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Manos Spanos

EYEHATEGOD Announces New Drummer

Manos Spanos
Following an intensely moving Joey LaCaze tribute performance at the first annual Housecore Horror Film Festival this past weekend, a set which featured Dale Crover from the mighty MELVINS holding down the drum kit, EYEHATEGOD continues moving forward with new drummer Aaron Hill. Hill comes by way of New Orleans' local acts MISSING MONUMENTS and MOUNTAIN OF WIZARD. Hill will play his first official show with EYEHATEGOD tonight at the world famous House Of Shock with horror surf band THE UNNATURALS. From there, the band will ride on to take Columbus' Arosa Villa on November 1 and bring things to a chaotic close with two back-to-back nights of mischief at Chicago's Cobra Lounge November 2 and November 3. Later next month, EYEHATEGOD will stomp their way through Brooklyn, New York; West Chester, Pennsylvania; and Quincy, Massachusetts; with additional live takeovers to be announced in the weeks to come. The ever-elusive new EYEHATEGOD LP is moving closer to release, with mixes being done by renowned sound wizard Sanford Parker as we speak. LaCaze passed away on August 23 in New Orleans after a very successful five-week U.K. and European tour with EYEHATEGOD. He also performed ceremonial voodoo drumming and in numerous solo experimental electronic projects. Doctors confirmed to family members the cause as respiratory failure. He also suffered from severe long-term asthma.
01 min read

EXODUS To Enter Studio In February, Says GARY HOLT

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Bay Area Backstage conducted an interview with SLAYER touring members Gary Holt (guitar, also of EXODUS) and Paul Bostaph (drums) before the band's October 30 concert in San Joese, California. You can now watch the chat below. Asked about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the next EXODUS album, Holt said: "This [SLAYER] tour runs 'till… I get home December 1, and I've been writing for the last several months. Actually, I go home tomorrow for one day, then fly to Seattle. So when I resume this tour, I'm bringing my recording gear with me and continuing to work in hotel rooms. We're tentatively slated to start recording the next EXODUS February 1, and it's crushing — it's ridiculously fast and heavy. It's been a long time coming, so people, they're hungry and they're tired of waiting. So it's gonna be a pleasant surprise." EXODUS recently completed a European tour of 17 cities, with stops in Barcelona, Dublin, London and more. Although SLAYER tapped the talents of guitarist Gary Holt for their European tour, Holt performed at select EXODUS dates. When Holt was not performing with EXODUS, HEATHEN guitarist Kragen Lum was filling in on guitar. EXODUS' latest album, "Exhibit B: The Human Condition", was released in North America on May 18, 2010 via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD sold around 4,600 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 114 on The Billboard 200 chart. EXODUS' previous album, "The Atrocity Exhibition: Exhibit A", opened with 3,600 units back in October 2007.
01 min read

KERRY KING Says ‘Fans Aren’t Ready’ For GARY HOLT To Contribute Material To SLAYER

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SLAYER guitarist Kerry King spoke to Canada's Metro about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's 12th studio album — the group's first since guitarist and founding member Jeff Hanneman died of liver failure on May 2. "To me, it will be business as usual as it can be," King said. "Usually by the time any idea was presented, I'd have finished it or Jeff would have it finished, so they were essentially finished songs. We'll just move forward like that. "Musically, I'm sitting on roughly 14 tunes that we can pick from and I've finished seven of those lyrically. I'm way ahead of the game compared to where I was for 'World Painted Blood' [the band's 2009 album]." Asked if SLAYER's current touring guitarist Gary Holt — who is also the lead axeman in San Francisco Bay Area's EXODUS — will play on the new SLAYER album, Kerry said: "I've told Gary that I'd like him to play some leads, just to keep it interesting. "We've always been a two-guitar attack, so if you're looking to have a segment like the 'Angel Of Death' lead trade-off, you can't do that with one guitar. "As far as Gary being a contributing writer, number one, fans aren't ready for it, and number two, that's like throwing somebody to the wolves. "I think if there's another record after this one and Gary is still with us at that point, I think that will be a time where I say, ‘Hey dude, feel free to throw any riffs my way if you're interested'." Regarding how the new SLAYER material is shaping up and whether fans can expect any surprises on the next album, Kerry said: "Fans don't want you to change. "How many fans do you think METALLICA pissed off when they did 'Load' and 'Reload'? "People like SLAYER because it's SLAYER. "You grow as a musician within your genre, not try and flip genres and become something else." In a recent interview with LA Weekly, King commented on the possibility of SLAYER's next album featuring previously unused material that was written by Hanneman prior to his death. "There's been musicians historically that passed on and had a lot of stuff put out that was unreleased during their lives," he said. "But most of it was unreleased for a reason. I don't want the last thing for people to hear from Jeff be mediocre." For his part, SLAYER bassist/vocalist Tom Araya has expressed more optimism about the prospect of the band's next effort containing some of Jeff's final ideas. "I would want to do that," Tom told Steppin' Out magazine about revisiting Hanneman's material. "When we did 'World Painted Blood', there was a Jeff composition that didn't make it on the album. We were working on trying to put that song together lyrically, but it wasn't happening, so it got shelved. But it's a great song, it's complete. We've just got to finish it lyrically. He also put a song together about a month before he passed away that I thought sounded great. His guitar abilities weren't all there, but you could hear what he was trying to do. He gave me an idea of where he wanted the verses and how he was phrasing the song."
03 min read

MACHINE HEAD: Previously Unreleased Demo Versions Of ‘Through The Ashes’ Songs Posted Online

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MACHINE HEAD frontman Robb Flynn has uploaded demo versions of the band's songs"Imperium", "Days Turn Blue To Gray" and "Descend The Shades Of Night" to the group's official YouTube channel. The final tracks were included on MACHINE HEAD's "Through The Ashes Of Empires" album, which celebrated its tenth anniversary earlier this week. In the latest installment of his online blog, "The General Journals: Diary Of A Frontman... And Other Ramblings", Flynn offered up a lengthy explanation for how the demo recordings came to life. "In May of 2002, not long after we finished the 'Supercharging America' tour, our-then-guitarist Ahrue Luster quit the band," Flynn wrote. "It seems weird even talking about theAhrue era of the band as feels like a lifetime ago, probably because it WAS a lifetime ago! Literally thousands of bands have come and gone from that era he was with us ('98-'02). We get on fine now, so I don't have anything negative to say about him other than he was just really a bizarre choice to get in the band. However, to his credit, he did bring in a some cool songs ('Blood, Sweat And Tears', parts of 'The Burning Red', parts of 'Silver' and 'Blank Generation'), but yeah, when he quit no one in the band was surprised, and most Head Cases [MACHINE HEAD fans] just went, 'Meh.' "Once he was gone, we decided to continue as a three-piece and to write and record the next album that way. It was a good decision as we weren't interested in bringing in another person, and truthfully, we couldn't think of anyone off hand if we wanted to. We figured we'd cross that bridge when touring came up, and guess what? We had some pending European festival dates coming up in June. Someone (possibly [then-bassist] Adam [Duce] or our managerJoseph [Huston]) brought up getting my old VIO-LENCE guitarist, drinking buddy and partner in crime Phil Demmel to fill in for the dates. Phil was recently back on our radar as Adam had filled in playing bass for VIO-LENCE in the summer of 2001. But Phil playing with us? At first I wasn't into the idea. After I'd quit VIO-LENCE, there was a long period where Phil and I didn't talk, things didn't end on a good note, and I blamed him for a lot of it. On top of that, I had also taken a personal vow to never to mention VIO-LENCE in interviews, advertisements, album covers, ANYTHING related to MACHINE HEAD. I wanted MACHINE HEAD to stand or fall on its own merits and I wouldn't use my previous band in any way to help sell or sink it. "When VIO-LENCE broke up, [Demmel's] next band TORQUE opened for MACHINE HEAD a few times, and later his next band TECHNOCRACY would open some shows too, but we didn't really hang out anymore. It wasn't until almost eight years later than him and I had a real heart to heart (leaving an Oakland Raiders game) that we cleared the air, and after that, we hung out a lot. Usually at football games or shows. "Once I was on board, we decided to see what he'd say, so Adam reached out to him (viaAOL AIM... anyone remember that?) and Phil came back and said, 'Yes.' In fact, he told us that it would be perfect as he had decided he was retiring from the music business. He'd been doing it for 10 years since VIO-LENCE ended and he was frustrated. He had been married for a while, had a long-standing steady job and the band thing hadn't been working so what better way to end his music career than by jamming with one of his favorite bands? His choice was a good one, he'd be jamming with his old friends, touring the world for two weeks where he'd be playing over Rob Halford and Bruce Dickinson, headlining festivals to 20,000 people and then go and settle down. "It was perfect situation. We didn't want a band member and he didn't want to join a band and it was a simple agreement. Phil wheeled his stuff over from the VIO-LENCE rehearsal room (they'd recently reunited and had done a string of weekend shows, but were also getting ready to retire) and when we jammed together, it was just awesome! There was a chemistry. Something was different about the energy in the room. We all felt it. "And while I felt something, I didn't voice it, I didn't want to. "We went on tour and the first show was in Dublin, Ireland with EVILE and GAMA BOMBopening. The show was nutzo!!! About halfway through the show, I looked to my right and thought, 'Hey, I remember that guy!' There he was, stage right muggin' it up and smiling like a Cheshire cat every chance he got. The next show was a 'secret' TEN TON HAMMER show in London at The Garage (or as the Brits say 'the gair-ige') and hanging out on that small stage, jamming cover songs, annihilated on vodka, having onstage chug-a-lugs with hammered fans, and playing to a frankly insane group of Head Cases, there was something happening, something real, a connection. "And it wasn't OK to talk about it... "Because he was retiring... "And we didn't want someone in the band...
016 min read

ANTHRAX Has Seven New Songs Arranged Musically

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According to a post on the official web site of ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian, drummer Charlie Benante, bassist Frank Bello and Ian are "working hard" on material for the next ANTHRAXalbum. Ian writes: "We've had a couple of writing sessions and things are moving along well — fast for us, actually. We've got seven songs arranged musically and we're getting together again in a week and a half." He adds: "The new stuff is aggressive, fast, even riffier than the last record and some of it is difficult to play. Nothing like writing parts that are above my ability as a guitar player! When that happens, the drill sergeant in my brain yells, 'PRACTICE, YOU LAZY FUCK!' So I do. And I nail that shit. "I'm just getting into lyrics, songtitles, nothing to talk about yet." Benante recently spent time recovering from surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome. He rejoined his bandmates for their September 13 performance at "The Battle Of San Bernardino" festival in San Bernardino, California alongside IRON MAIDEN, MEGADETH, TESTAMENT, OVERKILLand SABATON. The first photo of the new ANTHRAX lineup — featuring the band's latest addition, guitaristJon Donais (SHADOWS FALL) — can be seen below (photo by Stephanie Cabral). Donais has been touring with ANTHRAX since Rob Caggiano's departure in January, and will continue to play with ANTHRAX for the foreseeable future. Speaking to Metal Hammer editor Alexander Milas for the "Metal Hammer" radio show onTeamRock Radio, Ian stated about the band's current second-guitarist situation: "Jon's been with us since February, and I think I can safely say he's passed the audition… [laughs]. I know we haven't said anything official yet, but in my mind, he's the guy. I'm sure some type of official announcement… because in this world, people apparently need that kind of information so they can sleep well at night. But as far as I'm concerned, Jon is the guitar player inANTHRAX." Donais previously stated about playing with ANTHRAX: "I grew up on ANTHRAX, they're the thrash scene, they're one of the 'Big Four,' I'd be crazy to not want to play with them. Initially,Rob called and told me he was leaving the band, and asked if I'd be interested in filling in. ThenScott called me and everything fell into place." ANTHRAX's latest studio album, "Worship Music", has sold more than 100,000 copies in the United States since its September 2011 release. Photo credit: Stephanie Cabral
03 min read

SUICIDE SILENCE To Enter Studio Next Week

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California deathcore masters SUICIDE SILENCE will enter the studio next week to begin recording their new album with producer Steve Evetts (SEPULTURA, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, WARBRINGER). The group's first CD with new vocalist Eddie Hermida (ex-ALL SHALL PERISH) will be released next summer via Nuclear Blast Entertainment, a division of Nuclear Blast Records formed by Nuclear Blast owner Markus Staiger and former Roadrunner A&R chief Monte Conner. "This record will be the grittiest, most meaningful piece of work we've ever stood behind,” commented guitarist Mark Heylmun. “We cannot wait for everyone to hear it. "Steve Evetts is someone we've worked closely with for a long while, not only on 'The Black Crown', but also on some instrumental demos just prior to the tragedy last fall. Here we are a year later prepping to record the nastiest, heaviest, most disgusting work we've ever done. Expect the unexpected. This is for Mitch." An audio snippet of the SUICIDE SILENCE song "You Only Live Once" featuring Hermidacan be streamed in the YouTube clip below. SUICIDE SILENCE singer Mitch Lucker died November 1, 2012 after sustaining injuries in a motorcycle crash in Huntington Beach on Halloween night. According to the Los Angeles Times, Lucker struck a light pole near the intersection of Main and 13th streets and was thrown from his 2013 Harley Davidson. The motorcycle continued sliding south on Main Street and struck a northbound 2007 Nissan Titan pickup. Randy Blythe (LAMB OF GOD), Robb Flynn (MACHINE HEAD) and Max Cavalera(SOULFLY, CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, SEPULTURA) were among the "surprise" guests who performed with with the surviving members of SUICIDE SILENCE at a special show on December 21, 2012 at the Fox theater in Pomona, California as a tribute Mitch Lucker. All proceeds from the event went towards the education of Mitch's six-year-old daughter,Kenadee Lucker. The Pomona concert was professionally filmed for a DVD that is expected to surface before the end of the year. SUICIDE SILENCE is: Eddie Hermida - Vocals Chris Garza - Guitar Mark Heylmun - Guitar Alex Lopez - Drums Dan Kenny - Bass
02 min read

MALEVOLENT CREATION Completes Recording New Song ‘Corporate Weaponry’

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Florida-based death metal veterans MALEVOLENT CREATION have finished mixing a brand new song called "Corporate Weaponry". The track, which is currently being mastered by Eric Koondel, will be made available — along with the previously released new cut "Face Your Fear" — for download on iTunes and other online outlets within a few weeks. A full-length album will follow next year. "Face Your Fear", which can be streamed below, was recorded, produced and mixed at drummer Gus Rios' studio, Riversound Productions, except for the vocals, which were laid down with Jim Nickles at his Shredly Studios. "This is only one song of many Phil [Fasciana, guitar] and I are working on," Gus Rios toldDecibel back in August. "We are still debating how we are going to go about releasing new music. "For a band like ours, with 11 albums and more than 110 songs, it's just not making sense to record 10 new songs. We are thinking (still not 100%) that doing EPs might be the way. That way we can concentrate on writing five really good songs and play them all live as well. "We don't want to be a band that has to rely on its past. We want to write songs that are good enough that people will want to hear them live, as well as the 'classics.' And realistically, we would only do about five songs off of any new album anyway due to the extensive catalog." Regarding how MALEVOLENT CREATION has managed to retain its musical identity after going through so many lineup changes over the course of the last 20 years, Gus Rios told Rádio Evil: "Since 1997, pretty much every single MALEVOLENT CREATION song anybody's ever heard, me and Phil [Fasciana, guitar] actually wrote. I live in Fort Lauderdale, and so doesPhil, and that's the songwriting nucleus of MALEVOLENT. So as long as the two of us are still in the band, it's always gonna sound like MALEVOLENT CREATION, you know what I mean?! That's the consistency of the band — the primary songwriters. And then, of course, Brett[Hoffman, vocals]." MALEVOLENT CREATION's latest album, "Invidious Dominion", was released in August 2010 in North America via Nuclear Blast Records (in Europe through Massacre). The effort was made available in various territories as a regular CD; digipack with bonus material; and vinyl LP. "Invidious Dominion" was recorded at Mana Recording Studios (CANNIBAL CORPSE,VITAL REMAINS, GOATWHORE) in St. Petersburg, Florida with producer Erik Rutan (MORBID ANGEL, HATE ETERNAL, CANNIBAL CORPSE). The CD's cover art was created by renowned artist Pär Olofsson (THE FACELESS, IMMORTAL, ABYSMAL DAWN).
03 min read

TARJA TURUNEN: ‘500 Letters’ Video Released

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"500 Letters", the new video from former NIGHTWISH singer Tarja Turunen, can be seen below. Shot in Tigre, near Buenos Aires, Argentina by Florian Kaltenbach who also directed the clip for "Victim Of Ritual", the video is a new landmark in Tarja's video collection to date. For the first time in Tarja's history, the singer herself is the main character in the story line. No wonder, since "500 Letters" is, in many ways, Tarja's most private song ever. With its very personal songwriting and delicate topic, it offers a great emotional insight into the artist herself. Touching the sensitive topic of "stalkers," Tarja allows her fans a closer look into her thoughts. "500 Letters" is open to interpretation — being a mix of reality and fiction. The heavy-yet-highly-melodic song gets stuck in your mind after the first listen with its haunting melody and touching, exceptional vocals. Despite its very catchy key note, the bombastic sound still is full of darkness and dramatic structure and takes Tarja's songwriting one step further. "500 Letters" comes off Tarja's latest album, "Colours In The Dark", which came out in Europe on August 23 via earMUSIC. The CD was made available in North America on August 27 through Eagle Rock imprint Armoury Records. The cover artwork for "Colours In The Dark" was created by Dirk Rudolph and can be seen below. Despite her light and shiny personality, Tarja's music has always been dressed "in black" — the color of heavy rock, of mystery and elegance. With Tarja's new album, fans will find out what happens when a splice of color is added to the mix. Or — better said — when the full-color spectrum enters the picture it does not cover the black but makes it shine through with many emotions and landscapes. Mixed and mastered by Tim Palmer (PEARL JAM, U2) in Austin, Texas, the songs on "Colours In The Dark" do not shy away from taking a risk and surprising musical turns, introducing new sounds and new musical atmospheres. Still, they maintain a heaviness that will surely bring a big smile to the hardest of rockers. With its grand orchestra and choir arrangements, Tarja's next milestone emphasizes once again the impressive vocal range of the Finnish artist and shows her artistic growth. With ten brand new songs and over one hour of music, "Colours In The Dark" is definitely one of the brightest moments for rock in 2013. In a recent interview with the Music Legends web site, Turunen stated about her new CD: "I have just recently found my style and sound so I would like to establish it with the third studio album. The elements on the album will remain the same as in my previous albums, also the versatile style of songs. I like to keep the big dynamic changes between my songs, so that album songs feel radically different from each other." Tarja and her husband/manager Marcelo Cabuli recently became the parents of their first child.
03 min read

MORBID ANGEL’s ‘Covenant’: Full Dynamic Range Vinyl Preview (Video)

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"Covenant", the classic album from Floridian death metal legends MORBID ANGEL, is due to be reissued in Europe on limited edition Full Dynamic Range vinyl LP to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the LP's release. Originally issued in 1993, "Covenant" is the band's third album and has been specially remastered from the original tapes in Full Dynamic Range (FDR) audio, allowing the music's nuances to shine through and giving the album a more ferocious, immersive and dynamic sound than ever before. MORBID ANGEL vocalist/bassist David Vincent comments: "'Covenant' was and still remains a very important release in our career. "We are all excited to revisit this album in celebration of its 20th anniversary, both on stage and on wax. "For purists and vinyl aficionados alike, this new full dynamic master pressing is sure to illuminate the analog sonic fury that we captured in 1993." The vinyl will be available in the following quantities and colours: 100 - Green (Earache Webstore exclusive) ** 200 - Clear (Earache Webstore exclusive) ** 200 - Dark Blue with Light Blue Splatter * 300 - Clear with Black Marble * 300 - White with Black Splatter ** 400 - Clear with Red Marble ** 1400 - Black * * includes free sticker ** includes free sticker and slipmat The "Covenant" Full Dynamic Range vinyl is due to be released on November 4 through the Earache European webstore, and will also be available in limited quantities directly from the band on the band's "Covenant" 20th-anniversary U.S. tour. The vinyl will be available for pre-order on Friday, October 18 from the Earache webstore atthis location. The first look at the Full Dynamic Range edition of "Covenant" — which will also be released in Europe on iTunes on November 4 — can be seen below.
02 min read

VEIL OF MAYA Re-Signs With SUMERIAN RECORDS

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Chicago-based VEIL OF MAYA has re-signed with Sumerian Records, the label which the band has called its home since the group's inception. This comes on the heels of the band releasing the brand new, blistering track, "Subject Zero", which can be streamed in theYouTube clip below. The song will be available on iTunes, Google Play and Amazon MP3 on November 11. Don't miss VEIL OF MAYA on its North American fall tour starting November 8 withSTRUCTURES, NORTHLANE, VILDHJARTA and HERE COMES THE KRAKEN. VEIL OF MAYA states: "We are very happy to re-sign with Sumerian Records. We have built a long-lasting relationship with the people there, and believe that they are stronger than ever. We couldn't see our band going anywhere else after our history, so therefore Sumerian has been and will continue to be the label the band calls home. "As a band, we feel like we have grown tremendously. We are all ready, focused and want to put out the hardest material possible. "The new stuff that has been written is some of the best Veil yet. "We are really excited to see everyone out on our next headlining tour. We feel this tour is a great mix of bands, most of which haven't been to America before, so let's make sure they feel welcomed here. "We are stoked for everyone to hear the new track we just released and see what we have been preparing. "Expect a new VEIL OF MAYA full-length album in 2014 via Sumerian Records." Added Sumerian founder Ash Avildsen: "For years, VEIL OF MAYA has been a flagship heavy band for Sumerian and continues to play a crucial role in our progressive metal movement. I am very grateful and excited to have such a talented, hard-working and sagacious group of dudes in the family for many more years to come." VEIL OF MAYA's third full-length album, "Eclipse", was released in February 2012 viaSumerian Records. Produced by djent hero Misha Mansoor of PERIPHERY, the CD was previously described in a press release as "a stunningly concise yet diverse metal record, packed full of death-metal chops, tech-metal grooves, progressive arrangements and hardcore rip-yer-throat-out attitude."
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.