Lost your password?

Manos Spanos

SLIPKNOT/STONE SOUR Frontman COREY TAYLOR To Star In ‘Fear Clinic’ Film

Manos Spanos
Corey Taylor, vocalist and frontman for rock bands SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR, has joined the cast of the feature film "Fear Clinic" from Dry County Entertainment, founded by director Robert Green Hall (MTV's "Teen Wolf", "Laid To Rest", "Lightning Bug"), and Fear Chamber LLC. "Fear Clinic" began as a 2009 horror series for FearNet that consisted of five episodes starring up-and-coming talent like Lucas Till ("X-Men: First Class") and Kate Nauta ("Transporter 2") as well as horror icons Danielle Harris ("Halloween 4"), Lisa Wilcox ("A Nightmare On Elm Street 4") and Kane Hodder (Jason Voorhees). The series and upcoming film stars Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger in the "Nightmare On Elm Street" franchise) as Dr. Andover, a fear doctor who treats patients afflicted with crippling phobias by inducing hallucinations inside his exposure therapy invention; The Fear Chamber. The series, which focused on a different phobia every episode, received critical acclaim including two 2010 Streamy Awards ("Best Sound Design" and "Best Visual FX" for Hall's company Almost Human) and reached over five million hits on FearNet.com. It has since been added to On Demand and mainstream channels YouTube and Hulu, making it the most-watched horror web series in history. The project has been in active development for a feature film, written by Robert Hall and Aaron Drane. The story has seen a shift from the series, however; instead of the episodic nature of the original show, the film will focus on a variety of phobias that all stem from one traumatic event. "Fear Clinic" will see Taylor in the role of Bauer, one of the employees of the clinic who struggles to keep things under control when all Hell breaks loose. Felisha Terrell ("Days of Our Lives"), who wowed viewers with her recurring role as Kali on MTV's "Teen Wolf", will reunite with director Robert Hall as she joins "Fear Clinic" to take on the role of Osborn, a therapist at the clinic and second-in-command to Dr. Andover (Robert Englund). Also attached to the project is Brandon Beemer ("Days of Our Lives", "The Bold And The Beautiful") as Dylan, a famous moto-cross rider who will stop at nothing to protect his girlfriend from the darkness plaguing their lives. These talents join previously announced "Fear Clinic" cast Robert Englund, Fiona Dourif, Thomas Dekker, Kevin Gage, Cleopatra Coleman and Angelina Armani. The film may be a more mature realization of the concept from the series, but at the heart of the story it focuses on the cerebral nature of fear itself and the manifestations it can take for different people. The film opens with a tragedy that launches five people into the public eye and enlists Dr. Andover to lend his expertise to help them overcome trauma-induced phobias. A year later, terrifying "aftershocks" rattle the survivors, leading to them finding their way back to the fear clinic seeking answers. As they line up for another turn in the chamber, Dr. Andover believes that something more sinister may be at work. "Fear Clinic" is currently filming for a Halloween 2014 release.
03 min read

New SLAYER Biography ‘Slayer 66 & 2/3’ Available Exclusively Via AMAZON

Manos Spanos
A new SLAYER biography by metalhead and award-winning journalist D.X. Ferris has topped the Hot New Releases in Pop Culture chart at Amazon.com's Kindle Store. The book's title is "Slayer 66 & 2/3: The Jeff & Dave Years, A Metal Band Biography. From Birth To Reborn, Including Slaytanic Profiles, A New History Of The Thrash Metal Kings' Early Days, Reign In Blood Tours, A European Invasion, The Palladium Riot, The Seat Cushion Chaos Concert, The Whole Diabolical Discography, Newly Unearthed Details From Dave Lombardo's Turbulent History With The Band, Artwork And Photos You've Probably Never Seen Before, Jeff Hanneman's Hard Times, The Big Four's Big Year, Lombardo's Final Exit, The Top 11 Hanneman Tributes, The Mosh Memorial Service, Untold Stories, Updates, Relevant Digressions, And More Scenes From The Abyss". Available exclusively via Amazon, the full-length book is available worldwide now, as an e-book that can be read on any smart phone, tablet, or computer that can run the free Kindle app. For a limited time, the electronic version costs $6.66 (US). "If you have a device that you can use to check Facebook, you can be reading the book minutes from now," says Ferris. A 320-page paperback version will be available later in the month. The electronic version features extensive hyperlinks to (non-copyrighted) supplemental material. The exhaustively researched look at the band's career (to date) features 59 chapters, 400 footnotes, 3 appendices (in the e-book, 2 in the paperback), 33 photos, 11 illustrations, a full works cited section, and an index. The photos include striking, previously unseen images by Harald Oimoen, of renown for the Bay Area thrash yearbook "Murder In The Front Row". Illustrations include lost artwork and an early flyer by Albert Cuellar, the "Live Undead"/"Hell Awaits" cover artist who went on to work with Tim Burton, SUBLIME, and Sir Mix-A-Lot. The book also includes Jeff Hanneman's original diagram for the "Live Undead" cover (spoiler: it's stick figures). David Konow, author of the heavy metal history "Bang Your Head", writes: "This book is the biography the band has always deserved. 'Slayer 66 2/3' goes in deep, covers an enormous amount of ground, and it was clearly a labor of love. Metal is an important part of music history, and SLAYER will always be one of the most important bands in the genre. A book documenting the good, the bad, and the ugly without spin or sensationalism has been long overdue." Ferris wrote the first English-language book about SLAYER, Bloomsbury Academic's "Slayer's Reign in Blood" (2008), which is part of the prestigious "33 1/3" series of volumes about classic albums. A documentary in book form, it details the creation and legacy of SLAYER's major-label debut. The timely "Slayer 66 2/3: The Jeff & Dave Years…" is the rest of the story (so far). It's a much bigger prequel, sequel, companion, and update. It spans from the members' childhoods to the fall 2013 old-school tour. Ferris began writing it in March 2013, shortly after iconic drummer Dave Lombardo left the band. And he continued covering the story after founding guitarist Jeff Hanneman unexpectedly passed away on May 2. And he stayed with it through memorial services, lineup shakeups, and breaking developments. The book's final photo was taken Wednesday, November 20, in Pittsburgh. "It answers two questions," says Ferris. "One, how did SLAYER happen? And two, why is Dave Lombardo — the most influential and acclaimed drummer in the history of metal — no longer playing with the greatest thrash band?" This thorough, character-driven look at SLAYER's unrivalled career is based on original and archival interviews with the band, witnesses, employees, label executives, fans, and peers. Cross-referenced research includes song credits, concert counts, and profiles of the band's albums, from beloved classics to more divisive releases. "Some leading metal writers have written some great pieces about SLAYER," says Ferris. "They should all be read, and I include a list of them. But nobody will ever spend this much time and effort on a SLAYER book again." Ferris is an Ohio Society Of Professional Journalists reporter of the year. He has written for The AV Club, RollingStone.com, Decibel, Alternative Press, Metal Sucks, Cleveland Scene, and other periodicals. 2013 marks his 28th year in the music press, if you count his letter Hit Parader published in fall 1985. He was thrown out the "South Of Heaven" tour when a misdirected crowdsurf landed him onstage. The first six and a half chapters can be read at the book's Amazon page. "Slayer 66 & 2/3: The Jeff & Dave Years…" is the first release of 6623 Press, a creator-friendly multimedia outlet.
05 min read

ADRENALINE MOB Recruits TWISTED SISTER Drummer, Signs With CENTURY MEDIA

Manos Spanos
ADRENALINE MOB has 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 song "Mob Is Back" can be streamed using the SoundCloud widget 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

QUEEN Signs New Deal with UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP

Manos Spanos
QUEEN and Universal Music Group have renewed their partnership with a new, long-term deal that will herald a range of exciting projects from the band including a raft of rare and unreleased material and a film. The agreement was announced at Monday's (December 2) launch of "Queen: The Studio Experience", a major new QUEEN exhibition in Montreux, Switzerland. Brian May and Roger Taylor were in Montreux to officiate the opening. The exhibition provides a unique behind the scenes glimpse into the band's recording life during the years spent working at the Swiss town's Mountain Studios where, between 1979 and 1995, QUEEN created six albums, including "Jazz" and the seminal "Made In Heaven". The exhibition will raise awareness and funds for the Mercury Phoenix Trust, the AIDS charity set up by QUEEN and their manager Jim Beach immediately after front man Freddie Mercury's tragic death from AIDS in 1991. The new Universal deal, which covers the world outside North America, comes three years after QUEEN first signed with Universal Music. That move saw the band release music through Island Records for the first time in its history and signalled the start of a major remastering and repackaging program, providing live tracks, alternative takes and other additional content for QUEEN's 15 studio albums. In 2011 the band and label also celebrated QUEEN's 40th anniversary with a major marketing campaign and a series of high profile events, including the "Stormtroopers In Stilettos" exhibition staged in London in February 2011 and a major BBC TV documentary on the band. Max Hole, chairman and chief executive of Universal Music Group International, said: "We have loved working with QUEEN over last three years. QUEEN remains one of the biggest, boldest and most influential bands in the world. The band and Universal Music have lots of ambitious plans for the future." QUEEN's Brian May and Roger Taylor said: "We have also enjoyed working with Universal. In spite of being the biggest music company in the world they succeed in retaining a very hands-on personal relationship with their artists, something we much appreciate." Supporting the Mercury Phoenix Trust, fighting AIDS worldwide, and sponsored by the Fondation Barrière, "Queen: The Studio Experience" features memorabilia from the recording studio and the band's personal archives, including original handwritten song lyrics, costumes and instruments, together with a small cinema. The centerpiece of the exhibition is the studio control room, still in its original state, where visitors will be able to create their own mixes of selected QUEEN tracks including Freddie Mercury's last recorded vocal, "Mother Love".
02 min read

ELUVEITIE Parting Ways With Longtime Violinist MERI TADIC

Manos Spanos
ELUVEITIE will amicably part ways with longtime violinist Meri Tadic at the end of 2013. The "Eluveitie & Friends III" festival, which will take place on December 28 in Frauenfeld, Switzerland, will mark her final appearance with the Swiss folk metal act. States the band: "'There is an end to all things' is a saying. Nevertheless, having to say goodbye is never easy. "Meri has been an important part of ELUVEITIE for 11 years; we have played hundreds of shows around the globe together! "We will miss Meri, but foremost we want to say: Thank you for 11 years spent together! "Every ending means a new start and a new chance. "We are looking forward to working with Meri's successor very much and to have new musical influences this way. "We are in the midst of a creative working progress for our new album. In this sense, this means: Excitement and creative mode: ON!" Adds Meri: "After 11 years of ELUVEITIE, I have decided to go a new way and leave the band. "I have lived a wonderful and unique time with this band. On stage and during our countless journeys, there have been difficult, demanding times as well. "My decision has nothing to do with IRIJ and the album I released in January. "Many of you know that IRIJ was founded years ago but that it never had any influence on the band. Also, my album release has nothing to do with the time of my departure. This really is a coincidence. Still, I will be working with all my strength to move forward musically, and thus I now focus on the new output, the first live shows, rehearsals, new influences and possibilities. "It is not easy to find the right words. "The past 11 years have been a magical time; through and through and I have lived and enjoyed them with all my heart. "A part of me will surely keep on living within ELUVEITIE, 'cause this has never been just a band but lifeblood to me. Therefore, I want to thank all of our wonderful fans around the world at first. You have been a most priceless enrichment to my life and I will always think back happily to the times we have been through and to all the passion I have seen burning in your eyes, fists and faces! Thanks for celebrating us every single night! Without you, we would never been around!!! "My brothers and sister Chrigel, Anna, Ivo, Päde, Kay and Rafi I wish the best of luck, success and joy on the ongoing way. I will miss your pretty 'flutfaces' and hope you will behave yourselves out there. All that we have lived through together will never be forgotten and I am proud to see how much we achieved together. Make me proud and rock the world, my dear friends. Hope to see some of you on tour again. Sometime, somewhere… "To conclude this statement, I would like to quote one of the best metal bands of all time, without whom I might never have started to play the fiddle in a death metal band. 'We are blind to the world within us, waiting to be born! "Cheers to all, let's not be sad, but by joyfull!!!"
04 min read

STERN PINBALL Releases AC/DC ‘Luci’ Premium Game

Manos Spanos
Stern Pinball, Inc., the world's leading maker of real pinball games, today announced the availability of the AC/DC Luci Premium pinball machine. Based on Steve Ritchie's hit design, the latest addition to the AC/DC pinball lineup features an entirely new original artwork package that captures the titillating rock and roll spirit of AC/DC and AC/DC pinball. Players will rock with Luci to twelve classic AC/DC hits including "Back In Black", "Highway To Hell" and "You Shook Me All Night Long". Other exciting game features include a lower playfield, ball-shooting cannon, drop targets, a mechanized Hell's Bell and animations of the band. This decidedly edgy tribute to one of rock and roll's most memorable bands pushes the visual and auditory limits with its style, sound and infectious riffs. Simply put: Luci rocks! The AC/DC Luci Premium game continues both the Stern Pinball and the Stern family tradition of producing quality pinball machines for young and old. Stern Pinball traces its lineage to Philadelphia in the 1930s when Sam Stern entered the business of operating pinball games. Sam subsequently became part owner and President of Williams Manufacturing, a pioneer of the pinball industry, and passed his lifelong enthusiasm for the game and the business of pinball to his son, Gary, who founded Stern Pinball. Today pinball remains one of the world's favorite pastimes. AC/DC, more than three decades into a career that shows no signs of slowing, like electricity itself, provides the world with an essential source of power and energy. Since forming in 1973, AC/DC's high voltage rock 'n' roll has flowed into the world via consistently sold-out concert tours and global sales totaling more than 200 million albums. Sony BMG Music Entertainment's #1 best selling catalog act worldwide, AC/DC has sold nearly 71 million albums in the U.S. alone, making AC/DC one of the five top-selling bands in American music history. One of the group's best-loved works, the enormously successful and influential "Back In Black", has achieved RIAA "Double Diamond" status, with sales in excess of 22 million copies in the United States. It is the U.S.'s fifth largest-selling album ever. AC/DC's intense live performances and innovative guitar driven music are at the core of the band's 30-year legacy of great rock and roll music. Pricing and availability: AC/DC Luci Premium pinball is available through authorized Stern distributors and dealers. MSRP $7,495 To learn more about the AC/DC pinball machine, "Luci" and Stern Pinball, please visit www.sternpinball.com.
02 min read

Video: KVELERTAK Performs On Norwegian Rooftop

Manos Spanos
Norwegian rockers KVELERTAK played their song "Kvelertak" on a rooftop as part of this past weekend's P3 Gull Awards in Oslo, Norway. Watch the performance below. KVELERTAK's sophomore album, "Meir", topped the official chart in Norway. The CD, which sold 1,800 copies in the United States in its first week of release, was issued on March 26 via Roadrunner Records. It was produced by CONVERGE's Kurt Ballou and features cover artwork by John Dyer Baizley. Asked how the band came up with the concept for the "Bruane Brenn" music video, vocalist Erlend Hjelvik told About.com Heavy Metal: "It was Vidar [Landa, guitar] and Marvin's [Nygaard, bass] idea. I guess we didn't have time to be in the video ourselves, so they came up with an idea of having a bunch of kids in the video. A friend of ours, who's a Norwegian movie director, Stian Kristiansen, then kind of developed the idea and made a small story out of it. It turned into a fun and great looking video that fits really well with the lyrics." Regarding the recording process for "Meir", Erlend said: "I thought it was even more fun than last time. Mostly because we've all gotten more confident and experienced from all the touring we've done on our first album. Also Kurt is an awesome guy to work with; he's professional and has a great ear for what things should sound like." KVELERTAK is Erlend Hjelvik (vocals), Vidar Landa (guitar), Bjarte Lund Rolland (guitar), Maciek Ofstad (guitars), Marvin Nygaard (bass) and Kjetil Gjermundrød (drums).
01 min read

HIGH ON FIRE: ‘Slave The Hive’ Video Release

Manos Spanos
The official video for HIGH ON FIRE's brand new single titled "Slave The Hive" can be seen below. As part of the band's Scion A/V-sponsored headlining tour, HIGH ON FIRE dropped the new single which marks the first new music from the California metal champions since the spring 2012 release of "De Vermis Mysteriis". A limited-edition seven-inch single is available at all tour dates. The previously announced Scion A/V-presented HIGH ON FIRE tour is running from November 10 through December 12. Norwegian rock sextet KVELERTAK, who have had one of 2013's buzziest hard rock releases with the Kurt Ballou-produced (CONVERGE) album "Meir", are opening all dates. HIGH ON FIRE released the first official live recordings of its career with the two volume set "Spitting Fire Live", which has been hailed as "high-volume intensity" by the Austin Chronicle, "hot as the infernos" by Pitchfork and a "documentation of the band's undiminished ferocity onstage" by the SF Weekly. Recorded over a two-evening New York City headlining stint at both Bowery Ballroom and Brooklyn's Music Hall Of Williamsburg last winter, "Spitting Fire Live" showcases HIGH ON FIRE at its incendiary best, containing songs from each of the band's critically acclaimed studio albums including last year's "De Vermis Mysteriis".
01 min read

BLACK SABBATH: ‘Live…Gathered in Their Masses’ Deluxe Box Set ‘Unboxing’ Video

Manos Spanos
BLACK SABBATH's triumphant 2013 tour — which kicked off earlier this year in Australia — can now be seen by fans around the world via the "Black Sabbath: Live…Gathered in Their Masses" (Vertigo/Republic). Released on November 26, "Black Sabbath: Live…Gathered in Their Masses" is available via a variety of formats. Options include: * DVD standalone * Blu-ray standalone * Blu-ray/CD combo pack with a CD featuring live audio from the show, all packaged in a Blu-ray case * DVD/CD combo pack with a CD featuring live audio from the show, all packaged in an Amaray box * Deluxe box with a Blu-ray disc of live show with exclusive bonus visual extras/two DVD discs/a CD featuring live audio from the show/poster/signed set list/photo booklet/guitar picks/official show "ticket" "Black Sabbath: Live…Gathered in Their Masses" was recorded April 29 and May 1, 2013 in Melbourne, Australia when the band — Ozzy Osbourne (vocals), Tony Iommi (guitar) and Geezer Butler (bass) — kicked off their world tour in support of their "13" album, which entered the charts at No. 1 in 13 countries (including their first #1 in the U.S.). "Black Sabbath: Live…Gathered in Their Masses" track listings: Blu-ray and DVD track listing is as follows: 01. War Pigs 02. Into The Void 03. Loner 04. Snowblind 05. Black Sabbath 06. Behind The Wall Of Sleep 07. N.I.B. 08. Methademic 09. Fairies Wear Boots 10. Symptom Of The Universe 11. Iron Man 12. End Of The Beginning 13. Children Of The Grave 14. God Is Dead? 15. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (Intro) / Paranoid CD track listing is as follows: 01. War Pigs 02. Loner 03. Black Sabbath 04. Methademic 05. N.I.B. 06. Iron Man 07. End Of The Beginning
02 min read

DARK TRANQUILLITY: Quality Footage Of Vienna Concert

Manos Spanos
Quality fan-filmed video footage of DARK TRANQUILLITY's November 28 performance in Vienna, Austria can be seen below. DARK TRANQUILLITY's tenth studio album, "Construct", was released on May 27 via Century Media Records. The CD was mixed by Jens Bogren (PARADISE LOST, OPETH, KATATONIA) at his Fascination Street studios in Örebro, Sweden. DARK TRANQUILLITY filmed a music video for the song "Uniformity" on April 13 with Patric Ullaeus of Revolver Film Company, who has previously worked with DIMMU BORGIR, LACUNA COIL, IN FLAMES, SONIC SYNDICATE and KAMELOT, among others. In a recent interview with Louder Than Hell, DARK TRANQUILLITY guitarist Niklas Sundin stated about "Construct": "A typical effect of being locked up in a studio for 2-3 months listening to every single second of the new songs over and over again is that you're getting extremely tired of the material. At the same time as you know that you've created something great, there's a part of you that never want to hear the songs again. Also, the collaborative and democratic nature of DARK TRANQUILITY means that there always are riffs and ideas that a single member doesn't find too interesting according to his personal preferences, so what normally happens directly after a studio session is that I sit down and think that the result is OK, but if X and Y would have been done differently, it would have been even better (again: for my own tastes). In this case, there were two main parameters that were different: The members' opinions on the material were a bit more uniform — i.e. no great clashes in taste — and the actual mixing process brought out a lot of details and nuances in the songs that we previously weren't aware of. The result is that I for a change actually was a massive fan of 'Construct' from the first time I heard the final mix." Asked if the band had a direction or "game plan" when entering the studio to make "Construct", Niklas said: "There never is a defined game plan as such; we usually start writing songs without knowing exactly where the music will take us. Every time we've tried to decide that the next album should go in a certain direction, it usually ends up being the complete opposite, ha ha! This time, though, we all were certain that we needed to do something different in order to find the motivation to even make a new album. It's a similar situation to the one before 'Projector' (1999) where we either could split up or do something new, and from that realization we actually succeeded in reinventing ourselves."
03 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.