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MANOWAR: ‘Kings Of Metal MMXIV’ Cover Artwork Unveiled

Manos Spanos
"Kings Of Metal MMXIV" is a completely new recording with many surprises, celebrating the 25th anniversary of the release of "Kings Of Metal" and MANOWAR's following world tour. Already a significant force with international success since their debut album "Battle Hymns", the "Kings Of Metal" release in 1988 and the following world tour in 1989 catapulted MANOWAR into a new sphere. Songs like "Heart Of Steel", "Kings Of Metal", "Hail And Kill" and "Blood Of The Kings" became instant classics, celebrated since by metal fans all over the world. For "Kings Of Metal MMXIV", MANOWAR have recorded these timeless metal anthems with new arrangements and their signature "larger-than-life" sound that sealed their place in heavy metal history. "Our fans have made us the 'Kings Of Metal', and with this tribute to one of their favorite albums, we honor them and thank them for their unparalleled support and loyalty!" said MANOWAR vocalist Eric Adams. "Kings Of Metal MMXIV" will feature nine main tracks packed with face-melting metal, plus nine bonus tracks with over 40 minutes of additional music. "We have pushed man and machine to the maximum level to honor the original recordings that we all love, and to add new aspects and surprises that give this new album its own character," said MANOWAR bassist and producer Joey DeMaio. "The sound is again as massive and majestic as it has always been," he continued. "Recording this album has been an amazing experience! After playing the songs so many times on tour, Donnie and I now had the opportunity to contribute our own sound and elements that the fans have come to love from our live performances," explained guitarist Karl Logan. For the new narration on the spoken word track "The Warrior's Prayer MMXIV", MANOWAR have joined forces with celebrated British actor Brian Blessed. Blessed is a renowned Shakespeare and character actor who has starred, among others, in Kenneth Brannagh's "Henry V", Oliver Stone's "Alexander", in "King Lear", and as Prince Vultan in the cult movie "Flash Gordon". For special effects of the highest level on "The Warrior's Prayer MMXIV", sound effects specialist Hamilton Sterling was recruited; a Hollywood veteran who has contributed to action blockbusters, including "Batman - The Dark Knight", "Men In Black 3", "War Of The Worlds" and "Master And Commander: The Far Side Of The World", two of which won Oscars for "Best Sound Editing". "Kings Of Metal MMXIV" will be released to retail on February 28 as a 2-disc CD with two 24-page booklets and additional new art by legendary fantasy artist and longtime collaborator Ken Kelly, and as a digital double album. For the special anniversary, MANOWAR will also open their vaults and reveal never-before-seen photos and other insights into the history of MANOWAR and the "Kings Of Metal" era. "Kings Of Metal MMXIV" track listing (not final): Main tracks: * Wheels Of Fire MMXIV * Kings Of Metal MMXIV * Heart Of Steel MMXIV * Sting Of The Bumblebee MMXIV * The Crown And The Ring MMXIV (orchestral version) * Kingdom Come MMXIV * Hail And Kill MMXIV * The Warrior's Prayer MMXIV * Blood Of The Kings MMXIV Bonus tracks: * Blood Of The Kings MMXIV (instrumental) * Hail And Kill MMXIV (instrumental) * Heart Of Steel MMXIV (acoustic intro) * Kingdom Come MMXIV (instrumental) * Wheels Of Fire MMXIV (instrumental) Check out the cover artwork below.
03 min read

LAMB OF GOD: ‘As The Palaces Burn’ Feature Documentary Film To Premiere In Philadelphia

Manos Spanos
Philadelphia's Trocadero Theatre will host the world premiere of the LAMB OF GOD feature documentary film "As The Palaces Burn" on February 16. Capacity for this event will be limited to 800 people. Included in that capacity will be 50 VIP packages which will include a meet-and-greet with the band prior to the showing of the film. The Trocadero Theatre was where LAMB OF GOD's platinum DVD, "Killadelphia", was filmed, making the venue a natural choice for the movie premiere. Besides being shown theatrically worldwide in 350 theaters, 13 U.S club venues have been chosen for exclusive screenings of the film. Tickets for all venues go on sale this weekend, except in Toronto which go on sale today. The cities and venues are: * New York, NY - Highline Ballroom * Washington, DC - Howard Theatre * Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall * Baltimore, MD - The Ottobar * Montreal, QC - Foufounes Electriques * Toronto, ON - Opera House * San Francisco, CA - DNA Lounge * Dallas, TX - Gas Monkey * Denver, CO - Summit Music Hall * Chicago, IL - Ginger Man Tavern * Pittsburgh, PA - Club Cafe * Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade * Seattle, WA – The Showbox For information on the location of all theaters as well as dates of screenings and show times, go to www.asthepalacesburn.com. Following the 90-minute film, a 30-minute question-and-answer session with the entire band and Don Argott will be shown. The question-and-answer session was conducted by VH1 Classic's Eddie Trunk and filmed at the final show of the band's North American tour in support of their most recent release, "Resolution". LAMB OF GOD entered into a worldwide distribution deal with Specticast (LED ZEPPELIN's "Celebration Day", Paul McCartney's "Rock Show") for their Don Argott-directed ("Last Days Here", "Art Of The Steal", "School Of Rock") feature film "As The Palaces Burn". Filming for the movie began in 2012 and concluded in March of 2013. "As The Palaces Burn", which should not be confused with the making-of documentary packaged with the recent re-release of the 2003 LAMB OF GOD album of the same name, was conceived to be a documentary focused on the power of music and its impact on cultures around the world and its ability to bring together people of all nationalities regardless of religious or political differences. After a worldwide casting call, filming took place in Colombia, Venezuela, Israel, India, and the United States. As filming reached its conclusion, the documentary was forced to take a major turn when the band's lead singer, Randy Blythe, was arrested in the Czech Republic and charged with the murder of a fan in June 2012. Granted unique access to Blythe's saga, Argott's filming covered Blythe's 38-day imprisonment in Prague, his release and the band's return to live performances, and finally Blythe's trial for murder in Prague in February 2013. The trailer for the film can be seen below
03 min read

WITHIN TEMPTATION To Play Special Acoustic Show At HMV Store In London

Manos Spanos
Dutch symphonic rockers WITHIN TEMPTATION will play a special intimate acoustic show on Tuesday, February 4 at HMV 363 Oxford Street in London, England (next to Bond Street station) at 6 p.m. The performance will be an intimate 20-minute acoustic set, followed by a signing session to promote the band's new album, "Hydra". You can purchase your copy of "Hydra" from HMV 363 Oxford Street on the day of the event and get it signed by the band after the performance. The album will be available to buy in all formats including the luxury box set version. Due to license restrictions for live performances, the store has had to limit the number of fans attending the event to 180. Only those fans lucky enough to have a valid ticket will be able to gain access to this very special live performance. Get your ticket here. WITHIN TEMPTATION will release "Hydra" on January 31. The album will be available in several luxury formats. The cover artwork was created by by Romano Molenaar ("X-Men", "Batman", "The Unforgiving"), and can be seen below. Pre-order "Hydra" via iTunes now, and you will instantly receive the first two singles: "Dangerous", featuring a guest appearance by former KILLSWITCH ENGAGE singer Howard Jones and "Paradise (What About Us?)" featuring ex-NIGHTWISH singer Tarja Turunen. The digital premium album, complete with digi-booklet, will be available on iTunes and includes 18 audio tracks and a music video. The digital premium album features bonus "Evolution Versions" of four new songs, which contain audio commentary from guitarist Robert Westerholt and singer Sharon Den Adel and give you unique access to the development of the songs, their lyrical inspiration and the sound of the initial demos and vocals. "Hydra" digital premium album track listing: 01. Let Us Burn 02. Dangerous (feat. Howard Jones) 03. And We Run (feat. Xzibit 04. Paradise (What About Us?) (feat. Tarja) 05. Edge Of The World 06. Silver Moonlight 07. Covered By Roses 08. Dog Days 09. Tell Me Why 10. Whole World Is Watching (feat. Dave Pirner) 11. Radioactive (originally performed by IMAGINE DRAGONS) 12. Summertime Sadness (originally performed by Lana del Ray) 13. Let Her Go (originally performed by PASSENGER) 14. Dirty Dancer (originally performed by Enrique Iglesias) 15. And We Run (evolution track)
04 min read

SONATA ARCTICA: ‘Pariah’s Child’ Track Listing Revealed

Manos Spanos
Finnish melodic metallers SONATA ARCTICA will release their eighth studio album, "Pariah's Child", on March 28 via Nuclear Blast. The cover artwork for the CD can be seen below. "Pariah's Child" track listing: 01. The Wolves Die Young 02. Running Lights 03. Take One Breath 04. Cloud Factory 05. Blood 06. What Did You Do In The War, Dad? 07. Half A Marathon Man 08. X Marks The Spot 09. Love 10. Larger Than Life Comments SONATA ARCTICA vocalist Tony Kakko: "There are some instant SONATA 'greatest-hits' songs there, which feels good. "I think we reached the result we had in mind, each of us in our own field. "We went on to create the next SONATA ARCTICA power metalesque album and I think we achieved it adequately. "I have to say that I had drifted pretty far away from those 'days of thunder,' that speedy, happy-go-lucky attitude. "I was happy to notice this style can still make me smile. It's good. Music has to do that to me. It also shows the other older songs in a totally new light for me. "I can now understand and appreciate why the fans enjoy what we did in the early days." Regarding the new CD title and cover artwork, Kakko said: "As always, it's pretty hard coming up with a name for the new baby. I tried to approach it from many angles; how this is our eighth album and how easy it would be to abuse that fact. All the symbolism of figure eight, eternity and so on. But that just did not feel right, as it's been done so many times. Then I started to think how we'd in ways abandoned our 'totem animal,' the wolf and all what comes with the territory. "As the music on the album is bowing more towards the 'old' SONATA, meaning more power metal-style elements and wolves in many of the songs in one form or another, it was clear we need a wolf on the cover. An abandoned wolf. A pariah. Or pariah's child, actually. The new generation to bring the old logo back." SONATA ARCTICA last August parted ways with bassist Marko Paasikoski and replaced him with Pasi Kauppinen (SILENT VOICES, ex-REQUIEM, WINTERBORN). The band will launch a European headlining tour in support of "Pariah's Child" on April 10 in Eindhoven, The Netherlands. SONATA ARTICA's latest album, "Stones Grow Her Name", was released in Europe on May 18, 2012 and in North America on May 22, 2012 via Nuclear Blast Records. "Stones Grow Her Name" sold around 2,100 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 9 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.
03 min read

CRADLE OF FILTH: 20th-Anniversary Release To Be Announced Soon

Manos Spanos
Vocalist Dani "Filth" Davey of British extreme metallers CRADLE OF FILTH has revealed plans for a a forthcoming twentieth anniversary release in April that "old-skoolers will absolutely love to bits." No further details have yet been made available. In February, CRADLE OF FILTH will embark on a 19-date European co-headlining tour with Polish extreme metallers BEHEMOTH. Comments Dani: "We are very much looking forward to touring with BEHEMOTH et al, as I think the combined lineup for these momentous shows is definitely very killer. "Prepare for some riotous shows immersed in such esteemed dark company, as CRADLE traverses an old-skool tour program set against a viscerally visual backdrop of nocturnal metal supremacy. In other words, be there or be squared. Pinhead-style!" 2014 marks the 20th anniversary of "The Principle Of Evil Made Flesh", the historic debut album from CRADLE OF FILTH on Cacophonous Records. To honor this momentous occasion, CRADLE OF FILTH is planning a whole smorgasbord of exciting stuff, including the first-ever CRADLE OF FILTH comic, the release of a career-spanning double disc best-of, and, of course, the subsequent touring. The story for CRADLE OF FILTH's upcoming adult comic book was scripted by the comic writer Kurt Amacker (with assistance from the band's singer, Dani Filth). Several artists are in the process of mocking up some example pages for the prospective publishers. Dani previously stated about the project: "I am very excited about this venture, as it promises to be a very adult story woven straight from the CRADLE OF FILTH universe, featuring a liberated Oscar Wilde, the Demoness Lilith, nefarious sexual magickal practices and an errant Suffolk Lord who is in the unenviable process of being charged under 19th-century blasphemy laws, discovering himself engaged in a nightmarish occult netherworld." CRADLE OF FILTH's tenth studio album, "The Manticore And Other Horrors", sold 4,500 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 96 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's previous full-length effort, "Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa", opened with 5,800 units in November 2010 to land at No. 99.
02 min read

MEGADETH’s DAVE MUSTAINE: We’re The Biggest Right Now We’ve Been Since ‘Countdown To Extinction’

Manos Spanos
TheRockRevival.com's Matt Bishop sat down with MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine backstage on the band's "Super Collider" tour to talk about the group's latest album, touring, and what's next for the band in 2014. Asked what it means that "Super Collider" entered the The Billboard 200 chart at position No. 6, marking MEGADETH's highest chart debut in the U.S. since "Countdown To Extinction" and "Youthanasia", Mustaine said: "It means a lot of different things." He continued: "People that like the record like the record. "The public made their statement. "A lot of people that don't particularly agree with my viewpoint, whether it's spiritually or religiously or politically, they attack our music instead of saying, 'I disagree with what Dave says.' "We've gotten to the point where people are so vicious in the things that they say. Because they are not very educated and they don't really understand The King's English, they'll say words that are much more heavier than what they really say. Perfect example is when you watch politicans speak; they pick their words very carefully. And they don't have to go overboard and say, like, 'That guy's a fucking asshole.' They can say, 'Well, we question his integrity,' and stuff like that. Or, you know, 'Experience shows that this is the wrong decision to make.' And you can bitch-slap someone pretty good without having to get down and dirty with it. "The problem is, with critics, it's their job — to criticize things. "The fans spoke; they like the record. "Obviously, when you're with a record company, they have songs that they believe in and they pick an order of songs, and all kinds of stuff like that. "There's a lot of wisdom in watching the way record companies develop bands. "We're kind of at a point right now where we get to, kind of, do what we know to do, and they trust us with it, which is really cool. "There was just so much life infused back into the band when we got signed to Universal; just the writing progression… 'Cause when we first got signed, it was, like, 'OK, great! This is really cool.' And we started writing and stuff. And as that record came out and the subsequent touring and all the good that happened with that, the guitar playing started getting a lot more ferocious. Because we weren't really relying on radio anymore, because we're back. "We're the most popular we've been, I think, since 'Countdown' right now. Record sales don't really correlate popularity, because of piracy and stuff like that. But I honestly believe we're the biggest right now we've been since 'Countdown'. It's a great feeling." "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. "TH1RT3EN" opened with 42,000 units back in November 2011 to enter the chart at No. 11. The band's 2009 CD, "Endgame", premiered with 45,000 copies to debut at No. 9. This was slightly less than the 54,000 first-week tally registered by 2007's "United Abominations", which entered the chart at No. 8. 2004's "The System Has Failed" premiered with 46,000 copies (No. 18) while 2001's "The World Needs A Hero" moved 61,000 units in its first week (No. 16).
03 min read

Brutal Assault confirms six new bands

Manos Spanos
Brutal Assault announces British metalcore band ARCHITECTS, American brutal/death metallers SUFFOCATION, Taiwanese black metal band CHTHONIC, German thrash metallers CRIPPER, Norwegian stoner metal band KRAKOW and American metalcore band STRIFE. More bands coming soon.
00 min read

Thai Black Metal Musician Allegedly Murdered For ‘Tarnishing Satanism’

Manos Spanos
According to the Bangkok Post, Samong Traisattha (a.k.a. Avaejee), the 36-year-old bassist/vocalist of the Thai black metal band SURRENDER OF DIVINITY, was stabbed to death in his house on Wednesday, January 8. The deceased musician's widow, Jaruvan Surapol, said the murder was committed by a fan of her husband's band. She claimed the suspected murderer came over to the couple's home "to have some shirts screen-printed and to have a drink." After she put the couple's child to bed, she went to check on her husband and found him lying on the floor in a pool of blood. A Facebook user going by the name "Maleficent Meditation" has since taken credit for the crime and has posted gruesome photos of Samong's body in addition to offering a detailed confession. "I have intended to end my life since I was 25," the suspect wrote, according to the Bangkok Post. "Because I'll die eventually, I want to drag down those who tarnish Satanism with me. But I refrained from killing women and children. "In my view, I have more respect for devoted Buddhists, Christians and Muslims than those who call themselves Satanists without knowing anything about it. "If I did not kill him, I'm sure he would be murdered by someone else later." A one-foot knife and a mobile phone belonging to the suspected killer were found at the crime scene, said Police Captain Chainarong Daengnokphum, an investigator at the Sai Mai police station in Bangkok.
01 min read

GRAND MAGUS: New Song ‘Steel Versus Steel’ Available For Streaming

Manos Spanos
"Steel Versus Steel", a brand new song from Swedish heavy rockers GRAND MAGUS, can be streamed using the SoundCloud widget below. The track is taken from the band's seventh album, "Triumph And Power", which will be released on January 31 via Nuclear Blast. The follow-up to 2012's "The Hunt" was recorded with producer Nico Elgstrand and engineer Staffan Karlsson (ARCH ENEMY, SPIRITUAL BEGGARS) at Studio Sweetspot in Halmstad. The track listing for the CD is as follows: 01. On Hooves Of Gold 02. Steel Versus Steel 03. Fight 04. Triumph And Power 05. Dominator 06. Arv 07. Holmgång 08. The Naked And The Dead 09. Ymer 10. The Hammer Will Bite 11. Blackmoon (bonus track) Commented the band: "'Triumph And Power' has been completed. It's a metal triumph of Viking power!!! "Once again we worked with Nico Elgstrand as producer, a tradition that started with 'Hammer Of The North' back in 2010. "This is our strongest album yet. It has the northern feel, it has the power and the melody that has become our mark of excellence. "Fans of true metal will take this album to their hearts. To top everything off, we have the striking and epic artwork of Anthony Roberts. "The album cover perfectly captures the work on this album and GRAND MAGUS as a band." Due to family obligations and work commitments, drummer Sebastian "Seb" Sippola left GRAND MAGUS in 2012.
02 min read

PERIPHERY: Entire ‘Clear’ Album Available For Streaming

Manos Spanos
"Clear", the new experimental album from Maryland-based progressive metallers PERIPHERY, is available for streaming in its entirety below. The effort is set for a January 28 North American release via Sumerian Records. Comments PERIPHERY guitarist Misha Mansoor: "'Clear' is an experiment to explore all of the different writing styles in the band. "It's rare when you have a band where every member is capable of writing and producing music. "With each member controlling their own track, this recording enabled us to go down any path we chose in terms of style and sound. Every track also contains a melodic theme established in 'Clear''s intro track, 'Overture'. This common thread links all of the songs together, even though they all sound wildly different. "'Clear' shouldn't be confused with our new third full-length album that we're currently working on, nor should it be considered an EP as it rides somewhere in between clocking in at 30 minutes." PERIPHERY's latest album, "Periphery II: This Time It's Personal", which sold nearly 12,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 44 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD was released in North America on July 3, 2012 via Sumerian Records and was made available in Europe on July 16, 2012 through Century Media Records. It features guest appearances by John Petrucci (DREAM THEATER), Guthrie Govan (THE ARISTOCRATS) and Wes Hauch (THE FACELESS).
01 min read