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Manos Spanos

RIOT V Announces Guitarist, Drummer For Upcoming Tour

Manos Spanos
RIOT V, the new band featuring the surviving members of the most recent lineup of U.S. metal pioneers RIOT, is currently in rehearsals for its upcoming tour of Europe. The band is continuing on in honor of the late great founding RIOT guitarist Mark Reale, who died from complications from Crohn's Disease in early 2012 and these dates are in tribute to the axeman. The musicians decided to continue on in Mark's honor and wishes as well as the blessings from the estate of Reale to keep the music and spirit of RIOT alive. The continuing members decided to alter the name to RIOT V as the fifth chapter of the band's long history as well as Todd Michael Hall being the fifth singer following Guy Speranza (March 1956 - November 2003), Rhett Forrester (September 1956 – January 1994), Tony Moore and Mike Dimeo in the some 30-odd years of the band's existence. RIOT V heads to Italy for a string of tribute dates starting in Brescia, Italy, ending in Thessaloniki, Greece, then returning home to start recording the new record slated for a summer 2014 release. The touring band for these tribute dates are longtime members Mike Flyntz (guitar), who has been Reale's guitar partner for over 25 years, and bassist/songwriter Don Van Stavern ("Thundersteel", "Privilege Of Power", "Immortal Soul"), new vocalist Todd Michael Hall (BURNING STARR, REVERENCE) and RIOT's "Army Of One" drummer Frank Gilchriest (VIRGIN STEELE, LIEGE LORD), who will be stepping in as Bobby Jarzombek is fulfilling his duties with FATES WARNING and SEBASTIAN BACH. Although Reale can never be replaced, RIOT V has recruited former student-turned-teacher at Mike Flyntz's guitar school in Long Island, New York, 26-year-old guitar virtuoso Nick Lee, to handle the lead-guitar duties on the upcoming tour. Says Flyntz: "I have decided to have guitarist Nick Lee join us on the live shows in Europe. "The decision whether to add a guitarist or try it myself was very difficult. We did play some shows without Mark when he was sick. Although they went as well as could be expected given the circumstances, I felt it was better for the music to add a second guitarist, as Mark added me in 1989. "It is very important to me that everyone knows that Nick is not Mark's replacement. Mark Reale can never be replaced. I will be taking on Mark's parts and Nick will be doing most of my parts. "Nick studied with me weekly from ages 9 to 17. "Nick has always been a perfectionist and has always poured his heart into his music. He is a great writer and performer. I am very proud of him. He lives and breathes music and is one with his guitar. He has met Mark and saw us play live. "Nick and I are sitting and practicing in the same room at my school where Mark and I practiced and wrote for 19 years. "I know there is no one else better matched to come in and help us recreate the RIOT sound. After the first rehearsal, I was convinced that we are doing the right thing by carrying on Mark's music and legacy. "Mark's dad Tony has been involved and has advised me with every step and in all the decision-making and it has been crucial to us that we have his blessing. "At our first rehearsal playing our opener 'Narita', I actually shed a tear hearing the song that I had played so many years side by side with Mark, but know the band will shine on in his honor and not disappoint the diehard fans."
03 min read

MÖTLEY CRÜE’s ‘Final Tour’ To Feature Support From ALICE COOPER

Manos Spanos
Eddie Trunk — co-host of the VH1 Classic television program "That Metal Show" who has a long-running radio show, "Eddie Trunk Rocks" (formerly "Friday Night Rocks"), on New York's Q104.3 FM — has tweeted what appears to be the official ad for MÖTLEY CRÜE's farewell tour, apparently dubbed "The Final Tour", which will feature support from ALICE COOPER. MÖTLEY CRÜE is expected to hold a press conference in Los Angeles on January 28 during which they will announce the first details of the farewell tour, which will reportedly kick off in May and last for a couple of years. Later that night, MÖTLEY CRÜE will be the musical guest on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" The band will perform several songs on the show's outdoor stage in front of a standing-room-only crowd. MÖTLEY CRÜE singer Vince Neil told Billboard.com back in August that the band's final tour would begin during the spring of this year and wrap up sometime in 2015. "It's just kind of that time," Neil explained. "We'll do one more time and then kinda call it quits. We're going out on top. We don't want to be some band that people are like, 'Oh, they're playing a club now.' We still sell out arenas, have stadium stuff and things like that." Neil and MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer Tommy Lee previously made comments suggesting that guitarist Mick Mars' health issues were partly to blame for the band's decision to call it quits — something that Mars, who suffers from the spinal disease ankylosing spondilytus, has repeatedly denied. "Any rumors regarding a farewell tour due to 'my poor health' are BS. I am doing fine, my AS has never kept me from touring and never will," Mars wrote on Twitter in August. MÖTLEY CRÜE wrapped up its second Las Vegas residency at the Hard Rock Hotel's Joint last October.
02 min read

METALLICA To Start Working On New Album ‘In A Couple Of Weeks’

Manos Spanos
METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett tells Billboard.com that the band will start working on the follow-up to 2008's "Death Magnetic" "in a couple of weeks. When we start, that's going to be our main priority, and we're pretty excited about it because we've been saying we need to start working on this album, but we've been procrastinating greatly with it," he says. "We've pretty much come up with every sort of excuse we can not to start work on the album, but we've run out of excuses, so we pretty much have to start work on it now." According to Hammett, there is no shortage of ideas for METALLICA's next CD, with the guys reportedly having met up twice in the last few months to cook up some tasty riffs in the studio. "We're a band that never has a shortage of ideas," Hammett says. "You hear about these bands that are sitting in the studio and they don't have any songs, what are they gonna do? That's not METALLICA. METALLICA's problem is the total opposite. We have too many ideas. James [Hetfield, guitar/vocals] has, like, 800 ideas. I have 400. Those number alone are just crazy. That's formidable." METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich acknowledged in an interview with U.K.'s Kerrang! magazine that the band's next studio album is unlikely to arrive before 2015 at the earliest. The drummer explained: "Obviously, there are a lot of people asking where the next record is. We're going to make another record, but like I said before, we don't really feel this kind of… what's the word? I guess 'responsibility' is probably the right word. We don't feel this inherent responsibility to just churn out records whenever people want them. [Adopts a sarcastic voice] 'I'm sorry! Let me slap myself on the wrists and go make a record for you!' We'll get 'round to it again." Asked about a possible release date for METALLICA's next CD, Ulrich replied: "Actually, we know the date… no, we don't! If I was betting on this, I would say 2015 — that's where my money is. So if you think of the actual age of this planet, if it's been 75 billion years since dinosaurs walked the Earth or whatever, then one year is basically a blink of an eye, right?" Ulrich also spoke about METALLICA's mindset going into the songwriting phase for the band's next album. He explained: "The only thing I can tell you is that there seems to be a consensus in the band that [2008's] 'Death Magnetic' was a really good record that we're proud of, that had good legs on it — meaning that it still sounds really rocking five years later. And I can tell you that with most of the previous METALLICA records, I found any faults, I had any issues with them way, way sooner than five years. So the stuff that we've been jamming on is certainly not a million miles removed from where we left off from 'Death Magnetic'. But two years from now, when I sit and talk to you about the new record, it'll probably be a different story from the six-year-old looking for the ice cream shop."
03 min read

Mass Infection’s new song from upcoming album

Manos Spanos
Mass Infection prepare to dominate the death metal scene in 2014 with their new highly anticipated full length album ‘For I Am Genocide’. This is the follow up to their 2009 release ‘The Age of Recreation’. Mass Infection hails from Greece and have crushed skulls with their precision brutality since 2003. They have certainly proven to be a supreme force with their skillful and technical style of catchy death metal. Mass Infection is strongly influenced by bands like Deeds of Flesh, Hate Eternal and Severe Torture… Check the promo video bellow:
00 min read

Maplerun: Video “Bombs” Released

Manos Spanos
Maplerun are proud to present their new Official Music Video for the song ’’Bombs’’ (2014) taken from their album ’’Restless’’ which was released in October 2012 with Metal Hammer Greece. The band would like to thank Spiros Kapsilis (Director), the «Unique Sperm» crew, Timecode Productions and RedBull as well as all their friends and fans whom without the making of this video would be impossible. After playing a UK tour supporting American Head Charge the band will participate in a European tour supportting Skindred and Soil, in February 2014. The band will also be playing in Hammerfest festival this March.
00 min read

DARK TRANQUILLITY To Release ‘A Memory Construct’ Single

Manos Spanos
On their upcoming North American tour, Swedish melodic death metallers DARK TRANQUILLITY will be selling a seven-inch EP entitled "A Memory Construct", which also will be released digitally in the beginning of March. Recorded during the "Construct" sessions, the single contains the two songs, is limited to 500 copies worldwide and is available on a transparent red wax. Featured tracks are t previously unreleased "A Memory Construct" and "Sorrows Architect", previously only available as a limited flexi seven-inch released with issue #106 of Decibel magazine. Comments DARK TRANQUILLITY: "['A Memory Construct'] was originally written (as the name implies) as the title track for the 'Construct' album, but was later deemed too different to be included without interrupting the flow of the main record. "'Sorrow's Architect' is probably our darkest song in a while; a brooding track that gradually builds up to a climatic ending." DARK TRANQUILLITY's North American tour kicks off on February 1 at The Masquerade in Atlanta, Georgia. DARK TRANQUILLITY's tenth studio album, "Construct", was released on May 27 via Century Media Records. The CD was mixed by Jens Bogren (PARADISE LOST, OPETH, KATATONIA) at his Fascination Street studios in Örebro, Sweden. DARK TRANQUILLITY filmed a music video for the song "Uniformity" on April 13 with Patric Ullaeus of Revolver Film Company, who has previously worked with DIMMU BORGIR, LACUNA COIL, IN FLAMES, SONIC SYNDICATE and KAMELOT, among others. In an interview with Louder Than Hell, DARK TRANQUILLITY guitarist Niklas Sundin stated about "Construct": "A typical effect of being locked up in a studio for 2-3 months listening to every single second of the new songs over and over again is that you're getting extremely tired of the material. At the same time as you know that you've created something great, there's a part of you that never want to hear the songs again. Also, the collaborative and democratic nature of DARK TRANQUILITY means that there always are riffs and ideas that a single member doesn't find too interesting according to his personal preferences, so what normally happens directly after a studio session is that I sit down and think that the result is OK, but if X and Y would have been done differently, it would have been even better (again: for my own tastes). In this case, there were two main parameters that were different: The members' opinions on the material were a bit more uniform — i.e. no great clashes in taste — and the actual mixing process brought out a lot of details and nuances in the songs that we previously weren't aware of. The result is that I for a change actually was a massive fan of 'Construct' from the first time I heard the final mix." Asked if the band had a direction or "game plan" when entering the studio to make "Construct", Niklas said: "There never is a defined game plan as such; we usually start writing songs without knowing exactly where the music will take us. Every time we've tried to decide that the next album should go in a certain direction, it usually ends up being the complete opposite, ha ha! This time, though, we all were certain that we needed to do something different in order to find the motivation to even make a new album. It's a similar situation to the one before 'Projector' (1999) where we either could split up or do something new, and from that realization we actually succeeded in reinventing ourselves."
03 min read

BEHEMOTH: Second ‘The Satanist’ Trailer

Manos Spanos
The second of four videos on the making of "The Satanist", the long-awaited new album from Polish extreme metallers BEHEMOTH, can be seen below. "The Satanist" will be 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. Pre-order bundles, include: CD, LP, t-shirt, as well as the deluxe box set, and are available at metalblade.com/behemoth in North America, nuclearblast.de/behemoth in Europe, and on behemoth-store.com (digibook and box). 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!
05 min read

MANOWAR: ‘Kings Of Metal MMXIV’ Cover Artwork Unveiled

Manos Spanos
"Kings Of Metal MMXIV" is a completely new recording with many surprises, celebrating the 25th anniversary of the release of "Kings Of Metal" and MANOWAR's following world tour. Already a significant force with international success since their debut album "Battle Hymns", the "Kings Of Metal" release in 1988 and the following world tour in 1989 catapulted MANOWAR into a new sphere. Songs like "Heart Of Steel", "Kings Of Metal", "Hail And Kill" and "Blood Of The Kings" became instant classics, celebrated since by metal fans all over the world. For "Kings Of Metal MMXIV", MANOWAR have recorded these timeless metal anthems with new arrangements and their signature "larger-than-life" sound that sealed their place in heavy metal history. "Our fans have made us the 'Kings Of Metal', and with this tribute to one of their favorite albums, we honor them and thank them for their unparalleled support and loyalty!" said MANOWAR vocalist Eric Adams. "Kings Of Metal MMXIV" will feature nine main tracks packed with face-melting metal, plus nine bonus tracks with over 40 minutes of additional music. "We have pushed man and machine to the maximum level to honor the original recordings that we all love, and to add new aspects and surprises that give this new album its own character," said MANOWAR bassist and producer Joey DeMaio. "The sound is again as massive and majestic as it has always been," he continued. "Recording this album has been an amazing experience! After playing the songs so many times on tour, Donnie and I now had the opportunity to contribute our own sound and elements that the fans have come to love from our live performances," explained guitarist Karl Logan. For the new narration on the spoken word track "The Warrior's Prayer MMXIV", MANOWAR have joined forces with celebrated British actor Brian Blessed. Blessed is a renowned Shakespeare and character actor who has starred, among others, in Kenneth Brannagh's "Henry V", Oliver Stone's "Alexander", in "King Lear", and as Prince Vultan in the cult movie "Flash Gordon". For special effects of the highest level on "The Warrior's Prayer MMXIV", sound effects specialist Hamilton Sterling was recruited; a Hollywood veteran who has contributed to action blockbusters, including "Batman - The Dark Knight", "Men In Black 3", "War Of The Worlds" and "Master And Commander: The Far Side Of The World", two of which won Oscars for "Best Sound Editing". "Kings Of Metal MMXIV" will be released to retail on February 28 as a 2-disc CD with two 24-page booklets and additional new art by legendary fantasy artist and longtime collaborator Ken Kelly, and as a digital double album. For the special anniversary, MANOWAR will also open their vaults and reveal never-before-seen photos and other insights into the history of MANOWAR and the "Kings Of Metal" era. "Kings Of Metal MMXIV" track listing (not final): Main tracks: * Wheels Of Fire MMXIV * Kings Of Metal MMXIV * Heart Of Steel MMXIV * Sting Of The Bumblebee MMXIV * The Crown And The Ring MMXIV (orchestral version) * Kingdom Come MMXIV * Hail And Kill MMXIV * The Warrior's Prayer MMXIV * Blood Of The Kings MMXIV Bonus tracks: * Blood Of The Kings MMXIV (instrumental) * Hail And Kill MMXIV (instrumental) * Heart Of Steel MMXIV (acoustic intro) * Kingdom Come MMXIV (instrumental) * Wheels Of Fire MMXIV (instrumental) Check out the cover artwork below.
03 min read

LAMB OF GOD: ‘As The Palaces Burn’ Feature Documentary Film To Premiere In Philadelphia

Manos Spanos
Philadelphia's Trocadero Theatre will host the world premiere of the LAMB OF GOD feature documentary film "As The Palaces Burn" on February 16. Capacity for this event will be limited to 800 people. Included in that capacity will be 50 VIP packages which will include a meet-and-greet with the band prior to the showing of the film. The Trocadero Theatre was where LAMB OF GOD's platinum DVD, "Killadelphia", was filmed, making the venue a natural choice for the movie premiere. Besides being shown theatrically worldwide in 350 theaters, 13 U.S club venues have been chosen for exclusive screenings of the film. Tickets for all venues go on sale this weekend, except in Toronto which go on sale today. The cities and venues are: * New York, NY - Highline Ballroom * Washington, DC - Howard Theatre * Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall * Baltimore, MD - The Ottobar * Montreal, QC - Foufounes Electriques * Toronto, ON - Opera House * San Francisco, CA - DNA Lounge * Dallas, TX - Gas Monkey * Denver, CO - Summit Music Hall * Chicago, IL - Ginger Man Tavern * Pittsburgh, PA - Club Cafe * Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade * Seattle, WA – The Showbox For information on the location of all theaters as well as dates of screenings and show times, go to www.asthepalacesburn.com. Following the 90-minute film, a 30-minute question-and-answer session with the entire band and Don Argott will be shown. The question-and-answer session was conducted by VH1 Classic's Eddie Trunk and filmed at the final show of the band's North American tour in support of their most recent release, "Resolution". LAMB OF GOD entered into a worldwide distribution deal with Specticast (LED ZEPPELIN's "Celebration Day", Paul McCartney's "Rock Show") for their Don Argott-directed ("Last Days Here", "Art Of The Steal", "School Of Rock") feature film "As The Palaces Burn". Filming for the movie began in 2012 and concluded in March of 2013. "As The Palaces Burn", which should not be confused with the making-of documentary packaged with the recent re-release of the 2003 LAMB OF GOD album of the same name, was conceived to be a documentary focused on the power of music and its impact on cultures around the world and its ability to bring together people of all nationalities regardless of religious or political differences. After a worldwide casting call, filming took place in Colombia, Venezuela, Israel, India, and the United States. As filming reached its conclusion, the documentary was forced to take a major turn when the band's lead singer, Randy Blythe, was arrested in the Czech Republic and charged with the murder of a fan in June 2012. Granted unique access to Blythe's saga, Argott's filming covered Blythe's 38-day imprisonment in Prague, his release and the band's return to live performances, and finally Blythe's trial for murder in Prague in February 2013. The trailer for the film can be seen below
03 min read

WITHIN TEMPTATION To Play Special Acoustic Show At HMV Store In London

Manos Spanos
Dutch symphonic rockers WITHIN TEMPTATION will play a special intimate acoustic show on Tuesday, February 4 at HMV 363 Oxford Street in London, England (next to Bond Street station) at 6 p.m. The performance will be an intimate 20-minute acoustic set, followed by a signing session to promote the band's new album, "Hydra". You can purchase your copy of "Hydra" from HMV 363 Oxford Street on the day of the event and get it signed by the band after the performance. The album will be available to buy in all formats including the luxury box set version. Due to license restrictions for live performances, the store has had to limit the number of fans attending the event to 180. Only those fans lucky enough to have a valid ticket will be able to gain access to this very special live performance. Get your ticket here. WITHIN TEMPTATION will release "Hydra" on January 31. The album will be available in several luxury formats. The cover artwork was created by by Romano Molenaar ("X-Men", "Batman", "The Unforgiving"), and can be seen below. Pre-order "Hydra" via iTunes now, and you will instantly receive the first two singles: "Dangerous", featuring a guest appearance by former KILLSWITCH ENGAGE singer Howard Jones and "Paradise (What About Us?)" featuring ex-NIGHTWISH singer Tarja Turunen. The digital premium album, complete with digi-booklet, will be available on iTunes and includes 18 audio tracks and a music video. The digital premium album features bonus "Evolution Versions" of four new songs, which contain audio commentary from guitarist Robert Westerholt and singer Sharon Den Adel and give you unique access to the development of the songs, their lyrical inspiration and the sound of the initial demos and vocals. "Hydra" digital premium album track listing: 01. Let Us Burn 02. Dangerous (feat. Howard Jones) 03. And We Run (feat. Xzibit 04. Paradise (What About Us?) (feat. Tarja) 05. Edge Of The World 06. Silver Moonlight 07. Covered By Roses 08. Dog Days 09. Tell Me Why 10. Whole World Is Watching (feat. Dave Pirner) 11. Radioactive (originally performed by IMAGINE DRAGONS) 12. Summertime Sadness (originally performed by Lana del Ray) 13. Let Her Go (originally performed by PASSENGER) 14. Dirty Dancer (originally performed by Enrique Iglesias) 15. And We Run (evolution track)
04 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.