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Manos Spanos

MARTY FRIEDMAN: ‘You Can Pretty Much Say I’m A Hypocrite’

Manos Spanos
In the June 2014 issue of Decibel magazine, former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman was asked to explain why he chose to release a mostly instrumental album in this year's "Inferno" after advising aspiring musicians in a recent interview that they should avoid instrumental music because it's a dead-end street. "Yeah, I'm a hypocrite," Marty said. "The funny thing about artists is that they often contradict themselves, and I'm certainly guilty of that. But I really do think instrumental music is a dead-end street if you're an aspiring musician. "I've been playing for a long time, and I've got a certain fan base. And the good thing about my fan base is that it's not just one set of people. In Japan, most people know me from a particular television program — they don't even know that I do music. Some people only know me from my solo albums. Other people only know me from my past career, which is certainly the case in America. So, people know me from many different things, which affords me the luxury of doing whatever I want, be it instrumental or vocal. But if you're just starting out, instrumental music is tough to make a career out of. And to be honest with you, l'm not really a fan of instrumental music. I don't listen to much of it. Usually when I hear it, I get pissed off because I'd do it differently. That's an honest answer. The music I listen to is 100 percent music with vocals, and that's how I set out to make my instrumental music. It's hard to explain, but it's a different mentality than someone who is immersed in instrumental music. But yeah, you can pretty much say I'm a hypocrite." Friedman told GuitarMessenger.com at this year's NAMM (National Association Of Music Merchants) show, which took place in January at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California: "Instrumental music is a tough genre. It's the funnest thing to play, because you don't have to deal with any singers. But in reality, it's a very limited amount of people who can stand it. "It sounds hypocritical for someone who's released so many instrumental albums, but I think that's the standard to which I make my instrumental music. It's like for someone who can't stand instrumental music; it has to be at this level of stuff. It's far beyond showing your chops and showing what you can do. And the worst thing is how versatile you are, because I don't want to hear a country song, a blues song, a metal song, a rap song all on the same album. A lot of instrumental guys tend to do that because it's like a résumé, which is fine for a résumé, but not for a listening album. "There are four songs on my new album, 'Inferno', with vocals, so it's a band vibe on some of it. It's almost like CACOPHONY, [which] had some vocal songs and some instrumental songs. Sort of like that, but there are more instrumentals on 'Inferno'. "Instrumental music is kind of a dead-end street… The reality is, the more you can fit yourself into a band context the better you will be for the long run, and the better you will be for the more experiences you'll have. "If I was only doing instrumental music, I think I would pull my hair out. There's a time and place for it. When I do it, you can bet that there's no stone unturned. It's going to be the rad stuff and it's definitely not a show-off type of thing and it's not an arrogant type of thing. "My advice is, collaborate with as many people as you can. Play in a band. "Being by yourself, doing everything by yourself… unless you're someone like Prince, who's a god, I wouldn't want to put all that work on you. Be part of something great." Friedman's new solo album, "Inferno", was released in May via Prosthetic Records. The CD containa several collaborations with players influenced by Friedman, including Alexi Laiho (CHILDREN OF BODOM), REVOCATION guitar whiz David Davidson and the flamenco/metal acoustic duo RODRIGO Y GABRIELA. In addition, the album includes Friedman's first songwriting collaboration with Jason Becker since the pair played together in the pioneering duo of guitar mayhem CACOPHONY. "Sociopaths" lyric video:
05 min read

ROB ZOMBIE Says U.S. Rock Scene Has Never Recovered From Rise Of Early ’90s Grunge Movement

Manos Spanos
Rob Zombie has told TeamRock Radio that it would be impossible to stage a festival like U.K.'s Download in the U.S. because the American rock scene has never regained its momentum after the rise of the early '90s grunge movement, which symbolized the working-class spirit and focused on music over image. He said (hear audio below): "In the '90s, when the grunge rock thing hit, with NIRVANA and all that, everybody thought it was cool to be anti-rock star. But in a way they sort of anti-rock starred themselves right out the door, because the rap guys came in and they said, 'Fuck it. We'll be the rock stars then, if you guys are going to wear flannel shirts and stare at your feet.' And in the U.S., truthfully, rock music has never recovered from that. A whole generation of kids thought, 'Fuck this! Rock music is boring. Let's go listen to rap music.' And it's never recovered. I mean, over [in the U.K.] it's different. You could never throw a festival like [Download] in the U.S. and get this many people, with just rock music. Never." Asked by On Tour Monthly in a November 2013 interview if it's worth it for him to constantly bring out lavish stage productions, Rob said: "Yes and no. For some bands, it's a hard line to follow. In one sense, you are generating huge sums of money while you're on the road. But here's the thing. Say a tour generates $4 million dollars, but it cost you $3,999,999 to stage it." He added: "I can tell you that I put a lot of thought into my stage shows before taking them out on the road. The general public has absolutely no idea how much money is involved to actually take tours on the road. The more elaborate the production, the higher the cost." Asked if that's his own fault, Rob said: "It is and it isn't. It's really the fault of the whole industry. When kids go to a big rock show, they expect a big rock show. If they go to see Jewel, they expect to see her with an acoustic guitar and a spotlight. If I did that, kids would scream, 'What they hell is this?' "In a sense, you could say I created my own hell, but it's kind of the nature of this business. It's the same thing with a movie star who's known for action movies. You can't make a decent action movie unless you spend at least $150 to 200 million filming it. "People come to expect certain things at my shows, and it those things are expensive to take on the road. If they are not there, the audience is going to be bummed and might not come back. I'm not complaining boo-hoo about the money. It's just the nature of it all. It's expensive to take out a tour with all the production involved. There are crews, buses, hotels and other considerations that go into these shows night after night. Hell, even rock videos started getting insane with the prices directors wanted to charge. It's hard to get them made for cheap anymore .They are extremely overpriced, and it's hard to make them nowadays, even harder to get them played. Unfortunately, you still need them into today's business world."
03 min read

Enemy of Reality: Official Release Date/The Bargaining (song)

Manos Spanos
Enemy of Reality along with their label, F.Y.B. Records, are announcing the official release date of their debut “Rejected Gods”, on Monday, June 30, 2014. The cd will be available in Greece by Trailblazer Records. They also share with the public a new track from the record, called “The Bargaining”, the second off a tetralogy concept based on the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. It is describing Orpheus’ passing to the underworld and his attempt to persuade Hades to bring Eurydice back to life. It is also the only track that features brutal vocals. Eurydice ‘s tortured soul is expressed by the Greek mezzo-soprano Androniki Skoula (Chastora- SepticFlesh), while Iliana sings in the role of Orpheus and Thanos, Enemy’s bassist and main lyricist, performs the brutal vocals of Hades. Enemy of Reality uploaded a few weeks ago their song titled “Torn Apart”, the final part of the tetralogy where Orpheus returns on his own to the world of the living. Μourning Eurydice’s loss for the second time, he is surrounded by the Maenads which have gone mad, tear him to pieces and throw his head and lyre in the river Evros. Listen to “The Bargaining” here
01 min read

GODSMACK: ‘1000hp’ Single Premiere (Audio)

Manos Spanos
GODSMACK's first all-new single since 2011, "1000hp" (One Thousand Horsepower), arrived at rock radio stations on Monday (June 9) and can now be streamed in the YouTube clip below. Singer Sully Erna told The Pulse Of Radio that his original title for the song took things to the next level. "Actually, the original title I wanted to put on the song was '100,000 Horsepower'," he said. "But unfortunately, rhythmically, it was too many syllables and I couldn't make it fit the way I wanted to creatively, so I trimmed it back to '1000 Horsepower', which is still pretty fuckin' powerful, by the way." "1000hp" is taken from the album of the same name, which comes out on August 5. The band's sixth studio effort will follow up 2010's "The Oracle" and follows a two-year hiatus. The "1000hp" digital single will be made available on June 10.
01 min read

STEVE ‘ZETRO’ SOUZA: ‘A Lot Went Into My Decision’ To Rejoin EXODUS

Manos Spanos
San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal veterans EXODUS on Sunday (June 8) announced the departure of their singer of the past nine years, Rob Dukes, and the return of his predecessor, Steve "Zetro" Souza. Souza, who previously fronted EXODUS from 1986 to 1993 and from 2002 to 2004, told MetalRecusants.com about his return to the band: "A lot went into my decision. They [EXODUS] have got great management now with Chuck Billy [TESTAMENT], they really got it together. A lot of it was enticing to me and it makes great sense to [my other band] HATRIOT. Those guys [HATRIOT] are nearly as excited as me. They know we might have to sit for a minute but we're still working on songs [for the third HATRIOT album] and stuff." Souza also confirmed that he will pull "double duty" for the foreseeable future, splitting his time between EXODUS and HATRIOT, which also features his sons Nick Souza (drums) and Cody Souza (bass). He said: "[EXODUS guitarist and main songwriter Gary Holt is] in SLAYER. What am I gonna do when he's [on the road with those guys]? They told me not to quit [HATRIOT], and I was, like, I'm not. I'm not gonna shelve everything we [HATRIOT] have worked for. I'm not. I'm like Corey Taylor now [who is splitting his time between SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR]. You know, we're writing the new HATRIOT album right now and it will be out next year guaranteed." Asked about the possibility of a tour featuring SLAYER, EXODUS and HATRIOT, Zetro said: "I don't know about something like that. We need to take this in baby steps. I'm not gonna force anybody to piggyback. I believe the management understands how I feel about that band [SLAYER], my band [HATRIOT] and being in EXODUS. They've seen I've kept to the program with Gary being in SLAYER. You can work double duties, so we'll see what happens. But you know me, I can do it."
02 min read

Former SLAYER Drummer DAVE LOMBARDO Joins AMEN

Manos Spanos
AMEN, the band led by firebrand frontman Casey Chaos, is working on a brand new album for release later this year and is set for its long-awaited return to the U.K. this August. In addition, the band is excited to announce the enlistment of former SLAYER and current PHILM drummer Dave Lombardo to AMEN's ranks. The refreshed lineup — completed by John Fahnestock on bass, Duke Decter and John King on guitars — is already neck deep in work on a new album with longtime producer Ross Robinson (KORN, LIMP BIZKIT, SEPULTURA). Says Lombardo: "I am very proud to have been asked to be part of this amazing production with Casey Chaos and Ross Robinson. "My career in thrash was created from my love of the punk genre. There is an excitement in this particular style of music that's vital for me. It's aggressive, honest and needed. "I'm looking forward to performing with AMEN before returning to Europe with PHILM in September." Adds Casey Chaos: "It's great to be working again with Dave, this time in AMEN. He brought so much power, aggression and passion to the music on the new record, in a way only he could only deliver. Without question this is THE most important album I’ve ever made. I'm looking forward to unleashing it live and destroying ourselves for your pleasure!"
01 min read

DEEP PURPLE Working On New Music

Manos Spanos
Legendary rockers DEEP PURPLE are writing material for their 20th studio album, tentatively due in 2014. The band's lead singer, Ian Gillan, tells Zeitung: "The whole band is [in Portugal]. We have a studio in the Algarve where we're working on new songs. "In the evening we take a sip of good red wine and enjoy the tranquility. I'm woken up at dawn by a rooster in the neighborhood and I get up when it gets light. When it gets dark in the evening, I go to bed. It's a no frills life; but it's a good life down here." According to Gillan, he has no plans to retire from touring any time soon. "I can't imagine not being on stage," he said. "When I was a teenager, I went to a Cliff Bennett concert and I released I wanted to be where he was. The interaction with the audience, and even more important for me, with the musicians — that's pure magic. "With a DEEP PURPLE concert, you never know exactly what will happen. I don't want to miss those feelings."
01 min read

MASTODON: Official ‘High Road’ Video Released

Manos Spanos
Atlanta progressive metallers MASTODON will release their sixth album, "Once More 'Round The Sun", on June 24 via Reprise Records. The follow-up to 2011's "The Hunter" was recorded in Nashville with Grammy Award-winning producer Nick Raskulinecz, who is known for his work with RUSH, DEFTONES, FOO FIGHTERS and ALICE IN CHAINS. The official video for the song "High Road" can be seen below. "Once More 'Round The Sun" track listing: 01. Tread Lightly 02. The Motherload 03. High Road 04. Once More 'Round The Sun 05. Chimes At Midnight 06. Asleep In The Deep 07. Feast Your Eyes 08. Aunt Lisa 09. Ember City 10. Halloween 11. Diamond In The Witch House (feat. Scott Kelly of NEUROSIS) MASTODON will film a video for the song "High Road" on Saturday, May 24 in the Los Angeles area.
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.