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DARK TRANQUILITY Guitarist Says ‘Practical Conditions’ Of Touring U.S. Are ‘Getting Harder’

Manos Spanos
Louder Than Hell recently conducted an interview with guitarist Niklas Sundin of Swedish melodic death metallers DARK TRANQUILITY. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below. Louder Than Hell: You have mentioned before that you rarely feel excited for an album at the end of recording sessions because of the amount of time you spend on it, but that you feel good about "Construct" now that it is done. What about the end of the new album's sessions is different for you? Sundin: Well, that was something that I put on Twitter for some reason, and it got misunderstood quite a bit. What I tried to say was that a typical effect of being locked up in a studio for 2-3 months listening to every single second of the new songs over and over again is that you're getting extremely tired of the material. At the same time as you know that you've created something great, there's a part of you that never want to hear the songs again. Also, the collaborative and democratic nature ofDARK TRANQUILITY means that there always are riffs and ideas that a single member doesn't find too interesting according to his personal preferences, so what normally happens directly after a studio session is that I sit down and think that the result is OK, but if X and Y would have been done differently, it would have been even better (again: for my own tastes). In this case, there were two main parameters that were different: The members' opinions on the material were a bit more uniform — i.e. no great clashes in taste — and the actual mixing process brought out a lot of details and nuances in the songs that we previously weren't aware of. The result is that I for a change actually was a massive fan of"Construct" from the first time I heard the final mix. Well, as you can see, I'm not a guy that gets my opinion across very well in 140 characters, ha ha!
04 min read

METALLICA Performs Entire ‘Kill ‘Em All’ Album During Surprise Afternoon Set At ORION

Manos Spanos
METALLICA played its 1983 debut album, "Kill 'Em All", from beginning to end during a surprise performance earlier this afternoon at the band's Orion Music + More festival at Belle Isle in Detroit, Michigan. After word got around that a group called DEHAAN (presumably a nod to actor Dane DeHaan, who stars in METALLICA's upcoming IMAX 3D movie, "Metallica Through The Never") was set to play the event's Vans Damage Inc. stage at 4:30 p.m., the METALLICA members themselves came on and reeled off songs from "Kill 'Em All" one by one, including such classics as "Hit The Lights", "Seek And Destroy" and "No Remorse". Prior to the performance, METALLICA frontman James Hetfield posted a photo on Instagram of the DEHAAN backdrop on the Vans Damage Inc. stage (see below) along with the following message: "Don't miss Dehaan! #MUYA #mff #UwillRegretMissingThem #IfUdoUmightKillEmAll #winkWink #getIt?" The band's setlist was as follows:
03 min read

OZZY, DIO, BON SCOTT, LEMMY, SLASH, DIMEBAG Featured In ‘Cemetary Gates’ Book

Manos Spanos
Set for release this month via Plexus Publishing is the book "Cemetary Gates: Saints & Survivors Of The Heavy-Metal Scene" by Mick O'Shea. A description of the illustrated paperback reads as follows: "Between genius and madness, this world and the next, there's nothing but the faintest flicker of a pulse and the cemetery gates. "Packed with as many egos as one book can hold, 'Cemetery Gates' is the read that takes you inside the minds of the most twisted icons of heavy metal." Featured artists: * Ronnie James Dio (DIO, BLACK SABBATH, HEAVEN & HELL, RAINBOW) * Bon Scott (AC/DC)
01 min read

New WHIPLASH Single ‘Sword Meet Skull, Skull Meet Sword’ Available

Manos Spanos
Veteran New Jersey thrashers WHIPLASH have released a new song from their upcoming EP titled "Old School American Way, Volume 1". The single, "Sword Meet Skull, Skull Meet Sword", was produced by WHIPLASH mainman Tony Portaro at his Concrete Island Studio. All drums were recorded and engineered by Kostadin "Mozart" Kamcev at Studio Mozart in Clifton, New Jersey. The single was mixed and mastered by Chris "Zeuss" Harris of Planet Z Recording (ALL THAT REMAINS, CROWBAR, MUNICIPAL WASTE, SUFFOCATION). With Tony Portaro (guitar/vocals) and Dank DeLong (bass) on the U.S. East Coast, and drummer Dan "Loord" Foord located in London, U.K., the band has been juggling writing and recording in between touring. "Old School American Way, Vol. 1" track listing: 01. Sword Meet Skull, Skull Meet Sword 02. Red Tape Riot 03. Prophet of Lies 04. Dead Man Calling 05. Power Thrashing Death *
02 min read

SERJ TANKIAN On New SYSTEM OF A DOWN Album: ‘It’s Not Something I Can Do Right Now’

Manos Spanos
SYSTEM OF A DOWN singer Serj Tankian spoke to ARTISTdirect about the band's current status, including its continued lack of new music. "Of course, we have a lot of fans and people interested in getting a record sooner rather than later," Serj said. "Things take time though. Everyone has a life and has to have the right frame of mind to make a record at the same time… I've been touring with SYSTEM, The FCC, and orchestras around the world. I haven't stopped. There hasn't been much time off. I want to make sure I have time for myself and my family." He continued: "Only the four of us can decide what SYSTEM means. I know the fans agree that's what SYSTEM is, and that's amazing.
04 min read

BLACK SABBATH: Entire “13” Album Available For Streaming

Manos Spanos
"13", the first BLACK SABBATH record in 35 years to feature singer Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler all playing together, can be streamed in its entirety on the band's iTunes page. (Note: If the link leads you to another webpage, make sure to click "Open in iTunes" to hear the stream.) The CD is due out June 11 onVertigo/Republic. This marks BLACK SABBATH's return to Vertigo, their original label, and the group's first studio album together since 1978's"Never Say Die!" Details of the album's deluxe edition surfaced on April 19, with the band revealing that the eight-song effort will be accompanied by three bonus tracks called "Methademic", "Peace Of Mind" and "Pariah". Several versions of "13" are available for pre-order, including a standard CD, a double CD that includes a second disc of exclusive bonus audio, a heavyweight vinyl album in a gatefold sleeve and a "Super Deluxe Box Set" containing the double CD, the vinyl album, an exclusive DVD documentary on the band's reunion, 13 photographic prints and hand-written lyrics.
03 min read

BEHEMOTH To Release ‘The Satanist’ In The Fall

Manos Spanos
Polish extreme metallers BEHEMOTH have set "The Satanist" as the title of their tenth full-length album, due in the fall via Nuclear Blast in Europe and Metal Blade in North America. The CD is being recorded at Hertzstudio in Bialystok, Poland with the help of the Wieslawscy brothers andDaniel Bergstrand (MESHUGGAH, IN FLAMES, SOILWORK, STRAPPING YOUNG LAD). "It took us over two decades to come up with a title that… says it all," comments BEHEMOTH guitarist/vocalist Adam "Nergal" Darski. "While our new songs artistically take surprisingly adventurous directions, our message stands steadfast — proud and radical.
03 min read

PHILIP ANSELMO: Another New Solo Track Available For Streaming

Manos Spanos
Philip Anselmo, legendary frontman of PANTERA and DOWN, will release his career-first solo album, "Walk Through Exits Only", on July 16 via his own Housecore Records (MRI/Megaforce). "Walk Through Exits Only"will be available digitally, on CD and on vinyl. Produced by Anselmo and Michael Thompson, and recorded over the past couple of years at Philip's New Orleans studio, Nodferatu's Lair, with his band THE ILLEGALS — guitarist Marzi Montazeri (ex-SUPERJOINT RITUAL) and drummer José Manuel Gonzales (WARBEAST) — "Walk Through Exits Only" is abrasive, aggressive, anthemic and 100% Anselmo. The album's eight songs are as unstrained as it gets, from "Battalion Of Zero" to "Usurper's Bastard Rant", to the album's title track that goes against the grain and right through the exits. Brash, brutal guitars cut through punishing percussion as Anselmo screams with uncompromising ferocity and uncontainable fire.
07 min read