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Manos Spanos

Jucifer
За Волгой для нас земли нет

Manos Spanos
During their long career, the sludge duo from Georgia, Jucifer, was waived by the underground scene worldwide as one of the most qualified bands in the world. With numerous full-length records, Jucifer approached sludge metal under a slower point of music, reaching drone and experimental paths. Their minimalistic style of playing was greatly related with the band and characterized Jucifer; the band does not use any bass and their songs sound mostly like a heavy jamming recorded on disc. Their latest release,’ За Волгой для нас земли нет’ or ‘There is no land Beyond the Volga’ in English, refers to the battle of Stalingrad during the WW2, which is one of the most monstrous moments in human history. Nazi’s crimes in the Russian city and the death of millions triggered the Red Army’s rage and the Russians fought back for liberation. The record has achieved to gain some supportive and rejoicing reviews. Personally speaking, I’m not sharing the joyful mood about the record and I did not enjoy it to the full. Honestly speaking, the record’s progression is too slow in my opinion, forcing me to stop the record and listen to the rest sometime later. The record is about one hour and twenty minutes long, and the jamming-like sounding of it doesn’t help at all. Actually the tracks are way too slow for a record that long. I feel the need to explain my opinion about drone which I separate from sludge-metal. Drone music needs to be atmospheric and actually feels great in EP’s and small records. Building a great concept album under the specific music label, it just doesn’t feel right. In conclusion, Jucifer recorded sixteen tracks, loaded
03 min read

Mammoth Grinder
Underworlds

Manos Spanos
Mammoth Grinder, the metalheads from Texas, has returned this year with another record. With an only eight years active career as a band, Mammoth Grinder has delivered some hardcore punk moments and has progressively changed their style, bringing in death metal and thrash metal elements into their music. Since ‘Rage and Ruin’, the band’s first full length record, the band found their unique music style and has released several full length records and EPs. This year they are going to occupy us with ‘Underworlds’, their newest full length disc. The first thing someone notices when he/she listens to Mammoth Grinder and especially ‘Underworlds’, is that you can barely put a label on this band. I can easily point out the crust elements, but however the music is brutally loaded with old-school death metal elements and thrash elements. Mammoth Grinder did an excellent work on combining all those music genres and the result is satisfactory. To sum up, we have a record that approaches crust punk and hardcore punk through an old-school death metal prism, reaching even the primitive thrash metal or black metal.
03 min read

Ultra-Violence
Privilege To Overcome

Manos Spanos
File under: Italian Thrash metal. Well the Italians were not as big as the rest of Europe (Germany that is) in terms of influence but made some well received names such as Bulldozer and Necrodeath or Children Of Technology in today's Thrash metal scene. The band reviewed today has been a pleasant surprise for the writer first of all with their name taken from the Bay Area classic "The Ultra Violence" by Death Angel. Their debut album "Privilege To Overcome" starts off with "Spell Of The Moon" with wolves howling and a groovy Machine Head riff kicking in only to turn into a violent Thrash riff followed by blastbeats with vocals like a mixture of Max Cavalera (Sepultura) and Mark Osequeda (Death Angel) including an amazing groovy chorus and top notch soloing and riffing showing the Bay Area influence. "L.F.D.Y." kicks in old school Bay Area style balancing between mid tempo and Thrashing parts with great solos ripping through. "Order Of The Black" has a few midtempo parts and being a full on Thrasher makes it a concert must especially that Slayeresque riff after the groovy mid part could definitely cause a lot of pain in the mosh pit. The violence continues with "Stigmatized Reality" ripping fast through the listeners ears before grooving a bit only to come back to the original speed and a kind of a Black metal-influenced pre-chorus leading to a groovy chorus then back to the mayhem with some kick ass soloing. An Exodus-influenced riff leads us to "Restless Parasite" which just keeps up the Thrashing tempo destroying everything in its path. Got to give credit to the awesome gang vocals (would make Exodus proud). "Turn Into Dust" starts with a Destruction-like fast riff and a headbanging chorus making it one of the best songs on the album and a middle section mentioning the album title giving goosebumps to the listener fading out with a kick ass groovy riff. A bass-drums intro leads us to the albums' longest "The Voodoo Cross" with headbanging Heavy riffage snapping some necks reminding a bit of Metallica's heavy riffing, followed by an acoustic part over a spoken sample then back to the Heavy riffage. Suddedly we come back to the S.O.D. influenced "You're Dead!" clocking at under 1 minute bringing back the full-speed-ahead motif. "The Beast Behind Your Back" starts with a stop-and-go fast riff reminiscent of Testament then moving
04 min read

Underground: Lunatic Medlar- Finely Tuned Machine

Manos Spanos
When I first heard about Lunatic Medlar, I was really curious about what the band could produce. With members of Tarvide Dyskinesia, Universe217, Konkave and Sun of Nothing, we can only expect something really good. The collaboration between all those members is something really interesting, if we consider the fact that all those bands are included in the list of the best metal bands of Greece. Their debut album is titled ‘Finely Tuned Machine’ and its early release gave an end to our anticipation and curiosity. Let’s take a deep journey into what Lunatic Medlar have achieved. ‘Finely Tuned Machine’ includes eight songs and is mostly an instrumental record. The songs can be characterized as a fusion of doom metal with post metal elements. I would call it a mixture of Mastodon and Cult of Luna, with groove guitars, doom riffs and progressive touches. The level of experimentation is pretty high, with progressive elements all over the songs. With the ideal production (done by Steve Lado), we have a modern sound that reminds of post bands like The Ocean or Mastodon, only under a heavy rock and doom metal prism.
03 min read

SLASH: 16 New Songs ‘Worked Up And Completed’ For Third Solo Album

Manos Spanos
Slash and his solo band, MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS, are back in the studio to record the third album under the solo Slash banner. The legendary guitarist has offered some updates on Twitter as the band gets to work on the follow-up to 2012's "Apocalyptic Love", saying earlier today (Thursday, December 19), "16 tracks worked up and completed. plus an instrumental? Hard to decide what goes on the record, what will be bonus tracks. It's all cool." He previously stated about the upcoming CD: "Going to be a heavy record." The former GUNS N' ROSES and current VELVET REVOLVER axeman began this chapter of his career back in 2010 with his self-titled solo debut. That album was recorded with a number of guest musicians and vocalists, including ALTER BRIDGE's Myles Kennedy. The latter first joined Slash as his touring vocalist, then became the permanent singer starting with "Apocalyptic Love". Slash told The Pulse Of Radio that the partnership with Kennedy seemed natural from the start. "We work really well together," he said. "I never really thought about how that's progressing. It's real natural. So it's like any kind of sort of close relationship, where I think we established it really, really early on and now we're just sort of doing our thing, you know. Yeah, I don't know what else to say — it's just a really cool kind of synergy that we've got." Kennedy and ALTER BRIDGE released their fourth album, "Fortress", earlier this fall and will hit the road in early 2014. Slash also recently launched a second career as a movie producer, with his Slasher Films production company issuing its first release, called "Nothing Left To Fear", in October.
02 min read

STRATOVARIUS: ‘Unbreakable’ Video Released

Manos Spanos
"Unbreakable", the new video from Finnish/Swedish melodic metallers STRATOVARIUS, can be seen below. The song comes off the band's latest full-length album, "Nemesis", which was released via earMUSIC. Hailed by the media as, "the best STRATOVARIUS album in many, many years" by Metal Hammer Germany, "a collection of the band’s greatest hits that you never heard until now" by Metal Underground in the U.S. and "the strongest STRATOVARIUS album since the beginning of the century" by KaaosZine in Finland, STRATOVARIUS was once again able to live up to its reputation as one of the leading names of the metal genre, once again exceeding fans' and critics' expectations and charting all over the world: Finland at #3, Czech Republic at #12, Switzerland at #30, Spain at #32, Germany at #41, Sweden at #44, France at #56, Norway at #56, Austria at #62 and Canada at #126. "Nemesis" has a dark and more modern sound compared to the band's last album, "Elysium". It clearly shows how much the band has matured and grown as songwriters. At the same time, the band focused all their attention and work into creating and recording "Nemesis". Singer Timo Kotipelto spent three weeks recording the vocals in a cottage in the Finnish countryside.
01 min read

OZZY OSBOURNE Thought He Would Lose His Family During Drug Relapse

Manos Spanos
According to The Pulse Of Radio, Ozzy Osbourne has opened up in a new interview with the U.K.'s NME about his relapse into drug and alcohol abuse last year as well as his temporary separation from wife and manager Sharon Osbourne. Ozzy revealed last April that he had been abusing drugs and alcohol for 18 months, which led Sharon to move out of their home until he took steps to get sober again. He eventually did and the couple reconciled. The BLACK SABBATH frontman revealed that when Sharon found out he was using drugs again, "She was very pissed off. I thought I was gonna lose my family at one point . . . She just said, 'Look, I've got my own thing going on, and I can't deal with you any more. Get the fuck out. Sort yourself out, then we'll talk.' I don't blame her in the slightest." Asked what triggered his relapse, Ozzy said, "For no reason at all, you'll suddenly think, 'I fancy a drink,' and your head will say, 'Let yourself have one.' Next thing you know you're scraping yourself off the garage floor three days later . . . it's a disease of the mind and body, and you can't control it." Ozzy was using drugs and alcohol during the recording sessions for BLACK SABBATH's reunion album, "13," although bandmates Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler revealed a few days ago that they were shocked at the time to find out from Sharon that Ozzy had fallen off the wagon. "13" was the first SABBATH album since 1978 to feature Ozzy, Iommi and Butler recording together. The album came out in June and went No. 1 in several countries, including the U.S. where it became the group's first-ever chart-topper.
02 min read

Brutal Assault confirms SIX FEET UNDER, IGNITE, HAVOK

Manos Spanos
American death metallers SIX FEET UNDER headed by vocalist Chris Barnes have been confirmed for Brutal Assault 2014. Another confirmed is Californian melodic hardcore band IGNITE and American thrashers HAVOK. More bands coming soon. If you are planning BA2014 ticket as a gift for the upcoming X-mass, place your orders no later than Dec 22. Also if you have enough friends you can get a hellish bundle of 10 tickets + a t-shirt of your choice at the festival at the unholy price of 666 EUR.
00 min read

DEF LEPPARD Plots ‘Pyromania’ Residency In Las Vegas

Manos Spanos
DEF LEPPARD guitarist Phil Collen has revealed to Billboard.com that the band is planning a "Viva Pyromania" residency in Las Vegas at the end of 2014. DEF LEPPARD's breakthrough 1983 album, "Pyromania", was certified at the RIAA's (Recording Industry Association of America) diamond level (10 million copies shipped) in 2004. Produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange, "Pyromania" benefited greatly from MTV's relentless airing of the album's first two singles, "Photograph" and "Rock of Ages". The birth of MTV would definitely aid in fueling the success of DEF LEPPARD's third album, which lit the fuse for the pop metal bands so successful throughout the remainder of the decade, but as Elliott reveals to "In The Studio" host Redbeard, it was a challenge throughout the recording sessions to ignite those soon-to-be anthemic songs. "About halfway through the 'Pyromania' album, I first noticed that it was getting difficult to create something that was as good as the top-notch artists," he said. "We weren't that little band from Sheffield anymore, we had to be better and bigger than BOSTON, FOREIGNER… you name it." In an online post, Elliott commented on "Pyromania"'s 30th anniversary: "Wow... I can't believe it's 30 years since 'Pyromania' came out! It had been a labor of love to make (little did we know in comparison to 'Hysteria', it was a piece of cake!). Multiple studios in London, one guitarist out, one guitarist in, equipment breakdowns, tapes turning transparent because of the thousands of times they were rewound and fast forwarded for multiple overdubs, but we found our sound on this record with the help of a great producer in Mutt Lange, the new studio technology that we eagerly embraced (unlike many of our peers) and an incredible enthusiasm to 'make a record no one else had ever made. Whether we did or didn't isn't important. What is, is that we had made the record WE wanted to make, it had been percolating in our DNA for six years! We finally sounded like the 'us' we wanted to be!!!" DEF LEPPARD's first Las Vegas residency at the Hard Rock Hotel this past spring saw the band playing its classic album "Hysteria" in full each night. DEF LEPPARD "Pyromania" "In The Studio" interview (audio):
02 min read

WITHIN TEMPTATION: ‘Dangerous’ Video Preview

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. A preview of 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 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) 16. Silver Moonlight (evolution track) 17. Covered By Roses (evolution track) 18. Tell Me Why (evolution track) 19. Paradise (What About Us?) (feat. Tarja) music video (exclusive to iTunes premium version) Aside from the digital premium version, "Hydra" will also be released in a deluxe box set including exclusive items many of you have been asking for, for a long time: "Hydra" deluxe box set * "Hydra" 18-track album including bonus tracks in the form of a media book with a hot foil print cover, featuring a 100-page booklet consisting of unique photos * Double gatefold black vinyl version of the album including bonus tracks * Instrumental version of the entire album * Songbook with sheet music of the songs of the album * "Hydra" guitar pick * Packaged in an especially designed LP-sized box
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.