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METALLICA: Official Video Recap Of Osaka Concert

Manos Spanos
Official MetOnTour video recap of METALLICA's August 11 appearance at the Summer Sonic festival in Osaka, Japan can be seen below. The 12-minute clip includes drummer Lars Ulrich in the meet-and-greet, "Cyanide" in the tuning room, and "Ride The Lightning" from the show. The band's setlist was as follows: 01. Hit The Lights 02. Master Of Puppets 03. Ride The Lightning 04. Harvester Of Sorrow 05. Fade To Black 06. The Memory Remains 07. Cyanide 08. Welcome Home (Sanitarium) 09. Sad But True 10. ...And Justice For All 11. One 12. For Whom The Bell Tolls 13. Blackened 14. Nothing Else Matters 15. Enter Sandman Encore: 16. Creeping Death 17. Battery 18. Seek & Destroy METALLICA has revealed the details of "Metallica Through The Never (Music From The Motion Picture)", the soundtrack companion to the forthcoming groundbreaking 3D feature film "Metallica Through The Never". The two-disc CD set will be released on the band's own record label Blackened Recordings on September 24 and highlights last year's career spanning sets at Rexall Place in Edmonton and Rogers Arena in Vancouver, where the band filmed all performance footage featured in the film. The soundtrack is available for digital pre-order tonight at midnight EST and both the CD and digital album will be available at all retailers. There will also be a vinyl edition of the soundtrack album available in both 33 1/3RPM and special limited numbered 45RPM versions later in the fall.
02 min read

WATAIN Frontman: Being In A Black Metal Band ‘Has To Go Beyond Just Playing Songs’

Manos Spanos
David E. Gehlke of DeadRhetoric.com recently conducted an interview with WATAIN mainman Erik Danielsson. A few excerpts from the chat follow below. DeadRhetoric.com: It seems like everything you've done of late has been on a bigger scale. I think a lot of us can remember you coming up with "Casus Luciferi" and "Sworn To The Dark", but leading up to "The Wild Hunt", things are of greater scale. Erik Danielsson: It's the way it goes, I guess. We've been doing this for 15 years and people have come to understand that we're a force to be reckoned with and you have to let the fans do that, and business people, too. To be honest, things have changed very literally in the world in WATAIN. To us, it's very much the same thing, the same purpose in our lives. From where we stand, nothing has really changed, but at the same time, we have more and more people working, we have tour agencies and management and whatever that are taken care of this and this. So I suppose it's a reflection of how people relate to the band. It's rather something that matters more for other people than us. DeadRhetoric.com: What's your take on people who think bands have to stay within certain parameters to be black metal? Danielsson: I very much agree with them. To the extent of that to me, it's not a matter of staying true to a musical spine; that spine is one rather of atmosphere and ideology rather than a musical one. And that's what defines WATAIN. Black metal music is music that, in essence, is diabolical and has diabolical energies and that is where the definition lies to me. Incorporating elements like keyboards… it only takes away from the diabolical aspect of it, because we're talking about the wild, the untamed, ferocious, predatory aspect of it, the tribe within this music. You cannot really get into that permutation with those things if you have a sound that opposes those things. DeadRhetoric.com: In North America, we have a lot of what is called "Cascadian" or post-black metal bands who don't look the part whatsoever. Have you caught wind of them?
03 min read

NIGHTWISH Mainman Says He Has Already Written Three Songs For Next Album

Manos Spanos
FestivalBlog.be recently conducted an interview with keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen of Finnish symphonic metallers NIGHTWISH. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below. FestivalBlog.be: So about "Imaginaerum", how do you compare it to previous albums? Tuomas: Well, it's special in a way that it included the movie. We kinda went for the movie first into the project, that was the main thing of the release. The album is kind of a soundtrack to the film, so that was really special. It is the most theatrical, most orchestral album that we have ever done, it felt like the right thing to do at the time. I don't really know what we're going to do next. I have a gut feeling that it is going to be something a bit more simple, a bit back in time. FestivalBlog.be: So a bit back to the roots. Tuomas: Yeah, a bit more like a band album, because we have kinda searched this orchestral, really varied spectrum to its maximum now; that's how I feel. But maybe, you never know how the mind works… But I have three new songs done already, it's again something a bit different. FestivalBlog.be: Did you write those songs during the tour? Tuomas: During the past month I'd say. Whenever I go back home I just write stuff and I have three new songs now. FestivalBlog.be: What are the plans for the near future for NIGHTWISH? Tuomas: Well, we all have our side projects. I have this solo album about Scrooge McDuck coming up, so the next two months I'm going to be busy with that one. Floor [Jansen, vocals] is going to go on with REVAMP, Marco [Hietala, bass/vocals] is going to do his own projects, Emppu [Vuorinen, guitar] has BROTHER FIRETRIBE. Maybe take some time off, spend time with the family. I'm going to have a little vacation in New Zealand next spring. So all this kinda stuff is going to load the batteries to write songs and be ready for next summer. The first of July, we will enter the rehearsal room. FestivalBlog.be: From what I've heard, there are still no plans to officially continue with Floor as vocalist. Do you have any comment on this or can you tell me something about that? Tuomas: Yeah, well… The thing is that we haven't really thought about it in a concrete way, because there is no need to… It's been such a mess once again, I feel I need a month or two just to not think about the vocal issue at all. Then by the end of this year, we have to make some decisions. But everyone realizes that she is on top of the list, naturally. But I don't want to do anything official, I don't want to make this decision just yet. FestivalBlog.be: Of course, I understand.
04 min read

PHILIP ANSELMO Credits His Girlfriend For Saving His Life

Manos Spanos
Keith Spera of The Times-Picayune recently conducted an interview with former PANTERA and current DOWN singer Philip Anselmo. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below. The Times-Picayune: You've got a book deal to write your autobiography in collaboration with true crime author Corey Mitchell. Anselmo: It's a book about my life. It's not just strictly a PANTERA book, although PANTERA was obviously a giant part of my life. It took a whole lot in the New Orleans area and throughout Louisiana, gigging and gigging … a whole lot happened, and had to happen, before I was even able to be in the same room with the great musicians that were in PANTERA. Obviously, after the break-up of the band and the death of Dimebag (Darrell Abbott, the former PANTERA guitarist who was shot to death in December 2004), a whole lot has happened. There's a tremendous story to tell there. I'm going to try to pick out the most humorous things, and the most crushing things. Touch on all of them. The Times-Picayune: So you'll talk about all your back problems and … Anselmo: Absolutely. And drugs, and everything. Hopefully it's educational for people that are going through the same thing. I'm also going to discuss how doctors are only doing half their jobs these days. They don't explain to the patient the repercussions of certain medicines that they dole out so portentously. I'm going to slam some doctors, but I'm going to be brutally honest about myself. There's an upside to everything. It's 2013. I'm 10 years clean from anything that resembles hard drugs. I haven't even tasted a sip of whiskey since 2001. Things change in a life. So there's plenty to tell. The Times-Picayune: Your longtime girlfriend, Kate, kind of helped save your life. Anselmo: She did. And she will get tons of credit in my book. We've been together 11 years now. Without her strength, it wouldn't have gone the way it did. Her steadiness, her rock-solid belief in me helped me pull through and do things correctly. She's gold, or platinum, or titanium, or tungsten. I'm more in love with her now than I ever have been. The Times-Picayune: Why, at this stage in your life, did you make a record that was so extreme? Most people, when they get a little older, tend to become more mellow. Anselmo: In DOWN, we've got everything from heavy metal songs to smooth rock songs to straight-up acoustic pieces. So right there, that covers a whole lot of ground. I keep up with the extreme heavy metal underground because I adore it. It's part of me. The extreme underground is the lifeblood of heavy metal and the future of heavy metal. There are a lot of cornerstone bands out there right now that are changing the game up, and they're really writing some awesome, innovative stuff. With extreme music, the leading genres would be black metal and death metal. But I didn't want to really belong to either one of those genres, because I think I've touched on both genres in the past with several of my side projects. I wanted to make an extreme record that was absolutely non-traditional. There is no wrong way to do music. Music is a vast, wide-open world of possibilities. I'm an explorer, and I'm going to keep on exploring.
03 min read

LEMMY Rock Iconz Statue Coming This Fall

Manos Spanos
KnuckleBonz has announced its production of the Lemmy Kilmister (MOTÖRHEAD) Rock Iconz statue. This is a limited-edition statue, with only 1,000 created, making these highly collectible. Each figure in the edition is approximately 9 inches tall, hand-painted with the iconic Warpig logo sculpted on the base of the collectible. It is numbered and includes a certificate of authenticity. The figure is officially licensed through MOTÖRHEAD and Global Merchandising Corp. The Lemmy limited-edition statue will be available in the fall. Pre-orders are available at www.knucklebonz.com. KnuckleBonz creates hi-end sculpture that features rock's most highly influential artists. Dedicated to honoring rocks greatest through master artistry, KnuckleBonz has established the music-based sculpture series: Rock Iconz.
01 min read

DARK TRANQUILLITY: Bassist-Less With ‘Great Results’

Manos Spanos
Swedish melodic death metallers DARK TRANQUILLITY have issued the following update: "As most of you know, we're hard at work preparing the live set for the upcoming 'Construct' touring cycle. Spirits are high and we're confident that we have a lot of very special shows ahead of us. Those of you located on the North American continent will be pleased to know that we'll announce some good news tomorrow. "On another note: Those of you who have seen us play this year might have noticed that we haven't had a bass player on stage. "'Construct' was written and recorded as a five-piece, and since the band chemistry is at an all-time high and we've never been the ones to shy away from new creative solutions, we wanted to try out playing with the bass on a backing track as opposed to bringing more flesh and blood to the fold. Much to our delight, the results have been great, and we have decided for now to let the band be represented on stage by the five people who have spent a total of more than 100 years in the service of DARK TRANQUILLITY." DARK TRANQUILLITY's tenth studio album, "Construct", was released on May 27 via Century Media Records. The CD was mixed by Jens Bogren (PARADISE LOST, OPETH, KATATONIA) at his Fascination Street studios in Örebro, Sweden. DARK TRANQUILLITY filmed a music video for the song "Uniformity" on April 13 with Patric Ullaeus of Revolver Film Company, who has previously worked with DIMMU BORGIR, LACUNA COIL, IN FLAMES, SONIC SYNDICATE and KAMELOT, among others.
03 min read

WATAIN: Entire ‘The Wild Hunt’ Album Available For Streaming

Manos Spanos
"The Wild Hunt", the new album from Swedish black metallers WATAIN, is available for streaming in its entirety in the YouTube clip below. The CD will be released on August 19 in Europe and August 20 in USA via the band's own label His Master's Noise through Century Media Records. Produced once again by Tore Stjerna at his Necromorbus studio in Alvik, Sweden, "The Wild Hunt" is a sonic and lyrical tour-de-force that explores WATAIN's roots, such as BATHORY and DISSECTION, while also remaining truly unique. Having lost none of their integrity, WATAIN continues to push the boundaries of the scene with their fifth full-length, refusing to compromise their sound and vision. Amid the tracks teeming with the band's classic sound, "The Wild Hunt" also features clean vocals (a first for the trio!) which, as frontman Erik Danielsson puts it, "is just us being brutally personal and honest. It shows another important facet of the WATAIN world." Executed in oil and mixed materials, the cover of "The Wild Hunt" was created by Zbigniew M Bielak, the very same artist who was responsible for the "Lawless Darkness" artwork. The piece depicts one of the inmost shrines of WATAIN's temple. As on every classic still life, each object has a significant meaning, while each song of the album is also connected to an object. "The Wild Hunt" will be released worldwide in the following formats (see below for product details and availability): * standard CD jewelcase
03 min read

TONY IOMMI On His Cancer Battle: ‘My Attitude Has Changed Toward Everything’

Manos Spanos
Jim Harrington of the San Jose Mercury News recently conducted an interview with the legendary BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi. A few excerpts from the chat follow below. On BLACK SABBATH's comeback album, "13", reaching No. 1 album on the U.S. chart earlier this year: Iommi: "We are very pleased. It's just quite a shock to have our first No. 1 record (in the U.S.) after being around for 45 years." On why BLACK SABBATH's 2001 attempt at a new studio album was unsuccessful: Iommi: "It just wasn't right. Nobody was on the right page. So, we abandoned the whole idea. But I always thought — or, at least, really hoped — we would do another album." On the Ronnie James Dio-fronted version of BLACK SABBATH recording and touring under the name HEAVEN & HELL:
03 min read

ANTHRAX Performs In Israel For First Time; Video Available

Manos Spanos
Fan-filmed video footage of ANTHRAX's first-ever concert in Israel, which took place on August 13 at Barby Club in Tel Aviv, can be seen below. Speaking to The Jerusalem Post, ANTHRAX's founding rhythm guitarist Scott Ian — who was born 49 years ago to a Jewish family in the Bayside section of the New York City borough of Queens — said: "I didn't really have much of a Jewish upbringing; it didn't play a prominent role in our house. My grandparents were quite Orthodox, but my parents and I weren't. I learned Hebrew phonetically for my bar mitzva, read my seven minutes, and then we had a party. I think I did it more to please my grandfather than anything else." Regarding why he decided to cut off his last name in favor of his middle name (Ian's full name is Scott Ian Rosenfeld), the guitarist said: "Scott Ian Rosenfeld was just too long — it didn't look good on posters when I started playing professionally, and Scott Ian did, so I just used that. It had nothing to do with it sounding too Jewish. I still used Rosenfeld for the songwriting credits, and for years people would come up to me and ask me who that other guy was that writes songs for you." Guitarist Jon Donais (SHADOWS FALL) has been touring with ANTHRAX since Rob Caggiano's departure in January and will continue to play with ANTHRAX for the foreseeable future. Speaking to Metal Hammer editor Alexander Milas for the "Metal Hammer" radio show on TeamRock Radio, Ian stated about the band's current second-guitarist situation: "Jon's been with us since February, and I think I can safely say he's passed the audition… [laughs]. I know we haven't said anything official yet, but in my mind, he's the guy. I'm sure some type of official announcement… because in this world, people apparently need that kind of information so they can sleep well at night. But as far as I'm concerned, Jon is the guitar player in ANTHRAX." ANTHRAX drummer Charlie Benante is recovering from surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome. He is expected to rejoin his bandmates on the road on September 13 in San Bernardino, California.
03 min read

GLENN DANZIG: Democrats Are ‘Fascists Disguised As Liberals’

Manos Spanos
Kory Grow of City Pages Minneapolis recently conducted an interview with Glenn Danzig. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below. City Pages Minneapolis: You mentioned that [the DANZIG song] "Mother" was about the PMRC [Parents Music Resource Center; the American committee formed in 1985 with the stated goal of increasing parental control over the access of children to music deemed to be violent, have drug use or be sexual via labeling albums with Parental Advisory stickers]. Were they a problem for you specifically? Danzig: Yeah, you know, Al Gore [Senator and later Vice President, who was then married to Tipper Gore, co-founder of the PMRC] wanted to tell people what they could listen to and what they couldn't, what they could record. It was basically coming down to the idea that he wouldn't let anybody record any music that he didn't think you should be doing. There was going to be an organization that would tell you what you could and couldn't record. And certainly if you couldn't record it, you couldn't put it out. It was really fascist. My view on Democrats is that they're fascists disguised as liberals, or liberal moderates. You're not allowed to say anything that they don't agree with. You're not allowed to do anything. Also, the whole Obama, "I can kill anybody with a drone with no trial," is kind of disturbing. I'm surprised that more people who are supposedly liberal aren't more disturbed by it. I think whatever Obama does is OK with them, because he's Obama. It's bullshit. It's the same thing with the PMRC telling you, "Bands can go on trial for their music." What's next, Wagner is going to get arrested? What? He's dead. [laughs] City Pages Minneapolis: When is the covers album you've been working on coming out? Danzig: It's done. I'm just waiting for my new deal for it to come out. I'm hoping for late fall. But we'll see.
04 min read