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Manos Spanos

New MOTÖRHEAD Song Featured In VANS’ Rowley Pro Lite Commercial

Manos Spanos
A new MOTÖRHEAD song titled "Knife" is featured in the commercial for Vans' Rowley Pro Lite shoes. Check it out below. "Knife" comes off MOTÖRHEAD's 21st studio album, "Aftershock", which sold 11,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 22 on The Billboard 200 chart. MOTÖRHEAD's previous CD, 2011's "The Wörld Is Yours", opened with 7,000 units to enter the chart at No. 94. The band's 2008 effort, "Motörizer", premiered with 6,400 copies to debut at No. 82, while 2006's "Kiss Of Death" registered a first-week tally of 3,500. "Aftershock" was recorded at NRG Studios in North Hollywood, California and is described in a press release as "a true leveler, a crushing confirmation of everything MOTÖRHEAD stands for, marching from the dust storm to deliver 14 belting statements which see MOTÖRHEAD in perhaps their best writing form for years. There's swagger, there's punch, there's speed and there’s dirty filthy grooves, Lemmy Kilmister, Phil Campbell and Mikkey Dee showing clearly that MOTÖRHEAD is not simply a band, it's a genre!" MOTÖRHEAD canceled a handful of shows on its European festival tour in August afterLemmy suffered a haematoma (where blood collects outside of a blood vessel). The news ofLemmy's latest medical issue followed reports that he was also recently fitted with a defibrillator because of heart problems. The band has since also postponed a European headlining tour which was scheduled to kick off in November.
01 min read

PROTEST THE HERO: ‘Underbite’ Video Released

Manos Spanos
"Underbite", the new video from Canada's PROTEST THE HERO, can be seen below. The song comes off the band's fourth studio album, "Volition", which sold around 11,400 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 20 on The Billboard 200 chart. The long-awaited follow-up to 2011's "Scurrilous" (Vagrant), "Volition" was licensed to series of worldwide partners who are helping distribute and market it to both traditional stores alongside digital service providers, thus making the new record available on a worldwide scale. PROTEST THE HERO and Razor & Tie joined forces for the United States, while the album was released in Canada through Sony Music and in the rest of the word via Spinefarm. "Volition" track listing: 01. Clarity 02. Drum-Head Trial 03. Tilting Against Windmills 04. Without Prejudice 05. Yellow Teeth 06. Plato's Tripartite 07. A Life Embossed 08. Mist 09. Underbite 10. Animal Bones 11. Skies The cover artwork can be seen below. After the departure of longtime drummer Moe Carlson, PROTEST THE HERO enlisted LAMB OF GOD's Chris Adler to sit behind the kit for the recording sessions of "Volition". Now with extensive touring on the horizon, PROTEST THE HERO has decided to fill the slot permanently with Mike Ieradi.
01 min read

CRYSTAL TEARS: ‘Out Of The Shadows’ Video Released

Manos Spanos
"Out Of The Shadows" comes off CRYSTAL TEARS' third album, "Hellmade", which will be released this winter via Massacre Records. The CD was recorded with producer Roberto Dimitri Liapakis (MYSTIC PROPHECY, SUICIDAL ANGELS, DEVIL'S TRAIN) and was mixed and mastered at Prophecy & Music Factory Studios in Germany. The cover artwork was designed by Siege Ind, who has previously worked with SCAR SYMMETRY, SUICIDE SILENCEand BLEED FROM WITHIN. CRYSTAL TEARS was formed in the late '90s in Greece and issued several demos before the arrival of the band's debut album, "Choirs Of Immortal", in 2006 via Pure Steel Records. It didn't take long until they shared stages with bands such as W.A.S.P., RIOT and JAG PANZER. CRYSTAL TEARS has left its mark as one of Greece's best heavy metal acts and has proven to be a persistent, innovative and unstoppable force. Their musical roots can be traced back to the good ol' heavy metal of the '80s up to modern metal. CRYSTAL TEARS recently announced the addition of Danish singer Søren Adamsen (ex-ARTILLERY) and Hungarian guitarist Matt Nagy to the group's ranks. New CRYSTAL TEARS lineup: Søren Adamsen - Vocals Kostas Sotos - Guitar Mate Nagy - Guitar Alex Hamalidis - Bass Chrisafis Tantanozis - Drums CRYSTAL TEARS is working on the first of two videos in support of the new album. The band's last CD, "Generation X", was released in June 2010 via 7Hard.
02 min read

‘South Park’ Uses VAN HALEN To Unite Christians, Jews, And Muslims

Manos Spanos
VAN HALEN helped usher in peace on Earth during the "Ginger Cow" episode of "South Park", which aired last night. In the episode, Jews, Muslims, and Christians finally come together in total harmony, and the only song worthy of such a profound commemoration is is a rocking version of "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love". Check out the clip below. Earlier in the year, VAN HALEN singer David Lee Roth gave an interview to Rolling Stone in which he expressed his desire to work on fresh material with Eddie Van Halen and tour outside the U.S., saying, "We have an audience and we have a potential future in many, many places . . . I don't know where the VAN HALEN future lies aside from the States." The band has been touring in support of its February 2012 release, "A Different Kind Of Truth", which was its first album with Roth in 28 years.
01 min read

Second RONNIE JAMES DIO Limited-Edition Statue Coming From KnuckleBonz

Manos Spanos
The Ronnie James Dio II Rock Iconz statue is the second limited edition collectible created by KnuckleBonz. This statue of Dio is slated to ship for holiday 2013 and stands approximately nine inches tall and is hand-painted and numbered. This is an extremely limited edition of only 1000 created worldwide. The Dio II Rock Iconz statue comes with a certificate of authenticity. The figure is officially licensed through Niji Entertainment. For more information, visit KnuckleBonz.com. The first Ronnie James Dio limited-edition statue was made available in December 2010. "We learned that Ronnie wanted to work on a statue project before he fell ill. We are honored that Wendy Dio and his management called on us for this project," Tony Simerman, president and creative director of KnuckleBonz, Inc., stated at the time. "It's been a real pleasure to work with Ronnie's family and the people at Niji on this project. "I was a fan of Ronnie's very early and owned all the original RAINBOW records. I was fortunate enough to see him out in front of SABBATH. Ronnie James Dio was one of the greatest live performers I have ever seen." KnuckleBonz creates hi-end sculpture that features rock's most highly influential artists. Dedicated to honoring rocks greatest through master artistry, KnuckleBonz established the music-based sculpture series Rock Iconz.
01 min read

JON DETTE Performs With ICED EARTH For First Time (Video)

Manos Spanos
For the remainder of ICED EARTH's European tour with VOLBEAT, Jon Dette (SLAYER,TESTAMENT, ANTHRAX) is sitting behind the drums, taking over for Raphael Saini, who filled in during the summer festivals, the recording of ICED EARTH's new album, and the club leg of the VOLBEAT tour. Dette made his live debut with ICED EARTH last night (Wednesday, November 6) at O2 World in Berlin, Germany. Fan-filmed video footage of the concert can be seen below. Commented ICED EARTH: "Raphael came in and helped us out of a tight spot this summer with a full schedule of festivals, a new album to finish, and no room for diversion on the schedule. He came in and delivered and we are very grateful for that. We wish him all the best for his future endeavours." Added Raphael: "When I had the chance to join ICED EARTH for their summer festivals and the new album, I couldn't say no: I was really excited even though I knew that it was going to be something temporary. "I am honored to be part of the band's history, an amazing album, and to have worked with some supremely talented musicians. My journey will continue, there's more to come." ICED EARTH earlier in the year parted ways with drummer Brent Smedley for "personal family reasons." ICED EARTH will release its new album, "Plagues Of Babylon", in January 2014 via Century Media Records. The cover artwork was created and illustrated by Eliran
01 min read

MICHAEL SCHENKER’S TEMPLE OF ROCK: New Song ‘Neptune Rising’ Available For Streaming

Manos Spanos
"Neptune Rising", a brand new song from MICHAEL SCHENKER'S TEMPLE OF ROCK, can be streamed using the SoundCloud player below. The track comes off MICHAEL SCHENKER'S TEMPLE OF ROCK's new album, "Bridge The Gap", which will be released on December 2. MICHAEL SCHENKER'S TEMPLE OF ROCK features legendary German guitarist Michael Schenker alongside vocalist Doogie White, guitarist/keyboardist Wayne Findlay, bassistFrancis Buchholz and drummer Herman Rarebell. The CD marks the first time Schenker and fellow ex-SCORPIONS members Buchholz and Rarebell have appeared on the same album since the classic 1979 SCORPIONS LP "Lovedrive". Says Schenker about "Neptune Rising": "'Neptune Rising' is a song I wrote in the studio. It's about Wayne Findlay. He reminds me of a Neptune with his crazy hair and beard. One day I had this vision of seeing him with the Trident coming out of the ocean. Wayne loves water and the undersea world. So, I suggested that we design a guitar that looks like a Trident. The guitar is almost completed and will be called Trident and will be seen on our next tour." "Bridge The Gap" is described in a press release as "an album of 13 hard-hitting, adrenalin-fueled melodic rock'n'roll songs that showcase Shenker's distinctive and explosive guitar playing." Scottish vocalist Doogie White, who co-wrote the album with Schenker, soars across every song, and stamps his enthusiastic personality with every note and phrase. Wayne Findlayadds another dimension to the dynamic, classic Schenker sound with his Dean seven-string guitar and keyboard orchestrations. "Bridge The Gap" is a thunderous, explosive collection of brand new songs steeped in shades of dark and light. Musically and lyrically, the new album shows a re-energized guitarist at the top of his game, surrounded by top drawer musicians. The album was recorded from January to March 2013 at Kidroom Studios, Germany and was produced by Michael Schenker and Michael Voss, and engineered by Voss. "Michael and I had talked about recording an album together after the tour of 2012," saysDoogie White. "We never spoke about it again until January 2013 when he sent me seven ideas he had been working on. "Last October, I started writing the music for the new album," adds Schenker. "I sent material to Doogie in the New Year and he started writing melodies and lyrics. I laid down some arrangements at Michael Voss's studio. There was a lot of energy flying about during the recording process. I had the same drive making this album as I had when I was 16. I wanted it fast, heavy and melodic. It felt like bridging the gap from my teenage and 'Lovedrive' years to what I am doing now. I'm back to where I was a long time ago and I love it." "Never having really written with Michael before, apart from 'When The Devil Knows You're Dead' (from 2011's 'Temple Of Rock' album), I didn't know how flexible he would be writing wise," recalls Doogie." I laid down some vocal tracks as ideas and when Michael heard them. we were off and running. Within two weeks we were in the studio laying down tracks." Schenker admits that when he wrote this album, he tried to get a balance between songs that are heavy, fast and melodic, complimented by his signature guitar solos. "I wanted to combine the old with the new," he says. "That's why the album's called 'Bridge The Gap'. With Wayne playing seven-string guitar we created some low, heavy modern sounds. Since I play and experiment on a regular basis, I always have some new, fresh sparks to share when I record a new album. I am inspired from within. It's infinite like a kaleidoscope." "As former members of the SCORPIONS, Herman, Francis and I have been out of the loop of rock'n'roll for quite a while. Getting together for the first time since the 'Lovedrive' album is an incredible jump. We're connecting the past with the present. We're bridging the gap." Schenker remains philosophical about the name of the new album. He believes the name reflects what is going on in the fast-moving world around him. "Everything that is currently going on in this world is showing that people are desperate for change," he says. "We need to bridge the gap of poverty. There are too many innocent people getting killed in terrorist attacks. We need to leave all of this chaos behind us. We have to be strong. We have to continue moving forward, working together in a balanced way." Schenker is amazed how melodic the new album turned out, but he still insists the songs still feature a bit of darkness as well. "I came up with the name of the album, before I even started writing. When Doogie started writing the lyrics to the new songs he had something to go by. I guess 'Bridges Burned' is a new song that is something of a word play on 'Bridge The Gap'. I love this song. Doogie's singing is excellent on this." "'Horizons' is a really powerful and exciting track from the new album," says Schenker. "I love the energy and Doogie's great vocal lines."
07 min read

TURISAS: ‘Turisas2013’ Track-By-Track Breakdown (Video)

Manos Spanos
A track-by-track breakdown of "Turisas2013", the new album from Finnish "battle metal" warriors TURISAS, can be seen below. Released on August 26 in Europe and September 3 in North America, the CD was once again produced by vocalist Mathias Nygård and the majority of the album was recorded by Nygård and guitarist Jussi Wickström in a remote house outside of Helsinki that served as the "Turisas2013" command center and headquarters. Additional recordings were done in three other studios: the drums at Atomic Spa Studio and orchestral recordings at 5 by 5 Studio, both in Helsinki. A lot of vocals and numerous additional acoustic elements were laid down at Sound Supreme Studio in Hämeenlinna where TURISASalso recorded "The Varangian Way" and "Stand Up And Fight". "Turisas2013" track listing: 01. For Your Own Good (4:34) 02. Ten More Miles (4:16) 03. Piece by Piece (5:37) 04. Into The Free (3:50) 05. Run Bhang-Eater, Run! (4:43) 06. Greek Fire (4:51) 07. The Days Passed (4:33) 08. No Good Story Ever Starts With Drinking Tea (2:51) 09. We Ride Together (6:33) Says vocalist Mathias Nygård: "'Turisas2013' is a very diverse album: it has some of the heaviest and fastest tracks that we've ever done, but 'For Your Own Good' comes more from the lighter end. It's a very catchy song and we hope you'll enjoy the track that we picked to give you a very first taste of the many flavors to come." With "Turisas2013", TURISAS deliberately aimed for a more organic sound. Comments Nygård: "When it comes to the production, it's just the opposite of the polished and massive 'Stand Up And Fight'. It's raw and dry and in your face, but still maintaining thatTURISAS largeness. "People attest us that we are a great live band, and we wanted the album to be based more around that than orchestral massiveness. It's our most varied record to date and even if some of the songs sound very different, I think the common thread is that every single one has a lot of energy to it." The mix and mastering was done by London-based producer Jaime Gomez Arellano, who previously worked with GHOST, PRIMODIAL and ULVER, just to name a few.
02 min read

GEOFF TATE On QUEENSRŸCHE: ‘I Just Can’t Give It Up. It’s Me. It’s Who I Am.’

Manos Spanos
Shawn Perry of VintageRock.com recently conducted an interview with QUEENSRŸCHE singer Geoff Tate. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below. VintageRock.com: Earlier this year, you released an album, "Frequency Unknown", which I believe was the first album of yours under the QUEENSRŸCHE name without the members of the other QUEENSRŸCHE. And I read that there were some issues early on with the mix, which were later resolved. But overall, were you pleased with that record? I've been listening to it and it sounds really good to me. Tate: Yeah, yeah, [I'm] very pleased with it. It was a really fun record to make. I had a lot of help making it, you know, a lot of different people coming in and contributing their performances for the record. That was really, really fun. I loved doing that. I'm a collaborator; I love collaborating with people. I had a lot of great players come in and do their spin to the song, which was really, really fun. VintageRock.com: Are you preparing a follow-up to the album? Tate: Yeah, we're working on a new record now. I'm about … I don't really know where I'm at with it. I'm in bulk writing mode where I write every day and put ideas down in a rough form and typically I'll go back after a few months of doing that and see what I have and then piece together an album out of good ideas that I've got recorded. VintageRock.com: As I'm sure you're aware, the other QUEENSRŸCHE released a record this year. I don't suppose you heard that or listened to it at all, did you? Tate: No, but I heard they released one. VintageRock.com: It gets a little confusing with there being two QUEENSRŸCHEs and I did read in a recent interview with you where you discussed the issue of who gets to keep the name, and that whole issue will be resolved next year. Is that correct? Tate: Yeah. We have a court date that was set for November that recently got pushed back to January. So that's when our actual court date will happen, is at the end of January. VintageRock.com: Why is it important to you to keep that name? Tate: Well for me, it's my life's work. It's…what you hear when you listen to a QUEENSRŸCHErecord is my ideas. My hopes, my dreams, my fears, my fantasies — all the stuff that is me is in those records and those songs. I've worked tirelessly over the years to protect the name, to bring value to the name, and I just can't give it up. It's me. It's who I am. VintageRock.com: Do you have any sentiment for the other guys — do you miss playing with them at all? Or are you just kind of moving forward and you're digging playing with new guys? What's your feeling on that? Tate: Oh, I'm really interested in playing with the guys I'm playing with now. They're all really fantastic musicians and we have a generally good time when were on the road. It's a bunch of personalities that really work well together. And I'm just digging it. It's a happy scene. VintageRock.com: That's the important thing, right? Tate: Yeah, it is. It's no fun to go to work and not get along with the people that you're working with. It's much better if you're hanging out with people for days on end and hours on end to be able to laugh and have a good time and enjoy life. Read the entire interview at VintageRock.com.
03 min read

BEHEMOTH To Release ‘Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel’ Single, Video; First Teaser Available

Manos Spanos
A teaser for "Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel", the brand new video from Polish extreme metallers BEHEMOTH, can be seen below. The song will be released as a digital single and limited-edition 12-inch EP on December 4 via Behemoth/New Aeon Musick in Europe. The gatefold EP will be limited to 2,000 copies (1,000 on white and 1,000 on black 180-gram vinyl), all of which will be hand numbered and signed by the BEHEMOTH bandmembers. In addition to the title track, the single will include two more compositions that will not appear onBEHEMOTH's tenth full-length album, "The Satanist": "If I Were Cain" and a cover of"Ludzie Wschodu" from the influential 1980s Polish punk rock band SIEKIERA. The music video for "Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel", which was described by BEHEMOTHfrontman Adam "Nergal" Darski as "killer" and "a monster," was directed by Polish producersGrupa 13, with whom BEHEMOTH previously collaborated on the clips for "At The Left Hand Ov God" and "Ov Fire And The Void". Fan-filmed video footage of BEHEMOTH performing "Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel" during their October 19 appearance at this year's edition of the Loud Park festival at Saitama Super Arena in Tokyo, Japan can be seen below. "The Satanist" is due in early 2014 via Nuclear Blast in Europe and Metal Blade in North America. The CD was recorded at Hertz studio in Bialystok, Poland with the help of theWieslawscy brothers and Daniel Bergstrand (MESHUGGAH, IN FLAMES, SOILWORK,STRAPPING YOUNG LAD). Other songtitles set to appear on the effort include "Messe Noir"(French for "The Black Mass") and "Ora Pro Nobis, Lucifer" (Latin for "Pray For Us, Lucifer"). The effort was mixed by Matt Hyde (SLAYER, HATEBREED, CHILDREN OF BODOM) and was mastered by Ted Jensen (METALLICA, AC/DC) at Sterling Sound in New York City. "The Satanist" cover artwork was painted with Nergal's own blood. He provided a container of his plasma to Russian symbolist painter Denis Forkas in Moscow. Forkas then blended the blood into the painting so that it would have a more "organic" feel. Additional artwork was handled by Metastazis and Zbigniew Bielak. "I wanted to incorporate some of my DNA into the art," Nergal told Australia's Heavymagazine. "This album seems to be so defining of who we are now as people and as individuals, and considering all the instances in recent years, [we wanted] to make it more 'ours' than it is usually." In a recent interview with Revolver magazine, Darski described BEHEMOTH's new songs as "very atmospheric" and "very emotional." "Think BURZUM meets NEW ORDER meets KILLING JOKE," he added. But at the same time, fans shouldn't expect the album to sound too far removed from BEHEMOTH's past efforts. "Take SLAYER, for example," Darski said. "Whatever genre they deal with, they still end up sounding like SLAYER. Even when they were flirting with nu-metal, it was a SLAYER record. Same with BEHEMOTH."
04 min read

Manos Spanos

Manos Spanos (Metalpaths' co-editor-in-chief), eight years in this site but still can't be characterised as a metalhead.