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Manos Spanos

Report: Children Of Bodom + Support Acts – Athens, Greece

Manos Spanos
Another Saturday night for Greek metalheads to have a great time. This time one of the most unique modern metal bands of our time visited our country for the second time: Children Of Bodom from Finland for the "Halo Of Blood" tour. Along with the well-known groovy Deathsters Decapitated from Poland and Medeia from Finland. The place was jam packed with young and older metalheads waiting to see their favorite band playing live. The show started according to the schedule with Medeia. A really promising band, I didn't expect an opening act to be so energetic and warm up the crowd so well. If someone walked in when these guys (and girl) were playing he could have mistaken them for a co-headlining act. So warm was the welcome from the audience. Music wise, they sounded like a mixture of metalcore at its finest with Machine Head, some really well put female vocals by their keyboard player, a bit of blasting and great amounts of energy (had to say it again). Their frontman didn't forget to thank us all for being so loud and proud from the beginning without him even asking us to do so. I'd love to see them playing live again in Greece. They were really friendly after the show as well. After the great warm-up with Medeia, in came Decapitated, one of Polands best known Death metal bands alongside with Behemoth and Vader. They kicked in with "Pest" off the "Carnival Is Forever" record, making most of the crowd headbang like crazy and start the first moshpits. "Carnival Is Forever" was also represented by the next track "404", "View From A Hole" and "Homo Sum" that caused some bigger moshpits and stagedives here and there, showing that even though they changed towards a groovier direction, they still sound like a killer Death metal act live. The song "Flash-B(l)ack" came from the last record with fallen drummer Vitek behind the kit ("Organic Hallucinosis"), with his replacement doing a great job tormenting the drum skins. Their setlist ended with their classic "Spheres Of Madness" causing the biggest moshpit in their set. The band was really in the mood to kick serious asses and that's what they did. We just wish to see them again with a bigger setlist. Then we had the headliners of the evening, Children Of Bodom. This band has really attracted many young metalheads to this genre of music over the last few years. Many 15-plus-year-old kids have come to know metal music via Children Of Bodom while at the same time older people seem to really enjoy their style. So they came in like actual headliners ripping it out with "Silent Night Bodom Night" and the crowd was whipped into a frenzy, making the moshpits even bigger. The 2 first songs from "Hate Crew Deathroll" ("Needled 24/7", "Sixpounder") came up to keep us moshing and headbanging like crazy! We heard stuff from "Follow The Reaper" ("Hate Me!" and "Kissing The Shadows" with that epic guitar/keyboards solo duo in the end), "Hatebreeder" (the ultra-classic "Downfall" and "Towards Dead End"), "Something Wild" (only "Lake Bodom" even though its an amazingly addictive song), "Are You Dead Yet?" ("In Your Face" and "Are You Dead Yet?") "Hate Crew Deathroll" (the amazing title track as well as the headbanging anthem "Angels Don't Kill"), the title track off "Blooddrunk" and nothing off "Relentless Reckless Forever". Their new album "Halo Of Blood" was represented by the amazing title track, "Scream For Silence" and "Dead Man's Hand On You" which seemed well received by the audience as an absolute return to form. The band sounded so fresh, as if it was a phase of renewal for them releasing that album. The setlist as a tribute to the Greek tradition included (right before "Downfall" I think), a keyboard cover of the Alexis Zorbas theme, highly representative of the Greek musical culture. Alexi Laiho lead the way for COB as the natural frontman and one of the ultimate sex symbols in modern metal music (ladies, please contain your screams), not that the rest of the guys had less of a success, since every one of them is a shining star in his own right. Roope with his rhythm guitar work backing up his guitar partner, Janne Warmen with his incredible keyboard solos, Jaska Raitikannen/Henkka Seppala holding it all together as passionate musicians and brothers on stage (that's how they feel about each other). Only that time it was way more evident. Their setlist ended with "In Your Face" (one of their best choruses ever, Gagarin shook when we first heard the chorus) including the Medeia frontman backing up on the vocals. The band had a great time as well as the audience that gave in everything they had. And the event was well organized in order not to tire the metalheads more on their way home. Wish even more luck to the bands doing what they want to do and we hope seeing events like that in the future.
05 min read

CHROME DIVISION: New Album Details Revealed

Manos Spanos
CHROME DIVISION — the Norwegian five-piece featuring DIMMU BORGIR frontman Shagrath(a.k.a. Stian Thoresen) on guitar — will release its fourth album, "Infernal Rock Eternal", 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. 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." "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) 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 Guzat the Winterfire Festival at Hessenhallen in Giessen, Germany on February 21, 2009 afterEddie Guz was unable to make the gig.
03 min read

SAXON: ‘Unplugged And Strung Up’ EPK Available

Manos Spanos
An EPK (Electronic Press Kit) for SAXON's "Unplugged And Strung Up" album can be seen below. "Unplugged And Strung Up", SAXON's selection of unique, fresh and adventurous interpretations of material previously heard only with raw heavy metal thunder, will be released on November 18. The effort reveals layers and pieces previously dormant in many of the 14 classic SAXON songs chosen for this makeover, thanks to some ear-catching new arrangements and mixes. Recorded, mixed and mastered with Andy Sneap in Derbyshire, U.K. earlier this year, "Unplugged And Strung Up" contains re-evaluated, re-worked and re-energized versions of "The Eagle Has Landed" and "Crusader" by introducing orchestral dynamics to offer added dimension. "Frozen Rainbow", from the band's 1979 debut, gets a stunning acoustic reprisal which transports it into a power ballad to be proud of, while "Red Star Falling" soars and sweeps the emotions with its orchestrally arranged dovetail. As if this reinvention wasn't enough, SAXON superfans and collectors can purchase a digipak version of the release which will include 2002's storming set of full-volume, pedal-to-the-metal re-recorded hits "Heavy Metal Thunder". Featuring staple SAXON stormers such as"Motorcycle Man", "Strong Arm Of The Law" and "Dallas 1pm", it is a quintessential part of any collection. The standard single CD of "Unplugged And Strung Up" will come in a jewel case, and a double-vinyl gatefold sleeve version of the release will also be available. The digipack will be a two-disc version of the release featuring the bonus disc "Heavy Metal Thunder", and there will be a digital release of the same. "Unplugged and Strung Up" track listing: 01. Stallions Of The Highway (remix) 02. Crusader (orchestral version) 03. Battle Cry 04. The Eagle Has Landed (orchestral version) 05. Red Star Falling (orchestral version) 06. Broken Heroes (orchestral version) 07. Call To Arms (orchestral version) 08. Militia Guard 09. Forever Free (re-recorded version) 10. Just Let Me Rock (re-recorded version) 11. Frozen Rainbow (acoustic version) 12. Iron Wheels (live acoustic version) 13. Requiem (acoustic version) 14. Coming Home (acoustic version) "Heavy Metal Thunder" track listing: 01. Heavy Metal Thunder 02. Strong Arm Of The Law 03. Power & The Glory 04. And The Bands Played On 05. Crusader 06. Dallas 1pm 07. Princess Of The Night 08. Wheels Of Steel 09. 747 (Strangers In The Night) 10. Motorcycle Man 11. Never Surrender 12. Denim & Leather 13. Backs To The Wall
02 min read

KATAKLYSM Guitarist: ‘I Feel Like The New Album Is Our Best Work Of Art’

Manos Spanos
The Rock Pit recently conducted an interview with guitarist Jean-François Dagenais of Montreal, Quebec, Canada-based death metallers KATAKLYSM. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below. The Rock Pit: The new album, "Waiting For The End To Come", sounds fantastic, lots of groove and heaviness and melody. Can you tell us a bit about how the album came together? Jean-François Dagenais: We wrote this album seperately. Basically we all live in different cities now. I'm based in Dallas, Texas and Maurizio [Iacono, vocals] is in Chicago and the other guys are in Canada, and for us the writing process was... It's easier now with technology and the Internet and stuff. So I started writing riffs on my computer and then I would send that to Stephane [Barbe, bass] over in Canada. He would add to it and write more and send it back to me and I would take that and send it to the other guys, to the drummer [Oli Beaudoin] and Maurizio. We wrote all the album pretty much like that, or at least 80% of it, and the last 20% we got together in Canada in the same room and pieced the last part of the puzzle together. It worked pretty spontaneously. We went into the studio and worked for another month and a half and a couple of weeks to mix and before we knew it we had the album finished and ready to go. I'm pretty happy with the results, I feel the stars were aligned on this one. We were looking back at things and I like the way it sounds and I like the way the songs are structured and pieced together and the performance of everything. I gotta say everyone gave their 200% so I'm very happy about that. The drums are flawless, the bass and guitar tracks I'm happy with and Maurizio's vocals are outstanding. I'm really happy with it. The Rock Pit: Looking back on your back catalogue, there's a bit of progression from your earlier albums going to the later albums. Is it a conscious decision to go forward and try different things for each album or has it happened naturally over the years? Jean-François Dagenais: I think it's the journey of an artist that you try to do your best with what you have and the way that you paint at a certain point in time. As a musician, I like to think that we have gotten better over the years and you improve your skills on your instrument and also improve your skills as a musician, like the way you see songs and structures. Basically, we try to do our best on every record. For me, I got to do every album like it's one of my kids. You try your best and you want to do your best with it and it comes out the way it comes out for different reasons. I think you can see the musical journey and progression from a young artist in the early '90s trying to learn or master his art and then you get better at it and you go from there. I feel like the new album is our best work of art musically and also songwriting-wise and also on our instruments. I think it's the best performance everyone gave in the studio,so I'm very proud of this album. The Rock Pit: The lyrics on this album have a bit of a statement on how the world is right now. As a guitar player, what inspired you for this album?
05 min read

VINCE NEIL: MÖTLEY CRÜE’s Decision To Embark On Farewell Tour Has Nothing To Do With MICK MARS’ Health

Manos Spanos
Sally Steele, publisher of Vegas Rocks! Magazine, conducted an interview with MÖTLEY CRÜE singer Vince Neil at the November 5 VIP party for Vince Neil's Tatuado Eat-Drink-Party!, described as "the ultimate definition of Neil's Tatuado brand and outrageous lifestyle," in Las Vegas, Nevada. You can now watch the chat below. Asked about MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer Tommy Lee's recent statement that CRÜE guitaristMick Mars' ongoing battle with Ankylosing spondylitis, a painful form of chronic arthritis that causes vertebrae in the spine to fuse together, was one of the primary reasons for CRÜE's revelation that they will call it quits after 2015, Vince said: "I don't know why Tommy would say that. It really had nothing to do with Mick's health. It was just because we all felt — at least me and Nikki [Sixx, bass] and Mick — felt that it was just we didn't wanna go out on the bottom. We didn't wanna be one of those bands that start fading away. We've been on top for 32 years, and it's great. And it's just like, you know what? By the time we finish this tour, it'll be in 35 years of MÖTLEY CRÜE. So… that's really kind of it." He added: "After this farewell tour, who's to say we won't play again? I could probably see us play way down the road — a concert here or concert there, maybe — but we're not, like, doing the KISS farewell thing, where they have their fifth farewell tour." On the topic of what he plans on doing after MÖTLEY CRÜE is done, Vince said: "I have my own stuff. I have my solo band, and we have a lot of touring coming up. And actually, it looks like me and Sammy Hagar are gonna go out together for a long tour next year. I'll be carrying the torch for MÖTLEY CRÜE when MÖTLEY CRÜE is done." Lee told Canadian progressive-house music producer and performer Deadmau5 in a recent video: "Our guitar player, Mick, he has a spinal disease that's slowly fusing his vertebrae together. It's one of those things that's treatable, but not curable. So it's just progressively getting really worse and it's painful for him, so he doesn't wanna tour much longer. I can't say I blame him… The last thing we ever wanna do is go out running on two cylinders with some hired guy playing guitar; that's just wack. So we wanna go out with one big hurrah with the original guys and be done with it." He added: "That's such a bad look when bands are still playing the fucking fairgrounds — those county-fair shows — and it's just like two of the original guys, or one original guy, and the rest, no one knows who they are. We don't wanna do that." However, in a posting last month on his Twitter account, Mars painted a different picture, claiming that his medical condition had never affected his playing. "Once again, any rumors regarding a farewell tour due to 'my poor health is BS," he wrote. "I am doing fine, my AS has never kept me from touring." He added: "Thank all of you for knowing the truth… When I'm done touring, you'll hear it from me." Lee responded to Mars' Twitter posting, writing: "@mrmickmars it's probably not so much about your physical health it's more about our mental health as a band! Haha!" MÖTLEY CRÜE recently returned to Las Vegas for an exclusive twelve-show engagement September 18 through October 6 at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.
03 min read

BLACK SABBATH: ‘Paranoid’ Performance Clip From ‘Live…Gathered in Their Masses’ DVD

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 forthcoming "Black Sabbath: Live…Gathered in Their Masses" (Vertigo/Republic). Due out November 26, "Black Sabbath: Live…Gathered in Their Masses" will be 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.). Meanwhile, BLACK SABBATH will head to South America and Mexico in October for a headlining stadium tour (where they're expected to play to more than 300,000 fans) and then on to Europe in November and December. "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 08. Fairies Wear Boots 09. God Is Dead? 10. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (Intro) / Paranoid A new new promotional clip for "Black Sabbath: Live…Gathered in Their Masses" featuring performance footage of the song "Paranoid" can be seen below.
02 min read

BOBBY JARZOMBEK: Why I Turned Down DREAM THEATER Drummer Audition

Manos Spanos
U.K. web site Give The Drummer Some! has posted a brand new audio interview with acclaimed drummer Bobby Jarzombek (FATES WARNING, SEBASTIAN BACH, HALFORD). Among other topics, Jarzombek talks about his early influences, being a self-taught drummer, working with JUDAS PRIEST frontman Rob Halford and ex-SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach, and, for the first time ever, about his turning down the DREAM THEATER drummer audition in 2010. Speaking about his decision to pass on an opportunity to try out for the slot left vacant by the departure of Mike Portnoy, Jarzombek said (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I remember this… It was October 2010. I was on the road with HALFORD, and I remember thinking… I knew [DREAM THEATER] were gonna do that. They were gonna make calls to people. And I told some friends of mine, I said, 'I hope they don't call me for this.' And the reason I said that is because I didn't know what my reaction would be, for one. And I thought it was kind of crazy that Portnoy was out of the band. "I got the call for it. And I initially… Their management called me. And I initially said, 'I'd have to think about it.' And I remember, Frankie Solomon, their manager, said, 'What do you mean you have to think about it?' And I was, like, 'I don't know.' It's a big, sort of, commitment, it's a huge commitment as a person and as a musician, whatever… I mean, all the way… It's just a commitment all the way around. So I thought about it and I said, 'Well, I have to think about it.' And he told me, he said, 'We called seven or eight guys, and you're the only guy so far ahs said that he has to think about it.' "I was on the road with HALFORD, as I mentioned, and I said, 'Well, when are you doing auditions?' And then there was, like, a ten-day window when I was coming home from when we were doing U.S. to Japan, or South America, or whatever. And I said, 'I'm not even home when you're gonna do these auditions.' And he said, 'We would get back together again and reschedule and make a special session if you wanted to do it another time.' And I said, 'Well, I have ten days. Send me the songs.' So then they send me three songs, and it's, like, 28 or 29 minutes' worth of music. And I'm thinking, 'God, that's a lot of music to learn for an audition.' And I totally understand it. Because they need to know. And they need to give the guys as much stuff as possible. "So I checked it out and I was, like, 'I don't even have time to learn this. I'm gonna have ten days when I get home,' and then I would have to have everybody wait for two months for me to get back. And then I thought, 'What's even going on here? Is Mike [Portnoy] out completely?' And I thought to myself, 'Surely he's gonna be back in the band at some point.'
06 min read

SOUNDGARDEN To Tour Without Drummer MATT CAMERON

Manos Spanos
Drummer Matt Cameron of reunited grunge legends SOUNDGARDEN will sit out the band's live appearances in 2014 due to his commitments as a member of PEARL JAM. In a statement posted earlier today (Friday, November 15) on SOUNDGARDEN's web site, Cameron wrote: "I will be taking 2014 off from SOUNDGARDEN touring due to prior commitments promoting [PEARL JAM's album] 'Lightning Bolt' with my brothers in PEARL JAM and the desire to have more time at home with my family. I am trying to balance the many twists and turns of my awesome music career. This is temporary. I am still an active member of SOUNDGARDEN." Cameron added that he is helping his SOUNDGARDEN bandmates — Chris Cornell (vocals, guitar), Ben Shepherd (bass) and Kim Thayil (guitar) — find "the perfect substitute for the upcoming SOUNDGARDEN dates in 2014." SOUNDGARDEN is scheduled to play at Lollapalooza festivals in Chile, Argentina and Brazil in the spring and has confirmed several German concerts in June. SOUNDGARDEN's very first record releases are being reissued on CD, double vinyl and as a digital set on November 26 via Sub Pop Records. The set will include the band's entire debut EP, "Screaming Life", as well as bonus tracks from its "Fopp" EP and songs that appeared on the "Sub Pop 200" compilation, all initially issued in the late Eighties. "King Animal", the first collection of all-new material in 16 years from SOUNDGARDEN, and first since the group reunited in 2010, sold 83,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 5 on The Billboard 200 chart. The effort arrived in stores on November 13, 2012 via Tom Whalley's new record label, a partnership between his Seven Four Entertainment and Republic Records.
02 min read

MEGADETH: VIP Ring Offered During U.S. Tour

Manos Spanos
A special MEGADETH VIP ring featuring the band's mascot, Vic Rattlehead,will be a part of the special Ultimate VIP package during the group's U.S. tour. The Ultimate VIP Packages for MEGADETH's U.S. tour include a Dave Mustaine Peace Sells VMNT Dean Guitar, concert ticket, meet-and-greet with the band, MEGADETH VIP Ring, signed copy of "Super Collider", VIP laminate, commemorative VIP ticket, priority check-in, pre-show party, prizes and more. MEGADETH's tour with FEAR FACTORY and NONPOINT kicks off on November 23 in St. Paul, Minnesota. For more information, visit Megadeth.com. MEGADETH's latest album, "Super Collider", has sold around 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). In a recent interview with The Rock Pit, Mustaine stated about the current lineup of MEGADETH: "I think if you ask any of us, they will all tell you this is their favorite period and the great thing is with Chris Broderick (guitar) being around for a while it's pretty significant with him. and Shawn Drover (drums) has been around longer — he's seen more — but when we got David Ellefson (bass) coming back in and he's saying this is the best that he's ever seen it and he's the one that's seen some pretty big successes among us in MEGADETH so for him to say that just shows you that things are on the rise for MEGADETH again. I'm totally excited."
02 min read

MASTODON Launches ‘Black Tongue’ Beer

Manos Spanos
Atlanta progressive metallers MASTODON have teamed up with the the London, England-based Signature Brew to create Black Tongue, an 8.3% Double Black IPA named after one of the band's songs. Signature Brew's description: "Rumbling smoky notes are offset by the elixir of misbehaving punchy hops. Mosaic and Magnum hops to the front, with Carafa Special 3 Malt and Pale on the baseline, this is our biggest and most powerful creation to date. The band wanted to create a 'pallet crusher' and that's certainly what has been delivered. A beer for enjoying slowly, letting the bombardment of flavour and intensity hit your tongue and explode with every sip." For more information, go to this location. Launched in August 2011, Signature Brew works with musicians to create custom brews tailored to the artists' specific tastes. According to Bloomberg, the idea behind Signature Brew is simple: Let a band sample a range of beers, write down what its members like and don't like, and then create a brew specifically for them.
01 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.