Betraying the Martyrs vocalist Aaron Matts is our guest this week. We discuss the recent fire that struck the band's trailer and forced them to cancel their North American tour, the results of the investigation into the cause of the blaze, the sad news that the drum kit Chris Adler used with Megadeth burned up, how Adler became the band's manager, how skate culture was Aaron's gateway into music, the importance of using cannabis at a responsible age, and how crucial it is to wake up far away from the cell phone to start your morning right.

Petar, Brandon, and Jozalyn tackle the news that physical pre-orders of the new Tool record are sold out and the homophobic reaction sparked by Attila’s "gay" kiss on stage.

Songs: Betraying The Martyr - "Eternal Machine," "Parasite"

Cristina Scabbia and Andrea Ferro from Lacuna Coil guest on the show this week. We discuss their recent live DVD commemorating the band's 20th anniversary, everything that went into the production and special guests of that two-day performance (and what went wrong that viewers would never know), how revisiting songs they haven’t played in years influenced the new album, Black Anima. We also look back at the standout tours that broke Lacuna Coil into a different league, the tour that they did that they cherish the most, and a touching moment where Cristina felt a sense of peace after a personal loss.

Petar and Brandon deliver another music episode inspired by a fan calling them out on being old men by praising '90s hard rock over modern day mainstream rock.

Songs: Lacuna Coil - “Layers of Time," and “The House of Shame (Live)”

The Contortionist vocalist Michael Lessard returns to the show. We discuss the band's new EP, Our Bones: how the creative seeds for the record came out of soundchecks while on tour, enjoying the hyper-focused lens that a shorter release grants the songwriting process, producing the music video for “Early Grave” and his passion for editing music videos, and choosing to cover the Smashing Pumpkins “1979." Lessard also tells us how the band has embraced meet and greets with fans, how James Taylor was hugely influential to his singing style, the best gift he has ever received from a fan, and his thoughts on seeing the band's growth in Europe as they head into a headlining tour there.

Petar, Brandon, and Jozalyn tackle and review the big release this week with Slipknot’s We Are Not Your Kind and the first new Tool song in over 13 years, and address the link between a mass shooter and heavy metal in the latest tragedy from gun violence.

Song: The Contortionist - “Early Grave," Infinity Shred - “Long May You Run," Strung Out - “Daggers”

Carnifex vocalist Scott Lewis is the guest on our 300th episode. We discuss the band's new album World War X, the concept behind the record, the importance of the atmospherics and layers to the album's sound, the importance of the visual aesthetic in this album's videos, and how this year’s Summer Slaughter tour has been going and why it's working so well. We also discuss Scott's passion for action films, the importance of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, why Tim Burton’s vision is not on that same level, modern day feature film directors choosing to go to television instead of doing more features, and the most important contribution to society we have power over as individuals.

Petar, Brandon and Jozalyn tackle the Tool cycle of news that came out last week including their music's debut on streaming platforms, Jamey Jasta’s comments about Chvrches, argue about the value of legacy bands versus those that draw more on festival slots.

Songs: Carnifex - “World War X" and “No Light Shall Save Us” (Featuring Alissa White- Gluz)