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Manos Spanos

MEGADETH: ‘Countdown To Extinction: Live’ Trailer Available

Manos Spanos
In November and December of 2012, MEGADETH blazed hot on the band's "Countdown To Extinction 20th Anniversary Tour", ripping through their entire double platinum 1992 album from start to finish before performing other classics from their recorded catalog. Recorded and filmed at Los Angeles' Fox Theatre last December, "Countdown to Extinction: Live" is a definitive document of the acclaimed, sold-out tour. In addition to MEGADETH's blistering performance of the entire "Countdown To Extinction" album, including the essential "Symphony Of Destruction", "Foreclosure Of A Dream", "Sweating Bullets" and "Skin O' My Teeth", "Countdown to Extinction: Live" features all of the other MEGADETH classics the band performed at the epic concert, including "Holy Wars" and "Hangar 18" from 1990's "Rust In Peace", "Peace Sells" from the band's influential, platinum-certified 1986 album "Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?", and "Trust" from 1997's platinum certified "Cryptic Writings". On September 24, "Countdown To Extinction: Live" will be released on CD, DVD and Blu-ray via Capitol. "Countdown To Extinction: Live" track listing: 01. Intro 02. Architecture Of Aggression 03. Ashes In Your Mouth 04. Captive Honour 05. Countdown To Extinction 06. Foreclosure Of A Dream 07. Hangar 18 08. High Speed Dirt 09. Holy Wars 10. Peace Sells 11. Psychotron 12. Public Enemy 13. She Wolf 14. Skin O' My Teeth 15. Sweating Bullets 16. Symphony Of Destruction 17. This Was My Life 18. Trust 1 9. Outro
01 min read

DEEP PURPLE: Promotional Video For ‘Above And Beyond’ Single

Manos Spanos
DEEP PURPLE will release the track "Above And Beyond" as a CD-single and on seven-inch vinyl on October 25 in Europe. The single artwork was based on the original graphic work of Black Dwarf Designs. A promotional video for the single can be seen below. "Above And Beyond" comes off DEEP PURPLE's latest album, "Now What?!", which sold 4,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 115 on The Billboard 200 chart. "Now What?!", the 19th studio album from DEEP PURPLE, was released in North America on April 30 via earMUSIC, the Hamburg, Germany-based international rock label which is part of Edel Group. After various songwriting sessions in Europe, the band recorded and mixed the album in Nashville, Tennessee with producer Bob Ezrin (KISS, PINK FLOYD, PETER GABRIEL, ALICE COOPER, KANSAS). The CD contain 11 tracks, including "Out Of Hand", "Weirdistan", "Uncommon Man" and "Above And Beyond". The latter song references the band's late keyboard player, Jon Lord, in the lyric "Souls having touched are forever entwined."
02 min read

SATYRICON’s New Album Tops Norwegian Chart

Manos Spanos
The new, self-titled album from Norwegian black metallers SATYRICON has debuted at position No. 1 on the official chart in the band's home country — the first time one of the group's releases has topped the chart in Norway. "Satyricon" has also seen success internationally, debuting at No. 6 in Finland, No. 23 in Germany and No. 26 in Austria. By comparison, SATYRICON's previous studio album, "2008'a "The Age Of Nero", entered the chart at No. 5 in Norway and No. 73 in Germany. Comments SATYRICON vocalist Sigurd "Satyr" Wongraven: "SATYRICON fans have shown that there is still room for authentic music with an analog sound. They have shown it to the degree that it has given us formidable chart positions in very competitive European markets and in Norway a Number 1 record. It is the most important record that we have done and now our fans are clearly sending out a very strong message by getting behind it. We are very thankful and proud." "Satyricon" was recorded in Norway between January and May 2013 and was produced by Satyr. Mixing took place in Seattle by Adam Kasper and Satyr. Speaking to Noisecreep at this year's Inferno festival, Satyr stated about SATYRICON's new album: "To me, it sounds very authentic, it's organic-sounding. And in this digital age where music is mostly played through computers, a lot of that analog vibe gets lost in translation when you play music through medias like that, but I still wanna do it because there's nothing quite like it. To me, it just makes everything sound the way it's supposed to sound — it's dynamical; the music is alive, it's not overly compressed, the levels are not pushed. So, musically speaking, it's a very atmospheric record… This record is full of life. There are a lot of surprises here, but I think it's gonna be a record that's gonna help the black metal movement perhaps find a new way for the future."
02 min read

NECROPHOBIC Frontman’s Prison Sentence Reduced

Manos Spanos
A Swedish appeals court has reduced the prison sentence for NECROPHOBIC vocalist Tobias Sidegård, who was accused of beating his wife multiple times between September 2011 and April 2013. Sidegård was originally sentenced to 18 months in prison for "gross violation of a woman's integrity," and offense that was first introduced into the Penal Code in 1998 dealing with repeated punishable acts directed by men against women who have or have had a close relationship with the perpetrator. This past Friday (September 20), the Svea appeals court found Sidegård guilty of simple assault — a less serious offense than "gross violation of a woman's integrity" — and reduced his prison sentence to six months. The musician was also ordered to pay his wife 16,000 Swedish kronor (approximately $2,500) in damages plus interest. In addition to allegations of violence against his wife, Sidegård was suspected of physically abusing his daughters with a homemade bullwhip. The Swedish-language document detailing the Svea appeals court's decision to reduce Tobias' sentence can be downloaded as a PDF file at this location. Two separate Swedish media reports (in which Sidegård was not identified by name) from May 2013 regarding the allegations against the NECROPHOBIC frontman can be found by following these links:
02 min read

GORGOROTH Begins Recording New Album

Manos Spanos
Black metal veterans GORGOROTH have entered the studio to begin recording their next album, "Instinctus Bestialis", for an early 2014 release. The recording lineup for the new CD will consist of Infernus (guitar), Tomas Asklund (drums; ex-DISSECTION, DARK FUNERAL), Bøddel (a.k.a. Frank Watkins, bass, ex-OBITUARY), and new vocalist Atterigner from the Serbian band TRIUMFALL. "Under The Sign Of Hell 2011", the re-recording of GORGOROTH's third album, was made available in 2011. On "Under The Sign Of Hell 2011", Pest and Infernus repeated their roles as vocalist and guitarist/bassist, respectively, from the original 1996 recording, while Tomas Asklund handled the drums. GORGOROTH's ninth album, "Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem Trahunt", was released on October 21, 2009 in Europe via Regain Records. The CD, which was made available in the U.S. on November 11, 2009, was recorded at Monolith Studio and featured Infernus on guitar, OBITUARY's Frank Watkins on bass, Pest on vocals and Asklund on drums.
01 min read

PHILIP ANSELMO Remembers EYEHATEGOD Drummer

Manos Spanos
Former PANTERA and current DOWN frontman Philip Anselmo spoke to U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine about the Joey LaCaze, New Orleans native and drummer for EYEHATEGOD, MYSTICK KREWE OF CLEARLIGHT and OUTLAW ORDER, who passed away on August 23 of respiratory failure. He also suffered from severe long-term asthma. "It was dreadful news and still is for everyone round here," remembers Phil. "Honestly, Joey was one of the funniest motherfuckers you could ever meet in your life. He was one of the most down to earth people I've ever known, as well as one of the most humbly yet superbly talented drummers I've ever had the opportunity to watch play. "I was at his funeral. It was held at a place in the French quarter called the Voodoo Temple. It was a beautiful ceremony and a moment where we all felt the pain of the loss. "I'm not a spiritual guy, but when the high priestess was giving her sermon, they passed out tambourines and percussive instruments to all these people that loved him. We went through interludes in these gigantic drum circles in his honor. Tears were streaming down my face, sweating was pouring off the top of my head and I was lost… I had my eyes completely closed and I was beating this drum until my thumb basically got disolocated! I wasn't paying attention to what was around me; I was thinking about Joey. [EYEHATEGOD frontman] Mike IX Williams was stood next to me, and little did I know, but I was getting sprinkles of blood on my head because he was beating this tambourine with such intensity. He had bloodied up his knuckles and pretty much ruined this tambourine… but we all took it later, wrote messages and buried it with his ashes.
02 min read

BLACK LABEL SOCIETY: ‘Spoke In The Wheel’ Video From ‘Unblackened’ DVD

Manos Spanos
BLACK LABEL SOCIETY's video for "Spoke In The Wheel", off the band's new live DVD, Blu-ray, and Digital Video, "Unblackened", can be seen below. "Unblackened" will be released on September 24 by Eagle Rock Entertainment. BLACK LABEL SOCIETY mainman Zakk Wylde's label home, eOne Music, will also release the audio version of the "Unblackened" DVD under the same name. The double disc release will have six additional tracks not found on the DVD, including two acoustic versions of "Queen Of Sorrow" and "Won't Find It Here", and covers of LEON RUSSELL's "Song For You" and BILL WITHERS' "Ain't No Sunshine When She's Gone". Since their early Nineties inception, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, formed and helmed by guitar legend Zakk Wylde, has been at the forefront of hard rock. Their penchant for hard riffs and blazing solos has resulted in a slew of hugely successful albums and a reputation as one of the most powerful live bands of their generation. "Unblackened", however, unveils another side of the band. Filmed and recorded on March 6 in high definition at Los Angeles' Club Nokia, "Unblackened" is BLACK LABEL SOCIETY presenting their songs in a whole new light, with greater use of acoustic instrumentation. Wylde plays both guitar and piano, with Nick Catanase on guitar, John DeServio on bass/vocals, Chad Szeliga on drums, Derek Sherinian on keyboards/piano, and Greg Locascio providing additional vocals. Their stripped-down approach highlights the subtler nuances of the songwriting, without losing any of the fire or intensity. Classic tracks like "Stillborn", "The Blessed Hellride", "In This River", "Throwin' It All Away", "Losin' Your Mind" and many others are still punctuated by the stinging, searing solos that fans know and love, while showcasing the versatility of the band. In addition to the concert, "Unblackened" is rich in bonus material. A new interview with Zakk, photo gallery, music video for "Losin' Your Mind", and a feature with Wylde visiting HM Prison Stocken in the U.K . are all included. DVD track listing: 01. Losin' Your Mind 02. The Blessed Hellride 03. Sold My Soul 04. Road Back Home 05. Spoke In The Wheel 06. House Of Doom 07. Queen Of Sorrow 08. Machine Gun Man 09. Sweet Jesus 10. In This River 11. Throwin' It All Away 12. Takillya (Estyabon) 13. Won't Find It Here 14. Rust 15. Speedball 16. I Thank You Child 17. Stillborn CD track listing: Disc 1
03 min read

IN FLAMES: ‘Sounds Of A Playground Fading’ Video Released

Manos Spanos
"Sounds Of A Playground Fading", the video for the title track of the tenth studio album from Swedish metallers IN FLAMES, can be seen below. The clip, which is made up of concert footage, was produced by Patric Ullaeus of Revolver Film Company, who has previously worked with DIMMU BORGIR, LACUNA COIL, SONIC SYNDICATE and KAMELOT, among others. IN FLAMES will play a very special show at the Gröna Lund amusement park in Stockholm, Sweden on September 27. Gröna Lund had in fact closed their park for the season, but when they got word that IN FLAMES was available, they decided to re-open the park, just for this concert. "Sounds Of A Playground Fading" (Century Media) sold around 14,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 27 on The Billboard 200 chart. IN FLAMES' previous album, "A Sense of Purpose" (Koch) opened with 20,000 units to land at No. 28. This was slightly less than the opening tally of "Come Clarity" (Ferret), which shifted just under 24,000 copies in February 2006 to enter the chart at position No. 58. "Sounds Of A Playground Fading" was the first IN FLAMES album to be recorded without founding guitarist Jesper Strömblad, who quit the band in February 2010 in order to continue receiving treatment for his alcohol addiction.
01 min read

CARCASS Giving People What They Want

Manos Spanos
Joseph Schafer of Invisible Oranges recently conducted an interview with bassist/vocalist Jeff Walker of reactivated British extreme metal pioneers CARCASS. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below. Invisible Oranges: To me, "Surgical Steel" sounds at its heart to be a very sad record. Walker: You think? Invisible Oranges: I think so. Walker: If anything, "Heartwork" and "Swansong" were, lyrically, very serious. This is a throwback to the old days of CARCASS, where it was very lighthearted. But this is cool because you're extracting something from this album. Which is fine. I'm not here to dictate how people should perceive or enjoy this album. People who look at the lyrics and titles and think what the fuck they want are ultimately fragile and stupid. There's no real agenda here, no real issues, nobody's trying to brainwash anyone. I'm not Barney Greenway [NAPALM DEATH]. You can look at it at whatever level you like. You can view the lyrics as throwaway, or look very deep into it, and that's fine. People keep asking me what the chorus is, the numbers on "The Dark Granulating Satanic Mills", and I'm not going to say. I've heard some interesting theories as to what those numbers are about, and that is far more interesting than the reality. Invisible Oranges: Would you describe to me the moment when you realized you were happy doing CARCASS again. Walker: The first rehearsal. I was just happy to be playing with Bill [Steer, guitar] again. He's a far superior musician to me, and a far superior human being as well. It was cool to be back where we started. Invisible Oranges: It really seems like, retroactively, CARCASS is the relationship between you two. Walker: Yes, you could argue that. If I hadn't met Bill, Bill would have achieved musically, but I don't think CARCASS would have existed, so in that sense you're right. But the central songwriter of CARCASS has always been in flux. In the old days it was Ken [Owen, drums] who wrote a hell of a lot of the riffs. If you look at "Reek", we had an equal three-way split. On "Symphonies", Bill started doing more, and I did more of the lyrics. "Necroticism" is 95 percent Ken and Bill. Mike [Amott, guitar] came in at the end with one riff. "Heartwork" was all Bill and Mike's riffs. So as you can see the core of the band is constantly changing in terms of who's writing the riffs. On "Surgical Steel", it's all Bill who's coming up with the riffs. The more I think of it, you can't really call the band mine and Bill's because in the past so much of it really was Ken. Ken cast a long shadow on this album, and his ghost is in the drumming, is in the lyrics and the songtitles. And he even tracked some backing vocals. He's still there in spirit very much. Invisible Oranges: That's sort of poetic considering the way he is mixed into the record, his vocals are lower, so he almost literally is a ghost in the songs.
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.