The MetalSucks Podcast

George Clarke from Deafheaven guests this week. We find out what he thinks about the band's meteoric trajectory since their inception just a few years ago, what it means to be critically accepted, shaping the band while members are leaving (and what that means to the bands sound), his relationship with the other bandmates and whether he might need therapy soon.

We also discuss the recent "takeover" of the Billboard Top 200 by four metal bands in the top 20. It may not seem like that many but when you see 20% of album sales and streaming going to metal new and old, that's encouraging. The bright spots in metal album sales have been few and far between, so could this signal a bit of a trend? Either way Metallica's black album still sold 2000+ copies last week, so at least there's that.

Follow us on twitter: @beardedApe and @GodlessSpeaks, and support us on Patreon.

Songs:
Deafheaven - "Come Back"
Bring Me The Horizon - "Throne"

Direct download: METALSucks20Podcast20Ep0117.mp3
Category:The MetalSucks Podcast -- posted at: 6:26pm PDT

We invited guitarist Brian Eschbach of The Black Dahlia Murder to guest on the podcast this week following the release of the band's latest ripper Abysmal. We talk about the new record, using a different producer to give their music a more organic sound, what life is like off the road, how the business of TBDM works, what their relationships with former members of the band are like and the keys to success of one of the top extreme metal bands going today.

The Atlas Moth's Stavros Gianopolis joins us for another edition of "Storytime With Stavros." This time he has a little help from another member of the band and explains why weed can be very bad for you, or at least lead to some intteresting predicaments on the road. We also talk about what happens to bands after they lose core members, inspired by Tom Araya's admission that Repentless was only "half of Slayer."

Songs:
The Black Dahlia Murder - "The Fog"
Iron Maiden - "When the River Runs Deep"

Direct download: METALSucks20Podcast20Ep0116.mp3
Category:The MetalSucks Podcast -- posted at: 7:55am PDT

Sevendust frontman Lajon Withersppon guests this week! We chat about the new album Kill the Flaw, the differences between touring at the age of 21 and touring today with a family back home, how his family is growing and what that will mean for the bands future plans, how the band's history with bad decisions and unfortunate circumstances weighs on their current processes and what surprising item of clothing he was wearing when he met his wife for the first time. We almost went down a car talk wormhole, too.

We also discuss the GoFundMe campaign for a member of a band who faked her fight with cervical cancer. What does it mean that in this time where bands are struggling to make any kind of living you have a person trying to take advantage of a music scene's generosity? Could their be wider consequences than just the people affected directly by this incident? We salute Lemmy for getting back on tour and announce our own crowd funding campaign, too.

Direct download: METALSucks20Podcast20Ep0115.mp3
Category:The MetalSucks Podcast -- posted at: 7:50am PDT

We had the chance to talk to Sean Reinert right on the heels of the announcement that his seminal band, Cynic, would be calling it quits before their next tour -- which was not only a surprise to fans, but, according to Facebook, a surprise to other members of the band, too. We asked him about the recent Facebook posts he wrote about their break up, what issues lead to the current situation, the back and forth between he and Paul Masvidal, and why two people who have worked together for so long can no longer bear to be around each other.

Follow us on Twitter: @BeardedApe and @GodlessSpeaks

Direct download: METALSucks20Podcast20Ep0114-75.mp3
Category:The MetalSucks Podcast -- posted at: 2:34pm PDT

The new album from SLAYER drops today (9/11/15), and we've decided to give you all a special podcast to listen along with Repentless! This is something that's never been tried before in the history of the planet, so who knows if it will work or not -- but as you explore the new record you can listen to commentary about the new songs, a discussion of Slayer's place in history and more. We don't give you the music -- you use your own disc, LP, cassette or stream -- and listen alongside the podcast.

But this is not just the two of us hosting! We thought you might need some expert opinions to carry you through why this record may (or may not) be the best thing since sliced wrists. So we invited some of the foremost Slayer experts, musicians, comedians and more to chat along with the album and put things in perspective:

So check out our first ever attempt at an online listening party and celebrate SLAYER along with! Purchase Repentless here on physical formats and here digitally if you haven't yet. And when we tell you, push play on Repentless and hold on!

Direct download: METALSucks20Podcast20Ep0114-5.mp3
Category:The MetalSucks Podcast -- posted at: 4:33am PDT

Dave Wyndorf of Monster Magnet guests this week. We talk about the rise and fall of Monster Magnet, from having a super radio hit to hardly selling any albums, the way the industry monetizes artists and thereby lessens the value of art, getting older and realizing what it means to have longevity, and the pitfalls of rock and roll in general. His candid perspective is unique and Dave does not mince words for those in power.

We also discuss last week's Motorhead show in Austin, where Chuck witnessed first-hand the illness that caused Lemmy's shortened performance. We discuss the crowd reaction while giving him the respect he deserves. Is this the beginning of the end for one of rock's most important icons? No matter what we hope to have him around for many more years, but it might be time to set up a residency or something.

Songs:
Monster Magnet - Watch Me Fade
Motorhead - Till the End

Direct download: METALSucks20Podcast20Ep0114.mp3
Category:The MetalSucks Podcast -- posted at: 7:17am PDT

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