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Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, metal's my religion, and yeah, it's my dope. Standing in the thunder on stage in the pouring metal rain. What a feeling, baby, the lights are exploding.

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Hello and welcome to the Metalheads Podcast.

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My name is George. This is Buke. This is Jay. And today, in the studio with us, we have a couple of hobos that Jay brought in off the street. I'm just kidding. It's the guys from Slab City, so they'll be joining us in a little while. Good boys, too. We'll be glad to talk to them. Yes. So, what have you guys been up to since we talked last? Anything interesting? I went sailing yesterday. Sailing? It was tiring. So, what exactly was tiring about that? Well,

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Actually, the guy, okay, so we paid somebody. We were out for four hours, and we paid a guy to take a sailing, basically. It's like a charter thing. And it was a legitimate thing for him to ask us to do this, but he was like, who wants to steer? So I was like, okay. And I think it's just, so I steered for a long time, and I think it's just, you're really fighting the water on that thing, man. The bay water is moving around a lot. And it's just the exhaustion of moving all your muscles to stay standing straight up on a rocking boat. I had no idea. We got back, and both Gene and I were just colliding.

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So it was awesome. Right on. Well, Buke and I had a pretty interesting Friday night. We went to see and interview Ashes of Aries at Angels Rock Bar in Baltimore. And it just happened to be that the show was on 9-11. So Buke, with his quick thinking, interjected some questions about 9-11 into the interviews, which you'll be hearing shortly. What's your thoughts on the show that night, Buke?

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Yeah, it was interesting to see a band and members of the band that, you know, we hold on such high regard. Playing in this area of Baltimore, there's, you know, six different venues. And there's each venue or bar had another band playing. So this was in Power Plant Live. Yeah, at the Angels Rock Bar. Yeah. Yeah. So they were just another one of the bands playing that night.

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The cool thing about it was that we were able to go get some drinks beforehand. Float up there. It was a real cool, perfect night, weather out. It kind of blew me away how we were excited. There were a couple of diehard fans there, but still, there weren't a lot of people. No. I want to get to something about that in a minute. There were, what, maybe 30 people at this show? That's crazy, man.

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the front. We were right up on the stage, which is about six inches tall. Look, you're stage diving because I was taking my foot on off, on off, on off. And I looked behind us and I mean, it was maybe like too deep behind us. Maybe. Yeah, it was. Things have changed, man. Honestly, I mean, and they're on a label. Yeah, they're on nuclear blast. And it's it was really depressing to me that a band of this caliber was not drawing. It was a not in a bigger

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bar to begin with they could have you know they should have been playing right across the street at at ram's head live

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but here they were playing at angel's rock bar which we've never been to before but it was a nice place

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uh and but i mean you know not even a third of the room full but let me go back a couple hours in the day

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george and i ventured up there when he got off work uh they were supposed to be doing an in-store signing

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at a record store that George and I had never been to before called Shock Doctor Records. It was near Towson. The guy was a metal head. Had a nice little metal section. George and I were able to find a couple good records in there. But they had played a show the previous night in Virginia Beach. They were supposed to be in Richmond, but traffic in this area being what it is, they weren't able to make it back in time, so they canceled the in-store signing.

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And George said maybe the word got out or people had come and gone before we got there. But I started to think in my head, there's not a lot of people here for the signing yet. Maybe, you know, how's the show later going to be? But yeah, I mean, if everybody at the show had showed up at the signing, it still wouldn't have been crowded. You know, I've seen a few bands in that under in that circumstance, but sometimes big bands, you know, where you see them without very many people. And on the one hand, it's kind of a cool, intimate experience.

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But these days, it makes me worry about the scene a little bit.

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Yeah, I loved that we didn't have to fight and jostle to be up on the stage and see everything close up. But at the same time, yeah, you have to worry about it. And one of the things that we were talking about is it's this complex that's all connected. There was a place right next door that you could, it was connected with Angel's Rock Bar via the hallway for the bathrooms. It was called PBR, Professional Bow Riders.

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Yeah, it's like a country bar. And they actually had a mechanical bull in there. And that place was packed. Fucking all the 20-somethings were in there. Yeah. And it was like, for me, it felt like high school all over again. Because, you know, I went from my area, the metal area, where there was nobody, and next door to where all the cool kids were. And it was just like all, you know, pretty 20-somethings.

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Everybody Looks Good. Yeah. And you know, felt completely out of place. And there was a band outside even. There's like an outside stage at Power Plant. And there was a band there playing basically like 90s hits. You know, all cover songs. And it was slamming. You know, there was tons of people there. And I'm just like, on one hand, I'm like pissed that these people aren't here in here checking out the good music. Yeah. And on the other

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I'm glad they're not here, just fuck them. I don't get it. I leaned over to George and I said, this kind of, you know, sums up heavy metal. There's easily 200 people dancing and watching a cover band. That's weird, dude. There's a couple hundred people inside the PBR playing club music, dance music. I don't know what to say. I'm just as mystified as you guys. I mean, and granted, I've been to plenty of metal shows where there were plenty of

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of people, but people are here when we get to our Slab City interview. It's weird. It's hard to get people to come out to shows now. And I admit they're kind of a new-ish band and sort of building their following, but God, the scene, the whole thing is so weird now. The whole scene is so bizarre, which doesn't help. I also want to mention, though, that Buke said they still brought it like they were playing to a thousand people. Oh, my God. I will get to that. Thank you for asking that introduction. George and I are sitting there, and

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For a little club, you know, we have lamented about poor sound quality at various venues over and over again. But George and I are sitting there right at the stage. And Jay, just like you mentioned it a couple weeks ago, it was better than the frickin CD. I'm glad to hear that. It was amazing. Van was playing the drums like he was playing for a stadium. And Barlow's vocals. I mean, he hit notes higher than probably he does on the album. His voice.

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The guy has not lost a step given

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the fact that he's perhaps a little older now

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he has not lost a thing

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his voice sounds amazing

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George and I said it like you know like to where

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any three of us would try and hit

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a high note and we'd be like

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coughing and you'd be wrecked for an hour

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to him he'd hit it

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and then move on

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and then go right back to it again

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you know I was telling

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that was one of the things I said to you after

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the show when he was kind of telling me about it. We talked on the phone briefly that night. And I would, just talking about the scene in general, I don't care what you think of that band. You should want to go just to listen to him sing. I'm like, if you know Ice to Earth, which, and I'm not, that's not to say anything bad about Ashes of Eris, you know what I mean? I just, but man, he is one of the premier singers out there, you know? Without a doubt. With, from, you know, for American Metal at that too. Mm-hmm. You know, one of the guys,

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Flying the flag for American middle the most. He's it. He's one of our voices. Actually, I'm glad you put it that way because there are those probably five, somewhere between two and five guys you would say coming out of Britain over the course of the years. Matt, he's got to be a top five vocalist coming out of America over the years. I don't think. He's so good. Yes, he is. Incredible. We'll hear them here in the podcast. George and I, before the show, we

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I caught up with Matt again. Did another 10 minutes or so. Just like George had mentioned, I did ask him about the significance of September 11th because it affected all of us. I thought it was respectful to ask. Appropriate. He was very vocal at the time. I know that that was one of the things that led to the current path he's on. I asked him about that.

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I mean, I remember him talking about that in interviews. Actually, it might have been a John Schaefer interview, but I do remember that really shook both of those dudes up. Obviously, it shook everybody up. Oh, yeah. But I mean, that's, well, I'm sure we'll hear it in the interview, and I haven't heard the interview, so I don't feel like I'm giving too much of a spoiler when I'm guessing he basically said that's why he's a cop, you know, because that's pretty much what I heard once upon a time. Yep. And after that, we had a, I think it was probably a little longer interview with Van. We actually caught him on the stairs. We were heading out to go take our,

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LP covers that Barlow signed for us back to the car. And we ran into Van on the stairs. He was coming back with, you know, food in hand and was kind enough to talk to us as well. Cool. I'm not taking anything away from Barlow giving us his time again to talk to us. But Van was, the word I'm looking for, very outspoken, very. He did not shy away from,

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honestly opening up about the as you'll hear the downfall of nevermore which i'm dying to hear

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because i am you know i'm a big fan of theirs and i'm dying to hear that you know it turns out it was

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catatonic society that broke them up another one i got a little i got a little sheet i keep and i put

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little notches on it all right one more day but it was it was with without us asking because you know we

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We never try and get clickbait on this podcast. We never try and get that headline blabbermouth thing. Of course. We just asked him that question. We just asked him and he pretty much said that, you know. I'm looking forward to hearing it. I'm glad he was so candid. We had a touching moment there at the end. We just passed on our best about his wife. Buke made Van cry. That's awesome, dude. Actually, I'm proud of you for that. And I had told Buke that night also. I said, you know, you can't not ask.

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I mean, you could not ask, but also I think I've heard she's doing better. So, you know, I mean, so I think it was a relevant question, but which is we're talking about his wife. His wife has been ill. If people out there listening don't know that, of course, she was quite ill. And I guess we'll all find out. He's been battling cancer. What was it? Is it ovarian cancer? I think it was, but, you know, he opened up, you know, he started crying with us and not like boo hoo hoo. He was just watering up a little watering up. Yeah. After the pod, you have to,

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We all gave each other a hug. Thanked him for talking to us. Wished him again the best for his wife. Such a nice guy. Extremely nice. Extremely. Cool. What does he do? Do you know what he does when he's not being Van Williams? Just kidding. It's generally awesome. I mean, we know Matt's a cop is all. I was wondering if he was a graphic artist or something like that. Actually, I think I might have heard it. Did he mention something? He may have mentioned it, George, off mic.

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I can't remember it. Yeah, I don't recall. You know what? I'll look it up and there's really no reason to edit this out, George, because I think I might be right. I think he was a graphic artist of some sort or something. I think he does computer things. But again, if you are a fan of Van or you like what you hear in the interview from him, again, he was in Nevermore as a drummer. He's drumming for Ashes of Aries. He has a project, Ghost Ship Octavius, who released an album earlier in the year.

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I haven't heard that so I'm gonna have to check that out honestly I'll send you

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it on Spotify it's really good stuff please do so so check them out support all these guys yeah man and we

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thank Matt for giving us this time a second time and we thank Van so right now let's get into our interview with Matt Barlow and Van Williams of Ashes of Aries

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This week's interview

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Here we are, this is Buke and this is George

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and we are joined with one of the most talked about guests

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and the best feedback we've received on the Metalheads podcast

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one Matt Barlow of Asks of Aries

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We're here in Baltimore with him. Matt, how's everything going today, brother?

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Good, man, good, man. Hit a lot of traffic. It sucked

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But as traffic does, I don't know that, you know, the only thing you can do is sort of laugh about it, you know, after the fact. Exactly. That's one of the first things we had to mention. Yeah. 95 is pretty much the bane of the East Coast in terms of travel. Yeah. So you guys just are on a quick little five, six city tour here. Get out and play it for a little bit. How's that going so far? Good, man. Good. We've done, yeah, we've done two shows so far. So this is like our midway point. And, you know, it's been good.

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We had a good crowd down there, pretty enthusiastic. Last night in Virginia Beach, the original plan was to play in Richmond. Apparently the promoter overbooked, so it kind of pushed it. He found another place for us to play, which was Virginia Beach, which is great if you want to look at the beach, but some folks it's a bit of a way to travel, especially on Thursday night and stuff. It is what it is, man.

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We had some folks that turned out that were really enthusiastic and we put on a show for them. So they paid for a show and they got one. Since we've last spoke with you, has anything in the world of Asks of Aries changed? You guys added any new plans or maybe putting out a new album? Any new future tour plans down the line? You were talking about four or five months ago. Anything that maybe changed since then? Yeah, now we're still working. We still have quite a few songs that we've got. We're in the works.

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Being able to put it together, schedule time for recording and all that. It's a lot. It's a lot to do, especially since we have other schedules. Careers, families, things like that. We do the best we can. Traffic gets in the way of those plans too, so you have to roll with them. When we were planning to come up here today, George and I were going through our record collection.

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You're asking us on the pod, but your stuff that you did with Ashes of Aries, we didn't ask you before, was this material that you maybe had inside that you wanted to get out for a while, that maybe your own band was the only way you could do it? There were a couple songs that I used lyrics that I had composed before that I hadn't used, but nothing, you know, all the music was just between me and, you know, me and Freddie started the thing together, and then, you know, obviously band,

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added into that and made you know made the songs even you know better and so no there was nothing like nothing that i had composed or anything like that that i had ever given to iced earth or anything like that so no do you i'm sure you do when you play these shows is freddy and van getting play nevermore and you're getting play iced earth i'm sure you're getting that screamed out to you every night right yeah we we do somewhat um but i think i think people get it i think people understand that we've

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We want this to be a kind of clean separation. And it is what it is. We're doing what we want to do. We're going to do a cover tonight just to kind of throw something in there and spice it up a little bit. But it's Ashes of Aries stuff. So hopefully people enjoy watching us play it live. And for what the ticket prices are, it's not much more than going to see a movie. So, you know, I mean, and you get an incredibly reasonable price.

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And you get a bunch of bands, man. You get Ghost of War, which, you know, those guys are, you know, famous in this area. You know, they play a lot, but they do a fucking awesome job. So it's a really, really good thing. Yeah. What were you saying earlier about what you were, what a praise you were saying for Ashes of Aries and Matt for Dinkum? Oh, well, I mean, you know, the last couple of Ice to Earth albums with Stu on vocals, I mean, you know, they're good. They are what they are. But honestly, the Ashes of Aries album blows it all

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I wasn't trying to stir any shit or make comparisons, but I was just saying, you know, listening to the Ashes of Aries album, for me, as a fan of your catalog, is much more satisfying than the last couple of I've stirred albums, as good as they are.

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Well, I appreciate that, man, and that may be a thing. If you're a fan of the way that I do vocals, maybe that's it. I mean, I know that that was a tough thing for Tim to translate,

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But then again, there are some people that kind of came in with Tim and they like Tim's stuff way better. So I think it's just a matter of what kind of style that you like. Because obviously there are different styles between me, Tim, and Stu, and even Gene Adam, and John Greeley. As far as I'm concerned, there were a lot of different styles. And I think that people just have their favorites.

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I put a lot of that in Ash of Aries. I probably put more of it. I used the opportunity with Ash of Aries to really expand and do things outside of what I had done because maybe John was kind of pushing me in one direction because it's his music or whatever. So I just kind of used the space, you know what I mean? I was like with the cowbell, I'm exploring the space. So that's it. When you left, I started for the second time. But when you came

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back to Iced Earth. I was like, yes! And then when you left again, I was like, no! And so when I heard about Ashes of Aries, I was just so relieved that, you know, there was going to be more music from you one way or another. And it's so good. So anybody listen to this, if you have not heard this yet, please check it out. Yeah, I mean, it would have been cool to leave on a better note, obviously. I mean, just coming in, doing a second half of a concept that was already going. I mean, obviously, I started, I helped start

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that concept so with my voice so you know it would it would have been nice you know it was cool to do it but it would have been nice to you know do something more and leave on a better note maybe and but you know it is what it is man it I still I still felt like the second time around I got to leave the band on a better note than I did the I did the first time better terms and at least give people an explanation a little bit more so and I think I think people understand you know when you're talking about career family and stuff like that and on both sides

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You know not just me but for John and what he needed to do with the band. I mean those guys toured extensively because that's what you got to do to make money in the music industry now. You know we're doing these shows we're not doing it to make money we're not doing it to go broke either but we're certainly at least would like to break even on them so that we can keep doing it and keep putting out records and stuff. So you know. When you started Ashes of Aries was there a almost

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You had to climb up a battle. You had to fight with some of these people who, in their eyes, no matter what you did, they didn't want to hear it because how dare you try and do something else. Or were people, I guess, only a fan of Ice Earth or your previous work, but not a fan of you and the band and anything to come after that? I mean, I think the thing is, just like I said, there are those guys that are diehard, you know, Tim Owens fans and guys

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guys that are diehard stew fans. And God love them, man. If that's what they like, if that's what makes them feel good and that's what is good to their ear, then God bless them. I can't sit and listen to a Beyonce record because it doesn't work for my ear. But for those people that do, God love them. That's what they like and it makes them happy. Please, by all means. So I'm not here to impress everybody. I'm not here to please everybody. I'm here to do what I do and hopefully the folks that like what I do,

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you know we'll keep supporting and so that we can keep making records i'm not trying to take a fun evening and drag it down but this is a sad day here in the states september 11th uh you want to talk maybe a little bit about where you were on this day and how you found out about the events happening yeah um actually it's it's kind of yeah it's one of those things there's life-changing moments man the the day not not just for you know and obviously it was life-changing for for everybody um but uh that that

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That morning I was getting my stuff together to get ready to get on a tour bus to go meet up with Judas Priest in California and we were going to start our tour with Judas Priest when Tim was fronting the band. So it was just surreal. So I spent, after bawling my eyes out with my wife sitting on the couch watching the towers come down, I got to get on a bus and start to travel across the country because we had no idea at that point what was going on as far as

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We knew we had several days to get out to California and start and then and so it was like a three-day journey on a bus. So essentially we spent two days on a bus you know thankfully I guess in some in some bizarre way we had satellite television on the bus so we could watch TV and find out what was going on while we were traveling. We got I think we got as far as uh can't remember we got as far as as Oklahoma I think maybe before they said you know everything shut down.

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No flights in and out. Everything's canceled. And they canceled the tour and we turned around and went home. It was just one of those things that you obviously never forget. Everybody who went through the experience of 9/11 will always remember where they are. But it's just that kind of that, even that more of a twist and where everybody's lives could have gone at that point. And who knows? For everybody, I think

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You know, we all saw the footage of the planes hitting the towers and everything. I think it hit home so much, obviously, for the tremendous, horrible loss of life, you know, almost 3,000. But the fact that it was something, when that first plane hit, you're thinking, was that an accident? Yeah, I was like, what kind of, I was in a training, like computer training class at work that morning, and my sister sent me an instant message, and she's like,

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a plane hit one of the Trade Center towers. And I was like, what kind of moron doesn't see a building that big in their path? You know, I was like, but then when she told me that the second tower was hit, you know, I got cold. I was like, that's no accident. We were sitting watching, you know, watching the news. And, you know, they had the camera on the towers. And you saw the second plane come in and hit. And that's, I just absolutely, like you said, you know, cold.

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It just went through my body. I started to cry because I knew at that point we were under attack. And you know, it's just, you know, I'm, you know, again, you know, goosebumps just thinking about it. The years since then, you've seen footage. You see the horrible images of the people above where the planes hit, trapped on the windows. You can't get it. Just horrible all around. I remember like the feeling of having no idea what was going. I mean, this doesn't happen here.

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I got up in the class that I was in, I was like, "Y'all need to leave, 'cause shit's going down. I don't know what it is, but I'm leaving." And I went outside and I was like, you know, looking for planes, 'cause we're in DC, you know, and eventually one hit the Pentagon and, you know, it was just like, what do we expect next? You know, they're gonna be like dozens of these? What's going on? It was such a messed up day. I wanted to say, I had read somewhere,

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and correct me if I'm wrong here that 9/11 actually inspired you to sort of head in the direction of your current day job now. It did yeah yeah because I really and it wasn't it wasn't so much this combination of things just I you know you step back and you look at at your life and you say you know where am I now and you know where are we going you know and not only just myself but as a country and where are we going to need and it just got you know everything

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I mean I was I was 31 years old I really had no you know other than other than the music business I was working odd jobs and doing other stuff but I had nothing that was like you know I was thinking my family you know my future and all these things and so I started I enrolled in online courses and started you know working towards my criminal justice degree and which I still don't have yet which is bizarre but anyway after all these years but I figured you know hey man I'm in it so I'm

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I guess that's why I didn't really concern myself with it as much.

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You look at the current world we live in with the ISIS threat and all this stuff. This is the world we live in now. And just like everybody who joined law enforcement, joined the military at that time and after, shows a lot about your character that, hey, you see the world that we live in now. And you know when you put on uniform every day that you are, without anybody, without them caring about your family, your children,

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You're just another possible target for them. It says a lot about your character, Matt. I gotta say that means a lot to me. I mean, when I heard about that, I was seriously impressed with your character. So I just wanted to let you know that. I appreciate that. Thank you. Appreciate it. So, Matt, unless you have anything else, we'll let you get in there, you know, hang out with the band, hang out with the fans. Anything else you want to say? You're wasting away the bones. Grab something to eat. Rip our faces off. It's a pleasure. It's an honor, Matt.

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Thanks again for everything. Thanks guys for coming out. Okay, this is Buke and George and we have stopped the fucking man on the skins himself. Yeah, I know. Talking to the Don King. Van, how are you today, brother? I'm good, man. How are you? We are doing wonderful. We were all lamenting about the traffic situation and how bad it is coming down here. So, we were just talking to Matt earlier before we talked to you. Here he is. Matt?

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Van wanted to say something about the Don King. I was going to say, that's the robot. That's the Don King robot, right? We had another robot. Remember we had the RTDT with an afro. For doing room like stuff. He is back again. Thanks. That's all he wanted. Whenever I need facial hair, I just go like this. The flavor saver.

00:29:34.600 --> 00:30:04.440
Thanks buddy! Okay, so Van, this, not to start off on a sad subject, but this day here in the States is a tough one. It's September 11th. Yes. Remember where you were when that terrible day happened? Yes I do. We were in California. I believe we were on our way to Anaheim. We were on tour with Savatage and we were at a hotel somewhere and we heard the news. We were at a hotel at night. I remember we were partying all night.

00:30:04.600 --> 00:30:33.580
And the sun was coming up and I remember just going to bed. And then I was passed out in the bunk. And then Worrell came in. He was in the hotel room and he's like, dude, you got to see what's on the TV. Come on. And he woke me up. And he's like, no. Dude, I was wasted. I got up. I got up. I went into the room and looked at the TV and the towers were on fire and everything. And I'm like, you know, he's fucking with me. It's like some TV show or something. I'm like, I'm going back to bed. It was like Sharknado or something.

00:30:34.600 --> 00:31:03.819
I was too like it was morning now you know we were partying all night we drove we played and it was surreal so I didn't believe it I went to sleep I woke up again a few hours later and everyone still scrambling around calling home because sabotage from that east coast too as you know so that's where I was and once I realized what was happening I called back home and I have cousins that are police officers that were involved one of my cousins is in Time Life magazine they're carrying

00:31:04.419 --> 00:31:33.800
Somebody out, you know, I mean, it was horrendous. Coming from the Bronx, did you tragically lose or know anybody who lost their life on that day? I did not know anyone that lost their life on that day. My wife's brother actually worked in the building, but he was not going to work that day. Crazy. He was on his way in, but then he got a call to go to somewhere else. Crazy how those things happen, isn't it? Like, Seth MacFarlane, the family guy creator, was supposed to be on one of the

00:31:33.820 --> 00:32:02.960
First or second flight that hit. But he overslept. Yeah, so was Bruce, the capsule coach. He was booked. Bruce Boudreaux. Bruce Boudreaux was supposed to be on there and he missed his flight. Yeah. It's just crazy how those events happen. Oh, man. But, you know, like we were just talking to Matt, us on the East Coast, when we were watching live, I remember I was in college, you see the first plane hit and you think, man, it's just a rookie pilot. Right. But then, you know, you're watching news and you see the second plane hit. Yeah.

00:32:03.840 --> 00:32:33.800
My God, what the fuck is going on? Yeah, yeah. And all, I figured it was like a small, like two-seater plane or something. Like somebody wasn't paying attention and they screwed up and because those things crash all the time. Yeah. You'd think it was an accident, but yeah, it's just horrible, horrible. Just tragic. So the years since then, you've, we're in Nevermore. Uh, you know, it's all on your net. We're not going to bother you about getting into the details of that, but your relationship with Nevermore has

00:32:34.840 --> 00:32:35.600
ended for the time being.

00:32:36.380 --> 00:32:36.480
Right.

00:32:36.700 --> 00:32:36.980
Yes.

00:32:37.340 --> 00:32:37.480
Yeah.

00:32:38.520 --> 00:32:42.420
I mean, it basically came down to, you know, it wasn't anything musical.

00:32:42.670 --> 00:32:44.680
I think we're all on the same page musically.

00:32:45.200 --> 00:32:46.400
We all like the same stuff.

00:32:46.530 --> 00:32:48.260
I think we all love the band.

00:32:48.800 --> 00:32:52.180
It was just internal issues that we couldn't come eye to eye on.

00:32:52.390 --> 00:32:53.500
I think all four of us.

00:32:54.460 --> 00:32:56.220
I mean, World Gym, myself and Jeff.

00:32:56.960 --> 00:33:01.080
And it was just time that Jeff and I felt at the moment that we had to walk away.

00:33:01.580 --> 00:33:31.540
because it just seemed like we couldn't talk. Our communication between the four of us really was like gone at that point. So, you know, you have to do what you think is best. If you're not having fun, you got to do something. In a time where bands aren't, it's very hard for, you know, better than, of course, we do who aren't even in the industry, where this is not a living for most people. Was it hard to take that for what the future you didn't know what it would

00:33:32.220 --> 00:33:58.920
Absolutely. I mean, that was our life. I mean, I was doing that for a long time. Those guys were doing it for a long time. And you know, Nevermore is one of those bands that when people say, hey, who are you a fan of or name a metal band? It was one of those, boom. It's mentioned as one of the top. Well, I always believed that we were a great band. Not to toot our horns, but I thought we actually had some commercial potential songs. You know.

00:34:01.580 --> 00:34:31.540
I mean there's tons of them that could actually be playing on the radio or something I don't see what the problem was how we never could break break that that cusp of getting larger but it could be because internally we weren't pushing enough you know I don't think we were working as a team at some point we stopped working as a team and it just collapsed and it kind of ended ugly I mean and it's just till now that we're starting to talk you know where I talked to oral

00:34:31.560 --> 00:35:01.540
A couple of times, you know, he's called about my wife and, you know, and I do care for those guys. I love Oral. You know, he's still one of my people that has been a part of my life for a long time, you know. So, but it ended badly. I mean, he was pissed. He's still, I don't know if he's still pissed because we talk, you know. But it just wasn't a good situation at the time. I know he said a lot of bad shit. Well, fuck the drummer or whatever, you know. But I'm a bigger man than that. I can just say, you know what, whatever, man. And I'll walk away because I don't, I don't want to

00:35:01.580 --> 00:35:31.500
You have to go there. That's all. You know what I mean? For us being the fans in this internet age we live in, it is so easy for any band, you, world, or somebody to take a quote. It can be typed up, you know, fucking Blabbermouth is famous for it. They're not even relevant anymore. But you can take a quote, you can spin it any way you want, and it can go fall on other sides. When that was happening, did you even go online at all to read in to any of that? Because you knew better than what was being said online.

00:35:31.580 --> 00:36:01.540
what was happening? You know, when I read that he said, you know, well, you know, well, Jeff, you know, is left, but I don't really care about the drummer or something like the drummer, you know. It's really kind of, you know, it is a shot and I could see him saying shit like that. And I took it personal and I did respond in an email or to online. I went online and I said, hey, whatever, you know, time has come. We got to do what you got to do. I wish the other guys luck. You know, I choose to take

00:36:01.580 --> 00:36:31.460
I got to hire a road than sit there and bad mouth him. You know, because he's pissed at the moment. He's going to say stuff. That's fine. If I get pissed in the moment, I'm not going to go online and say it. I'll tell you. I'll call you up or I'll show up at your fucking house. That's because you're from the Bronx. You know what? My mom, my fucking aunt Ada, she walks around with an ice pick, brass knuckles. You know, we handle things differently. You know, but I got to control my shit. I got family. I'm a grown fucking man. You know, you don't, if you touch me,

00:36:31.580 --> 00:37:00.800
We got a different problem. He never put his hands on me. You know, way to get it fucking fresh, George. Stop. Get your fucking shine box. So how did you get hooked up with Ashes of Aries? Well, the band ended and then I was home for a while and Matt called me up. I've been friends with Matt forever. And well, since Iced Earth and we toured. He's like, I'm working with Freddie. Freddie left Iced Earth and we're working on material. You want to check it out?

00:37:01.580 --> 00:37:31.540
some drums on there. Like, send me some stuff. He sent me some tracks. I'm like, cool, let's do this. I recorded some stuff, and here we are. So, you know, we're just doing it, man, you know? Yeah. In this, you know, digital age, and we've mentioned this on the pod a lot, it blows us away how you guys can be in all separate locations. And it's like you guys are in the same room all the time. We've never talked to a drummer on the pod yet. Is that with timing and

00:37:31.560 --> 00:38:00.780
stuff being so critical to what you do. Is it a little harder not being in the same room when they're sending material back and forth to you? Or maybe the instant feedback for you may be a little different than a bass player or a guitarist? No, you know, like, Freddie will send me, you know, guitar. He'll, you know, Freddie plays a little drum, you know, so he'll send me, like, rough tracks of his ideas. But I always have him send me stuff without drums so I can have a fresh idea before I hear anything that he's doing. I don't want to poison it. So, it's not really difficult. And I think we're all,

00:38:01.580 --> 00:38:31.540
I don't want to say pro enough but I think we should be pro enough you know to learn the material get together jam it and then it should be okay should be easy so that's pretty much what we did you know he lives in Pennsylvania Freddie's in Arizona you're aware we're now New York upstate New York yeah so we just send shit back and forth they'd come over stay for a weekend at my house we jam out in my studio downstairs and then we take off so it's not that bad so cool oh we were talking

00:38:31.540 --> 00:39:01.520
With your time with Nevermore, you said you felt you had a lot of possible radio potential. One album you feel you've, was your favorite or your top? I thought your work on Dead Heart myself was just amazing. Thanks, man. I appreciate it. You know what? I really love a lot, or if not all, the records. You know, I'm really, I don't think we ever put any music down that was fluff material. Like, oh, put that at track eight. You know, who gives a fuck? I think, I think we all truly believed

00:39:01.560 --> 00:39:29.320
every song. Favorite album at the time really was Politics of Ecstasy maybe because it was the most experimental record where we can, like Jeff and I basically were working together on parts and really trying to do a little bit more wacky outside the box type things. So, and Pat O'Brien is on there too. It was just a weird time, but it was a great time. So I always, that's a special record for me for some reason every time I listen to it.

00:39:29.580 --> 00:39:57.940
It came out this week that Sabbath has announced their final tour. Again, just like with the last tour and the last album, Bill Ward's not going to be on it. It's a travesty, I think it is. Isn't that pretty sad? I think it's a travesty too. But there's two stories. That he's not able to do it. He can't play anymore. And then there's the side where Sharon's a dick and doesn't want him to play. So I don't know what story is to believe.

00:39:59.440 --> 00:40:02.340
He doesn't equal it to everybody else's and he says he wasn't going to.

00:40:02.790 --> 00:40:04.080
But hey, you know.

00:40:04.960 --> 00:40:10.800
If this is the true last Sabbath tour, get it together and just work it out.

00:40:11.060 --> 00:40:14.960
I don't want to go see Sabbath, honestly, because of that reason.

00:40:15.200 --> 00:40:19.540
Because I was tending to believe the version that he was getting gypped out, you know.

00:40:19.860 --> 00:40:22.320
Where he's a real guy, he's the guy, man.

00:40:22.660 --> 00:40:23.780
Have him in the fucking band.

00:40:23.860 --> 00:40:53.760
It's like Kiss going to the Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And you don't want to go on stage with Ace and Peter. I mean, what the fuck is wrong with you? Those are the songs that made you Kiss. I mean, come on. I mean, what kind of arrogance is that? To me, it's shocking. We see so many bands today entombed most recently. They break up. They have a horrible breakup. What if there was a Nevermore AD without Van on drums?

00:40:55.160 --> 00:41:22.580
Hey, I think that would be okay if it works out for them. That's fine. I mean, Whirl's out doing the Brazilian things. He plays on his own. I don't know if that would be a decision I would make as a singer of a band. I would personally, I would be like, all right, what happened in the past? Maybe there's something I did. Maybe it's something everyone did. Well, let's come to the table and work it out. Because to me, a band is a band is a special band. It's the members that were in the band.

00:41:22.600 --> 00:41:52.100
You can get everybody to play your shit, but it's like karaoke to me. So if that's what you want to do, that's cool. But, you know, I mean, Jeff has some opinions on it as well. But it's the same thing. Everyone's going to do what they're going to do. So what can I do? I can't do nothing about it. You want a great attitude. I mean, we left the band. I get it. Jeff and I said, you know what? We left. But there's a reason why we left. We didn't just wake up and say, you know what? This is so much fun. Fuck this.

00:41:53.340 --> 00:41:59.600
We're in the middle, we're a household name. We're just gonna leave now.

00:41:59.800 --> 00:42:22.560
We're climbing the ladder, let's just quit. That's not how it goes down. So whatever people like and they want to go and see the show, that's fine, go see it. But to me it's not a show if it's not the band. And if everyone's still alive, maybe you should try to at least fix the relationship and then we can move from there. But that hasn't come across

00:42:22.580 --> 00:42:52.360
yet, so I'm not going to hold my breath on anything. You look at the Pantera guys. Vinny and Phil say, Vinny says, as long as I'm alive, it's never fucking happening. But they have their own hatred for one another there. Hopefully it doesn't come to that. I don't think anybody can fill for Dime, maybe Zach Wild, but that's a podcast for a different day. You don't think so? Did you ever have the honor to meet Dime? I never met Dime, no. I haven't met his brother, though. It was cool as fuck.

00:42:54.380 --> 00:43:20.820
Being a drummer, what do you think of what Neil Peart does? Neil Peart, I grew up on Rush, man. I love Neil. And I've listened to every Rush record. I listened to Rush all my life. I loved it. And I still, if I sit down, if I'm playing pool with people, Jacob's Ladder's on or something, I still fuck up in that middle section. I'm like, you know, the doom, doom, doom, da, da. You know, I'm like, oh, shit.

00:43:21.220 --> 00:43:51.100
I never studied it, but it's so great. But I kind of love not knowing how to really do it, you know? There's something about that. It's still magic, man. And Neil is always like, look at that, dude. I got goosebumps. I talk about rush. Look at this. Rush. I love it. Rush bumps. Dude, I got rush bumps. That's crazy. No, because I guess me not being a drummer, he gets into his solos sometimes. I'm like, for the first couple minutes, I'm like, yeah. He thinks Neil's overrated. All right.

00:43:51.220 --> 00:44:20.820
I have not been able to break it. I didn't want to say that. I disagree. I disagree. I guess I can't appreciate it. You know what? Everything Portnoy does, it's directly related to Neil. I think a lot of people, Prague stuff is all directed, directly related to Neil somewhere along the lines. You know what I mean? What I do is directly related to Neil. Even though I don't play anything like him, I'm totally connected to him because he made me want to stay playing drums. You and Mike friends?

00:44:21.220 --> 00:44:51.180
Oh yeah I met Portnoy on the Gigant tour great guy seemed like a real nice guy you know we hung out a few times you know with everybody on tour but you know we've never like hung out hung out like hey let's go shoot the shit and drink beers apparently I heard you left Dream Theater because you didn't want to play Pull Me Under another thousand times and I'm just but those prog let's admit those prog guys are a little the fans we're not really prog fans but we have one of our friends who's a good prog fan they're a little out there a little bit yeah particularly

00:44:51.260 --> 00:45:21.160
John, man, he's just fucking weird. One of our friends saw you guys at Prague Power this past week. Said you guys were amazing, but... What, you think you played well? I know nothing, I say nothing. Okay, so we'll let you go here, but what else can we expect from you? Any other side projects, anything you're working on? Yeah, I'm doing this project called Ghost Ship Octavius. I don't know if you're aware of it. Yes, you are. On Bandcamp, we got it. Okay. Well, it's closer to a Nevermore style, so...

00:45:21.200 --> 00:45:50.480
I'm loving that. Adone actually, the singer and guitar player for that band as well, is playing for us for Ashes. So if you, the guy with the real long hair, that's Adone. He's the singer for Ghost Ship. So I'm doing that. We're working on and getting a tour ready to come out hopefully by November, hopefully. And just get going, man. We got the record out. Matt Wickland selling CDs right now at Prog Power. So he's like, I sold out of all our shit already. I got another day to be here. I'm like, that's awesome.

00:45:51.200 --> 00:46:21.040
It's not even playing there. It's great. So, I think, expect big things from that band. Ghost Ship is gonna fucking rise. It has made, I've seen it on, what was it, yeah, one album before, right? That's our first record. Okay, I'm sorry, yeah. It just came out a couple months back. It was making a lot of lists already for, like, album of the year on a bunch of stuff. We haven't had any bad talk about it yet, so I'm very happy about it. I'm really excited about it. And Ashes were working on new stuff.

00:46:21.180 --> 00:46:51.160
as well. So I think it's going to be a good year. Got a lot of good stuff. My wife's doing a lot better. So a lot of positives on the horizon and I'm just trying to look at the bright things instead of all the negative things, you know. In closing, Van, I wanted to also say it was very nice to see where the internet can be a very harsh place. It was nice to see because people can hide behind a username or a meme. It was nice to see

00:46:51.200 --> 00:47:18.600
The responses, the hundreds of them for your wife. Yeah. And us from the podcast here, we truly wish her from the bottom of our hearts the best. Thank you. Thank you. We truly do. You know what, dude? It's like the most humbling thing ever. It's the most horrific thing ever. It's hard to do to put your shit out there, but, you know. Did you... You obviously made the decision, too. May I ask why?

00:47:21.200 --> 00:47:51.160
the crowdfunding we would have been kind of fucked man there's some major bills that come in dude i mean what you look at them some of them are like huge numbers huge numbers and also we have a house you know we got mortgages like everybody does you know but it was really like how are we going to pull this all off you know how fucked up the health care system is for it for so many people who go through it like that i don't care if you have insurance no insurance it it's just it's people need help and the costs are so expensive

00:47:51.180 --> 00:48:18.820
She has insurance that covers stuff, but some stuff it doesn't cover, you know. So it was a necessity to do, to ask people to, you know, if they can help out, to help out. That'd be great. And we had an overwhelming, I think, response. You know, we asked for 15 or we didn't even know what kind of number because we'd never been in this situation. And the love that came through, I can't say more. I mean, you know, we'd look at the screen and cry.

00:48:19.960 --> 00:48:49.940
Just me looking at seeing strangers giving hundreds of I'm powerful it gets me a little choked up then you're truly one of the best in the business brother all right and we are back that was Matt Barlow and Van Williams of Ashes of Aries thanks again for talking to us guys before we move on there's a question that I want to pose to you guys because whenever we talk to people in bands particularly bands that we really like like when I was talking to

00:48:49.980 --> 00:49:19.800
And when we were talking to Matt and Van, you have this natural inclination to want to just be like, you guys are so awesome. And whenever I hear myself say it, and pretty much anybody else as well, it just feels like so fanboy, like, you know, you can almost see them like rolling their eyes like, yeah, yeah. And I want to know, is there any good way to tell an artist,

00:49:19.960 --> 00:49:49.940
that what they're doing is amazing without coming across as a suck ass or a sycophant or or just you know uh you know making them roll their eyes because they're like yeah yeah i hear it all the time is there any good way to to get that across i wish i knew because i got to tell you one of my hardest moments when hardest moments but one of the things that i when i when we've done the pod here i i listened i listened to the dallas toler weight episode and i was that's all i did was tell him

00:49:49.980 --> 00:50:19.940
how great he was really all my questions were like you're great how great is that and yeah i think that's actually what inspired it not that it was bad but i was just like i i related to the way that you felt yeah and i was just like hmm the only thing i can really say about it is thank god there's three of us because that kind of creates this dynamic where one of us is being kind of an idiot and like how great is and then the other and then one of us is usually kind of joking and then the other one is kind of asking questions that the less educated because we we're not all equal fans of equal bands

00:50:19.960 --> 00:50:21.800
So I think that works

00:50:22.090 --> 00:50:22.660
But I don't know

00:50:23.240 --> 00:50:23.680
Honestly man

00:50:23.900 --> 00:50:24.720
I've thought about that over the years

00:50:24.840 --> 00:50:25.680
Just meeting guys

00:50:27.420 --> 00:50:28.140
What do you do?

00:50:28.340 --> 00:50:29.540
I don't even know how to do that

00:50:29.760 --> 00:50:31.420
There's got to be some sort of like

00:50:32.180 --> 00:50:35.460
Sort of casual laid back way of like

00:50:35.820 --> 00:50:36.620
Fan of your work

00:50:37.400 --> 00:50:37.720
You know

00:50:38.130 --> 00:50:38.240
Yeah

00:50:38.660 --> 00:50:40.600
You know something simple that you can leave it at

00:50:40.780 --> 00:50:41.720
That you know

00:50:42.260 --> 00:50:43.380
But even that is just like

00:50:43.510 --> 00:50:43.940
Yeah whatever

00:50:44.220 --> 00:50:44.860
Of course you are

00:50:44.940 --> 00:50:46.140
You're just saying that because you met me

00:50:46.580 --> 00:50:46.880
You know

00:50:47.380 --> 00:50:48.560
There's just no good way to do it

00:50:48.580 --> 00:51:17.220
I guess I don't know. I think it's cool. I've got no real insight on this. We play small bar shows and stuff like that here. When somebody comes up to me afterwards, it's great because they don't know who we are and they're just like, wow, that was really cool. That is a real thrill to hear. I can only imagine that it's massively different when 8,000 people have told you that on a regular basis. That's the other thing. I always think there's no way to really convey to them that, look, man, this is really special to me.

00:51:17.300 --> 00:51:47.260
I've heard people say that as soon as somebody says something like that to them, they sort of disconnect because they're like, oh, you're one of them. Yeah. And it's like, yeah, but you don't understand, man. I'm different. Well, what about when you were talking to Philip Amsalmo, Buke? I know you didn't interview him, but I mean. We talked about the Redskins. I will be interviewing him next month, so I'll let you know. We'll see how that goes. Yeah. Well, you were smart to talk to him about the Redskins.

00:51:47.340 --> 00:52:17.060
I mean, you know what I mean? That's really the best way to do it is to kind of talk about something else. I think maybe that's how you can kind of really start to kind of have a nice conversation with somebody. You know, Phil is my number one interview. Yeah. So your head is about to explode. Yeah. I don't know. But thinking about it, George, when you hear reporters on TV and stuff give interviews or offer movies and stuff, do you hear them mention that they're a fan? So I don't know. In those cases, those are.

00:52:17.120 --> 00:52:45.320
It's a work relationship. Those people are supposed to stay unbiased. We don't stay unbiased. We're fans. We definitely don't stay unbiased. It probably would be good if that was what we did. It's our podcast. We're going to be fans. It's by fans for fans. Fuck it. Let's just do what we want to do. Which actually I think you got it right. That is what the podcast is. It's about fandom.

00:52:47.120 --> 00:53:17.100
So probably we're just accurately representing ourselves. But yeah, I wish I was a little cooler about that stuff. I wish, ah, it's too hard. You have your little list of questions, and then you can't help but sneak in those things you've always wanted to say to that person. Like, dude, I really like the third song on whatever record or whatever. And sometimes it sneaks up on you, because every time we go into one of these, I say, okay, knocking a fanboy out, knocking a nerd out. And then something in their response will be like, oh yeah, and

00:53:17.120 --> 00:53:47.080
You know, we did this thing with this song and you're just like, that song is awesome! And it just kind of blurts out and you can't help it. You're like, yeah, man, that's awesome. Well, Dallas Toleroy was a wake-up call for me. I'm going to work harder on that in the future because we're certainly going to get some more people that I just think the world of and I'm going to have to really dial it down. But I think Buke does a pretty good job. Buke always sounds to me like he's just talking to someone. Nothing impresses Buke. Yeah, you and I sound like idiots. No, you know, again, I got these interviews.

00:53:51.059 --> 00:53:52.860
I have. I've said that many times.

00:53:52.860 --> 00:53:53.780
I'm just fucking with you.

00:53:54.430 --> 00:53:55.560
Actually, I think I will say this.

00:53:56.090 --> 00:53:58.840
I think you've done a, well, that wouldn't be fair to George.

00:53:58.930 --> 00:54:02.320
You probably, George has done as many as you, but maybe if nothing else with practice.

00:54:02.970 --> 00:54:06.680
So he's definitely, hands down, he's way better at interviews than I am.

00:54:08.239 --> 00:54:11.040
And I think that like you've done a lot, George, though.

00:54:11.110 --> 00:54:14.260
I think you have to do a lot more people you really admire to get better at it.

00:54:14.340 --> 00:54:15.080
That's all there is to it.

00:54:15.600 --> 00:54:15.660
Yeah.

00:54:15.760 --> 00:54:45.740
I think you guys bringing in people that you know that I don't necessarily know much about helps me because there's first of all the pressure is off me yep and so I can just be more natural about it and it just sort of puts me at ease and lets me think rationally without feeling like I'm under pressure and on the spot and so I think that'll actually help me improve my interview game that helps me too when we when we do somebody that you guys brought on that I don't necessarily know really well that helps me a lot then I'm just

00:54:45.780 --> 00:55:15.700
It's like, oh, I really have to ask questions to find out who this person is. Yeah. And I don't have some preconceived notions. So, yeah, it is hard, though, isn't it? And how nice that we've had the opportunity, I have to say, to talk to some people that we don't know how to behave around. And we have a lot more coming up. We have a great relationship with EarSpit PR. Things are starting to take off. Get me in with King Diamond, dude. I checked. King Diamond's on their roster, Jay. So let me see if I can work for you.

00:55:15.760 --> 00:55:45.020
All right, cool. I'm going to the show for sure. Oh my gosh. Wouldn't that be? That would be just under Hetfield on my list. Yeah. Yeah, I'm hoping I would love for that to happen. If we interviewed King Diamond, I would have to kind of get cocky and arrogant after that. I'd be like, we interviewed King Diamond, bitch, what'd you do? I really do want to talk to him. I would love to talk to him. I need to go back and listen to the episodes someday.

00:55:45.780 --> 00:56:14.080
I do think I've mentioned merciful fate on every single episode that I've been on. Pretty much. Yeah. And merciful fate is your opeth. It is. They really are. And I wouldn't have known that until I got on the show, I think. Hey, you know something? Add something up here real quick. I think this is my 10th show. This is my 10th show. Happy birthday, Jay. Oh, baby's got training wheels off now. I knew it was coming. 10 episodes with you boys. Didn't even get you a present.

00:56:16.520 --> 00:56:45.740
So, sort of segwaying from Ashes of Aries, I was just kind of wondering if anybody's heard anything about Ripper Owens these days, because, you know. Yes. What's going on? I saw, like, a news article that he was, like, playing with some cover band. Well, that was actually what I was, I was going to quote two things. One was that I heard that his, and I'm sorry to hear this, his restaurant slash bar is actually not doing well and is in financial straits. That sucks. I wanted to go there. Yeah, I feel really good.

00:56:45.760 --> 00:57:15.740
I don't I don't I have to be honest with you I read the headline and that was about it but also I watched those videos George from the story you're talking about I gotta tell you I think he was either drunk or he's just not singing enough right now because he he didn't sound like just magnificent ripper I was yeah I was like expecting more like charred walls of the damned or something and I follow him on Twitter he I think he's doing like a South American tour he's doing like the Ripper Owens band he does yeah he rip around he does like

00:57:15.780 --> 00:57:45.240
He does a priest song. He does some of his solo stuff. I was looking up on the metal archives and he hasn't released anything in a while with anybody. His first solo album I loved. I wasn't a huge fan. I still think his high point just for collaboration was Iced Earth. I think that was the best situation for him. Yeah, agreed. I mean, you tend to forget, but he was with Yngwie for a couple records. I didn't even know that. Yeah, he's on, I think, two Yngwie albums. I mean, who hasn't?

00:57:46.819 --> 00:57:47.960
I've been on a Nengue album.

00:57:49.299 --> 00:57:53.380
So I feel like he's had the bad luck in the mental community.

00:57:53.540 --> 00:57:56.180
I'd like him to get back into a situation like Ice Earth or something.

00:57:56.540 --> 00:57:57.800
Yeah, he's got to do something.

00:57:57.980 --> 00:57:59.600
I mean, he's got a great voice.

00:58:00.140 --> 00:58:01.120
At least he had a great voice.

00:58:02.859 --> 00:58:05.740
And we certainly would love to hear more from him in the future.

00:58:05.920 --> 00:58:09.220
And we'd even talked amongst ourselves about possibly getting him on.

00:58:10.000 --> 00:58:10.600
Yeah, let's do.

00:58:10.840 --> 00:58:11.440
Let's try for that.

00:58:11.960 --> 00:58:12.940
Maybe we can get him started.

00:58:13.820 --> 00:58:17.400
I was listening to both of the

00:58:18.280 --> 00:58:21.280
ice starts that he was on recently and the albums he was on.

00:58:21.660 --> 00:58:23.280
And I was texting back and forth to you guys.

00:58:23.420 --> 00:58:25.380
And I'd forgotten that in a couple of songs,

00:58:25.520 --> 00:58:26.940
he sounds so much like Ronnie James Dio.

00:58:27.020 --> 00:58:27.780
It's ridiculous, man.

00:58:28.240 --> 00:58:28.320
Nice.

00:58:28.780 --> 00:58:30.540
He really does a good Dio.

00:58:30.540 --> 00:58:31.960
I don't know if he's purposely doing a Dio,

00:58:32.080 --> 00:58:33.520
but he can nail a good Dio.

00:58:33.820 --> 00:58:35.240
Was he part of that for a while?

00:58:35.340 --> 00:58:36.160
Was he doing the Dio?

00:58:36.220 --> 00:58:37.840
Yeah, he is part of the Dio Disciples.

00:58:38.140 --> 00:58:38.540
He was.

00:58:38.900 --> 00:58:39.880
Well, I'd like to hear some of that.

00:58:40.020 --> 00:58:41.880
Now that I think about it, I'd like to hear some of that.

00:58:42.760 --> 00:59:12.560
Well, I saw Dio Disciples, but he was not there. Oh, he wasn't? Okay. Yeah, they were at the M3 Festival, and they were pretty awesome. It was so good to hear live Dio again. I bet, yeah. Well, I hope he's doing well, and I hope he, more importantly, or just as importantly, I hope we see some good music come on from him. I'd really like to see him in a band that can use his talent the way that it is. He's had some bad luck. All right, moving on. George, where were you last night? I can't believe I'm going to admit this.

00:59:13.420 --> 00:59:42.420
Yeah! Never make fun of me again, George Washburn! Last night I went to my very first pop concert. For her birthday I bought my wife tickets to see Madonna. Let's just let that settle for a minute. Don't even laugh! George, where were you last night? Hold on, Jay's Skype broke up for a second. George, where were you at? Madonna concert. All right.

00:59:42.780 --> 01:00:12.420
And that's why he was glowing when you woke up today, Jake. Well, to be perfectly honest, let me get to this. I'm going to start. I'm going to do the pros and cons of going to see Madonna. There were a couple things that annoyed me right off the bat. First of all, okay, the show is at Verizon Center in D.C. And we stood in the short, sort of short line outside to get in. And they started letting people in. And there's a metal detector. Okay.

01:00:12.760 --> 01:00:42.720
What is this? It doesn't go off for this pussy going to the Madonna show. Oh, no, I'm so metal. Of course it went off. But it completely slowed everything down. It took forever to get anybody in. George doesn't know this because he tapped out of being a Caps fan. If he would have gone to a Caps game last year, he would have known how it is. They have them there now for Caps? See, I was telling Barb I was bitching because I was like, they don't do this for Caps games.

01:00:42.780 --> 01:01:12.700
What the hell's with Madonna? You know, this isn't gangster rap. Hey, in this terrorist world, I'm surprised you can walk in a 7-Eleven in Washington, D.C. without it having to go through metal detector. You guys are a target, man. Well, it was bad. It was really slow. And I did, yeah, I had everything out of my pockets and I still set it off. I was like, damn, I'm metal. Turns out it was a snap on my shorts. But being George's shorts, it was a rather large.

01:01:13.080 --> 01:01:14.820
It was a rather large snack.

01:01:17.079 --> 01:01:22.140
So, you know, we get in and it's holding back a lot there.

01:01:22.540 --> 01:01:22.880
Yes.

01:01:23.040 --> 01:01:32.840
It's like one of those Texas belt buckles, you know, eventually we make our way to our seats and the show started shortly after we got in because it took so long to get in.

01:01:33.240 --> 01:01:34.020
Was there an opening act?

01:01:34.260 --> 01:01:38.100
And there, well, it said there was an opening act and we were speculating, you know, what would it be?

01:01:38.130 --> 01:01:42.420
I mean, like back in the day, Madonna had the Beastie Boys on their first tour.

01:01:42.620 --> 01:02:12.580
She was like edgy. Okay. So we're like, you know, who's it going to be? Who was it? It was a DJ. Dude. Like a dude playing other people's music and twiddling knobs. Okay. Now I've got first, I have to bitch about the fact that they had a DJ. Second, I have to bitch about DJs. Dude. And I'm right there with you, George. I have a real thing about that. Okay. So first of all, there's this DJ guy. He's at the front of the stage. He's just got his little thing. He's bopping up

01:02:12.840 --> 01:02:42.580
and down and playing other people's music and tweaking knobs to like you know bring in a little more bass and switch it to some other sample and i'm like looking around okay we have a dj is there anywhere to dance no this the whole floor is seats there's a catwalk that's like i've like i've never seen before it it's so huge it was like 80 of the floor was catwalk jorge did it stop those girls in 325 from dancing no don't make excuses when you feel the groove you can dance

01:02:42.620 --> 01:03:12.580
Well, nobody did. Okay. Nobody did. It was a complete waste of time. He's doing this stuff and occasionally he'd mumble something into the microphone. Madonna. Was he a famous DJ? I don't know. I never caught his name. At the Black Sabbath show, Andrew W.K. did this. And we walked in and we're like, what? Did he really? That's crazy. Yes. I was thinking about that. And I was up above

01:03:12.620 --> 01:03:42.580
So I could look down and watch and I was just like, this is pathetic. Okay. Whoever came up with this idea is stupid because nobody's dancing. And actually it was funny because after he ended, there was like a short five minute breakdown while they rolled his crap off the stage. And during that, what did they do? They played more pop dance music. I was like, you could have just done that and saved us the trouble because it sounds exactly the same. The sound guy had it covered. And then after that ended, right

01:03:42.620 --> 01:03:49.060
before she came out, they played a Michael Jackson song off a thriller, and then people danced.

01:03:49.480 --> 01:03:52.140
That's their doctor, doctor. That's her doctor, doctor, right?

01:03:54.520 --> 01:03:58.460
That was good. That was good. You're like, yes, you know she's coming.

01:03:58.780 --> 01:04:01.000
I was like, oh, okay, well.

01:04:02.100 --> 01:04:05.180
The house lights are going down. Doctor, doctor.

01:04:06.080 --> 01:04:35.720
Yeah. So, you know, that actually got people moving despite the garbage that he was pushing. So that was just ridiculous. And so, yeah, I just needed to like take a side track here and bitch about DJs. What the hell is the point of a DJ? I mean, there's radio DJs. Okay. They make sense. They serve a purpose. And there's like wedding DJs. They serve a purpose because they're playing the music, you know, for people to dance to. But like the DJs that are like the professional,

01:04:37.660 --> 01:05:05.980
DJ so and so who mixes thing and they just take samples and mix them together. That's just ridiculous. Skrillex that's the one big right now you you can't turn your head without hearing this guy's name and and that's what he does. I don't know I'll never get that and some of these guys are really super successful man. Yeah and it's just like wow you know how to twist a knob. Congratulations. The dance music's what kids the electronic music's what kids listening.

01:05:06.080 --> 01:05:35.700
to now. Yeah, but you don't need a DJ to do that. Just, you know, somebody records music and it's done. I don't know. It's ridiculous. All right. Well, I got to tell you, after that, when the show started, hands down, this was the biggest, best concert of your life performance. Okay. I didn't know much of the music and I can't, and I'm not even going to go down that value. I'm not. Why are you coming here and lying? I know like. You knew the set list.

01:05:36.060 --> 01:06:06.000
Now, actually, I looked through the set list. I only knew a couple songs. I knew, you know, like a virgin, material girl, stuff like that. How many times did you turn to your wife and go, can you believe they're playing this? No, no. Can you believe they're playing this? I know I'm opening myself up for a lot of derision here. I'm just going to take it. But, I mean, swear to God, I was blown away. I mean, it was like a concert inside a musical inside a circus. George was walking out to the car.

01:06:06.060 --> 01:06:08.140
He looked at his wife and he said

01:06:08.660 --> 01:06:10.660
and he had a glazed look in his eyes

01:06:10.710 --> 01:06:12.860
and he said, I didn't think she was going to do

01:06:13.880 --> 01:06:15.020
Material Girl, but then

01:06:15.300 --> 01:06:16.420
bam, second encore

01:06:18.180 --> 01:06:19.060
She did

01:06:20.500 --> 01:06:23.080
How many times last night did you say, you go girl

01:06:23.360 --> 01:06:24.320
You go

01:06:26.880 --> 01:06:29.080
I know, I know, but I'm telling you

01:06:29.260 --> 01:06:31.400
I've never seen, I mean Blue Man Group

01:06:32.040 --> 01:06:33.780
Cirque du Soleil, forget it man

01:06:33.920 --> 01:06:36.040
The stuff she had going on

01:06:36.040 --> 01:07:04.920
It was amazing. George, we've been best friends coming on 20 years now. You've never been this excited for any other show yet. I don't doubt for a second that everything he says is true, though. I have to tell you, I bet you, it is like such a, I'm sure it's such a sonic and visual assault that Cirque du Soleil. I thought that was pretty good. That's a pretty good comparison, I bet. It is. I went in expecting to tear it apart. Oh, sure. Hate it. And I was like, oh, she's not even going to sing. She's going to be lip syncing everything.

01:07:05.820 --> 01:07:35.780
But it blew me away. I mean, first of all, she did mostly sing. You could tell. How was it? Were the fans your age, George? Most of them? It was a mix. But yeah, there's a lot of older people. I'd like to recommend a video on YouTube called Bruce Springsteen drinks a beer in a group of old people. You've got to see this video, dude. It's just him. It's all his fans. They're like 80. You know what I mean? This is the Metalheads podcast. George, please. There is a reason that I brought it up and I'm going to get to that.

01:07:35.840 --> 01:08:05.800
that. There's a reason I brought it. I'm going to get to that. But honestly, you know. Did you have to buy a shirt? I bought my wife a shirt. Oh, there you go. Yeah, I could you could tell she was singing because she did a couple like songs just acoustically and they were definitely rolling a lot of tape, but it was like background stuff and there were like changeovers. Is there a band by the way? I mean, there were musicians on stage. Okay. Drummer or some keyboard players, a guitar player. She played

01:08:05.820 --> 01:08:35.779
She played a wicked frickin' flying V. She went kind of like metal for a second. Like, not metal, but like hard rock for like one song. Right. And I was like, well, you know, she's playing guitar. She's actually singing. But the stage show itself is what I want to focus on. There was the planning that must have gone into this thing, because it was a two-hour show, nonstop choreography. And it's not just like, yeah, I'm dancing, I'm dancing. It was like cool, like acrobatic.

01:08:35.880 --> 01:09:05.799
and stuff. You know, they had like people on these long poles that were like swinging around and, and it's just amazing. But the finally getting to my point here is that I realized last night after seeing this metal has got to up its game. You know, I thought that like kiss iron maiden Alice Cooper, they had good stage shows. Yeah. And last night, everything I've ever seen at a metal show was laid to waste in two hours by Madonna's set because

01:09:06.460 --> 01:09:12.000
I mean, I realize she's got the money for it, but wow, we need to step up our game.

01:09:12.640 --> 01:09:25.720
You know what? There's a new story that we're going to talk about, so I'm not going to spoiler this thing, but I have a feeling one of our news stories might take up that gauntlet.

01:09:27.839 --> 01:09:28.759
The gauntlet being?

01:09:30.000 --> 01:09:34.920
A big, huge show, because what I've heard about this news story, and it's about a tour that's coming up.

01:09:35.000 --> 01:10:04.980
I didn't see it in the news, but you want to roll into this, George? You want to roll into a text message we got from John about what's happening next year? Oh, you mean the one that I went to a fanboy, fangirl on? Yeah, let's just roll right into it. But we're all excited about this, believe me. Yeah, as you know, John, hi, my name is John, occasionally on the podcast, a friend of ours, he was down in Atlanta for Prog Power this past week, and he announced that

01:10:05.020 --> 01:10:07.020
They announced that next year,

01:10:07.600 --> 01:10:13.800
Fate's Warning is going to be playing the entire Awaken the Guardian album with John Arch on vocals.

01:10:14.880 --> 01:10:15.560
Exhale, man.

01:10:15.720 --> 01:10:19.280
That is just about my holy grail show.

01:10:19.860 --> 01:10:20.820
I told my wife, I was like,

01:10:20.820 --> 01:10:25.900
the only thing that could top that is if somebody told me Ronnie James Dio is not actually dead and he's playing tomorrow.

01:10:29.100 --> 01:10:30.140
It is big.

01:10:30.460 --> 01:10:31.280
That's not happening.

01:10:31.750 --> 01:10:32.600
So this is it.

01:10:32.770 --> 01:10:32.900
Yes.

01:10:33.780 --> 01:11:03.500
October 3rd, the tickets go on sale. I am so there. If I got to go to Atlanta, I'm there. Because, you know, for me, the first three Fates Warning albums, before they were all prog, it was just metal back in the early 80s. And that is such a classic sound from that era. You know, Fates Warning was one of the bands that I discovered on that early Metal Blade sampler, the Best of Metal Blade Volume 1, that it just captured my imagination. Those album covers,

01:11:03.760 --> 01:11:33.700
Those songs, you know, The Apparition, and Guardian, and Sorceress, Valley of the Dolls, and Fata Morgana, you know. That, you know, I was talking to you guys offline about the foundation, your foundation of metal. That is part of my, that is bedrock in my foundation of heavy metal. And John Arch has not been with the band since like the mid to late 80s. You know, they did an Arch Matheus album a little while back, but to hear,

01:11:33.780 --> 01:12:03.340
this has never been an option for me. What did you think of his solo album? I loved it. Yeah. I thought it was amazing. Anything with John Arch is gold. That was one of my favorite records that year. That's an EP. It's got two songs on it. It's still 30 minutes long. A twist of fate. Yeah. Yeah. It's so good. That is so. And I'm. Hey. While we're talking about top five American vocalists man. You know. Yeah. This guy. This guy's way up there. I thought George. I thought you were more of a Spectre within fan. Week in the Guardian. Definitely.

01:12:03.760 --> 01:12:33.740
Definitely the best. I've got a special connection with Awaken the Guardian. Do you ever have songs that you associate with people that have passed? Oh, absolutely. I haven't had any, but there was a guy I went to high school with. His name was Jeremy Kologi. He was a drummer. I wasn't super close. He wasn't one of my best friends, but he was in my circle of friends. We tried to get together and jam a couple times, but I was too shitty to

01:12:33.780 --> 01:13:02.679
play with him because he was a really good drummer but one of the things we bonded over was fate's warning and uh he tragically died in a car accident i think it was like 20 years ago this year and when he passed i listened to uh awaken the guardian a lot because i was just kind of bummed out and so the song itself guardian every time i hear that it's it's waterworks you know it's like you know uh cemetery gates pantera that's my grandma song and

01:13:02.700 --> 01:13:32.480
And Guardian, it's my Jeremy song. So that whole album just holds a really special place for me. Oh, I'm excited, man. Well, there was a couple other things going to be at that show, too. I'm trying to remember what John said. I mean, there was some other things that maybe John was more excited about the other announcements, but. Probably. Yeah. There were enough bands there that interested me to make it a worthwhile trip. I mean, I'd go just for the Fates Warning, but, you know, I could go just Friday to see them and skip Saturday if I didn't like the other bands.

01:13:32.680 --> 01:14:01.520
Green Carnation is going to be there. They're going to play all of... Wow! That was something John said. Oh man, we love those guys. Yeah, that's a great album and they're going to play all of that. So that's going to be on the Saturday. So that's going to be worthwhile just for that. I don't remember some of the... I'd have to pull up the list. But at least a third to half of the bands were like, you know, cool. Freedom Call is going to be there. That's one of the power metal bands I actually like. So yeah, you know.

01:14:02.260 --> 01:14:32.100
I hope I can get tickets to that. I don't know if anybody else is going to go. I don't know if John's planning on going. Of course he will. I think he's gone for a number of years. It's tempting. It's tempting. You know, there's never been enough there for me to like really kind of go. I mean, but there's always something. Yeah, I would have liked to have seen Falconer this year. That's right. That was one of the other things I was thinking about. Also, Falconer and Alicia Archer's. That's right. Yeah, I would have seen them, John, for getting me a Falconer and Alicia Archer shirt. I love you. Incidentally, and they always do like

01:14:32.280 --> 01:15:01.180
The Amacoustic thing, you know, like the night before. And Van Den Plaas played there. That's the only time I even know about them playing in America. And I love those guys. So that guy, it's just something. The guy who puts that together, by the way, is some dude from, he's like an emergency room doctor or something or nurse maybe. Because I used to check out that forum whenever they would announce it. And he just does it for fun. Think of the Maryland Death Fest crowd at about 150 pounds and a superhero shirt. There's your prog power.

01:15:03.200 --> 01:15:32.180
That was good, dude. Well, the nice thing is that if I do go to that, my brother lives in Atlanta, so I can stay with him. No. I thought you were going to say the nice thing is you'll be able to get merged there because they do have larger sizes. I would kill for a good fates warning 3X. So on the way home from the Ashes of Aries show the other day, Bukes like, did you hear the new Trivium song? And I was like, I had heard that they had a new song. I had like no idea anything was coming out. And I was like,

01:15:32.260 --> 01:16:00.800
No, I didn't know this. And he's like, dude, it's awesome. You have to hear it. I'm like, wow, good. You know, because for me, it usually seems like every other Trivium album is not so good. Yeah. And so he starts playing it for me in the car and I'm like, okay, all right. And he's keeping it cool. And I'm just listening and I'm going, does he really like this? Because it is just about the most horrible thing I've ever heard.

01:16:01.900 --> 01:16:30.940
I always call bands like metalcore bands and stuff. I call them fallout boy bands because of their pop elements. And I swear to you, it sounded like it was an entirely a pop rock song, like something that fallout boy would do. George looks at me kind of like out the corner of his eyes, like, I'm like, I don't like this. So those of you who haven't heard, I know, you know, Trivium is not the biggest metal band in the world.

01:16:31.020 --> 01:17:00.960
They're extremely popular. They've seen commercial success. Their first couple albums, I loved. But with each album, since they've been getting more and more and more commercial. Yeah. This is beyond commercial. I don't even know. Yeah. It's like a different genre. Yeah. The song we're talking about is called Until the World Goes Cold. And it was horrible. Horrible.

01:17:01.100 --> 01:17:30.980
Yes. I mean, it wasn't even metal. George, I feel it's horrendous. It's probably going to do gangbusters on Spotify and on the radio. Oh, probably. Now, I didn't realize there are two other songs out and I haven't listened. I started to listen to one of them. Was it the same? No, it was different. And so I don't want to go too far down the trivium bashing hole until I hear these two other songs. But that particular song was horrible. And it just doesn't make sense because Matt Heafy has incredibly

01:17:32.200 --> 01:18:00.980
He listens to all kinds of black metal. I mean, I've picked up bands that he's talked about before because he the stuff that he listens to is so good and Yet the stuff that he plays is so bad. I just don't get it. I don't either buke text or tweeted him the other day Asking, you know, I was like he'd been talking about doing this black metal side project that Esam was gonna be producing But it was a couple years ago and I haven't heard anything yet

01:18:01.000 --> 01:18:30.980
but he didn't respond he just followed me yeah so it's i listened to it after george told me about it i mean the cover is kind of misleading have you seen the cover of the record yeah i mean it looks cool it looks like something you know what i mean i don't know i mean oh god i haven't listened to the other two either though i will too but have you checked out any of the earlier stuff jay yeah yeah oh which reminds me i got what do do i have got to go quick shout out to a good buddy of mine who's in houston and i used to go to shows with here all the time john he's a

01:18:31.000 --> 01:19:00.980
I'm a real regular listener now of the pod. And I'm glad that you brought this up because one of the reasons, John turned me on to them. Honestly, I like the one where he started kind of going all head field. You know what I mean? Yeah, that was the one that I was doing. Crusade, yeah, that's a fucking killer album. I think my favorite, though, is Shogun. The lead track on that, the, I'll take your fucking head. Oh, I fucking love that song, man. But they just took a left or a right turn somewhere along the line and they were just, I don't even know. So yeah, I

01:19:01.000 --> 01:19:28.720
I like them. The thing is, I hate to say this because we bash bands for changing to try and become popular. But I'm telling you what happened, Jay. They saw success. And I guess what are you going to do? If you see success and you're really starting this, maybe you got to chase that. Maybe it's the difference between renting and buying a house. You know what I mean? It could be for these guys for all I know. I'll tell you what, they should go on tour with the sword this year.

01:19:30.580 --> 01:19:31.980
That'd be the ultimate tour for me to skip.

01:19:32.520 --> 01:19:32.660
Yeah.

01:19:33.340 --> 01:19:33.400
Yeah.

01:19:33.460 --> 01:19:35.440
If you could just get all the bands I don't like on one bill,

01:19:35.560 --> 01:19:36.780
so I only have to skip one show,

01:19:36.920 --> 01:19:37.560
that thanks.

01:19:39.580 --> 01:19:41.380
All the bands have drastically changed their sound.

01:19:41.940 --> 01:19:42.080
Well,

01:19:42.240 --> 01:19:43.580
I listened to it at George's,

01:19:44.020 --> 01:19:44.380
you know,

01:19:45.100 --> 01:19:46.720
urging and I didn't like it either.

01:19:46.880 --> 01:19:47.200
And it's,

01:19:47.440 --> 01:19:48.220
that's a little shocking.

01:19:48.580 --> 01:19:51.860
It's a little shocking because they do sort of seem like they were carrying the torch to me.

01:19:52.100 --> 01:19:52.240
You know,

01:19:52.340 --> 01:19:53.580
there was a time when I,

01:19:53.920 --> 01:19:54.240
yes,

01:19:54.620 --> 01:19:58.060
there was a time when I was touting them as like the next Metallica.

01:19:58.700 --> 01:19:58.740
Sure.

01:19:58.820 --> 01:20:28.800
When he was doing the whole Hetfield thing, I was like, oh, these guys are going to come up. Evil was another band that was sort of of that ilk, who also had this Hetfield thing going on, and they were just doing a good thrash. And I was like, this is the future. And both these bands have just tanked. So don't listen to me. I don't know what the fuck I'm talking about. Sad to see. I guess we can always remember those early ones, you know, kind of thing. It's the same thing with Metallica, frankly, stuff like that. You know what I mean? Just, there's just

01:20:28.880 --> 01:20:58.800
doesn't quite reach that that level of greatness. I saw Trivium open for I was an iced earth it was either ice earth or Judas Priest with Ripper at the record that was when Trivium opened up for them and I didn't go yeah and it was before their first album well actually no it was after their self-released album came out it was before embers to inferno wasn't that the second album that was the first oh that was the first was the second album ascendancy yes okay so it was before their

01:20:58.800 --> 01:21:28.000
Before their Roadrunner. Nice pull with George on the Trivium. Man! Nailing it. Nailing it. And they were so good live. It was just this record, this teeny-ass little hole-in-the-wall club in Towson. And they sounded so good that I never buy music at a show. And I went and bought the first album because I was like, oh my god, it's the second coming of metal. And you were supposed to be the one!

01:21:29.420 --> 01:21:58.780
That's where George had that moment with me driving to the show. Are we going to talk about that on the pod, George? Yeah, let's tear them apart, man. Yeah, yeah, we'll be getting to that when we get to new releases. Okay, so guys, it's September 13th, right? Yeah. We still have three weeks till the Children of Bodom comes out, huh? Yeah, what the hell is up with that? Didn't we get the promo like three months ago? It's weird. I feel like that album has come and gone, and it hasn't

01:21:58.800 --> 01:22:28.780
It hasn't even been released yet. I don't think you can afford to have so much lead time in this internet world. You know? Yeah, it's like I've already written it off and moved on and it hasn't even come out yet. It hasn't even come out yet. And by the way, I'm still a diehard fan of this one, actually. I think they hit it out of the park this year. I think you guys feel more like they're on the upcline, which is great, but I really like this record. But dude, it doesn't come out to the second of October. That's crazy. But also, we

01:22:28.800 --> 01:22:58.760
They did just get a big fucking metal shotgun slug shot at us for new releases the past couple weeks. Good point. And that might have been calculated then. Yeah, they may have sent out the promos early thinking, okay, we're going to release this in August. And then they were like, oh shit, look at all the other bands releasing stuff. Let's just push that back. So that could be what happened. That's a good point. But the thing is, there was so many things on digital and Twitter. They released lyric videos sometimes months ago.

01:22:58.800 --> 01:23:28.060
ahead of time in promos. You start seeing the attack on Twitter and stuff months ahead of time before anything comes out. So you don't even know. Did that come out yet? Have I heard that? Repentless. That promo came out less than a week before the album. It was like two days before the album dropped and they finally released the promo for Relentless. But they were putting out track after track after track. I think they started putting tracks out four or five months ago. Oh yeah.

01:23:28.820 --> 01:23:58.780
When the Stillness Comes was Record Store Day, so that was like April. Yeah, that was April. Yeah. So, yeah, that's a lot of lead time. And you know, in the shelf life on a record, now it's like three weeks, you know what I mean? Like, you don't get, everybody buys it the first week who's the fan, and then that's kind of the end of it, which is sad, by the way. But, so that, yeah, that's just weird. Weird times we're living in. All right, so I meant to do this on the last episode, and I want to inject a little bit of humor here, which, nobody likes my humor, so you're, you better fucking

01:23:58.880 --> 01:24:27.820
I'm gonna laugh otherwise I'm gonna feel really stupid is this the story you you told me going to Baltimore no this is the new the new term that I coined you you teased with it yes and I I'm calling this word bukkake okay no yeah that's that's good so far you've heard of bukkake this is bukkake yeah buddy I'm not exactly sure of the definition of this term I've been trying to think of something funny to go with it but bukkake you've been bukkake

01:24:28.820 --> 01:24:58.600
Oh, we don't have, you don't have a, okay, yeah, cool. Yeah, we need a definition for it. I have a friend who uses Zaprooter as a, as a descriptor. He'll say, oh yeah, that guy got Zaprooter. Yeah. Which is, you know, the film, the JFK thing. Yep. So, which actually, I think this one's not too far off of that. I think it could be something like when Buke just goes off and he just, you know, he just goes on a long rant all over your face and chest. I like it. And you know what? Everybody on the fucking pod, like,

01:24:59.080 --> 01:25:28.780
like a bukkake as it is everybody wants it everybody wants to to to get in on the fun yep that's good that's gonna be the new name of the podcast actually it's bukkake and friends so so uh i'm just so heading to the show george you uh has me in tears that i have kind of uh mentioned before that in our text messaging that the love that you jay and will and john have in

01:25:28.800 --> 01:25:58.760
The jokes you guys text back and forth, it's not me, but you guys have some love for one another. You guys make a lot of jokes. Yeah, we're comfortable in our sexuality. Of course. And so it's not a problem to make, you know, slightly homoerotic jokes between us. Constant. Constant slightly. But I did, I was telling Buke in the car ride that the way we talk on the podcast sort of bled over into my real life and didn't

01:26:00.480 --> 01:26:28.760
I was at a Longhorn Steakhouse for a going away party for a guy that was from my old job that was leaving to take a new job and there were a bunch of people standing around and I was sitting at a table and I had an empty beer glass and the guy the guest of honor for this thing reaches over the table to grab my beer empty beer to clear it out and get me a new one he's like let me just reach around here and I was like thanks for the reach around

01:26:28.800 --> 01:26:58.760
I always appreciate that crickets George is like crickets nobody says anything it wasn't just crickets but it was like everybody did that awkward look away somewhere else oh what's that over there like nobody nobody addressed the fact that I just dropped that on the table and there was even if you can't make people feel uncomfortable with your humor you're doing something wrong yeah so I guess I have to start thinking a little more I don't want to bukake them

01:27:00.660 --> 01:27:28.720
That's what the definition is. When you say something that's just absolutely horrible in the wrong company, you've bukkakeed them. Beautiful. All right, moving on. So, you know, we've talked in the past about how, or at least I've mentioned, how there's no freaking way Guns N' Roses' original lineup is ever happening again because there's just so much water under the bridge and so much bullshit associated with that.

01:27:28.780 --> 01:27:58.740
that band. However, a few weeks ago, uh, slash casually mentioned that, uh, he and Axel are, have put everything behind them and they're friends again. Now that doesn't mean we're going to see any music, but I think we're going to see some music. Did you, did you read the actual article or did you just read the headline? I read bits and pieces. I skim. Yeah. Cause the impression I got was he was just sort of like, I don't hate him anymore. So I can't remember. I can't, or maybe I know, you know what? I better not speak with any authority. I still, I, I guess,

01:27:58.780 --> 01:28:28.760
I don't know man I think if if they're even on remotely friendly terms hell has frozen over and it'll happen I mean everybody in guns well not everybody but the guitar player in Guns N' Roses quit you know yeah that's that's a precursor of like oh the rats are banning the ship because all the original guys are coming back you know what I I'm glad you said that because I'd forgotten I'd read that too and I and that was the first thing I

01:28:28.800 --> 01:28:58.740
I assume too. I was like, oh, because that, you know, I was like when the kiss reunion happened kind of thing. Suddenly everybody's resigning. You know what I mean? Yeah. You know, and he was just like, yeah, moving on, doing different things. I'm like, uh, yeah. Making room for slash. Oh, you might be right. Ooh, that's a good pickup there. So that's my guess is 2016, probably late 2016 guns and roses takes over the world with the original lineup or the original lineup with Matt Sorum. They could call the album reuse your illusion.

01:29:00.280 --> 01:29:00.720
Yeah.

01:29:01.720 --> 01:29:03.000
Or Chinese Democracy 2.

01:29:03.560 --> 01:29:05.380
Even more democracy.

01:29:07.580 --> 01:29:07.920
I don't know.

01:29:08.100 --> 01:29:09.080
I'd like to see it happen.

01:29:09.210 --> 01:29:09.580
I would.

01:29:10.100 --> 01:29:11.780
Because I think...

01:29:12.720 --> 01:29:12.840
Sure.

01:29:13.240 --> 01:29:13.760
I don't know.

01:29:13.880 --> 01:29:19.880
I mean, you know, it took the chemistry of all these people to make those first couple albums so special.

01:29:20.360 --> 01:29:21.780
Do they still have that chemistry?

01:29:22.900 --> 01:29:23.660
Can you even do it?

01:29:23.700 --> 01:29:43.660
I mean, even bands that had great chemistry and put out great stuff 30 years ago can't do it now. So I don't know. But I think if they were going to do it, I don't think they would do it unless it was awesome. I don't think Slash would do it unless it was awesome. I don't think Buff would do it unless

01:29:54.620 --> 01:30:23.680
and there was like a show and he was kind of like fat and stupid looking but uh but he sounded actually pretty good so that's fine and you know ever since even even when the the original lineup was together everyone was saying he sounded terrible live that you know he's good in the studio but he wasn't a good live singer and so i never expected anything from him but then when i saw this i was like that's actually not bad i think he probably treats himself a lot better now one would hope

01:30:23.700 --> 01:30:53.620
Yeah. And that'll kill your voice right there. So, cause I, I actually can confirm what you're saying. I remember when they, like the year they broke out, they played on like MTV live at the awards or something. And he sounded awful. Yeah. I remember that terrible. A memory surfaced recently that I thought I would share it probably because of the new lamb of God album. Uh, for whatever reason, yeah, before lamb of God was lamb of God, they were a band called burn the priest. And back in the late,

01:31:20.960 --> 01:31:23.360
I did talk to this other guy.

01:31:23.700 --> 01:31:53.660
who was a member of a band and he was trying to pimp his band on me and he said his band name was burn the priest awesome dude and i don't know which i can't remember the name so i don't know which member of the band it might have been you know could have been randy could have been chris i don't know but uh it was definitely a member of burn the priest and i was like oh he was like yeah we're from you know richmond i was like oh it's not far from here and i remember he sent me some music she's like you know check it out man and this was like right before

01:31:53.720 --> 01:32:23.660
I got into like death metal and stuff and I was like oh yeah okay thanks and I was like man this is horrible oops awesome and so I never like wrote him back or anything and I was just like yeah burn the priest they're awful and so when when burn the priest became lamb of God I was like that's probably a good good name change good for them you know but I and I was never expected them to take off like they did so and Bukes

01:32:23.680 --> 01:32:53.660
just shaking his head like you're such a dumbass you are such an idiot i know i could have had an in i could have been ground floor with lamb of god yes you could have done you might have had a job with him burn the priest when fucking black label oh man fucking love that song yeah well you know that's that's like the time i had the opportunity to see pantera before cowboys from hell came out i uh i think i've told this on here before but i worked uh at a grocery store in high school uh a kroger

01:32:53.660 --> 01:33:23.640
in Ann Arbor, Michigan. And there was this, I was a bagger. It was my first, very first job. I was like 15. And there was another bagger there who had just started and he was all metal and he was from Texas. And you know, we'd talk music and stuff. And he was like, Hey man, you should come out with me tomorrow night. My friend's band's coming through town. I'll go introduce you to them. They're called Pantera. I was like, what the fuck kind of name is Pantera? That sounds ridiculous. I didn't say this to him. I was just like, Oh yeah, I think I'm busy. And I blew it off. I could have gone and

01:33:23.660 --> 01:33:29.160
that probably would have been the lame era though to be fair there they were a little goofy

01:33:29.400 --> 01:33:32.960
there for a while yeah up through you know the hair metal through like power metal but

01:33:33.440 --> 01:33:40.600
i think this had to have been actually you're probably right but so what yeah actually yeah you're

01:33:40.640 --> 01:33:44.960
right so what i mean you still could have said you know or you still could have that little kind of

01:33:45.080 --> 01:33:50.880
thing in your pocket um boy i don't have any like that i don't think so i'm the master of

01:33:53.280 --> 01:34:12.480
Yeah, thank God you don't own a record label, dude. You'd be like these guys. They're not going anywhere. The Beatles who? Nah, that's ridiculous. Iron what? That makes no sense. I don't like these guys. Yeah. All right, well. You suck. Yes. All right, well, why don't we move along and get into our interview with Slab City.

01:34:20.880 --> 01:34:34.920
This place needs your man. This place needs your man. Listen to this man.

01:34:38.600 --> 01:34:49.300
It's time for today's interview and today we've got with us some friends of mine actually but also a really super cool band from San Lorenzo, California which is where our practice studio is and where their practice studio is.

01:34:49.320 --> 01:35:17.300
We've got Slab City with us. We've got Kevin Rowland, who plays guitar. And we've got Derek Dunaway, who's the drummer in this band. Welcome, guys. Hey, guys. Oh, there you go. Glad to have you. You know, so they are literally sitting in their rehearsal studio, which is next door to our headquarters. And we're watching on a video feed, so I can see their beautiful sound baffling and everything in the background. Yeah, so why don't you tell us a little bit about the band, members of the band, how you came about, how long you been? Okay.

01:35:19.340 --> 01:35:48.900
It's called Slab City. It's been about two years in the works. Forming the band out of me quitting my last band. You know, technical difficulties. Yeah. Wrote a whole album just to scrap it and write a whole another album. And found these guys through Craigslist. And played about eight, nine shows in the last six months. Got a metal festival set up for the September 19th. We have some cool stuff in October.

01:35:50.040 --> 01:36:17.760
We're playing here at our studio, The Annex, on October 3rd. Homecoming show for Hammer Shots Tour. You guys are the second group of guys we've had on now who have met their band members from Craigslist. Is that sort of like a hookup gone wrong? I was looking for somebody to hook up with, but I accidentally formed a band.

01:36:21.160 --> 01:36:48.960
Everybody is on Craigslist. Is there a lot of weeding through a lot of, you know... Trolls? Yes. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, there's a lot of people that capitalize on Craigslist and whore it out. It's like a flea market from hell. Yeah. You just gotta hit the don't matter button. Yeah. Don't matter. Donk. You know, bear in mind, you know these guys,

01:36:49.040 --> 01:37:18.980
They didn't weed all that hard. You know what I mean? Somebody was scraping the bottom of the barrel. He's like... We're talking about weeding now? Wait a second. I thought we were talking about music. Did you guys get people who were like, yeah, you know, I've never played metal before. It's always been like a lifelong dream. Or I'm a little old past my prime. That'd be me. We got some people like that. I think the best one we got was this girl that was maybe 15 that came in decked out in her Hello Kitty gear.

01:37:19.040 --> 01:37:48.300
And her dad pulled up in their Lexus SUV to bring her in for this tryout. And we're all out there, you know, beardsly men, half shirtless and like sweating from the sauna room, as you see here. And I've never seen somebody pull out in reverse so fast down our driveway leaving this place other than her dad when he was like, we're the hell out of here. Gone. You know, because our studios are in kind of an industrial area, too.

01:37:48.380 --> 01:38:17.920
So I mean, it is a little bit like. Yeah. Surprisingly, though, guys, meeting on Craigslist, I'm sure in this nation, that's not the first time that's happened where cars sped away from the situation really quick. I'm sure they do that all the time on Craigslist. Exactly. By the way, that last voice was Kevin. I just want to identify these boys or, you know, or Derek. That was Derek. I'll have them identify yourselves so people know the difference between you.

01:38:18.380 --> 01:38:47.060
So I'm going to say Kevin. And now when you hear Kevin, you'll know it's Kevin. Kevin, talk about what your influences are. I mean, you're the main writer for the band, right? Yeah, I'm the riff guru. I basically compose the arrangements and kind of just lay down the framework for what turns into a full-fledged metal song. You know, we're black metal, technical death metal, and country all kind of wrapped together in a nice little package. And, you know, just trying something different creatively.

01:38:48.020 --> 01:39:16.540
to bring to the market and kind of try to bridge a couple different sub-genres of metal for something fresh in 2016. And we're going to play some tracks here for you guys today, obviously, like we always do on the show. But I really want to say I love these guys. I'm a big fan of Slab City. The tracks that we have right now are ones that are kind of lo-fi, which is fine. But when you see these guys live, they just pretty much take your face off. And what I was going to ask you about was they've actually done some professional recording recently.

01:39:18.040 --> 01:39:47.820
I was hoping you could tell me about that experience because it's kind of a cool thing. They recorded at a, well, you explain it. Oh, we recorded at Expressions College, which is, you know, it's a music intern, you know, sound engineering school. They've got really nice gear there. And what's major about this place is the people that go there are going there because, for one, they're spending the money and they're spending the money because they want to do what they, you know, they really want to do this. They really want to pursue their ideas here. So it's really beneficial when you get to go in there and you walk into what we just walked into the TKL 9,

01:39:48.920 --> 01:40:17.940
which was probably like 50 by 50 square feet. We're talking like a million dollars. A million dollar studio. My drumming improved just from sitting in there. Like it was awesome. You know, I mean, and so we got to get some really good tracks down and a major key to that being as the drummer was five hours late for an eight hour recording session is being really well rehearsed was made going in there and being able to lay down six songs in three hours really beneficial. And especially with these guys.

01:40:18.040 --> 01:40:48.000
guys having the gear that they have and and the knowledge and the want to learn and the drive for it too right and this is literally like having a teacher in the room with some greenhorn yeah with some four lab students you know four lab rats and a lab master and we get down is this one of those situations where uh they offer you free studio time so that they can practice with a real band yeah it's their homework because i actually did that myself i went to the i went through the omega studios uh recording program

01:40:48.020 --> 01:41:18.000
in Rockville, Maryland. And I brought in one of my friends' bands, Charm City Devils now, but they used to be called UXB. And they came in and got some studio time on like a million-dollar Neve board that used to be owned by George Lucas. Yeah, that guy is still. So, the same situation. That's cool. The Neve board was from where, George? It was from Lucas Arts or Lucasfilm or whatever. It actually remixed the Star Wars music during one of the years.

01:41:18.040 --> 01:41:47.880
of the many, many reissues. That was well done, dude. So I did my final project on that board. Guys, in all honesty, to have total transparency, when we brought Jay on the first time, you guys were the band that Jay mentioned. Actually, the only band he mentioned of guys that he knew that, you know, on our podcast, we feature bands from around the world.

01:41:48.040 --> 01:42:18.000
that are doing their own thing that aren't signed. And you guys were the first and only band that Jay mentioned. And he did say friends of his. Well, as guys, both Jay and you guys who are in bands, with George and I see a lot of shows and we see all these opening bands, is it hard to kind of sort through the trash being in a band to kind of be playing nice, but also like

01:42:18.020 --> 01:42:23.780
You know,

01:42:46.700 --> 01:43:15.600
When I pull up to the studio, these guys are all standing outside like a bunch of bums. And Derek almost always says hi to Sergey. He usually says, hey, Sergey. Hey, Ken. Then he says, hey, Jay, fuck you or something like that. He always tells me. Yeah, I don't know why. It just feels so right. It takes a village. It's a certain kind of hello. Obviously, I get all my questions. A lot of them don't make sense. They're fucking audible train wrecks for listeners of the podcast.

01:43:18.440 --> 01:43:44.760
I know you play a lot of shows with a lot of bands just like Jay has too. Is this friendship you guys have, is this rare to find in the band world? Is there a lot of backstabbing going on? Is this kind of unity common with a lot of bands? I wouldn't say it's totally common. I think that we have a special bond with Catatonic Society in a way that I've never felt like with any other bands.

01:43:47.080 --> 01:44:14.860
that's been thought of before. Like, oh, man, it'd be cool if we were with this band doing this kind of stuff all the time. But the way with Catatonic and with Jay and his guys, it just kind of fell together. It was like we were outside listening, like, hey, man, that sounds hella badass. What are you doing in there? When we're inside playing, they're like, dude, that sounded great, man. And so it's just we started playing shows together. And I don't know. I think it's honestly like, hey, Jay, fuck you. It's the real like, this is who we are. Let's fucking hang out.

01:44:14.860 --> 01:44:44.840
I could scroll through my iPhone right here. I've said that thing like 25 times over the past week. I get a lot of text footnotes. It's not common because a lot of people, you know, they're like, oh, I'm the best guitarist or I'm the best drummer, you know, and it's like people tell me like, dude, you're an awesome drummer. I'm like, oh, I just practice, you know, I'm not, you know, I used to be the bass player. I used to be the bass player with my feet. But yeah, it's definitely something that you don't run into all the time, I would say. Yeah. And you know what? I think

01:44:44.860 --> 01:45:14.840
Derek's right though, we're all pretty laid back too, that's the other thing, we get along, we get together socially sometimes at the band, also by the way, just go ahead and announce here on the podcast, we're at the starting portion of it, but Kevin and I are writing stuff to do a Slabitonic Society or Catatonic City EP, we're going to do it together, nice, it sounds badass, yeah, it's going to be good, it's going to be good stuff, time is limited, but whenever we've gotten together, Kevin and I are

01:45:14.880 --> 01:45:44.840
I'm having a blast and we're gonna have some really cool songs. Jay's build up there is almost like yeah Kevin and I are expecting. That's good. I still want to hear that I still want to hear the question about bands that you guys play with that you're like man these guys suck. You don't have to say the names of the bands but I do. I see so many tours and a lot of these tours deal with the local support. I always wonder do they really like each other or are they just kind of like we

01:45:44.860 --> 01:46:14.340
We all have. George and I both. We do work with people who we don't like. But, you know, of course, you're nice to. It's work. Hint, it's Jay. I will say this, guys. I brought my friend Matt on the podcast. Didn't fucking go so well, okay? Drinking, Drinking. Kevin listens, by the way. Kevin listens. Yeah, so am I. I'm a fan of him, too, but that episode was a train wreck. It wasn't.

01:46:17.400 --> 01:46:43.020
Well, to answer your question, Buka, yeah, there's definitely a lot of cliques happening, at least in the Bay Area metal scene. All we can talk about is for what we know, and there's definitely bands. I don't want to name drop, but there's certain groups of people. There's groups of people that definitely are like, you know, we're cool, fuck you. Yeah, but they'll put on the face. We try to be an equal opportunity and give everyone a chance to be cool with us because you don't want to burn bridges in this game.

01:46:44.600 --> 01:47:14.160
I understand. We're trying to come up. Even with social media, sometimes you have to fan the flames out. We did an interview at Chabot Radio last weekend, and we had a fan post some little memes, and it was funny, but it was about the person putting on the show. It's like, dude, we get it. It's funny, but you've got to kill this shit. We're not trying to get booted from the fucking thing. Yeah. I know Jay is our traveling roadie. Sorry, traveling.

01:47:14.820 --> 01:47:44.160
musician here. You name a city, it seems. Jay's like, I lived there for a time. Were either of you guys anywhere else in the States playing music before you landed in the Bay Area? And I ask that because how are you finding the Bay Area metal scene compared to maybe somewhere else you may have lived? Well, I moved out here from Arizona three years ago. I actually moved out here to play drums on the streets of San Francisco and make some money as a dirty hippie drummer pushing his drums on a hand cart. And, you know, I played in a band out there called Caliber Red.

01:47:44.980 --> 01:48:14.160
It was me and I was, it should have been Derek and the old geezers. Cause I was like 22 and the rest of the guys were just like way older and we always had a great time, you know. But it's just not as much music out there. There's not, you know, it's, I mean, apparently there is, you know, but it's like, you gotta be playing lame music to be into it. You know, like the, this is what, you know, people like, we're like, well, I don't want those little teeny boppers in my show. I want people that like real music.

01:48:14.460 --> 01:48:43.800
Of course. And so, and I mean, you know, out there and, you know, I originally hail from Mississippi. And there's a lot of music out there. I mean, I, you know, I had a lot of friends out there that I would play with and jam with. And there's still, you know, I would say not as much, you know, unless you're venturing off over in New Orleans or something like that. And you're getting into the House of Blues circuit and other things, you know, but as like a local musician without a huge name, you know, other than what you've built for yourself, it's like,

01:48:44.100 --> 01:49:13.620
I don't see as much opportunity really anywhere else to kind of get into something where there could be as many people interested as out here. And that's one reason why I haven't left. You know, my mom's like, oh, you come back to my house. Like, no, mom, then I've failed. I can't do that. You know, so I haven't left the Bay because I'm like, you know, there's, you know, I mean, there's these guys for one, you know, it's like there's been numerous times and decisions I've had to make in the last year that are like, yeah, dude, you might have to move. It's like, nah, I'm in a rock band.

01:49:13.660 --> 01:49:43.620
I don't know if you understand. These guys kick ass. I'm not leaving these guys no matter what happens. You have to cut my feet off. And I'll play better than Def Leppard. He does got a good group of boys there too. Every one of you guys can play really well. Super cool ideas coming out of this band, man. Kevin, I want to hear about you though too. Are you from the Bay Area? I was born in the Bay and then grew up in Oregon. It's a small town called the Dallas. Were you actually born in the

01:49:43.660 --> 01:50:13.020
Bay, because that's kind of screwed up, dude. It was a water burst. That's all that hippie shit you got out there. I was like Moses. I walked over that scene. Say it again. Where were you from? Or you moved to Dallas? No, it's called the Dallas, Oregon. It's a small town, but an hour and a half from Portland. There's one small town band there, and they had a song called Mohawk, and that's all I remember. It was just like... Mohawk!

01:50:13.660 --> 01:50:43.140
A very small town with nothing to do. You go bowling and you go to Safeway and get free cookies and then you go find some weed if you partake it and then repeat the process. Tomorrow am I done again. Was that one band Nirvana? I'm wondering. Ironically enough, my friend was from Aberdeen and his family knew the Cobains. Really? Yeah. Wow. I actually met Kurt Cobain and all that. I was at his house two weeks ago. Really?

01:50:43.640 --> 01:51:12.720
Yeah, well, like standing outside his house like a creepy stalker. I haven't heard from Kurt in a while. How is he doing? Still dead. Yep. But I was standing outside his house, and there's like a big wall and a gate, and you can see through the wrought iron gate up to the house, but the shot that I recognized most is the one that they, when he died, there was the photo they showed constantly of the house. It was of like sort of a side, and there's like a...

01:51:13.660 --> 01:51:40.160
Like double door glass doors. And you can see that from the side of the house where there's a little park and a bench. And like the bench is all marked up with like tributes and stuff to him. And I stood there taking pictures, a feeling sleazy and be just sort of surreal to like be standing in the photo that I had seen so many times before. Let me just edit that George and say feeling more sleazy than usual.

01:51:42.380 --> 01:52:10.360
Was there a chalk outline or anything? I mean, I'm thinking you took a picture where the feet were is what you're talking about. No, but well, I mean, I'd seen other pictures that were from above, which they're like right behind where I was standing was this ginormous. You got some big fucking trees out there on the West Coast, really huge ass tree. And then there's sort of a hill that goes up and there's like some steps. And so I think you can probably get a better view looking down on the house from there.

01:52:10.420 --> 01:52:39.680
but look at me. I'm not climbing those steps. I'm not climbing those steps. So George was in Seattle obviously. Yeah. You know there was a second part to your question that I would love to hear answered which is what do you guys think of specifically the Bay Area metal scene right now? You're really digging deep. The correct answer is there's a lot of bands. There's a super saturated market but there's not a lot of people that actually come out to the shows right now. I mean there are people.

01:52:39.820 --> 01:53:09.800
I mean there is a small scene in the city there's a small scene in San Francisco Modesto is dead uh... dead still you know there's a lot of there's a lot of doom metal bands uh in Oakland I mean there's a lot of cool bands around here it's just there's not a lot of people that get up and get out and do it I don't I don't think there's been enough metal to make them get up and get out yeah exodus and Metallica was a long time ago that when the Bay Area was really popping in 83 yeah and just being like really doomy like you're talking about

01:53:09.840 --> 01:53:14.080
I know times suck right now and gas prices are going up.

01:53:14.340 --> 01:53:19.140
But it's like, you know, it's like you still want a type of metal that's going to make you.

01:53:22.280 --> 01:53:26.400
That was the best definition of doom metal I've ever heard.

01:53:26.920 --> 01:53:28.880
I know that gas is expensive.

01:53:32.360 --> 01:53:35.680
The latest doom subgenre is going to be old curmudgeon metal.

01:53:38.300 --> 01:53:39.560
My corns are aching.

01:53:41.440 --> 01:54:09.120
That was beautiful, dude. That's something that we strive for. I know Kevin's, all his songs, aside from going to the tempo of his blinker, are meant to make you do this. That's what people need to do when they go to a show. That's what I want to do. I want to be able to not keep from doing this. Just like, yeah! I don't think there's enough metal out there that does that. Catatonic does it, because I've been there. I've done it. It makes me do this.

01:54:09.820 --> 01:54:39.780
That's what I want to go see, you know, and I feel like there's not enough music out there that people are like, yeah, I want to go see that. Like, they're actually doing cool stuff. And there's definitely a, there's a lot of Bay bands that have a Bay sound with certain gear. Line six comes to mind as an amplifier company. There's a very unique sound that comes with those bands. We had a line six guy in our band for a while and that just wasn't going to work. I have, I have, I have one of those, uh, line six, uh, like the kidney bean looking

01:54:40.440 --> 01:55:08.360
I had an inline six. It's a shot. The red bean. Yeah. That's old. Yeah, I had that for a while. Kev, do you really literally write a lot while you're in your car? I want to know if there's some truth to this blinker thing, because that's just beautiful, dude. No, it's funny that he figured that out on his own. But yeah, actually, I do. There's a certain tempo range. I write pretty much everything, too. But I'm trying to get people to do this.

01:55:09.160 --> 01:55:39.040
So does that make you one of the people that drive down the street with your blinker on even though you're not turning just seeking right while you're driving? Get over it asshole if you're gonna move! It's nature's click track is the blinker. Nature's click track, yeah. I was listening, I don't know if it's You Have No Soul or I Stole Your Dog and I Ate It, but I was just sitting there one day in the car and I turned my blinker and I was like, oh my god, it's the song that goes with my blinker! It's the song! It's our song! I was freaking out and I told him when I got here to the studio, I'm like, dude, did you know?

01:55:39.140 --> 01:56:03.100
He's like, yeah, I actually hear that a lot in my car because I don't have a radio. I'm like, oh, it makes so much sense. The blister is your radio. These are good answers, aren't they? I have a fucking Prius. So my car seems classical music to me when I, you know, butterflies and rainbows come out whenever you, you know, hit the gas. Yeah, exactly.

01:56:09.160 --> 01:56:09.840
from these guys.

01:56:10.090 --> 01:56:11.080
If we can do that.

01:56:12.440 --> 01:56:13.220
Which one is it going to be?

01:56:14.480 --> 01:56:15.260
And I'm asking you boys.

01:56:16.560 --> 01:56:17.300
Bass Sals first.

01:56:17.800 --> 01:56:18.580
Bass Sals and Blood?

01:56:19.060 --> 01:56:19.460
Bass Sals and Blood.

01:56:19.460 --> 01:56:20.320
That's the studio track.

01:56:20.320 --> 01:56:21.040
We went into a studio.

01:56:21.410 --> 01:56:26.940
Orange Sky Studios and Theo Cedar Jones helped produce the track.

01:56:28.400 --> 01:56:32.340
The track has some issues on a technical level.

01:56:33.760 --> 01:56:37.600
But since then, Derek the Metal Monkey has learned how to downblast.

01:56:38.260 --> 01:56:38.460
Yeah.

01:56:38.760 --> 01:57:07.640
This Basalts and Blood was recorded after being in the band with, was it three months? Yeah, it was very early. So when they asked me to join, they're like, hey, you play metal? I'm like, by the way. Yeah, I play fast, you know? You want double bass? You want blast? Sure. I'll hit that thing really fast, you know? So I hadn't quite figured out exactly what the down blast was. We were still working with the cross blast. Because Derek comes from, what, a punk and a funk? Yeah, I was the punk who was taught the funk who really likes to play metal. So it's like, you know. And you know what? It just fucking struck me.

01:57:08.760 --> 01:57:12.820
People listening right now can't see it Derek looks like the fucking metal Forrest Gump

01:57:14.400 --> 01:57:16.720
What? When he just went running

01:57:17.980 --> 01:57:20.340
Remember he just let his hair grow out

01:57:20.740 --> 01:57:21.720
I just want to run

01:57:22.080 --> 01:57:22.980
Yeah I just want to run

01:57:23.720 --> 01:57:24.460
Exactly yeah

01:57:24.720 --> 01:57:28.040
So what's that sample at the beginning of the song

01:57:28.520 --> 01:57:28.980
What's that from?

01:57:29.480 --> 01:57:30.160
Charles Manson

01:57:30.680 --> 01:57:30.980
Really?

01:57:31.100 --> 01:57:32.840
Yeah that's a Charles Manson interview

01:57:33.140 --> 01:57:34.780
I thought it sounded familiar

01:57:35.740 --> 01:57:37.300
He's going to be demanding royalties

01:57:37.300 --> 01:57:39.140
or he's going to be fucking carving your eyes out.

01:57:39.770 --> 01:57:39.880
Right.

01:57:40.150 --> 01:57:42.140
Or he's going to be kissing my hood, smelling asshole.

01:57:45.460 --> 01:57:50.700
I just, you know, I watch YouTube and I'm always like searching for a new idea.

01:57:51.240 --> 01:57:57.900
And when I heard the, I roll the nickels, I instantly knew I wanted to like use that in some sort of fashion in a song intro.

01:57:58.720 --> 01:58:02.820
And sometimes it gets a little sketchy with like legally, what can you get away with sample wise?

01:58:03.020 --> 01:58:31.100
But from what I looked up, it's free public domain since it wasn't a broadcast interview. There's a little line in there. When you're in jail for a long time. You don't drop the soap if you fucking rip the man off. You ever heard that Offspring song? The very end of the Splinter album? When you're in prison, don't drop the soap.

01:58:34.260 --> 01:58:56.160
Don't drop the soap. Check it out, Offspring. That's actually the rule in George's studio, too. Yeah, it is. In general, around George's. We just don't have soap. We just don't have soap. Get rid of the soap. All right, without further ado, let's listen to the first track from these boys. It's called Bath, Salts, and Blood. This is Slab City.

01:59:07.960 --> 01:59:22.600
I'm the king, man. I'm the underworld guy. I decide who's the best like the way they do it at. When am I gonna run around and act like I'm some teeny bop or somewhere for somebody else's money? I make the money, man. I roll the nickel.

01:59:35.560 --> 01:59:56.840
The Endless

02:00:29.120 --> 02:00:32.520
We feel the death of thousands, we're waiting for the reason.

02:00:33.940 --> 02:00:35.640
There's nothing we can do

02:00:35.980 --> 02:00:37.200
To solve the appetite of

02:00:37.520 --> 02:00:38.720
A tribal tragedy of it

02:00:39.020 --> 02:00:40.200
They don't have a word

02:00:40.240 --> 02:00:41.580
A miserable misery

02:00:47.800 --> 02:00:49.120
Plans in the door

02:00:49.460 --> 02:00:51.940
Flowing in the snow and sea

02:00:52.440 --> 02:00:53.820
The enemy of the sea

02:01:17.200 --> 02:01:23.800
I need your pictures and

02:01:23.820 --> 02:01:33.820
The gods and

02:02:07.800 --> 02:02:17.320
I need your names, your blood is

02:02:52.400 --> 02:02:53.800
Dizor

02:02:56.980 --> 02:03:01.040
Bodies gone, tears of

02:04:07.860 --> 02:04:29.140
All right, that was Bath, Salts, and Blood by my good friends and a good band in their own right, Slab City. I love these guys. You know what? We need to talk about the rest of the guys in your band. I made a mistake in not doing that first time I was on this podcast. So why don't you tell us who else is in the band with you guys? Well, we've got Jim Reaper is our bassist. He's our Raider head, Raider metal head.

02:04:29.940 --> 02:04:58.880
And Andrew Bondison, the mad scientist, who is our growling, screaming, biomechanical genius. Yeah. You know where? Oh, is he? Yeah. He works at a lab out of SF General. Oh, I didn't know that. He dissects lung tissue and DNA and all that. Creighton zombie virus or something. Yeah, so when we do want to take over the world and then we play all of our music in the background, we're like, oh, we're Slab City this whole time, this fucker. You can blame them for everything going wrong.

02:04:58.940 --> 02:05:28.520
I would encourage anybody out there to Google these guys. Go to their Facebook page, Slab City Facebook. And the reason I mention this is because they are pretty much, they look like a street gang. And then they got this GQ model of a lead singer. Andrew literally looks like the most beautiful young blonde boy you ever saw. And they both look like they just came out of the squatter city, Slab City. Do you know about Slab City? Yeah, I was going to ask about that. What's the name mean?

02:05:28.540 --> 02:05:58.320
I was thinking like maybe it had something to do with a morgue or something. You know, slab, being on the slab. Well, yeah, I was watching a Vice documentary about Slab City and there was like this old dude that rolls up in a cooler with a motor in it. Awesome. And he was saying that Slab City was a high-tech hobo camp and I instantly just thought like this is what I want to bring to the Bay Area metal scene. I want to basically tie this like urban warfare with something like a desolate Slab City, kind of off the grid, no rules, lawless.

02:05:59.240 --> 02:06:00.680
Mad Max type environment.

02:06:01.280 --> 02:06:03.560
So what you got to explain what you got to explain what it is though, dude.

02:06:04.000 --> 02:06:05.280
I'm George. I don't think he's ever heard of it.

02:06:06.200 --> 02:06:06.300
Nope.

02:06:06.360 --> 02:06:12.100
I mean, Slab City is a it's it was it's originally like it's owed to teachers.

02:06:12.540 --> 02:06:13.740
It's like a teacher's organization.

02:06:13.920 --> 02:06:18.020
It's in SoCal, California, but really like they test rockets or missiles or some shit down here.

02:06:18.140 --> 02:06:19.960
Like it's it's totally desolate land.

02:06:20.180 --> 02:06:27.640
Yeah, if you're tweaked out or LSD out of your mind, you go to Slab City and everybody's cool with you and you eat rattlesnakes and you drive around on motorized coolers.

02:06:27.680 --> 02:06:57.560
they used to have at NASCAR events. And, you know, it's just really just a bunch of tweaked out crazy people. Just lawless. Just lawless. It's just Slab City. Slab City. They're doing the worst job of explaining this, man. What's wrong with you boys? To tell you specifically, George, Slab City is actually like a place. Where is it, guys? I forget. It's in SoCal. It's in SoCal. Yeah, right? Something to do with missiles. And basically what it is, is a lot of people,

02:06:57.700 --> 02:07:25.800
have just gone there and just squatted on the land. And it's kind of a free-for-all. And nobody ever does anything about it. They're welcome to squat on that land. Government seems happy enough to let them do it. So just to add that little part of it, it's an actual real place. Yeah. Yeah. And people go out there. I didn't know I wasn't putting that across. Sounds like a good place to do a podcast from. You did a good job of describing it. I think the history is slightly important about the fact that it's actually this. Yeah. But you did wonderfully.

02:07:29.000 --> 02:07:57.120
We're all gonna hug when we see each other today. I know, I can't wait. Are you good? The, um, so, uh, and also I would, uh, just mention to, uh, Jim. So Jim is the, uh, is the, uh, Raiders fan, as you mentioned. He's got the season tickets and Andrew is like a, um, rated climber, mountain climber. Isn't that right? He's rated like V sevens. Like when you go up to like V tens, you know, it's like your hardest, like I'm climbing upside down like a spider monkey.

02:07:57.700 --> 02:08:27.160
He's doing that shit. And that's awesome. One handed pull ups and stuff. Yeah. I couldn't do it in PE one time, but he's doing it. No problem. I was always the fat boy back in school myself. So climbing ropes. I was always at the bottom looking up. Yeah. So he's really cool. So when he's not, you know, working or practicing, that's what he enjoys doing is going out and getting his rock climbing in and, you know, just out there keeping it raw. I guess, you know, thrilling. That's crazy, dude.

02:08:28.500 --> 02:08:32.280
I'm personally sort of afraid of heights, so my hat is off to the boy.

02:08:34.280 --> 02:08:37.980
So you guys got a couple shows coming up, I know. Can we talk about those a little bit?

02:08:38.680 --> 02:08:40.920
And specifically, let's talk about the festival thingy.

02:08:41.120 --> 02:08:43.320
I don't know if fest is the right word for it, but you know what I mean.

02:08:44.140 --> 02:08:45.060
Colossal Chaos 2!

02:08:45.780 --> 02:08:46.280
There it is.

02:08:46.500 --> 02:08:51.280
Yeah, so that's coming up September 19th. It's going to be at Swiss Park in Newark off of Maori.

02:08:53.220 --> 02:08:54.840
That's going to be, what is it, 20 bands?

02:08:55.440 --> 02:09:25.420
That's like 10 to 15. 10 to 15 bands gonna be a couple of stages 2 p.m. to like midnight 10 bucks We've got a show after that would be here at that annex pro rehearsal studios in the live room with Hammershot Tyrannosaurus Christ and Arsa and that'll be on October 3rd And then at the end of the month what we've got set up so far would be at the stadium in San Leandro for October 30th

02:09:25.460 --> 02:09:55.420
Slaughter? No, no, no, no. And that would be at the stadium of San Leandro's. And that's on the 30th. So those are the shows we have currently set up right now. Cool, man. You know, there's actually, I might have a show for you too. There's September 20th. We're going to play at Moss Beach. And if you guys are free, I'm able to get you on the bill. I would love to. It's my stepmom's birthday. I could own a show to her. Cool. Hey, Derek, I got to ask you. Well, we were at the Ashes of Aries show the other day and we interviewed Van

02:09:55.580 --> 02:10:25.420
Williams, the drummer of Ashes of Aries and most notably Nevermore. He made a comment to us that he was sharing drums with one of the local openers. I have to ask you, being a drummer, are you, because he was saying his toms are a little too short for him, are you really particular about your setup and how your kit is? And are drummers, is it

02:10:25.440 --> 02:10:29.740
really throw you guys off when you go in there using somebody else's stuff.

02:10:30.600 --> 02:10:54.660
Well, it really depends on how short you are. And, you know, it's all about that. Because what it is when you're playing at such a technical, like fast level and you've got things that you have to get done within minute seconds of timing. All you want to worry about is your hands and feet being able to drop. You don't want to have to worry about picking them up. You know, you want to make sure everything is set up at a certain height.

02:10:54.980 --> 02:11:24.880
So all you have to do is hands just go down by themselves. So the only step you have to worry about is pulling them back up and just to put them back down again. So there is like a certain level. I mean, I just had to at our M'deadstow show that I broke my double bass pedals. We rocked so hard in our last song. I had to play, you know, Fortune Cookie Jay. My crystalline entity says the fortune cookie is coming. It's like a 10 minute long song. It broke like a minute into the song. So I still had to figure out how to flutter out double bass pedals while I sheer

02:11:24.900 --> 02:11:54.880
off the metal of my heel plate on my right bass pedal. Nico McBrain style. Nico from I.A. plays with one bass pedal. Derek is a lot of fun to watch play. You really are, dude. He's a fun player to watch. Derek, I'm a big, you know, I'm separate from George and Jay on the podcast here. I bring in, you know, the new fresh young voice on the fucking metal scene. I'm a big tech death guy. You can see on my shirt, Archbierre says, stay tech. I say that

02:11:54.920 --> 02:12:24.880
A lot of tech bands, it goes back and forth. Some of them use triggers on their double bass. What do you think about those and the use of them? I think the use of doubling up a single beat with a trigger is a pussy move. I totally agree. I think getting the sound of a trigger is badass. We'll be in here playing and I'm working with blast beats and swift double bass. You've only got so much pressure, you can

02:12:24.940 --> 02:12:26.780
to the bass drum to be able to hear it.

02:12:27.230 --> 02:12:31.280
Because you're moving so quick, you don't have time to lay down, flap all the way down on that pedal.

02:12:31.750 --> 02:12:35.220
So you've got to get that extra sound just so you can hear what's happening.

02:12:35.820 --> 02:12:49.160
Because when you're blast beating, you're bouncing off that rim with that snare and keeping it in the lock with your bass pedals, you want to be able to hear all that clearly without having to slam it down because then that's going to throw off your whole momentum and then you're not going to be able to keep a consistent blast.

02:12:49.790 --> 02:12:50.400
Stuff like that.

02:12:50.440 --> 02:13:20.320
So I think that, you know, if you set up a trigger and you hit it once and it makes two sounds, I think you suck. But if you just, you know, you can play with the trigger, then yeah, you can play with the trigger. Yeah, essentially. Yeah, it just enhanced the tone. It's not like, oh, I need a trigger because I'm not fast enough. It's like, no, you watch me. Yeah. Back off. I'll take it off. I think it's, you know, you watch these guys. They don't need it. It's just what they're trying, the sound they're trying to achieve sometimes is not physically possible. Yeah.

02:13:20.440 --> 02:13:49.220
Yeah, because you're playing so fast. Exactly. If you heard that on a guitar, you wouldn't hear it any louder. That's where they'd have the volume. They'd turn it up. You know what I mean? Slab City on the whole, I think, really has always... Kevin, I think of being one of the big ones, really embraces technology. They're actually a really raw sounding band. In the one sense, it's very organic sounding. But you should see Kevin's pedal board, dude.

02:13:49.280 --> 02:14:19.220
It literally like they need to have like a separate room for it. It's just ridiculous. We actually carry it in a separate shuttle van to our shows. And the samples like on the tracks we're playing today. I mean, they love samples like that. Little things from movies and things. There's a lot of feet moving around at a Slab City show pushing buttons and stuff. But it's still just this raw thing at the center of it. And I love that about it, by the way. I mean, that's something Kevin does way better than I ever could. Like, I'm lucky if I step on my tuner at the right time.

02:14:22.120 --> 02:14:49.240
I would say Kevin's hitting about as many pedals as I am when he's playing these songs. I'm looking at him right now. I'm sitting in here trying not to fall on his pedals because they're surrounding us. If you want to know how big his pedal board is, from here to here, all back here. I barely have room for my drums. It's pretty sad. There's pictures on the Facebook page. Kevin, if God forbid the pedal board

02:14:50.060 --> 02:15:18.100
was lost en route to a show. Oh no, don't even talk about it. Could the show go on? It could definitely go on. At its core, I'm basically just going clean to heavy. Heavy to clean. Everything else is just lead tones. You add a delay here, add some depth, add some reverb, add some pitch shifting to simulate double guitars. But really, it would just be less like zazz.

02:15:18.140 --> 02:15:48.100
It'd be even more raw. Yeah, just the way that it was originally written on an acoustic guitar or whatever in a bedroom. And still, when you put all the pieces together, it makes its own music. Really, it's just giving that level of production to the audience where they're able to have that depth and tone and richness to it. I'm kind of old school with that good tube amp and a good guitar and good hand technique, and you're going to have something that's like ear candy. You want to give somebody that good experience, and that's what we're trying

02:15:49.180 --> 02:16:17.980
He really just gets these pedals not because he's like, "Oh, I need this sound so I sound better." Everybody else is like, "I just want to put the whipped cream on top of the ice cream. Check this out." You know, it's just like amazing. I mean, people do marvel at it. And that's the kind of reaction we want. That was literally a response to Derek's howl there. That was awesome. Yeah, she does that now. She goes like this, dude. You should see her on her little drum set, man. She wails.

02:16:18.120 --> 02:16:18.560
It's great.

02:16:19.080 --> 02:16:19.440
All right.

02:16:19.540 --> 02:16:22.500
Well, not to rush you guys out of here or anything like that,

02:16:22.800 --> 02:16:24.160
but we're going to let you go about and have your day.

02:16:24.390 --> 02:16:26.040
Is there anything you guys want to kind of throw out there,

02:16:26.300 --> 02:16:27.420
talk about, promote before the...

02:16:27.570 --> 02:16:29.140
Well, actually, I have one more question.

02:16:29.240 --> 02:16:30.280
When are you going to make a goddamn record?

02:16:31.340 --> 02:16:32.679
Really frickin' soon.

02:16:33.679 --> 02:16:36.340
The opportunity that we've gotten over at Expressions College,

02:16:36.639 --> 02:16:38.580
they definitely have room for more,

02:16:40.000 --> 02:16:42.019
and they need bands to come in there and do stuff,

02:16:42.110 --> 02:16:44.719
so we're more than willing to go back there and lay down other stuff,

02:16:45.080 --> 02:17:15.040
But also, like, you know, we just got six songs laid down the other night. So technically, we have every song but one song of ours recorded in some form or another. So you'll hear two of them on this podcast being Basalts and Blood and Decades of Deceit, which was actually our, we recorded ourselves in the studio. And for that song particularly, that's where I was like, okay, I am doing this downblast. This song is going to sound perfect. And we did it ourselves in the studio. But, I mean, we've got all the tracks from when we were

02:17:15.080 --> 02:17:45.019
just recorded and we've got Mike Brown that's going to be working with us on getting some vocals laid down on them and getting them mixed outright because he actually graduated from Expressions College quite a few years ago. He's in a really cool band called Arsa. Yeah, we're playing with them. Viking metal drinking music. Yeah, think of kilts and face paint and metal. These guys have got it. Sweet. Yeah, I think they're playing on October 3rd with us here at the Annex show. But he's going to help us get that production down, get some vocals put down on there.

02:17:45.080 --> 02:17:47.620
and be able to get those things laid down.

02:17:47.620 --> 02:17:59.940
We're looking for 2016. I don't know if the full album we've done, CD, package, vinyl, catatonic status, but at least get the songs digitally out there so people can check it out and love us, hate us, whatever, but get it out there.

02:18:00.019 --> 02:18:01.059
Just get it out there to the world.

02:18:01.679 --> 02:18:12.980
I want to mention two Arsa's actually in our complex, our rehearsal complex, and honestly, I think one of the better parts of the Bay Area metal scene is that complex. We've got a lot of good bands in there.

02:18:13.280 --> 02:18:43.160
Yeah, we definitely do have a lot of cool, you know, just off, you know, different spectrums, you know, of people and everything. Just so we don't get in trouble with all our friends. Cool bands in the studio. Hammershot. Arsa. Arsa. Wartroll. Catatonic Society. Inferos. What else we got in here? What? And Trez Machine. Trez Machine's kind of gone, but they were here. They were here. I'm trying to just shameless plug Facebook.com forward slash Slap City Band. Yeah, Slap City Band.

02:18:43.320 --> 02:19:12.240
Slab City, put it at Stork Club, Roosters, you can search our different shows. We play D&A Lounge. We're trying to get out there on Instagram and all that stuff at some point. Snapchat, studio production with the making of the album. We're out there online so it can be checked out in some way or another. You don't have to wait to come see us at our show. You can get a taste of it online from different things that we've done.

02:19:13.880 --> 02:19:41.760
We've played with Catatonic Society at Rooster, stuff like that. So you find all that stuff and check us out. And like our page. You know, and this is not, I'm not praising us, I'm praising him. Sergei, our bass player, is always great. He always films the bands we like. And so he's filmed whole sets of these guys. And you can go and watch several whole sets of Slab City up on YouTube, as they mentioned. And from their Facebook page. So I really want to kind of tell people, check these guys out.

02:19:43.280 --> 02:20:11.980
some cool tracks laid down already, but they're going to put together a really good record. Super fun to watch live and really creative stuff. Really cool riffs. Great playing all around. I love you guys. No, thank you for having us on the podcast. Yeah. Thank you guys so much for letting us come over and chat with you. Thanks for joining us. I know it's extremely early in the morning for you guys. So truly thanks for coming on. You guys do some pretty cool stuff. So thank you very much. All right. That was our interview with Slab City.

02:20:13.080 --> 02:20:42.940
Friends of mine, but also guys who just happen to be in a really great band. So I want to thank those guys for joining us today. And I actually be seeing them later today when we go out to practice. They practice right next door. So thanks for listening. I hope you guys will go check out their stuff. So this time of year in the beer world, the fucking pumpkin beers come out. Yum, yum, yum, yum. I just wanted to say I fucking despise pumpkin brews. But as Will always has told us, you guys are always drinking.

02:20:43.080 --> 02:21:13.000
on the pod. Mention what you're drinking. So I just wanted to let Will know that I have had the new Flying Dog Single Hop Imperial IPA. It's a nice 10%. It's really nice. I've had a Couch Surfer Oatmeal Stout. And since I always try all the pumpkin brews, just trying to see what the big deal is about, I'm about to open a Ballast Point Pumpkin Down. So that's what I'm drinking today, Will. I'm going to suck up to Will because I'm drinking Will's very own Sessions in the Abyss.

02:21:13.080 --> 02:21:16.460
IPA. Oh, nice. All right, let's get into some news.

02:21:29.681 --> 02:21:41.160
This first item, I speak to you with a heavy heart. Poison Black has disbanded. Another one bites the dust. Yeah, you know, Sentenced was one of my favorite, still is one of my favorite bands.

02:21:41.660 --> 02:22:11.600
And I was crushed when they decided to call it quits. And then of course when Mika died, pretty much sealing the fate of any possible reunions. But I was heartened by the fact that from the ashes of Sentenced came Poison Black. And now after a number of... Two or three albums? Three or four, right? I think it's even more like four or five, but I'd have to look. But after a number of quality releases, for reasons unknown,

02:22:11.700 --> 02:22:14.600
to me, Poison Black is now disbanding.

02:22:15.739 --> 02:22:18.900
You had mentioned it maybe on your Facebook page or something.

02:22:19.040 --> 02:22:20.260
They didn't really make a statement, did they?

02:22:20.310 --> 02:22:21.540
They were just like, that's the end of the ride.

02:22:21.950 --> 02:22:22.520
Yeah, pretty much.

02:22:23.000 --> 02:22:25.240
They didn't explain themselves, which is they needn't explain themselves.

02:22:26.819 --> 02:22:27.720
It's too bad, man.

02:22:27.900 --> 02:22:29.500
It's so tough to make a go of it these days.

02:22:29.630 --> 02:22:31.920
Not that I assume that's why they gave it up.

02:22:32.860 --> 02:22:33.340
Yeah, who knows?

02:22:34.160 --> 02:22:37.440
Villa being one of our favorite singers in all of metal.

02:22:38.680 --> 02:22:40.040
I hope he resurfaces somewhere else.

02:22:40.460 --> 02:23:09.080
Yeah, maybe this will lead to yet another band that'll be even cooler than Poison Black. I don't know. There you go. That's a positive attitude. Yeah. As if Sentenced or Poison Black ever had anything positive, but it's pretty depressive stuff. But yeah, we can hope. So we're going to get to this album during the new releases, but as part of the release for Iron Maiden's Speed of Light album, they also released an 8-bit video game based on Donkey Kong called Speed of Light.

02:23:10.460 --> 02:23:11.680
this? I haven't.

02:23:12.040 --> 02:23:12.220
Really?

02:23:12.700 --> 02:23:20.760
Goes along with the theme of the video, as we kind of noted last pod, was that the video is all about the video games for Speed of Light.

02:23:21.279 --> 02:23:22.560
I'm surprised you didn't play it, Duke.

02:23:22.800 --> 02:23:23.500
Yeah, I played it.

02:23:24.220 --> 02:23:25.020
You did? Was it fun?

02:23:25.560 --> 02:23:26.420
Yeah, it wasn't bad.

02:23:27.899 --> 02:23:29.920
It was a little glitchy, actually.

02:23:31.540 --> 02:23:32.120
You'd go to...

02:23:34.340 --> 02:23:36.240
Basically, like I said, it was like Donkey Kong.

02:23:36.380 --> 02:24:06.340
You have to like go up these levels up these ladders while this guy at the top is throwing stuff down at you and to win the level you have to pick something up and throw it at him and it'll knock him off the screen and then you can get the girl and move on to the next level and and you play Eddie I assume yes and half the time I would pick something up and when you pick it up it just you're stuck you can't move and then either you get killed or you

02:24:06.360 --> 02:24:36.200
you have to start over because it won't move. What's the soundtrack? It's an 8-bit version of Speed of Light. Cool. Is it just available on their website or something? Yeah, if you go on their Facebook page, if you've got Iron Maiden's Facebook, you can find it there. It was fun what little bit I could get through it. I'm going to check it out. That sounds like a good way to waste a few minutes. Yeah. I actually had a friend of mine,

02:24:36.280 --> 02:25:06.240
at work who's not even a metal fan saw that I had posted on Facebook and he was like damn you time waster so I guess it worked for him all right next up this one just came out of the blue for me a few days ago I had no idea this was coming but Baroness is getting ready to release their new album called purple in December and they're streaming a new song called chlorine and wine I listen to it I listen to it yeah I listen to it as well I've always felt that Baroness was

02:25:06.280 --> 02:25:29.100
more of a grower than something that I liked immediately. So the fact that I didn't hate it when I heard it seems like a good sign to me. I mean, I was like, yes, it's not bad. It's not bad. I'm sure with repeat listens, it's probably going to, you know, put down roots with me and I'll probably dig it. But, you know, who knows? You know, you never know.

02:25:29.160 --> 02:25:58.640
This is first post terrible bus accident release too. So yeah. So, you know, nice to see him back on their feet. One of those guys got his back really screwed up, didn't he? I mean, I can't remember all their injuries, but one of them I know was down for the comp for a while. One of them, George and I saw at barbecue a couple weeks ago and he was fine. One of the, he plays Valkyrie. Oh, is that right? I didn't know that. Yep. Why didn't I know that? One of the guitarists from Valkyries and Baroness. Cool.

02:25:59.140 --> 02:26:28.760
I had no idea. Well, that's really hip. Well, I listened to it. I thought it was fine. I agree with you. They are a grower. Always. Yeah. So, but I'll check it out when it comes out. And I didn't think the song was bad by any strange sense. So, yeah, I'm glad they were able to find another color to name their album. Yeah. I was like, geez, you know, the last one they did yellow and green. I was like, whoa, hey, you know, don't blow through all your colors so fast. But they found one. So, so I don't know, was it like last year, year before there was a,

02:26:29.140 --> 02:26:59.120
a video making its way around the internet it was a sock puppet parody of master of puppets it's like called master of sock puppets or something like that and it was freaking awesome it was hilarious you know they they use sock puppets to uh mimic a uh a show with a band and uh but the best part is they rewrite the lyrics and there's an actual like you know parody song uh of master of puppets and it was hilarious well

02:26:59.140 --> 02:27:28.880
They're back. Sock Puppet Parody has now released a video covering Pantera's walk. I don't know if either of you guys watched this. I did. It's awesome. It is also pretty damn funny. Yeah, I watched it too. I think you either texted it to us or maybe, oh no, you posted it on the Facebook page. Yeah, it's great. Vinny Paul makes a cameo in it. Yep. It's called Sock Puppet Parody and just type that in with Pantera and walk on YouTube and you should be able to find it.

02:27:29.140 --> 02:27:58.680
Check it out. So Ghost landed at number 8 on Billboard with their new album Meliora. It gives you a chance to tell your joke though. How many copies do you think that was? 12. There it is. Although knowing that it's Ghost probably 13. Did it made and debut number 1? Not yet. I don't know I think we I haven't heard anything about that yet. I think they did. They did in UK but they haven't I don't think I don't think the American chart is a known quantity yet but yeah UK is number 1.

02:27:59.140 --> 02:28:29.100
Excellent. So congratulations to Ghost. That new album is pretty damn killer. I like it a lot. Much more than the last one. I like it better after the second listen. Yeah. And much better than the last one. Oh, God. Yeah. Yeah. So on the last episode, we talked about Wasp's new album and the song that they put out. And was it Jay? Was it you that said it sounded like Journey? Yeah. Yeah. Well, they've released a lyric

02:28:29.140 --> 02:28:59.100
I did a video for another song called scream and I was like alright maybe this one's better let me give it a listen and like the last one it was competent in the style that it was performed wasn't really my thing and my wife's walking around the kitchen while I'm listening to it and she goes sounds like Night Ranger she starts singing don't tell me you love me don't tell me you love me and I was like whoa it is so so

02:28:59.120 --> 02:29:28.780
Blackie Lawless is apparently culling 80s rock bands looking for his new songs. You know, I haven't heard it and I don't want to, but I can tell you, Night Ranger represents for me one of the great bait and switches of all time. I'll never forget. Because, you know, if you remember Brad Gillis was in Ozzy's band for a while. Yep. He replaced Randy Rhoads. Yeah, he was on Speak of the Devil. Yeah, and I got Speak of the Devil and then I remember reading this article and it was like, Ozzy's guitarist is in this new band and I was like, I'll check it out.

02:29:28.820 --> 02:29:58.800
And I never forget getting that record, taking it home, and putting it on, and just being like, oh my god, I do not like this. The Night Ranger record. What's that called? Midnight something? Yeah, it's got that in the title. I actually really liked that album back in, you know, 83 or whatever. I think he was just saying the title, or the opening track. I mean, I just knew the song, you know, Don't Tell Me You Love Me, and Rumors in the air like a thief in the night. I just thought it was gonna be Black Sabbath or something, though, you know? I should have known better. Well, the song

02:30:00.659 --> 02:30:05.620
The song that I like by Night Ranger is the "You Can Still Rock in America". I thought that was cool.

02:30:05.840 --> 02:30:06.320
It's catchy.

02:30:06.700 --> 02:30:10.160
Yeah, but anyway, not a big Night Ranger fan these days.

02:30:10.840 --> 02:30:19.380
So I may have to start replacing these Motorhead headphones that we've got in the studio because Onkyo is teaming with Iron Maiden to release headphones.

02:30:20.800 --> 02:30:22.500
And they look pretty slick.

02:30:23.000 --> 02:30:23.600
Are they?

02:30:23.750 --> 02:30:24.240
Yeah, they do.

02:30:24.820 --> 02:30:26.721
Is that the same company that does the...

02:30:26.740 --> 02:30:56.700
I saw them too. Is that the same kind as the Motorhead ones? I don't think, I don't believe so. I don't actually recall who Motorhead teamed with to make these. I'd have to go look at the box. I'm going to get some. Yeah, I tried to find them because I was like, I'm definitely getting a pair, but they don't appear to be for sale yet. Oh, they're not? Okay. No, it was just announced at like a tech show or something like that. It seemed to me that they, the stuff I read about it made it sound

02:30:56.720 --> 02:31:26.400
They had a real good audio quality too. Of course, they're going to try for that. They had all these specs up there and I thought, okay, I'll give this a whack. Unless it's ungodly expensive, I'm sure I'll be getting a pair. This next story is the one I was alluding to when you were talking about the Madonna show. Black Sabbath has announced their last tour, the end tour. The reason I mentioned it was because according to Tony,

02:31:26.720 --> 02:31:56.700
They're just bringing out the whole nine yards. He made it sound like this was going to be a super tech show, you know, all kinds of killer stuff in it. Like I was, I really walked away from reading this little article, like thinking, oh my God, they're going to just blow the world away. You know what I mean? Like apparently going to be a big show. So we'll see. Let's hope. No, it is a fucking travesty that Bill Ward and Sharon can't patch up their fucking problems. I'm glad you, I'm glad you guys feel that way. Cause I don't know that we've ever talked about that. I have a real problem with that whole thing. I'm one of the guys that I'm going to

02:31:58.421 --> 02:32:04.980
I have been annoyed I'm not not taking anything away from what the guy from Rage Against

02:32:04.980 --> 02:32:25.780
the Machine did but is a fucking crime yeah I mean I don't I don't think I've heard anybody say oh no I'm okay with that you know I mean we're okay with it enough to listen to it but I think any Black Sabbath fan would rather have Bill Ward in there it is so I've mentioned this a few pods back but that

02:32:26.520 --> 02:32:54.640
Rift is so thorough. Go to their Facebook page sometime. They literally, they'll post, they just post like old school photos up every once in a while. And he's not in any of them. And I mean, and I mean, there are photos that he could, that he is in. And it's just like, suddenly you just don't see part of Ozzy's shoulder because they're literally cutting him out of photographs. That's how thorough that is. That's like when Sharon was like, oh, we're just going to cut out Bob Daisley and Lee, what's his name? Kirk? Kirk?

02:32:55.820 --> 02:32:55.980
Kerslick.

02:32:56.260 --> 02:32:56.780
Kerslick, yeah.

02:32:57.620 --> 02:33:05.520
Out of the first couple Ozzy albums and re-record it with the Faith No More guy and, wasn't it Rob Trujillo?

02:33:06.020 --> 02:33:06.260
Yeah.

02:33:06.420 --> 02:33:07.120
Oh, yeah, that's right.

02:33:07.260 --> 02:33:07.480
That's right.

02:33:07.600 --> 02:33:08.280
That's exactly it.

02:33:08.350 --> 02:33:15.520
And on, you know, Blizzard of Oz, Diary of a Madman, they just were like, you want to argue with us?

02:33:15.600 --> 02:33:18.700
Okay, we're going to re-record your parts so you don't get royalties anymore.

02:33:18.880 --> 02:33:20.300
What a dick move is that?

02:33:20.780 --> 02:33:22.920
But, you know, I will say this for a bit.

02:33:23.720 --> 02:33:25.200
We don't know all the story.

02:33:25.380 --> 02:33:55.340
We don't know, like, of course, Bill and Sharon does. Yeah. But if it's what Bill says it is, I fucking give Bill credit for sticking to those fucking guns, though. Yeah. I'm surprised they haven't re-recorded the Black Sabbath albums with new drums. It just sounds like he has never gotten a fair cut in profits and all that stuff. And he really is unique. He's a part of that voice, you know? I mean, he, because he's a very unique

02:33:55.380 --> 02:34:25.280
player. Yeah. Which, by the way, they did. That was so unpopular, cutting out Kerslake and Don, whatever his name was. Bob Daisley. Bob Daisley, excuse me. That, you know, there have been re-releases since then that they replaced them. Because I bought two re-released vinyls. But if this is the final, first question, do you guys believe this is it? Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Don't you just bury the fucking hatchet?

02:34:25.360 --> 02:34:52.260
Yes. Yes. You should. You really should. You really fucking should going ahead. He at least, at the very least, he better be on that last show. You know, and that is a bare minimum. I really do think it is, though, because Tony Omi says he can't do it anymore. And, you know, Ozzy's pushing 70, dude. And he's like 65 or 68 or some crazy. And, you know, his voice is going, they can't. You can't. There's no way. I truly believe this.

02:34:53.680 --> 02:35:23.180
They're not like we've all seen Priest has done like four or five farewell stuff. I don't think this is the case with them. I think this is truly it. So do I. I mean Ozzy himself retired. You know after no more tears there was no more tours and he's like I'm done. And then that lasted for like two years and then he was back. That was a long time ago. Yeah it was 20 years ago or more. So you hope they can fucking bury the hatchet. It's not going to happen.

02:35:23.700 --> 02:35:53.340
You're right, dude. I think that puts a black cloud on all of this. I really do. Yeah. You know, he does this. You and I are big fans of 13. Does this mean no more records? What do you mean? From Sabbath. Oh, I don't know. You know, one would think, you know, unless they're already in the studio recording and they're going to time the release of it with this last tour, then I'm guessing they're not doing it. Yeah. I can't remember if they said anything about that or not, but I heard that there was a green light on it.

02:35:53.700 --> 02:35:55.240
that Sharon was making it happen.

02:35:55.440 --> 02:35:56.600
So the record.

02:35:56.860 --> 02:35:57.040
Yeah.

02:35:57.180 --> 02:35:59.120
But I haven't heard anything about it since.

02:35:59.840 --> 02:36:03.220
So I thought there was even some comments about the nature of it.

02:36:03.280 --> 02:36:06.520
Like I remember geezer or somebody just saying like, yeah, we got a couple of things together.

02:36:06.780 --> 02:36:06.960
You know what I mean?

02:36:07.060 --> 02:36:09.220
I remember some, some kind of quote like that.

02:36:09.520 --> 02:36:13.060
And like he was saying, you know, this isn't just leftover stuff from the last session.

02:36:13.860 --> 02:36:13.980
Right.

02:36:14.200 --> 02:36:15.280
We're writing new songs.

02:36:18.859 --> 02:36:22.820
Well, I'm glad you put that spin on it because that's, that's exactly how I feel about it.

02:36:22.880 --> 02:36:52.740
The whole thing is just too weird and bittersweet to deal with it. You don't leave a guy out like that. This is not what people are going to remember them by. No. Of course. They're not going to remember them by this final tour. But this, there are some people who have been with them from the very beginning. People have come on board at various points. If you are going out one final time as Black Sabbath, you get the fucking gang together.

02:36:52.980 --> 02:36:54.100
at all costs.

02:36:54.740 --> 02:36:54.800
Yeah.

02:36:55.100 --> 02:36:59.160
If you have to fucking suck up the money for one cost,

02:37:00.280 --> 02:37:01.020
but again,

02:37:01.070 --> 02:37:05.560
with so many things in life with like political views or values on things,

02:37:06.070 --> 02:37:10.120
if your morals are what they are and you feel that strongly about them,

02:37:10.900 --> 02:37:11.080
then,

02:37:11.320 --> 02:37:11.560
you know,

02:37:11.800 --> 02:37:12.460
Bill's going to stay,

02:37:12.680 --> 02:37:13.320
stick to his guns.

02:37:13.720 --> 02:37:14.920
It's about egos at this point.

02:37:15.620 --> 02:37:16.740
Neither side is going to back down.

02:37:17.900 --> 02:37:18.260
You're right.

02:37:18.740 --> 02:37:18.820
Yeah.

02:37:19.450 --> 02:37:19.740
I mean,

02:37:19.860 --> 02:37:20.260
though they're,

02:37:20.260 --> 02:37:20.340
they,

02:37:20.440 --> 02:37:20.760
by the way,

02:37:20.860 --> 02:37:50.700
They were sort of slightly left open. I do remember that. They were just sort of like, well, right now is the plan is to blah, blah, blah. You know, have that dude, whatever his name was, the other guy, the replacement guy. So we'll see. But... Think about being that guy. You want to come in with this tense situation we have here? Scab! Scab! Scab! Scab! What's the point even to... I mean, he can brag about that to his friends, but they're not going to be impressed.

02:37:50.860 --> 02:37:51.860
I wouldn't.

02:37:52.660 --> 02:37:52.800
Yeah.

02:37:53.380 --> 02:37:54.180
George and I are going to be there.

02:37:54.300 --> 02:37:54.380
Jay,

02:37:54.410 --> 02:37:55.460
I know you'll be there too.

02:37:56.220 --> 02:37:56.380
Yep.

02:37:56.630 --> 02:37:57.400
They already announced the same.

02:37:59.140 --> 02:37:59.660
When George,

02:37:59.880 --> 02:38:00.040
you know,

02:38:00.080 --> 02:38:00.960
they announced the dates,

02:38:01.140 --> 02:38:01.500
George is like,

02:38:01.580 --> 02:38:02.600
I'm going to Madison Square.

02:38:02.650 --> 02:38:02.880
I'm like,

02:38:03.000 --> 02:38:03.060
George,

02:38:03.220 --> 02:38:04.400
you're going to announce more dates.

02:38:05.020 --> 02:38:05.080
Well,

02:38:05.140 --> 02:38:05.480
that wasn't,

02:38:05.500 --> 02:38:07.160
that wasn't why I said that though.

02:38:07.240 --> 02:38:07.360
Oh,

02:38:07.580 --> 02:38:07.640
okay.

02:38:07.820 --> 02:38:07.900
Oh,

02:38:08.210 --> 02:38:08.300
okay.

02:38:08.470 --> 02:38:12.260
I thought that was going to be the last show by Black Sabbath.

02:38:12.350 --> 02:38:12.620
I was like,

02:38:12.620 --> 02:38:13.300
I got to go to that.

02:38:14.020 --> 02:38:14.380
But yeah,

02:38:14.620 --> 02:38:15.380
as you pointed out,

02:38:15.640 --> 02:38:17.420
they're like European shows after that.

02:38:17.660 --> 02:38:19.060
So it's not really the last show.

02:38:19.860 --> 02:38:19.920
Yeah,

02:38:20.000 --> 02:38:47.640
There's one close to me too, thankfully. There's no way they don't end in Birmingham or London. I hope so. Yeah. Yeah. I hope they do that. So there's a documentary coming out in November called The Richie Blackmore Story. Anybody going to watch that? I bet Jay will. I will. And, you know, he also just is starting to talk more about these shows that he's going to play next summer, I think it is. There's going to be four of them.

02:38:50.000 --> 02:39:19.360
He's got some new hotshot singer. He won't say who it is. And he also, he mentioned he was doing them because basically he's 70. He's about turned 70. Yeah. I also think he had a hand in this documentary so you can bet that it praises him. Yeah. Skewed a certain way. Yeah, exactly. But we all think this guy's a prick. I mean, I love, I love, he's the one guy I forgive that for because he's just so good. But I'm more, I'm more excited about those four show, the concept of those four shows than I am.

02:39:20.020 --> 02:39:49.980
The Documentary, but yeah, I'll check it out. Jay, was his playing good for the time? Absolutely. But if he was to play on a modern album now, would his style be dated now? Because Tony Iommi for his time was doing stuff unheard of. But Tony Iommi with what other guitarists are doing now could be seen as simple or boring for some. Anybody that wrote something 40 years ago and you tried

02:39:50.020 --> 02:40:19.860
put them up with something now. Of course it's going to sound dated and obsolete. But he's also technically really good and he knows a lot about the guitar and he does a lot of interesting and strange things. So, I mean, people still think Jeff Beck is great and I think he's like of that level, you know. Okay. Yeah, he's creative. He's not a shreddy guy, but he's close. I think he's the birth of shred. But yeah, I think he would, especially amongst the guitar guys, you know. Speaking of pricks, Paul Stanley called Dee Snider.

02:40:20.020 --> 02:40:49.820
A Wannabe Who Desperately Wants Attention. Okay, now there's backstory here. Apparently D said something about insulting the fans or something with Kiss putting on the makeup and not having the original members or something to that effect. So D started it. But Paul Stanley, go fuck yourself. Yeah. I'm sorry. D Snyder is the man. He is one of my all-time biggest hard rock, heavy metal.

02:40:50.600 --> 02:40:55.760
Well, guess what? He's on the pod next week. I wish. Oh, now that would be another

02:40:56.250 --> 02:41:02.540
holy grail one to talk to Dee Snider. Oh my God. I'm so enamored of that guy. He's like up there with

02:41:02.600 --> 02:41:19.980
Hetfield. Dee Snider is such a stand-up guy. You know, Paul Stanley, while I respect Kiss, and he's probably less of an ass than Gene Simmons, you lost me here, buddy, because Dee Snider is one of the most

02:41:20.040 --> 02:41:49.960
I mean where were you when the PMRC was trying to label our records man? Dee Snider went into the the the hearings on obscenity hearings and he went in there and he handed them their asses. They thought he was gonna be a dumb stupid rock guy who was gonna come in and look like a fool and he made them look like fools. He is my hero and you know he's never done drugs he's never been a drinker he's you know he's the

02:41:49.980 --> 02:42:19.960
the epitome of a stand-up guy and and I cannot stand back and not defend him because fuck you Paul Stanley T. Snyder is a man he is the man and you know I love him I love him and um I also think he's just kind of angry these days by the way Paul Stanley he makes weird statements like that everyone's he had his hips replaced he's kind of uncomfortable makes him he can't itchy hey and he carried he carried it on for a long time but he can't sing anymore either his voice is gone new new new yeah I can't sing

02:42:19.980 --> 02:42:48.960
Yeah, just a couple years ago, something changed. But I couldn't agree with you more. Shut up. You know? Yeah. Respect. So in Germany recently, there was a billboard advertising the new Iron Maiden album, The Book of Souls. And a group of concerned parents covered up the billboard because they thought it was, I don't know if it was like offensive and wasn't good for kids. And I just want to say, what the fuck? It's a picture of Eddie.

02:42:49.280 --> 02:43:18.240
There's nothing. It's just Eddie. There's nothing going on. He looks sort of like... George, why don't you think of the children? He looks like a desiccated witch doctor or something. Why don't you think of the children? No, no, no. Why don't you think of the cats and jammers? I think that's a German thing. Yeah, it's just the record cover. Yeah. Come on. Germany's a very metal country. What the hell? And a very permissive country in this sort of social, visual,

02:43:20.380 --> 02:43:48.180
Yeah, that's weird. That was very disturbing. So this is a little bit of old news now, but Motorhead canceled more shows a couple weeks ago because Lemmy just could not cut it. There was a show, they got to the third song, and they started playing, and Lemmy was just like, I can't do this, and walked off stage. Apparently they've scheduled some more shows now, but they canceled a few. They found out it was a lung infection. Yeah, a lung infection.

02:43:49.280 --> 02:44:19.260
I don't know it's just nothing but bad news coming out of the motorhead camp it's awesome he looks bad ha well you know I mean and to be fair George he wasn't like I can't do this he was like I mean he was just he did not look well no he looked like he was gonna fall over and die right there yeah he and and he doesn't look that much better when he doesn't have a lung infection mind you he's walking out to the stage with a stick and that wasn't just that show that's he has to walk with a cane now damn yeah and I mean he couldn't even move his

02:44:19.280 --> 02:44:49.220
Did you notice that all the songs were like half as fast as they normally are? I mean, he's not in good shape. Yeah. Yeah. Time to pack it in. It would be all right. Enjoy what's left, you know? And I'm almost sure that he's one of these guys who said, you know, it's pathetic to see some old fart up there. So, and I wish I don't, I'm not agreeing with pathetic, but it's just, I know he's had quotes like that. It's time to call it a day. Yeah. But he's also said he wants to die on the road. So he's working on that. Yeah. He's working pretty hard on that. Yeah. But he looked bad. And you know,

02:44:49.300 --> 02:45:18.460
And of course we wish him well and all that. It sounds like he's back up to speed now, but whoo, he looked bad. Those videos are hard to watch. Yeah. All right. Our last news item is one that the Buick sent me the other day. A San Antonio TV personality JT Street was fired after doing a morning show piece on guar. Apparently he was doing an interview or at least showing some footage of blowthar. And if you've seen blowthar's costume, he has udders.

02:45:19.280 --> 02:45:49.260
Yeah, it's an utter. It's like a four pronged utter and the ends of those others and in well penises and apparently, you know, they were showing enough of him that those protuber protuberance is showed up on the TV and it was on morning TV and you know children and yeah, so the guy got fired. Unfortunately, it's too bad that I mean, you know, it's not

02:45:49.300 --> 02:46:15.960
Not surprising given the inappropriateness of that. Should never show guar penises on morning TV. But still, it sucks that somebody was covering metal and lost his job over it. That's awesome. I mean, it was Texas. What do you expect? Yeah. That's awesome. I mean, it's awesome and it's terrible. Fucking guar. Destroying lives. We got full humans. Yeah. It's collateral damage.

02:46:18.840 --> 02:46:47.140
They're destroying things even when they're not trying. Exactly. All right, let's move on to our new releases. We got some really good stuff this week. First up is Amorphous and their new album Under the Red Cloud. Can I get a hell yeah? Yeah, I like it. Very good album. Digging on that a lot.

02:46:48.820 --> 02:47:18.800
nothing but praise for it. So I would expect you to see some more of that at the end of the year. Buke, you want to take this next one? Yes, this is Black Tongue and the Unconquerable Dark. It's an album I found earlier in the week. This is a heavy tech death metal type of band. Deathcore. I'll check it. If you want to put it that. It's right up my alley. So if you like the stuff that I listen to, please

02:47:18.840 --> 02:47:48.680
check it out because I'm pretty high on it. I'm not as high on it as Jay is on this next one, though. Oh, Kretus. And I suspect I pronounced that right. Dux Mia Lux. Or is there a way to pronounce that? D-U-X? That's my guess is Dux Mia Lux. It's just these guys just kind of came out of nowhere for me. And I don't remember how I heard about this, but this is kind of weird culty ghosty heavier than ghosts, though.

02:47:48.820 --> 02:48:18.780
kind of new wave of British heavy metal thrash. I don't even know how to describe these guys. But this is so catchy, super heavy, kind of rooted in the old school. And they've got this kind of weird, mysterious mask wearing kind of thing going on. They got like pig heads or something. Exactly. They got a weird video. You should check them out. But independent of that, which I didn't know any of that, the first three or four times I heard the record, these guys have really blown me out of the water. This is way up my list for top end of the year. Way up. Yeah, I'm with Jay on this one.

02:48:20.160 --> 02:48:48.040
It's a five song EP. And I was just like, damn. I mean, they certainly owe a nod to Ghost. Yeah. But it's not like a rip off. It's perhaps slightly derivative because of the concepts they use and the style that they play. But they own it. You know, it's they take they take the ball that Ghost set down. They pick it up and they run in this, you know, kind of different direction.

02:48:48.180 --> 02:49:17.780
Like you said, it's a little heavier, but it still has that retro vibe and the cleaner and more melodic vocals than you tend to hear in metal these days. Also true, yeah. It's just one of the best debuts I've heard in a long time. That's all I can say about it. I'll be honest with you, I think they're musically better than Ghost in my mind, but I just love it. I love this record. It's five good songs that have no dead space in them.

02:49:17.840 --> 02:49:46.180
A Lot of Cool Hooks. Stick it up next to the new Ghost, which I like the new Ghost, but honestly, I think I agree. I think this might actually be a little better. Well, I think if nothing else, it's going to definitely be high up on my year-end list, and I can't wait to hear a full record from these guys. And they claim to be heavily ready to head out and tour, so I'm going to try to catch them if I can. Hopefully they'll make it out here. But yeah, I cannot recommend this one highly enough.

02:49:46.220 --> 02:50:16.180
Cretus Duxmia Lux. Nice. All right. So we talked about this one on the last podcast. We had a little deathmatch fight over it. This is the new album from Iron Maiden, the Book of Souls. And this is Deathmatch Part 2. In Deathmatch Part 1, you'll recall that Jay was alone in a corner while George and Buke pummeled him with insults about how awful the speed of light was. In this week's episode, the table

02:50:16.220 --> 02:50:45.900
have turned. That's right. I think this new Iron Maiden album is fucking awesome. It's great. It is amazing. Buk is sticking to his guns and saying nah fuck that. I am. He won't do it. He has absolutely no taste. I suspect he hasn't even listened to it. Yeah I think that's the big problem is he hasn't really given it a good enough listen. I cannot lie gentlemen that I've not given it a good enough listen yet. You're right. I'm going to bust your chops but it's tongue in cheek so don't go and cry. I don't care.

02:50:48.399 --> 02:51:13.740
But seriously, I've talked to both of you about this, and I mentioned it earlier about a foundation of metal. Iron Maiden is one of those foundation bands where when you're getting into heavy metal music, you need to build your foundation that you're going to build your listening habits on. And Iron Maiden is one of those bands that you have to have. And not that you should like everything that Iron Maiden does based on that, because God knows I have not really cared for the last few albums.

02:51:14.320 --> 02:51:14.880
Yeah, yeah.

02:51:15.380 --> 02:51:44.780
But when they do something good, you have to be able to recognize that and be like, yes. And I'm mostly it just boggles my mind that you're not like, you know, drooling over it like we are because it is so good. It's just the opening track. If you turn it old, the opening track. Wait, wait, wait, wait. Old. Like you got it. You got to qualify that. You mean like they sound old? Yeah, it's just they sound old. It just doesn't have that same like Iron Maiden does. It doesn't have that same.

02:51:47.341 --> 02:52:15.340
I disagree I think this is their best album possibly since all the way back to 7th Sun it's definitely the best album since Brave New World yeah and time will tell whether I feel like it is better or worse than Brave New World but the last couple albums just seemed phoned in there wasn't anything catchy there was nothing that got stuck in my head and the opening track if eternity should fail oh my god

02:52:15.380 --> 02:52:44.840
I mean I wake up singing this song in my head it is so catchy and it's just so powerful also I think if you factor in and I I mean you're not they do sound old there's no question about that but I think that the graceful or the late periods of bands are either have a kind of grace or don't and for me they're they they settle in well at their age they I can appreciate that they they're doing something a little different now but it's a lot more creative than the last few records have been no question

02:52:45.360 --> 02:53:15.320
It's definitely more epic in a lot of corners. Actually, you know, one thing that really has stood out to me in this kind of a minor detail, the guitar solos are all insanely cool. Every last one of them. I was like, they all feel like they're on fire to me. It's funny because I've even changed my mind on Speed of Light. In the context of the album, I like it. And what you just mentioned about the lead work, the lead on Speed of Light is so completely different than everything else on the album.

02:53:15.380 --> 02:53:19.660
It's got this like weedly-deedly kind of sound to it. I'm like, I'm digging it.

02:53:19.960 --> 02:53:21.700
I feel so vindicated right now.

02:53:22.020 --> 02:53:22.180
Yeah.

02:53:22.919 --> 02:53:34.560
It's, I think it's just Brave New World to me was, it was exciting. It was, it was full of energy. This is just the song. It's boring.

02:53:34.840 --> 02:53:38.200
It's not boring. You can't even use that word. It's just not boring.

02:53:39.070 --> 02:53:43.080
One of the, the last few albums were boring because they just didn't seem like maiden albums.

02:53:43.220 --> 02:54:12.860
They were just kind of, like I said, phoned in. But pretty much, you know, some people might consider this a bad thing. But listening to these new songs, you can hear Iron Maiden-isms that are, you're like, oh, okay. Which one was it? I think it was like the Red and the Black. That's probably my favorite one on the album, by the way. It's got like this Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner thing going on. It does, it really does. And so there's bits and pieces that you go, oh, that sounds kind of like this, and that sounds kind of like that.

02:54:13.240 --> 02:54:43.120
And some people can go, oh, well, that's just them not having any ideas and they're rehashing things. But personally, for me, that's putting their signature on it. And that's what was missing from the last few albums is the Iron Maiden signature. Yeah. I think they knocked it out of the park, man. Yeah. I mean, I mean, you know, OK, we're not going to get peace of mind, you know, and that's all there is to it. But that's fine. I mean, and it wouldn't make sense if we did anyway. It would be if we if it did come out now. Well, actually, no. But it's it is.

02:54:43.220 --> 02:55:13.020
It's an older band, no question about it. It's surprising to have them do something so vital sounding to me. I will acknowledge this is the first record where I feel like you can really hear Bruce losing his step. You could before, but this is the first one where he's really starting to sound like he's getting a little older, but he still sounds great. It's not bad at all. Compare this to last year's Redeemer of Souls from Judas Priest. It blows that out of the water. Priest and Maiden have always been compared.

02:55:13.220 --> 02:55:43.200
since the early days. And you know, some used to be maybe you were a priest fan or a maiden fan and there was a bit of a rivalry there. And frankly, you know, if there was such a rivalry, my maiden just blew them out of the water because, you know, other bands of their age are not doing stuff like this now. They just can't. There is one band that is actually not to, it's Saxon. It's still pretty vital sounding. But, and I mentioned that because they were kind of the big three coming out of Britain at that time, even though they were not.

02:55:43.220 --> 02:55:45.220
I know they've ended up being the nobodies but

02:55:46.739 --> 02:55:47.140
I

02:55:47.960 --> 02:55:49.100
agree with you man I mean they

02:55:49.440 --> 02:55:50.740
set the standard all those years ago

02:55:52.199 --> 02:55:53.200
and I think

02:55:53.260 --> 02:55:55.160
they're still bringing it these are

02:55:55.340 --> 02:55:57.100
lame I'm adding I don't think terribly good

02:55:57.220 --> 02:55:58.780
comments here except that I find it entertaining

02:55:59.200 --> 02:56:00.280
pretty raw in places

02:56:02.220 --> 02:56:02.620
it's

02:56:03.100 --> 02:56:04.320
and I love to hear that

02:56:05.400 --> 02:56:07.260
Speed of Light works for you in the context of the

02:56:07.440 --> 02:56:08.980
record with actual prediction I

02:56:09.300 --> 02:56:11.399
made but I'm hoping it would be that good

02:56:11.540 --> 02:56:41.220
Yeah, well, I mean, my concern was that the whole album was going to sound like that, and it doesn't. It really is an anomaly. Nothing else on the album sounds like that song. And in that respect, it really does work in the context of the record. It doesn't, you know, it's not some wasted space or anything. Right. I mean, I agree with you. If they'd done a whole record of that, I would not be interested, but... I've seen some people complain about Empire of the Clouds being 18 minutes long. Whatever. I sat through that, and I enjoyed it. I mean,

02:56:41.420 --> 02:56:45.660
You gotta love epic Iron Maiden songs and that is the most epic of epic.

02:56:47.339 --> 02:56:50.320
And Bruce's heart has gotta be in that dude because it's all about flying.

02:56:50.640 --> 02:56:58.820
Yeah and it's a cool story. I mean after I listened to it I went and like googled the R101 and read all about it because it was so interesting.

02:56:59.600 --> 02:56:59.680
Yeah.

02:57:00.799 --> 02:57:10.920
I you know hopefully you'll take a couple real slow careful listens to it see what you think you know and if you don't buy in you don't buy in.

02:57:11.579 --> 02:57:40.680
I'll give you this, Jay. My first listen with the new Slayer was, yeah, we're talking about that coming up, but was laying in bed yesterday with my headphones on, and I was all in then. I still haven't done that with the Maiden yet. There you go. And sometimes that's all it takes. Well, maybe by the next episode, we will be in unison and all agreeing on the same thing. We can work towards that. If not,

02:57:43.979 --> 02:58:10.040
It'll be nice to see where it lands up on our year-end list, too, George. And possibly puke. For a few minutes, it was like, oh, this is number one. This is number one! But I'm a little more realistic now. But it's definitely going to be on my list somewhere. It'll be there. Yeah, it's going to be on there, and that's saying something. Alright, this next new release is one that I am particularly fond of. You'll have to forgive me, though, if I can't pronounce the band's name properly.

02:58:11.000 --> 02:58:11.420
Uh-huh.

02:58:11.440 --> 02:58:12.180
Uh-huh, buke.

02:58:12.500 --> 02:58:12.720
Ha-ha.

02:58:13.120 --> 02:58:13.840
Yeah, yeah.

02:58:14.480 --> 02:58:15.720
Shut up and eat your popsicle, bitch.

02:58:19.500 --> 02:58:20.080
You know what?

02:58:20.340 --> 02:58:21.160
You should use that anyway.

02:58:21.380 --> 02:58:25.540
He actually is eating a popsicle now, but that was actually just kind of a good put-down under any circumstance.

02:58:25.800 --> 02:58:26.780
Shut up and eat your popsicle.

02:58:29.060 --> 02:58:29.340
All right.

02:58:29.500 --> 02:58:30.440
I'm going to hazard a guess.

02:58:31.620 --> 02:58:39.000
This could, you know, the emphasis could go in many different directions, and I don't know if these CHs are hards or softs or whatever,

02:58:39.140 --> 02:59:07.340
But I'm going to go Nechachwin. Okay. Could be Nechachwin. Oh, that sounds bad. I'm going to, yeah, stick with Nechachwin. And if you happen to be putting together a Spotify playlist, that's N-E-C-H-O-C-H-W-E-N. Nechachwin. Nechachwin. And their new album, Heart of Acomon. This is a band that I've been familiar with for a few years now. They have a few previous albums.

02:59:08.260 --> 02:59:37.660
They are influenced or not, I don't want to say influenced, but they have a theme of Native American stories. They're from West Virginia. Oh, cool. And there's a lot of like folky Native American kind of instrumentation. In the past, it was really more folk with the occasional metal bit thrown in. But Heart of Acommon, they have really outdone themselves with like a ferocious black metal.

02:59:38.280 --> 03:00:08.120
that mixes in folk elements. It is so good. So good. You should go to Bandcamp and check these guys out. I am very intrigued, George, and I think I will do so. You should do so. A topic in a people that hasn't really been explored in music, in metal. Not much, no. I should say, no. There's Run to the Hills, there was Indians by Anthrax, and yeah. Hmm, there's a song on the Catatonic Society,

03:00:08.260 --> 03:00:38.240
a record called Last Stand that's about Indians. Oh, yeah. Yeah. But yeah, right. It's not. It's not touched on a lot. And hey, and it's kind of metal, too. So I'm totally intrigued by this. Are they actually Native Americans? No. Well, apparently the one, the main guy, he doesn't look Native American, but apparently he has some Native American in him. They're Appalachian. So there's a bunch. That's right. Yeah. A bunch of. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. See. Next up, we have the surprisingly Swift

03:00:42.560 --> 03:00:44.140
I like to their first album.

03:00:44.940 --> 03:00:45.360
Yeah, we did.

03:00:45.520 --> 03:00:48.460
I have not had a chance to really listen to this too much.

03:00:48.460 --> 03:00:54.640
I heard one song like that they previewed like, I don't know, a month ago and wasn't all that thrilled by it.

03:00:55.240 --> 03:00:56.960
But you know how that turned out with the Iron Maiden album.

03:00:57.260 --> 03:01:00.060
So I'm reserving judgment until I hear the rest of the album.

03:01:00.560 --> 03:01:02.680
I honestly don't know these guys.

03:01:02.940 --> 03:01:04.520
So you pushed me in a direction.

03:01:05.160 --> 03:01:06.140
George, I'm like you.

03:01:07.820 --> 03:01:35.120
We love their first, what's it, is it an EP or an album? It's an album. You and I both have it on vinyl. I just haven't found the time to dive into it yet, really. So this next one, I was browsing Bandcamp on one of my nights off, and I stumbled upon a band called Pertinence, and this is their album to spread the flame of ancients. Brutal. Yeah, I like this. I bought this after you told me about it.

03:01:37.840 --> 03:02:05.020
But a little heavier. It's just loving this. I just want to put it on record that, yes, Buke told me about a band and I liked it and I bought it. He can't ever say I never do that. And he pronounced it correctly. And he did. I mean, this is like we're off the charts. That's because George said it yesterday going to the show on Friday. Yeah, I was expecting you to say putrescence. Or pertinance. Yeah. Or monotony.

03:02:07.840 --> 03:02:36.780
I will say, George has helped my grammar tremendously. Tremendously. You used tremendously in the interview the other day. I think it was with Van. I have to go back and find it again. I was like, oh, dude, dude. I didn't call you on it. But George helped me majorly. George reminded me. I think George had enough with my grammar fumbles.

03:02:37.820 --> 03:03:07.800
I was like Buke. You know the whole A, N. I think George was like finally blew up. I did. I was like dude because you keep sending out tweets where you're like you know if it precedes a word starting with a vowel you use an not a and he keeps going a element of this or a and another a word and I'm just like dude dude. I witnessed that lesson and it was actually fun to watch you blow your top like that. It was just like there was just

03:03:07.840 --> 03:03:37.720
I don't remember what he was telling us. There was something kind of cool. And you were like, just hold on, dude, back up. You know what I mean? I basically literally schooled him in grammar on when to use this. Gave him examples and everything. It was a long text. You really sorted him out. We're back on track. Oh, the next one. Also, I am hooked on this one as well. This one I have listened to through a couple of times. This is Ramming Speed. And their new one. Uh oh. Uh oh. No epitaphs? Yes!

03:03:39.220 --> 03:04:07.800
Nailed it. It's good. This is a fucking hard thrash album. Yeah, actually. I want to kind of just, you know, clarify for people. It's not no epitaphs with a question mark. Jay, always with the dick move. It's more of a statement than a question. Yeah. Yeah, I haven't listened to the new one yet, but I reviewed their last album. I remember really

03:04:07.840 --> 03:04:37.800
I snagged the promo. It's on my phone. I just haven't gotten to it yet. Any clue? Are they an American band? I actually think they're from Richmond. Wow. I'm going to answer that question. Yeah, I'm pretty sure they're from Virginia at the very least. They're from Richmond. You were right about that. Booyah. George, yes. Nailing it. I am Johnny on the spot with the knowledge today. George, going back to your Burn the Priest thing from earlier, you could have had your hand in the

03:04:38.800 --> 03:04:39.460
I know.

03:04:40.060 --> 03:04:40.320
That's true.

03:04:40.470 --> 03:04:42.500
He could be telling us about this band.

03:04:42.800 --> 03:04:44.420
I'm the biggest dumbass ever.

03:04:45.380 --> 03:04:45.640
Anyway.

03:04:46.240 --> 03:04:51.520
So, you know, there's been a lot of speculation about this last new release here.

03:04:52.120 --> 03:04:56.880
And I think we've probably all spoken at least somewhat negatively about what we've heard so far.

03:04:57.120 --> 03:04:58.880
But I think that's about to change.

03:04:59.600 --> 03:05:03.440
Slayer, just a couple days ago, released their new album, Repentless.

03:05:04.400 --> 03:05:06.240
And I, for one, am a fan.

03:05:06.560 --> 03:05:07.060
So am I.

03:05:07.160 --> 03:05:37.120
And that makes a third. Yeah, we're all into it. It's good. Yeah, I was listening to this on the beach last week. And I was like, damn, you know, much like Iron Maiden, the last few Slayer albums haven't really grabbed me because they weren't all that Slayer-y. I liked World Plane Blood, actually. I liked the last one. It was all right, but it didn't grab me. It wasn't Slayer. It didn't make me come back, you know? And, you know, we heard it.

03:05:37.140 --> 03:06:07.060
We heard the first track "Repentless", we heard "When the Stillness Comes" and we weren't like real blown away at first. But as I was telling these guys earlier, the album opens with the track "Delusions of Savior" but that's just a little instrumental intro thing and then it goes right into "Repentless", the title track. And the fact that this song and album are named in tribute of our fallen hero Jeff Hanneman, it just, you know, it adds a little weight to the song in the position that it is.

03:06:07.140 --> 03:06:37.120
and I dig it. Yeah, I really like the next track take control and vices. That was a really good one. Like even the album ends really well like the last three atrocity vendor you against you pride and in prejudice. It's all good stuff. And like I said, there wasn't a slayer for me in the last few slayer albums. And I used the same terminology with the Iron Maiden. There's a lot of slayer isms on

03:06:37.160 --> 03:07:06.500
this album stuff that makes you go oh yeah that's totally slayer like george you you said to me driving in a car when we were talking about this you're like slayer found slayer again yeah i'll buy that yeah i'll buy that you know like there's a certain way that tom sings it's like you know it and he does that again and it's just like yeah yeah you know that's very like kind of south of heaven yeah and also going with tom

03:07:06.920 --> 03:07:36.480
kind of what I said about Bruce earlier. Tom's voice sounds young. Yeah. Sounds the same as it's ever sounded. The whole band sounds energized. And I think the first chance that Gary got to lay some licks down helps this album take it that much higher. Well, I think he only plays solos on it, to be fair. But it's, which actually kind of really, truly points out to you how good of a guitar player Kerry King is, by the way. Because you really know he is the only one

03:07:36.500 --> 03:08:06.280
playing rhythm on this, even though I think, by the way, that was true for the last few. I think it's, I agree with you guys. It's got a spark to it. I'll be listening to it a lot. I'm sure I'll spin it many times. And it's a pleasant surprise, definitely. I saw them last year. I'm going to go on my way to see them this year again. I can't look at this album cover without seeing that internet meme. I know. My little brother reminded me today and posted it back on my Facebook today. I can't get past that. It's so funny. Yeah.

03:08:06.520 --> 03:08:36.400
A Pleasant Surprise. And, by the way, just like Speed of Light for you, George, I think Repentless works better in the context of this record. I agree. Yeah, they all do. All the pre-release tracks are better in the context of the record. Yep. Even when the stillness comes, when that came out, I was like, that sounds kind of slow and boring, but when you've got a song in front of it and a song behind it, it flows, and so it works, and it brings the whole thing up. Yeah. So cool. Hats off.

03:08:36.580 --> 03:08:59.740
to it, man. Yeah. On an odd note, this album came out on September 11th. God Hates Us All came out on September 11th. So, and I think that was the last album where they really sounded good. So, it's cool that they kind of got back to their groove. Yeah. Stella's got a groove back, baby. Only took them 14 years. Yeah. All right. Time for our top three.

03:09:09.140 --> 03:09:12.820
What's your best thing? What's your best thing?

03:09:13.819 --> 03:09:29.160
All right, so this time we're going to do our top three best album closers. Recently, we did our best opening tracks, so I was like, hey, why don't we flip this around and go to the end? Because there's some really killer album closing songs out there.

03:09:30.120 --> 03:09:32.560
I know George is number one, and I'm going to text it to him right now.

03:09:33.940 --> 03:10:02.380
And you don't have to confirm or deny. It's just, you know, we'll see. It's got to be. And I guess I'm probably going first because I usually do. That's what you always do. Let's do it. Mine's probably going to kind of surprise you guys a little bit. Dyer of a Madman, Ozzy Osbourne. Interesting. I love that song. That's my favorite Ozzy song. It's my favorite Ozzy record. It's this weird, big, eerie song. And I think it just closes out that record in a brilliant way. Kind of a strange choice, but I love it. Buke?

03:10:06.319 --> 03:10:32.840
I thought I had George's number one. When George says his are all classics, I'll mention it afterwards. But George, when I mention this, you're going to be like, I hope you're, yeah. Yeah, well, I mean, there's so many. And I didn't have a lot of time to think about it. I picked these and I was like, oh, you know, these are things that I can totally stand behind. I'm sure there's other ones that can probably compete.

03:10:33.160 --> 03:11:03.120
I just want in fact the one that Jay sent me is not my number one but it almost was it was in contention okay and it's my number one George just so you know okay my favorite album of the last 15 years or so one of them top three easily off of bloodbaths uh resurrection through carnage cry my name that is an excellent choice sir fucking love that track yeah actually and when you seek forgiveness

03:11:03.160 --> 03:11:33.120
You see there is no God. That is such a good song. And for all eternity you will cry my name. That was the song that cemented Bloodbath for me. Yes. And you actually just reminded me of a track I should have chosen even though it's not a Bloodbath track but shoot. I left one out. I'm not changing now but. Alright. My number three I'm going to cozy up to Jay and say Diary of a Madman. Really? Really. Bless your heart. I mean like from the 80s that is probably one of the

03:11:35.579 --> 03:12:02.520
And for Ozzy, it's just so out of the blue left field. It's like, what the hell is so awesome? One of the great metal songs of all time. That's so awesome that you chose that. Super cool. And that brings it around to me again. I have one that Bukes just shot up in my head. I'm not going to say it until after because it might be on Bukes' list. But my number two is a band I talk about a lot. It's my favorite record by theirs. Mastodon, Crack the Sky,

03:12:02.720 --> 03:12:32.700
and that's the song The Last Baron. It's a 14-minute epic song. Just love it to death. Could have gone with the last song on Leviathan just as easily, but that's my favorite Mastodon song. It's a great closer. Buke, number two. My boys, the band that got me into heavy metal. Drunk Matt and I, this is our favorite song to sing back and forth when we get drunk with one another. Off of Volga Display, this is Hotline.

03:12:33.479 --> 03:13:02.700
That's a nice song too. Fucking love that song. Can't go wrong. Nope. Alright, for my number two, I actually have a tie. It's the same band, just two different songs from the same band. Okay. It's going to be Metallica. Dueling to End Songs, Damage Incorporated, and Dire's Eve. Yeah, good choice. Damage Incorporated did occur to me, by the way. Yeah, I was like, man, that song just ripped when it came out. It was like...

03:13:02.740 --> 03:13:32.660
And it brings a classic closing to a classic record, you know? Yep. Good call. All right, number one, Jay. I would think that 50% of Metalheads at least would choose this as their number one. I thought it was going to be George's. I was wrong. It's Hallowed Be Thy Name, Iron Maiden on Number of the Beast. Nice. One of the great closers of all time. I will tell you that this was originally my number one until I thought of my number one and it replaced it. I admit, I was kind of trying to guess where you were going, but I,

03:13:32.720 --> 03:14:02.580
I couldn't go wrong with that one. Totally. Going back to listening to that record as a kid and even to this day. They play it every show they play. Buke number one. I'm going to give what I thought, what I teased earlier, what should have been George's number one. I know George loves this song. It can bring him to fucking tears off of their album Locust, Machine Head, Who We Are. You love that fucking song. It's a great closer. Yeah, that is actually a great closing.

03:14:02.880 --> 03:14:32.700
song and yeah it definitely could have made my list but it's not mine i hate that song i hate children singing and fucking songs my number one is like the lyrics in the song say it's uh it's bittersweet uh oh big head todd and the monsters i have that record that's nice that you know that george that we mentioned them earlier off of and george and i

03:14:32.700 --> 03:15:02.680
I saw the shirt at the show on Friday. This is off of their funeral album, Sentenced, End of the Road. To be such a huge fan of these guys, and it's probably one of the bands that I repeatedly thank George for turning me on to over and over and over again, knowing that this was going to be their last album before it came out, and for this to be the song that they wrote and to end with, and to know

03:15:02.720 --> 03:15:32.680
this is going to be it. It's touching. Yeah. I did go through them and unfortunately most of my favorite songs aren't album closers so I didn't go with them. And kind of a 1B with this also the closing of the Cold White Light No One There is a powerful song too. Yes it is. I want to throw out then too what Duke made me think of which was and I really would have given this serious consideration if I hadn't even thought about it which is Blackwater Park. That

03:15:34.960 --> 03:16:02.640
I'm surprised there wasn't any Opeth on there. I think he's trying to distance himself from the Opeth stigma. He knows something we don't know. George, give me some credit. That Machine Head's a great fucking amazing ender. Yeah, it is. I agree. You could also choose the last one off the blackening too, whichever way that's called. So it's got a name of a title by a book title. Anyway. My number four was going to be Ashes in Your Mouth.

03:16:02.720 --> 03:16:32.680
by Megadeth, but we're not doing number fours. Right. Well, I sort of did. But it was a two. My number one, similar to Jay's, like I said, Hallowed Be Thou Name was my original number one. However, I remembered that the last song on Power Slave is Rime of the Ancient Mariner. And one of my all-time favorite Iron Maiden songs. Can't fault you for that. I'm sitting here texting, George, the last

03:16:33.240 --> 03:17:02.680
I know he likes to tame a land too I know you like that one yeah that's the thing is that you know certain bands are like known for things like you know it was always not always but like several times in a row Metallica would release an album where the second to last song is an instrumental that's right you know they did that for lightning they did that for puppets they did that for justice and there's certain bands like Iron Maiden who have a tendency to write incredibly awesome album

03:17:02.720 --> 03:17:28.080
Closing Tracks. You know, How Would Be Thy Name, Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner, To Tame a Land, Alexander the Great, you know, Only the Good Die Young, I think, isn't that the closer? Seventh Son, yeah. Yeah, so, I mean, they're just known for writing really good album closing songs, and you could have picked any of them, and it would have worked. You could have, but on the other hand, you chose the great one, so. Moving on, what are we listening to?

03:17:52.340 --> 03:17:54.080
I'm gonna go through my list pretty quick here. Um,

03:17:54.720 --> 03:18:00.840
Kretis as mentioned, love that record. Another band whose name I kind of besmirched last episode and I didn't mean to,

03:18:00.900 --> 03:18:30.520
was that I thought I'd heard a new track from Wild Throne. And I just completely disregarded what I said in the last thing. Except to say that they had re-released their original EP on iTunes with one new song on it. And I got that. And it's fine. The song is great. Anyway, Wild Throne, I'm listening to that EP now. Their record's getting ready to come out. Still listening to that Cal Decapitation. That's a good record, man. It is. And The Maiden. Those would be the ones most notable spinning at my house right now.

03:18:30.900 --> 03:19:00.880
Okay. Buke. I'm listening to a single this week and it's got me spinning down a big hardcore vibe again. This is a single from Twitching Tongues off their album that comes out next month. This is a single called Disharmony. I'm fucking all in on these guys now after hearing this. I'm on the fence. We discussed this a little bit the other day and I need to hear more before I can really weigh in because

03:19:00.920 --> 03:19:30.760
Like I was telling you, the vocals, they're like kind of harsh death metal vocals, but he also brings it back just a little bit towards singing. And it has this sort of like out of key machine head vibe to it. But the music behind it is straight hardcore though. The music's good, but I'm just not sure if the vocals are going to do it for me. And so I need to hear more than one song to see what they do. All right. I'll put a twitching tongue.

03:19:30.920 --> 03:20:00.880
I sent it to you on Spotify, Jay. You did? Okay, good. Thanks. Yep. This is Twitching Tongues and their single Disharmony. And also, I have been listening to the four-track EP from a 70s retro band, Orchid, who I like, and their album, Sign of the Witch. It came out a month or two ago. I've got a number of them here, so I'm going to try and go through them kind of quickly. The first two are ones that were recommended to me by our listener, Gregory

03:20:00.920 --> 03:20:30.720
J. Kelly. The first one's called Arch, and it's their EP, Undercurrents. It's like Funeral Doom. It's like an EP of two songs, really long. It's cool. It is what it is. This next one, I'm not even sure what to think of this yet. I haven't been able to sit down and listen to it front to back in a sitting yet. It's a band called Crown, and their album Natron, or Natron. I'm not exactly sure. Whoa, that's the same as that. Spell it.

03:20:31.000 --> 03:20:32.660
N-A-T-R-O-N.

03:20:33.120 --> 03:20:33.500
Okay.

03:20:33.740 --> 03:20:33.880
No.

03:20:34.040 --> 03:20:34.500
It was a little bit different.

03:20:34.620 --> 03:20:37.880
I thought that the E-Rev Altor record was called Natramn.

03:20:38.280 --> 03:20:39.280
So I was wondering if that was the same.

03:20:39.660 --> 03:20:40.580
But anyway, it's a part of me.

03:20:40.920 --> 03:20:51.260
And one of the guys in Crown is actually in another band that I've been mentioning, Zato Krev from Switzerland.

03:20:51.340 --> 03:20:53.120
I believe Crown is actually from France.

03:20:53.660 --> 03:20:55.980
But as you know, they are in a proximity to Switzerland.

03:20:58.939 --> 03:21:26.860
So Crown is just it's a really interesting album it kind of you can't just listen to one song and get an idea of what this band is like it's you just got to go on band camp and listen to it that's all I can say it's like it's heavy with harsh vocals there's clean vocals there's like droning sort of ambient stuff it's it's pretty amazing need to check this out this next one came to me courtesy of our friend John hi I'm John

03:21:28.000 --> 03:21:54.240
It's the self-titled album from Archivist. It's sort of a black metal, but not... It's probably a little more progressive black metal. That's about all I can really say at this point. It's because it's been about a week since I've actually listened to any of it, but I wanted to give it a shout because it's actually pretty cool. Thanks for telling me about that. What's this? My next one's another one that I pulled from Buke.

03:21:57.500 --> 03:22:26.280
his band camp wishlist that he doesn't even appear to remember. It's a band called Make, where the A is actually like an upside down V, so I don't think it's technically an A, but I call it. It's called Make. And the album's called The Golden Veil. It's their second album. This is another one that there's a lot of like instrumental passages, a lot of clean stuff, and then they'll just out of nowhere just get kind of heavy. And it's a mesmerizing album.

03:22:26.600 --> 03:22:56.220
and I've been listening to that a lot lately and I picked up their first album as well. You can get both of those on Bandcamp. I saw you pimping Skeletal Remains the other night too. That was one of my... Skeletal Remains? Jay, I was listening to them, buddy. What a fucking... It's like a new modern take on death. I love it. It's good. They're out in Whittier, California out here. It's just like this four Hispanic kids in that band. So I wanted to pimp them again while I just sneak that in because that's a good record. Lest Jay feel left.

03:22:56.360 --> 03:23:26.320
I didn't put it on my list because I knew it was going to be on his but I've also been listening to Creedus and that is really good stuff I did need you to do that with me I needed you to make a public statement of unity there yes against Buke who doesn't like the record and I'm also or is not into it we'll say and also it's just good yeah cool dude I'm so glad you're listening to it oh yeah now this next one you may have seen the guys at the nine circles podcast pimping this but I did not get this from them I found it on my own

03:23:26.340 --> 03:23:54.380
But I do agree with them. The band Migwa from Poland and their Exercises in Futility. It's pretty straight up black metal, but not like the old school, too much reverb-y kind of black metal. It looks like it's spelled M-G-L-A, but apparently the L has a little line through it, and according to the internet, that's pronounced like a W, so it's Migwa.

03:23:54.660 --> 03:23:55.740
or Margoi.

03:23:58.420 --> 03:23:59.540
You should definitely check that out.

03:23:59.910 --> 03:24:00.260
Two more.

03:24:00.890 --> 03:24:04.040
This one, I'm a simple enough name, but I don't know how to pronounce it.

03:24:04.120 --> 03:24:08.260
It's S-A-T-O-R, Sator, or Sator, or who knows.

03:24:08.780 --> 03:24:10.040
But it's their self-titled album.

03:24:11.100 --> 03:24:14.040
It's a sludge band from Italy, I believe.

03:24:15.479 --> 03:24:19.100
And I haven't gotten all the way through it yet, but so far what I've heard, I really dig.

03:24:19.920 --> 03:24:20.180
Cool.

03:24:20.600 --> 03:24:22.020
God, there's a lot of new music, isn't there?

03:24:22.230 --> 03:24:22.340
Yeah.

03:24:22.470 --> 03:24:22.840
A new band.

03:24:23.250 --> 03:24:24.360
You can never stop fighting a new band.

03:24:24.360 --> 03:24:54.280
It's going to be a metalhead, huh? It really is. And finally, another one that I got off band camp, and I believe Buke picked it up as well. It's a band called Waft, and their album Chronolith. What'd you think of them? Love them. Love them. It was also made me, I'm sorry to be short there, but when you finish, I want to roll into another one that we skipped over. Okay, go ahead. This is Let Them Hang. Yeah, I was surprised you didn't say that. I know. There's just so much. We've just been pelted by metal the past couple weeks. We have.

03:24:54.380 --> 03:25:19.220
Let Them Hang. And there's two albums out on Bandcamp right now. They're EPs. Yep, EPs. The one that I first was drawn to, they're Continuous Public Hanging. And it has like a entombed death and roll type of sound, and I love it. So Let Them Hang is the name of the band from Sweden. All right, so that's it for that. Why don't we move on to our classic albums?

03:25:30.020 --> 03:25:30.820
Classic Elbow!

03:25:32.439 --> 03:25:33.240
Okay, um...

03:25:34.140 --> 03:25:37.880
One of us must have said this at some point. Maybe it was even George recently, but...

03:25:38.300 --> 03:25:40.980
I was listening to it this week, and I thought I'd throw it in there.

03:25:41.580 --> 03:25:42.940
Emperor in the Nightside Eclipse.

03:25:43.660 --> 03:25:43.840
Nice.

03:25:44.800 --> 03:25:45.200
Not me!

03:25:46.820 --> 03:25:47.520
Not into it.

03:25:48.080 --> 03:25:50.740
No, no. Not into that classic black metal sound.

03:25:51.479 --> 03:25:53.460
That is... I mean, I will...

03:25:53.460 --> 03:26:23.440
I will give him a pass on that because the production on that one is a little hard to get into. It's pretty bad, yeah. But it's a great record. Yeah, it is. Roughly produced, so the least. Buke, what's your classic? Since I've been so hooked on this Twitching Tongue single, I started trying to dive into early hardcore roots. This is the band Marauder in their album Master Killer. Wow. Damn, I remember them. There's a video of Hellfest over the summer

03:26:24.000 --> 03:26:52.680
And he's wearing this album cover shirt. It sounds fucking cool. Yeah, I totally remember that album. Yeah, their song time ends life is pain and attract total track master killer. Wow. Cool. Came out in 95. Yep. All right. Well mine. I was struggling to think of something and then I remembered something that Buick and I saw at Soundgarden the other day. The pile driver? The pile driver. Actually, it wasn't Soundgarden, was it? It was at the other one. It was the doctor shock.

03:26:53.580 --> 03:27:22.920
Yeah, this is Piledriver's Metal Inquisition. Do you know that one, Jay? I've ever seen. I owned it when I was a kid. Even then, I kind of knew. I was like, okay, this is pretty schlocky. But I bought it, you know, and I know the cover all too well. Yeah, it's a jokey kind of album. I did not know this at the time, but within the last year or so, I read that Piledriver and another band that is related,

03:27:23.460 --> 03:27:53.440
and I did not know this is a band called convict that I bought the album on vinyl like in a Kmart bin in the 80s are both bands that were put together sort of like a boy band kind of thing they I mean not like a boy band but like assembled by a record label as opposed to a forming organically really and yeah it was just sort of a record label let's put this together you're gonna do this and because I mean it's a little backstory here that there's a song called

03:27:54.919 --> 03:28:21.940
and it's hokey because it's about hunting down people that don't listen to metal and executing them. And it's like, we're the metal inquisition. Something, something, something. We sentence you to death. And then there's like. I am embarrassed to say I remember a lyric from it. And the lyric goes like this. And if you ain't a metalhead, you might as well be dead. Yeah. And it goes. I own that record, dude. I swear to you.

03:28:22.060 --> 03:28:51.300
So the chorus ends, you know, we're the metal inquisition and we sentence you to death and it pauses and there's a guillotine sound and then he goes to death by guillotine. And it's just, it's so cheesy, but it's, it's fun. You know, in the eighties when you were all like poser bashing and stuff, it was, it was fun times. You should check it out if you're, you know, up for a laugh.

03:28:51.340 --> 03:28:52.140
All right.

03:29:05.280 --> 03:29:05.780
All right.

03:29:05.800 --> 03:29:08.740
I bought you guys but my vinyl purchases is stuffed.

03:29:09.370 --> 03:29:35.760
My stuff dish. So I'll just launch straight into it Nazareth hair of the dog got a used copy of that recently. I'm kind of love that last song on there please don't Judas me other good songs in there too. Not a straight up metal record but it's a hard rock record. I got 180 gram reissue of rest in peace. I got the first ghost record the same day that the ghost record came out which I didn't have on vinyl. I bought I don't know why I've been on misfits kick lately but I got

03:29:35.780 --> 03:30:05.460
I got Earth AD Collection 1 and 2 and Evil Live. I got Kiss, a live reissue. I got to at least have that. Maybe one or two other Kiss ones. And I got both of the epic Iced Earth something wicked thing, which is framing of Armageddon and Crucible of Man. Owens and Barlow doing one story together after a fashion. Anyway, and that's it. That's everything I got, but it's all good stuff. Good stuff. Buke?

03:30:05.780 --> 03:30:34.380
I'm having an ADD moment. I can't remember everything I've gotten recently. But Neurosis, Times of Grace. I got the revocation show. I got there self-titled. Not Metal. I picked up, we were talking about the other day, Darkness, Permission to Land. Kind of a fun little record. Yeah. Super fun. I'd like to find that one. That's Borderline Metal.

03:30:35.819 --> 03:31:05.400
I can't remember what else I've gotten. All right. Well, that leaves me more time to go through this huge-ass list. I picked up Nazem. Yeah, we got that yesterday in Baltimore on Friday. Noisem, whatever it is. Noisem, not Nazem. It's a Nazem epitome of monotony, I think, was the name of that record. Yeah, it's Noisem. Okay. And which one? Did you get them both, or did you just get Blossoming Decay? I just got Blossoming Decay. Yeah. All right. Well, I might as well start

03:31:05.440 --> 03:31:35.400
there on my list I also got Noizum I got both Agony Defined and Blossoming Decay I got the new Iron Maiden Book of Souls 3 LP awesome packaging yes so beautiful so nice I got the CD version too so I could rip the flag that is also packaged well I got the Acker Cocker album Korra fucking a Korin Zone I think is how you say it perhaps yeah yeah I think so that's Spanish I think it's Spanish for devil yes yes finally this album came out last year but they just finally got

03:31:35.440 --> 03:32:04.160
I got the vinyl out for it. This is a band that I really enjoy. They were high on my list last year. Takeover and Destroy and their latest album, Vacant Face. This next one is a band from Michigan. They're called Ifing, I-F-I-N-G, and their album Against This Weald, W-E-A-L-D. I think it's supposed to be sort of like World. But this one, I've been looking for this one a while.

03:32:05.440 --> 03:32:35.340
for at least a year. And I finally found a copy. And the reason that it was so hard to find is there's only 70 copies printed of this. So this definitely takes the cake for one of the rarest to be added to my collection. And for less than a hundred bucks. So nice. That's nice. That's really nice. Yeah. The next two, uh, you don't know how to pronounce the name. Mir, Mir, Mir, Coor. You don't know how to say something. Oh yeah.

03:32:36.159 --> 03:33:05.020
I say it all the time. There's so many things I can't pronounce. But not normal words like epitome and monotony. That is how I would pronounce it too, so we'll go with that. Mircore? Yeah. I got both the self-titled EP and the new album, M. The new album I got in Seattle while I was out there. Also with my next one, which is Chimera by Mayhem. Then I also got the new Wolfheart album, their second album, Shadow World.

03:33:05.440 --> 03:33:34.980
and get ready to cry, Buke. I also got Cult of End Time internal lights on vinyl. What? Yeah, man. Oh. Oh, yeah. What's the deal there? You just got to go to their label. That's on one way street label. It's on Smart. One way, baby. What's that mean? You didn't even tell your friend? No, because I wanted to surprise you. You can order it anytime. Oh, okay. That's awesome. I didn't even know it was coming on vinyl. No, it's been out, but it's a small label.

03:33:35.080 --> 03:34:04.380
They're like a Finnish label. Oh, that's awesome. Yeah. And of course, I got my Throssenblot Canada 2010 finally. Loving that. How did that turn out? That was good? Yeah. Yeah, it's nice. And another one, another album that almost made my top 10 for the mid-year but just got bumped at the last minute. This is the avant-garde metal band Soul Fault and their latest album World Metal. I recommend checking that out. Is the Doudheimsgard weird? It's a little weirder. It's a little weirder.

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That is the standard right there too, dude. It really is. It's cool like that in that it's unusual, but it doesn't go so far afield that I don't get it. So I like it a lot. I also got the new Ghost, Meliora, the new Ahab, the Boats of the Glen Kerrig. Is that the guy's blue splatter? I got the blue and white splatter, yeah. Mine's not showing up, Buke, for some reason. I'm going to have to go talk to Napalm Death or Horror Nuclear Blaster or whoever it is because I haven't

03:34:35.060 --> 03:35:04.040
I haven't got my copy. I thought it was from the American store if I remember it. I don't even think it was the German store. I think it was. That could be why. It could be that it just hasn't released yet in the U.S. I'll look and see. I ordered it from Germany and so they may have gotten their copies first. As George has mentioned in the past, when he got his Book of Souls pre-order, it was priced at $13.

03:35:05.080 --> 03:35:10.800
what he ended up getting it for yeah oh yeah well i'm glad to hear the end of that story the cd cost more

03:35:11.140 --> 03:35:17.920
yeah i paid 18.99 for the cd but only 13.99 for the triple vinyl that's awesome dude all right

03:35:18.859 --> 03:35:27.800
we're getting there uh i got the new lamb of god sturm und drang sturm und drang i got uh the latest ilsa album the felon's claw

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And then I got, oh, I also got Nails, Abandon All Life. And then I got a couple of more old school albums. I got Europe's The Final Countdown because it's the final countdown. Go on. George looked at me and says, don't say anything. I was like, yeah, you gotta love that song. I have pride, yeah. I have your pride. And I also got the self-titled album from a Japanese band called EZO. Do you remember them, Jay? I do. I do. Absolutely. They were like a Japanese

03:35:57.920 --> 03:36:26.000
KISS. Yeah, and I never would have known if it was EZO or EZO or whatever. I never really knew what to say about it. I saw them on Headbangers Ball and they said EZO, so that's just what I call them. Yeah, I totally remember them. I remember Loudness, too. Yeah, I felt like they were sort of an answer or at least a follow-up to Loudness in that, oh, hey, Americans like Japanese heavy metal bands, let's do this. It was produced by Gene Simmons.

03:36:27.360 --> 03:36:57.120
The Easy O is? Yeah. Oh, crazy. I was never a big fan, but I'd always looked for this album, and I'd never seen it before, and I found it at Shock Doctor, so I grabbed it. Cool. I also got three of the cool album cover-looking albums from Y&T. Oh, right on. Got Black Tiger, Mean Streak, and then Rock We Trust with those cool 70s, 80s robotic-looking album covers. I know them well. I like Y&T, and I like all those records.

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Yeah, good stuff. And my last one is one that you can, I'll be surprised if you heard of them. Let me see if Jay knows who this is. It's a solo album by a guy named Cary Livgren. Yeah, no, I got nothing. He's apparently a guy from Kansas, like the band Kansas. Oh, all right. And the reason I got this, I saw the album in Seattle. You may know him, Jay. He's a wayward son. Yes, he is. Well, what made this album special, I didn't buy it in Seattle.

03:37:27.360 --> 03:37:57.320
I wanted to hear it but there's a singer that guests on this album on a couple of tracks perhaps you've heard of him his name was Ronnie James Dio really lost Dio tracks wow how old is this uh shit I think it's like old old yeah I think it's like early 70s okay yeah like early mid 70s like possibly pre-black sabbath

03:37:57.380 --> 03:38:27.320
I didn't either and so I bought it for like five bucks on Discogs and you know just so that I could have these he doesn't do the whole album apparently but he does like you find out that he was even on that George there was a sticker on the front you know of the album it just said you know featuring Ronnie James Dio yeah but how did you know to even look at that because how would you start to browse and find that I was flipping through it it was in the metal section at that remember when I sent you a picture that I was in a record store in Seattle and

03:38:27.340 --> 03:38:57.280
And I was like, it's a metal bin, but it wasn't very metal. Okay. And it was full of stuff like that that was just like weird. And I just happened to see featuring Ronnie James Dio. And I was like, wait, I've never heard of this. What is it? That's crazy. That's crazy. Yeah. Interesting, though. I wonder if that guy was somehow involved in Elf or something. Maybe. Yeah. All right. Let's move on to our deep tracks. Deep tracks. I chose Ozzy a couple weeks ago, and I'm doing it again. And I don't know why.

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I like those first two records. But I never hear anybody talking about this song. It's off of Blizzard of Oz and it's called Revelation Mother Earth. God, it's a good song. Probably the best song on the record. Mother, please forgive them. Right? For they know not what they do. You're the singer. Why am I singing? That's good. That's good stuff, dude. So, yeah, that's my track. All right. Buke, deep track. Got one this time? Of course I do.

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From 1986 off of Pleasure to Kill. This is from Creator. This song hits you right in the fucking face, runs over you, keeps on going, carrying. Yep. Right on. I must have listened to that record a thousand times as a kid. You're letting me down, dude. There was one that you've been meaning to do, but you haven't pulled it out yet. Yes, I'm going to pull it out right now, Jay. Thank you. This is not a metal band, but I think this is a meddler-heavy song. I like how I map that word meddler.

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I play this all the time it's my favorite song by the band this is my deep track my favorite

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track by the band Aerosmith Kings and Queens Kings and Queens and guillotines right that is their metal song too isn't it I mean when you say George yeah yeah it's pretty awesome I love that song he said it was one of his first ones he wanted to pull out but he didn't think he should but I was like yeah dude what are you talking about yeah that's a good one all right well I'm going down the Aussie path but in a Sabbath sort of way this

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This is probably my favorite Black Sabbath song. It's from Master of Reality. This is Solitude. Oh, dude. It's the most un-metal song Black Sabbath ever did. It is so beautiful. It's, you know, we were talking about Sabatum a while back, that Estonian band or whatever that did that. And the best song on there is their cover of Solitude, which by the way, Solitude is a great song. And that's a great song. Well, it's that medieval thing. They do.

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Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Sorry. Yeah. I was thinking of somebody else. Okay. That's a damn. I love that. I love that. And there was Planet Garavan, too. I was real close to that, too. Yeah. And actually, Planet Garavan is the one in the Sabbath. Yeah, that's a good choice. Right on. All right. Well, that brings us just about to the end of this episode. But before we get into the last bit with Slab City, make sure to check us out on iTunes. Subscribe.

03:41:25.760 --> 03:41:55.720
Give us a review. Give us five stars. We would really appreciate it. Check us out on Facebook. Check us out on Twitter. I'm Disciple OV Metal. I'm Opeth Fan. Catatonic J. He always says that with stuff. Shame, doesn't he? I'm Opeth Fan. I was trying to jump in and say something else. I just didn't want to be rude. I wanted to say the feedback and the response we've been getting from listeners and fans over the weeks has been growing. I know we're all

03:41:55.740 --> 03:41:56.480
Thank you.

03:41:57.780 --> 03:41:58.600
Totally appreciate it.

03:41:58.780 --> 03:41:59.220
Appreciate it.

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Like in the biggest way.

03:42:00.700 --> 03:42:00.860
Totally.

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You can also check us out on Instagram.

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We're on YouTube.

03:42:05.140 --> 03:42:05.900
We're on Stitcher.

03:42:06.400 --> 03:42:06.800
And of course,

03:42:06.860 --> 03:42:09.900
you can listen to us on metalheadspodcast.com.

03:42:10.620 --> 03:42:10.880
All right.

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I'm going to let Jay move on into the last bit with Slab City.

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We'll see you next time.

03:42:17.100 --> 03:42:21.160
It's time to play our second track from Slab City here on the podcast today.

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And so before we go into it,

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We're gonna have Kevin and/or Derek tell us about this track a little bit. What do you got boys? Well this is called Decades of Deceit. In a nutshell this is about kind of like overtones of how Illuminatiism has overtaken a lot of subculture of America. And the whole idea of the song is the lies have not started recently. There's lies that go back for years and years and years. So it's kind of just like this notion of where does the truth begin and where does the lies end?

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And that's what Decades of Deceit conceptually is about. Lyrically, I have no idea what Andrew the Mad Scientist is actually saying in any of our songs. But I know in the beginning of one of our live albums, he says that this is about the alien drug overlords trying to withhold or overtake the government. So he's been hanging out with Matt Pike. Yeah, yeah. Matt Pike is a big conspiracy theorist now. Okay, okay. Yeah, so he does relate, you know, because Kevin will come up with an idea for the song. This is Decades of Deceit.

03:43:22.920 --> 03:43:52.860
of deceit. You know what I mean? Can you kind of shoot out some lyrics with, you know, around this ballpark range, you know, this idea that we're going for it? And he'll do that. Extrapolate upon the idea. Yeah. Yeah. He'll do that very well. You know, I, I kind of want to mention too, and I mean this in the best way, but one thing we really didn't talk about your band during the interview is there's also at least a little taste of sense of humor in Slab City, which is great. I mean, I love that. They, they sort of embrace the cheerier side of life, so to speak. You know what I mean? It's not sad. You can look at the

03:43:52.980 --> 03:43:54.420
I fucking love them.

03:43:56.600 --> 03:43:58.480
There's definitely a dark sense of humor, you know,

03:44:00.040 --> 03:44:04.660
because the idea kind of conceptually is kind of like 30 years after an apocalypse,

03:44:05.440 --> 03:44:08.480
you know, people have nomadically joined into tribes,

03:44:09.520 --> 03:44:10.580
Slap City, you know,

03:44:11.399 --> 03:44:13.620
um, post, uh, you know,

03:44:14.740 --> 03:44:16.860
zombies and all this other like mutated stuff.

03:44:17.040 --> 03:44:19.040
It's easy to like conceptually, like, you know, like be like,

03:44:19.160 --> 03:44:20.740
I'm being a fucking slayer. Everything is evil.

03:44:21.120 --> 03:44:50.880
But it's like that movie The Road where it's like a sorrowful idea of desolation. But then we're kind of twisting it and making it thematically fun and evil and bringing the party back to metal at least a little bit in the Bay Area. I love that movie, by the way. That's a great movie, dude. It's definitely like a hyphy metal. Like we were saying, it makes you want to dance. We're not just trying to be like, oh, you know, pillage towns and throw babies in fires. It's like, no, it's like we're tragic.

03:44:50.960 --> 03:45:05.480
Yeah, kiss a baby. Kiss a baby. And then rock the hell out. You know? And maybe listen to some arse afterwards. You know, go into the thing. Well played, dude. So without further delay then, here's Slab City with Decade of Deceit.

03:45:30.159 --> 03:45:31.560
Gursin

03:45:58.500 --> 03:46:15.580
I'm not sure what you want to do.

03:46:46.479 --> 03:46:47.880
"I'm

03:47:01.600 --> 03:47:02.900
Играет музыка.

03:47:49.680 --> 03:47:50.920
I'm not going to die

03:47:53.279 --> 03:48:05.560
I'll let it

03:48:24.240 --> 03:48:50.900
「Longer」「Longer」が出現され、人気をつけ

03:48:50.920 --> 03:49:02.240
The world is