The Metalsucks Podcast

Lamb of God guitarist Mark Morton is our guest this week to discuss his new solo album Anesthetic. Mark tells us about the origins of the project with material that didn’t work for Lamb of God, how close friend and producer Josh Wilbur influenced the album, the opportunity it provided for him to explore songwriting on the rock side of things, how he got Mark Lanegan to guest, the guitarist who added a lead to the album, who his favorite living drummer is and a short update on new Lamb of God material. Petar, Brandon, and Jozalyn tackle High on Fire's Grammy victory followed by the heartbreak of Vinnie Paul's snub. We also discuss Slash announcing that Guns N' Roses will head into the studio this year and debate Emmure frontman Frankie Palmeri's claim that the Static-X reunion is a cash grab. Songs: Mark Morton - “Cross Off” (Featuring Chester Bennington) Mark Morton - “Truth Is Dead” (Featuring Randy Blythe and Alissa White-Gluz) Kings Destroy - “Barbarossa” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podca

Queensryche vocalist Todd La Torre of Queensryche joins our show this week. We talk about the band's new album, The Verdict, the role producer Zeuss played in the recording process, Todd's contributions to the drums on the album, how the conflict in Syria become a lyrical inspiration and how the artwork was inspired by laws that create social injustices. Todd also tells us about his passion for documentary films, the importance of becoming informed to stop polarization and how to deliver certain messages in a hyper-sensitive culture. Finally, we get an update on the absence of founding drummer Scott Rockenfield and we learn how the band's live setlist on their upcoming tour with Fates Warning will feature more of their new material. Petar, Brandon, and Jozalyn address Maynard’s timeline on the new Tool record, Ozzy's recent hospitalization, Staind's Aaron Lewis saying more stupid shit, Maroon 5’s Super Bowl tattoo extravaganza and much more. Songs: Queensryche - “Man The Machine” Queensryche - “Dark Reve

David Ellefson of Megadeth, Altitudes & Attitude and Metal Allegiance is our guest this week. We discuss the new Altitudes & Attitude album Get It Out, the classic rock n' roll influence behind the the songs and the writing process between he and Frank Bello (also of Anthrax). We also talk about his realization that the rock n' roll lifestyle is an illusion after finding success in the industry, the difficulties he had adjusting to life in Los Angeles after moving from his native Minnesota, the difficulties of creating music during the '90s, the balance of serving the mainstream and thrash communities, which reviled Megadeth record he prefers more, Risk or Super Collider, and how he balances so many different projects at once. Petar, Brandon, and Jozalyn discover what incels are and create a divorce attorney for them, chime in on the Gene Simmons vs. Ace Frehley drama, and discuss the rumors of Tool's new record arriving in April. Songs: Altitudes and Attitudes - “Get It Out” Metal Allegiance - “The Accuse

Brett Boland of Astronoid is our guest this week. We discuss how the success of the band's debut record Air affected the writing process of their new self-titled album, the major life changes that happened during the creation of the new album, their upcoming tour with Between the Buried and Me and the importance of that band to Astronoid, various genre names that people have attempted to stamp on the band, the joy of buying records blind back in the day, his love for '80s pop music and more.  Petar, Brandon, and Jozalyn discuss the passing of Bruce Corbitt and the importance of Rigor Mortis to the metal scene. We also celebrate doing 100 episodes of the podcast together and discuss our journey as hosts, including what we've learned so far and our mistakes along the way. Rigor Mortis - “Poltergeist” Astronoid - “I Dream in Lines” Astronoid - “A New Color” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matt Pike of High on Fire and Sleep is our guest this week. We discuss his recent diagnosis as a diabetic, his recently amputated toe, the tour cancelations it caused and having to change his diet to manage the disease. Matt also tells us about the decision to surprise-release Sleep's The Sciences on 4/20 last year, his decision to spurn Coachella in favor of Roadburn, the preparation for doing double duty in both High On Fire and Sleep at festivals and the dream he had after Lemmy died that influenced Electric Messiah. We then dive deep on some non-musical topics, including where he thinks America is headed in 2019, the integrity (or lack thereof) of mainstream media, his thoughts on humans being created by aliens in a petri dish, how he handles being called crazy for his beliefs, and how he researches the strange topical matters for his lyrics. Petar, Brandon, and Jozalyn discuss the Chris Cornell tribute concert, Taylor Swift's use of an Every Time I Die lyric in her album artwork, and new informatio

Soilwork and The Night Flight Orchestra vocalist Bjorn “Speed” Strid is our guest this week. We discuss reigniting the fans and legacy of the band after 11 albums, how the Swedish bands and American bands of the mid '00s influenced each other, the rediscovery of the Scandinavian sound on The Living Infinite and how that journey has influenced the band's new album Verkligheten, being able to focus on touring the newer records and songs, if the success of The Night Flight Orchestra has affected the long gap between Soilwork albums, the importance of working as a collective on the new album, feeling limited lyrically in the metal genre, the importance of a gimmick with live shows in modern times and what he wish he implemented for Soilwork 20 years ago. Petar and Brandon tackle the announcement of Woodstock's 50th anniversary show, Mike Patton singing the National Anthem at the NFL playoffs (which was later canceled), Mike Pike canceling the High On Fire tour as a result of his diabetes, Jason Bittner stati

This week we take The Black Dahlia Murder's Trevor Strnad down memory lane with a discussion of important anniversaries that are coming in 2019. Ten years since Disney’s Up and Alice In Chains' comeback album Black Gives Way to Blue, 15 years since the Ozzfest where Hollywood Undead were hired to throw eggs at Iron Maiden, the anniversary of the death of Dimebag and Trevor's memories of the event, 20 years since Trevor graduated high school and the release of Mr. Bungle’s California, and 25 years since his first time watching Oliver Stone’s Natural Born Killers (and how the film's vision of the media has since become true). We also discuss Trevor's love for NOFX and the possibility of a Black Dahlia Murder covers EP of their songs, his favorite death metal record of 2018, the 72 year anniversary of the unsolved murder of Elizabeth Short, and plans for a new Black Dahlia record in 2019. Petar, Brandon, and Jozalyn discuss Kerry King’s claim that girls led to the end of his academic career, Maynard James Kee

This week on our final show of 2018 we give you a special double episode as we celebrate some of the great music that left an impression on us in 2018, counting down our top 15 albums of the year. The poetry of sadness, the lovely brutality of our senses and the essence of joy and peace that heavy metal brings people like us daily -- we cover it all and gladly present our list of genuine and beautiful music that defined this year. Special guests Jori Apedaile (Eneferens), Will Walker (Graveshadow), Henry Derek Elis, Isaiah Mitchell (Earthless) and Stavros Giannopoulos (The Atlas Moth) join us for quick chats.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alan Robert, Life of Agony bassist and the creator of The Beauty of Horror - Ghosts of Christmas coloring book, is our guest this week. We discuss the initial idea behind the adult coloring book series as a way of completely dismantling Christmas, his history as a comic book artist and author even prior to joining Life of Agony, how Twitter helped him get his first comic book published, an update on the film version of his graphic novel Crawl to Me, the terrorist threat that recently lead to a Life of Agony’s show cancelation in Las Vegas, his memories of working with the late, great character actor Frank Vincent on Killogy, the importance of Peter Steele’s influence on the Brooklyn metal scene in the late '80s, and an update on the new Life of Agony record coming out in 2019. Petar, Brandon, and Jozalyn celebrate Phil Demmel’s text message invite to join Slayer, Dave Mustaine wishing for another Big Four show, and the reunion of Witchrot and resurrection of their dead drummer. Songs: Life of Agony - “R

Rob Trump of the political parody grindcore act Anal Trump joins us for a special in-between episode of The MetalSucks Podcast. The guitarist/bassist/drummer shares with us the origins of Anal Trump, his love for Anal Cunt as a catalyst, the inspiration Brujeria provided, how the charity angle became an important part of the project, his future vision for the band, if they will disband when Trump is out of office and the possibility of live shows on the horizon. Songs: Anal Trump - “That Makes Me Smart” Anal Trump - “All The Broads I’ve Nailed Before” Anal Trump - “Thoughts” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sigh Mastermind Mirai Kawashima is our guest this week. We discuss why he felt listeners would dislike the band's new album Heir to Despair, what the critical reception has been like in reality, how his dislike for previous album Graveward influenced the new one, Phil Anselmo’s guest appearance on the new record and working with Necrophagia frontman Killjoy, why he choose to sing in his native tongue on Heir to Despair, his love for horror soundtrack composers and why a lot of touring doesn’t interesting him anymore.  Petar and Brandon discuss Per “Dead” Ohlin’s skull fragment being placed up for sale, the best band break up of all time, Metallica releasing an acoustic record for charity, and our own experience watching Metallica perform this past week in Las Vegas. Songs: Sigh - “Homo Homini Lupus” Sigh - “Aletheia” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Johan Hegg of Amon Amarth is our guest this week. We discuss Amon Amarth's new live retrospective and documentary The Pursuit of Vikings: 25 years in the Eye of the Storm, his feelings on live albums in general, whether it's possible to capture a band's connection with the audience on video, the importance of Europe’s “The Final Countdown" to the origins of Amon Amarth, the 8-bit video game the band released and his favorite video games when he was growing up, the influence of the recently deceased Stan Lee on his life, and the weapon he would choose to fight with in a Viking battle. Petar and Brandon discover the fetish-finding company everybody needs, the couple that decided to make a baby at the front row of a Machine Head concert, Ihsahn making us all fans of Kanye West by explaining his appreciation for the rapper, and what we think is the most artistic stage of a band's career. Songs: Amon Amarth - “Raise Your Horns” (Live) Amon Amarth - “Twilight of The Thunder Gods” (Live) Eneferens - “This Onward

Our guest this week is Nita Strauss. We discuss her recently-released debut solo record Controlled Chaos, her work with Alice Cooper and her appearance on Wrestlemania earlier this year. We also talk about the first time she picked up a guitar at age 13, the lesson and power of showing vulnerability as a public figure, knowing when to abandon a song and walk away, the passing of Jill Janus (Huntress) and some experiences Nita had with her both as a friend and in their band The Starbreakers. Petar, Brandon, and Jozalyn discuss the whirlwind of Threatin that occurred last week on MetalSucks, the news that All That Remains guitarist Oli Herbert's death is being investigated as suspicious, Bruce Dickinson's thoughts on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the death off comic book icon Stan Lee. Songs: Nita Strauss - "Our Most Desperate” Nita Strauss - “Pandemonium 2.0” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Todd Stern of Psycroptic is our guest this week. We discuss his role in the latest record As The Kingdom Drowns, the addition of female vocals over choruses, if there was a hazing process when he joined the band, the logistics of him living in the States and the rest of the band living in Australia, switching from guitar to bass to be in Psycroptic, acclimating to the Australian lingo of his bandmates and which of their records he would love to perform in its entirety. We also talks about the best way to introduce young fans to your band, how backing tracks for live shows can be a slippery slope for metal bands and the importance of writing songs with replay value.  Petar, Brandon, and Joz can't get enough of the story about Threatin’s European tour, and we read aloud the statement made about Oli Herbert in regards to his toxicology report and how the delivery makes us feel about the situation. Song: Psycroptic - “Directive” Psycroptic - “Frozen Gaze” Blind Sight - “Empathy Astray” Learn more about your a

Trevor Phipps of Unearth is our guest. We discuss the message behind the band's new album Extinction(s), how the American political puts a strain on relationships with friends and family these days, his tips on how to best consume the news, the modern presentation of opinions as facts, which band from the New Wave of American Heavy Metal he was surprised called it quits, his thoughts climate change, and his favorite beer bong memory with Oderus Urungus of Gwar. Petar, Brandon, and Jozalyn have a field day explaining David Gunn’s statement on the new King 810 record, Tom Araya’s conservative-leaning post, Axl Rose telling people how to vote, and Pitchfork’s brutal review of the new Greta Van Fleet album. Songs: Unearth - “Incinerate” Unearth - “Survivalist” Stellar Circuits - “Nocturnal Visitor” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Highly regarded producer and Hate Eternal mainman Erik Rutan is our guest this week. We discuss Hate Eternal's new album Upon Desolate Sands, his goals for the record production and guitar-wise, whether he would ever have someone else produce a Hate Eternal record, the importance of preserving the performances during the recording process, what his approach would be if he were hired to record a new album by Tool, and the career turning point for him as a producer. We also talk about the victory of his Philadelphia Eagles last year at the Super Bowl.  Petar, Brandon, and Jozalyn write our advertisement for a Marilyn Manson dildo, we break down Kat Katz leaving Agoraphobic Nosebleed and all the words going back and forth between parties that followed, and we wonder whether those relationships can possibly be salvaged. Songs: Hate Eternal - “All Hope Destroyed” Bloodbath - “Chainsaw Lullaby” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week we host The Ocean mastermind Robin Staps. We discuss recording parts of the band's new album Phanerozoic 1: Paleozoic in Iceland, what it was like laying down tracks in a studio that used to be a swimming pool, why The Ocean always release double albums, the reason he gives listeners the option to listen to an instrumental version of his songs, how Phanerozoic is the end of an era for band, the amount of time he would like for Part 2 prior to release, why it’s so difficult for bands from Europe to tour the states, how physical album sales are still strong in Germany and much of Europe, his enjoyment of the business side of music as much as the artistic side, and what brings him a true sense of peace in 2018. Petar, Brandon, and Jozalyn tackle the tragic news of the passing of Old Herbert from All That Remains and how important he was to his peers, and Scott Kelly’s decision to cancel his tour with Mirrors for Psychic Warfare due to his struggles with mental illness. Songs: All That Remains - “Ch

This week Tony Foresta vocalist of Iron Reagan/Municipal Waste is our guest. We talk about Iron Reagan’s new EP Dark Days Ahead, working at a t-shirt printing factory in the early days of Municipal Waste, his affinity for playing shows with pop punk bands, the never ending meme thread that he has on his phone, a prank he pulled on Earache Records when Municipal Waste first signed to the label, and the mystery of The (International) Noise Conspiracy banner in Iron Reagan’s rehearsal space. Petar and Brandon discuss the amazing story of Shaggy 2 Dope’s drop-kick attempt on Fred Durst, DJ Lethal's poetic and profound response on Instagram, and the finale we all wanted when The Iron Sheik brokered a truce. We also discuss the return of a little thing called Woodstock. Songs: Iron Reagan - “Patronizer” Iron Reagan - “The Devastation” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week our guest is Adam “Nergal” Darski of Behemoth. Nergal tells us about the pressure of following up The Satanist, why he is proudest of the modern era of Behemoth, the amount of energy he puts into the visual aspect of the band, how his music belongs to the fans after it's been released, and why he still spends thousands of dollars on records. We also chat about how he was recently banned from Facebook, coming under fire for racially charged remarks he made on Instagram following Poland's loss to Senegal in the World Cup, the difficulties of communicating with people who have different views, the difference between being anti-religious and spiritual, and why he is against nationalistic movements. Petar, Brandon, and Jozalyn speculate on the “horrible thing” that occurred to ex-Ghost guitarist, share our thoughts on Phil Demmel’s Instagram post about his exit from Machine Head, discuss Axl's article about the next big trend in metal, and wax ecstatic about Filter reuniting the team from Short Bus.

Scott Vogel of Terror is our guest this week. We discuss the rage behind the band's new album Total Retaliation, working with Producer Will Putney, why Terror shows are one of a kind, his least favorite Terror record, when reviewers don’t give records a fair shake, the importance of lyrics in hardcore, the difference between a fashion statement and the mentality of going against the grain, his passion for hip hop and the beauty of maintaining Terror for so long. Petar, Brandon, and Jozalyn give their thoughts on the recent departure of Phil Demmel and Dave McClain from Machine Head, Harm’s Way's gear getting stolen from a notorious parking lot in Las Vegas, Dave Grohl’s drinking habits and Brandon’s rage when the Cleveland Browns play. Songs: Terror - “Mental Demolition” Terror - “Spirit of Sacrifice” Daughters - “The Reason They Hate Me” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices