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Manos Spanos

SCORPIONS Recording Cover Of RAINBOW’s ‘Temple Of The King’ For RONNIE JAMES DIO Tribute Album

Manos Spanos
SCORPIONS guitarist Matthias Jabs revealed in an interview with Classic Rock Revisited that his band is recording a cover version of RAINBOW's "Temple Of The King" for inclusion on the upcoming Ronnie James Dio tribute album. The collection, which is being assembled by the singer's widow and longtime manager Wendy Dio, will also tentatively include contributions from METALLICA, ANTHRAX, JUDAS PRIEST's Rob Halford, MOTÖRHEAD's Lemmy Kilmister, DEEP PURPLE's Ian Gillan, Alice Cooper, Glenn Hughes (DEEP PURPLE, BLACK SABBATH), HALESTORM, Sebastian Bach (SKID ROW), Chris Jericho (FOZZY) and Dave Grohl (NIRVANA, FOO FIGHTERS). "I'm letting them pick what songs they wanna do in the way they wanna do it," Wendy told Artisan News in 2011. The Dio tribute album will see Grohl covering BLACK SABBATH's "The Mob Rules", Halford contributing a version of RAINBOW's "Long Live Rock 'N' Roll" and HALESTORM delivering a rendition of DIO's "Straight Through The Heart". "We reached out to Wendy Dio about wanting to be a part of the Dio tribute that's getting put together," METALLICA singer James Hetfield told U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine. "We're very honored to be a part of that, and to be a part of a celebration of Ronnie's life and his great contribution, man." In an interview with Guitar International, former ANTHRAX guitarist Rob Caggiano stated that the band's cover version of "Neon Knights" "came out pretty smoking." Ronnie James Dio, best known for his work with BLACK SABBATH, RAINBOW and his own band DIO, died of stomach cancer on May 16, 2010 at the age of 67.
02 min read

PROTEST THE HERO, GORGUTS, ANCIIENTS Among JUNO AWARDS Nominees

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ANCIIENTS, GORGUTS, PROTEST THE HERO, KEN MODE and THE FLATLINERS have been nominated in the "Metal/Hard Music Album Of The Year" category at this year's Juno Awards (the Canadian equivalent of the Grammy Awards), set to be held in Winnipeg on March 30 after a week of musical celebrations across the city. This category is an award to honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the Canadian recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position. Eligible albums include metal, metalcore, hardcore, heavy rock, thrash metal, death metal and their respective sub-genres including (but not limited to) nu-metal, power metal, grindcore, extreme metal, industrial metal, viking metal, folk metal, doom metal, gothic metal, speed metal, and sludge metal. Artists who released albums between September 1, 2012, and November 13, 2013, were eligible for nominations. "Metal/Hard Music Album Of The Year" nominees: * ANCIIENTS - "Heart of Oak" (Season of Mist) * GORGUTS - "Colored Sands" (Season of Mist) * KEN MODE - "Entrench" (New Damage) * PROTEST THE HERO - "Volition" (Self-Released) * THE FLATLINERS - "Dead Language" (New Damage)
01 min read

PAPA ROACH Begins Recording Eighth Album With Producer KEVIN CHURKO

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Californian rockers PAPA ROACH have entered Las Vegas' The Hideout Recording Studio — owned and operated by Kevin Churko (OZZY OSBOURNE, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, IN THIS MOMENT) with producer Kevin Churko (OZZY OSBOURNE, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, IN THIS MOMENT, HELLYEAH) — to begin recording their eighth album for a tentative summer release. Regarding the prospect of recording the new CD in Sin City, PAPA ROACH singer Jacoby Shaddix said in a recent interview that the 24/7 action in the city "definitely can be [a distraction], but I'm not a gambler, you know what I'm saying?! So I don't really give a shit about gambling. I actually have a lot of really good, close friends that live in Las Vegas. Aside from the whole Sin City vibe, there's also a real town there as well; it's not just The Strip. There's some good tattoo spots, I've got a homie that has a house out in the cuts there with motorcycles and jumps and all that crazy-ass stuff. I'll just go hang out with some of those reckless, wild dudes." Shaddix and his wife, Kelly, welcomed a baby boy, Brixton Gabriel Shaddix, last summer. Kelly underwent a Caesarean section procedure a a Californian hospital on September 17, 2013 and Brixton was born at 9:45 a.m. local time. He weighed in at 7 pounds and 3 ounces and measured 19 inches long. This is the third son for Jacoby and Kelly, who are also the parents of Makaile Ceilo Shaddix, born March 24, 2002 and Jagger Monroe Shaddix, born September 13, 2004. During the making of PAPA ROACH's latest album, "The Connection", Shaddix split and reconciled with his wife of 16 years and also fell off the wagon. Former PAPA ROACH drummer Dave Buckner reunited with the band at the Aftershock festival in Sacramento on September 14, 2013. Buckner took the stage at Discovery Park to perform "Last Resort" with his former bandmates.
02 min read

FLOTSAM AND JETSAM: Three More Songs From Re-Recorded Version Of ‘No Place For Disgrace’ Available For Streaming

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Arizona metal veterans FLOTSAM AND JETSAM will release "No Place For Disgrace - 2014", a re-recording of the band's second album, "No Place For Disgrace", on February 14 in Europe and digitally on February 18 in North America via Metal Blade Records. The physical CD will be available in North America on March 4. Fans can pre-order "No Place For Disgrace - 2014" at this location. Comments FLOTSAM AND JETSAM: "We have re-recorded 'No Place For Disgrace' because we have had a lot of requests to remix this record. "The master tapes have been very difficult to obtain so we decided to re-record the album and use some of today's technologies to recreate it. The aim was not really to change but to enhance it with the opportunity with the use of new tools. We have the time available as well, and it just seemed like a no-brainer. "A lot of the die-hards are really nervous about it, but we think after the final result, they will embrace it. The sound quality is 100% better and more refined!" Re-recorded versions of the songs "The Jones", "Dreams Of Death" and "Misguided Fortune" can be streamed below. FLOTSAM AND JETSAM will head over to Europe in February to support SEPULTURA and LEGION OF THE DAMNED. The tour begins on February 7. FLOTSAM AND JETSAM will play a special concert at the Keep It True XVII festival, set to take place April 25-26, 2014 at Tauberfrankenhalle in Lauda-Königshofen, Germany. The band's set will consists of songs only from their first two classics — "Doomsday For The Deceiver" (1986) and "No Place For Disgrace" (1988). FLOTSAM AND JETSAM's lineup for Keep It True XVII will consist of four of five original members — Eric "A.K." Knutson (vocals), Kelly Smith (drums), Ed Carlson (guitar) and Michael Gilbert (guitar). Playing bass at the show will be Michael Spencer, who replaced Jason Newsted in 1987 and did the first European tours with the band. FLOTSAM AND JETSAM recently returned to Metal Blade Records to release their new album, "Ugly Noise". "Ugly Noise" is FLOTSAM AND JETSAM's eleventh full-length album, their first release on Metal Blade since 2001, and the follow-up to their 2010 album "The Cold". The record also heralds the return of original members Michael Gilbert on guitar and Kelly David Smith, who hadn't recorded with FLOTSAM AND JETSAM since "High" in 1997. Funding for the new FLOTSAM AND JETSAM album was aided by the PledgeMusic.com project, which encourages fans to contribute funds to the recording of albums and the artists themselves to donate to charity as a part of their fundraising.
03 min read

BRUTAL TRUTH: ‘The Stroy’ Video Released

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"The Stroy", the new video from legendary grindcore godfathers BRUTAL TRUTH, can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's recent split with seminal, abrasive-noise terrorists BASTARD NOISE, entitled "The Axiom Of Post Inhumanity". Combining over four decades of grinding noise dominance, "The Axiom Of Post Inhumanity" is a long-overdue pairing of extreme music veterans that is sure to push the limits of even the most masochistic listeners. Available on CD, LP and digital formats, "The Axiom Of Post Inhumanity" was released on November 11, 2013 via Relapse Records. Both the CD and LP formats of the release contain entirely different sets of music from both bands while the digital version collects all of the tracks onto one compilation. "The Axiom Of Post Inhumanity" track listing: LP track listing: 01. BRUTAL TRUTH - Control Room: Peace is the Victory Mix 02. BASTARD NOISE - Preemptive Epitaph for the Living 03. BASTARD NOISE - The Antenna Galaxies (ngc 4038-4039) 04. BASTARD NOISE - Frack Baby Frack CD track listing: 01. BASTARD NOISE - The Duel of the Ant and the Dragonfly 02. BASTARD NOISE - The Horizon on Lynx 03. BASTARD NOISE - Horned Beetle Conflict 04. BASTARD NOISE - Mantis Colony 05. BRUTAL TRUTH - Control Room: Smoke Grind and Sleep Mix 06. BRUTAL TRUTH - The Stroy BRUTAL TRUTH drummer Rich Hoak commented on the collaboration: "Working with BASTARD NOISE has been an honor! Together we have created 'The Axiom Of Post Inhumanity' with the specific purpose of frying your brain, so please listen LOUD!!"
01 min read

MAYAN: ‘Human Sacrifice’ Lyric Video Released

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"Antagonise", the sophomore album from MAYAN — the band featuring EPICA guitarist/songwriter Mark Jansen alongside Jack Driessen (ex-AFTER FOREVER) and Frank Schiphorst — was released on January 31 via Nuclear Blast Records. The 11-song CD, which was recorded at Sandlane studio with producer Joost Van Der Broek (REVAMP, STREAM OF PASSION), features guest appearances by Floor Jansen (NIGHTWISH, REVAMP), Marcela Bovio (STREAM OF PASSION) and the Greek virtuozo violinist Dimitris Katsoulis. The cover artwork for "Antagonise" was created by Stefan Heilemann, who previously worked on MAYAN's debut album, "Quarterpast". "Antagonise" track listing: 01. Bloodline Forfeit 02. Burn Your Witches 03. Redemption - The Democracy Illusion 04. Paladins Of Deceit - National Security Extremism Part 1 05. Lone Wolf 06. Devil In Disguise 07. Insano 08. Human Sacrifice 09. Enemies Of Freedom 10. Capital Punishment 11. Faceless Spies - National Security Extremism Part 2 The official lyric video for the song "Human Sacrifice" can be seen below. Henning Basse (LINGUA MORTIS ORCHESTRA) and Laura Macri recently joined MAYAN as permanent members. MAYAN is: Mark Jansen - grunts, screams Henning Basse - vocals Laura Macri - soprano Jack Driessen - keys Frank Schiphorst - guitar Rob van der Loo - bass Arien van Weesenbeek - drums Guitarist Isaac Delahaye (EPICA) left MAYAN because he "wanted to concentrate on other things." MAYAN's debut album, "Quarterpast", was released in Europe on May 20, 2011 and in North America on July 12, 2011 via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD was recorded and mixed by Sascha Paeth (EPICA, KAMELOT).
02 min read

CALIBAN’s ‘Ghost Empire’ Cracks German Top 1

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"Ghost Empire", the new album from Germany's CALIBAN, has entered the Media Control chart in the band's home country at position No. 7. CALIBAN's previous CD, "I Am Nemesis", entered the German Media Control chart at position No. 21 back in February 2012. "Ghost Empire", which is being released in North America on February 4 via Century Media Records, was produced by by guitarist Marc Görtz in cooperation with Benny Richter. Said Görtz of the the "Ghost Empire" art, which was created by U.K. artist Chris Lovell: "Another great artist told me about Chris and his art. When I checked out his page, I loved his style and amazing drawings straight away. So I wrote him a message if he would be into designing a t-shirt design for us. It turned out great, so there was no doubt whom to ask for the new album artwork for 'Ghost Empire'! I told him what the album is about and he said that he would love to do it. It didn't take long for him to come up with first ideas which were amazing! I hope we can work with him on other projects in the future, he is a great guy and easy to work with and I think the result speaks for itself!" Added Lovell: "I have been heavily into metal since the age of 12. "It's always nice when a band I am a fan of contacts me with a brief for a project. "I was stoked to read Marc's ideas as post-apocalyptic imagery is something I have an obsession with. I grew up loving films like 'Mad Max', 'Cyborg' and the 'Fist Of The North Star' anime. There's something about destroyed buildings and wastelands that stir my imagination and conjure up all kinds of haunting images in my head. It's also much more fun and easier to draw ruined buildings than perfect ones! "Marc and I brainstormed ideas one evening and we came up with lots of elements we liked such as crows, scarecrows, rats etc. I sketched out a very rough concept idea and layout for the basic image. The front and back cover is all in one, so I had a nice wide landscape to work with. I liked the idea of a road on the main cover, leading to what could look like a hive of collapsed skyscrapers and buildings, leaning on each other and climbing into the clouds. On the left side a cliff face leading down to stormy seas and a shore line littered with ship wrecks and capsized boats. "I wanted the image to look void of human life and haunting. "I drew out the bulk of the main image in pencil, then used inks and acrylic paint to add depth and highlights. I then scanned the image in and coloured it with a graphics tablet on Photoshop. I drew a number of other elements, like telegraph poles, crows, skulls and rats and scanned them in separately. "I wanted to be able to experiment with placement and give the band the option to move elements around etc. "I lost track of how many hours I put into the piece, it all becomes a blur. "I like to stream horror movies or listen to music and just lose myself in the art I make. "I have a bit of an obsession with detail and I tend to spend hours tweaking elements on an image people will probably never even notice. "CALIBAN have been a pleasure to work with. After I had the pleasure of hearing the demos while working on this project it is an honour to have done the artwork for what will be an amazing album!" "I Am Nemesis" featured guest appearances by Marcus Bischoff (HEAVEN SHALL BURN) and Mitch Lucker (SUICIDE SILENCE).
04 min read

ANTHRAX’s SCOTT IAN Says 12 Songs Have Already Been Written For Next Album

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Greece's Metal Kaoz recently conducted an interview with ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian. You can now listen to the chat using the audio player below. Asked about the progress of the songwriting sessions for ANTHRAX's follow-up to 2011's "Worship Music" album, Ian said: "We're in the middle of writing right now. That's just basically all we've been doing, is working on songs. We're just hard, hard, hard at work, with the goal — hopefully — of before the summer, before we go to Europe to start playing festivals, we would love to be able to go into the studio and start recording it. "We're going to Europe in the summer to play shows, and then maybe [we can get the] album [out] sometime later this year, but we don't have any definite schedule yet." He added: "We're just gonna keep writing until we're happy, until we're ready. We're really happy with where we're at right now, and we've got about 12 songs written. Because it's going so well, we figure, why stop? We're gonna just keep writing, and if we have too many songs, then we can just pick what we wanna put on the record." Regarding whether guitarist Jonathan Donais (SHADOWS FALL) — who joined ANTHRAX in January 2013 following the departure of Rob Caggiano — has been involved in the creative process so far, Ian said: "He hasn't contributed to the songwriting at this point, but he's writing leads, that's for sure." ANTHRAX was nominated for a "Best Metal Performance" Grammy this year for its cover of AC/DC's "T.N.T." The track was featured on ANTHRAX's eight-track EP that pays tribute to the classic songs by some of the band's favorite acts from the 1970s. The CD was released in North America on March 19, 2013 (MRI/Megaforce), and on March 22, 2013 in Europe (Nuclear Blast). "Worship Music" has sold more than 110,000 copies in the United States since its September 2011 release, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Interview (audio):
02 min read

THE HAUNTED: ‘My Enemy’ Video Released

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"My Enemy", the new video from Swedish metallers THE HAUNTED, can be seen below. The clip for the relentless, 58-second track features rehearsal-room footage. THE HAUNTED released a new three-song single, "Eye Of The Storm", on January 20 in Europe and January 21 in North America via Century Media Records. "Eye Of The Storm" was made available as limited-edition seven-inch EP (1,000 copies split as follows: 500 on black vinyl, 300 on red vinyl and 200 on white vinyl) and as digital single, featuring the new songs "Eye Of The Storm", "Infiltrator" and "My Enemy". "Eye Of The Storm" track listing: 01. Eye Of The Storm 02. Infiltrator 03. My Enemy The single marks the recording debut of THE HAUNTED's new lineup, which was announced last summer, featuring founding members Patrik Jensen (guitar) and Jonas Björler (bass), returning members Marco Aro (vocals) and Adrian Erlandsson (drums), as well as new guitarist Ola Englund. Commented THE HAUNTED's founding member and guitarist Patrik Jensen: "We are sure fans have been anxious to know what the band sounds like today after all the turmoil and old members leaving and new members joining. "We feel that these three songs represent the band perfectly. "We are currently working on the new album, an album that will be filled to the brim with what we know to be THE HAUNTED. "THE HAUNTED is back." THE HAUNTED's 2014 lineup: * Patrik Jensen - Guitar * Ola Englund (SIX FEET UNDER, FEARED) - Guitar * Marco Aro (THE RESISTANCE, FACE DOWN) - Vocals * Jonas Björler - Bass * Adrian Erlandsson (AT THE GATES, PARADISE LOST) - Drums THE HAUNTED will embark on a tour of Scandinavia this spring, beginning with a show in Gothenburg, Sweden on March 28. Says the band: "The reception of the three new songs from our newly released EP 'Eye Of The Storm' at 70000 Tons Of Metal was amazing, so expect them to be played, together with a truckload of other hard-hitters. "We can't wait to get back out there playing shows again, and we'll make sure it has been worth your while sticking around for us through thick and thin. See you all somewhere along the road!" THE HAUNTED's founding member and guitarist Patrik Jensen stated about the band's new lineup: "THE HAUNTED went through some difficult times last year. Losing three band members is a pretty huge blow to any band. Jonas and I agreed immediately that we wanted to continue with the band, but we wanted to take our time and not rush into anything. "Some of you might recognize a few faces, some of you might not. Adrian Erlandsson is back on drums and Marco Aro is back on vocals. Adrian you might know from playing on our first album and Marco sang on 'The Haunted Made Me Do It', 'Live Rounds In Tokyo' and 'One Kill Wonder'. On guitar we also have Ola Englund bringing some pretty heavy chops to the band." Vocalist Marco Aro (ex-FACE DOWN, also in THE RESISTANCE) was previously involved with THE HAUNTED for three acclaimed releases between 1999 and 2003 as well as for several worldwide touring campaigns. Drummer Adrian Erlandsson (also in AT THE GATES and PARADISE LOST) belonged to the original lineup of THE HAUNTED together the Björler twins after the demise of their previous legendary group, AT THE GATES. Together with Jensen, they launched THE HAUNTED's self-titled debut in 1998, an album which has been widely considered as the kick-start for a new era in the thrash metal movement and which, despite its initial underground status, climbed to be a massively inspirational record for a whole new generation of musicians and bands in the following decade. Guitarist Ola Englund is a highly talented young player from Sweden, who has recently been active as touring and recording member of U.S. death metal institution SIX FEET UNDER.
04 min read

MASSACRE: ‘Back From Beyond’ Cover Artwork, Release Date Revealed

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Resurrected 1990s Florida-based death metallers MASSACRE will release their long-awaited comeback album, "Back From Beyond", 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. Comments Butler: "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!!!" "Back From Beyond" track listing: 01. As We Wait To Die 02. Ascension Of The Deceased 03. Hunter's Blood 04. Darkness Fell 05. False Revelation 06. Succumb To Rapture 07. Remnants Of Hatred 08. Shield Of The Son 09. The Evil Within 10. Sands Of Time 11. Beast Of Vengeance 12. Back From Beyond 13. Honor The Fallen Video footage of MASSACRE's entire March 29, 2013 performance at the Florida Metal Bash at The Brass Mug in Tampa, Florida can be seen below. 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.
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.