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Manos Spanos

Will Dave Lombardo Get Any Songwriting Credit on the Next SLAYER Album?

Manos Spanos
I'm near positive I don't need to recap the entire "Slayer vs. former drummer Dave Lombardo" thing for you, but the most recent development is that Lombardo says he'll never go back to the group. For their part, Slayer are in the studio trying to finish their record. But they've been working on the album for a really long time, even before Lombardo quit. Lombardo was present for many of the writing sessions and had to have contributed some drum parts to the writing. But the question now is: will the band use any of his contributions? Lombardo recently spoke with Thrash Zone, and when the topic of thenew Slayer song, "Implode," came up, he had this to say. "I worked on all of the songs that are going to be on the new album with Kerry [King, guitar]. They've been working on that album… shit… for years now. 'Implode', their new radio hit, is basically the guitar tracks that were done during my session, but they've removed my drums and added Paul's [Bostaph, current Slayer drummer]." You can't be surprised that Slayer decided to re-do his drum tracks with their new, permanent drummer. I'm assuming the band wants to give Lombardo as little money as possible. But the question is, how involved was Lombardo in the songwriting process? And if he wrote core parts, how much would need to be changed for him to be kept off the songwriting credits? Could there be a major lawsuit on the horizon? We need a lawyer in the comments…
02 min read

EXODUS Fan Comments on Arrest Over Posting Band Lyrics to His Facebook: “It Was Surreal”

Manos Spanos
Last week, we reported on the insane story of an Exdous fan getting arrested and potentially charged with a felony. Thirty one year old James Evans from Central City, KY was the fan who was arrested and he recently spoke to Billboard recounting how his arrest went down: The fallout began that same day [Evans posted the lyrics]. Local police officers arrived at Evans’ mother’s house in Greenville, Ky., asking if she knew where he was. She directed them to her son’s house in Central City, where they proceeded to ask him if he planned on harming anyone, along with issuing a report on the situation. “I assumed the conversation got resolved,” says Evans, who works the night shift at a screenprinting store. On Monday, the officers returned to his house while Evans was at work, asking his wife what kind of car he drove and if he was in possession of any weapons. “They informed her that I may or not be charged,” he says. “They said they were going to talk to me at work, but they never showed up. I didn’t think it was that big of a deal.” At 8 a.m. on Tuesday, officers showed up at his workplace and issued Evans a warrant for his arrest. According to 14News, the warrant says Evans was arrested because, “he threatened to kill students and or staff at school.” “They never even cuffed me, just put me in the back of the car,” he says. “They knew I wasn’t dangerous. They were kind of shocked, too, because they thought it had been resolved. They just had to serve it because it was in their jurisdiction.” Evans is being charged with a Class C felony for "terrorist threatenings" which could lead to anywhere from five to 10 years in prison. A judge has delayed the case for six months so that Evans can get psychiatric evaluation. If he is proven to be sane, the charge will be stricken from his record. This is a whole lot of unnecessary stress over posting some lyrics to Facebook, no? Billboard also interviewed a lawyer, David Greene, who said this is a pretty ludicrous charge: "Generally, statements are protected by the First Amendment," he says. "There's an exception for true threats, which are threats of violence directed against a person that puts that person in a state of fear. There's absolutely no basis for thinking this person was doing anything more than quoting lyrics, or that he intended to put any person in a state of fear or carry out any action of attack." It's obvious that Evans had no plans of attacking any schools and really, these cops can be better served solving actual crimes. But this proves two things: Be care what you post on Facebook. Don't live in Kentucy.
02 min read

PATTON, LOMBARDO RESURRECT FANTÔMAS

Manos Spanos
Star-studded noise-mongers FANTÔMAS — who feature in their ranks FAITH NO MORE frotnman Mike Patton, MELVINS guitarist Buzz Osborne, MR. BUNGLE bassist Trevor Dunn, and ex-SLAYER drummer Dave Lombardo — have been confirmed for the first-ever RockOut festival, set to take place December 6 at Espacio Broadway in Santiago, Chile. Also scheduled to appear on the bill are DEVO and PRIMUS, among others. In a recent interview with Prog Sphere, Lombardo stated about FANTÔMAS: "It's one of the most amazing groups ever. I love that band. And I hope that Mike will say, 'Let's do this [again]!' My door is open. Mike and I, you know, we communicate. We have a great friendship." Speaking to A.V. Club in 2008, Patton was asked if there was "still action with" FANTÔMAS. "It's slowed down a little bit because we've gotten distracted with other things, but I've started writing a new record," he said. "It's gonna be a bit of a stretch for us. I want to try to make an all-electronic record. I'm trying to figure out how to do that, the practicalities of doing that. So I don't think it will be out [for some time], but the band is still very much in my mind." The brainchild of Patton, "Fantômas" is an anti-hero from a series of pre-WWI French crime novels, sometimes dubbed the "lord of terror." FANTÔMAS' latest album, "Suspended Animation", came out in June 2005. The effort contained 30 tracks, each titled after a different day in the month of April. FANTÔMAS' three previous releases regaled listeners with a sci-fi homage ("Fantômas", 1999), a celebration of the best in film composition ("Director’s Cut", 2001) and a one-song album ("Delirium Cordia", 2004). FAITH NO MORE, which reunited in 2009 for a series of sold-out performances and international festivals, is currently recording its first full-length album since 1997's "Album Of The Year". An April 2015 release is expected.
02 min read

SLIPKNOT’s New Drummer And Bassist Will Wear Same Freshly Designed Mask

Manos Spanos
In a brand new interview with "Loudwire Nights" host Full Metal Jackie, SLIPKNOT frontman Corey Taylor was asked if the band has been brainstorming about creating the right onstage persona for its new drummer prior to the release of SLIPKNOT's fifth studio album, ".5: The Gray Chapter", which arrives on October 21. "We wanted to make something that still looked unified but still stayed with the spirit of what the band is all about," Corey replied. "Instead of trying to find something that was individualistic, we designed — well, [percussionist] Clown designed a mask that the drummer and the bass player will both wear. On one hand, they get a mask, but at the same time, it's not the individual mask that we in the band use. We knew that any attempt to do anything like that might be taken as disrespectful, but at the same time it's part of the way of moving, getting past the hardest steps, which is just moving on. So, we decided that we would come up with a mask that works for both the bassist and the drummer and that's what they'll wear on stage." The first official single from ".5: The Gray Chapter", called "The Devil In I", has just entered the Top 20 at rock radio. The album is the first without bassist Paul Gray, who died in May 2010, and drummer Joey Jordison, who was dismissed in 2013. The identity of SLIPKNOT's new drummer is still a secret, although it is widely believed to be Jay Weinberg, son of longtime Bruce Springsteen drummer Max Weinberg. It is also rumored that SLIPKNOT is no longer working with Donnie Steele, the group's original guitar player who has been playing bass since they resumed touring in 2011. A new video teaser for SLIPKNOT's upcoming "Prepare For Hell" tour has given us a glimpse of Taylor's new mask. The band traditionally unveils brand new variations on its trademark masks and onstage outfits for every touring cycle, with the masks for 2008's "All Hope Is Gone" tour — the last time the group came out with new gear — much different from previous versions. Taylor told The Pulse Of Radio that he's relieved the long wait for a new SLIPKNOT record is about to end. "You know, we're really excited about new music," he said. "We're excited about the next chapter, you know. Obviously it's a bit subdued, but at the same time, you know, it's still very much in the spirit of what we want and it's time for the next chapter." Tickets for the "Prepare For Hell" tour, which will also feature KORN and KING 810, went on sale Friday (September 5). The trek kicks off on October 29 in El Paso, Texas, just a few days after the group's two-day Knotfest event is held in San Bernardino, California. SLIPKNOT announced in December 2013 that it had parted ways with Jordison. The band has not disclosed the reasons for Jordison's exit, although the drummer issued a statement in January saying that he did
03 min read

CLUTCH To Begin Recording New Album In January

Manos Spanos
Lithium Magazine conducted an interview with vocalist Neil Fallon of Maryland rockers CLUTCH on September 7 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. You can now watch the chat below. Asked about CLUTCH's plans for the coming months, Fallon said: "We've got this September run that's kind of anchored with these Riot Fests and a festival at the end of it in Baltimore. And then we'll take October, November and December off to finish up writing and pre-production [for our new studio album]. And then we'll do a run from Christmas to New Year's to mid-January out to Texas, where we plan to record it. And then we'll record in January and February and probably the beginning of March, take a little bit of time off, and [get] back out on the road." Regarding whether CLUTCH feels the pressure to repeat the songwriting formula that it employed on 2013's "Earth Rocker", which sold 22,000 copies in its first week of release to debut at position No. 15 on The Billboard 200 chart, Fallon said: "I think the best thing is just following your gut. I think if we tried to make 'Earth Rocker 2', it would be D.O.A. [dead on arrival]. But then again, you don't wanna completely abandon it. "We started writing [material for the next album] pretty quickly. So it does bear a lot of similarities to 'Earth Rocker', just because we're just coming off the heels of that. If we waited five years, I'm sure it would be a different story." Fallon also spoke about the difficulty of coming up with fresh ideas without sounding like the band is rehashing previously used riffs and sounds. "We find ourselves, we'll play a riff and we'll say, 'We've heard that before' and discard it," he explained. "And that can be a good thing, and it pushes you to find something new. But at the same time, it's important to accept one's strengths. An example of that is a song on 'Earth Rocker', 'D.C. Sound Attack!', that opening riff. We played it and we said to ourselves, 'We've done this before. It sounds too much like CLUTCH.' And [producer] Machine said, 'Well, you are CLUTCH, so really, what's the issue?'"
02 min read

Ex-ISIS Frontman Joined By Members Of BAPTISTS And RUSSIAN CIRCLES To Form SUMAC

Manos Spanos
Meet Sumac. Sumac consists of of ex-Isis vocalist and guitarist Aaron Turner, Baptists drummer Nick Yacyshyn and (for now) Russian Circles bassist Brian Cook. Sumac isn't a supergroup that plans on doing some one-off shows and an album before calling it quits. Sumac is going to be around for a while, or at least that's what they're saying. The group has already knocked out their debut record, The Deal, with Converge's Kurt Ballou and will release the album in February 2015! So hey, next year is already looking bright! More information as we have it, but that seems to be the long and short of the group's existence and coming plans for now.
01 min read

OPETH’s MIKAEL ÅKERFELDT: ‘People Should Be Happy That PINK FLOYD Are Doing A New Record’

Manos Spanos
Peter Hodgson of iHeartGuitarBlog.com recently conducted an interview with guitarist/vocalist Mikael Åkerfeldt of Swedish progressive metallers OPETH. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below. iHeartGuitarBlog.com: "Pale Communion" is such a headphones record! Mikael: That's good, I like to hear that! I've been talking to the guys in the band and people in general about how people listen to music these days. Are they listening on stereo speakers and amplifiers and stuff like that, or on the headphones? I was worried if people were getting the chance to listen to it on nice headphones instead of shitty computer speakers. iHeartGuitarBlog.com: Was there a particular song or moment that dictated where this album was going to go? Mikael: Yeah, you could say that. The first song I wrote set the standard for the rest of the record — or at least I got some type of idea what I wanted to do with the record. That was the last song on there, called "Faith In Others". I wrote that song and it ended up being quite a melodic song, which gave me something of an idea for the rest of the record. I wanted to focus on vocal melodies and melodies overall for this album than I've done before. iHeartGuitarBlog.com: There's always going to be the guys who are, like, "Where are the death vocals?" but you also have a lot of fans who will follow you anywhere you take them. Mikael: Well, I hope so. We get a lot of shit for our choices musically, and I've had some fans even tell me to my face, "What are you doing? Why aren't you writing the good stuff anymore?" And I'm sorry to hear that but we don't play it safe. It's not like we deliberately want to be strange and fuck things up. It's almost like I'm latching on to how I've always been writing music, what I like, and I want to keep that intact. That's been intact since the first record. I understand the sensitive people who have loved the band, but maybe don't like the new stuff, but I don't like either for them to feel like we're turning our backs on them. We're still doing what we want to do, we're writing songs with the same process we always have, and besides, when we go out on tour, we're going to play the heavy shit they want to hear too. There's going to be a mix of material. So people will get their fix, but when it comes to new music that sounds like the old records, it's simply not gonna happen. We want to move on, y'know? But that's not necessarily saying we're never going to do a death metal scream. That might happen, y'know? iHeartGuitarBlog.com: It's like the backlash against the new PINK FLOYD album coming out later this year. They're just trying to express themselves, and the whole reason people like them in the first place is because they like how they express themselves — and also it's not like the new album will walk across the shelf and break the old ones. Mikael: Exactly. People have so many odd opinions about that. Like, referring back to us, it's like people saying it's not OPETH anymore, like they have the power to decide when it's not OPETH anymore, because it just simply doesn't fit their idea of what we are, y'know? But I think that's a bit unfair. I think people should be happy that PINK FLOYD are doing a new record, and it's debatable, but they should just shut up and enjoy it! If they like it or not, it is David Gilmour who has been the head of PINK FLOYD since the mid-'80s, and if the music features Rick Wright, who passed away, why wouldn't you want to be able to listen to it? And Nick Mason's probably gonna play drums, as far as I know, and Roger Waters is not gonna be angry! For me, I look forward to it, very much.
04 min read

SLASH Says It’s ‘Impossible To Take Seriously’ Poll Naming ‘Sweet Child’ Second Greatest Riff Of All Time

Manos Spanos
Slash told an Australian radio station in a new interview that it is "impossible to take seriously" a recent poll in which "Sweet Child O' Mine", the GUNS N' ROSES track from "Appetite For Destruction" that became the band's biggest hit single, was voted the second greatest guitar riff of all time by listeners of BBC Radio 2. "I definitely don't sit there and go, 'Yeah, it's the greatest riff,'" Slash told Triple M (hear audio below). "But it's very surreal when somebody says something like that. It's almost, like... impossible to take it seriously. Do you know what I'm saying? It's not tangible. I mean, obviously, someone is walking around saying that and there's been some sort of a poll. But it's also nonexistent as far as… You know, it's really hard to really take seriously. You're not part of the effort of finding out that information and researching it; all of a sudden, it just appears. So it's something that you sort of take with… You're very appreciative about it and you sort of count your lucky stars that you got mentioned in that position, or even at all, and then you sort of take it with a grain of salt and try not to dwell on it and take it too seriously." LED ZEPPELIN's "Whole Lotta Love" topped the BBC Radio 2 poll, which included 100 riffs drawn up by a panel of Radio 2 and 6 Music DJs, critics and record producers. "Back In Black" (AC/DC) was third in the poll and "Smoke On The Water" (DEEP PURPLE) the next most popular. Slash told a Cincinnati radio station earlier in the year that he wasn't a fan at first of "Sweet Child O' Mine". He explained, "I didn't hate it, but I wasn't fond of 'Sweet Child O' Mine'. And that gives you a good idea of how credible my opinion is. The actual riff itself I love, but the song itself…" Slash added: "GUNS N' ROSES was always a real hardcore sort of AC/DC kind of hard rock band with a lot of attitude. If we did any kind of ballads, it was bluesy. This was an uptempo ballad. That's one of the gayest things you can write… It's a great song — I'm not knocking it — but at the same time, it just did not fit in with the rest of our, sort of, schtick. And, of course, it would be the biggest hit we ever had." "Sweet Child O' Mine" eventually hit No. 1 on the Billboard singles chart and helped propel "Appetite For Destruction" to sales of millions of copies. Slash told The Pulse Of Radio a while back why he thought "Appetite" became such a monster success. "We were the only band that was doing what it was that we were doing, with the attitude that we had," he said. "People were starved for it, because, I mean, other than us, there was SIMPLE MINDS and MÖTLEY CRÜE. I mean, you know, [chuckles] Cyndi Lauper, you know? I mean, that's what was going on then. So people were dying for, like, a real, blood-sweat-and-tears rock-and-roll band." In addition to being the biggest hit from that album, "Sweet Child O' Mine" has been covered by artists ranging from Sheryl Crow to Luna. Slash was asked in a U.K. interview to name the most lucrative song he ever wrote. He replied, "I'd guess 'Sweet Child O' Mine', because it's the most covered."
04 min read

METALLICA Earns Spot In ‘Guinness World Records’ 2015 Edition

Manos Spanos
METALLICA is included in the "Guinness World Records 2015" edition, which features groundbreaking achievements across film, television and music. METALLICA made history when they became the first and only band to perform a concert on all seven of Earth's continents after entertaining 120 scientists and competition winners at Carlini Station in Antarctica on December 8, 2013. The hour-long show, appropriately dubbed "Freeze 'Em All", saw the rock band perform ten tracks. With a Hall Of Fame-caliber career spanning more than three decades, the band earned a spot in the 60th-anniversary edition of the "Guinness World Records" book after a whirlwind year in 2013 performing concerts in North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia and Antarctica. METALLICA frontman James Hetfield commented: "Seven continents in one year with Antarctica being THE gig of a lifetime... Yes, 120 scientists and competition winners. Not to mention the 300 very curious penguins!" Added the band in a statement: "Last year as we hit the road, like we do most years, visiting a lot of our favorite places along with some new ones, we didn't realize that we were on track to break a world record! Good thing someone else was paying attention as we managed to play on all seven continents in one year, becoming the first and only band to ever do so! Our friends at 'Guinness World Records' took notice bestowing on us the distinct honor of being featured in their official book hitting stores September 10th. "In addition to performing live in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and Africa, the year was capped off with a visit to Antarctica on December 8, 2013 to play for 120 scientists, contest winners and their penguin friends at the Argentine Carlini Station. We were literally at the bottom of the earth for one of the most unique, special and unforgettable days in our 30+ years as a band and low and behold, our little adventure sealed the deal for the record! Who woulda thought." "Guinness World Records 2015" contains the universe's most comprehensive collection of facts and superlatives and is a sure "must-have" for both knowledge-seekers and aspiring record breakers of all ages. "Guinness World Records 2015" is available September 10 for the suggested retail price of $28.95. The 2015 edition marks the sixtieth anniversary since the very first edition went to print in 1955. "Guinness World Records" (GWR) is the universally recognized global authority on record-breaking achievement. First published in 1955, over 132 million copies — and 3 million e-books — have been sold in 20 languages, in more than 100 countries. Since then, the internationally renowned brand is also available across a number of platforms; "Guinness World Records" global television shows are watched by over 750 million viewers annually, over half a million subscribe to the GWR YouTube channel, the global web site receives 14 million viewers annually and has over 6 million fans on Facebook. For more information, visit the www.guinnessworldrecords.com.
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.