The Metalsucks Podcast

This week we celebrate the 35th anniversary of the legendary Metal Blade Records by talking to three generations of musicians on the label. Our show starts with Joey Vera of Armored Saint and Fates Warning. He talks about the Los Angeles scene from which the label was born, the evolution of the formats on which music is consumed, and the label's importance to Armored Saint. Next we talk to Greg Burgess of Allegaeon; we discuss his favorite Metal Blade release of all time, the 35th anniversary tour he's been on with Whitechapel, Cattle Decapitation and Goatwhore, Bush vs. Belladonna Anthrax and the future of Allegaeon. Finally we chat with Trevor Strnad of The Black Dahlia Murder about how his band got signed, when to expect new music from Black Dahlia, horror movies, and more.  Songs: Armored Saint - “Last Train Home” (live) Allegaeon - “1.618” The Black Dahlia Murder - “Receipt” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week we talk with John Kevill of Warbringer. He discusses the long delay between records, the starting-over process that occurred between album cycles and the direction of the latest record Woe to the Vanquished. We also get into his knowledge of history and his take on the current era -- the best time to be alive, according to him -- and he throws down an epic Arnold monologue per our request. Brandon and Petar introduce you to Brent Hinds' new fast food restaurant, tackle the Harlott vs. Slayer similarities and break down the argument of plagiarism vs. homage, and discuss why Tool joining streaming services so late may work in their favor.  Songs: Warbringer - “Silhouettes” Warbringer - “Remain Violent” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week we have legendary Bolt Thrower vocalist Karl Willetts on the show to discuss his new project Memoriam. We talk about his approach to lyrics on Memoriam's new album For the Fallen, which Bolt Thrower songs they plan on playing live, what he envisioned when he decided to create a new band, the decision to end Bolt Thrower after Kiddie’s passing, and what newer bands he's digging. Brandon and Petar find a company that helps out the unappreciated bass player, discuss James Hetfield’s recent comments about “Escape," talk about Marduk and their statement on the Oakland concert cancellation, Judas Priest not being metal according to Brent Hinds, Steve Tucker's promises that new Morbid Angel will be death metal, and the new Baroness/Neurosis punk cover tribute band. Songs: Memoriam - "Reduced to Zero" Memoriam - "Surrounded (By Death)" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week we interview Mike Schleibaum from the mighty Darkest Hour. We talk about the new record Godless Prophets & The Migrant Flora, what producer Kurt Ballou brought to the table, the crowdfunding campaign behind the record (and how scary it was to make the decision to try it), the tenth anniversary of Deliver Us and how to mobilize the youth with music in this day and age. Brandon and Petar talk way too much about Overdose of AIDS, Wes Scantlin’s latest rant, if Juggalos can became a prison gang, the next move for Suicide Silence after the crash in album sales, At The Gates losing Anders Björler, and we take our guesses about what's coming up in the current 25 Most Important Metal Bands of the '90s countdown on MetalSucks. Songs Darkest Hour - “Timeless Numbers” Darkest Hour  - “Those Who Survived” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We talk to producer and Fit For An Autopsy guitarist Will Putney about his band's new record The Great Collapse, his non-traditional role in the band, the writing process for the record and how being a third guitarist makes it less stressful to tour. We discuss which type of bands he prefers producing, his views on remixing and remastering older material, and his biggest success as a producer/musician. Brandon and Petar tackle Otep's feud with the Butcher Babies, how metal cover albums usually don't end up being good (although DevilDriver’s "outlaw country" covers concept intrigues us), and the rumors of Ghost's frontman pulling an Axl Rose by firing all his bandmates and the possible effects it may have on the band's fans. Songs: Fit For An Autopsy - “Heads Will Hang” Fit For An Autopsy - “Iron Moon” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week we talk to Phil “Landphil” Hall from Iron Reagan. In addition to updates on all things Iron Reagen, Cannabis Corpse and Municipal Waste (including Iron Reagan's brand new album Crossover Ministry), he discusses what it’s like to see his likeness in a claymation video, his true “Fuck The Neighbor” tales, his favorite Troma movie and touring with Six Feet Under. Meanwhile Brandon and Pete talk about James Hetfield's recent statement regarding the lack of bass on …And Justice For All, the beef between Of Mice and Men's Austin Carlisle and Trivium's Paolo Gregetto about vaccinations, Corey Taylor thinking he is qualified to write a book about politics, and the heinous black metal fan that upset Whitney Moore last week (with his version of the incident).  Songs: Iron Reagan - “Fuck The Neighbors Cannabis Corpse - “Mummified in Bongwater” Municipal Waste - “The Art of Partying” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week we interview Mina Caputo from Life of Agony. She discusses the last 12 years of LOA, what it's like to be transgender in the hard rock/heavy metal scene and how she believes the band's upcoming release A Place Where There’s No More Pain is the most passionate and honest album she has ever made. We also discuss the Tim Lambesis situation, introduce a new product he is selling and contemplate whether or not we would support an As I lay Dying reunion. We talk about Attila and the protection of their fans from security guards, the Nickelback vs. Arnold Twitter feud and the ultimate fear of giving your kid a great heavy metal name like Iron Maiden only to have him rebel against the scene. Songs: Life of Agony - “A Place Where’s There’s No More Pain” Body Count - “No Lives Matter” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week the boys discuss the need for a Heavy Metal President, and what choices we are stuck with on both sides. We play the mudslinging ads from both parties and we discuss the major platforms for each candidate, their surprise choices for running mates, and we ask fans to vote on who they would want to represent all the tough decisions to be made in metal in 2017. We also chat with Pallbearer guitarist/vocalist Brett Campbell and bassist Joseph Rowland about the band's upcoming new record Heartless. We discuss how Brandon got us in trouble with our bosses via email, they tell us the downside of constantly receiving great reviews, they share a story about the time Phil Anselmo threatened to poke their eyes out, and they choose their picks for Heavy Metal President in 2017. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The MetalSucks Podcast returns after a two-month hiatus!  Your new hosts Brandon Hahn and Petar Spajic speak with Suicide Silence vocalist Eddie Hermida, who has a lot to say about all the negative trolls their new material has brought out, working with Ross Robinson, the live headline tour they're about to embark upon and the record release parties each night after their headline set is complete.  We also tackle the hardcore scene in light of the tragedy that occurred at a recent Code Orange show in Salt Lake City, when a young woman's jaw was broken in the mosh pit from a spin-kick to the face. We discuss our past hardcore show experiences, and how the scene has been an important gateway despite its constant negative press. We also offer some potential solutions, and new dance moves that may help the scene move in a more positive direction. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week we jump on the bandwagon and present to you our picks for the top metal albums of 2016. Instead of trying to write witty asides for every album -- we’ll leave that to the experts -- we chose to give you an audio rundown of the list and share our thoughts on each one. Some of Chuck and Godless's picks match -- not many, but some -- and we cover a lot of ground between the two of us. We did agree on the number one album of the year, and we brought that artist on as a special guest to be presented with the MetalSucks Podcast Trophy (which may or may not exist [it doesn’t exist]) and talked about the release that stood head and shoulders above anything else that came out this year. Also in this episode, a must listen segment: a big announcement about the podcast in 2017! We play a few extra songs this week, and we even pulled out our favorite song from the year (which was not from our number one pick). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dave Stephens, vocalist for We Came As Romans, guests this week on your favorite metal podcast with an interview outside of their album cycle. We catch Dave and the band right in the middle of working on the follow up to their eponymous latest album. Dave talks candidly with us about the recent departure of their drummer and longtime member Eric Choi, how aesthetic and the "look" of a new member will be important, their struggle with being an up and coming band and keeping their feet on the ground, and the idea that they might not be the best musicians but how their hard work and dedication have paid off. We also unpack a recent interview with Kirk Hammett (did you know Metallica have a new album out?) where he talks about most of his creative ideas for the new record being shut out of the process and how Hardwired is a "Lars album." It's funny to think that even at the level Metallica are, that any members' ideas could be sidelined or not incorporated, although Kirk never appeared to be outspoken. Did he ge

John LaMacchia, guitarist of the reactivated Candiria, guests this week on your favorite metal podcast and we dive deep into the band's new record While They Were Sleeping. In our interview we talk about the many projects he's spearheaded, how 9/11 took its toll on him and led to addiction, the dark nature of the music he creates, going back out on tour and what that means for his lifestyle, and what the future might bring. We also talk about the disappointing sales figures for Avenged Sevenfold's new album, The Stage, which sold less than half the number of first week copies as their last record did. The stunt of announcing the record one day before its release may have backfired. Do stunts and tricks work in a band's favor? Or is it counterintuitive to fake out their hardcore audience by not telling them that you're working on new material? Will this benefit or hurt the band's upcoming lawsuit with their old label? Was the label change a good idea after all? Does anyone really care? Songs: Candiria – "Whi

Adam Dutkiewicz of Killswitch Engage guests this week on your favorite metal podcast. Of course you know him from KsE, but Adam's latest project takes his immense talents in a completely different direction. Serpentine Dominion is a death metal project also featuring Shannon Lucas (ex-The Black Dahlia Murder) and George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher of Cannibal Corpse, so it's a bit heavier than what you might expect from Adam. In our interview, on the eve of the U.S. Presidential election, we decided that Adam needed to be our man on the street and let us in on all his political views, his plans to solve the Middle East crisis and legalizing various consumables. Then we let him off the hook for a bit to talk about music, his career, how KsE keeps Jesse Leach under control, and of course his appearance on the Price is Right. We delve into some politics, because... politics. But we can't resist talking about the latest Internet fued between two grown men: Dee Snider called Cannibal Corpse’s first album "terrible,"

Jon Mess and Will Swan of Dance Gavin Dance guest this week on your favorite metal podcast. We talk about how the band is shunned by metal fans and where they believe that comes from, how they have succeeded while so many others have failed, and their latest release, Mothership. We also talk about their perspective on the rotating door at their lead singer position, and how that changes the way they write music and what they are able to do as a band.  We talk more about the lead singer problem in light of the big news this week that Asking Alexandria dumped their new singer to take back their old one. Who has that worked for in the past and how might it feel for the people involved? Is it a “grass is always greener” issue, or the thrill of the chase? It worked for Anthrax, TesseracT and several other bands; fans certainly seem to want the old guy back. Well, except in Iron Maiden… Songs: Dance Gaving Dance – "Chucky Vs. The Giant Tortoise" Whores – "Participation Trophy" Learn more about your ad choices. Vi

This week our guest on your favorite metal podcast is Jessica Pimentel, both a metal musician and star of the hit Netflix series Orange is the New Black. Her career has been taking off with the portrayal of Maria Ruiz on the jailhouse drama, but her ties to metal run deep, whether with her band Alekhine’s Gun, her main squeeze (Meshuggah drummer Tomas Haake), or just the circles she runs with in her native Brooklyn. In our interview we talk about her recent excursion to see Metallica at Webster Hall, her relationship with heavy music, her background in classical, the similarities and differences between being an actress and musician, how close she was to ending her career as an actor, and what "terrible" album she won’t admit to loving. We also talk about Lords of Chaos being made into a Hollywood film. What does it mean for an underground genre of metal to get the dramatization treatment? We ponder what other stories in metal might be worth telling in the same format; there have been plenty of compelling na

Jordan Mancino, drummer for Wovenwar (and ex-As I Lay Dying) guests this week on your favorite metal podcast to talk about the band's new record, Honor is Dead, which is out now. We talked with Jordan about the recent departure of bandmate Phil Sgrosso (he'd been a part of AILD and/or Wovenwar since he was a teenager), how they were able to reconstruct themselves after Tim Lambesis decided to "go rogue" and what that looked like from the inside, how that time in their history informs who they are today, and their experience as a Christian band evolving into a secular group in such a visible way. We also talk about bands who come to represent entire genres of music. Some bands that barely have a connection to a type of music adopt a new aesthetic and sound, then rise to the top of a genre by writing middle of the road tunes that play on the popular pieces of the genre's past and capitalize on the lowest common denominator of fans. Are such bands legit? It's happened with many different genres over the years:

Vicky Psarakis, vocalist of The Agonist, guests on your favorite metal podcast this week, and in our interview we discover a genuine and enthusiastically nice person behind the voice of one of the most exciting bands in metal today. We talk about how she finds and fleshes out great hooks and writes songs, her rise from a YouTube singer to taking over for Alyssa White-Gluz as the frontwoman of an up-and-coming metal band, transitioning from never being in a band before to touring around the world, why being a singer shouldn’t affect your ego, and what it was like living in Greece during the financial crisis and how that spurred her to innovate with her music career. We also talk about how bands need to be more proactive on all platforms and social media. We’ve all seen the tour updates, behind-the-scenes studio videos and the like, but there aren't many bands who can get past the clichés and turn their online presence into something more relatable for their audience. Some of the best are using different outle

This week on your favorite metal podcast we talk to virtuoso guitarist Monte Pittman, who has played with plenty of non-metal acts like Madonna and Adam Lambert, but also alongside Tommy Victor in Prong. He ha an extensive solo catalogue as well, including his latest metal installment Inverted Grasp of Balance. In our interview we talk about his whole career, from starting out in East Texas to becoming the King of LA (crowned by us), his ability to work with all walks of life, what it's like to play both stadiums and small clubs, teaching as an outlet for expression (as well as an income stream), and we try to find out more about his personal life. We also talk to DX Ferris, author of the definitive biography on Slayer's Reign in Blood, to commemorate the 30th birthday of the album. On October 7th, 1986, metal changed forever, and DX enlightens us on some of the huge misconceptions about the record, what really spurred the change from longer songs to a shorter, more polished attack, how this album may not b

The latest episode of your favorite metal podcast is absolutely crucial for every Metallica fan. This week marks the 30th anniversary of one of the greatest losses in metal history, the untimely death of Cliff Burton. We wouldn’t normally commemorate an artist on their death date, but it really is stunning that three decades after the tragic bus accident on September 27, 1986, we still compare metal bass players to Cliff. We took the opportunity to talk to Joel McIver, author and biographer, who has released several books on Metallica including To Live Is To Die: The Life And Death Of Metallica's Cliff Burton, which has been recently updated. We talk about Cliff’s influence on metal, we discuss how fans to this day are affected by his influence even without knowing it, and Joel gives us more details about the events surrounding the fatal bus crash in Sweden. We also are very honored to interview Cliff’s father Ray Burton. We talk about who Cliff was as a child, how he saw himself in the world of metal, the l

Our guest this week on your favorite metal podcast was suggested to us by none other than Chris Adler of Lamb of God back when he was on the podcast last year, although we have been fans of Allegaeon for quite a while outside of that endorsement. In our interview with guitarist Greg Burgess we talk about trying to top what you think is your best work, the shuffling of the staff around the band, manager and booking agent and why they needed to make a change, what surrounded the shift in singers for their new record Proponent for Sentience, and we find out how much it costs to get Bill Nye in your music video. We also discuss the non-beef beef that came up this week between Born of Osiris guitarist Born of Osiris and The Acacia Strain's Vincent Bennett. What appeared to be drunk Tweets got serious when the metal media paid it some attention. Are we taking ourselves too seriously? Drunk Tweets are just drunk Tweets, right? Even if you are picking a fight with someone who doesn’t even know why you are fighting