Guitar virtuoso Marty Friedman is our guest this week. We discuss how 2020 went for him creatively, missing out on performing at the Olympics due to the pandemic, the collaboration with visual artist Nobuyuki Hanabusa for his upcoming livestream concert on New Year’s Day, and the importance of pursuing musical endeavors he has never tried before. Marty also tells us how he misses American cereal while living in Japan, how the Beach Boys have been the “room cleaning” band for him this year, and the importance of finding things that distract from reality to stay positive.

Petar, Brandon, and Jozalyn talk about New Year’s Eve shows as stand-up comics, seeing arena-level bands in small venues at huge ticket prices, our personal takes on New Year's Resolutions, and much more.

Songs: Marty Friedman - “The Perfect World” (Featuring Alfakyun), Nervosa - “Perpetual Chaos”

Halestorm frontwoman Lzzy Hale is our guest this week! We discuss her progress on Christmas shopping this year and how it feels like drunk shopping, the story behind her Christmas song with Dee Snider, “The Magic of Christmas Day," and how a gift Celine Dion gave Dee's wife inspired it. Lzzy also speaks about how revisiting past years' music brings back distinct personal memories of those years, the upcoming David Bowie tribute concerts that she will be participating in, her upcoming role hosting the She Rocks Awards, and an update on the progress of the next Halestorm record.

Songs: Dee Snider & Lzzy Hale - “The Magic of Christmas Day," Halestorm - “Break In” (Featuring Amy Lee of Evanescence)

Tarja Turunen is our guest for our first-ever holiday episode of The Metalsucks Podcast. We discuss some of her favorite memories of Christmas while growing up in Finland, how a personal tragedy ruined the holidays for many years, her decision to make her first solo record in 2006 a Christmas album, her upcoming Christmas livestream performance, and her favorite Christmas album as a child. She also speaks to the difficulty of not being able to work during the pandemic, the struggle of finding inspiration during this time, her desire to do a full tour for the In The Raw album before releasing a new rock album, and how livestreams will endure as a platform for bands for years to come.

Petar, Brandon, Jozalyn, and Sylvia tackle the four metal bands that get the vast majority of streams, our first hard rock/metal albums we got for the holidays, and much more.

Songs: Tarja - “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” (Live) and “Dead Promises”

Soilwork and The Night Flight Orchestra guitarist David Andersson is our guest this week. We discuss Soilwork's latest EP, A Whisp of The Atlantic, the "Feverish" trilogy of videos accompanying the EP's singles, the dream that lead to the epic 16-minute title track, becoming a major songwriter for Soilwork since he joined the band, and why it's important to adapt and change in music to ensure survival. David also tells us about his day job as a doctor, the frustration of people rejecting the basics of science concerning the pandemic, how he deals with the doubters and deniers, his personal experience with contracting Covid-19 and how long it took him to recover, and Sweden’s unconventional mitigation strategy.

Petar, Brandon, Sylvia, and Jozalyn answer listener emails, discuss what their personal definition of a "supergroup" is, and our thoughts on Revolver naming the new Run The Jewels record as one of the best metal albums of the year.

Songs: Soilwork - “Death Diviner” and “Desperado," The Night Flight Orchestra - “Impossible”

Underoath electronics wizard Chris Dudley is our guest this week. In celebration of the interview taking place on Friday the 13th, we discuss that film series in its entirety, apologists for Jason X and Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, how to introduce R-rated movies to your kids without taking it too far, and the last horror movie that actually scared us. Chris also tells us how much time Underoath spent practicing to make their recent observatory livestream performances as special as possible for fans, an update on the band's next album, his thoughts on releasing standalone singles during this bizarre time, and how artists tend to thrive when they have limitations like those in place right now.

Petar, Jozalyn, and Sylvia discuss the movies, music videos, and comedies that scared them as kids, the babysitters they had that uttered the phrase “Don’t tell your parents,” and how that makes us feel today.

Songs: Underoath - "Desperate Times, Desperate Measures” (Live) and "Too Bright To See, Too Loud to Hear” (Live)

This week our guest is TesseracT guitarist James Monteith! We discuss the current climate of the UK as they go into their second shutdown due to COVID-19, how promoting records has been a booming business during this time, the band's plans for their next record and how they feel about releasing new material without being able to tour behind it, the luxury of having no deadlines when creating music, relearning songs from his past, trying to figure out how perform live for the fans via streaming, and his personal frustration during the pandemic.

Petar, Brandon, and Sylvia also tackle the revelation that Deftones guitarist Stephen Carpenter is a flat-earther, how we handle conversations with people that share Carpenter's beliefs, and Brandon’s relationship with comics that have similar beliefs as Carpenter.

Songs:

TesseracT, “Of Mind - Nocturne” and “Of Energy - Singularity” Fates Warning, "Scars"

Troy Sanders of Mastodon, Gone is Gone, and Killer Be Killed is our guest this week! Celebrating the second release by Killer Be Killed, Reluctant Hero, we discuss Troy's desire to do a full tour with the band despite it being seen as a side project, having a total of 12 active bands between Killer Be Killed's four members, and how the writing process is different with all the vocalists he works with in each project. We also talk about how he prefers to write with the energy of people in the same room instead of file sharing, an update on new music from Gone is Gone and Mastodon, and the positive aspect of creating and releasing new music during the pandemic.

Petar, Brandon, and Sylvia discuss metal musicians' reactions to Joe Biden becoming the 46th president of the United States, System of a Down releasing new music for a great cause after 15 years, and a German study saying Covid-19 has a "very low" risk of spreading at indoor concerts if certain precautions are taken.

Songs: Killer Be Killed - "Dream Gone Bad" and "Deconstructing Self- Deconstruction"

This week Mikael Stanne of Dark Tranquility is our guest! We discuss bringing in two new guitarists for the band's forthcoming album, Moment, their plans to eventually celebrate Moment live, and an update on the scheduled fall 2021 North American tour after letting go of booking agent John Finberg following allegations of sexual harassment. Mikael also tells us which of the band's albums is his favorite from a lyrical perspective, which artists passing away hit him the hardest in recent years, and how he's been burning through all of his live DVDs during the pandemic.

Petar, Brandon,Jozalyn, and Sylvia discuss the rumors of a Van Halen reunion without Eddie, if we get more excited when Rob Zombie announces a new album or movie, and our muted Halloween celebrations during a pandemic.

Songs: Dark Tranquility - "Identical to None" and "The Dark Unbroken," Soulburn - "From Archaeon to Oblivion"

Legendary drummer Mikkey Dee is on the show this week! Mikkey talks about the upcoming 40th anniversary of Ace of Spades, his first time seeing Motörhead as a teenager before joining the band, Lemmy's reluctance to play songs from the Ace of Spades live, and why Hammered is his least favorite record he performed on. Mikkey also talked about a whole lot about Lemmy: which part of Lemmy that always fascinated him, why having a sense of humor was such a key component to the joy of being around Lemmy, and Lemmy despising being put on a pedestal. We also get an update on the latest Scorpions record.

Brandon, Jozalyn, and Sylvia tackle Sebastian Bach’s walking out of an interview because of a gay joke involving Rob Halford, Rob's reaction on a later episode of the same show, and why gay jokes by straight dudes are extremely dated.

Songs: Motörhead - "The Chase Is Better Than The Catch," and Warfect - Left To Rot"

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Cradle of Filth leader Dani Filth is back on the show! We discuss the band's upcoming streaming concert set for October 30, how some fans have angrily demanded the livestream be free, recording a new album during a pandemic with all the band members living in different parts of the world, how Covid-19 is crippling the entertainment industry beyond just music, and the creative drive that will follow the pandemic for music and art. Dani also talks about the over-population problem the world is facing that we don’t discuss openly, how Mötley Crüe frontman Vince Neil's behavior is an insult to fans when he doesn’t make an effort, and memories of one of his favorite Cradle Halloween shows.

Petar, Brandon, Jozalyn and Sylvia tackle the controversial new Five Finger Death Punch video, "Living The Dream," Zoltan’s comments after the backlash, and Tommy Lee threatening to move to Greece if a certain election doesn’t go his way.

Songs: Cradle Of Filth - “Heartbreak and Seance," and Draconian - “Sorrow of Sophia” 

Mr. Bungle bassist Trevor Dunn is our guest this week! We discuss the origins of Mr. Bungle while the guys were still in high school, why he felt that he and his friends gravitated towards metal in those years, and his ongoing drive to write music that sounds new and original to him. In light of the band's plans to release a re-recording of their early demo, The Raging Wrath Of The Easter Bunny, Trevor discusses how that project came together, if he would want to revisit any of the other three demos Mr. Bungle put out, and the chances of releasing all the B-side songs from the band's Warner Brothers catalog. He also talks about his collaborations with avant garde icon John Zorn through the years, being surrounded by musicians that are workaholics, and the chances of fans hearing all new material from Mr. Bungle or two of his other projects, Fantomas and Tomahawk.

Petar, Brandon, Jozalyn, and Sylvia discuss the death of Eddie Van Halen and how his music impacted our lives, and Mastodon guitarist Bill Kelliher's stark disclosures of the financial realities for musicians in our genre, even "successful" ones.

Songs: Van Halen - "Judgement Day" and "Eracist," Mr. Bungle - "Raping Your Mind"

Legendary vocalist John Bush of Armored Saint (and formerly of Anthrax) is our guest this week. We discuss the band's new album, Punching the Sky, trying to keep his lyrics positive in light of all the terrible things happening in the world, why he doesn't have personal social media accounts despite the assets they'd be to the band, the importance of surrounding himself with the people who helped him rise up, and the band's virtual record release show at the Whiskey A Go Go scheduled for October 10. We also talk about the wildfires currently raging all throughout California, growing up in Los Angeles and the current homeless situation there, feeling like we live in denial by looking the other way instead of acknowledging problems, and the split lives we lead because of technology,

Petar, Brandon, and Jozalyn tackle the news of Burton Seabell exiting Fear Factory, how that affects the release of the band's new record, and if we think fans will accept Fear Factory with another singer.

Songs: Armored Saint - “Standing On The Shoulders of Giants” and “End of the Attention Span”

Brett Campbell of Pallbearer is our guest this week! We discuss how the songwriting process on the band's new album, Forgotten Days, differed from that on past albums, how the band formulated the new songs to resonate live, how the lyrics have a direct tie to the band's debut, Sorrow and Extinction, and why they worked with an outside producer this time. Brett also tells us how the extended break brought on by the pandemic allowed the band members time to reflect on their lives, and shares a sad personal experience that has influenced him creatively.

Petar, Brandon, and Jozalyn discuss Chino Moreno’s recent comment that folks shouldn't be ashamed of liking nu-metal, Brandon's drunk trip to Knott’s Berry Farm, and how Pete got away from a guard dog when he broke into a boat yard as a kid.

Songs: Pallbearer - “The Quicksand of Existing" and “Rite of Passage," Devildriver - “Nest of Vipers”

Our guest this week is Brutus bassist Peter Mulders. We discuss the band's first live album, Live In Ghent (out October 23), how the recording wasn't initially meant for fans to hear, the organic process of how songs evolve after playing them live, the energy of getting to record a show in his hometown, and the painstaking process of obtaining visas for the North American tour in March that was eventually cancelled and the financial repercussions of the pandemic. Peter also tells us the band's thoughts on making a new album right now.

Petar, Brandon, and Sylvia discuss Rob Halford attempting to seduce Paul Di'Anno, the sadness it brings us that Lamb of God's Willie Adler isn't currently speaking to his brother and the band's former drummer, Chris, and if we agree with Kataklysm frontman Maurizio Iacono's stance that bands who delay new album releases until after the pandemic are “un-metal”.

Songs: Brutus “Cemetary” (Live), Boundaries - “Carve," Uniform - “Life in Remission”

Elize Ryd of Amaranthe is our guest this week! We discuss the band's upcoming album, Manifest (October 2), how the mental reality of the pandemic affected the recording of the record, the importance of making a fun and positive record during this time, and the story behind the guest artists on the album. Elize also tells us about why creating music videos is still one of her favorite parts of being a musician, her desire to put out a live DVD/Blu-ray, how she feels that fan-filmed YouTube videos of bands performing live don't portray a fair representation of the artists, and the love her metal friends around the world share on a daily basis through these times.

Petar, Brandon and Sylvia once again talk about the negative nonsense going on in the Fear Factory camp, our thoughts on whether the GoFundMe campaign is a scam, and Richard Patrick getting the snub for Nine Inch Nail's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction despite his membership during a very important time for the band.

Songs: Amaranthe - “Strong” (Featuring Noora Louhimo from Battle Beast) and “Viral," Ihsahn - “Spectre At The Feast”

Enslaved's Ivar Bjørnson is our guest this week. We discuss the band's new album, Utgard, and the concept behind it, the shorter songs therein compared to their previous three albums, the experience of the band's recently completed virtual tour, and what new drummer Iver Sandøy brings to the band both behind the kit and vocally. We also talk about the influence Deep Purple have had on Enslaved, their decision to cover Faith No More’s "Jizzlobber," the Enslaved record he thinks those new to the band should start with, and the challenges for working musicians that most people aren’t aware of right now.

Petar, Brandon, and Sylvia discuss Pete’s birthday weekend, the perpetual journey of trying to find a safe place to smoke a joint, and the age at which consuming new art should maybe stop for people.

Songs: Enslaved - “Homebound” and “Jettegryta”

The Ocean mastermind Robin Staps is back on the show to discuss the band's new album, Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic|Cenozoic. Robin discusses how the two Phanerozoic albums sound completely different despite being recorded at the same time, Jonas from Katatonia's guest appearance, the difficultly in finding fossils for the box set version of the album, and how he predicted the future with regards to Covid-19 in The Ocean's Collective Oblivion DVD, released in 2013. Robin also shares his thoughts on Pelagial making some best-of-decade lists, the delayed recognition that record got from his fanbase, and the importance of his father being a jazz musician in his musical path.

Petar, Brandon, and Jozalyn discuss recording the podcast on Petar’s 40th birthday, and the untimely death of Power Trip's Riley Gale.

Songs: The Ocean - “Jurassic/Cretaceous" (featuring. Jonas Renske of Katatonia), Varg - “Zeichen” and Power Trip - “Executioner’s Tax (Swing of The Axe)”

Kataklysm frontman Maurizio Iacono is our guest this week. We discuss the band's latest album, Unconquered, how anxiety has driven his career and having to readjust during this time, how delaying releasing a record right now is not “metal," and whether he plans to start writing a new album right away because the band can't tour. Iacono also discusses how his job as a booking agent has been reinvented because of Covid-19, living in the middle of the road politically and the backlash that occurs because of it, why cancel culture might be necessary for us to understand each other, and how we can’t educate each other anymore because of misinformation from the media.

Petar, Brandon, and Sylvia break down how the Chris Cornell statue and the entire year of 2020 are like oil and water in light of the recent vandalization, Fred Durst stating that he and the boys of Limp Bizkit were never friends, and Corey Taylor almost joining Anthrax.

Songs: Kataklysm - “The Killshot," Hinayana - “Cold Conception" (Featuring the late Nature Ganganbaigal of Tengger Cavalry)

Barney Greenway of Napalm Death is our guest this week. We discuss the band's first new album in five years, Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism, how he and bassist Shane Embury always argue about the sequence of songs on their records, and the non-metal bands that heavily influence Napalm Death. Barney also talks about how the world has changed since the last time the band released new music, his views on the dehumanization of people across the world, and the insanity of countries having gay-free zones and the ideology of scapegoating people due to their sexual preference.

Petar, Brandon, and Jozalyn discuss Jozalyn doing stand up comedy with the audience wearing noise-cancelling headphones, Corey Taylor putting his minor league band Stone Sour on indefinite hiatus, and Five Finger Death Punch making a film.

Songs: Napalm Death - “Backlash Just Because," Unleash The Archers - “Abyss” and Be Well - “Morning Light”

Our guest this week is Kamelot and Seventh Wonder vocalist Tommy Karevik. We discuss all the preparation that went into creating the new Kamelot live album/DVD, I Am The Empire - Live From The 013, getting every special guest that they went after, his childhood love of Michael Jackson, transitioning from being a fan of pop to heavy metal, how the touring cycle for Kamelot was affected by COVID-19, how having a second career is necessary for every metal musician, on his recent marriage to Kobra Paige, the concept behind Seventh Wonder’s latest album Tiara, if there will be another Seventh Wonder record in the future, and an update on the next Kamelot album.

Petar, Brandon, and Sylvia discuss Scott Ian’s comments about backing tracks being used at concerts, Mike Portnoy yelling about the evil empire of Spotify, and why complaining about streaming is utterly useless because there is no going back.

Songs: Kamelot - “Phantom Divine (Shadow Empire)" (Live, Featuring Lauren Hart of Once Human), and Seventh Wonder - “The Everones"

Black Crown Initiate guitarist Andy Thomas is our guest this week! We discuss the recording the band's new album during modern times, the return of guitarist Ethan McKenna, finding motivation, channeling the lowest points in his life into the record, avoiding the hatred of daily contemporary culture, trends in social media, the hard compromise of the upcoming election, and more.

Petar, Brandon, and Sylvia also tackle the new Corey Taylor rap-rock tune "CMFT," conservative fans getting into online feuds with Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello, and System of a Down drummer John Dolmayan's opinions about the BLM movement.

Songs: Black Crown Initiate - “Death Comes In Reverse” and “Holy Silence,” Orbit Culture - “Open Eye”

Avatar vocalist Johannes Eckerström is our guest this week. We discuss how being controversial in metal is extremely hard work because of how far the genre has already pushed the edge, his band’s relationship with one visual director for over a decade, the realization that we have arrived in the dystopian world art has envisioned for ages, his journey to becoming vegan, being a huge fan of the writing of Trey Parker and Matt Stone, having to think outside the box to create music videos during quarantine, and how the book Sapiens influenced the band's new album, Hunter Gatherer.

Petar, Brandon, and Sylvia tackle the feud between Sebastian Bach and Chris Jericho -- how unhinged it makes Sebastian Bach look, our thoughts on how Jericho should play this going forward -- and we theorize on why In Flames would decide to re-record songs on Clayman for a reissue.

Songs: Avatar - “Silence In The Age of Apes" and "Colossus," Onslaught - “Religiousuicide”

Dee Snider is back on the show! This time we discuss his new live Blu Ray/DVD, For The Love of Metal Live, how the album's sole new track, "Prove me Wrong," is a statement to his fans, why a live DVD is what every music fan should embrace these days, and the immediate connection the songs from his latest solo album had with fans. We also tackle plenty of pandemic-related issues: if Twisted Sister would have been able to make it through what we are currently dealing with, how a lot of us have gained perspective during this time to focus on real problems, and whose job is truly important and how artists have to realize their roles in society have changed. Finally, we talk about the next film project that he is currently set to direct.

Petar, Brandon, and Sylvia discuss Trapt’s first week album sales, Insane Clown Posse trying to catch a predator with Chris Hansen, Tripp Eisen's feud with Static-X and Edsel Dope, and Static-X making the poor decision to play a show during COVID while thinking asking fans to wear masks is the answer.

Songs: Dee Snider - “Prove Me Wrong” and “I Am The Hurricane" (Live)

The Acacia Strain guitarist Devin Shidaker is our guest this week. We discuss releasing two albums in one year and the choice to surprise-release It Comes In Waves, why they need to take chances to keep their sound fresh instead of repeating past formats that worked, how streams are more important to the band than actual album sales, and the honor system with fans who buy physical copies. We also talk about current events exhaustion, the backlash against peers in hardcore and metal when they say something ignorant on social media, the current unfriend me atmosphere of people with different opinions, how his girlfriend testing positive for Covid-19 changed his view of current news programming, all the recent headlines involving System of a Down drummer John Dolmayan, and how difficult it will be to change the culture of police in America.

Petar, Brandon, and Jozalyn discuss the recent episode of The MetalSucks Quarantinecast with Iced Earth's Jon Schaffer, the need for people to be "right" without facts, how speculation can become facts to people these days, and why everyone needs to see White Men Can’t Jump.

Songs: The Acacia Strain - "Solace and Serenity," "Seeing God (Featuring Aaron Heard from Jesus Piece)," Imperial Triumphant - “Rotted Futures”

Witch Taint's Lance the King of Black Metal and Matthias Backwards, aka Dave Hill and Phil Costello, join the show this week. We discuss the origin of the band’s name, how they constantly have to prove how metal they are, how the slang words for "taint" differ by region, their ongoing beef with death metal, why worshipping Satan in your sleep is vital for being a true black metal artist, why you can’t do pilates on camera and be in an extreme metal band, why they play first instead of last when they headline shows, and why they aren’t concerned with promoting anything despite being on social media and YouTube.

Petar, Brandon, and Sylvia discuss the new venue that is being built with social distancing guidelines in mind, Corey Taylor's choice for his favorite Slipknot song, and Tommy Lee's new face tattoos.

Songs: Witch Taint - "Sons of Satan" and "Death to Death Metal"

Voivod guitarist Daniel “Chewy” Mongrain is our guest this week. We discuss the Canadian perspective on the recent protests inspired by the murder of George Floyd and his country's response to the pandemic, he looks back on Voivod's most recent studio album, The Wake, tells us about how Voivod got invited to play the Montreal International Jazz Festival, why spontaneous composition is difficult for a metal band, Voivod’s experience doing the live-streamed Isolation Festival, and an update on the band's next album.

Petar, Brandon, and Sylvia discuss the guy that got Pete into heavy metal at the age of nine years old, how he knocked out a guy by sucker punching him, and the antics of Pete as a high school basketball player who would pull pranks on his coach.

Songs: Voivod - “The End of Dormancy (Metal Section)," Valkyrie - “Feeling So Low”

Volumes vocalist Michael Barr is our guest this week. We talk about his journey from exiting Volumes to eventually returning to the band, and we get an update on the band's next album. Michaels tells us about their recently-released standalone single, "Pixelate," its message about the dangers of growing up staring at a computer screen, the digital imprint being more important to your legacy than human interaction, getting bullied for staying silent and refusing to add to the daily noise, if caring too much about your own brand can make you disconnected from other people, and the importance of being able to fuck up so you can grow as a person. Michael also shares a memory of Diego Farias, his former bandmate that tragically passed away earlier this year.

Petar, Brandon, and Sylvia tackle the video footage of Doro's drive-in concert, our experience with visiting Las Vegas casinos during the pandemic, the power of regulating the media intake in your life, and Protest the Hero’s statement about fans that have a different political agenda.

Songs: Volumes - “Pixelate," Descend - “Lily”

The Sword axeman Kyle Shutt is our guest this week. We discuss the recent release of two rarity, b-side and live compilations, Chronology 2006-2018 and Conquest of Kingdoms, the difference between the two, and the effects of taking a hiatus as a band after 15 years. We also discuss how Primus brought the band back together, how the death of Neil Peart put a pause on their reunion shows, his hobby of drawing self-portraits during the quarantine, what having kids has taught him, and the next thing fans can look forward to from The Sword.

Petar, Brandon, and Sylvia discuss the possibility of an Oderus Urungus statue in Virginia, Tommy Vext's comments on the Black Lives Matter movement, and his Bad Wolves bandmate Doc Coyle’s response.

Songs: The Sword - “Daughter of Dawn," Mushroomhead - “The Heresy," Aversions Crown - “Paradigm”

Legendary thrash metal vocalist Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth (Overkill) is our guest this week. We discuss his supergroup cover band, BPMD (featuring Mike Portnoy, Phill Demmel, and Mark Menghi), we break down their album track by track as he shares his memories of seeing the songs performed live in the 1970s, learn how Saturday Night Special and busting balls was the catalyst for the creation of the band, the specific reason why the BPMD record was done by all the guys, the origin of Overkill starting off as a cover band, and how they sent their version of the covers to the original artists and got feedback. We also get an update on the latest Overkill record.

This week we are doing another music episode and compiling our Best of 2020 So Far lists and playing a song off each record we think you need to check out before the summer hits.

Songs: BPMD - “Toys In The Attic” (originally by Aerosmith) and “Evil” (originally by Cactus)

Within Temptation vocalist Sharon del Adel is our guest this week. We discuss the band's latest standalone single, "Entertain You," the song's lyrical exploration of why people film altercations instead of helping humans in distress and the debate of filming being used as evidence versus getting involved. We also talk about how the majority of silent voices aren't represented on social media, the media's contributions to modern day bully culture, and an update on the band's rescheduled tour with Evanescence.

Petar, Brandon and Sylvia discuss the metal and rock community’s reaction to the murder of George Floyd, and discuss the feeling of helplessness we all experience when we see what's going on in the world around us.

Songs: Within Temptation "Entertain You" and "Raise Your Banner," Alestorm - "Treasure Chest Party Quest"

Nita Strauss is back on the show! This time we discuss Nita's new guitar tutorial website, iwanttoplayguitar.com, the story behind the programs she's created for guitar players of all levels, how learning from instructional videos was very important to her as a developing musician, and the teacher-student relationship that she has experienced across the world. We also talk about the motivation behind her solo record and how that will change on her sophomore release, her thoughts on how meet-and-greets will be impacted by the pandemic, the challenges of creating value for fans during the quarantine, performers having to give it their all the keep fans from scrolling through their phones, and when fans can expect her second solo record to come out.

Petar, Brandon, and Jozalyn tackle a subject suggested by a listener: which metal vocalists don’t get the credit they deserve? We choose six and play a track by each artist.

Song: Nita Strauss - “Our Most Desperate Hour”

Nightwish vocalist Floor Jansen is our guest this week. We discuss the band's new album, Human. :II: Nature., whether there were any concerns about releasing it during the quarantine, working with a real choir and orchestra instead of using samples, and finding her vocal timing in the studio, as well as how COVID-19 has taught people to slow down in life and why not doing concerts is the safest way to take care of fans. Floor also shares a story about the time Vinnie Paul showed up at a Nightwish concert, her experience performing at a venue with a bowling alley next to the stage, what it was like to become the first band to ever film a video at London's National History Museum, and having a new species of beetle named after her.

Petar, Brandon, and Sylvia discuss the new concert safety guidelines that don't permit moshing or crowdsurfing, MS co-founder Vince Neilstein's article on age defining your taste in heavy metal, and Serj Tankian’s comments about how his new EP will consist of songs he wrote for System of A Down.

Songs: Nightwish - “Noise," “Tribal," Killswitch Engage - “To The Great Beyond”

Khemmis bassist Daniel Beiers is our guest this week. We discuss the band's new release, Doomed Heavy Metal, why he calls it a mini-album instead of an EP, how they chose which live tracks made it onto the album, and the band's plans for an eventual full-length album. Beiers also talks about how his job as an engineer has kept him extremely busy during the pandemic, trusting his kids to homeschool themselves during work hours, how fans are relying on bands to cancel shows with an uncertain future, his thoughts on the possibility of Khemmis doing a live stream concert, and how the band's general plans have changed due to the pandemic.

Petar, Brandon, and Sylvia tackle the backlash against Phil Labonte for comparing Nickelback to Metallica, Stryper's Michael Sweet and L.A. Guns' Tracii Guns making a “black metal record," and the recent spike in musical instrument sales during the lockdown.

In This Moment vocalist Maria Brink is our guest this week. We discuss the theme behind the band's new album, Mother, how the death of family members influenced the writing and recording of the record, the visual aspect of In This Moment's live presentation and the difficulty of making that work on a budget, how collaborating with different singers is always exciting for her, the possibility of doing a video for the band's cover of Queen's "We Will Rock You" with Lzzy Hale and Taylor Momsen, how the coronavirus is inspiring her to use technology to reach her fanbase, and the possibility of the band doing a live streaming performance.

Petar, Brandon, and Sylvia discuss the recent drive-in concert in Denmark and whether that could work for metal bands, Randy Blythe’s statement that social distancing efforts would never be successful at a metal show, Bad Religion's decision to cancel instead of postpone their touring plans so fans can get ticket refunds, Lars Ulrich's statement that Metallica could write a new album during this time, and The Black Dahlia Murder charting on Billboard.

Songs: In This Moment - “The In-Between," “As Above, So Below," Paradise Lost - "Ghosts"

Jamey Jasta of Hatebreed is our guest this week. We celebrate 500 episodes of his own podcast, The Jasta Show, the importance of his show's sponsors for its survival, how he gets in trouble for speaking his mind and the lessons he has learned from his peers in podcasting. Turning to his band, he reveals how he thought The Rise of Brutality would never be released, feeling competitive with other bands when Hatebreed were coming up, and the role the Melvins played in him falling in love with live music. We also discuss heavy metal's reputation as an angry old guy on the lawn and his suspicions that he was named after James Taylor.

Petar, Brandon, and Sylvia tackle some fan mail on when we think metalheads will be able to attend live shows again and we discuss the coronavirus battle rap between Pete’s offspring.

Songs: Hatebreed - “When The Blade Drops," Jasta - “When The Contagion Is You” (featuring Matthew K. Heafy), Local H - “Turn The Bow”

John Kevill from Warbringer joins the show this week. We discuss the band's new album, Weapons of Tomorrow, how his lyrics can be misinterpreted in light of recent events, the importance of the success of Woe To The Vanquished for Warbringer to survive as a band, how having a near-death experience as a band sharpened them musically, and breaking out of the neo-thrash mold. John also tells us about his studies of military history, the dangers of voluntarily putting your information on the internet, if the media deserve credit for less destructive behavior by humans, how he recently got into the stock market before the pandemic, how the past and present tend to rhyme and how we are in an obvious time of change in our culture.

Petar and Brandon take on Danny Carey's statement about a possible new Tool EP, and we finally have no choice but to tackle the nonsense from that one guy in Trapt.

Songs: Warbringer - “The Black Hand Reaches Out" and “Glorious End”

Trevor Strnad is back on the show to discuss the new Black Dahlia Murder album, Verminous. We tackle the vampire-related lyrical themes of the record, how it's easy to trace the new elements on each of the band's albums that helped them evolve to the next era, the myriad easter eggs on Verminous, and Ritual landing on many best-of-the-decade lists. We also discuss the power Bram Stoker’s Dracula has on women in particular, the greatness of actor Bill Paxton, Trevor's love of Symphony X and power metal, the danger of revisiting movies that you loved as a kid, and how today's films don't have the same cult impact they once did.

Petar and Brandon dish on Tommy Lee thinking the Mötley Crüe summer tour will still happen, our thoughts on what has to occur in order for that to be the case, and what the risks of doing a tour that soon would be.

Songs: The Black Dahlia Murder - “Verminous" and “Child of Night," and Allegaeon - “Roundabout” (Yes cover)

Testament vocalist Chuck Billy is our guest this week. We discuss the band's new album, Titans of Creation, how it's the biggest risk the band has taken in their career, what it was like touring with Slayer on their farewell run, and the reason he prefers being on the road over being in the studio. We also talk about his recent bout with COVID-19, his fear of assimilating back into the public now that he's recovered, how dealing with it at the same time as other members of the touring party helped (and update on all of those people), and his thoughts on how the coronavirus could impact the future. On a lighter note, Chuck tells us about how he finds golf and boating as peaceful ways to get away from the world right now, and his desire to get a new dog.

Petar and Brandon discuss how the Testament record Dark Roots of Earth had a factor in Petar spending eight hours in jail back in 2013, and they jaw about the latest metal news as usual.

Songs: Testament - “Children of The Next Level," “Night of The Witch,” Wolfheart - “Hail of Steel”

August Burns Red guitarist JB Brubaker is our guest this week. We discuss the band's new record, Guardians, its loose lyrical theme, how the music he's written has changed since becoming a dad, and knowing when to call a demo a finished piece. We also talk about celebrating the 10th anniversary of Constellations with fans, the band's plans for rescheduling their scrapped tour with Killswitch Engage, the positive aspect of having extra time at home as a result of that unfortunate situation, his passion for collecting baseball cards, and the importance of keeping your hobbies alive for personal fulfillment.

Petar, Brandon, and Jozalyn discuss the rumors surrounding a new band featuring Phil Anselmo and the three non-Tom Araya members of Slayer, Hatebreed’s decision to postpone their new album, and our thoughts on the spiking sales of Disturbed “Down With The Sickness."

Songs: August Burns Red - “Paramount” and "Defender," Heaven Shall Burn - “Eradicate”

Johanna and Nicke from Lucifer join us on a special in-between episode of The MetalSucks Podcast. We discuss the band's new record, Lucifer III, leaning more towards horror themes, the importance of using older equipment to their band's sound, how Johanna has always drawn inspiration from cemeteries, how mediocrity has contributed to quickly-changing trends, the look and style that is still very important to the rock scene, and why it’s so much easier to tour Europe than the U.S.

Songs: Lucifer - “Ghosts" and "Midnight Phantom," Candlemass - "The Pendulum," Têtêma - “Haunted On The Uptake”

Our guest this week is the one and only Ice-T of Body Count. We discuss the state of emergency in our respective states, the reality of our country not being prepared for an outbreak and how he compares the current situation to other states of emergency he has experienced. We also talk about Body Count's new album, Carnivore, getting a Grammy nomination for Bloodlust and the importance of adding Will Putney as a producer. The conversation then turned back to current events: his experience with police while growing up in L.A. and how it echoes through today, information by itself being dangerous without a biased opinion to filter it, his collaboration with Jamey Jasta and how he thought Hatebreed were a racist band when he first heard about them, how you have to check your friends when they display hatred towards other people, and the true story behind Ice's greatest line in a film.

Petar, Brandon and Sylvia apologize for being annoyed last week by the coronavirus outbreak canceling concerts en masse, discuss Ice-T's New Jack City line that's been part of our 20-year friendship, Brandon pictured in a mullet as a child in a karate training facility, and much more.

Songs: Body Count - “Carnivore" and “Bum Rush,” Aether Realm - “Slave To The Riff”

Continental Concerts booking agent and Unique Leader Records marketing guru Daniel DeFonce joins the show this week. Dan has a whole lot of advice for bands, including his strategy on how to book a tour for a band that has a lot of buzz behind them, the importance of a band being self-sufficient in promoting, emerging trends in social media (and some nostalgia on the switch from MySpace to Facebook), and the importance of a band's visual aesthetic and merchandising. He also shares his thoughts on a band having a “uniform” on stage and how fans need to push themselves harder to get out of their house and go to live events.

Petar, Brandon, and Sylvia discuss Insane Clown Posse's dirty snow-eating tactic for defeating the coronavirus, Michael Bolton auditioning for Black Sabbath, and Alice in Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell returning to the studio for a solo record.

Songs: Brand of Sacrifice - “Charlotte," Signs of The Swarm - “Malformed Dissonance," Viscera - “Immersed in Ire”

Jami Morgan of Code Orange is back on the show following his appearance on episode #243 back in 2018! We discuss the band's forthcoming album, Underneath, the hundreds of hours the band spends working on their visual aesthetic, shaking up fans with something new every album, working with Chris Vrenna from Nine Inch Nails this time around and upgrading the stage show for this new album cycle. Jami also tells us what it's like to have grown up in a band he's been in since the age of 17, hardcore music being so important to their work ethic, playing The Dillinger Escape Plan's final show, taking constructive criticism from online commenters, and the importance of several of the metal scene's leading younger bands playing together on this summer's Slipknot tour.

Petar, Brandon, and Sylvia discuss the coronavirus taking out SXSW, Randy Blythe's non-comment on the split with Chris Adler, Robb Flynn doubling down on rap metal, and our thoughts on being honest as an artist.

Every Time I Die guitarist and All Elite Wrestling newcomer Andy Williams is our guest this week. We discuss all things Every Time I Die, wrestling and the intersection between those two worlds, including Andy's road from metal icon to wrestling star, the anxiety of recording the new ETID album and having to leave to get in the ring, his fandom of the WCW as a kid and more. We also talk about other topics related to his work in both music and wrestling: the best hair metal ballads of all time and how becoming a professional wrestler has allowed him to appreciate garbage music more, his memory of the Mass Transit incident, how the backstage experience at wrestling has changed over the years, if the tag team breakup storyline is inevitable for The Butcher, The Blade, and The Bunny, and an update on the progress of the new Every Time I Die record.

Petar, Brandon, and Jozalyn tackle listener emails regarding our argument about the term “relevance” in music (an outgrowth of last week's conversation about System a Down), our fear of discussing politics because we really don’t know anything besides headlines, and our stories of attending live wrestling events as kids.

Songs: Every Time I Die - “Map Change," Orthodox - “Cut”

Intronaut guitarist and vocalist Sacha Dunable is our guest this week. We discuss if the band's long break between albums benefited the music on their new record, Fluid Existential Inversions, the decision to let go of founding drummer Danny Walker following abuse allegations leveled against him, how the band dynamic has changed after that decision was made and how close Sacha himself was to quitting Intronaut in recent years. We also chatted about his excitement for Intronaut’s upcoming North American tour with Cult of Luna, his custom guitar company, Dunable Guitars, how he got credited as a guitar tech on Tool's latest album, his creation of the world’s first “smokeable” six-string guitar, and which guitar player he'd like to make a custom guitar for.

Petar, Brandon, and Jozalyn discuss Ozzy Osbourne's cancelation of his No More Tours 2 tour (again), John Dolmayan's comment that System of A Down never reached their potential, and ex-Fear Factory bassist Christian Olde Wolbers' political finger-pointing post.

Songs: Intronaut - “Cubensis” and “Pangloss”

Devin Townsend is back on the show for his record-setting fourth appearance! We discuss his upcoming North American tour with Haken and The Contortionist, how his latest album, Empath, has ties to his journey into middle age, his realization that he is not a great band member and how that affects the creative process, how being a working musician is 80% logistics, all of his tours becoming special, one-of-a-kind events, and his plans on playing Strapping Young Lad songs this summer. Devin also shares his evolutionary theory on why kids are mean to their parents and talks accountability in music getting misconstrued as having a stance on morality.

Petar, Brandon, and Jozalyn, tackle the drunken Cameo video that Vince Neil made for a fan, Lamb of God’s entire new record being political in nature, and the joy of knowing Danny DeVito is a Mr. Bungle fan.

Songs: Devin Townsend - “Genesis," Loathe - “Screaming," Irist - “Burning Sage”

Our guest this week is Suicide Silence guitarist Chris Garza. We discuss the band's new album, Become The Hunter, the accompanying trilogy of music videos, if he considers Become The Hunter a return to form after the band's controversial self-titled album, how the door has been opened for more experimentation after that record, his gratitude for being able to continue with Suicide Silence after the death of Mitch Lucker, and the importance of being grateful after something real happens in your life. Chris also tells us about his love of true crime documentaries, the story behind the band's signature burger known as The Meltdown, why his favorite place in the world is Bangkok, and his love/hate relationship with traveling and his fear of flying.

Petar, Brandon, and Sylvia discuss how wrong we were about the Mötley Crüe, Def Leppard, Poison arena tour selling well, our thoughts on the new Lamb of God song and coming to terms with the fact that metal is following the evolution of jazz by becoming a niche genre.

Songs: Suicide Silence “Feel Alive” and “Love Me To Death”

Delain vocalist Charlotte Wessels and keyboardist Martijn Westerholt join us on the podcast this week. We discuss the band's new record, Apocalypse and Chill, their ideas for the best possible apocalypse experience, the hopeful vibe that the lyrical approach on the record conveys despite the dark subject matter, the use of technology in the making of the album, the importance of never planning a direction when creating music, Charlotte’s desire to sing the album’s ballad live on stage, and the heavier presence of electronics this time around. We also discuss Martijn's trip to Las Vegas to get married and the romantic milestones we endure to celebrate our partners.

Petar, Brandon, and Jozalyn tackle yet another sad death in the metal family with the death of Corrosion of Conformity drummer Reed Mullin, as well as Kobe Bryant's passing and the metal community's reaction to it.

Songs: Corrosion of Conformity - “13 Angels," Delain - “One Second” and “Burning Bridges”

This week riff-master Kirk Windstein of Crowbar comes on the podcast to discuss his first solo album, Dream in Motion. Kirk tells us about the challenge of covering Jethro Tull, which solo artist he thinks successfully broke away from their main band to flourish on their own, the major influence of Carnivore on the Crowbar sound, his favorite Type O Negative record, which festival would be perfect for all the bands whose members comprise Down to play, his favorite Down release and why, an update on the completion of the four Down EPs that were supposed to make up Down IV, and when we can expect a new Crowbar album (hint: very soon).

Petar and Brandon talk about the sudden passing of Cynic and Death drummer Sean Reinert, the influence that he had on modern heavy metal drumming, what Death's Human and Cynic’s Focus did for us as young metal fans, and the importance of those records in the history of the genre.

Song: Cynic - “How Could I," Kirk Windstein - “Dream In Motion” and “Aqualung”

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In this special half-episode of The MetalSucks Podcast we get a quick chat with Poppy to discuss her new album, I Disagree. Poppy tells us about the lyrical growth from her YouTube persona to this record, the importance of having a following on multiple platforms for success in today's music climate, the dark imagery that motivated her to change her persona into something more realistic, and the concept behind the music video for “Anything Like Me." She also discusses growing up on the internet and how it can make you or destroy you if it isn't used the right way, the feeling that she wouldn’t exist without the internet, the honesty in burying certain elements that she felt weren’t genuine, and her peace with knowing that the right people will find her music.

Songs: Poppy - “Anything Like Me" and "I Disagree," Bohren & Der Club of Gore - “Tief Gesunken”

Sepultura frontman Derrick Green joins us this week. We discuss the band's new album, Quadra, how the numerology concept throughout it relates to social issues, the importance of branching out in different musical directions with each record for both the longevity of Sepultura and for reaching Derrick's personal goals, the fear of being in a band that traps themselves into one particular musical sound, and the importance of just having fun when creating music. Derrick also talks about the importance of family life and its deteriorating quality today, questions if modern day propaganda is geared to a selfish individual outlook, and speaks to the power of art in today's culture.

Petar, Brandon, and Sylvia discuss their experience watching Tool live on the Fear Inoculum tour, Brandon’s altercation with someone sitting in his seat, and the importance of younger rock and metal bands bringing the same excitement into our genre that Tool do.

Songs: Sepultura - “Isolation" and “Last Time," Konvent - "Ropes Pt. II"

Midnight mastermind Athenar is our guest this week. We discuss the band's new album, Rebirth by Blasphemy, and how it fits into Midnight's history starting with the band's early seven-inches, as well as the difficulty of writing lyrics in the bizarre realm of metal, if he would ever create a record with other musicians or if he always plans to maintain full creative control, and the importance of the visual aspect behind Midnight. Athenar also tells us a bit about his personal life, explaining how a Cleveland native became a fan of his hometowns rival Pittsburgh Steelers, the charm of Cleveland's negative attitude, his lifelong passion for record collecting, the possibility of a four-year-old being a tour manager for Midnight, what instruments he learned to play as a child himself, and the joy that comes with temporarily losing his cell phone.

Petar, Brandon and Jozalyn discuss the passing of legendary Rush drummer Neil Peart, the legacy of what he did for drummers everywhere, and the art that Rush left behind for the world. We also mourn the passing of Black Breath’s Elijah Nelson, and we talk about Lorna Shore's decision to release their album with the vocals of fired and disgraced frontman CJ McCreery.

Songs: Rush - “Ceiling Unlimited," Midnight - “Fucking Speed and Darkness” and “Rising Scum”