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Steve Vai

OPETH: New Song ‘Eternal Rains’ Available For Streaming

Manos Spanos
"Eternal Rains", a brand new song from Swedish progressive metallers OPETH, can be streamed below. The track is taken from the band's highly anticipated eleventh studio album, "Pale Communion", which will be released on August 26 via Roadrunner Records. The cover artwork was once again created by Travis Smith — with art direction by OPETH guitarist/vocalist Mikael Åkerfeldt — and can be seen below. "Pale Communion", which was produced by Åkerfeldt and mixed by longtime collaborator and PORCUPINE TREE frontman/guitarist Steven Wilson, was heralded by the lead single "Cusp Of Eternity". "Pale Communion" track listing: 01. Eternal Rains 02. Cusp Of Eternity 03. Moon Above, Sun Below 04. Elysian Woes 05. Goblin 06. River 07. Voice Of Treason 08. Faith In Others his one as well, and may be some new fans. You never know."
01 min read

TIMO TOLKKI’S AVALON: ‘Angels Of The Apocalypse’ EPK Available

Manos Spanos
Frontiers Records will release TIMO TOLKKI'S AVALON's sophomore album, "Angels Of The Apocalypse", on May 16 in Europe and May 20 in North America. The official EPK (Electronic Press Kit) for "Angels Of The Apocalypse" can be seen below. The story: It is 2020 A.D - The Elements send 4 Angels to observe mankind and its actions in the last century. There are 4 Angels, but still they are One. Fire, Wind, Earth and Water are their names. With the Elements they observe in unimaginable sadness and anger the primitive events that take place in the last 150 years as they have the ability to go back and forth in time. As they give their final warning, Mankind sees unimaginable destruction that shakes its core foundations. Pandora's Box is opened and the forces of Nature are unleashed. Is this the prelude for Judgement Day... Following the release of the debut album "The Land of New Hope", the "Metal Opera" was met with critical and fan acclaim, entering the national album charts in seven European countries, including a Top 10 entry in Tolkki's home country, Finland. In August 2013, Tolkki flew to Greece to seek the right inspiration for the follow-up album and upon his return he managed to develop a sound that is even more grandiose and symphonic and yet heavier and darker in direction as compared to the debut album. "In August 2012, I planned to release a Metal Opera that had to be a trilogy," says Tolkki. "I am following a specific storyboard in a musical format and this time the musical direction is heavier and darker than the previous AVALON. This was deliberate since the Apocalyptic scenes described in the lyrics demanded that". As for the players on the album, Tolkki finally managed to reunite the legendary STRATOVARIUS "Dreamspace" lineup, calling Antti Ikonen and Tuomo Lassila to play keyboards and drums respectively. "It was really nice and brought good vibes and freshness to the album," says Timo. "Definitely the right move." The amazing cast of vocalists appearing this time includes NIGHTWISH singer Floor Jansen — who takes care of the lead vocals on the first single, "Design The Century" — along with Simone Simons (EPICA), Fabio Lione (RHAPSODY OF FIRE), David DeFeis (VIRGIN STEELE), Zachary Stevens (ex-SAVATAGE, CIRCLE II CIRCLE), plus Elize Ryd (AMARANTHE) — who appears again after contributing to the first album — and the stunning Chilean singer Caterina Nix, who is working on her debut album, which is also produced by Tolkki. "Some songs were written with a specific singer in mind, while for some others I decided based on the knowledge that I had on how he or she would perform," says Tolkki. "I am particularly happy of how this record sounds especially two songs, 'You'll Bleed Forever' and the 10-minute title track, are among my favorite ever." Once again the stunning artwork is provided by the French artist Stanis W. Decker and the first pressing of the physical edition will be available in a glossy digipak. "Angels Of The Apocalypse" final track listing: 01. Song For Eden 02. Jerusalem Is Falling 03. Design The Century 04. Rise Of The 4th Reich 05. Stargate Atlantis 06. You'll Bleed Forever 07. The Paradise Lost 08. Neon Sirens 09. High Above Of Me 10. Angels Of The Apocalypse 11. Garden Of Eden The first single, "Design The Century" (featuring NIGHTWISH singer Floor Jansen), will be released digitally worldwide on April 7. Musicians: * Timo Tolkki: guitars, bass and keyboards * Tuomo Lassila: drums * Antti Ikonen: keyboards * Nicholas Jeudy: orchestration * Floor Jansen, Simone Simons, Fabio Lione, David DeFeis, Zachary Stevens, Elize Ryd, Caterina Nix: vocals
04 min read

TESTAMENT Parts Ways With Bassist GREG CHRISTIAN, Announces Return Of STEVE DIGIORGIO

Manos Spanos
San Francisco Bay Area metal veterans TESTAMENT have released the following statement: "It is with much respect that we announce our mutual parting with bassist Greg Christian. Metal fretless bass pioneer Steve DiGiorgio will be returning to TESTAMENT. "Steve previously was a member of TESTAMENT on 'The Gathering' (1999) as well as 'First Strike Still Deadly' (2001). He will be joining TESTAMENT on their upcoming shows in Australia on the Soundwave Festival, Japan and Mexico City. Steve will also be taking part in the new TESTAMENT album. "We are looking forward to continuing the momentum you, the fans, have made possible." Christian was forced to leave the band's North American tour with LAMB OF GOD and KILLSWITCH ENGAGE in November for "personal reasons." Filling in for him was EXODUS bassist Jack Gibson. "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, 2013 (Europe) and October 29, 2013 (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.
01 min read

SEPULTURA: Entire ‘Mediator Between Head And Hands’ Album Available For Streaming

Manos Spanos
"The Mediator Between Head And Hands Must Be The Heart", the new album from Brazilian/American metallers SEPULTURA, is available for streaming in its entirety using the SoundCloud widget below. The CD will be released on October 25 via Nuclear Blast Records. SEPULTURA guitarist Andreas Kisser recently gave the Brazilian newspaper Diario de Pernambuco a track-by-track breakdown of "The Mediator Between Head And Hands Must Be The Heart". Check it out below. "Intro" Andreas: "Actually, the intro is the demo we did just before we went to the studio, with all the songs played at the same time! It's like you are listening to all the songs that you will hear separately on the album at once. It sounds so great, noisy and powerful and it was a result of an accident that I had on my computer. Each song had its track so when I accidentally played the tracks together they came strong and beautiful so I decided to show the guys and they all liked it!" "Trauma Of War" Andreas: "This will be the first song on the album and is one of the fastest and most brutal songs we ever did. The performance of our drummer, Eloy [Casagrande], is fantastic, it gave such an energy to the song that the guitars, bass and vocals had to top that level of brutality, for sure our strongest opener so far. I wrote the lyrics inspired by friends that went to war and came back with some kind of trauma, some kind of disturbance that they have to live with for the rest of their lives." "The Vatican" Andreas: "An ironic tribute to the conclave that elected Argentinian Pope Francis I as the successor of Benedict XVI. This track has some death metal influences. The lyric tells the story of how the Vatican was created, filled with blood, orgy, murders, corruption, adultery. It's one of the most evil and perverse lyrics I ever wrote." "Impending Doom" Andreas: "Song with a very slowed tempo, with heavy picks and a low-tuned rhythm. Its nickname was 'Puxada', because of the guitar's riff characteristic. This track is very heavy. The lyrics are Derrick's [Green, vocals]. And it talks about cursed inheritances that are left from generation to generation. What world we are going to leave for ours heirs?" "Manipulation Of Tragedy" Andreas: "Another of Derrick's lyric. Talks about collective manipulation through a culture of fear, creating tragic and drastic situations in order to justify certain decisions made by the governors, legitimizing some limitations to the society. The manufactured consent. The song was born from Eloy's double-bass drumming rhythm. It sounds very SEPULTURA, with influence from several periods of the band." "Tsunami" Andreas: "Derrick wrote the lyrics for it, part inspired by the natural phenomena and part by the 'tsunami' of information we receive nowadays through the worldwide web and the media in general. A tsunami is the most powerful force of nature, stronger than any earthquake, tornado or a storm. It simply destroys everything in its path. The result is total destruction but also total cleanup, a new beginning." "The Bliss Of Ignorants" Andreas: "Derrick's lyric. It's about the illusion created in society that we are free to do whatever we want, but, in fact, it is not like that. Freedom is limited and part of the society lives under ignorance, euphoric, without awareness of everything that surrounds us. The song opens with percussive drum, low tuning and groovy sound. Its nickname was 'Brasuca'. It's kind of a mix of 'Roots' and 'Chaos A.D.' rhythm. Ross [Robinson, producer] influenced us to explore more this Brazilian side. With participation of percussionist Fred Ortiz (BEASTIE BOYS' former drummer who plays with Derrick in MAXIMUM HEDRUM)." "Grief" Andreas: "It is a song that starts with clean guitars in a way that we never attempted before, I think it was our biggest challenge on this album and it came out amazing. I wrote the song inspired by a tragic incident that happened in Brazil in January 2013. More than 200 kids died in a fire inside a night club. The place didn't have the proper emergency exits and most of the people died asphyxiated, it was horrible. The small town at the south of the country, where most of the people were from, was in total grief. I wrote this song to honor the victims and their families." "The Age Of The Atheist"
07 min read

AYREON: ‘The Theory Of Everything’ Title Track Available For Streaming

Manos Spanos
Dutch guitarist/composer Arjen Lucassen will release the new AYREON album, "The Theory Of Everything", on October 28 via InsideOut Music. The artwork was once again created by Belgian artist Jef Bertels, who has an incredible and distinct fantasy/sci-fi style. The "The Theory Of Everything" title track can now be streamed in the YouTube clip below. "The Theory Of Everything" track listing: Disc 1 Phase I: Singularity 01. Prologue: The Blackboard 02. The Theory Of Everything Part 1 03. Patterns 04. The Prodigy's World 05. The Teacher's Discovery 06. Love And Envy 07. Progressive Waves 08. The Gift 09. The Eleventh Dimension 10. Inertia 11. The Theory Of Everything Part 2 Phase II: Symmetry 12. The Consultation 13. Diagnosis 14. The Argument 1 15. The Rival's Dilemma 16. Surface Tension 17. A Reason To Live 18. Potential 19. Quantum Chaos 20. Dark Medicine 21. Alive! 22. The Prediction Disc 2 Phase III: Entanglement 01. Fluctuations 02. Transformation 03. Collision 04. Side Effects 05. Frequency Modulation 06. Magnetism 07. Quid Pro Quo 08. String Theory 09. Fortune? Phase IV: Unification 10. Mirror Of Dreams 11. The Lighthouse 12. The Argument 2 13. The Parting 14. The Visitation 15. The Breakthrough 16. The Note 17. The Uncertainty Principle 18. Dark Energy 19. The Theory Of Everything Part 3 20. The Blackboard (Reprise) "The Theory Of Everything" formats: * Limited deluxe artbook (2CD, DVD + Bonus 2CD) includes a 48-page perfect binding LP-sized book with plenty of artwork, the bonus DVD with a making of feature, full-length interviews and the recording session time lapse footage and in addition all tracks as instrumental versions on 2CDs * Special-edition 2CD+DVD mediabook * Gatefold black 2LP+2CD incl. Booklet with additional artwork * Standard 2CD jewelcase * Digital download "The Theory Of Everything" recording lineup: Vocalists (in order of appearance): * Janne "JB" Christoffersson (GRAND MAGUS) as The Teacher * Sara Squadrani (ANCIENT BARDS) as The Girl * Michael Mills (TOEHIDER) as The Father * Cristina Scabbia (LACUNA COIL) as The Mother * Tommy Karevik (KAMELOT, SEVENTH WONDER) as The Prodigy * Marko Hietala (NIGHTWISH) as The Rival * John Wetton (ASIA, KING CRIMSON) as The Psychiatrist Instrumentalists:
04 min read

SEPULTURA: Third ‘Mediator’ Album Trailer Available

Manos Spanos
The third trailer for "The Mediator Between Head And Hands Must Be The Heart", the new album from Brazilian/American metallers SEPULTURA, can be seen below. The CD will be released on October 25 via Nuclear Blast Records. The artwork was created by Brazilian artist Alexandre Wagner, who specializes in charcoal drawing techniques. Guitarist Andreas Kisser commented on how he discovered the work of Alexandre Wagner. "It was through Silvio Bibika, who was my roadie for a long time," he said. "He always shows me things in general that SEPULTURA might need. Alexandre, who is from Belo Horizonte,Silvio showed me a year ago. So before we went to the United States, to record the album, I was at his house to talk about the cover, tell him the album title, talk about the concept of the film 'Metropolis', so he could do something original. But when I saw the picture with the drawing, I thought it was all about what we wanted and we did not need something new. I asked him to do a tribal S in the style of the cover. The S made by Alexandre will be on the back cover." Said Alexandre: "I did this series of charcoal drawing work when I still lived in Belo Horizonte. They were all made there. They were quick drawings without much reference, almost an experimentation that may have came from a desire to use the most basic of basic materials — coal, paper and wood. The cover design was already done, Andreas saw it and liked it. We talked a little more and I also sent some other pictures for the booklet. I was pleased with the choice of the theme of the album, I like Fritz Lang very much, and not only 'Metropolis'. 'Dr. Mabuse der Spieler' is a fucking great movie." As a Mineiro, from Belo Horizonte like SEPULTURA, Alexandre was glad to be part of the band’s history. "It's impossible to be from Belo Horizonte and not know the band," he said. "Some of their albums followed me for a long time, especially 'Chaos A.D.' I remember seeing'Refuse/Resist' on TV and thinking it was wonderful. It’s really cool to work with the guys, being part of something together. It is somehow a shared history." "The Mediator Between Head And Hands Must Be The Heart" track listing: 01. Trauma Of War 02. The Vatican 03. Impending Doom 04. Manipulation Of Tragedy 05. Tsunami
06 min read

SEPULTURA: Second ‘Mediator’ Album Trailer Available

Manos Spanos
The second trailer for "The Mediator Between Head And Hands Must Be The Heart", the new album from Brazilian/American metallers SEPULTURA, can be seen below. The CD will be released on October 25 via Nuclear Blast Records. The artwork was created by Brazilian artist Alexandre Wagner, who specializes in charcoal drawing techniques. Guitarist Andreas Kisser commented on how he discovered the work of Alexandre Wagner. "It was through Silvio Bibika, who was my roadie for a long time," he said. "He always shows me things in general that SEPULTURA might need. Alexandre, who is from Belo Horizonte, Silvio showed me a year ago. So before we went to the United States, to record the album, I was at his house to talk about the cover, tell him the album title, talk about the concept of the film 'Metropolis', so he could do something original. But when I saw the picture with the drawing, I thought it was all about what we wanted and we did not need something new. I asked him to do a tribal S in the style of the cover. The S made by Alexandre will be on the back cover." Said Alexandre: "I did this series of charcoal drawing work when I still lived in Belo Horizonte. They were all made there. They were quick drawings without much reference, almost an experimentation that may have came from a desire to use the most basic of basic materials — coal, paper and wood. The cover design was already done, Andreas saw it and liked it. We talked a little more and I also sent some other pictures for the booklet. I was pleased with the choice of the theme of the album, I like Fritz Lang very much, and not only 'Metropolis'. 'Dr. Mabuse der Spieler' is a fucking great movie." As a Mineiro, from Belo Horizonte like SEPULTURA, Alexandre was glad to be part of the band’s history. "It's impossible to be from Belo Horizonte and not know the band," he said. "Some of their albums followed me for a long time, especially 'Chaos A.D.' I remember seeing 'Refuse/Resist' on TV and thinking it was wonderful. It’s really cool to work with the guys, being part of something together. It is somehow a shared history." "The Mediator Between Head And Hands Must Be The Heart" track listing: 01. Trauma Of War 02. The Vatican 03. Impending Doom 04. Manipulation Of Tragedy 05. Tsunami 06. The Bliss of Ignorants 07. Grief 08. The Age Of The Atheist 09. Obsessed 10. Da Lama ao Caos (CHICO SCIENCE & NAÇÃO ZUMBI cover)
05 min read