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Enemy of Reality’s Artwork of Debut Album

Manos Spanos
The title of our debut album will be 'Rejected Gods' and it features 10 mind-blowing tracks in the genre of symphonic metal, with a few influences of progressive metal. The album artwork has been designed by the super-talented Pierre Alain D. (3mmi Design) from France, while the recordings, mix & mastering were conducted by producer Mark Adrian. The opening track (intro) was conducted by Christos Antoniou (SepticFlesh – Chaostar) and the closing track (ballad) was arranged by Renos Miliaris (SeptemberCode). Also, the album features guest performances by: - Ailyn Giménez (Sirenia), - Mike LePond (Symphony X), - Androniki Skoula (Chaostar), - Maxi Nil (Jaded Star, ex-Visions of Atlantis). Furthermore, we are glad to announce that we have recently been added to the line-up of Μetal Female Voices Fest, that takes place in October in Belgium and features major female-fronted bands, such as Therion, Sirenia, Draconian, Diabulus in Musica and many more. The release date of the album will be announced soon. The track-listing is as follows: 00. Medusa 01. My Own Master (feat. Mike LePond) 02. Lifeless Εyes 03. Needle Bites (feat. Ailyn Gimenez) 04. One Last Try 05. Her Descending Ghost 06. The Bargaining (feat. Androniki Skoula) 07. Grief Divine 08. Torn Apart 09. Twist of Time 10. Step into the Light (feat. Maxi Nil) EnemyofReality-artwork A few words about the band's biography: "Enemy of Reality is a joining of regal forces that finally occurred in 2013 in Athens, Greece. Lyric soprano Iliana Tsakiraki, guitarist Steelianos, keyboardist Marianthi, bassist Thanos and drummer Philip Stone each bring something unique to this lineup. Iliana, the voice behind Meden Agan, released a highly acclaimed studio album (Erevos Aenaon) and EP (Nemesis) with the groundbreaking group before she set her sights on new horizons. She also participated in Septicflesh’s latest studio album, The Great Mass, which was chosen as one of the very best metal albums of 2011. She has shared the stage with Tarja Turunen, Epica, Visions Of Atlantis, Maiden United and many more. She has also performed at the last two installments of Metal Female Voices Fest; MFVF Xl saw Steelianos and Philip take the stage as well with Iliana and Eve’s Apple. Steelianos, le
02 min read

LACUNA COIL: ‘I Forgive (But I Won’t Forget Your Name)’ Video Released

Manos Spanos
"I Forgive (But I Won't Forget Your Name)", the new Sitcom Soldiers-directed video from Italian heavy rockers LACUNA COIL, can be seen below. The song is taken from the band's latest studio album, "Broken Crown Halo", which registered the following first-week chart positions: Italy: #13 USA: #27 Switzerland: #37 Germany: #40 UK: #45 Austria: #55 France: #56 Belgium (Wallonia): #61 Greece: #63 Canada: #65 Belgium (Flanders): #176 (first week), #66 (second week) Netherlands: #75 "Broken Crown Halo" sold around 13,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD arrived in stores on April 1 via Century Media. LACUNA COIL's previous effort, "Dark Adrenaline", opened with around 20,000 units in 2012 to debut at No. 15. The band's 2009 album, "Shallow Life", premiered with 21,000 copies to enter the chart at No. 16. LACUNA COIL's "Karmacode" album registered a first-week tally of 34,000 copies back in April 2006 to land at No. 28. It has since sold more than 200,000 units in the U.S. The band's 2002 album, "Comalies", has shifted more than 300,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. "Broken Crown Halo" was recorded Italy by producer Jay Baumgardner (P.O.D., SEVENDUST, EVANESCENCE, PAPA ROACH) and engineer Kyle Hoffmann (P.O.D., BUSH, ZEBRAHEAD). The effort was mastered by Howie Weinberg, whose credits include RAMMSTEIN, SOUNDGARDEN, NIRVANA, DEFTONES and SHERYL CROW. "Broken Crown Halo" is LACUNA COIL's seventh studio effort and the follow-up to "Dark Adrenaline", which was released in January 2012 and saw the band tour with acts including MEGADETH, MOTÖRHEAD, VOLBEAT and SEVENDUST. "Broken Crown Halo" track listing: 01. Nothing Stands In Our Way 02. Zombies 03. Hostage To The Light 04. Victims 05. Die & Rise 06. I Forgive (But I Won't Forget Your Name) 07. Cybersleep 08. Infection 09. I Burn In You 10. In The End I Feel Alive 11. One Cold Day LACUNA COIL in February hit the road as a quintet as part of "The Hottest Chicks In Hard Rock Tour" following the departures of guitarist Cris "Pizza" Migliore and drummer Cristiano "Criz" Mozzati. Marco "Maus" Biazzi handled all guitar duties on the trek while drummer Ryan Blake Folden once again sat behind the kit. The Revolver-magazine-presented "The Hottest Chicks In Hard Rock Tour kicked off February 20 and featured LACUNA COIL sharing a stage with SICK PUPPIES, Century Media Records labelmates EYES SET TO KILL and CILVER. The tour launched in Wilmington, North Carolina, and ran through March 20 in Anaheim, California.
02 min read

MASTODON: More ‘Once More ‘Round The Sun’ Album Details Revealed

Manos Spanos
Atlanta progressive metallers MASTODON have announced details of their new album, their first since 2011's "The Hunter". The band's sixth CD will be called "Once More 'Round The Sun" and will be released by Reprise Records on June 24. It 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 album's hard-hitting first single is "High Road", which was released digitally today (April 29), the same day a pre-order for "Once More 'Round The Sun" launches at all participating digital retailers. Pre-orders are being taken at MastodonRocks.com and all pre-orders will instantly receive a digital download of "High Road". Also available on June 24 will be a stunning deluxe 2LP vinyl edition of "Once More 'Round The Sun". This limited edition will include two discs pressed onto 180-gram black vinyl housed in a quadruple gatefold vinyl jacket featuring artwork by renowned Oakland-based artist Skinner, who specializes in "psychedelic nightmare paintings," plus a CD of the complete album. The package will include four exclusive lithographs derived from the album artwork. Those who preorder the deluxe vinyl edition will be entitled to bonus digital content: An instant download of "High Road", plus another album track (to be determined) delivered digitally prior to street date, and a download of the entire album delivered digitally on street date. MASTODON singer and bassist Troy Sanders told Paste Magazine about the "Once More 'Round The Sun" cover artwork: "It's... a work of art for sure. It's... very eye-opening, very striking. It's from another dimension, and a lot of our music is geared toward that idea — taking you to another planet on songs. It's out there, and I think it's incredible." "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) Regarding the new MASTODON album title, Sanders told Paste Magazine: "The idea was generated before we recorded the title track on the record, but the title was thought up many months ago. "After we finished the two-year touring cycle on our last record, 'The Hunter', we were kind of gearing up to go back to our rehearsal space in Atlanta. And we were starting the effort, the time, the blood, the energy, the months of driving, the recording and the long process between recording and the release day. "In a nutshell: we're fortunate enough to do this again, but there's this feeling of this yearly cycle. It's not a bad thing. We get to go tour a bunch, we get to record a bunch of songs we love. It's embracing the positive — the wonderful side, to be able to have the same four dudes who love doing what we do so much. And like anything in the MASTODON world, it's open to interpretation." According to Sanders, MASTODON recorded more than an album's worth of material this time around, with the possibility an additional EP coming out sometime after the album release. "We didn't want a 90-minute album," he told Paste Magazine. "We like to record around the 60-minute mark. That's what our favorite records are. We're in love with all 15 of [the songs], so they might all see the light of day in some platform or another." Regarding the song "Diamonds In The Witch House", which features yet another guest spot from longtime collaborator Scott Kelly of NEUROSIS, Sanders joked: "I think subconsciously that we're trying to involve him with every album enough to have a full set of songs eventually. I think his performance is great, his part still gives me chills. That's a great sign." Asked what it's been like working with Raskulinecz on the new album, MASTODON guitarist Bill Kelliher told Metal Hammer magazine: "It's something that we totally need — a cheerleader to get our asses in gear. There he is saying, 'Come on, you're MASTODON… you're one of the biggest bands in metal… Smash that hammer down and write some heavy shit. It's time to do or die!' He's that kind of a guy." MASTODON drummer Brann Dailor recently told RollingStone.com about the band's forthcoming CD: "It's gonna be massive and insane, lots of epic greatness. There will be lots of huge riffs and new directions. It's real weird, real math-y, real straightforward. It's up, down and all around. It's a culmination of everything for the band. The snowball keeps rolling and collecting snow."
05 min read

SCORPIONS Drummer JAMES KOTTAK Jailed For Insulting Islam In Dubai Airport

Manos Spanos
According to The National, SCORPIONS drummer James Kottak will spend a month in a Dubai, United Arab Emirates jail after he was convicted on Tuesday morning of insulting Islam. The 51-year-old American musician had reportedly consumed five glasses of wine on an April 3 flight from Moscow to Dubai while travelling to Bahrain on a Gulf Air flight to perform two days later at the country's Formula One grand prix. After taking a wrong turn and entering the transit hall, Kottak "started swearing and talking about 'non-educated Muslims' before he flashed his middle finger at passengers," according to witnesses. Police said he also lowered his trousers and showed people his behind. An officer said he heard Kottak saying "what is this disgusting smell" before the drummer insulted Islam. "I didn't see anything else but I heard him," the officer said. "I then informed my supervisor, who came and took the defendant away." A 27-year-old client service employee at the airport added: "When he [Kottak] saw the Pakistani and Afghani passengers, he covered his nose and said that there was no way he will travel with them." He added that the drummer then started swearing repeatedly at the arrivals area of Terminal 2. "He wasn't talking to a person specifically but was talking in general," the client service employee said. "He was very nervous at the time and talking loudly." A 25-year-old Jordanian passenger services agent said Kottak came over to her and "was shouting 'non-educated Muslims' then he went to the office of the head and flashed his middle finger at the passengers." Kottak denied that he insulted Islam, telling prosecutors: "I don't remember saying these words and I did not flash my middle finger." He also denied taking down his trousers, saying: "This is not true — I just lifted my shirt up to show the tattoo on my back" as a "spontaneous act." "There is no way that I would say such a phrase about Muslims, whether I was drunk or not," he said. "I confess to drinking alcohol but I refuse the other two charges, I did not do them," he added. In addition to spending one month in jail, Kottak — who has been in custody since April 3 — was fined 2,000 dirhams (approximately $545) for drinking alcohol without a license. Kottak's time spent in detention will be deducted from his sentence. Because of his arrest, Kottak did not perform with his bandmates at the April 5 show at the 2014 Formula One Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix and was replaced at the gig by Mark Cross (TAINTED NATION, FIREWIND, OUTLOUD, HELLOWEEN, METALLIUM). In a 2005 interview, Kottak, who has been in the SCORPIONS since 1996, stated about his audition for the band: "I was always a SCORPIONS fan for the songs on the radio because in America they played them non-stop. I was never the guy that went out and bought their records but I always liked their songwriting and the songs and the whole vibe. Then I was in a band called KINGDOM COME in 1987-1990 and we opened for the SCORPIONS and I saw them and they were so professional on the Monsters Of Rock tour, [and] I was totally blown away. But I never went out and bought their albums, I never went out and bought any other albums either. I was a fan of all music — good or bad. It was on the radio so much, I didn't need to buy it. I spent all my money buying drums, drumsticks and cymbals. In the audition, I knew most of the SCORPIONS music from playing in cover bands. I'm from Louisville, Kentucky. That's how I earned my money in the early '80s — we played 'Still Loving You', 'Rock You Like a Hurricane', 'Big City Nights'. The flattering point with the SCORPIONS [was] when I did fly to Germany for the 'audition,' it wasn't so much an audition, more like, 'Let's get together and see how it feels.' So, I was very flattered about that because they did audition
04 min read

GEOFF TATE Announces ‘Queensrÿche Starring Geoff Tate – The Farewell Tour’

Manos Spanos
More than thirty years after setting forth on the musical journey that would become known as QUEENSRŸCHE, singer Geoff Tate — one of rock's quintessential front men and the lead vocalist heard on all QUEENSRŸCHE hits — will be performing his farewell tour as QUEENSRŸCHE beginning in late July. The announcement of the tour, "Queensrÿche Starring Geoff Tate - The Farewell Tour", comes hot on the heels of the recent amicable settlement with his former bandmates Michael Wilton, Eddie Jackson and Scott Rockenfield, who will be continuing with the band name. With Geoff at the helm of QUEENSRŸCHE, the band experienced incredible success, garnering four Grammy nominations, performing in 46 different countries and selling over 20 million albums worldwide. "One thing that's really important for fans to know is that this never went to court," comments Geoff Tate, who will be continuing as "Geoff Tate: The Voice Of Queensrÿche" once the summer farewell tour is complete. As part of the agreement between the original members, Geoff will have the exclusive right to perform the concept albums "Operation: Mindcrime" and "Operation: Mindcrime II" as unique performances. For the past several months, Geoff and his version of QUEENSRŸCHE (comprised of bassist Rudy Sarzo, guitarist Robert Sarzo, guitarist Kelly Gray, drummer Simon Wright and keyboardist Randy Gane) have been performing the fan favorite on their 25th-Anniversary Mindcrime Tour (with special guest Sass Jordan as "Sister Mary") in front of sold-out audiences everywhere. "It's sort of similar to the PINK FLOYD situation where Roger Waters retained 'The Wall'," comments Geoff. "'Mindcrime' was my thing and my story, so it's only appropriate that I keep that... The others will be touring as QUEENSRŸCHE and I'll be continuing on as me." The popularity of the theatrical back-to-back presentation of the "Operation: Mindcrime" saga ("I" and "II") was exemplified when the performance was captured for the 2007 double DVD/CD set, "Mindcrime At The Moore", that hit #1 on Billboard's Top Music Videos chart and eventually reached gold status. For the forthcoming tour, Geoff's version of QUEENSRŸCHE will be performing all the hits along with some rarities to celebrate the music he's enjoyed making over the past thirty years. Although the name will change, the lineup of stellar musicians performing with Geoff after this "farewell" tour is expected to remain the same. Tickets go on sale for the majority of shows this Friday, May 2 and this Saturday, May 3. "Queensrÿche Starring Geoff Tate - The Farewell Tour" dates: July 30 - Hermosa Beach, CA - Saint Rocke July 31 - San Juan Capistrano, CA - The Coach House Aug. 01 - El Cajon, CA - Sycuan Casino Aug. 02 - Las Vegas, NV - House of Blues Aug. 03 - Agoura, CA - The Canyon Club Aug. 07 - Fresno, CA - Strummer’s Aug. 08 - Vacaville, CA - Theatre Deville Aug. 09 - Morgan Hill, CA - Downtown Amphitheater Aug. 12 - Nashville, TN - Music Marathon Works Aug. 13 - Raleigh, NC - Lincoln Theatre Aug. 14 - Charlotte, NC - The Chop Shop Aug. 15 - Wilmington, NC - Ziggy’s By The Sea Aug. 16 - Winston-Salem, NC - Ziggy’s Aug. 17 - Atlanta, GA - Center Stage Aug. 19 - Dallas, TX - Trees Aug. 20 - San Antonio, TX - Aztec Theatre Aug. 22 - Tucson, AX - Rialto Theatre Aug. 23 - Scottsdale, AZ - Talking Stick Resort Aug. 24 - Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theater Aug. 26 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Depot Aug. 28 - Wichita, KS - The Cotillion Aug. 30 - Bolingbrook, IL - Tailgaters geofftatefarewelltour
03 min read