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Manos Spanos

ANVIL Drummer ROBB REINER To Hold First Major Gallery Show Of His Paintings

Manos Spanos
Drummer Robb Reiner of Canadian metal legends ANVIL will hold the first major gallery show of his paintings from September 25 to October 6 at the BBAM Gallery in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. What the art lover will find most unique about Reiner is his lifestyle outside of his painting. Reiner's life is, in most cases, a very loud and busy existence as he is an iconic drummer in the legendary Canadian metal band ANVIL that he co-founded with his bandmate Steve "Lips" Kudlow in the 1970s. His love affair with the canvas brings peace and quiet to an otherwise chaotic existence. One day he is behind his drum kit playing for screaming metal fans, and the very next day, Reiner is sitting in his art studio, alone, a brush in hand, creating an image of stillness. Walking in his shoes, taking the path of two extremes, Reiner's perspective in life brings a fresh and unexplored world that only he lives in. The artist does not want to apply any established rules — he only wants to be faithful to his impression. The way Reiner works to create a painting is also very unique. Reiner travels around the world (on tour with his band) and takes photographs of interesting subjects that are compiled town to town in between all shows. When in between tours, while life in Reiner's world is isolated and quiet, the archives of research material (photographs) are revisited. Reiner finds what he can work with and bases the painting that he will be creating on compositional potential that is established when the photo is shot — sketches are made on paper, and the sketch will determine to the artist if the painting will work or not — then the creation process commences. The photographs are never copied; they are only used for compositional inspiration, and are "custom made" to Reiner's vision. All paintings are simplified from the actual photo (i.e. removing people — never adding anything). Painting in the colors are all dependent on the mood of the artist at the time of the creation. Robb Reiner paints three canvases a year between his rock 'n' roll life. Each painting takes months from beginning to completion. The first step is a creation of the under-painting, and then the colors are drawn in. Reiner enjoys painting while listening to his music playlist that is an assortment of the greatest psychedelic rock, heavy rock, music from the '60s-'70s. Scenes of emptiness filled with stark somberness are presented with robustness and energy gaining nuances in the delicacy and grace in which Reiner suggests infinite and infanite knowledge of the imagination and knowledge of the contained intellect. Reiner approaches each painting as a composition of light and adherence to a quirky realism mixing forms of surrealism, symbolism and abstraction. Reiner's passion and love for art brings him peace and has been his secret world for many years until he reluctantly agreed to show the world this side of his life. A few paintings were featured in the critically acclaimed, award-winning documentary "Anvil! The Story Of Anvil" — a movie about his band — which has been called "possibly the greatest film yet made about rock and roll." Reiner has turned down many gallery offerings as all galleries inquiring about his art have come with the stipulation to sell his original works. Reiner has also received private offerings to purchase his original works. Subsequently, following all the demands of ownership, Robb Reiner has issued 2013 and 2014 Art Calendars for the first time ever that have been very successful — in a very short amount of time, both versions have sold out. Robb stated in a 2011 interview: "I paint for me! My home is my gallery and very few are blessed with access to the gallery. I, in general, have not had the desire to share them until the director of the ANVIL movie talked me into showing the world that I paint. This, in turn, has exposed a few works and opened up a floodgate of public interest and endless offers to buy my works."
04 min read

MASTODON’s BRENT HINDS Interviewed By THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN’s BEN WEINMAN

Manos Spanos
THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN guitarist Ben Weinman recently conducted an interview with MASTODON's Brent Hinds for Weinman's newly launched PartySmasherInc.com web site. You can now watch the chat below. Weinman and Hinds have previously collaborated in GIRAFFE TONGUE ORCHESTRA, the supergroup also featuring former JANE'S ADDICTION bassist Eric Avery and former THE MARS VOLTA drummer Jon Theodore. As previously reported, MASTODON will be the musical guests on the September 15 episode of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" The band will perform several songs on the show's outdoor stage in front of a standing-room-only crowd. "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" airs every weeknight (11:35 p.m.-12:37 a.m., ET) and features a diverse lineup of guests that include celebrities, athletes, musical acts, comedians and human interest subjects, along with comedy bits and a house band. MASTODON's sixth album, "Once More 'Round The Sun", sold around 34,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 6 on The Billboard 200 chart. The record arrived in stores on June 24 via Reprise Records. THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN has collaborated with rapper Jarren Benton on a song called "Rage" as part of the Converse CONS EP series, where artists who might not ever cross musical paths are invited to step into Converse Rubber Tracks studios and mix it up. Converse Rubber Tracks is a state-of-the-art recording studio that opened on July 13, 2011 in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. The studio provides emerging artists with the incredible opportunity to record music in a high-quality studio at no cost. THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN's new song "Happiness Is A Smile" was made available on limited-edition colored seven-inch vinyl via the band's merchandise table and as a cassingle through the group's VIP packages during THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN's recent U.S. tour.
02 min read

MEGADETH Mainman DAVE MUSTAINE’s Stool Being Auctioned For Charity

Manos Spanos
A stool hand-assembled by Dave Mustaine of MEGADETH while recording the band's 2007 album "United Abominations" is being auctioned to benefit three children's charities as part of the TeamRock Monster Rock Auction, a charitable project launched by the Heavy Metal Truants. The stool, which was donated by "United Abominations" producer Andy Sneap, bears a note of authenticity signed by Mustaine himself. As previously reported, MEGADETH is continuing work on material for the band's next album, tentatively due in 2015. "We're taking our time with this one," Mustaine told Loaded Radio in a recent interview. "The last record we've done, we felt we were really on a positive upswing with [producer] Johnny K and we were excited to get in and do the record. But looking back over time, all the records that we had a lot of success with, personally…. Because, I mean, at the end of the day, if you don't like what you're doing, then what's the point? But the ones that we really got the most enjoyment out of was the ones that took the longest to write. We would sit with the songs and let them digest and assimilate and become part of us, instead of, 'OK, that's a great song. Let's go.' Or versus, 'You know what? Would it be better if we [played] this part one more time or cut that one in half or sped this up a little bit. There's so many variables." MEGADETH latest album, 2013's "Super Collider", sold 29,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 6 on The Billboard 200 chart.
02 min read

MICHAEL SCHENKER’s Guitars Stolen From Recording Studio In Germany

Manos Spanos
Sometime between 6 p.m. on Friday, August 29 and 11 a.m. on Sunday, August 31 at Kidroom Studios in Greven, Germany, where Michael Schenker is recording the new TEMPLE OF ROCK album, "Spirit On A Mission", thieves broke in and stole and number of Schenker's Dean Flying V and Michael Voss' guitars. At the moment, the full extent of what has been stolen is being assessed and the crime scene fingerprinted. However, Schenker's brand new Chrome V is one of the guitars that have been taken. A source close to the band said: "The Dean Chrome V is one of only three ever made. Michael's version is unique and made to his own specifications. There is not another like it, so it will be hard to sell." German police are examining evidence and the studio for fingerprints and DNA evidence to help catch the criminals. There will be more details once the extent of the damage and a thorough inventory has been taken at the crime scene. Anyone with any relevant information is asked to contact the Greven Police Station on +49 2571 9280. MICHAEL SCHENKER'S TEMPLE OF ROCK's last CD, "Bridge The Gap", featured Michael Schenker alongside vocalist Doogie White, guitarist/keyboardist Wayne Findlay, bassist Francis Buchholz and drummer Herman Rarebell. The effort marked the first time Schenker and fellow ex-SCORPIONS members Buchholz and Rarebell appeared on the same album since the classic 1979 SCORPIONS LP "Lovedrive".
01 min read

Guitarist EMIL WERSTLER Quits CHIMAIRA

Manos Spanos
Guitarist Emil Werstler has decided to leave CHIMAIRA after a three-year tenure with the band. Werstler spent the first few months playing bass for CHIMAIRA, but switched back to his original instrument in 2012 following the announcement that guitarists Rob Arnold and Matt DeVries were leaving the group at the end of 2011. Emil, best known for his gypsy jazz-infused guitar playing with LEVI/WERSTLER and DÅÅTH, has issued the following statement about his departure: "My time in CHIMAIRA has, unfortunately, come to an end. It is time for me to move on as I continue to focus on harvesting my abilities as a musician. "I'm very fond of everyone in the band and wish them all the best in the future. "Although this was a difficult choice to make, I feel it was necessary in order to take the next step in my career. The best is still yet to come and I'm very excited for the multiple projects I am working on. "I would like to thank the band, management, and, most importantly, all the fans for the endless support and understanding." Werstler is featured on CHIMAIRA's seventh studio album, "Crown Of Phantoms", which sold around 7,400 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 52 on The Billboard 200 chart. The record arrived in stores on July 30, 2013 via eOne Music.
01 min read

MIKE PORTNOY On Possibility Of Reunion With DREAM THEATER: ‘If I Was A Betting Man, I Wouldn’t Put Money On It’

Manos Spanos
In the latest issue of U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine, drummer Mike Portnoy (THE WINERY DOGS, DREAM THEATER, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, ADRENALINE MOB) was asked by TESSERACT's Jay Postones what the chances are of Portnoy ever playing with DREAM THEATER again. "If I was a betting man, I wouldn't put money on it," Portnoy replied. "And that's not my doing. I never say never and haven't closed any doors. "I'm a very nostalgic person; I forgive and forget very easily… but I think the guys [in DREAM THEATER] have made it very clear they have no interest in looking backwards. "Those guys were a huge part of my life for a very long time, so I'm open to anything, anytime. "I guess the ball's in their court. We shall see." Portnoy, who co-founded DREAM THEATER more than 27 years ago, abruptly quit the band in September 2010 while on tour with AVENGED SEVENFOLD. He has since been replaced by Mike Mangini (ANNIHILATOR, EXTREME, JAMES LABRIE, STEVE VAI). In an October 2013 interview with Brazil's "Wikimetal", DREAM THEATER singer James LaBrie stated about his current relationship with Mike Portnoy: "I haven't spoken to Mike since he left the band. "Myself, personally, and the way that the band feels is we're moving forward. Mike Mangini is our drummer and he will remain our drummer until the day that we're finished doing this. It's just the way that it is. "The reason that DREAM THEATER is moving on is because we have somebody that completely clicks with the band, he understands the band and he's helping us fulfill our musical aspirations. "Mike [Portnoy], you know, he's moved on, he's working with musicians and doing the things that he wants to do musically, and I think he's happy with that. But as far as DREAM THEATER [is concerned], this is who we are and this is who we will continue to be. Mike Mangini is our drummer, and he will be."
02 min read

PHILIP ANSELMO Says METALLICA’s ‘Load’ Album Should Never Have Been Released: ‘It’s A Terrible Record’

Manos Spanos
Former PANTERA and current DOWN frontman Philip Anselmo talked about some of the records that have had an impact on his life for the "Discs Of Doom" article in the latest issue of U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine. Asked which album should never have seen the light of day, Anselmo replied: "I would have to say [1996's] 'Load' by METALLICA. I mean, it's a terrible record, man. I just don't get it. If you're gonna put out a record like that, just do a fucking side project or something, ya know?" Anselmo first publicly critized METALLICA's "Load" in 2003, when he slammed the heavy metal giants for touring with supporting acts like LIMP BIZKIT and LINKIN PARK and challenging them to a road duel, head-to-head on any stage, telling an interviewer, "Heavy metal lies in the underground and if they're worried about... Why in the hell would METALLICA be worried about ticket sales? Bring out some fuckin' good bands." He explained: "That was due to a conversation [METALLICA frontman] James Hetfield and I had years ago when I was talking to him about their new album. I think that was when 'Load' was out, and it kind of shocked everybody — everybody was freaked out." Anselmo elaborated in a subsequent interview, claiming that METALLICA never would have shared a stage with PANTERA in the U.S. "because they know what would fuckin' happen. We would fuckin' eat them alive! That's the end of the fuckin' sentence. We would crush 'em." METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich responded to Anselmo's challenge by saying, "Is he that desperate to tour? I love all these challenges. The ol' step it up...," and adding that Anselmo "has a tendency to talk a lot of horseshit most of the time." Anselmo appeared to soften his tone by the time DOWN and METALLICA toured together in 2008, and two years later, Anselmo told Ultimate Guitar that he considered METALLICA to be "THE ROLLING STONES of metal" in terms of career longevity. In a 2013 interview with Revolver magazine, Lars Ulrich was asked what he felt was METALLICA's most underappreciated release. "I think 'Load' and 'Reload' [1997] are great records," he replied. "They are creatively on par with every other record we've made. Obviously, they're bluesier records, and at that time, we were listening to a lot of LED ZEPPELIN, DEEP PURPLE and AC/DC, and we had a different kind of foundation than records before or after. And I understand that there are people who couldn't quite figure out what was going on with the haircuts and the rest of it, and that's fine. But musically, if you strip all that other stuff away, if you just listen to the 27 songs — 'Load' and 'Reload' were intended as one double-record — it's a great collection of songs that is on par with everything else that we've done creatively. But, I mean, who needs another person to sit there and argue about, you know, fucking 'Carpe Diem Baby'? They are different records, but that was the intention. [Laughs] It's not like we sat there and thought we were remaking '…And Justice For All'. [Laughs] We are obviously aware of that. But I think personally there's great songs on both of those records and I'm very proud of those records."
03 min read

FAITH NO MORE IS ‘CONSIDERING DOING SOMETHING NEW’

Manos Spanos
Bassist Billy Gould of the reactivated influential alt-metal act FAITH NO MORE has revealed to Classic Rock magazine that the band may begin work on a new studio album at some point in the not-too-distant future, explaining, "to do something creative would be a really good thing to do." FAITH NO MORE recently hinted at the possibility of new music 17 years after the release of the band's last LP, "Album Of The Year", and debuted two new songs, "Superhero" and "Motherfucker" — when they supported BLACK SABBATH at London,'s Hyde Park on July 4. "We're considering doing something new," Gould said. "[But] we're not going to go into a room and bang out a bunch of songs just to put something out; it has to to be right." He continued: "Our relationships among ourselves are really positive at the moment, and to do something creative would be a really good thing to do. We're all at that stage. I mean, we're still the same people and there's still the same shit going on, but I think maybe we're a bit more appreciative of one another than we were fifteen years ago." The group, which made a comeback in June 2009 with a headlining performance at the Brixton Academy in London, England and has played sporadic shows for the past few years, launched a new Twitter account and one of the first posts in May was as follows: "The reunion thing was fun, but now it's time to get a little creative." "I think we still have a lot of potential to do really good things, and I think our heads, musically speaking, are in a really good space," Gould told Classic Rock. "If anything is to come out of this, I'll probably have to be one of the instigators. But everybody has to want to do this or it doesn't happen. "At this point, no one has a carrot or a stick to use on anyone else. If it comes together, it'll all be completely consensual." FAITH NO MORE singer Mike Patton said in a 2012 interview that one of the reasons the band's reunion didn't happen sooner is the fact that they wanted to avoid making it feel like a nostalgia thing — like "Here's FAITH NO MORE again." "We wanted it to feel fresh and still somehow vital," he said. "It wasn't an money grab. It's funny to say, but we all kind of reconnected, and after quite a long time we all kinda looked at each other and were like, 'Man, we actually spent half of our lives together.' It's interesting to see it through that set of glasses as opposed to the ones you wore back then. I suppose, at least personally speaking, I've grown up a lot since then, and I think I approach the music differently, and I felt better about the music than I did then."
03 min read

Opeth
Pale Communion

Manos Spanos
Progress. A word that sprawls its meaning to the four corners of the horizon. A word that in modern music terminology is used to define the change of a band’s sound to another hype or level. A word that is synonymous to the nature of Opeth’s music. But the new leaves in the tree of opeth happen not to share the same roots. “Pale Communion” seems to have grown from seeds in the near field but not the same tree.. On their eleventh observation, Mikael Akerfeldt and Opeth, sound they’ve found a perfect balance within the music these five guys can reproduce better than anyone else. Rock in a progressive rock manner but quite more straight forward and a lot folkish- if I may use the term... The album busts in with a 70s lick made by Deep Purple and it progresses in the same attitude and vibe. Hammonds for the world but I could say it doesn’t even get close to the “monster” of Jon Lord soundwise. Camel-ish enough though!Eternal rains will come? Cusp of eternity, the first tune to come out earlier than the rest of the album, is a beautiful radio-friendly tune with some ah-ahs borrowed by Ritchie Blackmore’s Night first album. Moon above, sun below is the only track exciding the 10 minutes of duration. Many acoustic passages similar to Damnation days and a few outbursts with some quite heavy metal guitar solos here make this track surface more than the rest of the album. Actually the track builds up to its ending theme from 6.22 till the end with a familiar Opeth cresendo (A Fair Judgement/ Porcelain Heart type). Elysian Woes, sounds like a lost track of a Camel single b-side or an intermission track of a 70s Genesis album. Another nice acoustic but nothing extravagand. Goblin, is a beautiful 4 minute instrumental with great 70s prog rock themes. Probably my favourite on this album even though not original at all. River, starts off with some major 12stringed guitar melodies and as it moves on the music in it unveils into an upward tempo and into the most powerfull and metal-ish sound you’ll find in here with some double bass included as well (no growls though). Kind of in the ways of moon above sun below... Voice of treason is a known formula of song with a basic melody circulating throughout the whole song until the end and several melodies emerging every now and then to acompany it. Finally Faith in Others is a long outro melodic piece of music with all vocals procecced through phone-box effect with a quite melodic and touching imagery building. Probably the most Opeth sound-ing in terms of atmosphere here in Pale Communion... To sum it up, every Opeth release really can’t be bad in any term...the music is here, the production that fits the music is here, the emotions are here...nothing is missing but the element surprise and uniqueness. Opeth have all these years managed to surface their music because of certain elements that other bands couldn’t mix together- or let say couldn’t do it that perfectly as Opeth did. Unfortunately these elements seem to missing from Opeth’s latest observations and stabornly refusing to get at least some of those in the play... Thus I’d rate Pale Communion as the second album that Opeth search their new identity. I’m not sure how many albums will it take till they find themselves but we’ll be here waiting for their comeback.
04 min read

IRON MAIDEN: Classic ’80s Vinyl Reissues On The Way

Manos Spanos
Parlophone Records (BMG/INgrooves Music Group for North America) will follow the 2012/13 IRON MAIDEN vinyl picture disc reissues of the first eight IRON MAIDEN albums, which spanned the 1980s, with brand new pressings of the albums in heavyweight 180-gram black vinyl. In conjunction with these premium album releases, a strictly limited one-off run of the seven-inch singles from each respective album will be made available. These highly collectable black vinyl singles will be cut from the original analogue master tapes. Released in replica artwork packaging, they are sure to become a must-have item for fans, collectors and anyone who missed out first time round. The albums will also be cut from the original analogue master tapes and packaged in identical artwork to the initial 1980s releases. As a bonus, the first batch of album releases ("Iron Maiden", "Killers", "The Number Of The Beast") will also be made available in a Collector's Box sized to house all eight albums. This package will be a strictly limited edition and available while stocks last. The records will be released chronologically across a two-month period starting October 13 (October 14 in North America) with the first three albums ("Iron Maiden", "Killers", "The Number Of The Beast") and the seven corresponding seven-inch singles: * "Running Free" b/w "Burning Ambition" * "Sanctuary" b/w "Drifter" (Live) and "I've Got The Fire" (Live) * "Women In Uniform" b/w "Invasion" * "Twilight Zone"/"Wrathchild" double A side * "Purgatory" b/w "Genghis Khan" * "Run To The Hills" b/w "Total Eclipse" * "The Number Of The Beast" b/w "Remember Tomorrow" (Live) Followed by: October 27 (October 28 in North America): "Piece Of Mind", "Powerslave" and "Live After Death" and the six corresponding seven-inch singles: * "Flight Of Icarus" b/w "I've Got The Fire" * "The Trooper" b/w "Cross-Eyed Mary" * "2 Minutes To Midnight" b/w "Rainbow's Gold" * "Aces High" b/w "King Of Twilight" * "Running Free" (Live) b/w "Sanctuary" (Live) * "Run To The Hills" (Live) b/w "Phantom Of The Opera" (Live) November 24 (November 25 in North America): "Somewhere In Time" and "Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son" and the six corresponding seven-inch singles: * "Wasted Years" b/w "Reach Out" * "Stranger In A Strange Land" b/w "That Girl" * "Can I Play With Madness" b/w "Black Bart Blues" * "The Evil That Men Do" b/w "Prowler ‘88" * "The Clairvoyant" b/w "The Prisoner" (Live) * "Infinite Dreams" (Live) b/w "Killers" (Live) The release of these high-quality, black vinyl records offers optimum choice to fans who would like to own a piece of MAIDEN's authentic 1980s vinyl sound, or for those simply wanting to rediscover this much loved, iconic format. Coupled with the end of the Maiden England World Tour which began in North America in 2012 and finished last month at Knebworth Park's Sonisphere festival, this now completes MAIDEN's 1980s touring and catalogue reissues cycle, so the band are free to focus on their dynamic future plans.
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.