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Manos Spanos

ARMORED SAINT Working On New Material

Manos Spanos
Veteran Los Angeles metallers ARMORED SAINT have commenced the songwriting process for the follow-up to 2010's "La Raza" for a tentative late 2014 release via Metal Blade Records. Speaking to Metal Assault earlier this month, ARMORED SAINT bassist Joey Vera stated about the band's plans for the next CD: "We decided that we didn't want to wait another ten years to make a new record [laughs], so we're trying to work this out as a group. John [Bush, vocals] and I started working on some songs in February this year and I got a bunch of stuff that came out really quick and we wrote a few songs in February-March, but then I had to kind of put it on the back burner because I got involved with several mixing projects and then, of course, the FATES WARNING, which took up a lot of my time, learning the material and then obviously recording that. The FATES WARNING record is finally done and is coming out in the U.S. this fall, but John and I resumed writing in early July and we have a good chunk of songs now. We've got about five that are done, and another six that are almost finished. So we've just got to get back to it and our goal is to try and get this finished before 2018 [laughs]. In a perfect world, it would be great if we could have the album out by fall of 2014. It's not set in stone yet, but that's what we're shooting for right now." Fan-filmed video footage of ARMORED SAINT's August 16 performance at Paladino's in Reseda, California at a benefit show for drummer Dave Brown (ex-SOUND BARRIER, MASI, TOTAL ECLIPSE), who is battling cancer, can be seen below.
02 min read

DEICIDE: New Album Title, Track Listing Revealed

Manos Spanos
Florida death metal veterans DEICIDE will release their new album, "In The Minds Of Evil", this fall via Century Media Records. The CD is being recorded at AudioHammer Studios in Sanford, Florida with producer Jason Suecof (TRIVIUM, AUGUST BURNS RED, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, ALL THAT REMAINS, WHITECHAPEL,DEVILDRIVER). "In The Minds Of Evil" track listing: 01. In The Minds Of Evil 02. Thou Begone 03. Godkill 04. Beyond Salvation 05. Misery Of One 06. Between The Flesh And The Void 07. Even The Gods Can Bleed 08. Trample The Cross 09. Banished By Evil 10. Kill The Light Of Christ 11. End The Wrath Of God DEICIDE drummer Steve Asheim recently told Decibel magazine about the band's working relationship with Suecof: "It's awesome! I've known Jason since '08. I had been going out to do the ORDER OF ENNEAD records with him. The last DEICIDE record we did with Mark [Lewis], but I've known Jason a long time, so I asked him if he was into it. He said, 'Absolutely!' I wanted to get one done ovith him before something happens. You never know."
02 min read

METALLICA: Official Video Recap Of Osaka Concert

Manos Spanos
Official MetOnTour video recap of METALLICA's August 11 appearance at the Summer Sonic festival in Osaka, Japan can be seen below. The 12-minute clip includes drummer Lars Ulrich in the meet-and-greet, "Cyanide" in the tuning room, and "Ride The Lightning" from the show. The band's setlist was as follows: 01. Hit The Lights 02. Master Of Puppets 03. Ride The Lightning 04. Harvester Of Sorrow 05. Fade To Black 06. The Memory Remains 07. Cyanide 08. Welcome Home (Sanitarium) 09. Sad But True 10. ...And Justice For All 11. One 12. For Whom The Bell Tolls 13. Blackened 14. Nothing Else Matters 15. Enter Sandman Encore: 16. Creeping Death 17. Battery 18. Seek & Destroy METALLICA has revealed the details of "Metallica Through The Never (Music From The Motion Picture)", the soundtrack companion to the forthcoming groundbreaking 3D feature film "Metallica Through The Never". The two-disc CD set will be released on the band's own record label Blackened Recordings on September 24 and highlights last year's career spanning sets at Rexall Place in Edmonton and Rogers Arena in Vancouver, where the band filmed all performance footage featured in the film. The soundtrack is available for digital pre-order tonight at midnight EST and both the CD and digital album will be available at all retailers. There will also be a vinyl edition of the soundtrack album available in both 33 1/3RPM and special limited numbered 45RPM versions later in the fall.
02 min read

WATAIN Frontman: Being In A Black Metal Band ‘Has To Go Beyond Just Playing Songs’

Manos Spanos
David E. Gehlke of DeadRhetoric.com recently conducted an interview with WATAIN mainman Erik Danielsson. A few excerpts from the chat follow below. DeadRhetoric.com: It seems like everything you've done of late has been on a bigger scale. I think a lot of us can remember you coming up with "Casus Luciferi" and "Sworn To The Dark", but leading up to "The Wild Hunt", things are of greater scale. Erik Danielsson: It's the way it goes, I guess. We've been doing this for 15 years and people have come to understand that we're a force to be reckoned with and you have to let the fans do that, and business people, too. To be honest, things have changed very literally in the world in WATAIN. To us, it's very much the same thing, the same purpose in our lives. From where we stand, nothing has really changed, but at the same time, we have more and more people working, we have tour agencies and management and whatever that are taken care of this and this. So I suppose it's a reflection of how people relate to the band. It's rather something that matters more for other people than us. DeadRhetoric.com: What's your take on people who think bands have to stay within certain parameters to be black metal? Danielsson: I very much agree with them. To the extent of that to me, it's not a matter of staying true to a musical spine; that spine is one rather of atmosphere and ideology rather than a musical one. And that's what defines WATAIN. Black metal music is music that, in essence, is diabolical and has diabolical energies and that is where the definition lies to me. Incorporating elements like keyboards… it only takes away from the diabolical aspect of it, because we're talking about the wild, the untamed, ferocious, predatory aspect of it, the tribe within this music. You cannot really get into that permutation with those things if you have a sound that opposes those things. DeadRhetoric.com: In North America, we have a lot of what is called "Cascadian" or post-black metal bands who don't look the part whatsoever. Have you caught wind of them?
03 min read

NIGHTWISH Mainman Says He Has Already Written Three Songs For Next Album

Manos Spanos
FestivalBlog.be recently conducted an interview with keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen of Finnish symphonic metallers NIGHTWISH. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below. FestivalBlog.be: So about "Imaginaerum", how do you compare it to previous albums? Tuomas: Well, it's special in a way that it included the movie. We kinda went for the movie first into the project, that was the main thing of the release. The album is kind of a soundtrack to the film, so that was really special. It is the most theatrical, most orchestral album that we have ever done, it felt like the right thing to do at the time. I don't really know what we're going to do next. I have a gut feeling that it is going to be something a bit more simple, a bit back in time. FestivalBlog.be: So a bit back to the roots. Tuomas: Yeah, a bit more like a band album, because we have kinda searched this orchestral, really varied spectrum to its maximum now; that's how I feel. But maybe, you never know how the mind works… But I have three new songs done already, it's again something a bit different. FestivalBlog.be: Did you write those songs during the tour? Tuomas: During the past month I'd say. Whenever I go back home I just write stuff and I have three new songs now. FestivalBlog.be: What are the plans for the near future for NIGHTWISH? Tuomas: Well, we all have our side projects. I have this solo album about Scrooge McDuck coming up, so the next two months I'm going to be busy with that one. Floor [Jansen, vocals] is going to go on with REVAMP, Marco [Hietala, bass/vocals] is going to do his own projects, Emppu [Vuorinen, guitar] has BROTHER FIRETRIBE. Maybe take some time off, spend time with the family. I'm going to have a little vacation in New Zealand next spring. So all this kinda stuff is going to load the batteries to write songs and be ready for next summer. The first of July, we will enter the rehearsal room. FestivalBlog.be: From what I've heard, there are still no plans to officially continue with Floor as vocalist. Do you have any comment on this or can you tell me something about that? Tuomas: Yeah, well… The thing is that we haven't really thought about it in a concrete way, because there is no need to… It's been such a mess once again, I feel I need a month or two just to not think about the vocal issue at all. Then by the end of this year, we have to make some decisions. But everyone realizes that she is on top of the list, naturally. But I don't want to do anything official, I don't want to make this decision just yet. FestivalBlog.be: Of course, I understand.
04 min read

PHILIP ANSELMO Credits His Girlfriend For Saving His Life

Manos Spanos
Keith Spera of The Times-Picayune recently conducted an interview with former PANTERA and current DOWN singer Philip Anselmo. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below. The Times-Picayune: You've got a book deal to write your autobiography in collaboration with true crime author Corey Mitchell. Anselmo: It's a book about my life. It's not just strictly a PANTERA book, although PANTERA was obviously a giant part of my life. It took a whole lot in the New Orleans area and throughout Louisiana, gigging and gigging … a whole lot happened, and had to happen, before I was even able to be in the same room with the great musicians that were in PANTERA. Obviously, after the break-up of the band and the death of Dimebag (Darrell Abbott, the former PANTERA guitarist who was shot to death in December 2004), a whole lot has happened. There's a tremendous story to tell there. I'm going to try to pick out the most humorous things, and the most crushing things. Touch on all of them. The Times-Picayune: So you'll talk about all your back problems and … Anselmo: Absolutely. And drugs, and everything. Hopefully it's educational for people that are going through the same thing. I'm also going to discuss how doctors are only doing half their jobs these days. They don't explain to the patient the repercussions of certain medicines that they dole out so portentously. I'm going to slam some doctors, but I'm going to be brutally honest about myself. There's an upside to everything. It's 2013. I'm 10 years clean from anything that resembles hard drugs. I haven't even tasted a sip of whiskey since 2001. Things change in a life. So there's plenty to tell. The Times-Picayune: Your longtime girlfriend, Kate, kind of helped save your life. Anselmo: She did. And she will get tons of credit in my book. We've been together 11 years now. Without her strength, it wouldn't have gone the way it did. Her steadiness, her rock-solid belief in me helped me pull through and do things correctly. She's gold, or platinum, or titanium, or tungsten. I'm more in love with her now than I ever have been. The Times-Picayune: Why, at this stage in your life, did you make a record that was so extreme? Most people, when they get a little older, tend to become more mellow. Anselmo: In DOWN, we've got everything from heavy metal songs to smooth rock songs to straight-up acoustic pieces. So right there, that covers a whole lot of ground. I keep up with the extreme heavy metal underground because I adore it. It's part of me. The extreme underground is the lifeblood of heavy metal and the future of heavy metal. There are a lot of cornerstone bands out there right now that are changing the game up, and they're really writing some awesome, innovative stuff. With extreme music, the leading genres would be black metal and death metal. But I didn't want to really belong to either one of those genres, because I think I've touched on both genres in the past with several of my side projects. I wanted to make an extreme record that was absolutely non-traditional. There is no wrong way to do music. Music is a vast, wide-open world of possibilities. I'm an explorer, and I'm going to keep on exploring.
03 min read

LEMMY Rock Iconz Statue Coming This Fall

Manos Spanos
KnuckleBonz has announced its production of the Lemmy Kilmister (MOTÖRHEAD) Rock Iconz statue. This is a limited-edition statue, with only 1,000 created, making these highly collectible. Each figure in the edition is approximately 9 inches tall, hand-painted with the iconic Warpig logo sculpted on the base of the collectible. It is numbered and includes a certificate of authenticity. The figure is officially licensed through MOTÖRHEAD and Global Merchandising Corp. The Lemmy limited-edition statue will be available in the fall. Pre-orders are available at www.knucklebonz.com. KnuckleBonz creates hi-end sculpture that features rock's most highly influential artists. Dedicated to honoring rocks greatest through master artistry, KnuckleBonz has established the music-based sculpture series: Rock Iconz.
01 min read

DARK TRANQUILLITY: Bassist-Less With ‘Great Results’

Manos Spanos
Swedish melodic death metallers DARK TRANQUILLITY have issued the following update: "As most of you know, we're hard at work preparing the live set for the upcoming 'Construct' touring cycle. Spirits are high and we're confident that we have a lot of very special shows ahead of us. Those of you located on the North American continent will be pleased to know that we'll announce some good news tomorrow. "On another note: Those of you who have seen us play this year might have noticed that we haven't had a bass player on stage. "'Construct' was written and recorded as a five-piece, and since the band chemistry is at an all-time high and we've never been the ones to shy away from new creative solutions, we wanted to try out playing with the bass on a backing track as opposed to bringing more flesh and blood to the fold. Much to our delight, the results have been great, and we have decided for now to let the band be represented on stage by the five people who have spent a total of more than 100 years in the service of DARK TRANQUILLITY." DARK TRANQUILLITY's tenth studio album, "Construct", was released on May 27 via Century Media Records. The CD was mixed by Jens Bogren (PARADISE LOST, OPETH, KATATONIA) at his Fascination Street studios in Örebro, Sweden. DARK TRANQUILLITY filmed a music video for the song "Uniformity" on April 13 with Patric Ullaeus of Revolver Film Company, who has previously worked with DIMMU BORGIR, LACUNA COIL, IN FLAMES, SONIC SYNDICATE and KAMELOT, among others.
03 min read

WATAIN: Entire ‘The Wild Hunt’ Album Available For Streaming

Manos Spanos
"The Wild Hunt", the new album from Swedish black metallers WATAIN, is available for streaming in its entirety in the YouTube clip below. The CD will be released on August 19 in Europe and August 20 in USA via the band's own label His Master's Noise through Century Media Records. Produced once again by Tore Stjerna at his Necromorbus studio in Alvik, Sweden, "The Wild Hunt" is a sonic and lyrical tour-de-force that explores WATAIN's roots, such as BATHORY and DISSECTION, while also remaining truly unique. Having lost none of their integrity, WATAIN continues to push the boundaries of the scene with their fifth full-length, refusing to compromise their sound and vision. Amid the tracks teeming with the band's classic sound, "The Wild Hunt" also features clean vocals (a first for the trio!) which, as frontman Erik Danielsson puts it, "is just us being brutally personal and honest. It shows another important facet of the WATAIN world." Executed in oil and mixed materials, the cover of "The Wild Hunt" was created by Zbigniew M Bielak, the very same artist who was responsible for the "Lawless Darkness" artwork. The piece depicts one of the inmost shrines of WATAIN's temple. As on every classic still life, each object has a significant meaning, while each song of the album is also connected to an object. "The Wild Hunt" will be released worldwide in the following formats (see below for product details and availability): * standard CD jewelcase
03 min read

TONY IOMMI On His Cancer Battle: ‘My Attitude Has Changed Toward Everything’

Manos Spanos
Jim Harrington of the San Jose Mercury News recently conducted an interview with the legendary BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi. A few excerpts from the chat follow below. On BLACK SABBATH's comeback album, "13", reaching No. 1 album on the U.S. chart earlier this year: Iommi: "We are very pleased. It's just quite a shock to have our first No. 1 record (in the U.S.) after being around for 45 years." On why BLACK SABBATH's 2001 attempt at a new studio album was unsuccessful: Iommi: "It just wasn't right. Nobody was on the right page. So, we abandoned the whole idea. But I always thought — or, at least, really hoped — we would do another album." On the Ronnie James Dio-fronted version of BLACK SABBATH recording and touring under the name HEAVEN & HELL:
03 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.