The MetalSucks Podcast

Myrkur mastermind Amalie Bruun is our guest this week. We discuss her new album Mareridt, her collaboration with Chelsea Wolfe, how she feels more connected with nature than most humans, balancing style and substance as an artist, some of her favorite books and her passion for knitting. Brandon and Petar tackle the issue of groping when people stage dive and crowd surf, try to make sense of the guy who peed on a child at a Metallica concert, discuss the disappointment of Jeff Loomis not writing on the new Arch Enemy album and the wizardry of Yngwie Malmsteen. Songs Myrkur - “Ulvinde” Myrkur - “Maneblot” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week we hit a milestone with Episode #200! We catch up with the first guest that ever graced the podcast, Valient Himself of Valient Thorr, to talk to us about being on Warped Tour, the band's efforts to create new fans on a festival geared towards youth, his unhappiness with the way the band's latest album Old Salt was handled by Napalm Records and more. We also connect with the forefathers of The MetalSucks Podcast, Chuck and Godless to discuss the genesis of the podcast, their favorite and least favorite interviews, and the “white whale” guest we'd love to have. Finally we talk to Vince Neilstein over at the MetalSucks Mansion about the past four years of podcasting, ten years of MetalSucks, his most memorable podcast moment, and if we ever made a bit that embarrassed him. Don’t miss the celebration and the THANKS to all that helped us reach this milestone! Songs: Valient Thorr - “No Count Blues” Valient Thorr - “Mirakuru” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The mercurial, supremely talented Julie Christmas calls in this week. We discuss the upcoming North American tour for Mariner (her collaboration with Cult of Luna), her career as an educator, her past musical endeavors with Made Out of Babies and Spylacopa, her love of novelist Cormac McCarthy, the possibility of future work with Cult Of Luna, and which record in her catalogue would make a great starting point for new fans. Brandon and Pete talk about the Dio hologram tour and discuss whether the name change from Devil You Know to Light this Torch will hurt their brand.  Songs:  Cult of Luna/Julie Christmas - “Cygnus” Julie Christmas - “July 31st” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree -- whose fifth solo album To the Bone comes out on August 18th -- is our guest this week. We discuss how social media is anti-social, the abuse and criticism people give artists' work without even listening to it, the loss of ambitious music and the fear of change in the mainstream, how the underground maintains the arts and much more. Brandon and Pete discuss the tragedy of Chester Bennington, the disrespectful comments that followed, how being a fan shouldn't give you license to be disrespectful, and the unanswerable questions we're left with following a successful artist's suicide. Songs:  Steven Wilson - "Pariah" Steven Wilson - "The Same Asylum As Before" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Legendary Melvins frontman Buzz Osborne is our guest this week. We discuss the last time he had a regular job, his philosophy on how to be truly successful in life, his take on getting a college education in America, how important it is to find the right person to share your life with, plenty about his various musical projects and much more. Meanwhile, Brandon and Petar find a truly great politician to oppose Kid Rock’s Senate run, discuss why the recently-announced grunge musical hurts our feelings, and ask a timeless question: are there any good Juggalo stories out there that don't involve someone brandishing an axe, like this week’s debacle? Songs: Melvins - “Christ Hammer” Crystal Fairy - “Chiseler” Dale Crover - “Little Brother” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ben Falgoust of Goatwhore is our guest the week. We discuss the band's latest album, Vengeful Ascension, his hobbies of cave exploration and deep sea diving, the current state of the world, calling black metal “catchy" and a few words about Soilent Green. Brandon and Petar discover a new version of the bible by Blameless Dave Mustaine, and Pete shares a tale of when he first saw Goatwhore and the hijinks that followed.  Songs: Goatwhore - “Mankind Will Have No Mercy” Goatwhore - “Chaos Arcane” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Byzantine vocalist/guitarist Chris “OJ” Ojeda is our guest this week. We discuss the band's recent move to Metal Blade Records, their upcoming album The Cicada Tree, OJ's personal experience with the opioid epidemic in the band's native West Virginia, how he balances touring and family life... and, of course, no interview with Byzantine would be complete without a discussion of the catchphrase “Nobody Beats The Byz." Brandon and Pete shine light on a “Real Hero of Metal” and talk about the latest Rammstein show, the amazing poop-throwing story Every Time I Die's Andy Williams shared, the Jenner sisters' mind-boggling shirt design and much more. Songs Byzantine - “New Ways to Bear Witness” Byzantine - “Trapjaw” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jason Keyser of technical death metal masters Origin guests this week. We talk about the band's new album Unparalleled Universe, their 20th anniversary, his lyric-writing process, his thoughts on bands that wear their own merch, and the decision to cover a Brujeria song despite not being fluent in Spanish. Brandon and Pete discuss the recent spate of "Best Of" metal lists provided by Rolling Stone, Lars Ulrich and Rob Halford and the difficulty that goes into creating such lists. Pete shines a light on Brandon’s “problem," we talk about the beef between Corey Taylor and Chad Kroeger, and much more. Songs: Origin - “Cascading Failures, Diminishing Returns” Origin - “Accident and Error” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Justin Chancellor, the often-reclusive bassist of Tool, opens up about the band's freshly completed tour and their studio return with an astounding 90% of a new record already laid down. He shares insights into band dynamics and their camaraderie, all while reflecting on surprising Tool cover bands found on YouTube. The conversation is sprinkled with humor as the hosts also explore Gene Simmons' antics and break down the notorious Stockton slap in a light-hearted manner. This rare glimpse into Chancellor's world is both engaging and revealing.

This week we interview Trey Williams from Dying Fetus. We discuss how the title of the new record, Wrong One to Fuck With, came about and the writing process for the album, their extremely intense and NSFW new music video, the way they approach set lists on tour and all of our day jobs. Brandon and Pete tackle the saga of Five Finger Death Punch's disastrous show in the Netherlands: the show itself, the confusing statements that followed and the band's decision to ultimately do the right thing by scheduling a free show. We also ask the obvious question of when it's time to fire a member of a band and the difficulties that come along with that. Songs: Dying Fetus - “Die With Integrity” Dying Fetus - “Fixation on Devastation" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices