The MetalSucks Podcast

The new album from SLAYER drops today (9/11/15), and we've decided to give you all a special podcast to listen along with Repentless! This is something that's never been tried before in the history of the planet, so who knows if it will work or not -- but as you explore the new record you can listen to commentary about the new songs, a discussion of Slayer's place in history and more. We don't give you the music -- you use your own disc, LP, cassette or stream -- and listen alongside the podcast. But this is not just the two of us hosting! We thought you might need some expert opinions to carry you through why this record may (or may not) be the best thing since sliced wrists. So we invited some of the foremost Slayer experts, musicians, comedians and more to chat along with the album and put things in perspective: Ian Christe (Host of "Bloody Roots" on Sirius XM, author of Sound of the Beast: Complete History of Heavy Metal, www.bazillionpoints.com) Joel McIver (author of The Bloody Reign of Slayer, www.joelmciver.co.uk) DX Ferris (author of Slayer: The Jeff & Dave Years, www.slayerbio.com) Albert Mudrian (author of Choosing Death: The Improbably History of Death Metal, editor of Decibel Magazine, www.decibelmagazine.com) Eli Santana (guitarist of Holy Grail, www.holygrailofficial.com) John Tole (comedian, singer of Pitboss 2000, www.johntole.com) Emperor Rhombus (writer at Metalsucks.net) So check out our first ever attempt at an online listening party and celebrate SLAYER along with! Purchase Repentless here on physical formats and here digitally if you haven't yet. And when we tell you, push play on Repentless and hold on! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dave Wyndorf of Monster Magnet guests this week. We talk about the rise and fall of Monster Magnet, from having a super radio hit to hardly selling any albums, the way the industry monetizes artists and thereby lessens the value of art, getting older and realizing what it means to have longevity, and the pitfalls of rock and roll in general. His candid perspective is unique and Dave does not mince words for those in power. We also discuss last week's Motorhead show in Austin, where Chuck witnessed first-hand the illness that caused Lemmy's shortened performance. We discuss the crowd reaction while giving him the respect he deserves. Is this the beginning of the end for one of rock's most important icons? No matter what we hope to have him around for many more years, but it might be time to set up a residency or something. Songs:Monster Magnet - Watch Me FadeMotorhead - Till the End Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Shawn Drover, ex-drummer of Megadeth and Eidolon, joins us to talk about his new band Act of Defiance, whose debut album The Birth and the Burial is out now. We discuss his departure from one of metal's biggest bands, his pairing with former Megadeth guitarist Chris Broderick and why they stuck together, what they were thinking when putting this new group together and why they are most definitely not a supergroup. We discuss the video advertisement Disturbed had to pull after its incendiary imagery came frighteningly true this week with two journalists being murdered in Virginia. Should we be more careful with the way we express our art? Darkest Hour's Mike Schleibaum joins us again to discuss the latest happenings in the political world with another edition of "The Sadist Nation." We cover a lot of ground about the 2016 Presidential candidates and some other political topics that are trending. Songs:Act of Defiance - "The Lord Belial"Stray From the Path - "Badge & a Bullet Part II" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Legendary producer, guitarist and vocalist Erik Rutan guests this week. Hate Eternal just unleashed their new album Infernus and it plays like a death metal guidebook, so we pick his brain about a wide range of topics: producing bands, the changing metal scene, whether he would ever rejoin Morbid Angel, how he hurt his hand on the Metal Alliance Tour and what the hell happened to that tour when it shit the bed mid-run. Doc Coyle comes back to "Reject the Sickness." This week's topic: Godless' Tweet about loving Meshuggah being the hipster way to say people love Fear Factory. What kind of influence did FF have and why do people love to hate on them so much while giving Meshuggah so much credit for their influence? Doc does his best to set us straight. Songs:Hate Eternal - "The Stygian Deep"Clutch - "X-Ray Visions" Follow us on twitter: @BeardedApe and @GodlessSpeaks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week we talk to Amalie Bruun, the mysterious woman behind the eclectic black metal project Myrkur. Her perspective on metal is unique, and we talk to her about the haters, her philosophy on making music and art, what working with her heroes has meant to her, the public reception of Myrkur (both positive and negative) and how playing pop music influences her musical output. Godless recaps his time at Bloodstock, his first European style festival, and how it differs from the one-day touring festivals here in the States. We chat about the recent comments by The Browning that compare the incident in Ferguson a year ago to a band getting their van broken into, and we talk about Trapt using their Facebook page to vent their political opinions. Do bands need to be more careful with what they put out for public consumption? Songs:Myrkur – "Mordet"Teenage Time Killers – "Egobomb" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Soilwork frontman Bjorn “Speed” Strid guests on the podcast this week. We talk about the band's ongoing lineup changes and their effect on the sound, what it means to lose someone who has been playing with them for so long, if he's ever thought about leaving, his recent decision to quit drinking and, of course, the band's new album The Ride Majestic.  We also discuss the recent Spotify report listing the top 25 top sub-genres of metal on the service; you won’t believe what landed at number 6! What does it all mean for bands and their music on the streaming service, and who the hell is still listening to nu-metal? Songs:Soilwork – "The Ride Majestic"InAeona – "Sun/Moon" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dino Cazares took a break from consuming young children to be our guest on the podcast one week ahead of the release of Fear Factory’s new album Genexus. While Godless goes a little gaga, we talked about the storied history of the band, the troubles with labels and producers and their struggles with the limelight and keeping band members happy. We also find out the fate of Divine Heresy and some of Dino's other projects. We take another listener call about festivals, since that topic seems to be on the top of everyone's mind as they watch the downfall of the Mayhem Festival. We discuss whether any changes need to be made to some static festivals such as Maryland Deathfest, and whether changing the formula would give the appearance that they're "selling out."  Songs:Fear Factory – "Dielectric"Amorphis – "Death of a King" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Philip H. Anselmo makes another appearance on this episode (he first joined us way back on episode sixteen!), right after his 47th birthday, and on the verge of taking Superjoint Ritual on a full tour for the first time in a decade. We talk about getting older and how it changes your perspective on conflicts with people, such as Tom G. Warrior and former band members. We also find out the status of his autobiography in the wake of the passing of his co-author and co-founder of the Housecore Horror Film Festival, Corey Mitchell. Eyal Levi drops in for another segment of 'One Minute to Midnight,' in which unsigned bands get to be critiqued by a professional engineer, producer and all around talented dude. Event Horizon and Dissident Regressor are on the chopping block this month -- you can judge, or just listen to us tear them to shreds (actually, we attempt to help them make their music better)! We also take another listener call and discuss who could make a good concept record (should Slipknot even contemplate trying to pull something like that off?), why Mayhem Fest founder Kevin Lyman had to apologize for calling metal "fat, old and bald," and more. Songs: Superjoint Ritual - "Death Threat"Miss May I - "I.H.E." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Blake Harrison and Mark Sloan, the human portion of the parrot-fronted extreme metal band Hatebeak, guest this week on the podcast. We find out if they really think metal vocalists are obsolete, why this project should be taken seriously and why it probably shouldn't be at the same time. We learn about the collaboration's history and grill Blake about whether we'll have to wait another couple decades before the new Pig Destroyer album comes out (and if it will be a D00M album). We take a listener question about streaming services and how bands make money via Spotify, Google Play and Apple Music. Where does the money go? Why do those royalty checks for metal bands barely buy a happy meal let alone pay a mortgage? Songs:Hatebeak - "God of Empty Nest"Kataklysm - "Thy Serpents Tongue" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The enigmatic Dani Filth makes us work hard for our money on this week's episode: we talk about the upcoming Cradle of Filth record, how imagery can shape the outcome of an album, creating good artwork, how he keeps the Cradle sound intact with a rotating cast of band members, and why you shouldn't illegally download music. Senior MS Editor Anso DF stops by to bring some of the latest news stories into perspective. How do the stories of Cobalt's new lead singer, Morbid Angel's embarrassing public split and Inquisition getting picked for Knotfest all tie together? Anso helps us sort it out! Songs:Cradle of Filth - "Deflowering The Maidenhead, Displeasing The Goddess"Ramming Speed - "Don't Let This Stay Here" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices