, aside from the 20th anniversary of the "In The Nightside Eclipse" record, there was anything else that pushed him to make this moment the moment that EMPEROR played some songs again. "It's a celebration of 'In The Nightside Eclipse'," he replied. "We knew we would be playing that album and material from that era. That's it, really. That's my terms for doing it, and the added bonus of having the original drummer. "It's no secret that I've been really reluctant to ever do anything with EMPEROR again. I'm so much more focused on my solo work that I was almost fighting my past in EMPEROR. I didn't want to be just a spinoff product of that. I wanted to build something totally on my own terms, and I waited three albums in before I did any live shows because I didn't want to go 50/50, an EMPEROR/solo show. I wanted to have three albums and pick the songs that were best and play that. "This ['Das Seelenbrechen'] is my fifth album, I've done more albums now as a solo artist, not including everything else I've done, than I did with EMPEROR. Where I'm at now with my solo career, I think it's easy to just comfortably accept my past metal as part of my musical life as well." He continued: "I would not do something like the stuff we did in 2006/2007 again. I didn't want to play those kind of gestalt shows. I wanted this to be a celebration of that album. Because for us, personally, obviously, this was the stepping stone for me to be able to have a 20-year career. Coming from Norway and being a musician is sort of far fetched in the first place. I should say, starting a black metal band in '91. It's more paying respect to the fact that this is our starting point. "Even before we announced [the EMPEROR reunion], there's always a constant flow of offers for EMPEROR to do this, or EMPEROR to do that. I have to say, all this nostalgia and all these bands coming back is a result of the power of metal. You don't get the big '80s rock bands anymore because there is not enough time. With the Internet and everything is so widespread, you don't get the big superstars anymore. It's very hard for young bands to build a name for themselves. People tend to just go back to what they know. I think it's a result of that. Obviously, we wanted to reunite for other reasons. Not everybody can as easily get working visas to go to the U.S. "I've been thinking that the reason why I've been able to have a 20-year long career, and the reason EMPEROR became the institution that it became. In my book, EMPEROR as a phenomenon is much bigger now than it ever was when we were in the band. I think the reason for that is we never compromised. I've had the privilege of doing my music without compromise for all these years and I'm not going to change that now. If I was exploiting markets or potentials in a cynical way like that, if I tried to make another EMPEROR album… that would just make everything we ever did into a lie. I don't see the purpose. "Obviously as a solo artist, I am not as big as EMPEROR. These are different times. But I get by, and I'm pulling quite big crowds when I play. So to me, it doesn't make that much of a difference. As long as I can be a free artist, I prefer that any day."
04 min read

METALLICA’s KIRK HAMMETT Performs With EXODUS At ‘Kirk Von Hammett’s Fear FestEviL’ (Video)

Manos Spanos
Lifelong horror enthusiast and METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett joined his former band EXODUS on stage last night (Friday, February 7) at his first annual horror convention, dubbed Kirk Von Hammett's Fear FestEviL, at The Regency Ballroom in San Francisco, California to perform the EXODUS song "Piranha" and the BLUE ÖYSTER CULT classic "Godzilla". Video footage of the performance can be seen below (courtesy of AndrewHaug.com). Hammett was a member of EXODUS' original lineup before replacing Dave Mustaine in METALLICA in 1983. In fact, Hammett was not only the person who came up with the EXODUS name, but also the first from the band to meet original EXODUS singer Paul Baloff and brought him into the group. Kirk Von Hammett's Fear FestEvil kicked off on Thursday (February 6) and lasts through Saturday (February 8), and Hammett told The Pulse Of Radio what he envisioned for it. "I've gone to San Diego Comic-Con, and I was just struck by how all it really is is a bunch of stuff to look at and a bunch of stuff to buy," he said. "What I wanted to do with my convention is I wanted it to be an experience, you know. I wanted it to be interactive, I wanted it to have ambiance and atmosphere, and I wanted it to be unique and thrilling, and that's what we're trying to do here." Kirk Von Hammett's Fear FestEviL will include additional musical performances by Nuclear Blast artists CARCASS, DEATH ANGEL and ORCHID. Hammett's relationship with DEATH ANGEL goes back more than two decades, when the METALLICA guitarist produced DEATH ANGEL's 1986 demo, "Kill As One". Visit www.FEARFESTEviL.com for the latest information on horror's newest and coolest fan convention. kirkhammetsfearfestival
02 min read

BEWIZED: Tour Documentary Video Released

Manos Spanos
Greek groove-metallers BEWIZED announced: “Here's a 20min+ video documentary full of unforgettable memories coming from our recent Greek Tour thus we decided to share with you. We tried to narrate the wonderful touring experiences from the very first day till the last one, hope you guys dig it till the end of it! We owe lots on some people who helped us out and made this happen. This is for you! Haven't seen the best of us yet. Off for the next, bigger one.“ Ηere is a live report from their live gig in Athens. Bewized also confirmed their part as the support act on Caliban's forthcoming show in Thessaloniki on 23rd of March, 2014 at Eightball Club. The facebook event is here Powered by: One Two Six Clothing / Hardtimes Athens
01 min read

EPICA: New Album Title, Release Date Revealed

Manos Spanos
Dutch female-fronted symphonic metallers EPICA will release their sixth album, "The Quantum Enigma", on May 5 in Europe and May 13 in North America via Nuclear Blast. The follow-up to "Requiem For The Indifferent" was produced by Joost Van Den Broek (the former AFTER FOREVER and AYREON keyboard player who has previously worked with REVAMP and STREAM OF PASSION). Says EPICA guitarist/vocalist Mark Jansen: "[I] have been listening to our new album and I can't get enough of it! It sounds more modern but with all typical EPICA elements inside. Refreshing might be the right word. This album has also been the result of a real group effort. "It was great to see everyone being so motivated to create our best album! "Even though the sound is more heavy (the guitars, bass and drums sound so brutal!!!), it's still a very catchy album as well. Some old influences from our earliest work, some references to 'Design Your Universe' and some new elements. "[I] can't wait 'till the moment you'll be able to listen to our newborn which makes us all very proud!" EPICA will return to the stage on April 30 for a CD-release performance at 013 in Tilburg, The Netherlands. After taking a break from the road due the pregnancy of lead singer Simone Simons, the release of a new concert DVD, "Retrospect", as well as the writing and recording of the band's upcoming album, the sextet will put on a memorable concert, with plans to perform both old and new songs. EPICA celebrated its 10th anniversary with a one-night-only event, dubbed "Retrospect", on March 23, 2013 in Eindhoven, The Netherlands. The band was accompanied by the seventy-piece Reményi Ede Chamber Orchestra and the Miskolc National Theatre Choir, playing an unforgettable three-hour best-of set. On November 8, 2013, Nuclear Blast released "Retrospect" as a deluxe hardcover book with 48 pages, both as a 2DVD/3CD and 2Blu-ray/3CD version. "Retrospect" features this massive performance in its entirety, as well as exclusive interviews with all band members and behind-the-scenes footage from the show.
02 min read

TRIVIUM’s PAOLO GREGOLETTO: Why There Will Never Be Another METALLICA

Manos Spanos
Alec Chillingworth of Stereoboard.com recently conducted an interview with bassist Paolo Gregoletto of Florida metallers TRIVIUM. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below. Stereoboard.com "In Waves" and "Vengeance Falls" both built on a sound that strayed significantly away from the progressive edge on "Shogun". Paolo: That's one thing that we always talk about when we start writing for a new record: what can we do a little differently this time? What have we done in the past that'd be cool to bring back in? I definitely think there'll be more progressive elements in the new music, but we just want to take what we've done on the past few albums — especially on the melodic side — and bring a bit of progression back into it. We've always had so many things at our disposal because we can be very heavy and we can be very melodic, we can be progressive, and when we write new songs we have all of that at our disposal, so we can just mix it up. We've all been writing again. We had a few weeks off for Christmas, which sort of inspired us to start writing again, but personally I've just been more focused on getting the best riffs. The first thing I did was start writing full songs, but then I just concentrating on writing good riffs and good parts. I didn't force myself to finish the songs, I've been leaving it for when we get together and jam like a proper band. We're just collecting ideas and talking about where we want this album to go. Stereoboard.com: When TRIVIUM first arrived, you were commonly tipped to be "the next METALLICA." Paolo: It's hard to pick bands out and say, "They're going to be the next IRON MAIDEN! They're going to be the next METALLICA!" I've thought about it and I've realized that every band is heading on a certain path, and I think the bands that will be left will be the ones who concentrate solely on writing the most honest music and who take it to that next level live. I think there are bands out there, and I include TRIVIUM with those, we want to push ourselves on our records, and we want to push ourselves live. The rest of it is just up to people connecting with it. People can't expect another IRON MAIDEN or METALLICA because those bands built upon what came before them and created their own unique thing. METALLICA are a once-in-a-lifetime band, and for anyone to reach that bar is impossible. Everyone just does their own thing, and it'll be those bands that'll succeed. Read the entire interview at Stereoboard.com.
02 min read

LACUNA COIL: New Song ‘Nothing Stands In Our Way’ Available For Streaming

Manos Spanos
Italian heavy rockers LACUNA COIL will release their new studio album, "Broken Crown Halo", in North America on April 1 (one day earlier internationally) via Century Media Records. The CD was recorded Italy by producer Jay Baumgardner (P.O.D., SEVENDUST, EVANESCENCE, PAPA ROACH) and engineer Kyle Hoffmann (P.O.D., BUSH, ZEBRAHEAD). The effort was mastered by Howie Weinberg, whose credits include RAMMSTEIN, SOUNDGARDEN, NIRVANA, DEFTONES and SHERYL CROW. "Broken Crown Halo" is LACUNA COIL's seventh studio effort, and the highly-anticipated follow-up to "Dark Adrenaline", which was released in January 2012 and saw the band tour with acts including MEGADETH, MOTÖRHEAD, VOLBEAT and SEVENDUST after debuting at No. 15 on The Billboard 200 album chart. "Broken Crown Halo" track listing: 01. Nothing Stands In Our Way 02. Zombies 03. Hostage To The Light 04. Victims 05. Die & Rise 06. I Forgive (But I Won't Forget Your Name) 07. Cybersleep 08. Infection 09. I Burn In You 10. In The End I Feel Alive 11. One Cold Day The song "Nothing Stands In Our Way" can be streamed using the SoundCloud widget below. The band had this to say about the album artwork: "We are fighting for a kingdom and a crown that is not what it seems to be, one that in reality represents the moment of confusion we're living in, and the very fragile situation we're facing every day." LACUNA COIL will return to the road to introduce North America to "Broken Crown Halo" as part of the Revolver Hottest Chicks In Hard Rock Tour, which launches February 20 and features LACUNA COIL sharing a stage with SICK PUPPIES, Century Media Records labelmates EYES SET TO KILL and CILVER. The tour launches in Wilmington, North Carolina, and runs through March 20 in Anaheim, California. Visit www.hottestchickstour.com for additional details and VIP packages. LACUNA COIL had this to say about "Broken Crown Halo": "What conflict could run so deep that it takes you to the deepest corners of your inner world? "Today we are surrounded by a lot of lies, aliases, and people acting like they are wearing an invisible crown — but you better have thick skin if you want to wear this crown! "'Broken Crown Halo' is a cinematic album that could be the soundtrack of our days — it is a dark vision of a near future when survival is second nature, and failure is not something to be avoided, but rather cultivated with lessons learned along the way. "We set the bar pretty high with 'Dark Adrenaline' and it hasn't been easy bringing our sound to the next level, but we have lived, learned and grown through a year full of personal issues and changes. We learned to be strong and get stronger, and we felt an inner vibe in this band that we haven't felt before. We locked ourselves in an age-old studio in Milan, Italy, where history was strong and the past met with our future, vintage gear and the influence of classic Italian horror movies and bands like GOBLIN meeting the fresh and rough sounds of the modern world with unique and invigorating results. "'Broken Crown Halo' is LACUNA COIL introducing a new order, and letting nothing stand in our way..."
03 min read

TRIPTYKON: ‘Melana Chasmata’ Album Details

Manos Spanos
TRIPTYKON — the occult/avant-garde metal project formed by former HELLHAMMER/CELTIC FROST singer, guitarist, and main songwriter Tom Gabriel Fischer (a.k.a. Tom Gabriel Warrior) — will release its second album, "Melana Chasmata", on April 15 (one day earlier internationally). The CD will be made available through a collaboration between the group's own label, Prowling Death Records Ltd., and renowned metal giant Century Media Records. This is the same label partnership already responsible for CELTIC FROST's final album, "Monotheist" (2006), HELLHAMMER's "Demon Entrails" demo compendium (2008), and TRIPTYKON's debut album, "Eparistera Daimones", and "Shatter" EP (2010). Like its predecessor "Eparistera Daimones", the album was produced by TRIPTYKON's singer/guitarist Tom Gabriel Warrior and guitarist V. Santura and recorded and mixed at V. Santura's own Woodshed Studio in southern Germany as well as at TRIPTYKON's rehearsal facilities in Zurich, Switzerland, in 2013 and 2014. Those who have already heard "Melana Chasmata" have described it as "atmospheric, dark, diabolical, and dramatic", "diverse, epic, and doomy, but on an entirely different level", "a fierce boulder of abhorrence", or "very heavy and yet very aesthetic at the same time". "Melana Chasmata" will feature the following nine songs, at a playing time of around 67 minutes: 01. Tree Of Suffocating Souls 02. Boleskine House 03. Altar Of Deceit 04. Breathing 05. Aurorae 06. Demon Pact 07. In The Sleep Of Death 08. Black Snow 09. Waiting Further new TRIPTYKON music has been recorded, to be released as an EP or mini album later in 2014 or early in 2015. Among other formats, the album will be released as a 32-page mediabook (with lyrics and liner notes to every song, and with a special fold out poster), as a gatefold vinyl double album (with posters and large-format booklet), and for digital download. Additionally, Century Media is scheduled to issue a special box set, limited to 2000 copies. The box set will include the album, a TRIPTYKON silver pendant, a poster, postcards, a TRIPTYKON tote bag, and a cap. To commemorate the unveiling of "Melana Chasmata", Century Media will release a collector's gatefold seven-inch vinyl single, featuring the songs "Breathing" and "Boleskine House". The single will be available on March 17, 2014, and be limited to a pressing 1000 (of which 200 will be in red vinyl). "Breathing" and "Boleskine House" will also be available as a digital single (including the option for a digital booklet), and they will be streamed on YouTube and SoundCloud. "Melana Chasmata" will be further distinguished by featuring, for the second time for TRIPTYKON, the extraordinary art of legendary Swiss surrealist HR Giger. Following "Eparistera Daimones", the group began to make arrangements for an entirely different cover for the second album. Completely unexpectedly, HR Giger approached Tom Gabriel Warrior in October of 2011 to express his appreciation of how TRIPTYKON had used his art on the first album and to propose a continuation of the artistic collaboration. This development thus marks the first time any musical artist has worked with HR Giger on three albums (CELTIC FROST's "To Mega Therion", and TRIPTYKON's "Eparistera Daimones" and "Melana Chasmata"), and it commemorates a collaboration that has now lasted for 30 years. "Melana Chasmata" features Giger's dramatically mysterious "Mordor VII" (work no. 283, 100 x 70 cm, acrylic on wood, 1975) as a front cover and Giger's "Landschaft XVI" ["Landscape XVI"] (work no. 209, 100 x 70 cm, acrylic on paper on wood, 1972) as gatefold art. After a lengthy hiatus, TRIPTYKON will return to the stage this year to promote "Melana Chasmata". Among the concerts so far scheduled are appearances at the celebrated Roadburn festival, at Rock Hard festival, and, pending the issuance of the proper visas by U.S. authorities, TRIPTYKON's return to the United States for an exclusive appearance at Maryland Deathfest. TRIPTYKON consists of V. Santura (guitar, vocals), Norman Lonhard (drums, percussion), Vanja Slajh (bass, vocals), and Tom Gabriel Warrior (voice, guitars). triptykoncd2014
04 min read

GODSMACK: 11 Songs Written For Next Studio Album

Manos Spanos
GODSMACK frontman Sully Erna tweeted on February 5 that the band has made massive headway in the songwriting process for its next studio album, tentatively due later in the year. "This band is on FIRE lately!" Erna wrote. "Finished 11 songs in two weeks so far. 2014 watch the f%#k out!!! In a post on GODSMACK's official web site, drummer Shannon Larkin added: "We wrote a bunch of new songs in Florida while our new [headquarters] was being built in New England. Now here we are outside of Boston in a kick-ass studio surrounded by GODSMACK vibes and creating like maniacs! "[We have written] so many cool new tunes that I can tell ya it's gonna be hard to narrow these down to the best ones! "I can't give anything away at this point, but wanted to let you real fans know that we are DEEP into this and feeling great about positive attitudes and massive progress!" GODSMACK's last full-length set of all-new material, "The Oracle", came out in May 2010, although the quarter also issued the concert set "Live And Inspired" in 2012. Erna told The Pulse Of Radio a while back that playing live has always been important to GODSMACK. "That's probably the exciting moment for us, is to get out there," he said. "It is truly the thing that keeps us alive and keeps us doing this, is the feeling you get from live performances. It's what I look forward to the most." The band took some time off in 2013 to recharge their batteries and allow members to work on other projects. Erna played some solo shows, and also resumed his poker-playing career. He also acted in a film called "Army Of The Damned", playing a sheriff who uncovers more than he bargained for when he answers a domestic disturbance call.
01 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.