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Manos Spanos

PRIMAL FEAR: Audio Samples Of Entire ‘Delivering The Black’ Album

Manos Spanos
Frontiers Records will release "Delivering The Black", the tenth studio album from German power metallers PRIMAL FEAR, on January 24 in Europe and January 28 in North America. Audio samples of all the tracks that are set to appear on the CD can be streamed at Amazon.com. After some very intense songwriting sessions and pre-production schedule, the band started to record the new CD in summer 2013 at the House Of Music studios in Germany, with bassist/producer Mat Sinner and engineer Achim Köhler (EDGUY, MASTERPLAN). The band then moved to Denmark in September to finish the album, with acclaimed producer/engineer Jacob Hansen (VOLBEAT, PRETTY MAIDS, AMARANTHE) handling the mix at his Hansen studio in Ribe. "Delivering The Black" combines the strongest PRIMAL FEAR moments ever, with a well-balanced typical PRIMAL FEAR trademark riff vibe, crushing songs and some very ambitious musical journeys. The centerpiece of the album are two epic tracks, "When Death Comes Knocking" and the 10-minute opus "One Night In December", spiced with big orchestral arrangements and complex sound designs. Classic and ultra-fresh PRIMAL FEAR riff-rockers like the title track, the album opener "King For A Day" or the groove monsters "Alive And On Fire" and "Road To Asylum" hit the bulls-eye just like the untamed speed killer "Rebel Faction". The outstanding ballad "Born With A Broken Heart" shows a new side of PRIMAL FEAR with an acoustic guitar vibe and the addition of Liv Kristine (LEAVES' EYES) on backing vocals. Says PRIMAL FEAR singer Ralf Scheepers: "We worked hard to create our best album ever. I already felt the vibe during the pre-production that we were working on something very special this time. And now the result is just an amazing metal album I'm extremely proud of!" Sinner adds: "The songs, the production, the sound — this album is a very special one for me and my career. In my view, everybody in the band just did a killer job and Jacob was fantastic choice to mix the album!" The arrival of "Delivering The Black" is preceded by the release of the digital-only single/video "When Death Comes Knocking" on December 2 — a song which sets the pace for the outstanding quality of production and songwriting displayed on the full album. Check out the "When Death Comes Knocking" video below. "Delivering The Black" will be made available in a regular CD edition, deluxe edition with two bonus tracks and — in cooperation with Soulfood Music — vinyl edition and DVD and limited edition (666 copies only!) of a super-deluxe version, including a metallic eagle. "Delivering The Black" track listing: 01. King For A Day 02. Rebel Faction 03. When Death Comes Knocking 04. Alive & On Fire 05. Delivering The Black 06. Road To Asylum 07. One Night In December 08. Never Pray For Justice 09. Born With A Broken Heart 10. Innocent Man * 11. Inseminoid 12. Man Without Shadow * 13. When Death Comes Knocking (Single Edit) * * Only available on deluxe edition DVD (only available with deluxe edition) * When Death Comes Knocking (video) * King For A Day (video) * Making Of The Album (video) PRIMAL FEAR's "Eagles And Lions Tour 2014" will kick off in Germany on January 24 and will include stops in 10 European countries. Support on the trek will come from Swedish hard rockers BULLET. PRIMAL FEAR will return to North America in the spring with a headlining run that is scheduled to launch April 29 in Baltimore, Maryland and wrap on May 24 in Rochester, New York. Frontiers and PRIMAL FEAR in January announced that they have renewed their partnership for another multi-album deal, which will include two more studio releases and one live CD and DVD. PRIMAL FEAR's latest album, "Unbreakable", landed at position No. 44 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.
04 min read

GRAND MAGUS: Second ‘Triumph And Power’ Track-By-Track Breakdown (Video)

Manos Spanos
The second track-by-track breakdown of "Triumph And Power", the seventh album from Swedish heavy rockers GRAND MAGUS, can be seen below. "Triumph And Power" will be released on January 31, 2014 via Nuclear Blast. The follow-up to last year's "The Hunt" was recorded with producer Nico Elgstrand and engineer Staffan Karlsson (ARCH ENEMY, SPIRITUAL BEGGARS) at Studio Sweetspot in Halmstad. The track listing for the CD is as follows: 01. On Hooves Of Gold 02. Steel Versus Steel 03. Fight 04. Triumph And Power 05. Dominator 06. Arv 07. Holmgång 08. The Naked And The Dead 09. Ymer 10. The Hammer Will Bite 11. Blackmoon (bonus track) Commented the band: "'Triumph And Power' has been completed. It's a metal triumph of Viking power!!! "Once again we worked with Nico Elgstrand as producer, a tradition that started with 'Hammer Of The North' back in 2010. "This is our strongest album yet. It has the northern feel, it has the power and the melody that has become our mark of excellence. "Fans of true metal will take this album to their hearts. To top everything off, we have the striking and epic artwork of Anthony Roberts. "The album cover perfectly captures the work on this album and GRAND MAGUS as a band." Due to family obligations and work commitments, drummer Sebastian "Seb" Sippola left GRAND MAGUS last year.
02 min read

IHSAHN: ‘I Underestimated My Listeners’

Manos Spanos
We Love Metal recently conducted an interview with EMPEROR frontman Ihsahn (real name: Vegard Sverre Tveitan). A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below. We Love Metal: This album ["Das Seelenbrechen"] was much more progressive than the last album. What were some of your inspirations for that? Ihsahn: Well, I've been wanting to do an album in that fashion for a long time, I guess. All along, I've been wanting to make something like this, and I've had great admiration for those who do. For me, in my background in black metal for 20 years, It's a hard process. With me producing and recording, it's just that much harder for that accidental magic to happen. [laughs] For me, in my past four albums, I've had the same sort of roots, for this album I wanted to do something totally different. I do my best work slightly out of my comfort zone. I just want to keep the process fresh, exciting and new. We Love Metal: Your previous releases had guests such as Mikael Åkerfeldt of OPETH, and Devin Townsend, but this one doesn't have anyone. Was that a choice you made consciously or did it just end up that way? Ihsahn: It kind of just ended up like that. Probably because of what I just said; this is so new to me, I just sacrificed all control of things, hoping something new would happen in the process. When writing, I didn't find a spot for guest vocals, or solos or anything like that. Tobias Andersen (LEPROUS), the guest drummer, was great for this album, and I feel he did a great job, but I couldn't find a spot for any other guests on there. We Love Metal: Do you miss playing black metal? Ihsahn: Eh, no not really. That sound is kind of, to me, irrelevant, at the core of it. That is, actually, if I were to boil down, the album that I just made, the view was to make an old-school black metal atmosphere. Not with typical instruments, but with the sound and feel. That's what the new album is for. I've said it before, but black metal is not the sound; it's an attitude, it's a state of mind. We Love Metal: How do you feel [EMPEROR's 1994 album] "In The Nightside Eclipse" has aged? It's easily one of my favorite black metal releases, and hugely important for progressive black metal. Ihsahn: For me, of course, it's the starting point of having a 20-year career. I guess I don't have the privilege of experiencing the album the same way that listeners do; I have the memories of making the album. Obviously, this is a very different album for me. I think it's a starting point. I was new to recording, and it was the first time we entered a big studio. We were just teenagers. We had this conviction. I wouldn't say we had the authority, but the conviction to make the best album we could. I can kind of think back and appreciate the state of mind. My whole career, I've tried to keep that same relationship with my music. So in that respect, I think the general attitude is no different then how I made back then. We Love Metal: How do you feel about the ["Das Seelenbrechen"] album? Ihsahn: To be honest? I think it's been some of the most roller-coaster like process in many many years. Part of this is the music is so far from everything else I've done. I just don't have anything to compare it to, but making an album is very stitched up kind of process, ya know? You don't record one track fully, you go back and forth back and forth through songs. But when it was finished, I was very pleased; it was exactly what I set out to do. I mean, I've been wanting to use horns for awhile. In the beginning of EMPEROR, it's all strings and choirs, but by the time we finished "Eclipse", I was like, "Fuck that." I wanted to hear more brass. I love the heaviness of the horns, and the sound and power of well-played brass. The whole time I was recording and listening to it, I was thinking that it was probably a commercial suicide. But there wouldn't be any point in sidestepping if it just sounds the same of what I already did/do. But no, I was very pleased, and I'm almost surprised by feedback. I underestimated my listeners. Many people seem to get the album, in a far deeper sense then what I expected at first. When you do an album this way, you have no control over how people will perceive it. Back to the fact that it's an ego trip making an album as a solo artist, doing my best in the most honest way I can. It's kind of the only way to respect the listeners. If you have a background in black metal and you try to form your ideas to what people actually like, you're in the wrong business. [laughs] Read the entire interview at We Love Metal.
05 min read

MEGADETH To Enter Studio Next Summer

Manos Spanos
Rooster of 94.5 FMX's "The Wrecking Yard" in Lubbock, Texas recently conducted an interview with MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine. You can now listen to the chat at KFMX.com. Speaking about MEGADETH's plans for a new studio album, Mustaine said: "We right now have a bunch of dates that's gonna take us up until August of next year. That's when we start recording the next record. We've already started working on writing stuff… "Sometimes we've been forced to really kind of write on the spot. Right now we've got an amazing luxury to be able to take some time. "Besides doing a lot of interesting things, the other guys in the band, I've got a performance coming up in April with the San Diego Symphony. And just interesting stuff like that. "We're trying to go a little bit out of our comfort zone while we're near the end of this cycle, because we wanna make sure that we really experience as much as we can." He continued: "Life is what you make it, man. And we really, really enjoy what we're doing right now. I mean, we're not in it for anything other than just the love of playing music and looking at the smiles on your faces. That's, to me, the biggest reward. Because if you've got a roof over your head and your kids are healthy, then you're very wealthy. And if you've got enough friends to count on one hand, then you're a really blessed person. I've had a great life and I love playing for our fans." MEGADETH's tour with FEAR FACTORY and NONPOINT kicked off on November 23 in St. Paul, Minnesota. MEGADETH's latest album, "Super Collider", has sold more than 70,000 copies in the United States since its June 4 release. The CD arrived in stores via Mustaine's new label, Tradecraft, distributed by Universal Music Enterprises (UMe).
02 min read

MEGADETH Debuts New Christmas Disc ‘Thrashing Through The Snow’ On ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’

Manos Spanos
MEGADETH took part in a funny holiday skit on last night's (Monday, December 16) episode of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" in which they debuted their new holiday disc, "Thrashing Through The Snow: A Very Megadeth Christmas". In addition, they performed the song "Kingmaker" live on the show's outdoor stage in front of a standing-room-only crowd. Check out video footage below. MEGADETH's tour with FEAR FACTORY and NONPOINT kicked off on November 23 in St. Paul, Minnesota. MEGADETH's latest album, "Super Collider", has sold 74,000 copies in the United States since its June 4 release. The CD arrived in stores via MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine's new label, Tradecraft, distributed by Universal Music Enterprises (UMe). "I think 'Super Collider' is kind of like a really broad [distillation] of what our whole catalog represents," Mustaine told The Morning Call in a recent interview. "There's aggressive stuff, there's thrashy stuff, there's kind of more of the heavy metal stuff. There are someof the more introspective lyrics. There are some simple lyrics and soon and so forth. I think that's what really makes the record refreshing is that it shows everything that we've done. It's almost like a biopic of our career. It's a pretty good slice of everything I've learned over the years."
01 min read

FATES WARNING: ‘Firefly’ Video Released

Manos Spanos
"Firefly", the new video from American progressive metallers FATES WARNING, can be seen below. The clip was directed David Solbjørg and Kjetil Kolbjørnsrud of Twitchyfilms. "Firefly" is taken from FATES WARNING's eleventh studio album, "Darkness In A Different Light", which registered the following first-week chart positions: Germany: #41 The Netherlands: #90 USA: #162 "Darkness In A Different Light" sold around 2,700 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD was issued in North America on October 1 via InsideOut Music. Vocalist Ray Alder comments on "Firefly": "I've always liked the romantic concept of the firefly. A tiny flashing creature searching for another on a warm summer night. Like stars that move..." Featuring founding guitarist Jim Matheos alongside classic-lineup members Ray Alder (vocals) and Frank Aresti (guitar), longtime bassist Joey Vera and drummer Bobby Jarzombek, "Darkness In A Different Light" was produced by Matheos and mixed by longtime FATES WARNING engineer Phil Magnotti. The effort was mastered by Maor Appelbaum (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, SEPULTURA, ANVIL) at Maor Appelbaum Mastering in California. The cover artwork was designed by Conte di San Pietro. In addition to the standard CD jewel case and the digital download format, "Darkness In A Different Light" was made available in Europe as 2CD mediabook edition and as gatefold 2LP version (180-gram vinyl in black, red or white vinyl) with four bonus tracks. "Darkness In A Different Light" track listing: CD 1 01. One Thousand 02. Firefly 03. Desire 04. Falling 05. I Am 06. Lighthouse 07. Into The Black 08. Kneel And Obey 09. O Chloroform 10. And Yet It Moves CD 2 01. Firefly (extended) 02. Falling Further 03. One (live) 04. Life In Still Water (live) FATES WARNING's North American tour launched November 15 in Joliet, Illinois and wrapped December 14 in Seattle, Washington.
02 min read

LOSTPROPHETS Singer IAN WATKINS Sentenced To 29 Years In Prison For Child Sex Abuse

Manos Spanos
LOSTPROPHETS singer Ian Watkins has been sentenced to a jail term of 29 years for a string of sexual offenses, including two of attempting to rape a baby. His two accomplices, whose identities have not been officially released to the public and are known simply as Woman A and Woman B, were jailed for 14 years and 16 years, respectively. The 36-year-old musician reportedly spoke with a female fan from prison the day after admitting two counts of attempted baby rape and said he was going to issue a statement saying it had all been "megalolz. I don't know what everyone is getting so freaked out about." In another phone call, he told a friend that "there was no medical evidence" and "nobody was harmed", adding: "I'm not a pedophile, I'm not. You know I plead[ed] guilty just to avoid a trial, not realizing 'Hang on, that makes me look a bit guilty' but I would never harm anybody." Asked whether he still thought the case was "megalolz", meanwhile, he replied: "No, it's just lols now." Watkins pleaded guilty in Cardiff Crown Court to 13 child sex offenses last month, but he insisted he was a drug addict with no recollection of the acts. Judge Roger John Royce told him and his co-defendants that what they had done "plumbed new depths of depravity." The judge said: "Those who have appeared in these courts over many years see a large number of horrific cases. This case, however, breaks new ground. "You, Watkins, achieved fame and success as the lead singer of LOSTPROPHETS. You had many fawning fans. That gave you power. You knew you could use that power to induce young female fans to have help satisify your insatiable lust and take part in the sexual abuse of their own children." LOSTPROPHETS announced in October that they were splitting up, explaining in a statement, "After nearly a year of coming to terms with our heartache, we finally feel ready to announce publicly what we have thought privately for some time. We can no longer continue making or performing music as LOSTPROPHETS. Your love and support over the past 15 years has been tremendous, and we'll be forever grateful for all you've given us. As we look forward to the next phase of our lives, we can only hope to be surrounded by people as devoted and inspiring as you guys have been." LOSTPROPHETS formed in 1997 and have sold 3.5 million albums in their 16-year career. They scored a No. 1 hit at Modern Rock radio in 2004 with the track "Last Train Home".
02 min read

METALLICA Drummer Nervous About Letting Fans Pick Set List

Manos Spanos
According to The Pulse Of Radio, METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich told BBC Radio One that he's nervous about letting fans select the band's set list for each night on its European tour next summer. Ulrich, who usually writes the set list, explained, "It certainly gives me butterflies in the stomach in a good way and I think it should be a lot of fun for the fans. This at least puts a stop to the whining about the set list because it's basically the fans that are picking it.” Starting about 10 years ago, METALLICA began changing its set list nightly, with Ulrich telling The Pulse Of Radio a while back that it keeps the show fresh. "When we started the 'St. Anger' touring cycle, we started just changing the set every night," he said. "Up through the Nineties, we got a little stuck, and it got a little rigid, and we would go out and play the same set list for six months every night. So we're really trying to just play different stuff every night. It's pretty cool." Fans who purchase tickets online to the European dates will be invited to vote on the set list METALLICA will play at their show, choosing from close to 140 recorded songs. The band's traditional 18-song set will include the 17 top voted songs along with a brand new track. Ulrich added that he's excited to play a new song during the tour, saying, "Since 2014 is basically about the next METALLICA record and we're so excited about writing and getting all that off the ground that it only is right to bring a new song out there. Obviously we haven't quite figured out what that's gonna be, but as we get a little closer, hopefully we'll come up with something cool." The tour, dubbed the "Metallica By Request" tour, will kick off on May 28 at the Sonisphere festival in Helsinki, Finland and travel across Europe through July 11.
02 min read

DREAM THEATER Announces ‘Along For The Ride’ Tour

Manos Spanos
Progressive metallers DREAM THEATER has announced new tour dates for a North American headline trek billed as the "Along For The Ride" tour. The coast-to-coast run will pick up on March 20 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada following the band's European tour and then continues through the end of April where it will eventually wrap up in Guadalajara, Mexico). Presale tickets will be available starting at 10:00 a.m. ET on Wednesday, December 18, with general onsale for select dates starting at 10:00 AM ET on Friday, December 20. DREAM THEATER guitarist John Petrucci commented: "We are all really pumped and excited to bring our new live show to North America and to take all of our amazing fans 'Along For The Ride'! "Returning to the 'An Evening With' format will enable us to deliver the best DREAM THEATER live experience yet with time for lots of music, and we can't wait to share it with all of you. "With this tour, our goal is for you to be able to step into the world of DREAM THEATER from the moment you enter the venue. "We hope to create an intense and stimulating night both musically and visually and have prepared some really cool things this time around. "Well be premiering some songs we've never played live before, as well as featured tracks from our latest self-titled release and plenty of classic DREAM THEATER songs for all of our long time and hardcore fans. "We are all looking forward to a great night of music and super-psyched to kick it all off!" "Along For The Ride" tour dates: Mar. 20 - Toronto, ON - Massey Hall Mar. 21 - Montreal, QC - Bell Center Mar. 25 - Boston, MA - Opera House Mar. 27 - Upper Darby, PA - Tower Theatre Mar. 28 - New York, NY - Hammerstein Ballroom Apr. 01 - Washington, DC - Lincoln Theater Apr. 02 - Pittsburgh, PA - The Palace Apr. 04 - Detroit, MI - Fillmore Apr. 05 - Chicago, IL - Chicago Theatre Apr. 06 - Milwaukee, WI - Pabst Theater Apr. 08 - Minneapolis, MN - Burnsville Performing Arts Center Apr. 09 - Kansas City, MO - Uptown Theater Apr. 10 - Denver, CO - Paramount Apr. 12 - Vancouver, BC - Queen Elizabeth Theatre Apr. 15 - Salem, OR - Elsinore Theatre Apr. 17 - San Francisco, CA - The Warfield Apr. 18 - Riverside, CA - Fox PAC Apr. 19 - Los Angeles, CA - The Orpheum Apr. 23 - Mexico City, MX - Arena Ciudad De Mexico Apr. 25 - Monterrey, MX - Arena Monterrey Apr. 26 - Guadalajara, MX - Auditorio Telmex DREAM THEATER's spirit of adventure and fearless musical virtuosity continues to reap dividends for the progressive metal titans who've just earned their second Grammy nomination, this time for "Best Metal Performance" for their single "The Enemy Inside" from their current self-titled album on Roadrunner Records. The band — John Petrucci (guitar), John Myung (bass), James LaBrie (vocals), Jordan Rudess (keyboards & continuum) and Mike Mangini (drums) — received its first-ever Grammy nomination in 2012 for "On The Backs Of Angels" (from their "A Dramatic Turn Of Events" album) in the "Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance" category. The Grammy Awards will air live on CBS on Sunday, January 26 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
03 min read

Report: Metalpaths Festival – Athens, Greece

Manos Spanos
A brutal Death/Grind Saturday night lied in store for the ones present at 7Sins club to a really strong package full of young and promising bands of the scene. First ones to take the stage are the brand new Blessed By Perversion. Their EP "Destroy The Image Of God" is a kick ass Death metal release in the vein of Morbid Angel and Deicide with some Death/Obituary influence in the lead department. They were really energetic and made the crowd at the time headbang as hard as possible with their material (including a new song keeping up on the same path musicwise). Their frontman didn't forget to thank everybody in the audience for being there and especially Metalpaths.com for inviting them on this event. Everyone were pleased and some were proudly wearing their t-shirts at the end (the writer doing so at the very end of the gig!). Without any further ado, Trigger hit the stage, the only non-Death/Grind band of the evening. With a sound close to bands like Soulfly, Machine Head and a bit of metalcore/NWOAHM they were really energetic and did a great show, even though it was a sudden change from the brutality of the previous and upcoming bands. I sincerely believe that not everybody was expecting that kind of band to be in that billing in terms of music style. It was a really good break from the brutal assault of the rest, truth be told, every one of us enjoyed them and gave them the applause they deserved. Coming up next we had a more modern Death metal band called Alterself, somewhere in the style of early Death, Incantation but without a good sound to support their material. It's a pity since they seemed like a good case of a band. Great soloing from what I could tell, and brought the first pits into the show as well. A touching moment when they dedicated a new song to the grandfather of the one guitar player who passed away about a week ago. Stuff got serious with Necrorgasm, playing a style of Brutal Death metal in the vein of masters Cannibal Corpse and Suffocation with gore lyrics and lots of crazy mood from an amazingly passionate frontman and solid guitar sound. We need more guys like him in the scene in general. Whipped the crowd into a frenzy and the first serious circle pits occured. Another band that came from the North of Greece, showing the guts to rip the stage apart. My respects guys.
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.