Lost your password?

Manos Spanos

CHROME DIVISION: ‘Endless Nights’ Video Released

Manos Spanos
"Endless Nights", the new video from CHROME DIVISION — the Norwegian five-piece featuring DIMMU BORGIR frontman Shagrath (a.k.a. Stian Thoresen) on guitar — can be seen below. The song is taken from CHROME DIVISION's fourth album, "Infernal Rock Eternal", which will be released on January 17, 2014 via Nuclear Blast. The follow-up to 2011's "3rd Round Knockout" was recorded at Dub Studio in Oslo with Endre Kirkesola. "Infernal Rock Eternal" track listing: 01. Good Morning Riot 02. Endless Nights 03. (She's) Hot Tonight 04. The Absinthe Voyage 05. Lady Of Perpetual Sorrow 06. The Moonshine Years 07. No Bet For Free 08. On The Run Again 09. Mistress In Madness 10. Reaper On The Hunt 11. You’re Dead Now 12. Ol 13. Dirty Dog (bonus track) A video clip of the members of CHROME DIVISION talking about "Endless Nights", the first single and video from "Infernal Rock Eternal", can be seen below. Says Shagrath: "The doomsday rock legion are proud to announce that 2014 marks 10-year anniversary for CHROME DIVISION, celebrated with our brand new fourth album, 'Infernal Rock Eternal'. "It's been one year of intense team effort, combined with band parties and studio sessions, resulting in our most varied and best album to date. "I am very proud of this album, and we can't wait to share it with you." Added CHROME DIVISION vocalist Shady Blue (a.k.a. Athera): "And we're back, finally! "After nailing down the new, permanent lineup some two years ago, we have worked intensely with the new songs and sound of CHROME DIVISION continuously. 'The last year [was spent] in and out of studio tracking song after song of the new stuff. "I have to say the band is complete now, and the new overall feel of the music that comes out of this gang of rockers these days is just awesome! "I am stoked to be a part of this new album and extremely satisfied with the diversity in songs and the power of each and every track! "Working with Endre Kirkesola in Dub Studio has been a great experience, and just what the band needed. "Damage Karlsen and Ogee's contributions to the new stuff is just beyond! "We are super excited to hear what you guys think of the new album. And we're looking forward to finally getting out on the road more and play the shit live for you as well." CHROME DIVISION last year parted ways with bassist Björn "Burn" Luna and guitarist Ricky Black. Luna, who was a member of CHROME DIVISION since its inception in 2004, "will work with us from behind the curtains of doom, and contribute on the lyrical side of things in the future," according to the band. CHROME DIVISION current lineup: Shagrath - Guitar Ogee - Bass Shady Blue (a.k.a. Athera) - Vocals Damage Karlsen - Guitar Tony White - Drums CHROME DIVISION's third album, "3rd Round Knockout", was released in Europe on May 6, 2011 via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD was recorded at Marius Strand Studio in Oslo. CHROME DIVISION in August 2009 parted ways with longtime vocalist Eddie Guz "due to lack of dedication and commitment to the band." His replacement, Athera, originally filled in for Guz at the Winterfire Festival at Hessenhallen in Giessen, Germany on February 21, 2009 after Eddie Guz was unable to make the gig.
04 min read

CYNIC: Official Lyric Video For New Song ‘The Lion’s Roar’

Manos Spanos
Legendary progressive rock innovators CYNIC — consisting of guitarist/vocalist Paul Masvidal, drummer Sean Reinert and bassist Sean Malone — will release their new album, "Kindly Bent To Free Us", on February 14, 2014 via Season Of Mist. The CD was produced by CYNIC at L.A.'s Perfect Sound Studios. The effort was engineered by Jason Donaghy (BAND OF HORSES, FEIST, ROB ZOMBIE, RYAN ADAMS), mixed by R. Walt Vincent (PETE YORN, LIZ PHAIR, TOMMY KEENE) and mastered by Maor Appelbaum (FATES WARNING, SEPULTURA, CATHEDRAL, INQUISITION, HALFORD). The artwork for "Kindly Bent To Free Us" was created by longtime and sadly late CYNIC artist Robert Venosa. "Kindly Bent To Free Us" track listing: 01. True Hallucination Speak 02. The Lion's Roar 03. Kindly Bent To Free Us 04. Infinite Shapes 05. Moon Heart Sun Head 06. Gitanjali 07. Holy Fallout 08. Endlessly Bountiful 09. Earth Is My Witness (deluxe CD book exclusive bonus track) The official lyric video for the song "The Lion's Roar" can be seen below. About the new material, Reinert said: "It's a bold new sound for CYNIC and marks a gigantic leap in the band's progression. We've had a lot of time to let this material develop and gestate, and it finally feels ready to be unleashed on the world. I've been in trio mode with Malone and Masvidal flushing out a zillion and one details, and couldn't be happier about what's happening with these songs. They are truly alive!" In a February 2012 interview with Ireland's Molten magazine, Masvidal described the band's new music in the following way: "It's almost like, I don't know how to explain it, but if I had to put it in a box it's more sci-fi, futuristic and alien but at the same time very song-driven. It's kind of like, to me, coming into CYNIC's body more. It feels very modern and at the same time it just feels really cool. I'm big in the space. It's definitely new. It's not like anything we've done before. It's a new color, a new space. I think people will really take note of even the guitar stuff. I'm really shifting gears, I'm trying things in a different way and the way stuff is played. It's a new space for CYNIC, for sure. It definitely sounds like us, except completely new." CYNIC's latest EP, "Carbon-Based Anatomy", was released in November 2011 via Season Of Mist. The CD artwork was designed by the great Robert Venosa, the artist behind the covers of CYNIC's previous releases "Focus", "Traced in Air" and "Re-Traced". CYNIC was joined by Brandon Giffin on bass and Max Phelps on guitar and vocals during the group's North American and European tours in support of "Carbon-Based Anatomy".
03 min read

CREMATORY: Complete ‘Antiserum’ Album Details Revealedv

Manos Spanos
Southern German gothic metallers CREMATORY will release their new album, "Antiserum", on March 4, 2014 in North America and February 24, 2014 in Europe via Steamhammer/SPV. "Our fans can look forward to 'Antiserum', on which we have gone one step further than we did on our comeback album, 'Revolution', in terms of electronic influences," drummer Markus Jüllich explains. "In collaboration with Elmar Schmidt of Hamburg EBM act CENTHRON, we have come up with a haunting mix of metal riffs and EBM keyboards. That's why I'd refer to 'Antiserum''s musical direction as 'EBM metal.'" As homogeneous as the final product may sound, a great deal of effort was invested throughout to produce the desired result. Jüllich confesses: "In the beginning, it was more difficult than we'd thought. The sounds and samples that Elmar brought us had no really song structures, that's why we didn't have a central theme to start off with. It took us two or three songs to get into the groove, but from that point on, it was an extremely exciting process to work on the new material." The CREMATORY drummer is referring to tracks such as "Virus", with its pulsating EBM flair, "Inside Your Eyes", which consistently and unashamedly professes the desired EBM elements, and the first single, "Shadowmaker", a veritable anthem which continues the long-standing CREMATORY tradition of including at least one real hit on each album. Jüllich says: "Even before the whole record was finalized, we knew that 'Shadowmaker' had absolute hit potential. We never had a moment's doubt that we had come up with the new CREMATORY anthem." Along with this purposely experimental direction, "Antiserum" also features a number of tracks which see CREMATORY rely on their traditional strengths and familiar characteristics. The title song is a perfect example of typical CREMATORY ingredients, just like "Back From The Dead" and "If You Believe", which could also have been featured on either of the two most recent albums, "Pray" (2008) and "Infinity" (2010). "We were even bolder this time than we were in 2004," Jüllich says. "We played even more with different sounds and have — in my opinion — cleverly combined real drum parts with electronic patterns. For me as the band's drummer, it will be really exciting to see how we are going to translate this in a live context. But since it works so well on 'Antiserum', I'm confident that it will be a really good mix live, too." "Antiserum" will be released as a deluxe box set (including a flag, patch, poster, sticker, postcard), digipak (including two bonus tracks), 2LP gatefold colored vinyl version (including two bonus tracks), standard version and download. "Antiserum" jewel case CD: 01. Apocalyptic Vision 02. Until The End 03. Shadowmaker 04. If You Believe 05. Inside Your Eyes 06. Kommt Näher 07. Irony Of Fate 08. Virus 09. Back From The Dead 10. Welcome 11. Antiserum "Antiserum" digipak version: 01. Apocalyptic Vision 02. Until The End 03. Shadowmaker 04. If You Believe 05. Inside Your Eyes 06. Kommt Näher 07. Irony Of Fate 08. Virus 09. Back From The Dead 10. Welcome 11. Antiserum 12. Shadowmaker - Elektro Mix (bonus track) 13. Shadowmaker - Centhron Mix (bonus track) "Antiserum" 2 LP Version: LP1 Side 1 01. Apocalyptic Vision 02. Until The End 03. Shadowmaker 04. If You Believe LP 1 Side 2 01. Inside Your Eyes 02. Kommt Näher 03. Irony Of Fate
04 min read

AVENGED SEVENFOLD Bassist: Being Compared To METALLICA Is ‘A Pretty Damn Good Compliment’

Manos Spanos
Germany's EMP Rock Invasion recently conducted an interview with AVENGED SEVENFOLD bassist Johnny Christ. You can now watch the chat below. Asked about recent comments from MACHINE HEAD frontman Robb Flynn, in which Flynn called AVENGED's new "Hail To The King" CD a "covers album" and specifically called AVENGED SEVENFOLD out for songs like "This Means War", which bears a strong resemblance to METALLICA's "Sad But True", Christ said: "I heard a little bit about that. "Everyone has their own opinions and they're entitled to them. "We've never been shy to admit that METALLICA is a huge influence in our lives and on our music. "We wrote some songs, like we always do, and we got in there… "If we're compared to METALLICA, the greatest metal band in the world, I think that's actually a pretty damn good compliment." He added: "I never really cared about [the negative things people have to say about our music]. Like I said, everyone's entitled to their own opinion. And it's fine. If I disagree, it's not gonna bum me out. I just don't have time to really sit there and worry about someone disliking what we put so much effort into." Christ also revealed that METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich got in contact with AVENGED SEVENFOLD shortly after the release of "Hail To The King" and was happy about the band's success. "Lars reached out to Matt [AVENGED SEVENFOLD singer M. Shadows] when the record first came out and debuted at No. 1 and had nothing but good things to say about it," the bassist said. "So, I mean, we've gotta be doing something right." AVENGED SEVENFOLD is getting ready to release both an animated series and a mobile game based around the band's recently issued sixth album, "Hail To The King". The series will consist of six episodes and will be available on Machimina's HappyHour channel on YouTube starting December 15. The series will serve as a prologue and back story for the group's mobile game, "Hail To The King: Deathbat", with M. Shadows saying, "We felt this was the best way to tell the story and give you all an idea about the type of game we are creating." The "Hail To The King" series was directed by Jon Schnepp, producer of the Adult Swim animated show "Metalocalypse". Both the series and game tell the story of AVENGED SEVENFOLD's fictional mascot, the Deathbat. The game will debut sometime in early 2014. Shadows said about it, "We wanted to bring the story of the Deathbat to life and allow you to control its destiny. While the game stands on its own in terms of the story and game play, we still wanted to add in some extras for our fans." The band recorded seven brand new songs for the game, which will also include 16 pieces of never-before-seen artwork from all the group's albums that players can unlock. "Hail To The King" sold 159,000 copies in its first week of release, giving the California band their second straight chart-topper after 2010's "Nightmare".
03 min read

Video Premiere: SOULFLY’s ‘Bloodshed’

Manos Spanos
SOULFY's video for the song "Bloodshed" can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's ninth album, "Savages", which was released on October 1 via SOULFLY's new label home, Nuclear Blast Entertainment. The CD was produced by Terry Date, who is known for his work with such acts as PANTERA, DEFTONES and SOUNDGARDEN, among many others. Guest vocal appearances on "Savages" include SOULFLY bass player Tony Campos, CLUTCH's Neil Fallon, NAPALM DEATH's Mitch Harris, Jamie Hanks of I DECLARE WAR and SOULFLY mainman Max Cavalera's son Igor Cavalera (of LODY KONG). "['Bloodshed'] is about the absurdity of the human condition in territories plagued by bloodshed all over the world," commented Max Cavalera. "Not just recent events like Iraq, but also historical conflicts such as the U.S. Civil War, World Wars I and II, etc." "Savages" track listing: 01. Bloodshed (feat. Igor Cavalera) 02. Cannibal Holocaust 03. Fallen (feat. Jamie Hanks) 04. Ayatollah Of Rock ‘N’ Rolla (feat. Neil Fallon) 05. Master Of Savagery 06. Spiral 07. This Is Violence 08. K.C.S. (feat. Mitch Harris) 09. El Comegente (feat. Tony Campos) 10. Soulfliktion Limited-edition CD and 2LP vinyl bonus tracks: 11. Fuck Reality 12. Soulfly IX The cover artwork for "Savages" was created by renowned artist Paul Stottler, who is best known for his work on SACRED REICH's legendary "Surf Nicaragua" cover. Date previously mixed SOULFLY's "3" (2002), "Prophecy" (2004) and "Dark Ages" (2005) albums, but had never produced any of the group's CDs. The drum tracks on the new SOULFLY CD were laid down by Max's 20-year-old son, Zyon Cavalera, who joined the band as its touring drummer for its recent rampage through North America. "I am very proud and it is very cool that Zyon is in the band," said Max Cavalera. "He brings a lot of energy to the band. He is 20 years old now and already a really good drummer. He is permanently on tour with us now and every night he really plays his heart out. We are all very excited to have him in the band and he did a really good job on the new album."
02 min read

MONSTER MAGNET Mainman’s Illness Forces Concert Cancelations

Manos Spanos
MONSTER MAGNET has been forced to cancel the remaining dates on its North American after the band's mainman, Dave Wyndorf, was taken ill. Comments MONSTER MAGNET guitarist Phil Caivano: "We are all totally bummed the rest of the tour is cancelled. "Dave is really sick. "We were trying to go day to day, only for him to get worse. "I'd like to thank everyone who came out and all of you who planned to. No one is more bummed than us. "We will be back." Adds Wyndorf: "Full-on flu. Voice killer, gig destroyer... "I'm so sorry. I hate it more than anybody. "We'll make it up, I swear." Affected dates: Dec. 10 - Toronto, ON - Lee’s Palace Dec. 12 - Boston, MA - Sinclair Dec. 13 - West Chester, PA - The Note Dec. 14 - New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom MONSTER MAGNET's new album, "Last Patrol", sold around 2,300 copies in the United States in its first week of release. Released in North America on October 15 via Napalm Records, the CD was produced by Dave Wyndorf and Phil Caivano, while "Evil" Joe Barresi (TOOL, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, BAD RELIGION) mixed the album, with additional production duties handled by Matt Hyde. The artwork was created by Johun Sumrow with consultation coming from Chris Ryall and designs by Ryan Clark for Invisible Creatures Inc. The album was made available as a limited-edition CD, standard CD, 2LP and digital format. Wyndorf previously stated about "Last Patrol": "'Last Patrol' is a return to our roots in terms of vibe and recording style. It's full-on psychedelic space-rock with a '60s garage feel, recorded almost exclusively with vintage guitars, amps and effects in our hometown of Red Bank, New Jersey. The songs are a kind of space-noir, tales of cosmic revenge, peaking libidos, alienation and epic strangeness. It's a weird trip through the back alleys of a dark, retro-future, which not by coincidence very much resembles my own life. [laughs] The lyrics aren't fantasy, really, rather a recounting of my musings on, observations of and general emotional reaction to my life and environment during a one-week writing period in February of 2013. But I tend to use the vernacular and imagery of science fiction and surrealism to express myself and that's where these lyrics get trippy. There's also our cover version of DONOVAN's 'Three Kingfishers', which I thought fit the mood of the album." He continued: "'Last Patrol' was produced by Phil Caivano and myself with an effort to bring a homegrown feel to the whole affair. We had been doing smaller projects out of Phil's Studio 13 recording space and I really felt comfortable there so it was the natural choice on where to record the next full-scale MONSTER MAGNET album. Phil and I grew up together and have a shared love of some very particular vintage music and styles. And everybody in the band played their asses off on this one."
03 min read

MASTODON’s TROY SANDERS Says Next Album Will Pick Up Where ‘The Hunter’ Left Off

Manos Spanos
Atlanta progressive metallers MASTODON have entered the studio with producer Nick Raskulinecz (FOO FIGHTERS, RUSH, ALICE IN CHAINS) to begin recording their new album for a 2014 release. Speaking to ARTISTdirect.com, MASTODON singer and bassist Troy Sanders was asked if the band's new material picks up where "The Hunter" left off or if the group is "on a whole new trip." "I think, to a degree, it picks up where we left off," he said. "As always, nothing was really pre-determined and spoken of beforehand, like, 'Okay guys, we need to write a lot of long epic songs and a lot of short sweet songs. We need to have a couple of slow ones.' Nothing like that was predetermined verbally amongst the four of us. We go in there and we kind of pick up on whatever comes through Brent [Hinds] and Bill's [Kelliher] fingers and their guitars and build and build. "I guess it's going to be more of a continuation of where we left off with 'The Hunter'. Hopefully, it's just a collection of good MASTODON rock 'n' roll songs. That's where it's headed." Regarding how much the bond between the bandmembers serves as a catalyst for creating new music moving forward, Troy said: "There's a lot of trust and faith in one another. Let's say I could be doing some bass tracks in the studio and those guys don't even have to be there because they trust me to do my part. I trust them to do their parts individually. "Most of the time, we're all together, giving pointers, and saying, 'This might sound better. Try this.' We have a lot of good teamwork still. The same four dudes have been together for fourteen years. There's something to be said about that chemistry and the continuity of that. It's very unique. "I think the tightness comes from constantly playing live shows. That's where it really comes through — the repetition of playing our set night after night." Asked what it's been like working with Raskulinecz on the new album, Kelliher told Metal Hammer magazine: "It's something that we totally need — a cheerleader to get our asses in gear. There he is saying, 'Come on, you're MASTODON… you're one of the biggest bands in metal… Smash that hammer down and write some heavy shit. It's time to do or die!' He's that kind of a guy." MASTODON drummer Brann Dailor recently told RollingStone.com about the band's forthcoming CD: "It's gonna be massive and insane, lots of epic greatness. There will be lots of huge riffs and new directions. It's real weird, real math-y, real straightforward. It's up, down and all around. It's a culmination of everything for the band. The snowball keeps rolling and collecting snow." On December 10, Warner Bros. Records will digitally release "Mastodon Live At Brixton", a recording of MASTODON's February 11, 2012 performance at London, England's O2 Academy in Brixton. This sold-out performance was MASTODON's first show at the legendary venue. An audio-only version and a live video version directed by Ryan Mackfall (Crashburn Media) (both featuring the full 97-minute performance) will be available from all digital retailers, including iTunes and Amazon. In addition to performing "Curl of the Burl", "Black Tongue" and "Dry Bone Valley" from "The Hunter", the band dug into their catalog, unearthing such scorching tracks as "Colony of Birchmen", "Capillarian Crest" and "Iron Tusk".
03 min read

METALLICA Sets World Record By Performing Concerts On All Seven Continents In Under A Year

Manos Spanos
METALLICA set a world record on December 8, 2013 by becoming the first and only band in history to perform concerts on all seven continents in under a year. METALLICA's 10-song show in Antarctica on Sunday "was the most unique show [the band] has ever done," the group said in a statement. "The band, contest winners, research station scientists (from Russia, South Korea, China, Poland, Chile, Brazil and Germany), and the ship crew, all crammed in this little dome out on the helipad of Carlini Station in Antarctica! The energy in the little dome was amazing! Words cannot describe how happy everyone was." The METALLICA concert was sponsored by Coca-Cola Zero and fans from several Latin and South American countries had a chance to enter a contest and win the opportunity to join the band on the expedition. The concert took place under a dome at the Carlini Argentine Base and was heard by the fans through headphones, with no other amplifiers or sound system. The gig was also live-streamed in the participating countries. METALLICA's setlist was as follows: 01. Creeping Death 02. For Whom The Bell Tolls 03. Sad But True 04. Welcome Home (Sanitarium) 05. Master Of Puppets 06. One 07. Blackened 08. Nothing Else Matters 09. Enter Sandman 10. Seek & Destroy An official Metallica TV video recap of the concert is available below. Speaking to Nikki Blakk of the San Francisco, California radio station 107.7 The Bone last month, METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett said: "We are playing Antarctica; it's pretty wacky. It's crazy, because I don't deal with cold very well, so I have my reservations. But it should be pretty cool, because we've played the North Pole before — we've played Tuktoyaktuk [in 1995]— so we have to play the South Pole. Tuktoyaktuk was fine; it wasn't as cold as it sounded. But I have a feeling that the Antarctica is a lot colder than the North Pole. And it should be an interesting experience."
02 min read

LAMB OF GOD’s RANDY BLYTHE Pays Tribute To NELSON MANDELA

Manos Spanos
LAMB OF GOD singer Randy Blythe was one of many musicians who have taken to social media to pay their respects to Nelson Mandela, South Africa's first black president and a groundbreaking civil rights activist. Mandela died on Thursday (December 5) at age 95. One of the foremost civil rights leaders in his battle against apartheid, he had spent 27 years imprisoned for treason and his work and eventual release captured the hearts of the rock world — especially those of U2, Paul Simon, Sting, Peter Gabriel, Bruce Springsteen and Steve Van Zandt — all of whom went to great lengths to raise awareness of Mandela's imprisonment and the plight of black South Africans living under apartheid. Writing on his Instagram account, Randy said: "[On Thursday] Nelson Mandela died, and many people will take to social media to say 'RIP Mandela' and post a picture of the great man, free and smiling after 27 years in prison for allegedly conspiring to commit sabotage and conspiracy against the South African apartheid government in 1962. "He was one of the finest humans of our time. "I grew up hearing of this man imprisoned in South Africa, and I, like millions worldwide, was overjoyed when he finally was released in 1990. He came out of prison and within four years was South Africa's first black president, having spearheaded the political movement that peacefully ended the racist apartheid government. He did great things for his people after he was free, there is no doubt. But this picture is a far more telling testament to what kind of man Mandela was than any modern photo. Here he is defiantly raising his fists with other men on the way to prison — he had JUST been given a life sentence. "Mandela knew what would happen with his trial, and instead of focusing all his energy on keeping himself free, he disrupted the trial by wearing traditional garb, refused to call any witnesses to his defense and turned the trial into an arena for political speech to show the world what was happening in South Africa. He sacrificed his own freedom so that his people could one day be equals in their own native country, because he knew something had to change, and if he had to go to prison for LIFE to speed that change, so be it. He was a living example of DOING THE RIGHT THING, NO MATTER WHAT THE COST. THAT is a REAL MAN. In fact, one of his most famous quotes about prison was this: 'If I had my time over, I would do the same again. So would any man who dares call himself a man.' "So rest in peace, Nelson Mandela. I can only hope others will take a page from your book. Your 27 years of hard time are a blessing to us all."
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.