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THE HAUNTED To Release ‘Eye Of The Storm’ Single

Manos Spanos
Swedish metallers THE HAUNTED will release a new three-song single, "Eye Of The Storm", on January 20 in Europe and January 21 in North America via Century Media Records. The single’s cover artwork can be seen below. "Eye Of The Storm" will be made available as limited-edition seven-inch EP (1,000 copies split as follows: 500 on black vinyl, 300 on red vinyl and 200 on white vinyl) and as digital single, featuring the new songs "Eye Of The Storm", "Infiltrator" and "My Enemy". You can pre-order the seven-inch single (in black or red vinyl versions) as well as the band's back catalogue for special reduced prices from CM Distro in Europe. The single marks the recording debut of THE HAUNTED's new lineup, which was announced last summer, featuring founding members Patrik Jensen (guitar) and Jonas Björler (bass), returning members Marco Aro (vocals) and Adrian Erlandsson (drums), as well as new guitarist Ola Englund. Commented THE HAUNTED's founding member and guitarist Patrik Jensen: "There aren't superlatives enough to describe how much the band has longed for these three songs to be released. "We are sure fans have been anxious to know what the band sounds like today after all the turmoil and old members leaving and new members joining. "We feel that these three songs represent the band perfectly. "We are currently working on the new album, an album that will be filled to the brim with what we know to be THE HAUNTED. "We'll start doing gigs this spring and we'll do festivals all over the place this summer. "Get in touch with the festivals you visit (and behave like an animal at) and tell them to get us on the bill! "THE HAUNTED is back. "Play it loud. No. Louder." The new lineup of THE HAUNTED will make its live debut during the 2014 edition of "The World's Biggest Heavy Metal Cruise" — 70000 Tons Of Metal — which will sail January 27 to January 31 from Miami, Florida to Costa Maya, Mexico and back. THE HAUNTED's 2014 lineup: * Patrik Jensen - Guitar * Ola Englund (SIX FEET UNDER, FEARED) - Guitar * Marco Aro (THE RESISTANCE, FACE DOWN) - Vocals * Jonas Björler - Bass * Adrian Erlandsson (AT THE GATES, PARADISE LOST) - Drums THE HAUNTED's founding member and guitarist Patrik Jensen stated about the band's new lineup: "THE HAUNTED went through some difficult times last year. Losing three band members is a pretty huge blow to any band. Jonas and I agreed immediately that we wanted to continue with the band, but we wanted to take our time and not rush into anything. "Some of you might recognize a few faces, some of you might not. Adrian Erlandsson is back on drums and Marco Aro is back on vocals. Adrian you might know from playing on our first album and Marco sang on 'The Haunted Made Me Do It', 'Live Rounds In Tokyo' and 'One Kill Wonder'. On guitar we also have Ola Englund bringing some pretty heavy chops to the band. "We're all VERY excited about having THE HAUNTED back in working shape again and we can't wait to get back out on the road to play for our very patient and faithful fans again. A new album is also already in the works and if you are familiar with the individual band members of this new lineup, you can be assured that the new material will grab you by the throat from the get-go!" Vocalist Marco Aro (ex-FACE DOWN, also in THE RESISTANCE) was previously involved with THE HAUNTED for three acclaimed releases between 1999 and 2003 as well as for several worldwide touring campaigns. Drummer Adrian Erlandsson (also in AT THE GATES and PARADISE LOST) belonged to the original lineup of THE HAUNTED together the Björler twins after the demise of their previous legendary group, AT THE GATES. Together with Jensen, they launched THE HAUNTED's self-titled debut in 1998, an album which has been widely considered as the kick-start for a new era in the thrash metal movement and which, despite its initial underground status, climbed to be a massively inspirational record for a whole new generation of musicians and bands in the following decade. Guitarist Ola Englund is a highly talented young player from Sweden, who has recently been active as touring and recording member of U.S. death metal institution SIX FEET UNDER.
04 min read

MEGADETH’s DAVE MUSTAINE Has ‘No Problems’ With Any Of The Other ‘Big Four’ Bands

Manos Spanos
During a brand new interview on "The MetalSucks Podcast", MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine was asked by SLAYER bassist/vocalist Tom Araya's recent claim that "the politics of character in one particular band" were preventing more shows featuring the so-called "Big Four" of 1980s thrash metal — METALLICA, SLAYER, MEGADETH and ANTHRAX — from happening in the future. "I didn't say that [no more 'Big Four' shows were ever going to happen again]. I said that I'm not the one to ask," Mustaine said. "I love Tom," he contonued. "I think that all the hardship that we've had has been really sad, because, again, the media and stuff like that sometimes… "People back in the day would try and propagandize everything I would say or put this inflammatory twist on whatever. "There was things I did and said that caused some problems between Tom and I, and we worked it out. "So, man, I have no problem with him or ANTHRAX or METALLICA, so I don't know where that came from. It could be some really old stuff that got regurgitated again. But, you know, I buried the hatchet a long time ago with those guys." Speaking to Gazette.net, Araya spoke about the possibility of more "Big Four" shows in the future, saying: "I don't want to say politics is preventing that," Araya said. "It's not the politics between bands; it's the politics of character in one particular band." He continued: "We had an issue that came up on the New York show, which really freaked everybody out, but the New York show happened. I think, in all honesty, that was the last time we did the 'Big Four.' "I think another 'Big Four' show might not happen. They could prove me wrong. "Those shows, basically, even though it was called the 'Big Four,' it was done through METALLICA. It was with METALLICA's blessing that allowed those shows to happen. "If they want to continue and do a couple more shows, I think that would be great… If we were to sit down with them and communicate with them, that's what I'd tell them." The "Big Four" played its last concert on September 14, 2011 at Yankee Stadium in New York City. Two days prior to the "Big Four" event in New York, rumors spread that MEGADETH had pulled out of the concert so that Dave Mustaine could undergo surgery for stenosis, a neck and spine condition that he said was caused by "years of headbanging." Mustaine eventually had a change of heart and decided to go through with the performance, but struggled through the set due to the pain. He later told NY Hard Rock Music Examiner: "It was very close, the day after that. I was supposed to not do that show. I'd been laying in the emergency room getting ready to have them put me to sleep, and I’d said we had to cancel the concert. And one of the people associated with the concert said I was a pussy, and I thought, 'I'm a pussy. I'm getting ready to have two major spinal surgeries done and I'm a pussy. Okay.' Obviously, you don't know what pussy is, because that's not pussy." In his autobiography, "Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir", Mustaine addressed the issue of where his band fit in the "Big Four" order. According to The New York Times, he assured the reader that he was not offended by being put behind SLAYER. But he added an interior monologue: "O.K., we'll play ahead of you guys on this trip, and God willing we'll do it again sometime in the near future and we can flip things around." The idea for the "Big Four" tour first came up in 2009 and METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich told The Pulse Of Radio he was glad to finally see it happen. "It's pretty amazing, if you think about it, that it's the first time basically in 25 years or 30 or whatever that the four of us have actually played shows together," he said. "So it was a lot of fun, a lot of memories, a lot of fun times — new fun times, and fun times talking about the old fun times. So it sort of was a, it was a winner on every front." In the spring of 2011, METALLICA, SLAYER, MEGADETH and ANTHRAX were presented with double-platinum plaques for the two-disc DVD release of "The Big Four: Live From Sofia, Bulgaria", containing footage of the June 22, 2010 Sonisphere cinecast from the Sofia, Bulgaria leg of the touring rock festival featuring all four groups. The presentation took place on April 23, 2011 at the first-ever "Big Four" concert on American soil at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California. "The Big Four: Live From Sofia, Bulgaria" was certified double platinum on December 17, 2010 by the Recording Industry Association Of America (RIAA) for shipments in excess of 100,000 copies. (Note: Due to the fact that the set consists of two discs, it was eligible for platinum certification after shipping 50,000 copies; platinum certification for a single-disc release is 100,000 copies.) "The Big Four: Live From Sofia, Bulgaria" debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard "Top Music Videos" sales chart in November with first-week sales of 22,000 copies. The set also debuted at No. 1 in Canada, the U.K. and Austria, while entering at No. 4 in Germany. "The Big Four: Live From Sofia, Bulgaria" set features full shows from all four bands along with behind-the-scenes and interview footage.
05 min read

METALLICA To Perform With Pianist LANG LANG At GRAMMY AWARDS

Manos Spanos
METALLICA will share the stage with renowned concert pianist Lang Lang during the 56th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, January 26. Says METALLICA: "We're honored to be asked back to the Grammys to perform... "It's been 22 years since the last time we hit the stage at the annual awards show! "This performance will be truly special with Lang Lang, who has appeared on stages all over the world including the opening ceremonies at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, a White House state dinner, World Cup ceremonies, and the Nobel Prize concert in Stockholm among many other acclaimed appearances. "We are also very proud that the 'Through The Never' soundtrack has been nominated for a Grammy for 'Best Recording Package' and we're hoping for another win for our friends from Turner Duckworth, who also designed the 'Death Magnetic' art and took home the mini gramophone in 2009." The 56th annual Grammy Awards will take place at the Los Angeles Staples Center and will be broadcast live at 8:00 p.m. ET on CBS. METALLICA will head into the studio in early 2014 to begin work on its 10th studio album. The band will emerge next summer for a European tour on which each night's set list will be chosen online by fans attending the gig. The band's traditional 18-song set will include the 17 top voted songs along with a brand new track. The tour, dubbed the "Metallica by Request" tour, will kick off on May 28 at the Sonisphere festival in Helsinki, Finland and travel across Europe through July 11.
01 min read

DARK FUNERAL To Play Special 20th-Anniversary Concert In Stockholm

Manos Spanos
Swedish black metallers DARK FUNERAL will celebrate their "stunning 20 years on the throne" with a special anniversary gig entitled "20 Years Of Satanic Symphonies" on May 3 at Klubben in Stockholm. The band will be fronted by Emperor Magus Caligula. In addition, former members will make exclusive guest appearances. Thus we will see Themgoroth, Typhos, B-Force, Dominion and Gaahnfaust live and on stage for the first time since they left the band. You can also be sure that DARK FUNERAL have a few surprises up their sleeve as well... This means that this night is an absolute must for both old and new fans! A great opportunity that NO metal fan would miss. Age limit 13, except for the bar on the balcony – 18 years. Tickets at Skrikhult. For 20 years now, Lord Ahriman and his fellow warriors have spread their satanic message throughout the world, with major success. Numerous albums and worldwide successful tours later, they are still here spreading the darkness upon us! A new, highly anticipated, album is coming up later this year.
01 min read

EYEHATEGOD’s JIMMY BOWER: JOEY LACAZE ‘Would Have Never Wanted Us To Quit Playing’

Manos Spanos
The Rock Pit recently conducted an interview with EYEHATEGOD guitarist and DOWN drummer Jimmy Bower. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below. The Rock Pit: How has the new album come together? Is it completely finished or are you still working out the last few bits? Jimmy: Just working out the last bits, but it should be out in April, and we're just excited, man. It came out really good. It's been 13 years, so it's a big deal for us to finally get this out. The Rock Pit: From your perspective, how does it compare to the other albums? Jimmy: I think it's different, but it's still EYEHATEGOD. It's just an evolution to me; it's evolved. We get feedback differently and play differently, but I don't know what to say about shit like that. [laughs] To me, it just sounds like new tunes, but somebody else might be, like, "Well it doesn't sound like this or that." I'm, like, "Alright man. Sorry!" [laughs] The Rock Pit: You have the new drummer, Aaron Hill, who has taken over from Joey (LaCaze), who passed away this year. Obviously, it must be tough to get through something like that so how has Aaron fitted into the band so far? Jimmy: He's been doing really good, man. He's getting there. Joey would have never wanted us to quit playing; we knew that for a fact. So as opposed to sitting around bummed out, we just got into a room pretty fast with Aaron and started learning as much as we could. We got 22 songs down, so we're stoked, man. It's good to be playing shows again. We miss Joey bigtime — we will always miss Joey — but we're also excited about the new chapter in the band. The Rock Pit: Did [Aaron] play on the new record? Jimmy: No. Joey did. We recorded it last year right after we got back from Australia, but it's taken us a year to get it all finished up and everything. That's another reason we are super excited about it too. But we've been writing too; we've already got two new songs and almost another one, so it's good, because the band has been the most active than we've ever been. The Rock Pit: You must be happy for the band to be back and be strong again. Jimmy: We felt like we were doing really good when Joey was still alive, because in 2008 we were doing a lot of touring and stuff like that, but I guess with this new chapter, we played in New York and Chicago and people are really supportive and cool and just happy that we continued on. So we've just been kinda taking that and using that as our fuel. That's cool, and we love this band; we don't know what to fucking do with ourselves when we're not in this band. Read the entire interview at The Rock Pit.
03 min read

CALIBAN: ‘Devil’s Night’ Video Released

Manos Spanos
The official video for the song "Devil's Night" from Germany's CALIBAN can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's new album, "Ghost Empire", which will be released on the following dates via Century Media Records: * Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand: January 24 * Rest of Europe: January 27 * U.S., Canada: February 4 The CD was produced by by guitarist Marc Görtz in cooperation with Benny Richter. Said Görtz of the the "Ghost Empire" art, which was created by U.K. artist Chris Lovell: "Another great artist told me about Chris and his art. When I checked out his page, I loved his style and amazing drawings straight away. So I wrote him a message if he would be into designing a t-shirt design for us. It turned out great, so there was no doubt whom to ask for the new album artwork for 'Ghost Empire'! I told him what the album is about and he said that he would love to do it. It didn't take long for him to come up with first ideas which were amazing! I hope we can work with him on other projects in the future, he is a great guy and easy to work with and I think the result speaks for itself!" Added Lovell: "I have been heavily into metal since the age of 12. "It's always nice when a band I am a fan of contacts me with a brief for a project. "I was stoked to read Marc's ideas as post-apocalyptic imagery is something I have an obsession with. I grew up loving films like 'Mad Max', 'Cyborg' and the 'Fist Of The North Star' anime. There's something about destroyed buildings and wastelands that stir my imagination and conjure up all kinds of haunting images in my head. It's also much more fun and easier to draw ruined buildings than perfect ones! "Marc and I brainstormed ideas one evening and we came up with lots of elements we liked such as crows, scarecrows, rats etc. I sketched out a very rough concept idea and layout for the basic image. The front and back cover is all in one, so I had a nice wide landscape to work with. I liked the idea of a road on the main cover, leading to what could look like a hive of collapsed skyscrapers and buildings, leaning on each other and climbing into the clouds. On the left side a cliff face leading down to stormy seas and a shore line littered with ship wrecks and capsized boats. "I wanted the image to look void of human life and haunting. "I drew out the bulk of the main image in pencil, then used inks and acrylic paint to add depth and highlights. I then scanned the image in and coloured it with a graphics tablet on Photoshop. I drew a number of other elements, like telegraph poles, crows, skulls and rats and scanned them in separately. "I wanted to be able to experiment with placement and give the band the option to move elements around etc. "I lost track of how many hours I put into the piece, it all becomes a blur. "I like to stream horror movies or listen to music and just lose myself in the art I make. "I have a bit of an obsession with detail and I tend to spend hours tweaking elements on an image people will probably never even notice. "CALIBAN have been a pleasure to work with. After I had the pleasure of hearing the demos while working on this project it is an honour to have done the artwork for what will be an amazing album!" CALIBAN's eighth studio album, "I Am Nemesis", entered the German Media Control chart at position No. 21. "I Am Nemesis" was released in North America on February 28, 2012 via Century Media Records. The CD featured guest appearances by Marcus Bischoff (HEAVEN SHALL BURN) and Mitch Lucker (SUICIDE SILENCE).
04 min read

SUICIDAL ANGELS: ‘In The Grave’ Video Released

Manos Spanos
Greek thrashers SUICIDAL ANGELS will release their new album, "Divide And Conquer", on January 14, 2014 (one day earlier internationally) via NoiseArt Records. The effort will be made available as a limited digipak, vinyl LP in different colors and as a digital download. Comments SUICIDAL ANGELS guitarist/vocalist Nick Melissourgos: "We recorded again in the Prophecy & Music Factory Studios and the mix and master this time was done by Fredrik Nordström (HAMMERFALL, IN FLAMES, ARCH ENEMY) at Fredman Studios. We didn't know what to expect for the final result, but what we got is killer. He managed to combine the old-school feeling of our music with an up-to-date production of 2013. [It sounds] absolutely massive!" The cover artwork for "Divide And Conquer" was created by another well-known name in the metal biz — legendary cover artist Ed Repka, who has previously worked with MEGADETH, DEATH and MUNICIPAL WASTE. Adds Melissourgos: "If you notice, in the pit, it's not people fighting, it's zombies. Also the crowd isn't human, they are zombies. They are the souls of people who have no human feelings anymore. They represent the ugliness and the inhumanity of the humans. Thus turned into something else, they are easier to be conquered and manipulated." The "Divide And Conquer" artwork is said to be the "perfect mirror" for the album's lyrics, because once again, SUICIDAL ANGELS isn't really interested in booze, boobs and slimy aliens, but instead likes to reflect on the everyday horror of our lives. "The main subject is the contemporary situation that we all are living in," explains Melissourgos. "There is so much power in the hands of few who have the ability to do everything, but their only fear is everyday and common people. So the only, most direct and easiest solution is to mentally disease the population, in order to fight each other, in order to misjudge reality and not being able to tell what is important and what not. So, like this, without unity, it is easier to become a slave." SUICIDAL ANGELS will embark on a European headlining tour in January and February 2014. Support on the trek will come from FUELED BY FIRE, LOST SOCIETY and EXARSIS. "Divide And Conquer" track listing: 01. Marching Over Blood 02. Seed Of Evil 03. Divide And Conquer 04. Control The Twisted Mind 05. In The Grave 06. Terror Is My Scream 07. Pit Of Snakes 08. Kneel To The Gun 09. Lost Dignity 10. White Wizard The official video for the song "In The Grave" can be seen below.
03 min read

SLAYER’s KERRY KING: I Can’t Pretend To Be JEFF HANNEMAN

Manos Spanos
The February 2014 issue of U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine features an interview with SLAYER guitarist Kerry King about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's next album — SLAYER's first following the passing of guitarist, and one of key songwriters, Jeff Hanneman. "I've got assloads of songs!" King stated about SLAYER's next CD. "I mean, I'm more prepared than I've been before any record, working on this material for of three years. Me and Paul [Bostaph, drums] have demoed 11 songs. I'm sitting on 14 or 15 songs and I've got seven complete with lyrics already. I'm in great shape!" Asked if he has found himself tempted to write the kind of songs that Jeff might have contributed to an album, Kerry said: "I think that would be shooting myself in the foot. I can't pretend to be Jeff. We both learned from each other in 30 years of writing together. As far as going out of my way to write something that Jeff might've done? I won't do that. If it happens to end up sounding that way, good for me!" According to King, it's still undecided as to whether any of Hanneman's previously unused ideas will make it to the next SLAYER album. "There was a song we finished on the last record, but I know for a fact [Jeff] wanted to rewrite the lyrics on, so that one got to deconstruct and make better," he said. "I've said, and I'll continue to say, that if we use any of Jeff's songs, I don't want it to come out just because Jeff wrote it. I want it to come out because it's awesome," he added. "We've just got to put out something that I think Jeff would be proud of." Regarding what fans can expect from the new SLAYER material, King said: "I've got a surprising amount of heavy stuff for me. I do tend to lean on the fast side, but I have some exceptionally heavy tunes, Like, 'Wow, man, where did that come from?' I expect my stuff to be angry and fast, but it's all over the map. I'm stoked. We'll have enough so we can pick great stuff whether we use any of Jeff's material or not. It should add up to as good a record as we can hope for with one of our original songwriters being gone." King also spoke about SLAYER's current touring lineup, which includes drummer Paul Bostaph and guitarist Gary Holt (also of EXODUS). "Not to toot my own horn, but we sound fucking great right now," he said. "It's a juggernaut. Paul's a machine. He always has been. Also he's been here before, so that made this transition as easy as it could be as well as for the fans because I think they always felt he was part of the band, even t hough he wasn't for many years." Asked if he is looking forward to shutting people up with the new SLAYER album, King said: "Oh, yeah, but only because people expect us to fail. "I'm very stoked about the stuff we're gonna be putting out," he added. "In a perfect world, which is never what happens in SLAYER, me and Paul plan on continuing to play to keep our chops up, and if we can get everybody on board, I want to start in January and have a record out before the summer."
03 min read

LAMB OF GOD’s MORTON Sitting Out European Tour; BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME’s WAGGONER Filling In

Manos Spanos
Guitarist Mark Morton of Richmond, Virginia metallers LAMB OF GOD is sitting out at least the first few shows of the band's current European headlining tour due to a "family emergency." Filling in for him is Paul Waggoner of BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME. Fan-filmed video footage of the first show of the European tour, which took place last night (Monday, January 6) in Vienna, Austria, can be seen below. Prior to performing the song "Walk With Me In Hell" at the Vienna concert, LAMB OF GOD frontman Randy Blythe explained Morton's absence, telling the crowd, "You may have noticed Mr. Mark Morton is not here with us tonight. He had a family emergency, so he had to stay home. It's family first for this band. We apologize, but he had to be with his family. Luckly, we have a very big music family, so we've got our friend Paul Waggoner from BETWEEN THE BURIED IN ME [playing with us tonight]." LAMB OF GOD recently 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.
03 min read

Brutal Assault confirms Shining, Misery Index and H2O

Manos Spanos
Shining - Avantgarde band from Norway which rose as a jazz quartet and during the years was gradually changed into cold, dark, synthetically needled avantgarde metal with black metal influences. To see them live is usually a big experience so let's hope they will deliver the same on the BA festival and let's get focused on their show. Misery Index - Rough ornithological death/ grind hails from Baltimore US. The band delivers heavy riffing with one of the fastest and most powerful baterry on the current scene with mr. Jason Netherton behind the mic. So once the power of music should kill someone, you will be killed. H2O - hails Brutal Assault for the very first time ever with their music roots from NY ghettos. These HC /punkers will enlarge the variety of BA artists and will reveal that their music is heavy enough but just from a bit different perspective.
00 min read