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Manos Spanos

SEPULTURA: Audio Samples Of ‘Mediator’ Album

Manos Spanos
Audio samples of six songs — "The Bliss of Ignorants", "Trauma Of War", "The Vatican", "Grief", "Manipulation Of Tragedy" and "Obsessed" — from "The Mediator Between Head And Hands Must Be The Heart", the new album from Brazilian/American metallers SEPULTURA, can be streamed in the YouTube clip below. The CD will be released on October 25 via Nuclear Blast Records. The artwork was created by Brazilian artist Alexandre Wagner, who specializes in charcoal drawing techniques. Guitarist Andreas Kisser commented on how he discovered the work of Alexandre Wagner. "It was through Silvio Bibika, who was my roadie for a long time," he said. "He always shows me things in general that SEPULTURA might need. Alexandre, who is from Belo Horizonte, Silvio showed me a year ago. So before we went to the United States, to record the album, I was at his house to talk about the cover, tell him the album title, talk about the concept of the film 'Metropolis', so he could do something original. But when I saw the picture with the drawing, I thought it was all about what we wanted and we did not need something new. I asked him to do a tribal S in the style of the cover. The S made by Alexandre will be on the back cover." Said Alexandre: "I did this series of charcoal drawing work when I still lived in Belo Horizonte. They were all made there. They were quick drawings without much reference, almost an experimentation that may have came from a desire to use the most basic of basic materials — coal, paper and wood. The cover design was already done, Andreas saw it and liked it. We talked a little more and I also sent some other pictures for the booklet. I was pleased with the choice of the theme of the album, I like Fritz Lang very much, and not only 'Metropolis'. 'Dr. Mabuse der Spieler' is a fucking great movie." As a Mineiro, from Belo Horizonte like SEPULTURA, Alexandre was glad to be part of the band’s history. "It's impossible to be from Belo Horizonte and not know the band," he said. "Some of their albums followed me for a long time, especially 'Chaos A.D.' I remember seeing 'Refuse/Resist' on TV and thinking it was wonderful. It’s really cool to work with the guys, being part of something together. It is somehow a shared history." "The Mediator Between Head And Hands Must Be The Heart" track listing: 01. Trauma Of War 02. The Vatican 03. Impending Doom 04. Manipulation Of Tragedy 05. Tsunami 06. The Bliss of Ignorants 07. Grief 08. The Age Of The Atheist 09. Obsessed 10. Da Lama ao Caos (CHICO SCIENCE & NAÇÃO ZUMBI cover) Although it was inspired by Fritz Lang's classic 1927 movie "Metropolis", the CD, "The Mediator Between Head And Hands Must Be The Heart" is not a concept album or a soundtrack like its precedessors "Dante XXI" (based on "The Divine Comedy") and "A-Lex" (based on "A Clockwork Orange"). "The Mediator Between The Head And Hands Must Be The Heart" was tracked over a 40-day period at producer Ross Robinson's (KORN, LIMP BIZKIT, SLIPKNOT) studio in Venice, California and is being mixed and mastered by co-producer Steve Evetts, who previously worked with SEPULTURA on
05 min read

Project Featuring MAX CAVALERA, GREG PUCIATO, TROY SANDERS Gets Name

Manos Spanos
The project featuring Max Cavalera (SOULFLY, ex-SEPULTURA), THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN frontman Greg Puciato, Dave Elitch (ex-THE MARS VOLTA) and Troy Sanders (MASTODON) has finally decided on a name: KILLER BE KILLED. The group recently inked a deal with Nuclear Blast for the release of its debut album, tentatively due in mid-2014. The CD is being recorded at Fortress Studio in Los Angeles, California with producer Josh Wilbur (LAMB OF GOD, GOJIRA). Talking to U.K.'s Terrorizer magazine, Max said about the new project: "Greg approached me kinda like how Alex [Newport; FUDGE TUNNEL] approached me to do NAILBOMB in that he was really, really trying to get me to do this project. I told him already I was pretty busy doing SOULFLY and CAVALERA CONSPIRACY [and] I was not really looking for an extra thing, but he was pretty insistent and then I just gave up and was, like, 'Let's fucking do this!' "It started with just me and Greg and then we got Dave Elitch — he's an amazing drummer — and then Greg knew Troy and we asked him to be the bassist so it kind of became a supergroup all of a sudden. We jammed a couple of times and the last jam we did it sounded killer; the songs are really powerful real heavy. It's hard to describe but I think the coolest thing about this project is that all three of us are going to sing on every song." Earlier this year, Puciato told Noisecreep about how the project started: "We were at a DEFTONES show in L.A. at the Palladium and we were talking backstage about old thrash metal, punk and hardcore and we found ourselves referencing many of the same things and we were like, 'Fuck, man, we should make a record together and do it as a one-off like NAILBOMB.' A month later, I talked to Max again and he said we should actually do that. "No one in metal makes collaborative records like people in jazz and hip-hop do. It doesn't have to be like a band that you're launching from the ground that you go on tour with. There is something to be said for collaboration and throwing yourself out there and learning something new from working with different people. Dave was a buddy of mine already and he's a phenomenal drummer. He was the first person I thought of to play drums. "We [DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN] spent a lot of time touring with MASTODON and Troy seemed like a really obvious fit. We had a really easy time writing. We can't release it right behind the DILLINGER record and we also have to figure out when the MASTODON record is coming out and the same for whatever Max is doing next. It's going to come out. It's just going to be a matter of logistics as to when."
03 min read

PESTILENCE Mainman Says His Songwriting Is ‘Inspired By Pop Music’

Manos Spanos
Raymond Westland of Ghost Cult Magazine recently conducted an interview with PESTILENCE mainman Patrick Mameli. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below. Ghost Cult Magazine: "Obsideo" is a logical continuation of the two previous PESTILENCE albums. To which extent is this a deliberate choice? Patrick: I can understand where you're coming from, but I don't see it that way. It would suggest that I'd listen to my own music to find something of a common thread. It's basically me trying to play my instrument to the best of my abilities. I guess the way I play and the music that subsequently comes out can be described as a certain style. When I play a certain guitar riff, it's instantly recognizable as PESTILENCE. A record is nothing more than a snap shot of a certain timeframe captured in music. I have Dave Haley (drums) and Georg Maier (bass) in my lineup and they have given my music a whole new creative angle. Ghost Cult Magazine: PESTILENCE have a distinctive technical edge, but it never gets in the way of writing well-rounded songs. How important is this for you? Patrick: It's very important and I'm not ashamed to say that I'm inspired by pop music in that sense. When you listen to really good pop and dance songs, they always revolve around a central theme and that's exactly why those songs stick in your head all day long. In death metal and metal in general, there's a tendency to put as many tempo changes and guitar riffs within a single composition. It's basically being technical just for the sake of it, instead of actually helping the song along. I use that principle from pop music in my own music as well. I really want people to discover a recognizable theme in my own music within 30 seconds. The guitar riffs I use for each song are fairly technical and intricate, but they never get in the way of a good song. Combine this with a solid groove and you have a high-caliber PESTILENCE track. Ghost Cult Magazine: Since you brought PESTILENCE back to life again, a lot of different musicians came and went. To which extent is this a deliberate policy?
03 min read

VOLBEAT: ‘The Nameless One’ Video Released

Manos Spanos
The video for the song "The Nameless One" from Danish/American metal rock 'n' rollers VOLBEAT can be seen below. The performance clip comes from the DVD portion of the "tour edition" of the band's "Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies" album, which will be released on November 4 in Europe and November 5 in North America. Red eyes are a current issue with the VOLBEAT camp. One reason could well be that VOLBEAT have been constantly on the road since 2010 when their "Beyond Hell, Above Heaven" album was released, while the second reason for the redness probably has to do with the band members rubbing their eyes in disbelief since the release of their fifth album, "Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies", in April. The album was a huge success from the get-go and has added several chapters to "the tale of VOLBEAT." "Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies" hit the No. 1 spot in more than five countries around the world, including their home country Denmark and in Germany where the album in its first week sold over 50,000 copies, and in America where it landed at No. 9 on the Billboard chart.
03 min read

French Trial Of VARG VIKERNES Postponed

Manos Spanos
According to the BBC, a French court has postponed the trial of BURZUM mastermind Varg Vikernes (a.k.a. Count Grishnackh) — who is currently facing charges in France of inciting racial hatred and glorifying war crimes — after his lawyer requested more time to read documents and prepare his defense. Vikernes will now have his day in court in June 2014. Vikerenes, 40, who has been living in France for the past three years, and his wife were arrested in July as a preventive measure after Vikernes posted aggressive racist, xenophobic and anti-Semitic comments on Internet forums. The couple's home was searched and five guns were found, including four rifles legally purchased by Varg's wife as a member of a rifle club. "That was at the origin of the investigation. There were several suspicions that made the services fear he could possibly carry out a violent act," the Paris prosecutor's office said. Vikernes in August announced his plan to sue the French authorities for what he called his "brutal" arrest. Writing on his official blog, Vikernes said: "We want to sue the authorities for arresting us for no good reason whatsoever, doing so in the most brutal way possible and with children present, and also for without any reason taking away our right to own or even possess weapons. Marie [Varg's wife] has a crime record white as snow, so there is no reason for them to take away her right and freedom to own weapons. I have a record in Norway, from 1993 and 2003, but I have never done anything criminal in France, and I can own most weapons even in Norway if I want to, so they have no good reason to take away my right and freedom to own weapons either. Especially not when they have done so under such circumstances. "The only problem is that we can not afford to sue them, and we see no other solution to this than to ask for help from you. It pains me much to do so, and I have struggled a lot with myself to make me do this, but I think this is the right thing to do right now. They have done everything they could to make sure we could not afford to sue, so I think they really don't want us to. We ask for help to sue from you, from individuals probably not directly affected by this case, because we believe that we are fighting not only for our rights and freedom, but also for the rights and freedom of every other citizen in France, and perhaps also in other European countries, who also risk being subjected to this type of treatment in the future. We need to tell the authorities that we don't accept this and that what they do is illegal. We cannot allow them to abuse their power like that and get away with it. This time they did this to us, we don't know what else they might do to us in the future if we just let them get away with what they did this time, and the next time it can be your neighbour's turn. Or your friend's turn. Or someone in your family's turn. Or your turn." A lengthy video interview with Vikernes and his wife about their recent arrest can be seen below.
03 min read

ENSIFERUM Drinking Horn Now Available

Manos Spanos
Finnish folk metallers ENSIFERUM have released the following statement: "Hail mighty Tavern Warriors! We are very excited to offer you an item that we have dreamed about making for a long, long time. A truly unique must-have item: A genuine hand-made ENSIFERUM drinking horn — only available here exclusively for you! We've searched far and wide to find someone capable of crafting these fine items (made from genuine horn) - but the wait is finally over. "At nearly 50 cm length, 0.6 kg in weight and holding around 0.6 litres (19", 1.5 lbs, 20 fl. oz.), the horn is finished with the ENSIFERUM logo in water-proof (also beer-resistant) ink, including a removable shoulder strap. "We wanted to maintain the balance between affordable price and a high-quality product, suitable for our dedicated fans. At 64,90 € + Shipping (available worldwide) — this is an offer fit for the truest of ENSIFERUM's Elite Warriors. The offer expires next Wednesday (October 23rd) — so be quick to avoid disappointment. "Please note: This offer is on a first-come, first-served basis. If the number of orders exceeds the number we can produce then we may have to terminate the offer early — consider yourself warned!" The ENSIFERUM drinking horn can be obtained at TwilightTavern.com. ENSIFERUM's most recent album, "Unsung Heroes", was released on August 27, 2012 via Spinefarm. The CD was produced by Hiili Hiilesmaa (HIM, SENTENCED) at Petrax studio (CHILDREN OF BODOM, NIGHTWISH) in Hollola, Finland and other locations in the Hämeenlinna area.
01 min read

HAMMERCULT To Release ‘Steelcrusher’ In January

Manos Spanos
Tel Aviv-based neo-thrashers HAMMERCULT will release their second studio album, "Steelcrusher", on CD and colored vinyl on January 27 in Europe and February 4 in North America via Sonic Attack/SPV. The CD was produced by Tal Vaisman and mixed and mastered by Chris "Zeuss" Harris. "Steelcrusher" track listing: 01. Hymn To The Steel (intro) 02. Steelcrusher 03. Metal Rules Tonight 04. Into Hell 05. We Are The People 06. Burning The Road 07. Ironbound 08. Unholy Art 09. Satanic Lust 10. Liar 11. Damnation Arise 12. Heading For War 13. In The Name Of The Fallen The song "We Are The People" includes a guest guitar solo by SEPULTURA's Andreas Kisser. The "Steelcrusher" cover artwork was created by Andreas Marshall, the Berlin-based artist who has previously worked with BLIND GUARDIAN, IN FLAMES, RUNNING WILD and HAMMERFALL, among others.
01 min read

KING DIAMOND Says LOUD PARK Performance Was Canceled By Promoter, Not By Band

Manos Spanos
Danish heavy metal singer King Diamond (KING DIAMOND, MERCYFUL FATE) has released the following statement regarding the cancelation of KING DIAMOND's October 20 performance at the Loud Park festival in Japan: "Let me try and explain this without saying **** all the time. "The Japanese promoters at Loud Park had, when I woke up this morning, posted a false and deceitful cancellation announcement, which they are going to have to correct to what really happened. "First of all: We did not cancel the show. The promoters did. "Let them show an email saying we cancelled the show. They can't. We can provide the email in which they cancelled. "They cancelled so late that some of our people were already in flight to Japan. I myself found out from a forwarded email at 4:26 a.m. Dallas time, waiting for a pre-ordered cab to arrive at 6:00 a.m. to take me to DFW International Airport. The email had come from Onta (working for the promoter, in what capacity, I don't know, but at least in a capacity to be able to cancel our performance), saying, 'Sorry for the result. Please stop taking flights for all…' "So much had happened up to this point, and I will try to condense everything into a short sequence of events. "Entire theatrical production, including all instruments and special effects, had been put into the professional care of a Danish shipping company, who is also used by Rocket Cargo, among others, in order to make sure everything would be in Tokyo with time to spare. This was trucked from Copenhagen to Hamburg harbor, and loaded onto a Chinese ship. "During the sail from Hamburg to Ningbo, China, where our entire cargo would be in transit and go via Japanese ship to Tokyo, our Danish shipper found out through their agents in China that the ship's arrival had suddenly been announced with a six-day delay. No reasons given. "The Chinese ship company seems to still be working on an answer to our Danish shipper. "With such an unexpected delay (our Danish shipper had never experienced this before), new ways to try and make up for the delay had to be thought out. "A shipping company in China known to our Danish shipper was contacted, since they were known to have connections to the Chinese government, with the hope that they might be able speed up a procedure that has never been done before. People at Creativeman also brought in connections in China to cooperate with everyone. The new, never-before-done plan was to now import the entire cargo into China, truck it in China from Ningbo to Shanghai, from where it would be exported and air lifted with a Chinese airline 747 cargo plane (the only one which had large enough entrance) to Narita Airport in Tokyo. "To my knowledge, the Danish embassy and the Japanese embassy in China became involved in trying to solve this dilemma. "At this point, money also became an issue. This procedure would add at least 21,500 euros to expenses, which was agreed to be split between promoter and band. An amendment to the contract was negotiated, in which promoter in the end agreed to give band half the concert fee, even if the gear didn't make it. This was agreed to, so that both band and promoter participated in the risk of incurring a bigger loss if we went along with this new plan, and still couldn't make it. "The following paragraph explains the scenario from which the promoters probably took parts and wrongfully used in their cancellation statement, in order to push the blame onto us, while at the same time practically ridiculing us. "The promoter at some point tried to almost force the band into agreeing to play two free backline shows next year, only paying expenses for flights, rented backline and crew salary, in case the cargo didn't make it in time to Loud Park, in order to make up for promoter's part of the possible loss. However, this idea was quickly scrapped, since we couldn't guarantee that it would fit in our future schedule, plus that we would have huge losses doing that, and last but not least we do not play without our theatrical production anymore.
05 min read

MOTÖRHEAD: ‘Heartbreaker’ Video Premiere

Manos Spanos
"Heartbreaker", the new video from MOTÖRHEAD, can be seen below (courtesy of RollingStone.com). The clip incorporates concert footage from this year's Metal Hammer Golden Gods awards ceremony in the U.K., a 2010 Manchester gig and several 2011 shows (including Rock In Rio, Germany's Wacken Open Air Festival and Teatro Caupolicán in Santiago, Chile). Fans who hang on for the credits at the end of "Heartbreaker" may be surprised to learn that the video's sketch art was created by frontman Lemmy Kilmister. "Heartbreaker" comes off MOTÖRHEAD's 21st studio album, "Aftershock", which will be released on October 22. The release party for "Aftershock" will take place on Friday, October 18 upstairs at the world-famous Rainbow Bar & Grill in West Hollywood, California between 9:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. Listen to "Aftershock" before it is released on October 22 and enjoy free Rainbow pizza and win MOTÖRHEAD prizes. The first 100 fans get in free to the listening party upstairs. "Aftershock" will be released as a an official Classic Rock collectors fanpack that features the new LP in full plus a 132-page magazine that forms the "ultimate sleevenotes" to the new release, with extensive and exclusive interviews with Lemmy, Mikkey Dee and Phil Campbell. Pre-order your copy now at this location (official on-sale date is October 21). Inside is everything you need to know about "Aftershock" and the world of MOTÖRHEAD in 2013: inside the making of album, new features covering all eras of the band's career from 1975 to 2013, and tons of previously unseen pictures. Fanpack edition includes: * New album "Aftershock" * 132-page magazine * Giant double-sided poster * Exclusive MOTÖRHEAD car sticker "Aftershock" track listing: 01. Heartbreaker 02. Coup De Grace 03. Lost Woman Blues 04. End Of Time 05. Do You Believe 06. Death Machine 07. Dust And Glass 08. Going To Mexico 09. Silence When You Speak To Me 10. Crying Shame 11. Queen Of The Damned 12. Knife 13. Keep Your Powder Dry 14. Paralyzed "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 after Lemmy suffered a haematoma (where blood collects outside of a blood vessel). The news of Lemmy's latest medical issue followed reports that he was also recently fitted with a defibrillator because of heart problems.
03 min read

PROTEST THE HERO: Entire ‘Volition’ Album Available For Streaming

Manos Spanos
"Volition", the fourth studio album from Canada's PROTEST THE HERO, is available for streaming in its entirety in the YouTube clip below. The CD will be released on October 29 (one day earlier internationally). The long-awaited follow-up to 2011's "Scurrilous" (Vagrant), "Volition" has been licensed to series of worldwide partners who will help 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 will join forces for the United States, while the album will be 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

Manos Spanos

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