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Manos Spanos

Report: Rotting Christ – Athens, Greece

Manos Spanos
Saturday night in December waiting for one of the last great shows of the year: The legendary Rotting Christ celebrating 25 years of Black metal would play the biggest set in their history, rumored to be over 2 hours long. Regardless of what era of the band one loves the most, there's absolutely NO DENYING that Rotting Christ are among the legends of the scene rightfully making a name for themselves and the Greek metal scene without forgetting to support up and coming bands on their tours, something no one did for them when they made their first steps in the field of metal. While entering the venue, there was a high level of anticipation from both the new generation of fans brought into Rotting Christ by albums such as "Theogonia", "Sanctus Diavolos" etc. and the old schoolers wishing upon a setlist full of surprises off the renounced classics such as "Thy Mighty Contract" which had its 20th anniversary. The band kicks in with the haunting epic "666" off the latest great album"Kata Ton Daimona Eautou". And the crowd is whipped into a frenzy singing and chanting along with the band. Back to "Aealo" to speed things up a bit with "Dub-sag-ta-ke" and the band seemed in the finest mood possible for one hell of a night. The set went on with "Athanatoi Este" (off "Sanctus Diavolos), "Kata Ton Daimona Eautou" and "Nemecic" (off "Theogonia") setting the moshpit on fire, showing just how many new fans they have brought to their shows with their latest records. We heard songs from their whole discography that night: the "Satanas Tedeum" demo ("Feast On The Grand Whore), "Passage To Arcturo" ("Gloria Del Domino Inferni", The Forest Of N'Gai"), "Dawn Of The Iconoclast" 7" EP ("The Nereid Of Esgaduin" without forgetting to thank Magus of Necromantia and Jim Mutilator for helping them in their early days of the band), "Thy Mighty Contract" ("Transform All Suffering Into Plagues", "The Sign Of Evil Existence", "Exiled Archangels" and "Fgmeth Thy Gift" played back to back making the writer go crazy!), "Non Serviam" (The uber-classic title track being part of the first encore), "Triarchy Of The Lost Lovers" ("Archon" being in the second encore), "A Dead Poem" ("Sorrowful Farewell", "Among Two Storms"), "Sleep Of The Angels" ("After Dark I Feel"), "Khronos ΧΞΣ" ("Lucifer Over London" cover of Current 93,one of the best Rotting Christ covers ever!), "Genesis" ("The Call Of The Aethyrs" and the amazing "Quintessence"), "Theogonia" ("Χαος Γένετο (The Sign Of Prime Creation)", "Enuma Elish", "Phobos Synagogue"), "Aealo" ("Eon Aenaos", another cover on Diamanda Gallas' "Orders From The Dead", "Noctis Era", "Demonon Vrosis"), "Kata Ton Daimona Eautou" ("In Yumen-Xibalba", "Grandis Spiritus Diavolos", "Welcome To Hel" the writer was hoping they'd play this kick ass bonus track one day!!) and a ripping cover on Thou Art Lord's "Societas Satanas" off the "Apollyon" record. After 2 encores, 2 and a half hours and a band furious as hell itself, Rotting Christ ended their setlist with "Archon" causing the last big moshpit in the crowd, followed by a sample outro off the "300" movie. The only thing the writer could see at the end of that hellish live show was happy faces of either wild moshers, or longtime fans sitting on the back and on the sides enjoying themselves. This is how timeless this band is, we could say they are the Greek scene's equivelant to Iron Maiden: all time classic band, timeless mark on the genre and always respectful towards the new breed of bands. Rotting Christ fellows, the only thing left to be said is this: Here's to another 25! NON FUCKING SERVIAM!!!!
04 min read

DAVE LOMBARDO: Pro-Shot Footage Of New Drum Solo

Manos Spanos
Professionally filmed video footage of former SLAYER and current PHILM drummer Dave Lombardo performing a drum solo at his studio in Los Angeles, California on November 23, 2013 can be seen below. The clip was filmed by Rick Kosick, Benji Lanpher and edited by Rick Kosick. Lombardo sat out SLAYER's Australian tour in February/March due to a contract dispute with the other members of the group. Filling in for him was Jon Dette (TESTAMENT, ANTHRAX). Dave has since been replaced in the band by Paul Bostaph, who was SLAYER's drummer from 1992 until 2001 and recorded four albums with the group. During a recent appearance on "The Steve Austin Show - Unleashed!" podcast, SLAYER guitarist Kerry King stated about the band's latest split with Lombardo: "When Dave was in [the band] this last time, I figured I'd be on the stage with him until one of us fell off the stage, dead. Things change. He got some bad advice and listened to some bad advice, gave us an ultimatum ten days before we went to Australia [to do the Soundwave festival tour]. And I said, 'I can't have this over my head.' And I feel bad for Dave to this day; I really feel bad for him because he shot himself in the foot. Maybe he thought he had the upper hand, but you ain't gonna get me…. Before I got home, I knew exactly what I was going to do for Australia." Lombardo will join a series of exclusive 2014 Adelaide Festival concerts in Adelaide, Australia with avant-garde musician John Zorn. Lombardo will perform with John Zorn and Bill Laswell as part of the BLADERUNNER trio, featuring in Zorn's concert, Triple Bill.
02 min read

JOHN PETRUCCI: Drummer MIKE MANGINI Is ‘The Right Fit On Every Level’

Manos Spanos
Robert Cavuoto of Myglobalmind webzine recently conducted an interview with guitarist John Petrucci of progressive metal giants DREAM THEATER. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below. Myglobalmind: Are there any pre-show rituals that you or the band does? John: We do get together before going on stage and we talk to get our heads in the same place and bond. You're about to walk on stage and play together for the next few hours, so you want to feel connected and make sure that everyone is in the same headspace; a good headspace. If someone is feeling out of sorts or detached, it's a great time to bring them in and restate why we are here and what we are trying to do. Many times we talk about the people that have come to enjoy the show. They went through a lot to get here, whatever they needed to work out in their lives; they got babysitters, they traveled, and purchased the tickets. So it's up to us to deliver the goods. We're always in that headspace about the audience and less about us at that moment. Myglobalmind: I thought one of the greatest compliments that anyone can give to a bandmate was what you said about Mike Mangini on the DVD during the drummer auditions that "he's not just playing DREAM THEATER, he's living it." John: We auditioned a lot of great drummers; every one of them was world-class. We had a lot of fun playing with each of them and had some great jams. With Mike, it was just something really special about what was going on. First and foremost, with everybody, we wanted to see if they can pull off the songs, play them correctly, and that they it felt right musically. That's something Mike did; it felt like the band. He really gets the style and delivers in a powerful metal way. He has all the techniques, chops and sensibility; everything just flows musically. Over and above that, there were a few things, like his attitude and dedication to wanting to get everything exactly right, as well as genuinely wanting the position. Not just wishy-washy, "Yeah, if I get it, great. If not, OK too." Personality wise, we are all kindred spirits. I've said this before; if we ever went to high school together, we would have been friends. He is just one of us. We felt that immediate connect. He the right fit on every level. Myglobalmind: He also seems like a funny and entertaining guy too. John: He's hysterical; he keeps us entertained. If you bring somebody into the band, you are going to be with them a lot, whether it's in the studio, on the tour bus, or at dinner every night. You want somebody you enjoy being around. You don't want an annoying guy. [laughs] Myglobalmind: You're an amazing, accomplished guitarist. At what point in your career did you realize that your style was truly unique? John: It's hard to answer that from my own perspective, because when I'm playing, I know where it is coming from and the sources. Guitar players get inward and analytical about their playing, but when you start to get positive feedback from other players, it makes you think that it is coming together. For me, the first time I started hearing comments like that was after "Images And Words" was released. It seemed like there was a jump from the there for me stylistically. It wasn't something I picked up on, it was comments that I received from other people and players. Myglobalmind: When you were young and starting out, was there ever a band that you auditioned for who didn't hire you for whatever reason? John: I didn't try out for bands when I was younger. I got into guitars intensely a couple of years into playing so much, by the time I was graduating high school, I was accepted into Berklee College Of Music. Practicing six hours a day, I was consumed with it. I somehow always found the right people on my own to jam with as well as playing with all my buddies. I didn't get to a point where I was auditioning for any bands. Out of Berklee, DREAM THEATER was born and we've been together ever since. I didn't have to taste that feeling of defeat. [laughs]
04 min read

VISTA CHINO: ‘Sweet Remain’ Video Released

Manos Spanos
"Sweet Remain", the new video from VISTA CHINO, the group comprised of two founding members of the legendary rock band KYUSS — Brant Bjork and John Garcia — and guitarist Bruno Fevery, can be seen below. The song is taken from VISTA CHINO's debut album, "Peace", which was released on September 3 (one day earlier internationally) via Napalm Records. The cover artwork for the CD was created by the renowned California art collective The Date Farmers. "Peace" track listing: 01. Good Morning Wasteland 02. Dargona Dragona 03. Sweet Remain 04. As You Wish 05. Planets 1 & 2 06. Adara 07. Mas Vino 08. Dark and Lovely 09. Barcelonian 10. Acidize - The Gambling Moose VISTA CHINO tapped Mike Dean (CORROSION OF CONFORMITY) to play bass on the band's recent European tour. Dean handled bass duties for VISTA CHINO at their first North American performance, which took place at this year's Orion Music + More festival — curated by METALLICA — in Detroit, Michigan. The final live appearances of KYUSS LIVES! — featuring the same lineup as VISTA CHINO — took place in early 2013 as part of Australia's Soundwave Festival. KYUSS LIVES! decided to change its name after a lawsuit launched by former KYUSS members Josh Homme and Scott Reeder prevented KYUSS LIVES! from recording and releasing any new material. Speaking to Music Feeds, drummer Brant Bjork was asked whether there was a slight sense of relief that the legal dispute over the KYUSS name is over. "Absolutely," he replied. "There's always relief when conflict is resolved and people can just let go and move forward. That's where we're at and we feel great. It's always unfortunate to experience differences with specific people, but we feel great as a band. We're really, really excited to move forward into the future and focus on what it is that we do, which is play music." Regarding whether the change of band's name to VISTA CHINO would have happened had it not been for the lawsuit, Brant said: "That's a good question. The answer to that question is: I don't know. Possibly. We didn't really think about it. We were really just looking at what was in front of us and making our decisions based on what our present situation was. But now we just came to a point where we felt that changing the name was appropriate and was the fastest way for us to get back to playing music.
02 min read

BLACK SABBATH Is ‘Ecstatic, Surprised And Very Happy’ About Latest GRAMMY Nominations

Manos Spanos
BLACK SABBATH continued its sterling comeback year by earning Grammy nominations for "Best Rock Album" for "13", along with "Best Metal Performance" and "Best Rock Song" for "God Is Dead?" BLACK SABBATH's last Grammy win was in 2000 for "Best Metal Performance" for "Iron Man" from the band's "Reunion" live album. "We are ecstatic, surprised and very happy!" Osbourne said about the latest Grammy nods. The 56th annual Grammy Awards will take place Sunday, January 26 at the Los Angeles Staples Center and will be broadcast live at 8:00 p.m. ET on CBS. "13", the first SABBATH album in 35 years to feature guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and Ozzy Osbourne recording together, went No. 1 around the world, earning the band their first chart-topper ever in the U.S. Ozzy said about the prospects of making another record, "I don't want to say there's going to be another album, because I don't want you to ask me in another year, 'What happened when you said you were going to do another record?' I'll leave it open. I'm open for anything. I have three albums to deliver of my own solo thing to my record label." Ozzy added, "We'll all still be doing music. It's been a lot of fun doing it with BLACK SABBATH, and I'm not sorry at all for getting back together." The making of "13" was marked by several dramatic events, including drummer Bill Ward's withdrawal from the project over a contractual dispute and Iommi's cancer diagnosis. BLACK SABBATH will return to North America in 2014 for 10 shows that will be among the last in support of "13".
02 min read

Underground: Liquid Rain – Bright Obscurity

Manos Spanos
Lately I discovered a great album released at the end of 2012 by a band in its first steps that made my head turn. I’m talking about “Liquid Rain”, a progressive metal band formed back in 2009 in Berne, Switzerland. “Bright Obscurity” is their debut album that includes eight songs of pure prog metal that reminds a lot of prog metal gods like “Dream Theater” and “Symphony X”. Even though the final result sounds quite professional, these guys are all young and seems like a bright future lies in front of them. I have to say that I was quite impressed when I heard this album for the first time. Really great stuff going on in these almost 64 minutes of playing and these guys seem to know what they’re doing and the high quality songs that they deliver could be included in the album of a big prog band. In songs like the first one “The Crooked Path Of Life” you can hear the resemblance with “Symphony X” and the way they change between rhythms reminds me a lot of Dream Theater’s writing procedure. The focus on the modern sound of prog metal like “DGM”, “Haken” or even “Redemption” but also have been influenced by classic metal bands like and “Fates Warning”. “The Ordeal” reminded me of a “Circus Maximus” track and at some points “Pain Of Salvation” but nevertheless its great song. The similarities with big bands are obviously a lot but the band manages to retain the personal sound and show their creativity and musical knowledge in songs like “Fast Food” an instrumental song with some oriental flavored melodies and a Spanish flamenco-style guitar solo in the end. There is “Homeless” that is kind of a hit-song sounding straight-forward and really catchy or “So Far Away” that is a power ballad with a fantastic guitar solo, where “Janine Hulliger” (Fragment Of Symmetry) which is probably the drummer’s sister participates with her wonderful voice. The band has also found a way of combining traditional instruments without sounding cheesy.
03 min read

The Prophecy
Salvation

Manos Spanos
Rating: 8 Label: Code666 Records Website: Link Author: Pascal SkoufosThe British doom/death metal band The Prophecy have just released their fourth f...
02 min read

ADRENALINE MOB: Lyric Video For New Song ‘Come On Get Up’ Available

Manos Spanos
ADRENALINE MOB recently inked a North American deal with Century Media Records, the label the group was previously signed to only for the European territory. The band's second full-length album, "Men Of Honor", will be released February 18 in North America and February 24 internationally. ADRENALINE MOB's current lineup includes Russell Allen (vocals; also of SYMPHONY X), Mike Orlando (guitar), John Moyer (bass; also of DISTURBED), and the band's latest addition, drummer A.J. Pero (also of TWISTED SISTER). "Men Of Honor" features 11 new original songs produced by Allen and Orlando. 01. Mob Is Back 02. Come On Get Up 03. Dearly Departed 04. Behind These Eyes 05. Let It Go 06. Feel The Adrenaline 07. Men Of Honor 08. Crystal Clear 09. House Of Lies 10. Judgment Day 11. Fallin' To Pieces The official lyric video for the song "Come On Get Up" can be seen below. Drummer Mike Portnoy (FLYING COLORS, THE WINERY DOGS, DREAM THEATER, AVENGED SEVENFOLD) quit ADRENALINE MOB in June due to "scheduling conflicts." In a recent interview with Brazil's "Wikimetal", Allen stated about Portnoy's departure from ADRENALINE MOB: "He's been, obviously, real busy with THE WINERY DOGS. The truth of it is we wanna keep working, we wanna keep doing ADRENALINE MOB and we don't wanna wait around for Mike to have the time [to put into ADRENALINE MOB]. And he doesn't know when he will have the time again, so that's really what's going down. Mike Portnoy was asked to be in the band by myself. Me and Orlando had already written all the material, so [ADRENALINE MOB's debut album] 'Omertá' was completely finished before Mike joined the act. And it's a bummer, but he's got his sights on other things, and he's not gonna stick around. So we wish him the best of luck, but the MOB's gotta go on." ADRENALINE MOB released "Covertá", an eight-track EP featuring cover versions of some of the group's favorite songs, on March 12.
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.