The MetalSucks Podcast

Gost mastermind Baalberith is back on the show! We discuss the inspiration behind the new album, Rites of Love and Reverence, his mindset on following up Valediction after getting some harsh feedback from long-time fans, the need to be adventurous as a musician as he grows as a person, and the positive side of not touring during the last year. Petar, Brandon, and Sylvia discuss Live Nation's decision allowing their venues to require proof of vaccination or negative Covid-19 tests for admission to concerts, Madball’s decision not to perform any shows where vaccinations are required, and our reaction to the New Guns N’ Roses song. Songs: Gost - “Coven” and “Bound By The Horror," Wizardthrone - “Black Hole Quantum Thermodynamics” Thank you to our sponsor, Metal Blade Records, for their continued support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Booka Nile from Make Them Suffer is our guest this week! We discuss their latest single, "Contraband," how the collaboration with Spiritbox's Courtney LaPlante came together; the current state of COVID in her native Australia, and the mental health issues that come with the pandemic; our strong sense of community across the heavy metal scene; not being able to perform any of the songs off their latest album live yet; her participation in the reality TV show Married at First Sight, and the difficulty of having a relationship as a touring musician; and the current plans for the next album from Make Them Suffer. Petar, Brandon, and Jozalyn also tackle the tragic news that Slipknot's Joey Jordison, ZZ Top's Dusty Hill, and Metal Church's Mike Howe have all passed away.  Thank you to our sponsor, Metal Blade Records, for their continued support! Songs: Make Them Suffer - "Contraband" (featuring Courtney LaPlante), Make Them Suffer - "Erase Me," Ex Deo - “Boudicca (Queen of The Icieni)" (featuring Brittney Slayes), Slipknot - “The Blister Exists,” ZZ Top - “Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers,” and Metal Church - “Sky Fall In.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The legendary Dee Snider returns to the podcast this week! We discuss his new solo album, Leave a Scar, writing and recording it with Jamey Jasta and his team, if he feels the "sophomore effort" label applies to this record given his history, and how this was the first time he has written lyrics since the Widowmaker days in the '90s. Dee also offers his take on the recent David Ellefson scandal, explains why he has stayed sober throughout his entire career, his thoughts on separating the art from the artist, his story about listening to Lzzy Hale’s live monitor mix to make sure she was really singing live, his gripe with young bands honoring the past by replication, and his timeline for retiring as a live vocalist. Petar, Brandon, and Sylvia discuss the retirement of the Dio hologram for now, the Dave Grohl vs. John Joseph Covid-19 battle, and, in honor of Aaron Lewis’s recent double performance, we go down memory lane of artists we saw play live while hammered. Thank you to our sponsor, Metal Blade Records, for their continued support! Songs: Dee Snider - “Time To Choose” (Featuring George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher) and “I Gotta Rock (Again)," King Woman - “Psychic Wound” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Periphery mastermind Misha Mansoor is back on the podcast this week! Our conversation centers around his new solo album, Moderately Fast, Adequately Furious, releasing ten albums worth of Bulb archives last year, whether he ever plans to perform the Bulb material live, collaborating with his brother, and the trouble with getting honest feedback from friends. Misha also talks about Periphery, including all the work that goes into running the band's own label, 3Dot, how his previous management team put too much pressure on the band, looking back at Periphery IV, and an update on the eventual Periphery V. Petar, Brandon, and Sylvia discuss Stormy Daniels running the merch booth at an upcoming Eyehategod show, our take on the new Iron Maiden track, Ed Sheeran being open to death metal, and Oli Sykes getting some vampire fangs with his wife. Thank you to our sponsor, Metal Blade Records, for their continued support. Song: Bulb - “Upload Apathy” and “Far Too High” (Featuring Axel Mansoor) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mayhem vocalist Attila Csihar guests this week to discuss the band's new EP, Atavistic Black Disorder/Kommando, which consists of three new originals and four classic punk covers. Attila shares the punk rock albums that shaped him in his youth, how he had to smuggle music into communist Hungary while growing up there in the early '80s, his first time meeting Dead Kennedys frontman Jello Biafra, Discharge reacting to the Mayhem cover of their track, and why he prefers today's audiences to the violent shows of the '80s. Attila also relays how the pandemic has affected Mayhem, how they plan to tour with ever-shifting rules in every country, and the horror movie soundtrack he's working on with Greg Anderson of Sunn O))). Petar, Brandon, and Sylvia discuss the mother that named her children Metallica, Pantera and Slayer, Dave Mustaine running up his Cameo price in under a week, and our thoughts on the upcoming Woodstock '99 documentary. Thank you to our sponsor, Metal Blade Records, for their continued support! Songs: Mayhem - “Voces Ab Alta," “Everlasting Dying Flame," Mordred - “Demonic #7” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Adam Dutkiewicz of Killswitch Engage and Times of Grace is our guest this week! We talk about the new Times of Grace album, Songs of Loss and Separation, their first in 10 years, and reflect on its predecessor, The Hymn of a Broken Man. Adam shares his thoughts on the importance of keeping his mind busy during dark times, working on music videos with Nick Hipa (ex-As I Lay Dying, ex-Wovenwar), his attempt at the Big 4 of the New Wave of American Heavy Metal, how he gets grumpier as he gets older, and the silver linings that are happening now after a rough year mentally. Petar, Brandon, and Jozalyn discuss “old country” methods of healing things and cultural differences between consumers in America and other parts of the world. Apologies for the audio issue during our banter. Thank you to our sponsor, Metal Blade Records, for their continued support! Songs: Times of Grace - “The Burden of Belief” and “Medusa” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Prolific death metal drummer and multi-instrumentalist Hannes Grossmann is our guest! We discuss the recruitment process for his latest solo album, To Where The Light Retreats, the role he takes on as composer for his own material, how Tori Amos inspired a song on the new record, the story behind the hand-drawn cover artwork, how the songs on his first solo album were originally intended for Obscura, the less experimental nature of his solo project compared to Alkaloid, and the elitist mentality he takes towards his own music. Hannes also says he hopes there will never be another Necrophagist record and explains why. Petar, Brandon, and Jozalyn discuss Wes Borland’s statement on Fred Durst’s high standards for the next Limp Bizkit record, the official reunion of Shadows Fall, and our thoughts on the next NWOAHM bands to reunite. Thank you to our sponsor, Metal Blade Records, for their continued support! Songs: Hannes Grossmann - “The Great Designer" and “In The Glacier’s Eye” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Howard Jones is back on the podcast! We discuss H.A.I.T.(How Awesome Is That), his movie watching podcast with Jamey Jasta and Charlie Bellmore; the imprint '80s action movies left on us growing up' the work environment that surrounded him during the making of the new Light the Torch album; his lyrical approach on the new record; being open to change; the decision to cover the Terrence Trent D’Arby; preparation for his upcoming livestream on June 25th; going back out on tour after the pandemic; an update on rescheduling the North American tour with Killswitch Engage the was cut short; and his love of seeing live stand up comedy.  Petar and Brandon discuss Pete’s first foray back into concertgoing, how show attendees' behavior has changed, the reason we think Vince Neil cancelled his second show of 2021, whether or not Robb Flynn is the dictator of Machine Head, and Atreyu's disappointing first-week record sales.  Songs: Light The Torch - “More Than Dreaming,” Light The Torch - “Let Me Fall Apart,” Vexed - “Epiphany” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Aaron Beam of Red Fang is our guest this week! We discuss the band's new album, 'Arrows,' the dark turn in the playful music video for their single “Why?”, reuniting with producer Chris Funk, the album's title, the benefits of meditation, how that process makes him more productive in all of his avenues of creativity, and more. Petar, Brandon, and Sylvia also discuss their BEST OF 2021 SO FAR! Thank you to our sponsor, Metal Blade Records, for their continued support! Songs: Zao - “Transitions,” Tomahawk - “Business Casual,” Epica - “Freedom - The Wolves Within,” Soen - “Deceiver,” Red Fang - “Why” and “Funeral Coach,” Gojira - “Born For One Thing,” Harakiri for the Sky - “I, Pallbearer," Erra - “Divisionary,” The Crown - “We Drift On” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Perturbator mastermind James Kent is back on the show! We discuss his first new album in five years, Lustful Sacraments, why it took him so long to complete the record, the heavy influence of goth music this time around, why he feels it's important to tour less than he did in the past, and the 10 year anniversary of Perturbator. He also tells us about opening for John Carpenter, his plans for his own newly launched record label, his favorite French metal band, and how he feels about French cinema in comparison to the rest of the world's art. Petar, Brandon, and Sylvia discuss Vince Neil's awful performance at his first post-pandemic show, their joy that Jason Newsted is not joining Megadeth, whether Ozzy Osbourne should have accepted Weezer’s song “Hash Pipe” when it was offered to him, and our thoughts on Bad Wolves' new singer Daniel “DL” Laskiewicz (ex-The Acacia Strain). Thank you to our sponsor, Metal Blade Records, for their continued support! Songs: Perturbator - “Death of the Soul" and "Dethroned Under a Funeral Haze," Stormruler - “Reign of The Winged Duke” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices