The MetalSucks Podcast

This week we talk to Amy Sciarretto of Atom Spiltter PR. Amy tells us about how she got into the music industry and her time at Roadrunner Records, if click bait media helps or hurts her artists, the difficulty of doing damage control, the importance of bands having a mystique, if gimmicks are necessary for modern bands to reach a certain stage, how working in the industry has affected her love for music, the difficulty of working an eight hour day, and what her dog Higgins taught her that no human ever has.

Petar, Brandon, and Jozalyn discuss ex-Slipknot percussionist Chris Fehn's claim that he was a hired hand. Next we address a Canadian listener's concern that The MetalSucks Podcast doesn't give his country any love, and we shine a spotlight on some of our favorite Canadian bands. 

Songs:
Neil Merryweather-  “Star Rider”
Woods of Ypres - “Everything I Touch Turns to Gold (And Then To Coal)”
Dead Quiet - “Spiritual Abuse”
Beyond Creation - “Algorythm”


Metal Blade Records videographer and content creator Vince Edwards is our guest this week. We talk about a number of different topics related to his work at one of metal's most venerated and longest running labels, including the recent signing of Killswitch Engage, some of his favorite underrated albums that came out on the label over the years, what it was like shooting Between the Buried and Me live, which band he's most excited to be able to work with in the future, how to market metal bands in modern times and the pressure to perform despite having a metalhead's dream job.

Petar, Brandon, and Jozalyn discuss Misha Mansoor's comments on Periphery hitting their popularity ceiling, Kirk Hammett gearing up for a new Metallica record, Brain Johnson’s possible return to AC/DC, Hellyeah replacing Vinnie Paul, and who's most excited for Crazy Town’s The Gift of Game 20th anniversary tour.

Songs:
Fractal Universe - “Masterpiece’s Parallelism”
Abnormality - “Curb Stomp”
Destrage - “The Chosen One”

Direct download: Vince20Edwards2028Metal20Blade20Records2920Episode20285.mp3
Category:The MetalSucks Podcast -- posted at: 1:26pm PDT

Dream Theater keyboardist and solo artist Jordan Rudess is our guest this week. We discuss his new solo album Wired for Madness and how he finds time for his own material within Dream Theater’s busy schedule, how blues influenced the album, the importance of using musical elements that make people smile in contrast to the heavy stuff and the importance of the visual aspect of the album's title track. We also talk Dream Theater: if the polarizing response to The Astonishing played a part in the direction of their new album Distance Over Time, celebrating the 20th anniversary of Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From a Memory, the difficulty of finding all the sounds he used on the original recording to replicate live, and at what stage in his life he discovered he needed to be a creative person.

Petar and Jozalyn tackle the church burnings in Louisiana, David Hasselhoff making metal songs, how Knight Rider would make a great concept for a metal album, Hot Topic somehow still thriving in the modern climate, the release of Oli Herbert’s cover of a Eurythmics song, his widow's strange behavior after that release, and the ongoing campaign to name the recently-photographed black hole after Chris Cornell.

Songs:
Jordan Rudess - “Why I Dream”
Dream Theater - “Fall Into The Light”
Dream Theater - “Paralyzed”


Born of Osiris guitarist Lee McKinney is our guest this week. We talk about his debut solo record Infinite Mind, how the writing process compares to that of Born of Osiris, having Adrián Terrazas-González (formerly of The Mars Volta) contributing saxophone on the record, and why Born of Osiris chose to split their latest record into two releases. Lee also tells us about his love/hate relationship with playing guitar, how every instrument has become programmable, who his current favorite working guitarist is, the challenges of keeping up with social media as a musician and the recent break-in at his home.

Petar and Brandon comment on the New Zealand church burnings, Ozzy Osbourne postponing all of his 2019 shows, the mystery of Doyle’s name disappearing from the Misfits reunion show poster, and James Hetfield’s debut film being another Ted Bundy story we really don’t need.

Song:
Lee McKinney - “A Never-ending Explosion”
Born of Osiris - “Analogs In A Cell”
Druids - “The Whip”

Direct download: Lee20McKinney2028Born20of20Osiris2920Episode20283.mp3
Category:The MetalSucks Podcast -- posted at: 12:15pm PDT

After the Burial vocalist Anthony Notarmaso is our guest this week. We discuss the band's new album Evergreen, the lessons learned from previous album Dig Deep, the 10th anniversary of their breakout record Rareform and the band's upcoming tour with Killswitch Engage and Parkway Drive. Anthony also tells us about his successful business outside the band, how finding the perfect partner has helped him grow as a person, the importance of having realistic expectations in the music industry, how the identity of being a frontman in a band has presented challenges as time goes on, and how important it is to be sincere and honest on stage and on record.

Petar, Brandon, and Jozalyn discuss why Ozzy Osbourne should be knighted (and admit we don’t know what being knighted means), discuss Vince's analysis of the Chris Fehn vs. Slipknot lawsuit, and revel at the insane amount of money Devin Townsend spent on his new album Empath.

Songs:
After The Burial - “Behold The Crown” New Album
Sworn Enemy - “Prepare for Payback”


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