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 Sleeping Karma “Perma” Thank you to our sponsor, Metal Blade Records, for their continued support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 Ellefson. Song: Mudvayne, “Death Blooms” Song: Hellyeah, “Black Flag Army” Song: Grey Daze, “Starting To Fly” Thank you to our sponsor, Metal Blade Records, for their continued support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 Reba Meyers of Code Orange” Thank you to our sponsor, Metal Blade Records, for their continued support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 The Lost “The Heartbeat of The Devil” Thank you to our sponsor, Metal Blade Records, for their continued support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 Alien” Thank you to our sponsor, Metal Blade Records, for their continued support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 you to our sponsor, Metal Blade Records, for their continued support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 Fucking Liar” Song: GWAR “Berserker Mode” Song: Alestrom “P.A.R.T.Y” Thank you to our sponsor, Metal Blade Records, for their continued support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 you to our sponsor, Metal Blade Records, for their continued support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 fewer gatekeepers because of the decline of physical media, the world losing the ability to reach common ground, ways in which society can possibly change for the future, and all the opportunities that we can bring to the next generation. Petar, Jozalyn, and Sylvia tackle the tragic news of the passing of Trevor Strnad of The Black Dahlia Murder, the weight of his passing on all of us, our friends and families’ personal experiences with Trevor, and our personal mental struggles in modern times. Song: The Black Dahlia Murder, “I Will Return” Song: God Forbid, “The End Of The World” Song: Cage Fight, “Respect Ends” Song: Dälek, “A Heretic’s Inheritance” featuring Adam Jones Thank you to our sponsor, Metal Blade Records, for their continued support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 Bjorn “Speed” Strid Thank you to our sponsor, Metal Blade Records, for their continued support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices