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VIXEN Guitarist JAN KUEHNEMUND Dies

Manos Spanos
The official Facebook page of the platinum-selling all-female '80s band chas been updated with the following message: "It is with profound sadness that we announce the sudden passing of VIXEN founder and lead guitarist, Jan Kuehnemund, who lost a fierce battle with cancer on Thursday, October 10, 2013. "Though most well known for her gifted guitar playing and other musical talents, Jan was a rare friend and beautiful in every sense of the word. Humble, thoughtful, loyal and kind, she was the most gracious of women, possessing the quiet strength of a true warrior. She genuinely loved and appreciated her friends and fans more than most could ever know. Those who were most fortunate to have known her and loved her are heartbroken at the loss of Jan, whose spirit will shine through her music eternally. "Jan was very courageous. Never complained. Never gave up. The cancer beat her body but it NEVER broke her spirit at any point. "Up until the actual moment that she died, she really believed she was going back home. "Jan... you will be missed... but never forgotten." Jan Kuehnemund was only 51 years old at the time of her death. VIXEN's last studio album, "Live & Learn", was released in 2006. The group, whose latest lineup featured Kuehnemund alongside Jenna Sanz-Agero (vocals), Lynn Louise Lowrey (bass), and Kat Kraft (drums), reformed several times, most recently in 2008, resulting in the live release "Live In Sweden", which arrived in 2009.
03 min read

ANTHRAX’s SCOTT IAN Has Flesh-Ripping Good Time In New Episode Of ‘Blood & Guts’ (Video)

Manos Spanos
The second episode in the third season of "Blood & Guts", the Nerdist YouTube channel web series hosted by ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian, can be seen below. Join Ian as he goes behind the scenes of Universal Studios Hollywood's Halloween Horror Nights with John Murdyand Chris Williams and has a flesh-ripping good time with Larry Bones of Boneyard Effects. The clip includes a cameo appearance by Danny Trejo. Following two successful seasons, "Blood & Guts With Scott Ian" has returned to theNerdist Channel with Season 3. A new episode will debut every Thursday, leading up to the season finale on Halloween. "Blood & Guts" is hosted by Scott Ian, guitarist and founding member of legendary metal band ANTHRAX. Ian, a longtime horror aficionado, gives viewers a behind-the-scenes look at how some of the all-time greatest practical effects artists create the gore and monsters that genre fans love. The series differs from typical behind-the-scenes shows due to Ian's infectious excitement and curiosity, coupled with the clever ways the effects are integrated into each episode. Ian is often the one in the makeup chair, experiencing squibs, gore appliances and complex character makeups with rare enthusiasm. "I've been into horror longer than music, longer than comics. It was my first true nerd-love," says Ian. "And that love affair still burns hot all these years later. Horror has been a huge influence on my music career, my writing, and now I get to actually be a part of it by hosting'Blood & Guts'. It's my dream gig." Previous guests on the show included the likes of seven-time Academy Award winner Rick Baker, "The Walking Dead"'s Greg Nicotero and frequent Guillermo Del Toro collaboratorsSpectral Motion. Season 3 of "Blood & Guts" ups the ante with an original creature created by Joel Harlow exclusively for the series, unprecedented behind-the-scenes access to the creation of Universal's Halloween Horror Nights and an episode with Tony Gardner that includes a surprise visit from a legendary horror character, reprised by the original actor. "Blood & Guts With Scott Ian" is produced by Chris Hardwick's Nerdist Channel as part of their partnership with YouTube, with episodes premiering online alongside All-Star Celebrity Bowling and other Nerdist content. The show was originally launched with Fangoria's involvement, but Nerdist has taken on full production duties for Season 3. The dedicated crew remains the same, with Jack Bennett directing and producing each episode.
04 min read

SEPTICFLESH Begins Recording New Album

Manos Spanos
Greek metallers SEPTICFLESH have entered Devasoundz Studios to record 10 new songs for their as-yet-untitled next full-length album for an early 2014 release via Prosthetic Records in North America. The follow-up to 2011's "The Great Mass" is being produced by formerMACHINE HEAD and SOULFLY guitarist Logan Mader (CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, FEAR FACTORY, GOJIRA) and will once again include a collaboration with the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. In addition, the group will also utilize full regular and children's choirs on the CD, which will surely further enhance the epic nature of their music. SEPTICFLESH has earned extensive international acclaim for its eight albums to date, as well as its live appearances alongside the likes of CRADLE OF FILTH, AMON AMARTH,GORGOROTH, SATYRICON and CHILDREN OF BODOM. The group, which recently headlined the "Conquerers Of The World" North American tour, will take part in next year's 70000 Tons Of Metal cruise. After the success of the reissues of SEPTICFLESH classics "Mystic Places Of Dawn"(originally out in 1994) and "Esoptron" (1995), Season Of Mist will release a newly remastered version of the Greek demons’ 1997 masterpiece "Ophidian Wheel". Enhanced with three previously unreleased bonus tracks and a brand new cover artwork designed by SEPTICFLESH frontman Seth Siro Anton himself, the reissue of "Ophidian Wheel" will be available on October 25 (October 29 in North America) on CD and various LP editions.
01 min read

NIGHTWISH Announces New Lineup

Manos Spanos
Finnish symphonic metallers NIGHTWISH have announced the addition of Dutch singer Floor Jansen (REVAMP, ex-AFTER FOREVER) and English composer and multi-instrumentalist Troy Donockley (uilleann pipes, low whistles, vocals) to the group's permanent lineup. Says the band in a statement: "Originally we were going to wait until 2014 to make a decision about the future lineup of the band, but the past year has clearly shown us that Floor andTroy are perfect matching pieces to our puzzle, and we are really grateful of the bond that has grown between all of us. "We love you, guys." Adds Jansen: "Words cannot describe what I feel! This union is beyond everything, and I cannot tell you how wonderful it is to continue this amazing journey with my new brothers! "Once I had a dream… and this is it!!!" Says Donockley: "'Imaginaerum World Tour' was a revelation to me and in that time, I became aware of a growing unity and then, finally, a transcendence of all the usual nonsense that affects bands. A beautiful process. And since the idea, the musical dream that isNIGHTWISH has been a part of me since before I was born, I am delighted to officially sail into uncharted waters with my brothers and sister. Wondrous scenes Ahoy!" NIGHTWISH will release a new DVD, "Showtime, Storytime", on November 29 as a limited 2Blu-ray + 2CD digipack, limited 2DVD + 2CD digipack, limited 2CD digipack, 2LP (colored) in gatefold and an exclusive Nuclear Blast mailorder edition. "Showtime, Storytime" contains NIGHTWISH's entire August 3 performance at the Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany. The show, which was played in the front of 85,000 screaming metalheads, was directed by Ville Lipiäinen, filmed with seventeen cameras and has a total running time of 85 minutes. The second disc consists of a 120-minute tour documentary, "Please Learn The Setlist In 48 Hours", also directed by Ville Lipiäinen, with no shortage of drama or overall madness. Also, there is a 16-minute NIGHTWISH Table Hockey Tournament, filmed on tour. In addition, there are two music clips: "I Want My Tears Back"(live at Hartwall Arena in Helsinki, Finland) and "Ghost Love Score" (live in Buenos Aires). Check out a trailer for "Showtime, Storytime" below. The Wacken Open Air appearance was the first of the three final shows of NIGHTWISH's"Imaginaerum World Tour", which saw the band and their Jansen playing 104 concerts in 34 different countries, with a total audience of over 1.5 million fans around the globe. Commented NIGHTWISH mastermind and keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen: "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!" Jansen made her live debut as the frontwoman of NIGHTWISH on October 1, 2012 at Showbox Sodo in Seattle, Washington following the abrupt departure of the band's lead singer of five years, Anette Olzon. Holopainen has known Jansen for more than 10 years already, having previously toured with her former band, AFTER FOREVER.
04 min read

METALLICA’s JAMES HETFIELD: ‘We Want To Make A Record’

Manos Spanos
METALLICA frontman James Hetfield recently spoke to The Detroit News about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the follow-up to the band's 2008 album "Death Magnetic". "We have been pushing that further and further away," Hetfield said. "We want to make a record, that's what we do best and that’s what we've gotta do in springtime. We've got skeleton bones that we're starting to lay out to make something out of it, but there's a lot of work ahead of us that we're really excited about doing. And that will be next year." Hetfield was also asked if the group planned to stage a third installment of its Orion Music + More festival in Detroit next year, after bringing the show's second edition there last June. The guitarist/vocalist replied: "I sure hope so, that is the plan. The festival itself is not 100 percent greenlit yet. There’s gotta be a powwow where all of us get together and make sure we’re on the same page." This year's Orion two-day event drew at least 20,000 people a day to see METALLICA, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS, DEFTONES, SILVERSUN PICKUPS, RISE AGAINST and more. METALLICA surprised fans at Orion Music + More on June 8 by playing its 1983 debut disc "Kill 'Em All" from beginning to end on a smaller stage at the event. METALLICA was officially announced to play a headlining set on June 9 to close out the festival, but hit the stage at 4:30 p.m. one day earlier for a 10-song set that started with "Hit The Lights" and finished out with "Metal Militia".
02 min read

Did AVENGED SEVENFOLD Copy MACHINE HEAD’s Logo?

Manos Spanos
San Francisco Bay Area metallers MACHINE HEAD have posted the following message on their official Facebook page: "Last night, the BLABBERMOUTH.NET Facebook posted a side by side photo of AVENGED SEVENFOLD's new stage set against MACHINE HEAD's 16-year-old lion crest. Unquestionably, lion crests have been around for ages, but there are some uncanny similarities to MACHINE HEAD's distinct lion crest. * Lions (with axes) * Roman numerals at the bottom * Band symbol in the center * Black-and-white juxtaposition in the center "Head Cases, tell us what think." AVENGED SEVENFOLD singer M. Shadows told the Worcester/Boston, Massachusetts radio station WAAF that he isn't bothered by recent comments from MACHINE HEAD frontmanRobb Flynn, in which Flynn called the band's new "Hail To The King" CD a "covers album."Flynn specifically called the band out for songs like "This Means War", which bears a strong resemblance to METALLICA's "Sad But True", along with others. Shadows told WAAF's Mike Hsu (hear audio below): "I think, more than anything, [Robb's comments] brought a lot of attention to the record. "I saw a lot of people saying, 'Oh, well, I didn't like AVENGED before, but now I'm gonna check it out, and I like this record.' So that was kind of funny. "But, you know, [I'm] just trying to be displomatic about the whole thing." He continued: "I don't really care what anyone says, but when people ask you about it over and over, you have to have some sort of response. And my response is just, look, I know the guy. He can say whatever he says. He's a grown-ass adult. He's 40-something years old and has an opinion on our record. I guess he can write and say whatever he wants." Flynn didn't pull any punches in his critique, writing, "Congratulations to AVENGED SEVENFOLD On their latest 'covers album' coming in at #1. Who knew that re-recordingMETALLICA, GUNS N' ROSES, and MEGADETH songs could be such a worldwide hit!!?? Ba-dap Psssssss!!"
02 min read