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SERJ TANKIAN: ‘We Have Not Yet Agreed On A Timetable’ For New SYSTEM OF A DOWN Album

Manos Spanos
SYSTEM OF A DOWN singer Serj Tankian has once again shot down reports that the band is making plans to make a new studio album. At the conclusion of the group's concert this past Monday night (July 29) at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, California, SYSTEM OF A DOWNdrummer John Dolmayan announced that the band's next appearance at the venue will be to promote a new studio CD. "Next time we come back here, we'll have a new fucking album!"Dolmayan told the crowd after the final song of SYSTEM OF A DOWN's set, "Sugar". While answering questions in a Reddit Ask Me Anything session earlier today (Wednesday, July 31), Tankian was asked if any progress has been made with regards to SYSTEM OF A DOWN's return to the studio.
02 min read

TESTAMENT Vinyl Reissues Due In September

Manos Spanos
Two titles by San Francisco Bay Area metal veterans TESTAMENT will be released on vinyl on September 24, shortly before the group kicks off its tour of North America alongside LAMB OF GOD and KILLSWITCH ENGAGE. The 2001 anthology "First Strike Still Deadly" features tracks fromTESTAMENT's iconic first two Megaforce/Atlantic albums (which have sold in excess of 500,000 copies combined), re-recorded with modern technology by the four-fifths of group's original lineup. The album has never been available on vinyl until now. Approximately 400 copies will be issued on 180-gram black vinyl; a limited-edition, 180-gram clear vinyl mail-order exclusive (approximately 100 copies) will also be offered. Originally released in 1990 in EP format on vinyl and cassette, and finally released in its entirety by Prosthetic in 2009, "Live At Eindhoven '87" — which captures TESTAMENT's legendary European coming-out party — will now be available on vinyl for the first time in its complete remastered form. In addition, the new LP layout — which features liner notes by guitaristAlex Skolnick — pays homage to the original EP artwork and includes never-before-seen pictures by noted photographer PG Brunelli. Approximately 400 copies will be 180-gram black vinyl; a limited-edition, 180-gram while vinyl mail-order exclusive (approx. 100 copies) will also be available. Prosthetic's five TESTAMENT reissues are some of the label's top catalog titles, and the vinyl versions of "The Gathering" and "Demonic" have been sold out for years, so don't miss your chance to order these exciting chapters of thrash history.
01 min read

KORN To Release ‘Never Never’ Single Next Month

Manos Spanos
KORN will release its 11th studio album, titled "The Paradigm Shift", on October 1. The disc is the first to feature original guitarist Brian "Head" Welch since 2003's "Take A Look In The Mirror". With a single nearly ready to drop in two weeks, singer Jonathan Davis told The Pulse Of Radio what the experience was like having Welch back in the studio, making this record extra special. "'Untouchables' used to be my favorite, but this one's mine now," he said. "You know, it's just all those years of work and being able to be in a band this long with the guys. And having Head back bringing, you know, that ole chemistry back with him with Munky [guitarist James Shaffer] on the rock side and I was on the electronic side. It was good having the compromise on both sides. It was just good for the creative process, I think." The album's first single, "Never Never", drops August 12. "The Paradigm Shift" track listing: 01. Prey For Me 02. Love & Meth 03. What We Do 04. Spike In My Veins 05. Mass Hysteria 06. Paranoid And Aroused 07. Never Never 08. Punishment Time 09. Lullaby For A Sadist 10. Victimized 11. It's All Wrong 12. Wish I Wasn’t Born Today (bonus track on deluxe edition) 13. Tell Me What You Want (bonus track on deluxe edition)
02 min read

NIRVANA: 20th-Anniversary Edition Of ‘In Utero’ Due In September

Manos Spanos
To say that NIRVANA's third and ultimately final studio album "In Utero"was 1993's most polarizing record would be the understatement of a decade. The unadorned sonic rawness of Steve Albini's recording laid bare every primal nuance of the most confrontational yet vulnerable material Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl would ever record. And with its 1991 predecessor, "Nevermind", having sold some 30 million copies, singlehandedly returning honest rock 'n' roll to the top of the pop charts, "In Utero" was essentially the first record NIRVANA would make with any expectations from the public. So from the opening quasi-shamble melodics of "Serve The Servants" through the bittersweet closing strains of "All Apologies", "In Utero" was the sound of the most incredible yet conflicted rock 'n' roll band of the era at the peak of its powers coming to terms with a generational spokes-band mantle they'd never seen coming-and ultimately surmounting these struggles to make the record they needed to make. As Rolling Stone's David Fricke said in his review at the time, "'In Utero' is a lot of things-brilliant, corrosive, enraged and thoughtful, most of them all at once. But more than anything, it's a triumph of the will." Universal Music Enterprises will commemorate the 20th anniversary of the unwitting swansong of the single most influential artist of the 1990s with a multi-format release that spreads more than 70 remastered, remixed, rare, unreleased and live recordings over configurations ranging from a 3-CD/1-DVD Super Deluxe Edition to a standard digital/CD remaster of the original album. Material exclusive to the various versions of the "In Utero 20th Anniversary" reissue will include a veritable treasure trove of never-before-heard demos, B-sides, compilation tracks, and live material featuring the final touring lineup of Cobain, Novoselic, Grohl, and Pat Smear... including the long-awaited release of the complete "Live And Loud" show from Seattle's Pier 48 on December 13, 1993. Additionally, a standalone single-disc DVD of the complete "Live And Loud" show along with several never-before-released bonus performances will also be released on September 24.
02 min read

ANATHEMA To Release ‘Universal’ Concert Film In September

Manos Spanos
"Universal", the new concert film from U.K. atmospheric rockers ANATHEMA, will be released on September 23 via Kscope, Peaceville's sister label. Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Lasse Hoile (PORCUPINE TREE, OPETH), the film documents the band's September 2012 one-off show at the ancient Roman theatre of Philippopolis with the Plovdiv Philharmonic Orchestra. The film will be available as a four-disc audio-visual set, capturing the magic of the evening on Blu-ray, DVD and two CDs. This limited-edition set features bonus audio content and footage of the band recorded at the Union Chapel in London. "Universal" track listing: DVD / Blu-ray (bonus content on Blu-ray only): 01. Untouchable, Part 1 02. Untouchable, Part 2 03. Thin Air 04. Dreaming Light 05. Lightning Song 06. The Storm Before The Calm 07. Everything 08. A Simple Mistake 09. The Beginning And The End 10. Universal 11. Closer 12. A Natural Disaster 13. Deep 14. One Last Goodbye 15. Flying 16. Fragile Dreams
02 min read

Video: KING DIAMOND Performs At Slovenia’s METALDAYS Festival

Manos Spanos
Profanity TV has uploaded video footage of KING DIAMOND's July 26 performance at the Metaldays festival in Tolmin, Slovenia. Check it out below. KING DIAMOND in December signed a new three-album worldwide deal with Metal Blade Records. After a six-year touring hiatus, KING DIAMOND triumphantly returned to the stage in 2012 for European festivals Hellfest and Sweden Rock. King, 56, whose real name is Kim Bendix Petersen, underwent open-heart triple-bypass surgery in November 2010. He has since completed his cardiac rehabilitation program and has stopped smoking entirely, changed his diet and is getting regular exercise. In a February 2013 interview with Metal Sucks, King Diamond stated: "I had to change my diet and become a nutritional expert, eat much better food. I stopped smoking; haven't had a drag. [My wife] Livia quit, too. We walk at least five days a week. "I felt the benefits during two shows we did [last year]. My voice is now clearer than when I started singing. It was like always driving a used car and suddenly you have enough money to buy a new car. It felt brand new! That's how my voice feels.
02 min read

IRON MAIDEN: More Behind-The-Scenes Footage From ‘Maiden England World Tour 2013’

Manos Spanos
A new 10-minute video clip featuring behind-the-scenes footage fromIRON MAIDEN's "Maiden England World Tour 2013" can be seen below. IRON MAIDEN last week landed at position No. 1 on Billboard.com 's "Hot Tours" list of top-grossing tours with $19 million in ticket sales from 14 performances in 13 cities on their summer tour of Europe. The shows were attended by a total of 259,298 fans, including a sellout crowd of 55,531 at a football stadium, Friends Arena, in the Stockholm suburb of Solna, Sweden. Also included was a sold-out concert on May 29 at Lisbon, Portugal's Pavilhão Atlântico. IRON MAIDEN's August 3 show at London, England's O2 Arena (with a capacity of up to 20,000, depending on the event) sold out in just 12 minutes, so a second show was added on Sunday, August 4. This will definitely be the band's last U.K. show this year as soon after they head off for a few selected USA shows before a massive trip around Latin America, including headlining Rock In Rio and national stadiums in Mexico, Chile and Argentina. MAIDEN's 15th studio CD, 2010's "The Final Frontier", featured 10 tracks that had an average running time of seven minutes and 40 seconds, with the shortest song, "The Alchemist", clocking in at four minutes and 29 seconds, and the longest, "When The Wild Wind Blows", lasting ten minutes and 59 seconds. "The Final Frontier" sold 63,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to enter The Billboard 200 chart at position No. 4.
02 min read

NIGHTWISH: WACKEN OPEN AIR Performance To Be Filmed For DVD/Blu-Ray Release

Manos Spanos
NIGHTWISH's August 3 performance at the Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany will be professionally filmed for a concert DVD and Blu-ray, tentateively due next year. Says NIGHTWISH mastermind and keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen: "The time has come soon to wrap up the magical & memorable one-and-a-half-year 'Imaginaerum World Tour' 2012-2013! We still have three shows left, one of them being at the legendary Wacken Open Air metal festival on the 3rd of August. This show will be something extra special, since it will be released later this year on DVD/Blu-ray, together with a massive 'Imaginaerum World Tour' 2012-2013 documentary. Our darling flying Dutchwoman, Floor Jansen, has been nothing but incredible during her time in NIGHTWISH on this tour, so this is a perfect opportunity to immortalize the current vibe of the band on film!" In a recent interview with Ghost Cult Magazine, former AFTER FOREVERfrontwoman and current REVAMP vocalist Floor Jansen — who has been performing with NIGHTWISH since last October as the band's touring singer — was asked if she would be willing to front NIGHTWISHpermanently if she were asked to fill the slot. "I've been asked to fill in for the current world tour and for a couple of festival dates, but what will happen after that is still unclear," she replied. "NIGHTWISH will take a break after the current touring cycle and they'll make a decision next year. Until then, everything is still up in the air." She continued: "If they would ask me, I would be very flattered and I would love to do it. It will be a major overhaul in my life and my career as a singer, but then again, we're not rushing things.
05 min read

CARCASS Frontman Says MICHAEL AMOTT Was ‘Too Busy’ To Continue Playing With The Band

Manos Spanos
Raymond Westland of Ghost Cult magazine recently conducted an interview with bassist/vocalist Jeff Walker of reactivated British extreme metal pioneers CARCASS. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below. Ghost Cult: Can you talk us through the point CARCASS reformed to the moment you actually started to work on the new album? Walker: We got together in 2007 when Bill [Steer; guitar] finally agreed on doing a couple of gigs. We didn't play any gigs that year, because I walked away from the whole thing, due to certain business arrangements I wasn't happy about. In 2008, the whole reunion thing came about. It was never meant as a long-term thing. Then 2009 came about and we got more and better offers coming in. Same thing in 2010, including a couple of events and venues we hadn't played before. Last gig we did as CARCASSwas in August 2010 with Michael Amott and Daniel Erlandsson of ARCH ENEMY. That was the closure on the whole reunion thing, becauseMichael made it explicitly clear he'd be too busy with his own bands to even consider doing anything in the future with CARCASS. At that point, we hadn't discussed doing anything beyond the whole reunion thing, so that was quite a relief. At some point, Bill contacted me about whether I'd fancy doing anything with Dan Wilding, who was a member ofABORTED when they toured the U.S. Bill has a thing with drummers and he wanted to do something musically with Dan. As for me, I was really prepared and willing to do more music with CARCASS back in 2009. When you're in a band with Bill Steer, Michael Amott and Daniel Erlandsson, it would be wasting a great opportunity not to. Daniel would have made himself available if we would continue doing music with CARCASS, but when push came to shove, he had to make a decision and he decided to stay with ARCH ENEMY. It wasn't really a matter of choosing for him. If he stuck around for longer, a CARCASS album would have been around sooner perhaps.
05 min read