The Metalsucks Podcast

Diehard metal fan and Mayor of Albuquerque, New Mexico, Tim Keller is our guest this week! Tim discusses how he looks to metal for inspiration when he is writing speeches, which bands help us focus when we need to create a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, and how many of his peers in public service are also hardcore metalheads. He also discusses the show that he attended the day after he became mayor, the last time that he went into the mosh pit, at what heavy metal show he decided to run for mayor in the first place, how he got the parks department to livestream a Metallica show at a drive-in during the pandemic, the one metal musician he would want to give the keys to the city of Albuquerque, New Mexico, and the  band that he never got to see see because he was kicked out of a concert. Petar, Jozalyn, and Sylvia discuss the programmer who wore a Tool shirt to a job interview and got the job, and Vince Neil using a teleprompter. Song: Anthrax “Among The Living” Song: Wake “Swallow The Light” Song: My Sleepin

This week, Mudvayne and Hellyeah frontman Chad Gray is our guest! We discuss his early touring days with Slipknot before Mudvayne broke out, the trek the ended a 26-month touring cycle, Mudvayne’s motivation for wearing make-up in their early days, and the importance of mystique to the success of the band.  Chad also talks about connecting with the fans with his live performance, protecting openers when the Mudvayne fanbase is disrespectful to them, which album was more difficult to follow up -- L.D. 50 or Lost and Found -- Vinnie Paul seeing every show he could in Vegas, how Dime and Vinnie Paul celebrated Dime’s birthday every year in Vegas, and Vinnie Paul transitioning from Dallas mainstay to Las Vegas legend. Petar and Sylvia discuss the 24 hour-straight Rage Against The Machine protest at a Canadian radio station, the backsplash we recently received for our negative comments about Mötley Crüe stadium tour kick off, and our thoughts on Dave Mustaine’s recent comments about ex-Megadeth bassist Dave Elle

This week, Municipal Waste frontman Tony Foresta is back on the show! We discuss the concept of Municipal High that the band has been working on for a decade, an update on the screenplay that may feature a Paranormal Janitor, our thoughts on the Hollywood remake of The Toxic Avenger, how difficult it is to commit to watching great TV shows, and our gripe with the new trend of three-hour-long comic book films. Tony also tells us a great story about when he was checking out a live Panic At The Disco Show, regales us with his worst onstage spill moment, and explains how all of us are losing years of photos because of the digital age. Petar and Brandon tackle the debut of the new tracks by Megadeth and Ozzy Osbourne, which song met our expectations and which music video left us concerned, and the heartbreaking ruling made by the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade in the United States. Song: Municipal Waste “Electrified Brain” Song: Municipal Waste “High Speed Steel” Song: Greg Puciato “Lowered Featuring Re

This week, Mille Petrozza of thrash legends Kreator is our guest! We discuss his love of coffee and how Kreator got into the coffee game, what metal-branded coffee he would vouch for, what he always wants to achieve when writing a new album, the pandemic not being good for him creatively the way it was for many other bands, and why now was the time to write a song about the metal community. He also talks about how filmmaker Ari Aster influenced the music video for “Midnight Sun,” missing Nirvana at small clubs when they played in Germany years ago, how the European festival circuit killed a lot of competition, and the difficulties of living and maintaining a healthy lifestyle on tour. Petar and Sylvia discuss Motley Crüe’s return to the stage, all the build up by the band prior to the show, the drama that happened immediately after the first show, and Herman Li from Dragonforce exalting the guitar virtuoso known as Kurt Cobain. Song: Kreator “Hate Über Alles” Song: Kreator “Become Immortal” Song: Lord of

This week, Jordan Rudess of Dream Theater is back on the show! We discuss his upcoming North American solo tour that kicks off June 25th, the medley that he has created for the tour (which includes Liquid Tension Experiment and Dream Theater tracks), how his solo shows can be viewed as a musical autobiography, what goes into good ambient music, and how that genre brings him peace. He also talks about practicing meditation while playing the piano, his thoughts on competition when he attended Julliard, enjoying social media, what drove him to start a Patreon, and why he prefers to write music with other artists in the same room. Petar, Jozalyn, and Sylvia discuss Larrisa Stupar’s decision to pause Venom Prison live shows as she takes on motherhood, Johnny Rotten’s statement on anarchy being a terrible idea, and Kirk Hammett telling us all that Metallica “warned everyone” of the negative effects of streaming. Song: Jordan Rudess “Weightless” Song: Liquid Tension Experiment “ Hypersonic” Song: Dream Theater “

The legendary Max Cavalera is our guest this week! We discuss his current tour celebrating the 30th anniversary of the classic Sepultura albums Beneath The Remains and Arise, the lyrical content on those records having a better meaning now than it did 30 years ago, how society in general considered the material ridiculous back then, and the younger generation discovering his classic records. We also talk about what it will take to get Killer Be Killed to do a full tour, why he had doubts that the project would work at all, the journey of two years that went into the latest Soulfly album Totem, and the reason the closing song is over ten minutes long. Petar, Jozalyn, and Sylvia discuss the inconveniences of going to concerts win your 60’s, the first trailer for Beavis and Butt-Head Do The Universe, and Wolfgang Van Halen’s response to Reelz doing an ‘Autopsy’ program on his father Song: Sepultura “Beneath The Remains” Song: Sepultura “Desperate Cry” Song: Temple Of Void “Hex, Curse, & Conjuration” Thank y

This week, Blöthar the Berserker of GWAR is back on the show! We discuss how there is nothing more boring than Ken Burns’ Baseball, GWAR possibly doing a country EP inspired by Miranda Lambert, the GWAR comic book coming out the same day as their new record, if GWAR is more art- than music-based, and how the pandemic allowed the band to focus on many different aspects of GWAR. The intergalactic sexlord also talks about catching COVID on their last North American tour, performing one show with only two members during that trek, why GWAR wrestling shows occur before a major production show, his favorite GWAR “scripted” tour, why the lyrics of their new single “Mother Fucking Liar” were easy to write, GWAR being the hardest band to be in, and how GWAR ruined a Goo Goo Dolls album. Petar, Brandon, and Sylvia discuss the mass shooting that occurred in Texas, our thoughts and reactions to gun violence in America, and Mike Shinoda’s comments on artist feeling forced to be social media stars. Song: GWAR “Mother Fuc

Brett Boland of Astronoid is our guest this week! We discuss why lyrics are the part of creating music that he finds the most difficult, how current events affected the words that he placed on the record, and what recent film that he felt was an influence on him sonically. We also discuss the A24 film universe, why the PBS streaming service is all he needs for television, having his daughter and the transition that comes to your life with having kids, the stride that the band hit before the pandemic and how that pause affected their momentum, and of course, his thoughts on the final Rambo film. Petar, Jozalyn, and Sylvia blast Vince Neil for being the face of a pay day loan commercial, Bon Jovi’s current vocal issues, and Emperor Rhombus’ piece on Dio always being the coolest metal singer. On this week’s episode, Petar mentions that a GoFundMe has been launched for the family of his late friend Ben Black. You can donate to Ben’s campaign here. Song: Astronoid “Human” Song: Astronoid “Sleep Whisper” Thank

Editor's note: On this week's episode of The MetalSucks Podcast, our hosts discuss the death of Trevor Strnad, and in doing so talk at length about suicide and mental health. I want to take this moment to thank them for sharing their stories so bravely, and hope that their experiences can offer our listeners an insight into their own. If you or anyone you know are having thoughts of suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255. Don't hesitate, just call. Please know: you are not alone. This week, God Forbid vocalist Byron Davis joins the show! We discuss the vinyl reissue of the band’s classic album Gone Forever, how vital the fanbase was in getting God Forbid to reunite, seeing the world of music differently ten years later, and if he found maturing in a band a difficult process. Byron also discusses the first show he went to completely by himself, modern music becoming background noise from many consumers, the limitations that creatives have in modern times, the industry having

This week, Evergrey guitarist/vocalist Tom Englund is our guest! We discuss the huge number of songs he wrote and recorded during the pandemic, working on video game soundtracks (including the new Evil Dead game), how a musical director dictates their vision when creating music for any game, and making music on a day job schedule every week. We also discuss how he got fans to participate vocally on the band’s upcoming album A Heartless Portrait (The Orphan Testament), how Evergrey are planning to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the band, and updates on new albums from his other projects including Redemption and Silent Skies. Petar, Brandon, and Sylvia also discuss Judas Priest getting inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Danzig stating that his current tour may be his last, at what age heavy music artists should call it a day, and Rob Zombie’s The Munsters being nearly 3 hours long. Song: Evergrey “Save Us” Song: Evergrey “Midwinter Calls” Song: Jani Liimatanien “Breathing Divinity Featuring Bj

This week, Dream Theater frontman James LaBrie and songwriting partner Paul Logue join us! We celebrate James’ new solo album Beautiful Shades of Grey and discuss how they got James’s son Chance to work on drums for the album, and why they decided to cover Led Zeppelin’s “Ramble On." We also talk about how the album was originally just acoustic guitars and vocals, life advice from our fathers that has stuck with us, and the powerful tribute James wrote for his late brother. Petar and Sylvia also discuss Kid Rock and Prince not being nice to Steve-O, Metallica playing its album to a barrel of whiskey, what record we can listen for 24 hours straight and still enjoy, and the most expensive rock song to use in feature films. Song: James LaBrie “Devil in Drag” Song: James LaBrie “Give and Take” Thank you to our sponsor Metal Blade Records, for their continued support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, Darkest Prince of All Rebellion from Philly’s Devil Master is our guest! We discuss him losing band members during the pandemic, regrouping to create the band’s new album Ecstasies of Never Ending Night, the difficult transition of balancing “adventure time” to “business time” on tour, landing stadium gigs opening for My Chemical Romance, and Gerard Way buying all their merch at an L.A. performance. We also discuss whether or not the band’s setlist will cater to the MCR crowd, recording the new album on analog tape, and the book that he gives to people as a challenge to complete. Meanwhile, former MetalSucks podcast hosts Chuck and Godless return to the show! They join Petar to discuss Trevor Strand of The Black Dahlia Murder teasing a Couples Video on his lady’s OnlyFans, Dino Cazares withholding who the new singer for Fear Factory is until 2023, and our take on Emperor Rhombus opinion piece on “Gatekeepers” and “Elitists” in our genre. Song: Devil Master “The Vigour of Evil” Song: Devil Master

Maylene and the Sons of the Disaster frontman Dallas Taylor is our guest this week! We discuss the long road to recovery following his life-changing accident, the mental state he was in prior to it, how getting off medication allowed him to truly focus on his return to music, and being haunted by the ‘what if’ that motivated his creative life. Dallas also talks about noticing that people are embracing the real less and escaping more, learning that the majority of the things we worry about don’t really matter, how easy it is to hurt people emotionally when we are hurting, and how his new vampire film The Virginia Bitches came to fruition. Petar, Brandon, and Jozalyn also discuss Jim Carrey’s first time hearing Pantera, their own experiences when first hearing the band, and Jason Newsted not partaking in a Van Halen tribute band. Song: Maylene and the Sons of Disasters “Step Up (I’m On It)” Song: Maylene and the Sons of Disasters “Open Your Eyes” Song: Moon Tooth “Alpha Howl” Thank you to our sponsor, Meta

Destruction frontman Schmier is our guest this week! We discuss the 40th anniversary of the band, how writing music for their new album Diabolical was his personal savior, how influential GBH was during the the early days of Destruction, if the punks vs. metalheads feud of the ‘80s was a positive for thrash's image, and how Destruction got hate from their South American fanbase for canceling shows in Russia. He also discusses his thoughts on how social media became nothing more than a propaganda tool, his surprise at how easy it was to divide the world between vaxxers and anti-vaxxers during the pandemic, the story behind the Chef Schmier’s Cooking Studio videos on YouTube, what the first stop always is when Destruction tour America, and why he feels he is the best guy to man the  grill when the band is on the road. Petar and Brandon also discuss Dragonforce not getting paid a ton for Guitar Hero, the impact of video games and music in their youths, and Chris Jericho admitting to using backing tracks at live

Lord Ahriman of satanic black metallers Dark Funeral is our guest this week! We discuss his thoughts on Shakespeare and memorable theatrical performances, why the rhythms on the band’s new album We Are The Apocalypse were a primary focus, and being unable to leave Cancun, Mexico, when the pandemic hit the world. We also talk about how someone stole Dark Funeral’s stage armor the last time they toured America, how the philosophy and vision of the band has changed in the last 30 years, and how finally having a proper budget has allowed him to make the music videos he always wanted to do. Petar, Brandon, and Sylvia also discuss Alex Skolnick’s comment on the Chris Rock/Will Smith Oscars slap and the ramifications of the slap on modern culture. Song: Dark Funeral “Nightfall” Song: Dark Funeral “Let The Devil In” Song: The Spirit “Celestial Fire” Thank you to our sponsor, Metal Blade Records, for their continued support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Our guest this week is Symphony X guitarist Michael Romeo! In celebration of his new solo album War of The Worlds Part II, he tells us about his first memories of the H.G. Wells classic that inspired the work, if the record is a part of a trilogy that he has planned,  changing  vocalists between Parts I and II, the CGI-inspired videos that he has released to promote the new album, and keeping the lyrics in the science fiction realm. He also discusses his favorite kaiju character of all time, the reason he feels a vocalist is important for his solo projects, how he writes music for his solo albums as opposed to how he does it for his main project Symphony X, and why he feels he needs to get back on tour before recording a new Symphony X album. Petar, Brandon and Jozalyn also discuss the heartbreaking news of the passing of Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins and the legacy he left behind. Song: Foo Fighters “I Am A River” Song: Michael Romeo “Divide & Conquer” Song: Michael Romeo “Metamorphosis” Tha

Sen Dog of the legendary Cypress Hill is our guest this week! We discuss the positive effects of the pandemic in regards to creating new music, how the legalization of marijuana turned out differently than the public thought it would, his crew’s upcoming tour with Slipknot, and how a heavy metal audience changes their setlist. He also talks about the upcoming Showtime documentary on Cypress Hill celebrating hip hop at 50, some of the difficulties of looking back on his career for the documentary, the challenges of success and adapting to nonstop touring, an update on his metal band Powerflo with Billy from Biohazard, and why he chose to pursue a career in hip hop over heavy metal in his youth. Meanwhile, Petar and Brandon discuss Dolly Parton removing herself from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Ballot, the public responses from Dee Snider and Richie Faulkner of Judas Priest, how the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame shrugged her statement off, and whether or not there will be another Tool record in the next 13 ye

This week, Periphery guitarist Mark Holcomb joins the show! We discuss the debut full-length album from his project Haunted Shores, how the band’s formation led to him join Periphery, the riff graveyard that he uses to create songs, and on treating music for Haunted Shores like a 9-to-5 job. We also talk about how to deal with writer’s block to meet deadlines, how ‘Mario Party’ was a big part of writing ‘Periphery 4’ (not to mention who his Mario Party character was and how it caused anger within the group), how their own record label 3DOT Recordings has benefited the band in so many ways, and how intense the process has been to get ‘Periphery 5’ to sound just right. Petar, Brandon, and Sylvia discuss the two-year anniversary of the pandemic, how we have changed as people from the COVID lockdown, our initial reaction on the show two years ago, and where we go from here. Song: Haunted Shores “Hellfire” Song: Haunted Shores “When In Oslo” Song: Nekrogoblikon “Right Now” Thank you to our sponsor, Meta

Sabaton vocalist Joakim Brodén is our guest this week! On this episode, we discuss the stories behind three of the tracks on the band’s new album The War to End All Wars, the history and research behind those songs, and why he decided not to watch recent hit films on WWI. We also discuss almost coming to the states for the Judas Priest tour that was eventually postponed, developing the storytelling process with each album before recording, his favorite source of research, creating the Sabaton History Channel on Youtube, and the song he is most excited about performing off of the new album. Petar and Brandon also discuss Jinjer’s unfortunate cancellation of their upcoming tour dates due to the invasion of the Ukraine, Slaughter to Prevail frontman Alex Terrible addressing the conflict in the Ukraine, Matt Pike not buying into the flat-earth conspiracy theory, the return of Pete Sandoval to the world of David Vincent, and Dave Lombardo rejoining Testament. Song: Sabaton “The Unkillable Soldier” Song: Sab

The mighty Kirk Windstein is back on the show! This week, we discuss Zero and Below, the new album by Kirk’s band Crowbar. We also talk about writing the record back in 2019 prior to the pandemic, the rehearsal process and livestream reunion he has planned with southern metal act Down, the 20-year anniversary of the second Down album, the making of the record as a follow-up to NOLA, and his current tour package with Sepultura and Sacred Reich being rescheduled three times. Other topics include how difficult it was for Crowbar to cancel tours during the pandemic, why it’s difficult to tour the European festival circuit in the current climate, the importance of defeating one’s fears in his life, and if there is a new Down album in the works. Petar, Brandon, and Jozalyn also discuss our feelings on Cannibal Corpse fans chanting “Fuck Chris Barnes” at a recent show, Tool selling an expensive box set of Fear Inoculum, and the tragic passing of grunge and desert rock pioneer Mark Lanegan. Song: Crowbar “Chemi