Metal Nerdery Podcast
A Heavy Metal and Thrash podcast. The hosts dive into all things metal while adding an extra side of nonsense. Each episode explores metal music and culture with a humorous twist.
Episodes
#372 1976: Year in Metal (50 Years Later) — AC/DC, Rush, KISS, Judas Priest & More
1976. The year of the American Bicentennial. The year that brought us “The Tale of Two Steves” (Jobs & Wozniak) who created the Apple Computer Company, Evel Knievel who successfully jumped 7 Greyhound Buses at the Kingdome in Seattle, and Bruce Jenner who took home the gold in the men’s decathlon at the Summer Olympics in Montreal.
1976 was all about being “on the train to Bangkok” and ge
#371 Black Sabbath — Technical Ecstasy Album Review: 50 Years of the Most Divisive Sabbath Record
“Was it as good as The First Six? No…”
Released on September 25, 1976 (exactly 4 years to the day after the release of Vol. 4), TECHNICAL ECSTASY, the 7th album by the mighty BLACK SABBATH, is one of the most mysterious, polarizing, and perhaps confusing albums from the legendary Ozzy Osbourne era of the band.
First of all, the album cover depicts two robots having a fling and exchanging “lubr
#370 Anthrax — Cursum Perficio Album Review: The Decade-Long Wait Is Over
A lot can happen in a decade…
If you go back to 2016 and mention the terms “TikTok” or “AI Slop” in casual conversation, nobody will have any idea what you’re talking about, mainly because TikTok had just launched and the AI Slop that we’ve all come to know and loathe was still a few years away from becoming a nightmarish reality.
Released September 18, 2026, CURSUM PERFICIO, the 12th studio a
#369 Pantera — Death Match: Vulgar Display of Power vs Far Beyond Driven
It’s DEATH MATCH season again, and it’s time to take two of the very best PANTERA albums and make them battle it out in the Bunkerpoon Octagon, featuring 1992’s multi-platinum VULGAR DISPLAY OF POWER against the 1994 Billboard Number 1 follow-up, FAR BEYOND DRIVEN.
VULGAR was under construction throughout the band’s relentless tour for Cowboys From Hell in the states and following their legendar
#368 Mastodon — Marrow Deep Album Review: Atlanta's Own Returns
Very few bands in the history of recorded music have managed to maintain the same lineup for as long as Atlanta, Georgia’s own progressive metal titans, MASTODON. After Brent Hinds’ departure from the band in 2025 and the tragic permanence of his untimely demise which followed just a few months later, it seemed that after 25 years the band which Brann Dailor, Bill Kelliher, and Troy Sanders had la
#367 S.O.D. — Speak English or Die: The Crossover Thrash Album That Started It All
In early July 1985, ¾ (or 75%) of the “Fistful of Metal” era of Anthrax (Charlie Benante, Scott Ian, and Dan Lilker) joined Billy Milano in the studio to form the legendary crossover thrash band S.O.D. (aka STORMTROOPERS OF DEATH) and in less than one week, recorded and mixed one of the most notoriously hilarious thrash albums of all time, SPEAK ENGLISH OR DIE.
In the highly unlikely event that
#366 Down Helmet STRAP IT DOWN TOUR Concert Review
“On a scale of 1 to 5 Honks, how many Honks would you give it…for their performance at the show?”
The STRAP IT DOWN TOUR (featuring Spirit In The Room, Helmet, and Down) kicked off in relentlessly heavy fashion on Saturday, August 15, 2026, at The Eastern in Atlanta, Georgia, and we made our way down into the heart of the city to experience opening night firsthand, in the flesh.
“I don’t wanna
#365 Prong — Inside the 90s: Beg to Differ, The Cleansing & Rude Awakening
New York City. A place where the subways never close, you can hit any deli, diner, or pizzeria in town at all hours (“in the middle of the night”) for a bite to eat, and your soul will become properly calloused with a “G.F.Y.” mentality and attitude in the most hard core, New York way imaginable.
And when it comes to infusing that kind of attitude into metal, NYC’s PRONG has quite literally tur
#364 DOWN & Helmet — Strap It Down Tour Pre-Game: Atlanta 2026
“It’s been a while since we’ve been to a show together…”
The STRAP IT DOWN Summer Tour kicks off on Saturday, August 15, 2026, at The Eastern in Atlanta, Georgia, featuring DOWN, HELMET, & SPIRIT IN THE ROOM, so naturally, we decided to engage in a little PRE-GAME preparation to get in the right headspace for the show.
As you may recall, we last traveled to The Eastern back in 2024 when w
#363 PRIMUS Pork Soda Album Review
“Chimpanzee, he said it…he said chimpanzee…”
PRIMUS is always a fun stop on the road to Relaxerville (especially if you’ve got something to inhale), and PORK SODA (the band’s 3rd official studio long player) is the perfect soundtrack for just such an occasion.
Released on April 20th, 1993, almost 50 years to the day after Albert Hofmann’s legendary trip on Bicycle Day, PORK SODA ups the dosag
#362 The Class of 1997: Metal Albums That Defined a Surreal Year
“How many people do you think go into a bar and say: ‘I’d like an Everclear on the rocks, please…’?”
Looking back, 1997 seems utterly surreal…
To put things in perspective, 1997 marked the debut of South Park on Comedy Central, the release of Radiohead’s breakthrough, third album, OK Computer, the beginning of the final season of Seinfeld, and (of course) the arrival of Metallica’s conclusion
#361 Psycroptic - Inside the Metal
“It’s the most readable death metal logo I’ve ever seen in my life…”
Dave and Joe Haley.
If you’re trying to understand the importance of this particular drum & guitar team, just think of some of the other legendary “band of brothers” in the metal community that come to mind who have gone on to elevate and transform modern music as we know it…brothers such as Alex & Eddie Van Halen and
#360 Nuclear Blast Records
Summary:
“Have you ever been to a buffet where you literally try everything?”
Sometimes the best way to find your new favorite things is to just sample a lot of different things until you find the things that you enjoy the most. As with a buffet…or even dating, you just “grab something” you think you might like and “give it a taste”. If you like it, you keep going back for more. And if it’s not
#359 1989 Metal and Thrash Albums
“No sink or nothing, right? You’re just gonna go free ball it…”
1989 was the very first year EVER that The Recording Academy recognized hard rock and metal music with the “Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance Vocal or Instrumental”. And other than the completely insulting “slap in the face” by The Recording Academy to Metallica (think Will Smith & Chris Rock, but even more child
#358 Tributes to the Fallen: Celebrating the Lives of Those We've Lost in Metal
Death.
The word alone possesses the same tangible finality and permanence as the act itself. Death marks the end of one’s physical life & existence in this world and can come as a tragic, sudden, and untimely end, or as the sometimes “welcome” final resolution of life following a long, protracted period of illness and suffering.
“We got to live on the same earth at the same time as all th
#357 Stone Temple Pilots — Core: The Album That Critics Hated and Fans Made Platinum
“I mean it’s June, so…”
Released September 29, 1992, CORE, the debut album from San Diego, California’s own STONE TEMPLE PILOTS (or STP for short) is one of those albums that doesn’t really fit into the “grunge” category, nor does it fit into the traditional “heavy metal” box either. It’s certainly not grunge but is definitely “more metal than Pearl Jam”, and while there may be some subtle simil
#356 - 1980: The Beginning of Modern Metal
The year is 1980. The U.S. National Debt is a paltry $900 Billion, the word “yuppie” appears for the first time in print, the Pac-Man videogame is released in arcades everywhere, Mount St. Helens explodes in Washington state, and Cable News Network (also known as CNN) becomes a thing.
In the world of metal, Iron Maiden release their self-titled debut album, Black Sabbath reinvent themselves with
#355 The Greatest Metal Anthems of All Time
“I wanna hear THAT at my grocery store, when I’m going for the meat section…”
Whether it’s the song we all rise for at sports ball events, the first song on Rush’s “Fly By Night” album (not to mention the first song on Anthrax’s EP of classic rock covers), or the sing-along, encore at the end of a rock show, ANTHEMS represent a clarion call, a rallying cry that unites fans in unspeakable joy, u
#354 Headbangers Ball: The Greatest Metal TV Show Ever Made
“Today is all about 7’s…”
We can’t believe it…it’s officially been SEVEN years since we began our podcasting journey, and as of this episode, we are celebrating SEVEN years of heavy metal podcasting excellence! And in the spirit of heavy metal greatness, what better way to celebrate and commemorate the completion of our SEVENTH year than a tribute to the best thing MTV ever did for metal heads
#353- Death — Scream Bloody Gore: The Album That Created Death Metal
“Would it be fair to say that horror metal and death metal are kinda…symbiotic?”
Released May 25, 1987, SCREAM BLOODY GORE, the debut album from Florida death metal pioneers DEATH, marks a dark and transformative turning point from thrash metal into something else…something with “thrash overtones” that “sounds like thrash” but also doesn’t. While it seemed to be the next logical evolutionary ste
#352-The Ultimate Metal Ego Check: Bands That Named Songs After Themselves
“I wonder how many modern bands still do it?”
Maybe the song is named after the band and referenced in the chorus. Maybe the song is named after the band but there’s no reference to the band’s name anywhere in the lyrics. Or maybe it’s a song with a completely different title than the band name BUT the band name IS mentioned somewhere in the lyrics.
“They mostly do it during their early years
#351 Metal Church 'Dead to Rights' Review - Metal Church Prove They're Not Dead Yet
“It took me like a hard 16 seconds…but I got it down…I swallowed all of it…”
Released April 10, 2026, DEAD TO RIGHTS, the 14th studio album in 40+ years from the mighty METAL CHURCH, features a new line up and a return to the power metal infused thrash style that made them a force to be reckoned with back in the 80’s, during the heyday of the (then relatively new) thrash scene.
“I was proud of
#350 Was 1986 the Best Year in Metal? Master of Puppets, Reign in Blood, Peace Sells Turn 40
“If you were gonna be a stripper…what would your stage name be?”
When you think about 1986, it’s almost hard to fathom that we are 40 years away from it. Four decades away from perhaps THE biggest year in metal, and we’re not just saying that because we were still young and impressionable, but because it was quite literally THAT epic of a year!
March, September, and October of 1986 gave us Ma
#349 - The First and The Last
“You like to hear how they have progressed or digressed…or either…or gressed…”
This episode is a lot like looking at pictures of family when everyone is much younger and then looking at recent pictures of family and realizing that after enough time, a LOT changes.
Just as people grow and age and (hopefully) evolve over time, no artist should currently be EXACTLY as they were when they first s
#348 - Black Sabbath Heaven And Hell Album Review
“This is the 80’s before the 80’s was the 80’s…”
Released April 18, 1980, HEAVEN AND HELL, the 9th studio album by BLACK SABBATH (and the first to feature Ronnie James Dio on vocals), marks a simultaneous sonic departure and rebirth for the Godfathers of Metal.
While some would argue that it sounds more like RJD’s solo output and NOTHING like the Sabbath of the 70’s, HEAVEN AND HELL is more t
#347 - The POONYs THE NUMBER 1 HEAVY METAL ALBUM OF THE 1970’S
“If you’re gonna pick an album that’s supposed to be the album of the decade…”
The Grammy’s have proven over and over to metal fans over the years that their decisions are (more often than not) completely arbitrary and have absolutely zero basis in honor, truth, or reality whatsoever. And if you need to be reminded of this irrefutable fact, just remember who won the Grammy for “Best Metal Perfor
#346 - Exodus GOLIATH Album Review
Released March 20, 2026, GOLIATH, the newest behemoth to emerge from classic thrash masters EXODUS, feels a lot like 1989 but with some other added extras that are a bit different, experimental, and a little off the reservation relative to their earlier work. It also marks the return of Rob Dukes on vocals for the first time since 2010’s Exhibit B: The Human Condition.
Loaded with scathing socia
#345 LAMB OF GOD Into Oblivion Album Review
“It’s like we’re missing someone…”
Released Friday, March 13, 2026, INTO OBLIVION, the latest offering from Richmond, Virginia’s LAMB OF GOD, features a new logo and an album cover that hints at the darker atmosphere that dwells within.
“It’d be wrong to do a clinky without Russ…”
Chock full of enough sick grooves, primal screams, and disgustingly brutal riffs to give anyone who hears it a h
#344 - EMBERING EFFIGY - OUT OF THE WOODS Album Review
“Let’s keep the dumb fuhqery to a minimum today…”
EMBERING EFFIGY, the “Southern Fried Thrash Metal” threesome hailing from the outskirts of Atlanta, Georgia are making some noise in venues all across the Southeast with their blistering live shows and their recently released new album, OUT OF THE WOODS, featuring 8 tracks of old school thrash infused with a generous blend of blast beats, high en
#343 - SIDE TWO VERSUS SIDE ONE
Ever since compact discs came out in the mid-1980s, the concept of SIDE 1 and SIDE 2 on an album sort of fell by the wayside. And with this new quantum leap in technology, the entire process of consuming music began to transform.
By the late 80’s and early 90’s, CD sales began outselling vinyl records and cassette tapes, due in large part to convenience and technological innovation, as vinyl re
#342 - Rob Zombie The Great Satan Album Review
“Wait a minute, is she your hall pass? Can we confirm that?”
Many folks in certain parts of the world have been calling the United States “The Great Satan” for decades, long before ROB ZOMBIE’s eighth studio album, THE GREAT SATAN, was called that.
“…and the first words out of her mouth when she pulls up: ‘Can I inspect your meat?’”
Released on 02/27/2026 on Nuclear Blast, the newest studio
#341 WRATHCHILD AMERICA - Climbin' The Walls
“He’s looking at me…”
Released on August 22, 1989, CLIMBIN’ THE WALLS, the major label debut album from Martinsburg, West Virginia thrash metal savants WRATHCHILD AMERICA, is undoubtedly one of the most uniquely profound thrash metal albums in all of heavy metal history to be crafted by one of the most extraordinarily talented (and criminally underrated) bands in the entire genre.
And to thin
#340 ANTHRAX featuring JOHN BUSH, aka BUSHTHRAX
“If I hadn’t have known that was Anthrax, I would have guessed it was Alice In Chains…”
The early 90’s was a strange time for metal, most notably due to the change in the musical landscape with the emergence of the Seattle scene and Alice In Chains becoming one of the key crossover bands to bridge the transition from thrash to the next wave of darker, grungier sounding heavy metal.
“Every tim
#339 A TRILOGY OF PERFECT METAL ALBUMS
“That’s the buzz word: every time somebody says, ‘tipping point’, you must drink…”
Whether it’s measured by a string of commercially successful albums or one’s own personal preference, almost every metal band has (at a minimum) produced a TRILOGY of albums that represent a three-album run of back-to-back-to-back awesomeness.
“That’s the law, man…it’s gotta be three…rules is rules.”
Granted,
#338 MEGADETH Album Review
“You know what I’m hearing? This sounds like it could have been…the sidepiece…to The Black Album…”
There’s almost a strange, sarcastic satisfaction in knowing that the new self-titled MEGADETH album will forever be known (at least in our neck of the woods anyway) as “The White Album”.
“Every time you keep talking, I just see shapes and letters…”
Released on January 23, 2026, MEGADETH is the
#337 AC/DC FLICK OF THE SWITCH Album Review
Once you reach a certain level, there is no ‘better’…it’s different.”
Released on August 19, 1983, FLICK OF THE SWITCH (the 9th studio album by AC/DC and the 3rd featuring Brian Johnson on the mic) is what some fans might call their “White Album” (arriving after their “Black Album” and “Bronze Album”, respectively), showing a black and white grayscale drawing of a lone Angus pulling down some ma
#336 Part 2 - HEAVY METAL HIGH SCHOOL REUNION
“Flat earth is just a troll thing, right? People don’t really believe that…”
Picking up right where we left off on our previous HEAVY METAL HIGH SCHOOL REUNION episode with even more stories of metal nostalgia and teenage retardity as we reflect on the pressing issues of the day during our high school residency.
“The bathrooms are over there, Everest is over there, and you’ve gotta be this hi
#335 HEAVY METAL HIGH SCHOOL REUNION
“Forbidden and Death Angel at the Center Stage was my 2nd thrash show…”
Imagine learning about all of the latest and greatest metal bands without the help of Spotify or the internet. Back in THE METAL DAYS OF YORE, it was all about social networking (sans social media) and getting dubbed cassettes from your friends (or forming your own metal band with those friends) that helped you on your way t
#334 METAL? or NOT METAL?
“Is it metal? Or is it NOT metal?”
As metalheads, we’ve all heard some variation of this argument at least once in our lives, and the further down the rabbit hole we go, the more we truly reflect on what makes something obviously metal or obviously NOT metal.
“Fish teeth is metal as fuck…”
What’s the lyrical content like? The darker the subject matter, the more metal it is. Lyrics about lov
#333 – THE FIRST FOUR from the mighty PANTERA
“I wonder if we’ll get a cease and desist on this episode…”
Generally speaking, whenever someone says “Slayer” or “Metallica”, you think of two veteran thrash bands which both formed in 1981 and both released their debut albums in 1983. This is common knowledge among most fans of both of these bands.
Ironically, there’s another band who follows this exact same timeline of forming in 1981 and
#332 ANTHRAX WORSHIP MUSIC Album Review
“I’m not Peter North shooting ropes across the room…”
Released on September 12th (and in the U.S. on the 13th), 2011, WORSHIP MUSIC is the first ANTHRAX album featuring Joey Belladonna on vocals since 1990’s Persistence of Time and is truly a return to their thrash roots, with a nice blend of classic 80’s era Thrash Thrax and the more groove laden heaviness of 90’s era Bush Thrax. This was defin
#331 THE YEAR IN METAL – 1996
“You can’t be funny if you’re happy all the time…”
1996 marked the time that The Super Bowl went Triple X, when Atlanta hosted the Summer Olympics, the United States national debt was a measly $5 Trillion, and the world of heavy metal continued its march forward, trudging past the brief grunge fad into darker, sludgier, and heavier waters.
“Is this KISS?”
The thrash period of the early 90’s
#330 THE ULTIMATE SIN Album Review
“There were 2 years of my life that I was dead certain I was gonna be a breakdancer…”
The release of THE ULTIMATE SIN on January 24, 1986, the 4th studio album from OZZY OSBOURNE (and the 2nd & final album to feature Jake E. Lee on guitar) is definitely one of the heaviest albums of Ozzy’s 80’s output.
“I’ve got the magic!”
With heavier riffs, crazier guitar pyrotechnics, and darker lyr
#329 Opeth THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT Album Review
“I don’t think I’m smart enough to listen to this…”
As with the many legendary concept albums that have come before, masterpieces such as King Diamond’s Abigail, Queensryche’s Operation: Mindcrime, and Dream Theater’s Scenes From A Memory, THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT, the latest offering from OPETH, is one of the finest examples of storytelling ever captured in audio form and is their first prop
#328 – Thanksgiving Vacation Tapes
It’s that time of year…time for some big tasty turkels, delicious side dishes, and a nice tryptophan induced nod after feasting yourself into fullness and naptime. It’s THANKSGIVING, and while most folks are gearing up for the coming holiday season (which will start promptly in the pre-dawn hours of Black Friday), we realize that we’ve NEVER taken any time off during the holidays and that perhaps
#327 DEATH MATCH: Puppets vs Justice Side 2
“Those guys are parents to 2 babies…and we’re fighting over which baby is cuter…”
With SIDE 2 of our PUPPETS VS JUSTICE HEAD-TO-HEAD DEATH MATCH, things are a bit trickier, because the math doesn’t sync up perfectly track for track. But not to worry, because we worked out all the math to try and keep things as “Even Steven” as possible.
“You go to the peak of your ability…that’s what Justice w
#326 DEATH MATCH: Puppets vs Justice Side 1
“How about we let the producer ‘produce’?”
We’ve all heard that METALLICA’s “last great album” was 1986’s haunting thrash metal magnum opus, MASTER OF PUPPETS, one of the finest moments in the band’s catalog and the final studio album of “The First Three” to feature Cliff Burton on bass.
“I don’t care if there’s no bass…I’m sorry…”
We’ve also all heard (especially since the release of The Bl
#325 NATIVITY IN BLACK: A TRIBUTE TO BLACK SABBATH
“Y’all don’t have to make everything about everything…”
Time has a strange way of playing with the mind and blurring perceptions. For example, 24 years is effectively a quarter of a century, and while that sounds like a pretty vast swath of time, in reality it is merely a tiny speck in the grand scheme of the endless universe. To put it another way, as of the date of this episode in 2025, it has
#324 VENOM - INSIDE THE METAL - THE 80’s
“I had to watch it 3 or 4 times to finally get there…”
Ahhh, the 80’s. A time when people could actually afford to live, back when Taco Bell was both super cheap and equally delicious, horror movies were genuinely scary and often boasted incredibly “special” special effects, and terrified parents everywhere were completely “freaking the motherfrickin’ frick out” over heavy metal and the ensuing
#323 CORONER DISSONANCE THEORY Album Review
“You can understand everything he says…he’s much more pronunced.”
With Diego Rapacchietti, the “Swisstalian” timekeeper who replaced original drummer Marky “Marquis” Edelmann behind the kit, both Ron Broder (Ron Royce) and Tommy Vetterli (Tommy T. Baron), known collectively as Swiss thrash kings CORONER, have returned with DISSONANCE THEORY, the first new studio album featuring brand new materia
#322 TYPE-O-NEGATIVE OCTOBER RUST Album Review
“That dude is Dracula, man…”
The entire month of October is Halloween. And you can’t do October without TYPE-O-NEGATIVE, as they are the official soundtrack to the month of Halloween.
Released August 20, 1996, OCTOBER RUST, their 4th studio album (or 3rd if you count “Origin of the Feces” as a “live” album, which we actually do, even though it’s technically not) is much more gothy, textured,
#321 CORONER: Inside The METAL
“I didn’t do stink finger until sophomore year…”
Switzerland is known for a few things with holes in them, most notably their cheese (and quite possibly their chocolate). But the biggest hole Switzerland is known for (other than CERN) is the seemingly endless void between the last CORONER studio album (“Grin” in 1993) and their upcoming 2025 release “Dissonance Theory”, which makes the gap betwe
#320 CORROSION OF CONFORMITY: WISEBLOOD Album Review
Released 10/15/1996, WISEBLOOD, the 5th studio album from CORROSION OF CONFORMITY, is the perfect soundtrack to October and everything that goes with it, including shag carpeting, wood paneling, and fresh greens.
Filled with driving metal riffs and all of the sonic textures that made the 70’s the best decade for music, the “Skynyrd Fried Sabbath” infused 70’s jam band stylings of WISEBLOOD evoke
#319 CHRONICLES II pt 2: CHECK YOUR HEAD by BEASTIE BOYS
“Is that Richard Pryor?”
Released 04/21/1992, the 3rd official BEASTIE BOYS studio album, CHECK YOUR HEAD, is a genius title because this album is “all up in here” and is the perfect psychedelic ASMR accompaniment to justify your luxury headphone purchase.
While this episode is more than a little bit “off the reservation” we feel like with the right headphones and the right relaxers you’ll be
#318 CHRONICLES II pt 1: KISS DESTROYER
“In fairness, I guess if they didn’t have the make-up, what would they have? A different career?”
Released March 15, 1976, DESTROYER, the “iconic and mysterious” 4th studio album by KISS, was the first studio release after their breakthrough double live album ALIVE!, which chronicled their first 3 studio albums in a live concert setting and really brought the power and spectacle of the live KISS
#317 GUNS N’ ROSES: APPETITE FOR DESTRUCTION Album Review
“The look on his face is like a kid on Christmas morning getting everything that he never asked for from Santa…”
July 21,1987 marked the beginning of the GUNS N’ ROSES era of L.A. metal with APPETITE FOR DESTRUCTION, the scorching debut album chock full of enough sleaze, swagger, and excess to put the boys in Motley Crue to shame.
If Slayer were the 80’s answer to 70’s Sabbath, then it’s not
#316 2025 New Metal Releasal Showcase
“This might be my favorite moment in music in 2025…”
Just when you think “all the riffs have been done”, 2025 gives us the gift of BRAND-NEW METAL, including new music from OLD SCHOOL THRASH BANDS, a feat many would call miraculous, considering how long it’s been since these bands have released any new material!
Whether it has been a half decade, a decade and a half, or in the most extreme ca
#315 MASTODON CHAPTER II: 2010-2025
“That’s the thing about music…it’s time stamped…it’s the soundtrack of our lives…especially for metal heads…”
The metal world mourns the tragic loss of another legend, and this one hit too close to home...
BRENT HINDS of Atlanta metal pioneers MASTODON was killed on August 20, 2025, in a traffic accident, just months after he and the band parted ways.
There is no other band on earth like MA
#314 – MEGADETH: COUNTDOWN TO EXTINCTION
“We can’t ever talk about this so let’s talk about not talking about it when we’re talking about it…”
Released on July 14th, 1992, COUNTDOWN TO EXTINCTION, the 5th MEGADETH album (and the 2nd to feature “the classic lineup” of Dave Mustaine, David Ellefson, Marty Friedman, and Nick Menza) would become the follow up to “one of the most perfect thrash albums of all time”, featuring a more streamline
#313 MAKE-UP IN METAL
“I like feet, bro…”
Whether it’s the “spooky kabuki KISS” face paint of the 70’s, the “ultra gloves of shame glam KISS” from the 80’s, or the black metal corpse paint of the modern day, MAKE-UP has been a part of rock and metal across a multitude of decades and genres that not only made for a superior stage show but also helped homely looking metal heads look and feel more attractive and confident
#312 SLAYER CHRIST ILLUSION Album Review
“When you thought it was over…it did kind of a slide down…and then he slid back up and back down again…and then he does it again…”
August 8, 2006, marks the first SLAYER album in 16 years featuring Dave Lombardo behind the drum kit with CHRIST ILLUSION, their 10th studio album and their first since the release of God Hates Us All on 09/11/2001.
With the original classic lineup in place and artist
#311 OZZY OSBOURNE – IN MEMORIAM
“It’s strange to think about a world without The Prince of Darkness…”
It all started on February 13, 1970, with the ominous sounds of chapel bells, thunder, and pouring rain, and it all ended with an emotionally charged, worldwide downpour of tears from fans across the planet on July 22, 2025, the day that OZZY OSBOURNE, The Prince Of Darkness, bade this world farewell and passed into eternity.
O
#310 2nd Albums BETTER or WORSE than the 1st
“Careful back there…”
Generally speaking, an artist’s DEBUT ALBUM will often be quite good, while their SOPHOMORE ALBUM, in contrast, will often be far more advanced, sophisticated, and light years better than the first, in terms of song writing and overall production. While this is more often than not the rule, there are some notable exceptions.
As with asking a parent with 2 kids “which one
#309 – Sabbath: BACK TO THE BEGINNING
“There were some heroes and there were some zeroes…”
BACK TO THE BEGINNING, the final concert performance by the O.G. lineup of BLACK SABBATH featuring Bill Ward, Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi, and Ozzy Osbourne (along with an all-star roster of top shelf rock & metal artists) was held at Villa Park in Aston, Birmingham, England on 05/07/2025 (that’s July 5th, 2025 for people in the United State
#308 GREAT METAL ALBUMS RUINED BY ONE SONG
“If you’ve got a whole room full of 10’s, that’s the 5…”
We’ve all been there. Every one of us have experienced an album where it was “almost perfect” front to back, yet there was that one song that blemished its perfection and brought it down a notch.
Granted, some songs may not fit relative to the context of an album and should have never been included to begin with, while others may have bee
#307 DEATH MATCH: THE NUMBER OF THE BEAST and SCREAMING FOR VENGEANCE
“I thought it was gonna be tight…”
1982 –Michael Jackson releases what would become the biggest selling album in music history with Thriller, Survivor and Olivia Newton John are locked in their own HEAD-TO-HEAD DEATH MATCH on the Billboard Charts with Eye of the Tiger & Let’s Get Physical, and IRON MAIDEN and JUDAS PRIEST, two of the greatest twin guitar attacks in all of metal, both release
#306 GOD IN METAL
“I’ll take your ‘Lord of This World’ and raise you ‘After Forever’…”
From “The Moses story” to “the shortest verse in The Good Book” to one of the creepiest spoken word intros in all of metal which references end time prophecy, the impact of GOD IN METAL can be found everywhere, no matter how subtle or obvious, positive or negative.
Whether it’s an album cover, a band’s name, a song, or even d
#305 SUNSET STRIP DEATH MATCH: METAL HEALTH vs OUT OF THE CELLAR
“If they’re not fat, they’re soft…”
Think back to The Sunset Strip and the emerging metal scene of the early 80’s, full of sleaze, shred, and riffs, long before the emergence of the “serious glam” and “serious thrash” of the mid to late 80’s. METAL HEALTH and OUT OF THE CELLAR, released in 1983 and 1984, by QUIET RIOT and RATT (respectively) both preceded the hair metal movement of the late 80’s a
#304 METALLICA M72 TOUR CONCERT REVIEW
“It was almost too big…”
Get ready for a rebuttal from “Captain Backpedal” after being challenged to a fight on a “goat farm”, discover the “magic number” required to transform your twanglification levels “from sea level to skyrocket”, remember that “four fingers is all it takes”, understand that “convenience can be creepy”, and prepare to “plug it into the house backline” and park it in “The Red
#303 MACHINE HEAD: BURN MY EYES Album Review
“It’s like the Sam Kinison meets Bobcat Goldthwait of dogs…”
Bridging the gap between the thrash metal of the late 80’s and early 90’s and the tidal wave of groove metal that made landfall in the metal community during the early 90’s (courtesy of Pantera), MACHINE HEAD came screaming out of the gate on August 9th, 1994, with their blisteringly crushing debut, BURN MY EYES.
Filled with brutall
#302 STEEL PANTHER: INSIDE THE METAL
“Wait, the reason you cut your hair was for 2 dudes?”
It’s officially our 6th anniversary! That’s right, 6 years of metal discussions, ludicrous nonsense, and beers of the episode, and what better way to wrap up our 6th year in podcasting excellence than with STEEL PANTHER, the parody band that helped make 80’s hair metal FUN again, with every hyperbolic metal cliché you can think of that makes
#301 THE METAL DAYS OF YORE: OUR FORMATIVE METAL YEARS
“You’ll be divorced, alone, and flaccid…”
Let’s go back a few years, back to a time when we were young and impressionable and just starting out on our respective metal odysseys as fans and purveyors of all things metal, including (but not limited to) the hard rock of our childhood years in the late 70’s to the plethora of NWOBHM, thrash, and other classic metal bands we discovered during our teen
#300 THE INSTRUMENTAL.... CHRONICLES
“If anything, it’s three 7’s…and one of them has a line in the middle…”
This episode is effectively “nonverbal” in that it contains zero lyrics and is truly beyond words (so to speak). That’s right, it’s all about INSTRUMENTALS and it just so happens that they come in a wide variety of styles and options.
On a studio album, INSTRUMENTALS are 7enerally either lon7er, extended, standalone musical
#299 - PRODUCER SPOTLIGHT: TERRY DATE
“You’re not supposed to swallow it…but it’s fine to have it in your mouth.”
Whether it’s the debut from Metal Church or Dream Theater, or the swansong from Slayer or Pantera, TERRY DATE is undoubtedly one of the most prominent and prolific producers, engineers, and mixers of metal music to have blessed the ears of metal fans for more than 40 years.
Get ready for “a little origami”, remember th
#298 Angel of Death - BREAKDOWN
“I know who you’re talking about!”
So, we did a thing…
After almost 6 years into this podcast, this is the first time we’ve ever done a BREAKDOWN of a single track, and what better way to kick things off than SLAYER’s ANGEL OF DEATH, which is without question “one of the most perfect thrash metal songs EVER written” and also just happens to be the killer opener on one of the most perfect thrash
#297 Metal News and Happenings for April 2025
“Let me see your mouth…”
Prepare to learn the proper “order of operations” with regard to relaxers and hear some hilarious post 4/20 tales that will force you to make some “executive decisions” about the rest of your day. Understand the reason a “jigger” needs to be rinsed out after every use, why you should never utter that word near the hearing impaired, and why “Black Power Metal” isn’t what
#296 DOWN III: OVER THE UNDER Album Review
“One’s a dude, right? I want the one that’s NOT the dude…”
DOWN III: OVER THE UNDER, the 3rd studio offering from southern fried doom lords DOWN, has a very 70’s centric feel from start to finish. From the songs and the production to the album cover, OVER THE UNDER might just be the most 70’s influenced and 70’s sounding DOWN album ever recorded.
Time to fire up the “bowrider” and begin prepa
#295 - METALCORE
Summary:
“I’m sorry, what was that? No, the second part…the part that came after that…”
METALCORE seems to be all over the place, in that its components are quite varied and cover a broad spectrum of everything that has historically made metal awesome: double bass drumming, guitar shred, breakdowns and mosh parts, and sometimes even some emo screaming and heartfelt vocals sung straight from the
#294 WE SOLD OUR SOUL FOR BON SCOTT
WE SOLD OUR SOUL FOR BON SCOTT (a continuation of our AC/DC Side 1: The Bon Scott Years episode from way back in 2020) is OUR greatest hits package from the iconic Bon Scott Years of AC/DC. And because we couldn’t include ALL of the tracks from this legendary era, there were quite a few that unfortunately got “Shot Down In Flames”. Having said that, we still managed to include everything we felt S
#293 METALLICA Death Magnetic Album Review
“If this is their 9th studio album, where does it rank?”
DEATH MAGNETIC, the Rick Rubin produced 9th studio album from Bay Area metal titans METALLICA (and the first studio album featuring Robert Trujillo on bass) is chock full of riffs, tons of ugly chords, a boatload of guitar solos, and loads of twin guitar harmonies that harken back to the thrash metal veterans legendary 80’s output, with a s
