The MetalSucks Podcast

Volumes vocalist Michael Barr is our guest this week. We talk about his journey from exiting Volumes to eventually returning to the band, and we get an update on the band's next album. Michaels tells us about their recently-released standalone single, "Pixelate," its message about the dangers of growing up staring at a computer screen, the digital imprint being more important to your legacy than human interaction, getting bullied for staying silent and refusing to add to the daily noise, if caring too much about your own brand can make you disconnected from other people, and the importance of being able to fuck up so you can grow as a person. Michael also shares a memory of Diego Farias, his former bandmate that tragically passed away earlier this year. Petar, Brandon, and Sylvia tackle the video footage of Doro's drive-in concert, our experience with visiting Las Vegas casinos during the pandemic, the power of regulating the media intake in your life, and Protest the Hero’s statement about fans that have a different political agenda. Songs: Volumes - “Pixelate," Descend - “Lily” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Sword axeman Kyle Shutt is our guest this week. We discuss the recent release of two rarity, b-side and live compilations, Chronology 2006-2018 and Conquest of Kingdoms, the difference between the two, and the effects of taking a hiatus as a band after 15 years. We also discuss how Primus brought the band back together, how the death of Neil Peart put a pause on their reunion shows, his hobby of drawing self-portraits during the quarantine, what having kids has taught him, and the next thing fans can look forward to from The Sword. Petar, Brandon, and Sylvia discuss the possibility of an Oderus Urungus statue in Virginia, Tommy Vext's comments on the Black Lives Matter movement, and his Bad Wolves bandmate Doc Coyle’s response. Songs: The Sword - “Daughter of Dawn," Mushroomhead - “The Heresy," Aversions Crown - “Paradigm” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Legendary thrash metal vocalist Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth (Overkill) is our guest this week. We discuss his supergroup cover band, BPMD (featuring Mike Portnoy, Phill Demmel, and Mark Menghi), we break down their album track by track as he shares his memories of seeing the songs performed live in the 1970s, learn how Saturday Night Special and busting balls was the catalyst for the creation of the band, the specific reason why the BPMD record was done by all the guys, the origin of Overkill starting off as a cover band, and how they sent their version of the covers to the original artists and got feedback. We also get an update on the latest Overkill record. This week we are doing another music episode and compiling our Best of 2020 So Far lists and playing a song off each record we think you need to check out before the summer hits. Songs: BPMD - “Toys In The Attic” (originally by Aerosmith) and “Evil” (originally by Cactus) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Within Temptation vocalist Sharon del Adel is our guest this week. We discuss the band's latest standalone single, "Entertain You," the song's lyrical exploration of why people film altercations instead of helping humans in distress and the debate of filming being used as evidence versus getting involved. We also talk about how the majority of silent voices aren't represented on social media, the media's contributions to modern day bully culture, and an update on the band's rescheduled tour with Evanescence. Petar, Brandon and Sylvia discuss the metal and rock community’s reaction to the murder of George Floyd, and discuss the feeling of helplessness we all experience when we see what's going on in the world around us. Songs: Within Temptation "Entertain You" and "Raise Your Banner," Alestorm - "Treasure Chest Party Quest" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nita Strauss is back on the show! This time we discuss Nita's new guitar tutorial website, iwanttoplayguitar.com, the story behind the programs she's created for guitar players of all levels, how learning from instructional videos was very important to her as a developing musician, and the teacher-student relationship that she has experienced across the world. We also talk about the motivation behind her solo record and how that will change on her sophomore release, her thoughts on how meet-and-greets will be impacted by the pandemic, the challenges of creating value for fans during the quarantine, performers having to give it their all the keep fans from scrolling through their phones, and when fans can expect her second solo record to come out. Petar, Brandon, and Jozalyn tackle a subject suggested by a listener: which metal vocalists don’t get the credit they deserve? We choose six and play a track by each artist. Song: Nita Strauss - “Our Most Desperate Hour” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nightwish vocalist Floor Jansen is our guest this week. We discuss the band's new album, Human. :II: Nature., whether there were any concerns about releasing it during the quarantine, working with a real choir and orchestra instead of using samples, and finding her vocal timing in the studio, as well as how COVID-19 has taught people to slow down in life and why not doing concerts is the safest way to take care of fans. Floor also shares a story about the time Vinnie Paul showed up at a Nightwish concert, her experience performing at a venue with a bowling alley next to the stage, what it was like to become the first band to ever film a video at London's National History Museum, and having a new species of beetle named after her. Petar, Brandon, and Sylvia discuss the new concert safety guidelines that don't permit moshing or crowdsurfing, MS co-founder Vince Neilstein's article on age defining your taste in heavy metal, and Serj Tankian’s comments about how his new EP will consist of songs he wrote for System of A Down. Songs: Nightwish - “Noise," “Tribal," Killswitch Engage - “To The Great Beyond” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Khemmis bassist Daniel Beiers is our guest this week. We discuss the band's new release, Doomed Heavy Metal, why he calls it a mini-album instead of an EP, how they chose which live tracks made it onto the album, and the band's plans for an eventual full-length album. Beiers also talks about how his job as an engineer has kept him extremely busy during the pandemic, trusting his kids to homeschool themselves during work hours, how fans are relying on bands to cancel shows with an uncertain future, his thoughts on the possibility of Khemmis doing a live stream concert, and how the band's general plans have changed due to the pandemic. Petar, Brandon, and Sylvia tackle the backlash against Phil Labonte for comparing Nickelback to Metallica, Stryper's Michael Sweet and L.A. Guns' Tracii Guns making a “black metal record," and the recent spike in musical instrument sales during the lockdown. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In This Moment vocalist Maria Brink is our guest this week. We discuss the theme behind the band's new album, Mother, how the death of family members influenced the writing and recording of the record, the visual aspect of In This Moment's live presentation and the difficulty of making that work on a budget, how collaborating with different singers is always exciting for her, the possibility of doing a video for the band's cover of Queen's "We Will Rock You" with Lzzy Hale and Taylor Momsen, how the coronavirus is inspiring her to use technology to reach her fanbase, and the possibility of the band doing a live streaming performance. Petar, Brandon, and Sylvia discuss the recent drive-in concert in Denmark and whether that could work for metal bands, Randy Blythe’s statement that social distancing efforts would never be successful at a metal show, Bad Religion's decision to cancel instead of postpone their touring plans so fans can get ticket refunds, Lars Ulrich's statement that Metallica could write a new album during this time, and The Black Dahlia Murder charting on Billboard. Songs: In This Moment - “The In-Between," “As Above, So Below," Paradise Lost - "Ghosts" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jamey Jasta of Hatebreed is our guest this week. We celebrate 500 episodes of his own podcast, The Jasta Show, the importance of his show's sponsors for its survival, how he gets in trouble for speaking his mind and the lessons he has learned from his peers in podcasting. Turning to his band, he reveals how he thought The Rise of Brutality would never be released, feeling competitive with other bands when Hatebreed were coming up, and the role the Melvins played in him falling in love with live music. We also discuss heavy metal's reputation as an angry old guy on the lawn and his suspicions that he was named after James Taylor. Petar, Brandon, and Sylvia tackle some fan mail on when we think metalheads will be able to attend live shows again and we discuss the coronavirus battle rap between Pete’s offspring. Songs: Hatebreed - “When The Blade Drops," Jasta - “When The Contagion Is You” (featuring Matthew K. Heafy), Local H - “Turn The Bow” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

John Kevill from Warbringer joins the show this week. We discuss the band's new album, Weapons of Tomorrow, how his lyrics can be misinterpreted in light of recent events, the importance of the success of Woe To The Vanquished for Warbringer to survive as a band, how having a near-death experience as a band sharpened them musically, and breaking out of the neo-thrash mold. John also tells us about his studies of military history, the dangers of voluntarily putting your information on the internet, if the media deserve credit for less destructive behavior by humans, how he recently got into the stock market before the pandemic, how the past and present tend to rhyme and how we are in an obvious time of change in our culture. Petar and Brandon take on Danny Carey's statement about a possible new Tool EP, and we finally have no choice but to tackle the nonsense from that one guy in Trapt. Songs: Warbringer - “The Black Hand Reaches Out" and “Glorious End” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices