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Manos Spanos

KLONE: ‘Rocket Smoke’ Video Released

Manos Spanos
"Rocket Smoke", the new video from Poitiers, France-based progressive metallers KLONE, can be seen below. The clip was directed by Ami Bornstein and features live footage from the band's recent European tour supporting ORPHANED LAND. "Rocket Smoke" is taken from KLONE's fifth full-length album, "The Dreamer's Hideaway", which was released in October 2012 via Klonosphere Records. The CD was recorded at La Fusée Des Resistants studios and was mixed and mastered by Franck Hueso, who has previously worked with such acts as HACRIDE and DEATHSPELL OMEGA. The band previously stated that "The Dreamer's Hideaway" would be their most accomplished effort to date, "It's more psychedelic, more intense and more progressive than ever, the music instills a strongly mysterious atmosphere," they said. KLONE is: Yann Ligner: Vocals Guillaume Bernard: Atmospheric Guitars Aldrick Guadagnino: Guitars Jean Etienne Maillard: Bass Florent Marcadet: Drums Matthieu Metzger: Saxophones, Keyboard, Systol Device
01 min read

BLAZE BAYLEY: Video Report From Brazilian Tour

Manos Spanos
Blaze Bayley (IRON MAIDEN, WOLFSBANE), Thomas Zwijsen and Anne Bakker are currently out on tour in Brazil in support of their release "Russian Holiday". A video report from the trek can be seen below. The "Russian Holiday" EP was recorded during 2012 and released on February 7, 2013. The EP received favorable reviews, with a Swedish magazine crediting the trio for inventing the genre "acoustic heavy metal." "Russian Holiday" features acoustic re-recordings of three songs recorded and released during Blaze's years as a solo artist, a re-recording of the IRON MAIDEN classic "Sign Of The Cross" and one new song, "Russian Holiday". The track listing is as follows: 01. Stealing Time (4:57) 02. Russian Holiday (4:19) 03. Soundtrack Of My Life (5:17) 04. One More Step (3:30) 05. Sign Of The Cross (10:02) Bayley released a career-spanning double-disc collection, "Soundtracks Of My Life", on October 31. Metal Mind Productions recently released the two-CD version of Blaze Bayley's "Alive In Poland" (previously available only as part of the limited-edition "Alive In Poland" DVD) in Europe and North America. "Alive In Poland" was recorded in Poland in April 2007 during the 21st edition of Metalmania festival in Katowice, Poland. It features a fantastic, over-one-and-a-half-hour show during which Blaze presented the best tracks from his discography, as well as select tracks from IRON MAIDEN ("Man On The Edge", "Futureal"). Bayley's latest studio album, "The King Of Metal", was released in March 2012. The CD was recorded at Fear Studio in Ravenna, Italy. The 50-year-old Bayley, who was born in Birmingham, was the original frontman in WOLFSBANE, but left in 1994 to replace Bruce Dickinson as the lead singer of IRON MAIDEN.
02 min read

MANOWAR To Release ‘Kings Of Metal MMXIV’ In February

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
03 min read

WITHIN TEMPTATION: ‘Dangerous’ Video Featuring HOWARD JONES

Manos Spanos
Dutch symphonic rockers WITHIN TEMPTATION will release their sixth studio album, "Hydra", on January 31, 2014. 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. "Dangerous" will be available on iTunes Europe starting December 20. The song's official video is available below. The Hydra, a mythological serpent creature from ancient Greece, couldn't be killed. When one of its many heads was cut off, two more grew in its place… "It's like us – undefinable!" laughs WITHIN TEMPTATION guitarist and songwriter Robert Westerholt. "What's more, 'Hydra' is a perfect title for our new album, because like the monster itself, the record represents the many different sides of our music." WITHIN TEMPTATION collaborated with several other special guests on "Hydra": Dave Pirner of SOUL ASYLUM and U.S. hip-hop icon Xzibit. Says Robert: "Xzibit is amazing. "'And We Run' song is about how you've got to live your life now. He's rapping at full force on this song, it's really heavy." Singer Sharon Den Adel adds: "Xzibit brings a new element to our music that we've never had before! It's a new cross-over and we love it!" As for the mighty Tarja, Sharon recalls: "The way she delivers those high melody lines left us all speechless. We had a great time, and the fans responded beyond our expectations." One of the album's heaviest tracks, "Dangerous", was recorded with the former KILLSWITCH ENGAGE singer Howard Jones, whose epic vocals are a perfect fit for Sharon's. "I always loved Howard's voice," she says. "He makes the song even heavier than it already is. That song is one of my favorite songs on the record and one of the fastest we've ever written. It has the most bass drums we've ever used, too, and a very fast riff which we doubled with synths. It's not a typical synthesizer, though — it's distorted like a guitar, and it's very aggressive." "Hydra" goes from strength to strength with "Whole World Is Watching", featuring SOUL ASYLUM singer Dave Pirner. "When we wrote 'Whole World Is Watching', Dave was at the very top of our list. He has such a captivating voice: it made the song exactly how it needed to be." Right now, "Hydra" can be pre-ordered in two luxury formats: the digital premium version and a deluxe box set including extra "Hydra" products. 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 Robert and Sharon 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
05 min read

CATTLE DECAPITATION Working On New Material

Manos Spanos
San Diego-based deathgrind masters CATTLE DECAPITATION have begun the writing process for the follow-up to 2012's "Monolith Of Inhumanity", tentatively due in early 2015 via Metal Blade Records. Says vocalist Travis Ryan: "Since we got home from the Summer Slaughter Tour, the guys have been hard at work on new material! I actually go in next week to grab a quick runthrough of the first new track they have completed so I can start writing lyrics to it. "I have heard the track and I hate to say anything just yet because we will be spending the next full year from now working on the next album, but I will say the stuff they're working on is intense. I can't wait to start writing lyrics to it and so far is in league with one of our current musical aspirations… to make fans of our last record shit themselves! "We'll be taking a small break to play a few shows in our region with EYEHATEGOD and our friends STRONG INTENTION on their January tour!" "Monolith Of Inhumanity" sold around 2,400 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 6 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200. Released on May 8, 2012, "Monolith Of Inhumanity" was produced by Dave Otero of Denver's Flatline Audio and sees the band exploring innovative new techniques in songwriting without abandoning their signature formula of confrontational audio wreckage and self-loathing lyrical content. CATTLE DECAPITATION is: Travis Ryan: Vocals Josh Elmore: Guitar Dave McGraw: Drums Derek Engemann: Bass
01 min read

DREAM THEATER’s JAMES LABRIE To Release ‘I Will Not Break’ Digital EP

Manos Spanos
Following up on the success of his latest studio album, "Impermanent Resonance", singer James LaBrie of progressive metal giants DREAM THEATER will release a new digital EP, "I Will Not Break", on January 6 in Europe and January 14 in North America via InsideOut Music. "I Will Not Break" track listing: 01. I Will Not Break (3:52) 02. Unraveling (3:31) 03. Why (3:45) 04. Coming Home (Alternate Mix) (4:23) 05. Jekyll Or Hyde (Demo) (3:48) 06. Just Watch Me (Demo) (4:17) 07. I Tried (Jason Miller Remix) (5:13) 08. Over The Edge (Mutrix Remix) (4:33) 09. Euphoric (NeonGenesis Remix) (4:41) The "I Will Not Break" track can be streamed below. While the opening title track is the album version taken from the "Impermanent Resonance" release, the songs 2 and 3 were previously only released physically as digipak bonus tracks. Song 4 is an alternate mix version and songs 5 as well as 6 are special demo versions, all previously only released physically as bonustracks on the digipak and the Japanese edition for the "Static Impulse" album in 2010. Songs 7, 8 and 9 are special dub step / electronica remixes of "Static Impulse" songs, previously unreleased (Song 7 was only available physically in Japan before). The remixes were done by U.S.-based DJs Jason Miller, Mutrix and NeonGenesis. The cover artwork for the EP was once again designed by Gustavo Sazes of Abstrata.net (ARCH ENEMY, KAMELOT). Said LaBrie: "Matt, Marco, Peter, Ray and yours truly are very pleased to release this digital EP. It will show some of the songs with alternate mixes as well as letting you hear Matt's exceptional voice with some of the songs in their demo versions. We also had 3 of the songs mixed in dub step stylings to give them a somewhat interesting flavour and twist. "Hope you all enjoy this release, I personally think it is very cool." Most recently, the James LaBrie track "Lost In The Fire" was used by the Swedish sound library company Toontrack Music to promote the launch of one of their new products. "Impermanent Resonance" sold around 2,200 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 198 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD also registered the following European first-week chart positions:
05 min read

SLAYER, MOTÖRHEAD And ANTHRAX: Really Ugly Holiday Sweaters Coming From LOCOAPE

Manos Spanos
Locoape, a division of Toynk Toys LLC, announces today that they have entered into an agreement with Global Merchandising Services who represent the worldwide merchandising rights for ANTHRAX, MOTÖRHEAD and SLAYER. Locoape will be producing a high-end, limited-edition ugly-sweater collection. Following up on the massive success of 2012's SLAYER Christmas sweater, Locoape has come on board to fulfill metal fans request for more sweaters of their favorite metal artists. Slated for 2013 selling season are ANTHRAX, MOTÖRHEAD and SLAYER. 2014 will see a wider selection of Global's roster available for the holidays. Each unique sweater features the iconic imagery made famous by each metal artist, with that addition of the ugly holiday sweater vibe. The sweaters are made of a soft, heavy poly‐blend and run from size S to size XXXL. Currently on sale on their individual Global Merchandising's web stores, fans can also find the sweaters at Toynk.com. "Ugly Christmas sweater" or "tacky Christmas sweater" parties have been a holiday staple for several years, but there have been very few places to actually buy these sweaters. That has since changed, according to Time magazine, which reports that vintage stores, the Salvation Army, and Goodwill are reaping the benefits of this craze, as are fast-fashion shops like H&M and high-end retailers such as Nordstrom. Locoape is a trademarked brand of Toynk LLC. The Locoape brand serves as a licensee/manufacturer focused on producing fun and unique products covering the world of popular culture, toys, apparel and collectibles with an emphasis on the music industry.
01 min read

Show Your Face
Apnea

Manos Spanos
Time for Show Your Face to release their second album called ‘’Apnea’’, their fourth release in total after two EP’s and their full-length ‘’Unleash’’ two years ago. The band plays an American modern groovy style of metal which I happen to like very much from since I was younger, so I had no problem in adapting to the likes of their music. Also, it is known that at least the last decade, I consider Lamb Of God the best band in the whole world, and it was kind of inevitable that I would be responsible for this review, as I was for the ‘’Afraid’’ EP some months ago. The quartet shows in good shape with a very good production that helps their enraging and rather neurotic metal style of playing get boosted, all sounds crystal clear and the first thing you have to praise the band for is the hard work they did, the outcome has the feeling of a professional touch and it is inevitable that it will grab listeners by the throat. Since I’ve known ‘’Afraid’’ which opens the album from the self-titled EP aforementioned, I knew there was going to be a great opener for the album, which puts the listener straight ahead to the climate of this release. Tracks like ‘’Forgotten’’ and ‘’Desperation’’ show that the band sounds more mature than ever and if there was any good timing to release the album, that would be definitely now. Their influences can’t be hidden, but it’s not that they copy greater bands and have no personal identity. The rhythm section plays very interesting stuff and in contradiction to what mostly happens in metal releases, they lead the tracks many times for the crunching and ultra heavy guitars to follow. The riffs are built in such way to fit the voice of the turning red from screaming singer and everyone gets satisfied in the end.
03 min read

Sad Alice Said
Yesterday’s Tomorrow

Manos Spanos
I had started worrying lately, as I hadn’t encountered a release concerning atmospheric metal, but it was Sad Alice Said and their album ‘’Yesterday’s Tomorrow’’ that broke this silence. I was in need of such a listening lately, as I was deep into death, thrash and beatdown listenings and despite I love all these very much, it’s times that the mind must be relaxing from such drumstorms and riffing hurricanes. This band worked for me this specific moment and let’s see what they have to offer to the listeners out there in a time where the releases get numerous and only the strong and capable survive. This is a very focused album in what the guys want to achieve. I bet they wanted to produce something consistent and they succeeded in it, as the flow of the eight long tracks serve to have the same result and to work as one. ‘’Yesterday’s Tomorrow’’ is a mid-tempo album in all its duration, that goes as slow as it gets to avoid being characterized as a doom album. The guitars are not so heavy and the rhythms aren’t crawling, so despite the melancholy that’s filling the room where you listen the album, you won’t have any suicidal thoughts or feelings of tireness, but it won’t be a shining album to remind you of sunny landscapes as well.
04 min read

Ixpapalotl
Corpse Republic

Manos Spanos
The first thing I noticed on the copy of this EP is the stating (filled with pride and out of fear I guess): Death metal against fascism, discrimination and music commerce. I’m all for it without even listening to it. As far as the content is concerned, I should tell you first that we’re dealing with a band that the only thing you can’t understand instantly is their stange name. All other stuff will penetrate your mind the easy way or the hard way (or the band’s violent way, still you won’t escape it). Ixpapalotl was a band I didn’t know until 20 months ago, when I saw them live at the first Greek Death/Grind Scene Festival and they really blew me off with their presence and dedication to the sound they love (It’s very important for a band to show that they love what they play, these guys did it very easily). A part of the constant rise of the extreme scene in Greece, Ixpapalotl can make you bounce your whole body while listening to them. If you know what death metal meeting grinding process with the whole outcome making the listener feeling like dancing violently, then Ixpapalotl are surely the definition of such a term (if it exists). When you see a band live and: 1)they don’t lose a note despite they play difficult stuff, 2)they show capable of
05 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.