Cristina Scabbia, lead singer for Lacuna Coil, guests this week to talk about the band's new album Delirium, their eighth studio album over a 20-plus year career and the first to be totally self-produced. Cristina talks about relationships between band members, experiences with past producers and the pressures the band has been under leading up the album's release. She talks about where the lyrical themes on this album stem from, some metaphorical and others from her personal relationship with mental illness. 

Chuck and Godless discuss a very common word that we may or may not need to take out of our vocabulary (especially as Chuck is 'blank' for Nails). We examine how the botched launch of Prophets of Rage turned our internet feeds into a frenzy of activity, but for the wrong reasons. Did Rage Against the Machine control their message in the wrong way, or did they simply underestimate the appetite for a reunion? Zach de la Rocha may be having the last laugh, until he hears our idea for the one dude on earth who would be more interesting and would draw bigger crowds.

Songs:
Lacuna Coil – "The House of Shame"
Nails – "Savage Intolerance"

The legendary black metal drummer Frost of Satyricon is our guest this week. In our interview we talk about the re-release of their classic album Nemesis Divina on its 20^th anniversary, what that means for the band, if the classic albums he grew up with would be different if they were remastered, and whether or not there is space in black metal for change and openness in songwriting. Forgive us for the poor quality of the recording, but in trve black metal style we chose to distress the audibility of his phone connection for full effect.

We also discuss the announcement of Ozzfest Meets Knotfest. We try to figure out if it actually means anything for the genre, or if it's just another cash grab for the Osbourne family. Why would Slipknot give up half of their successful (or seemingly successful) festival? To get hold of the brand? To extend their legacy? Or is this just an example of the lovely spirit of cooperation in the metal community?

Songs:
Satyricon – "Forhekset"
Black Crown Initiate – "For Red Cloud"

This week Joe Duplantier of the mighty Gojira returns to the podcast for another interview ahead of the release of their new album Magma. We find out how the emotional impact on the Duplantier brothers of losing their mother effected the production of this album, whether having kids makes Joe think about the business differently, what the changing direction of their music means for the future of the band, how they feel about peoples' responses to the new record, and how building a studio in New York City changes the way he looks at making music.

We also talk about "fake" bands, whether it's a band that has a front, as in Dethklok or new Season of Mist signees Sons of Balaur, or as in the case of Ghost Bath, where a band propagates misinformation to make themselves seem more interesting. Is it right to try and fool people into thinking you are something you are not? Is having a "story" worth the effort it takes to create something larger than your original band, like Gwar?

We also give you a first hand account of the David Vincent country show last weekend in Austin.

Songs:
Gojira – "Stranded"
Beartooth – "Aggressive"

Luc Lemay, legendary guitarist and vocalist for Gorguts, guests this week, and in our revealing interview we discover how he became and maintains the status of being the nicest guy in death metal. We even try to get him to hate on people but he holds his ground, refusing to say one bad word about anyone we mentioned. We also talk about his return to composing after such a long hiatus, how he was sure to be very careful around all the sharp objects in his woodshop, and the process of writing a single 33-minute song that turned into the band's new EP Pleiades' Dust.

We discuss our disappointment in Iron Maiden's decision to bow to the Chinese government by changing the way they perform their set. Should a band stick to their principles and not censor lyrics, or is it OK to cater to a government so the fans of the band actually get a chance to see them play? We know where Maiden came down on the subject, but were they right in doing so?

Songs:
Gorguts – "Wandering Times" (Exerpt from Pleiadies Dust)
Polar – "Blood for Blood"