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DEVIN TOWNSEND: Unboxing Of ‘Deluxe’ Edition Of ‘The Retinal Circus’ (Video)

Manos Spanos
Renowned Canadian multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter and producer Devin Townsend played a special concert October 27, 2012 at the Roundhouse venue in London, England as part of a one-night-only event, dubbed "The Retinal Circus", that was recorded for both DVD and Blu-ray, and was released on October 29 in North America (Sepember 30 in Europe) via InsideOut Music. "The Retinal Circus" was released on several formats, including a lavish and bonkers limited edition befitting of the man himself, and which took months of hard work to put together. The complete list of formats is below: * Standard 2-disc DVD * Standard 1-disc Blu-ray * Standard 2-CD audio * Special edition (2 DVDs/1 Blu-ray/2 CDs) box set * Diehard deluxe fan box including 2 DVDs, 1 Blu-ray, 2 CDs A six-minute "unboxing" video of the diehard deluxe fan box of "The Retinal Circus" can be seen below. Devin previously described "The Retinal Circus" as "a retrospective of my career in music to date, with the central theme being a metaphor of how life and the adventures therein are a 'circus' of sorts. The show involves a cast of characters and guests that support this theme through carnival type performances. A story about how a troubled young man dreams of fantastic scenarios, (illustrated through the music of my back catalogue), which ultimately crests in the characters realization that life is all about the relationships we have with each other. This is the first opportunity I have been given to make theatrical representations of my music." In an interview with Metal Insider, Townsend stated about "The Retinal Circus": "It's like such a clusterfuck on stage. Whether or not people who're new to it understand what I'm trying to do, I like the idea that it's like… When I watch it, I'm, like, 'That's pretty much how I feel it should look like.' For better or for worse, it's like this crazy chaos." Regarding what inspired the setlist for "The Retinal Circus", Townsend said: "I tried to get a bit of everything, but at the end of it, it was most important to include the songs that we could illustrate the best. The show itself had this peculiar story and so that story arc required me to choose songs that would contribute to that, rather than just elbow it in there. So we missed some stuff. 'Terria' wasn't in there, and whatever, but it leaves room for the next thing."
02 min read

Video: BLACK SABBATH Guitarist TONY IOMMI Receives Honorary Degree

Manos Spanos
Tony Iommi, the lead guitarist of iconic rock band BLACK SABBATH was among the outstanding individuals who received honorary degrees from Coventry University yesterday (Tuesday, November 19). A video report on the graduation ceremony can be seen below. Iommi, who co-founded BLACK SABBATH in Birmingham in 1968, and Her Royal Highness Princess Rym Ali will be honoured by the University during its graduation ceremonies in Coventry Cathedral. Celebrated Coventrian and artist George Shaw — whose haunting depictions of the city's Tile Hill landscape have won him acclaim and a Turner Prize nomination — was also recognized by the institution. The honorary graduands received their commendations in the same week that around 7,000 students are awarded their degrees from the University. Iommi was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Arts in recognition of his contribution to the world of popular music, in particular his role as one of the founding fathers of heavy metal music and his status as one of the industry's most influential figures. Iommi, who headed straight from the graduation ceremony to join BLACK SABBATH in Helsinki for the start of their latest European tour, said: "It's a great honor to receive the doctorate, which comes towards the end of a challenging but amazingly successful year for me." Professor Madeleine Atkins, vice-chancellor of Coventry University, said: "It's a pleasure to be welcoming these exemplary individuals to our graduation ceremonies to receive their awards alongside our graduating students. Each of them has excelled in their field in such a way as to be worthy of recognition, and I hope our own students will be inspired by the drive and commitment they have shown throughout their careers."
02 min read

MASTODON Taps Producer NICK RASKULINECZ For New Album

Manos Spanos
Atlanta progressive metallers MASTODON will enter the studio in a couple of weeks with producer Nick Raskulinecz (FOO FIGHTERS, RUSH, ALICE IN CHAINS) to begin recording their new album for a 2014 release. Speaking to RollingStone.com, MASTODON drummer Brann Dailor said: "[Nick is] a rock guy. He's a rocker. He likes to rock. He's done a bunch of our friends' records that sound great. I'm a fan of all the DEFTONES records he's done, all the ALICE IN CHAINS stuff, and he worked with QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE on [their 2002 album] 'Songs For The Deaf'." According to Dailor, MASTODON has written "18 or 19 songs" for the follow-up to 2011's "The Hunter". "It's gonna be massive and insane, lots of epic greatness," he said. "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." On December 10, Warner Bros. Records will digitally release "Mastodon Live At Brixton", a recording of MASTODON's February 11, 2012 performance at London, England's O2 Academy in Brixton. This sold-out performance was MASTODON's first show at the legendary venue. An audio-only version and a live video version directed by Ryan Mackfall (Crashburn Media) (both featuring the full 97-minute performance) will be available from all digital retailers, including iTunes and Amazon. In addition to performing "Curl of the Burl", "Black Tongue" and "Dry Bone Valley" from "The Hunter", the band dug into their catalog, unearthing such scorching tracks as "Colony of Birchmen", "Capillarian Crest" and "Iron Tusk".
02 min read

APOCALYPTICA To Release ‘Ass-Kicking’ New Studio Album In 2014

Manos Spanos
APOCALYPTICA — the groundbreaking Finnish orchestral rock group — has just released "Wagner Reloaded - Live In Leipzig" (BMG), an epic live collaboration with the acclaimed MDR Leipzig Symphony Orchestra. The album's release is perfectly timed since 2013 marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of iconic German composer Richard Wagner. For "Wagner Reloaded - Live In Leipzig", APOCALYPTICA created new compositions based on Wagner's body of work and his life, teaming with award-winning choreographer and dancer Gregor Seyffert to stage a brilliant and magical, cross-genre event featuring a live concert and theatrical production. Since its inception, the Finnish cello-based heavy rock group APOCALYPTICA has been mining the classical form and structure creating compositions that are both unpredictable and unforgettable. From the METALLICA covers that turned the music scene on its ear to 2007's "Worlds Collide" — which saw the group collaborate with everyone from SLIPKNOT's Corey Taylor to RAMMSTEIN's Till Lindemann and LACUNA COIL's Cristina Scabbia — APOCALYPTICA have released seven studio albums featuring numerous cello-based instrumentals and vocal-based songs. They've explored styles from atmospheric interludes to fast, battering rhythms--their music has always been gripping, dynamic and full of melody. Here's a question-and-answer session with APOCALYPTICA's Eicca Toppinen and Mikko Sirén where they discuss the controversial character of composer Richard Wagner, performing inside metal dragons with pyro as well as the creation of the music and production for "Wagner Reloaded". Q: What role did Wagner play in the decision for this project? Eicca: Wagner was both the whole starting point and the glue. "Wagner Reloaded" is not just an homage to Wagner and performance of his music, it's more about showing Wagner's life and character and personality in a new way. Mikko: Wagner's whole career was an inspiring element for the creator Gregor, he wanted to make a movie out of it and for APOCALYPTICA to make a score for it, so, it was a new approach to his life and I think his life was more interesting for Gregor than his music even. That's the contradiction. Eicca: Yes, that's very true and it turned out to be so bombastic and massive, which is "Wagnerian," it's really in the spirit of Wagner, because he was famous for being over the top. Wagner wanted to make a 12-hour opera, opera trilogies, and he wanted to build his own opera house — his visions were crazy. Wagner's craziness was driving this project from the very beginning. Q: In Germany, there are controversies regarding Wagner's life and personal political choices. How is that looked at in Finland? Mikko: In general, at least in Finland, people don't look at Wagner as a political character or a person; his music is well-known, and people, who follow the scene, which in truth is a minority of people, might know more of his history. Eicca: Yeah, it doesn't stir up such emotions in Finland as it seems to in Germany, of course. It's a complicated issue, because nobody knows exactly how to think about people, who have already passed away long, long, long time ago. Whether their music or art was used for certain purposes — it's complex territory. But in Finland, people listen to Wagner just as Wagner music and don't think so much about possible political relations, or anti-Semitic writings. It's not really at the top of the conversation in Finland. But in Germany it seems to be a hot topic. Q: Musically speaking, what were the greatest challenges? Eicca: The greatest challenge of doing this project was the way we worked. Gregor Seyffert, who was also dancing one of the main roles, had a very clear script for how all the scenes would follow each other, how Wagner was born, was a kid, and I got a length for every scene. Like, for example: This scene is four to five minutes long, and this is what's going to happen on stage, and this is what the energy of the music should be like. And sometimes Gregor wanted to have a specific composition by Wagner and therefore maybe the biggest challenge was to combine Wagner's music with new music, because Wagner, of course, was a great composer and a lot of his music is perfect and there is nothing to add to it. So it was a combination of what is APOCALYPTICA's role in the Wagner pieces, and how we could create music, which is as exciting in the performance as Wagner's original music. Because all of APOCALYPTICA's music was newly composed for this project, no one had ever heard it before — and everybody knows all of Wagner. The
015 min read

FATES WARNING: ‘I Am’ Soundcheck Footage From Joliet

Manos Spanos
Video footage of progressive metal veterans FATES WARNING performing the song "I Am" during soundcheck on November 15 in Joliet, Illinois can be seen below. The track comes off the band's eleventh studio album, "Darkness In A Different Light", which registered the following first-week chart positions: Germany: #41 The Netherlands: #90 USA: #162 "Darkness In A Different Light" sold around 2,700 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD was issued in North America on October 1 via InsideOut Music. Featuring founding guitarist Jim Matheos alongside classic-lineup members Ray Alder (vocals) and Frank Aresti (guitar), longtime bassist Joey Vera and drummer Bobby Jarzombek, "Darkness In A Different Light" was produced by Matheos and mixed by longtime FATES WARNING engineer Phil Magnotti. The effort was mastered by Maor Appelbaum (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, SEPULTURA, ANVIL) at Maor Appelbaum Mastering in California. The cover artwork was designed by Conte di San Pietro. In addition to the standard CD jewel case and the digital download format, "Darkness In A Different Light" was made available in Europe as 2CD mediabook edition and as gatefold 2LP version (180-gram vinyl in black, red or white vinyl) with four bonus tracks. "Darkness In A Different Light" track listing: CD 1 01. One Thousand 02. Firefly 03. Desire 04. Falling 05. I Am 06. Lighthouse 07. Into The Black 08. Kneel And Obey 09. O Chloroform 10. And Yet It Moves
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OVERKILL: Anaheim Concert Footage, Photos

Manos Spanos
Video footage of OVERKILL's November 15 performance at City National Grove Of Anaheim in Anaheim, California as part of the band's "Legends Of Thrash Tour" with KREATOR can be seen below. High-quality photos of the concert — courtesy of Stephanie Cabral — are available on Facebook: Overkill, Kreator. OVERKILL is putting the finishing touches on its new album for March 2014 release in North America via eOne Music and in Europe through Nuclear Blast Records. Speaking to Steppin' Out magazine, OVERKILL vocalist Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth stated about the upcoming CD: "The new record has a blend of what we've done over the past half decade. I'm noticing it's a more punchy heavy metal record with more dimension than the last record had. Where is it going to end up on the food chain? I really don't know. But my feeling is it's an eclectic collection of moments from us. 'The Electric Age' came across, to me, as kind of a two-dimensional thrash record. This one is punchy but has a whole different bunch of ways to go and things to hear on it." As previously reported, OVERKILL released a very special limited tour edition of its latest album, "The Electric Age", in Europe on April 19 via Nuclear Blast Records. The limited 2CD tour edition includes the regular album as well as a four additional live tracks on a bonus CD, recorded at The Metro in Sidney, Australia on September 25, 2010. "The Electric Age" sold 6,500 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 77 on The Billboard 200 chart.
02 min read

CROWBAR Working On New Album

Manos Spanos
New Orleans sludge metal veterans CROWBAR have entered OCD Recording Studio in their hometown with engineer Duane Simoneaux to begin recording their tenth studio album for a 2014 release. The follow-up to 2010's "Sever The Wicked Hand" will be mixed by Chris "Zeuss" Harris, who has previously worked with HATEBREED, SOULFLY and SHADOWS FALL, among others. Windstein exited DOWN in September in order to focus "100%" on CROWBAR. He was replaced in DOWN by the band's longtime stage manager and HONKY founding guitarist Bobby Landgraf. "After 22 wonderful years, we are parting ways," Windstein said. "They will always be my brothers and I wish the best to all of them. We have created some bad-ass music together that we can all look back on and be proud of. All of our great times will never be forgotten." With Windstein devoting 100% of his focus on CROWBAR, he is assuring fans that the sky is the limit. He continues: "CROWBAR is my heart and soul. The music is a part of me that I am extremely proud of. "It's an amazing feeling to be putting all of my energy and focus into something that I created 25 years ago! "We are extremely excited to record our 10th full length album and to bring the riffs to as many people as possible on tour." CROWBAR recently announced the addition of bassist Jeff Golden to the group's ranks. Jeff (pictured all the way left in photo above), 32, is from Bolton, Connecticut, but currently resides in Estero, Florida. Bassist Patrick Bruders quit CROWBAR in September in order to focus on DOWN CROWBAR will head out on the road throughout Europe shortly before album release. The band has also been confirmed for the Roadburn, Maryland Death Fest and Hellfest festivals in 2014.
02 min read

SLAYER’s KERRY KING Says DAVE LOMBARDO ‘Shot Himself In The Foot’

Manos Spanos
SLAYER guitarist Kerry King was the featured guest on "The Steve Austin Show - Unleashed!" podcast last week. You can now listen to the chat using the audio player below. "The Steve Austin Show - Unleashed!" is the explicit version of the podcast hosted by former WWE wrestling champion "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. On SLAYER's early years: King: "Me and [late SLAYER guitarist] Jeff [Hanneman] would go hang out and see bands. We saw METALLICA at the Woodstock in Orange County, of all places, and we were blown away. We were already into MOTÖRHEAD and VENOM, and there was a lot of talk of the METALLICA guys. So we were, like, 'Let's go check this out.' And they were doing what we were doing the way we wanted to do it… We just weren't there yet. They were probably six to eight to twelve months ahead of us, just with shit-togetheredness. Even back then, I look at [then-METALLICA guitarist] Dave Mustaine, and to this day, I love him as a guitar player; he's one of my favorites. And then I saw him playing and it just blew me and Jeff away that he was just ripping solos and he wasn't even looking at what he was playing. And we were just like, 'Man, that's awesome.' And were just into it. Me and Jeff were six months apart in age. We were just like the same person." On SLAYER's recent split with original drummer Dave Lombardo: King: "When Dave was in [the band] this last time, I figured I'd be on the stage with him until one of us fell off the stage, dead. Things change. He got some bad advice and listened to some bad advice, gave us an ultimatum ten days before we went to Australia [to do the Soundwave festival tour]. And I said, 'I can't have this over my head.' And I feel bad for Dave to this day; I really feel bad for him because he shot himself in the foot. Maybe he thought he had the upper hand, but you ain't gonna get me…. Before I got home, I knew exactly what I was going to do for Australia." On how SLAYER has managed to maintain its camaraderie within the band for more than 30 years: King: "The only thing that we've done to separate each other purposely is when Tom [Araya, SLAYER bassist/vocalist] started coming out with his family, I don't know, maybe ten or so years ago. And I said, 'It's probably a good idea to get your own bus.' Because you never know what's gonna be going on on our bus. For the band, kids keeping you awake all night — if that's what would happen; kids stumbling in on something they really don't need to see, that's something. But that's the only thing. We fly together, we're still on the same bus. We take off on the same bus in a few days. [Editor's note: The interview was conducted a few days prior to the start of SLAYER's current North American tour.] "What took me the longest time to figure out for myself personally was what not to say to people. You have your opinion, someone is pissing you off that day? You don't need to say it. Shut up, get on with your day, tomorrow's a new day and it's all gonna be fine. And, you know, there are so many bands that break up, and the individual doesn't usually have the talent of the whole. "We're good at what we do, we've got a very strong brand, a very strong following and it would be stupid [for us to call it quits]. "The only reason I would leave SLAYER today is if Tom said he was done, 'cause then it's just me. Or if I was done and it was just Tom, I don't think Tom would wanna do it. It's now just the two of us." "The Steve Austin Show - Unleashed!" podcast (audio):
04 min read

TESTAMENT Bassist Leaves Tour, EXODUS’ JACK GIBSON Steps In

Manos Spanos
TESTAMENT bassist Greg Christian has been forced to leave the band's current North American tour with LAMB OF GOD and KILLSWITCH ENGAGE for "personal reasons." Filling in for him beginning with tonight's (Wednesday, November 19) concert at Eagles Ballroom in Milwaukee, Wisconsin is EXODUS bassist Jack Gibson (pictured). "It's an honor to be filling in for Greg," Jack tells BLABBERMOUTH.NET. "I've always thought he was one of the best metal bass players alive. "TESTAMENT is already family. Gene [Hoglan, TESTAMENT drummer] is a god. "This should be a lot of fun!" "Dark Roots Of Thrash", a DVD/2CD release documenting TESTAMENT's sold-out headlining performance at the Paramount in Huntington, New York this past February, was made available on October 18 (Europe) and October 29 (North America) via Nuclear Blast Records. "Dark Roots Of Thrash" was produced by Get Hammered Productions, directed by Tommy Jones (DEATH ANGEL, KATAKLYSM, SOILWORK) and mixed by Juan Urteaga (VILE, EXODUS, SADUS, MACHINE HEAD). It captures a total of 19 live tracks with countless cams onstage and high above the audience, plus a special moshpit cam that makes you feel like you're a part of the show. EXODUS guitarist Gary Holt is continuing to fill in for fallen SLAYER guitarist Jeff Hanneman on the latter band's current tour.
01 min read

MANOWAR : ‘Kingdom Come MMXIV’ Mixing Sneak Peek

Manos Spanos
A sneak peek into the mixing of "Kingdom Come MMXIV" from "Kings Of Metal MMXIV", a newly recorded special version celebrating the 25th anniversary of MANOWAR's classic album "Kings Of Metal", is available below. The new recordings will feature guitarist Karl Logan's and drummer Donnie Hamzik's contributions, who, after having played these classic hymns many times live, will now have the opportunity to add to their legacy by including their own signature sound and performance. The new album will also feature movie and theater legend Brian Blessed ("Hamlet", "Flash Gordon") narrating "The Warrior's Prayer MMXIV". The release of "Kings Of Metal MMXIV" is scheduled for spring 2014 and will be followed by an anniversary tour that will see MANOWAR perform the full "Kings Of Metal MMXIV" album along with their other classic metal hymns in a completely new stage production. MANOWAR released highlights of its "The Lord Of Steel World Tour" on a live EP, featuring performances from the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Italy, Russia and Sweden. The disc was mixed and mastered at MANOWAR's own studios Hell and Haus Wahnfried by Joey DeMaio personally with longtime MANOWAR engineer Dirk Kloiber. "The Lord Of Steel Live" was released digitally as an iTunes exclusive worldwide on July 9, and was made available on CD in retail and through TheKingdomOfSteel.com on August 16.
01 min read