This week on The MetalSucks Podcast, Lacuna Coil vocalist Cristina Scabbia joins the show! She's here to discuss the band's latest album Sleepless Empire coming out this Friday, Feb. 14! We discuss if there was any plans for releasing the album on Valentine’s Day, the challenge of creating after the experience they had with previous album Black Anima, and making sure to celebrate the past in a way that looks to the band's creative future. We also chat about the single Lacuna Coil recorded with members each band from their upcoming North American tour, her favorite visual filmmakers that leave an impression on her, and why its so hard to pick a setlist for a show after 10 albums. Petar and Sylvia discuss the final performance of Black Sabbath being booked July 5, the revelations of his health being in a bad place, the dream lineup playing the final show, the concerns that we have despite it being all for charity and all the bands sharing the stage, Gojira taking home the Grammy for the Best Metal Performance, Courtney LaPlante of Spiritbox doing a brilliant Poppy impersonation, and the major missed opportunity for System of a Down by not making a new album for our scene. Song: Lacuna Coil “Gravity” Song: Lacuna Coil “Oxygen” Song: Mantar “Rex Perverso” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jesse Leach of Killswitch Engage is our guest this week and we're here to make sure everyone out there picks up their upcoming album This Consequence, coming out February 21. The conversation starts with the journey from Atonement to the latest album, re-releasing the debut record with new ears and years behind it, growing up in the New England metal and hardcore scene, and how the bands brought vulnerability and positivity to an entire genre that lacked much of both. We also talk about the importance of truth to our lives and how the definition adapts and changes as we grow older, how the coldness of technology can limit a revolution of the heart and being human, and the hardcore and punk bands that influenced him in so many ways, and if Killswitch would ever tackle an unplugged type of performance. Petar and Brandon discuss the smells that come to mind when thinking about nu metal, how James “Munky” Shaffer is changing the narrative of that smell by releasing his new fragrance, the return of Spineshank and Snot, and Shavo Odadjian’s statement on System of a Down "testing the waters" with their 2025 tour plans. Song: Killswitch Engage “Forever Aligned” Song: Killswitch Engage “I Believe” Song: Year of the Cobra “War Drop” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bjorn “Speed” Strid is our guest this week on the podcast! He joins us to help shine a spotlight on the latest album by The Night Flight Orchestra, Give Us The Moon! The discussion starts with if he thinks he would fair well if he chose a career as a steward for an airline, what job he wanted when he was a child, if there's a customer service element in being in a traveling band, the journey of creating music again after the passing of his bandmate and one of his best friends David Andersson, the dream stage show for The Night Flight Orchestra if there was no budget restraints, the plans to bring the project to North America after seven albums, and which power ballad he would love to tackle one day. Petar and Sylvia discuss songs with ridiculous sexual innuendos in rock that we weren’t aware of in our youth, the current status of Faith No More being a mystery, our thoughts on the only way Mike Patton would want to do another Faith No More tour, Orange Goblin calling it quits after 30 years of kicking ass, and Rob Rivera of Nonpoint having a medically emergency due to coffee. Song: The Night Flight Orchestra “Way To Spend The Night” Song: The Night Flight Orchestra “Give Us The Moon” Song: The Hellacopters “Leave A Mark” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Harakiri for the Sky vocalist JJ is back on the podcast celebrating the latest album Scorched Earth out January 24! We open the conversation on the three pillars of life that influence him lyrically, having the reestablished his personal identity after life changing during the pandemic, leaving isolated in a cabin in the woods when creating songs for the album, listening to music in a nostalgic realm assisting positive life memories, the guest vocalist he get on the new album including Serena Cherry of Svalbard, why they choose to cover Radiohead this time around, and combing all of the previous album covers into one for the presentation of Scorched Earth. Petar and Jozalyn discuss the passing of iconic filmmaker David Lynch, the lessons he provided future artists, and how the future film fanatics will permanently cement his works and learn from them as a true generational artist. Song: Fantômas “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me” Song: Harakiri for the Sky “Keep me Longing” Song: Harakiri for the Sky “With Autumn I’ll Surrender” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on The MetalSucks Podcast, we welcome guitarist Niclas Engelin of The Halo Effect to the show! In our interview, we discuss the overwhelming response to the band's debut record Days of the Lost and how that momentum lead to their latest release March of the Unheard. We also discussed what it's like being bandmates with people he went to high school with and who in the band was the best student back in the day. There's also some talk about how a marching band inspired some material on the new album, the importance of having fun and squashing any negative energy when working in a band, his passion for collecting vinyls and the story of the artwork on the latest album. Petar and Sylvia address the ongoing wildfires in California, the possible musical collaboration of James Hetfield and Jerry Cantrell and the issues the Petar think would arrive if that came to fruition, our thoughts on three members of Jane’s Addiction creating new music, and Dan Lilker not regretting any of the material he created with S.O.D. Song: The Halo Effect “Detonate” Song: The Halo Effect “March of the Unheard” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Josh James of Stick To Your Guns is our guest this week! We are here to discuss the latest album Keep Planting Flowers coming out January 10th! The conversations starts with Josh enjoying no stereo system in his truck, how silence is a commodity in headphone culture, the listening and viewing habits of interacting music and films, the rise of subtitles on for watching movies and television, and what genre you should never have subtitles on when watching. Then we segue into the title of the new album and his view on the artwork created. How the new album was never truly planned and the rest button that helped the band getting into writing mode, the guest vocals that join them this time around, and the reality of branding when it comes to being in a band these days. Petar and Brandon discuss the out of nowhere return of Nevermore, the drama that followed involved Jim Sheppard not being contacted about it, Tommy Lee showering one day a week, Patrick Mameli’s nonsense regarding AI artwork being acceptable for album covers, and Five Finger Death Punch’s Chris Kale taking the microphone to make people laugh. Song: Stick To Your Guns “Keep Planting Flowers” Song: Stick To Your Guns “Severed Forever” Song: Eidola “Prodigy” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After giving you guys the first half of our Top 15 Best Albums of 2024 last week, it's time to round out the list with the best of the best. This week, we discuss our personal picks from number 7 all the way to coveted number 1 spot. Additionally we let you know what our favorite album cover of the year is!  This episode is packed with interviews with four of those artists. We're making this episode just one big celebration with every band getting a shout out! We also get to play some killer music this episode to help close out the year in style. So go listen and see if you agree with our picks, and share yours in the comment section.  We can’t wait to bring you new episodes next year and wish everyone a kind and peaceful conclusion to the year that was 2024! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week features Gabriel Franco from Unto Others, known for their gothic influences, Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains, and Aaron Stainthorpe from My Dying Bride, a staple of gothic doom metal, alongside Thomas Erickson from black metal band Mork. They delve into the top metal albums of 2024, discussing the creative processes behind standout records. Highlights include massive shifts in the genre, the emotional weight of new releases, and the significance of album artwork in the community. It’s an insightful celebration of music that blends passion, expertise, and personal anecdotes.

This week, we've got Bartek Krysiuk and Monk Boruta of Patriarkh on The MetalSucks Podcast! Their debut album Prophet Ilia coming out January 3! We begin the conversation with the historical figure that they cover, choosing to use regional instruments while recording, and how the first vision of the album completely changed over the two years it took to create it. We also discuss which modern figure can be seen as Prophet Ilja, if there's a documentary outside Poland on the figure they recommend, and performing the album in its entirety being something they feel it needs. We also discuss potential worldwide touring plans they'd like to do, and why Prophet Ilja was the perfect fresh start for them. Petar and Brandon also tackle Shavo Odadjian’s comments about “cheesy bands” ruining nu metal, Primus looking for a new drummer and how intimidating it would be to even send an audition tape to Les Claypool, Otep calling it quits on her music career and why we feel the timing is right, and King Diamond canceling a fair amount of shows on his current North American tour.  SONG: PATRIARKH “WIERSZALIN III” SONG: PATRIARKH “WIERSZALIN IV” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, Vaughn Stoffey of Defeated Sanity joins us on The MetalSucks Podcast! We are all in on the new album Chronicles of Lunacy, out this Friday, November 22! We start the conversation on the Taxi Driver sample used on the latest single “Accelerating The Rot”, embracing cult horror, and what determines the line of tasteful to tasteless in gore. We also discuss the passing of the iconic Tony Todd and some of his amazing performances, overcoming fear being something artists can get addicted to when creating, the band's touring plans for next year, and the inner workings of the album artwork. Petar and Sylvia discuss CKY getting kicked of a tour with Alien Ant Farm because of a physical altercation, Download announcing the headliners for the festival next year, Down and Scour reportedly releasing new music in 2025, and Sebastian Bach embarrassing his family on the internet because he is “not perfect”. Song: Defeated Sanity “Accelerating The Rot” Song: Defeated Sanity “Temporal Disintegration” Song: 1349 “The God Devourer” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices