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BUTLER: If WARD Played Like He Used To, We’d Have Welcomed Him With Open Arms

Manos Spanos
Brian McCollum of the Detroit Free Press recently conducted an interview with legendary BLACK SABBATH bassist Geezer Butler. A few excerpts from the chat follow below. On the band's new album,"13", topping sales charts across the globe: Butler: "It's just amazed us. We thought there'd be some interest in it. But never in our wildest dreams would we have expected it to go to No. 1. Around the world, all over the place, it's doing well." On the original BLACK SABBATHlineup being considered the band's most definitive incarnation: Butler: "When you mention it to the average person, they'll knowBLACK SABBATH withOzzy[Osbourne, vocals] in the band. That was our breakthrough (period) in the '70s. People so often associate Ozzy with SABBATH, and SABBATH with Ozzy. It's the same thing with a band like VAN HALEN— people like David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar, but the classic lineup would beDave." On producerRick Rubin's contribution to the new album's success: Butler: "When we tried to do albums in the past, we all had different ideas of what it should be like, and it never ended up being successful. This is what we needed — we needed a producer.Rick Rubinhad always made it known he wanted to be the first-choice producer if we all got back together. "He wanted to go back to the old, basic sort of SABBATH sound — not a lot of overdubs, just a couple of guitar solos. You capture the feeling. With a lot of bands these days — and we have in the past — you'll go put the drums down, the next day you put on the bass, then guitar. It doesn't have the same feeling as being in the room together withOzzysinging. That's how we did the first three albums." On BLACK SABBATH 's current touring drummer Tommy Clufetos, who has previously played withOsbourne,Ted Nugent,Alice CooperandRob Zombie: Butler: "Tommy's a real nice bloke to get on with as well. He's a phenomenal drummer — he picks things up so quickly. It's incredible the way he works. He's really dedicated to the stuff he does." On originalSABBATHdrummerBill Ward's absence from the"13"recording sessions and current tour:
03 min read

GENE HOGLAN Reveals First Details Of His Upcoming DVD

Manos Spanos
Earlier this month, legendary extreme-metal drummerGene Hoglan(TESTAMENT,DEATH,STRAPPING YOUNG LAD,DARK ANGEL,DETHKLOK) announced that there would be another "The Atomic Clock" DVD coming out, and he revealed the details of his clinic tour,"The Gene Hoglan Experience". The jam-packed DVD isavailable for pre-sale now, with several awesome package options. If that isn’t enough, although Gene has footage chosen for his next"The Atomic Clock"DVD, he’s leaving it up to his biggest fans to really decide what they would like to see. Everyone knows an artist is nothing without their fans. After years of your faithful and much-appreciated support,Gene Hoglanwants give something back, so we are turning to you, his fans, for what you'd like to see next. AsGenecontinues the process of creating a bigger and better sequel to his first DVD release, he'd like to hear from you. Emailstreetteam@reversedrecords.comand tellGenewhat you want to see on the next DVD, and you will be given the chance to pre-order several packages. There are seven "levels" or packages that fans can pre-order the DVD with.
02 min read

TONY IOMMI: ‘It’s Really Great’ To Be Able To Perform New Songs Live

Manos Spanos
Corbin Reiff of the Seattle Weekly recently conducted an interview with legendaryBLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below. Seattle Weekly: [BLACK SABBATHsinger] Ozzy [Osbourne] has said that a lot of the songs on the ["13"] album were arranged in a manner that would be conducive to playing live. Do you agree with him in that regard? Iommi: Yes, absolutely. When we spoke with [producer] Rick Rubin, we talked aboutOzzysinging more in his range and trying to sing more in a lower register like on the early albums. Like on "Black Sabbath",Ozzysang more in his range in a lower tone and that's what we wanted to get back to with this album so that we could do them live onstage. Seattle Weekly: In your opinion, how are the new songs stacking up against some of your older classic material and how does it feel to bring something new into the set? Iommi: They are fitting in really well with the old materia
02 min read

FIREWIND: Behind-The-Scenes Footage From BLOODSTOCK OPEN AIR Appearance

Manos Spanos
A Fire TV episode featuring behind-the-scenes footage from FIREWIND's appearace at the Bloodstock Open Air festival, which was held August 8-11 at Catton Park, Derbyshire, United Kingdom, can be seen below. FIREWIND celebrated its 10th anniversary by releasing a live album on June 24 via Century Media Records in Europe. Entitled "Apotheosis - Live 2012", the CD contains 17 songs recorded at special anniversary shows in Greece as well as all over Europe during the band's "Few Against Many"tour in 2012. With a playing time of 69 minutes, the effort is a great overview of the band's career so far, which consists of seven studio albums. It also marks FIREWIND 's final release with singer Apollo Papathanasio, who decided to leave the group at the end of last year. He has since been replaced byKelly Sundown Carpenter(ADAGIO,BEYOND TWILIGHT) as session frontman for all 2013 live activities. The cover artwork for"Apotheosis - Live 2012", which was released as a digipak in its first limited-edition pressing, was designed by FIREWIND's longtime partner in all design matters,Gustavo Sazes (ARCH ENEMY,ANGRA,DREAM EVIL) based on live photography byHans-W. Rock.
04 min read

LAMB OF GOD Frontman Releases ‘Prague: The Devil Is The Details’ Short Film

Manos Spanos
Vocalist Randy Blythe of Richmond, Virginia metallers LAMB OF GOD has uploaded a short film called "Prague: The Devil Is The Details", which he shot earlier this year while he was on trial for manslaughter in the Czech Republic in connection with the death of a fan more than three years ago. In a posting on his Randonesia blog, Blythe stated about the film: "This is a movie I made in Prague during my trial. I filmed the footage with a Canon EOS 60D, edited it with Final Cut Pro X, and wrote the music using Reason. "I wanted to release a slightly different version of the film right before my judgement was rendered by the court (the very last shot in this version was not there until after I was pronounced innocent). My idea was to show my mind set through film and music during the process of my trial, and have a more ambiguous ending heading into my final day in court.
03 min read

Has MAYNARD JAMES KEENAN Secretly Been At Work On TOOL Album?

Manos Spanos
Has TOOLsinger Maynard James Keenan secretly been working on lyrics for the band's long-awaited fifth album since the spring? According toThe Pulse Of Radio, Keenanappeared on comedianMarc Maron's "WTF"podcast and, when asked about new TOOL music, replied, "I'm gonna stop by the rehearsal space today. In theory, having beaten them up going, 'Please give me music, please give me music, please give me music, please give me music,' they have a CD for me today. They're like, 'Look, listen to some jams so we can get this thing going.'" What's interesting, however, is that while the podcast was broadcast last Sunday (August 18), the interview itself was recorded in March — withKeenaneven making a reference to his 49th birthday happening in April. So hasKeenanbeen working on the newTOOLrecord since last March? Keenansaid he needed to hear music before he could begin to formulate lyrics, explaining, "I can't write words 'til I hear the sounds, and I haven't heard the sounds . . . I've gotta listen to the sounds and go from the sounds." The vocalist toldThe Pulse Of Radioa while back that he gets restless atTOOL's slower pace of doing things. "I can't sit still, so when those guys hesitate, it takes us so long to do stuff, and it's like a snake eating its own tail situation, 'cause then I get distracted and I go off and do a thing, and then I get blamed for not being around to do the (TOOL) thing," he said. "But nothing was getting done when I was standing there, so I got bored and left. It's just an endless cycle."
02 min read

CARCASS: Part One Of ‘Surgical Steel’ Track-By-Track Breakdown

Manos Spanos
Part one of a track-by-track breakdown of "Surgical Steel", the new full-length album from reactivated British extreme metal pioneers CARCASS, can be seen below. Watch guitarist Bill Steer and drummer Dan Wilding explain the songwriting process for the songs "1985", "Thrasher's Abattoir", "Cadaver Pouch Conveyor System"and "A Congealed Clot Of Blood". "Surgical Steel" will be released on September 16 in the U.K., September 13 in the rest of Europe and September 17 in North America via Nuclear Blast Records. The effort was produced by Colin Richardson (FEAR FACTORY, MACHINE HEAD, NAPALM DEATH, SLIPKNOT, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE) and mixed by Andy Sneap(MEGADETH, ACCEPT, EXODUS, ARCH ENEMY). "Surgical Steel" will be available on several collectible formats, which can now be ordered with or without an exclusive t-shirt design here. Joining guitarist Bill Steer and bassist/vocalist Jeff Walker in CARCASS' current incarnation are new drummer Dan Wilding (ABORTED, TRIGGER THE BLOODSHED) and guitarist Ben Ash (PIG IRON, DESOLATION, LIQUEFIED SKELETON). CARCASS' first studio LP since 1996's "Swansong" will feature guest vocals from original sticksman Ken Owen. In a recent interview with Chile's Radio Futuro, Walker stated about the new CARCASS CD: "We think we've made a good album, so it's gonna be very interesting when people get to hear the record. We can't wait to see what people think." He continued: "It sounds like CARCASS. Even the drumming sounds like CARCASS. Everything about it… I think it's gonna shock people, how good it is. I think it's got all the elements that people like, yet it still sounds fresh. So that's all I can say, really, 'cause we don't really sound like any other band, and the fact that after 17 years, we wrote music and it still sounds like CARCASS, I think it's good." Regarding the direction of the forthcoming CARCASS album, Walker previously stated: "We've taken stylistic cues from all the albums because it's in our blood, but it's no rehash or mess of ideas. I think it sounds almost like the missing link between the third and forth albums but with some groove in there. I've jokingly christened some parts 'trad blast' and some 'death sleaze'… don't think for a minute this is just some nostalgic throwback album — we're setting up another 17 years of ideas for other bands to copy and clean up on. [laughs]" "Surgical Steel" jewel case track listing: 01. 1985 02. Thrasher's Abattoir 03. Cadaver Pouch Conveyor System 04. A Congealed Clot Of Blood 05. The Master Butcher's Apron 06. Noncompliance To ASTM F 899-12 Standard 07. The Granulating Dark Satanic Mills 08. Unfit For Human Consumption 09. 316L Grade Surgical Steel 10. Captive Bolt Pistol 11. Mount Of Execution "Surgical Steel" digipak track listing:
05 min read

DARK FUNERAL Reissues Detailed

Manos Spanos
After recently signing to Century Media Records for their upcoming studio album, Swedish black metallers DARK FUNERAL are now ready to present a series of stunning reissues for their previous six albums that offer melodic yet blasting satanic hymns in absolute perfection. Created with the band's close cooperation, the first batch ofDARK FUNERAL reissues covers the self-titled MCD (plus bonus material), "The Secrets Of The Black Arts" (including the remixed/remastered eight-track Unisound mix as a bonus), and "Vobiscum Satanas" (including live tracks). These titles will be released in Europe on September 9 and in North America on November 12 via Century Media Records. In regards to these upcoming re-issues (plus DARK FUNERAL's new vocalist search), the band's mastermind, Lord Ahriman (guitar), comments: "I'm proud to announce that we are finally doing proper re-issues of our classic albums through Century Media. And to really spice things up, I have dug deep into my personal photo archives to come up with some killer photos/flyers, previously mostly unseen by the public eye. These will be the definite versions of our classic albums, especially the nice vinyls! Each album also contains detailed liner notes — and besides
04 min read

ARMORED SAINT Working On New Material

Manos Spanos
Veteran Los Angeles metallers ARMORED SAINT have commenced the songwriting process for the follow-up to 2010's "La Raza" for a tentative late 2014 release via Metal Blade Records. Speaking to Metal Assault earlier this month, ARMORED SAINT bassist Joey Vera stated about the band's plans for the next CD: "We decided that we didn't want to wait another ten years to make a new record [laughs], so we're trying to work this out as a group. John [Bush, vocals] and I started working on some songs in February this year and I got a bunch of stuff that came out really quick and we wrote a few songs in February-March, but then I had to kind of put it on the back burner because I got involved with several mixing projects and then, of course, the FATES WARNING, which took up a lot of my time, learning the material and then obviously recording that. The FATES WARNING record is finally done and is coming out in the U.S. this fall, but John and I resumed writing in early July and we have a good chunk of songs now. We've got about five that are done, and another six that are almost finished. So we've just got to get back to it and our goal is to try and get this finished before 2018 [laughs]. In a perfect world, it would be great if we could have the album out by fall of 2014. It's not set in stone yet, but that's what we're shooting for right now." Fan-filmed video footage of ARMORED SAINT's August 16 performance at Paladino's in Reseda, California at a benefit show for drummer Dave Brown (ex-SOUND BARRIER, MASI, TOTAL ECLIPSE), who is battling cancer, can be seen below.
02 min read

DEICIDE: New Album Title, Track Listing Revealed

Manos Spanos
Florida death metal veterans DEICIDE will release their new album, "In The Minds Of Evil", this fall via Century Media Records. The CD is being recorded at AudioHammer Studios in Sanford, Florida with producer Jason Suecof (TRIVIUM, AUGUST BURNS RED, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, ALL THAT REMAINS, WHITECHAPEL,DEVILDRIVER). "In The Minds Of Evil" track listing: 01. In The Minds Of Evil 02. Thou Begone 03. Godkill 04. Beyond Salvation 05. Misery Of One 06. Between The Flesh And The Void 07. Even The Gods Can Bleed 08. Trample The Cross 09. Banished By Evil 10. Kill The Light Of Christ 11. End The Wrath Of God DEICIDE drummer Steve Asheim recently told Decibel magazine about the band's working relationship with Suecof: "It's awesome! I've known Jason since '08. I had been going out to do the ORDER OF ENNEAD records with him. The last DEICIDE record we did with Mark [Lewis], but I've known Jason a long time, so I asked him if he was into it. He said, 'Absolutely!' I wanted to get one done ovith him before something happens. You never know."
02 min read