Hello, everybody, Welcome to That's No Metal. We are a podcast.
We talk about rock and heavy metal here every Friday, and if you are
here, you're probably like the things as well, so let's talk about it.
Today. We are here back with a hype of Last, which is
our weekly news flash show. Normally ain't quite as dramatic as it is this
week, I can tell you that much, but you know, level heads
all the same. I'm parent Haish fresh off of talking about Satanic BDSM with
me. Yes, that was a thing our Elliott Paisley and Sam Dignon.
How are we doing? I think like the podcast generally like Satanic b D
seven talks, so it's nice to get the quote, get a bit of
that in there, you know, like scare the kids a little bit.
Yeah, I agree. Today we have maybe not loads of news, but
the stories that we have one in particular, Wow, this is one of
the most unbelievable, astounding things that I think we've ever spoken about on this
podcast. I'm genuinely gonna go that far with it. I'm of course,
referring to the latest update in these sort of ongoing saga relating to via as
murder and there their vocalist now former see J McMahon. This is, of
course, following up on we had a pretty serious conversation a few weeks ago
when CJ posted on Instagram a violently transphobic statement. Let's let's call it what
it was. It was a statement that we really had to be like,
Wow, this is something you've got to draw a line for, right,
like you, you cannot go around saying these kind of things. It's genuinely
dangerous in order to encourage that kind of rhetoric. And what we have got
here, it's a quite incredible occurrence. Like you just have to marvel at
what's unfolded here. Like I was. I was with Mark at the weekend
and I would genuinely remember where I was when I found out what VIA's murder
had done here. You know, I got senated by my mate Jameson.
It was like fuck me, this is like come out of nowhere. But
it definitely has recontextualized a lot of things over the last few weeks because obviously
when it all kicked off and night As murdered did their statement, and I
was quite quick to be quite dismissive of it because of again, there still
was quite like basically them, but now you go if he was any kind
of like, okay, there is clear there was clearly a lot of moving
parts in the behind the scenes that were going on that has kind of just
gone, fuck me. This has been way more catastrophic for the band and
out there and kind of completely shaking the foundations of them than we then we
knew. So the last time we spoke about the Light as Murder situation was
when CJ posted his slightly noncommittal feeling apology video. More on that later as
it turns out, but from there, like I didn't know about you guys,
if that was going to be the end of the story, I was
putting them on the pile of things that we probably weren't going to keep covering.
So written them off totally. I I'm not interacting with them until we
get something because we found that to be a fairly weak notion from both CJ
and what the band posted, and it at first it looked like they were
maybe adopting a bit of a kind of let's let this blow over approach,
and then they announced that there was going to be a weak delay on their
album, and I assumed that was just something you know, logistical, you
know, like physically, that's not been a normal occurrence at all, and
last a couple of years to have like, oh, you know, we
have to wait for certain records to come over or whatever. There was no
reason to infer from just a weak delay that can have anything to do with
the CJ situation, because surely nothing could be done in a week. Sure
surely not. But that's what's happened via as Murder. On the release day
of the new Haven't God Like, which was last Friday, posted a statement
declaring that actually the reason the record had been delayed a week is that they
have removed c J from the band just fully. He is not going to
be in the band anymore. They also removed him from the record, and
they spent the week re recording the vocals on it with a new still undeclared
vocals I think declared now, oh I saw they played a show with him.
Yeah, it's the guy from a Versions Crown. Okay, that's what
everyone worked out anyway. But in the statement, it was you know,
which recorded the vocals again with a new vocalist. Yes, And the statement
in hot in its totality is also quite incredible in terms of some of the
stuff that's kind of aired from the band around. I guess they're reasoning for,
you know, removing CJ from the band. Now, this is a
very serious topic. You know, there are a lot of conflicting opinions about
it going around at the moment, and I would like to adopt the position
of being pretty calm about this. You know, there's been too much of
victorioal about this on the internet already. But last Friday, I couldn't help
myself feeling a little bit of sort of giddy, slightly awe struck excitement in
a band cutting their bigoted singer out of the picture that ruthlessly. Oh my
god. There is one line in their statement which is just like, fucking
yes, you have nailed the entire shut down the entire argument in one sentence
there, which is the whole like you are entitled to Everyone is entitled to
their free speech and hold their own views and make their own believes they also
have to deal with then the consequences of those beliefs. And I'm like,
yep, cool, draw line under it. There is no further argument to
be made. They have completely just summed up the issue for me, And
with that line. I was like, I'm called to listen to that as
murder Again. I think it kind of says something that they haven't delayed.
I think there's such a conscious thing here of almost making CJ look like a
nonentity almost, if that makes sense, because we live in an age now
quite recently where bands can kind of back out of releasing records and can just
indefinitely delay things for months and months, and you'd think if they didn't want
CJ to be part of it, they could fire him and then take time
to regroup and put the record out next year. For me, there seems
to be something really, like you say, pointed and ruthless about going would
delaying it by no more than a week, You're not even going to know
it's happening, and then when it drops you find out you're out the band,
You're not on the new record, Like that is a fucking move.
Yeah, So the indefinite delay thing, I wonder if part of that is
obviously a big factor in all this is the physical album factor, which there
is a you know, there's a certain detail that we're very much going to
get to and then it is very interesting guards to particularly release. But you
know, when people have pre ordered an album, maybe you know, up
to a week beforehand. You know, you might be going, oh,
we're sending this out in the post, you know, and to suddenly go,
oh shit, we can't release this, which completely derail everything. But
the week of activity that they must have undergone to do this, obviously,
there's a couple of weeks of you know, organizing like, Okay, we
clearly need to do something about this guy. Maybe they'll get in touch with,
you know, the person who they want to work with or whatever,
et cetera. But like, this is an fucking atom bomb of a thing
to drop on someone. I mean, like the c J m at mayn
means from back in the day really come full circle this week. You know,
like he didn't know he posted on the morning of the album's release of
it coming out, oh what are your favorite songs our new albums out?
Not knowing they just spent a week removing him from it. That is an
insane power move, right, And it's like it's it's cruel, Like it
cannot feel nice to have the people that you've been in the band with for
over a decade go behind your back like that, and like, you know,
waking up and learning with the rest of the world like, oh my
god, it's it's so ruthless. But when it is because you went on
a violent tirade suggesting that we should burn to death, you know, in
parents who accept their gender nonconforming children's identities, and by the sounds of it
as well, we don't know what's been going on behind the scenes for a
while. There's more. Yeah, I mean, I mean they full name
him as well, we called him CJ, but they're like Chris mcmartin' is
like, oh god, brutal. It feels like that statement has been poured
over by a lawyer. Yeah, but like it's like I said, I
part of me was extremely pleased because, like you, I was like,
if cgmmon is maintaining in this band and all the further apologies or statements,
that know, all we get is what we had already received. I was
like, that doesn't feel good enough to me. That feels like, like
I said, waiting for it to blow over. I don't feel happy about
that. So I was pleased to be like, yes, I'm glad that
you've done the right thing, but to do it in such a like fucking
mission impossible ass way of doing it is like just utterly like befuddling, like
just thinking about what has what's been happening here? I mean that that the
way they didn't may think that things must have been really bad for the band
in the last like month. Basically yeah, when this all played out,
I'll read out that part of the statement they say what transpired over the past
month was not the cause of this action, but just another symptom of the
drawn out to breakdown in his character and judgment, the straw that broke the
camel's back, if you will. The fallout has been immense. We were
lobbied with threats to destroy via as murder from the inside if we did not
capitulate to various ideologies that he holds. Again that that that that's suggests more
like like again if like and again like that's not them downplaying the transphobia and
the violent misogyny in his thing. That that's them sort of saying like this
is just one of many things that is just like it is completely incompatible to
continue the band with him. And again, the way they've kind of said
is like em was is like he was being manipulative of them. And again
I can't spid of any definitive thing on on that sort of stuff, but
from their perspective what they've said, it sounds like Tens is riding high and
it was kind of like this is either you do with me or the band
ceases to exist. I mean, yeah, it sounds like a you know,
he went down a serious rabbit hole at some point. And if you
know, it's, as they say, a kind of like he was demanding
that the band, I guess, kind of you know, shift their position
in order to espouse more of those things. If the rest of the band
don't you agree with that, then at that you know, if that person
again really forces that on the others in the band, ironically, isn't it,
then there's gotta be you know, something is gonna gonna give there.
But the way they have again done this thing so secretively day of release,
letting not just the world but CJ himself learned that they've been removing him from
the record, does suggest like those are those are communications that are fucking dead
in the water, right, Like, Yeah, it's aggt to me that
they viewed CG as a complete loose cannon, because yeah, in an ordinary
circumstance, you know, like you say it is, it is ruthless and
cruel to do that, So it's not nice to wake and find it you're
not in the band anymore, and your final statements been washed out. But
it says to me that they couldn't trust him to take it properly, if
that makes sense, Like they almost couldn't be they weren't in a position where
they could fire him and replace him in the normal routes. The only way
of navigate this in a way that could, like they were saying, sort
of maintain the band is by being sort of underhanded, and you know,
back alley about it. And that's kind of us alarming because I've not heard
of I've genuinely haven't heard of a case like this ever. Yeah, and
the next detail that we got past again CJ woke up posted this fucking unbelievable,
like, whoa, what's the thing? The thing I particularly think he's
worth noting of his initial post is where his like I woke up and just
saw the news post is it ends with burn everyone to death, in which
he reiterates and uses with a winky face, the exact wording that got him
in hot water in the first place, so good sense does not feel like
it's a thing with with this guy. He then came back and spoke about
the apology video that he had posted, you know, initially, which we
at the time were like, m doesn't this doesn't seem to add up that
your apology videould just be like, oh, I didn't want to be transphobic,
even though the thing I said was just openly via transphobic. Turns out
he didn't want to make that video and he said so, and he said
the band forced him to do it, and he actually posted a second video,
which was the one that he wanted to get out there, in which
he goes on a much longer sort of explanation of like his position, in
which he doesn't really it takes a vision of like, you know, I
didn't have anything to apologize for my wording. This is the issue I have.
And again, I there's a discrepancy in what he puts here, because
he says in his longer explanation that he is against, you know, specifically
forcing these kind of discussions onto children of a very young age who are too
young to talk about these things. But that's not what his original post was.
His initial post was again to my memory, you can correct me if
I'm wrong anybody, because the post has been taken down. The initial you
know, offending post. But it was a child, you know, saying
hello, I am you know. It was the wording are you a boy
or a girl? And this person says, oh, I feel like both,
and the parent, who is the person they threatened to burn to death
in it, says, Okay, that's not forcing, that's acceptance, right,
And that's what made so much the original post feel like such a wild
nor to sixty from him in the first place. But the fact that he
has now come out and said, oh yeah, that apology video that I
put up, the reason it felt so insincere is because it was was total.
I mean, there was a bit in these Legsbidian where again you're like,
you're making this so much worse where he says like a child could say
they want to be a dinosaur or they want to be a terrorist, and
the parent and it's like Jesus Chris, and I think he specifically says like
Islamic terrorists and it's like Jesus Christ, make you you're you're off the deep
end if you if this is the links're pulling Like he's said that, Like
it's the same as a parent validating a child said they wants to be a
terrorist. I'm like, no, no, it really fucking isn't. You're
lunatic? Yeah, and again, so his statements just completely increasingly come across
as a bit unheard, to be honest. So putting that again with the
context of the band have gone behind his back and secretly removing from the record
area. Think clearly, as you say, Elliott, viewing him as someone
who it is better to just cut loose in the most sort of clean,
cold way possible than it is to you know, try and work anything out
with or whatever. One of my first responses was to go, what about
physical because, as we're just saying, vinyl pressing times and things like that
have been such a cause of concern in the modern era are certainly you know,
COVID times and onwards. This ship's you know, pressed fucking months in
advance, and it's so expensive for bands to do. It's a major major
investment that they only do because they have so on pre orders to kind of
recoup to trust that there's going to be you know, an audience that are
going to be buying that, making that investment worthwhile. How the fuck are
you going to remove c dem A Lands vocals from a already pressed vinyl pre
order? Someone asked this question and that as Murder responded saying, yeah,
we couldn't. The physical version if you've got a vinyl preorder, is the
original recorded version with j on it, the version that the woke mob don't
want you to hear, and the digital version that has went out, and
presumably any future pressings will be the upgraded version with the new singer on it.
That as just a concept, I think it again moving away from the
sort of the the the I guess ethical debate that's going on, and just
in terms of a historical one that could only happen at this point in history,
right, because like the the digital online side of music never had this
malleability in the past. It reminds me of like, you know, about
five years ago whatever, when Kanye West would do things like patches albums and
every we were like, what the fuck? The life of Pablo is different
now? Like if a band had a disgraced singer before an album comes out
and they wanted to remove him in any point prior to fucking twenty eighteen or
whatever. I don't know what a year when you put this, but you
know, any point prior to the sort of streaming era, they would pretty
much have to just bite the bullet and have it as it is and just
sort of write it off and be like you're going to change the singer immediately
or scrap the whole thing. That reminds me this was a couple of years
ago. I think Laurna Shaw literally landing in this exact situation where their singer
on their new album, like a week before it was meant to come out,
was out an abuser, and so they were like, look, we're
gonna have to put the album out with him on it. He's not getting
any proceeds from it, listen to it, support us, he won't benefit
from it, but he will be on it. And that was that,
and that was kind of like the Sinners. The solution is gonna like,
look, we have to cut him out. Yeah, he's gonna be on
the album. But nowadays it feels like there is this new route of like,
okay, so if it's this coat to the bone, this was gonna
have him on it, but we can remaster patch all to the album and
like, yeah, like rebalance it whatever you like, however you want to
look at and just make it. How is it going to work with royalties?
You know, like he must surely he must receive something legally from the
version of the album that he's on the vinyl pre orders or whatever. But
you know, in terms of changing it, how is it? It's it
opens up all these fascinating like slightly unprecedented what do we do here? Songwriting
credits and all that doesn't as well? Was how much it was? Yeah,
like I don't think it any of it is in venice, but like
it's in terms of his performance, it's just opens sort of like fascinating,
like you know, what is the answer here? And I presume vi As
Murder must have worked these things out as they went through this fucking, you
know, mission impossible gauntlet. But like you know, maybe it's because we've
been doing our Alison Chains special but I do start to put on my sort
of historian hat. It's almost like a new era in musical documentation because there
is a version floating around with this album that has CJ's vocals on it.
I can't hear it right now because it's not on streaming and I don't have
a vinyl copy, but someone there does. And imagine if in twenty years
time, we were doing like a via As Murder special and we got to
god like and we had to go, okay, here are two versions of
this album, Like that's their career wrap up forever, you know, like
this, this ship hasn't happened before quite like this. Yeah. The thing
that weirds me out about it is sort of touching slightly on the ethical thing
again. If you're a big dis Murder fan and you want to have all
the records and you're excited for this one or whatever, if you go and
saying a year or two if they repress it, if you go into a
shop, will you have any way of knowing which version you're getting, because
even when you put the records on, they sound very similar. They found
someone who can match CJ's style. Will there be a thing saying, you
know, maybe not the CJ version, but will there be any way of
denoting it? Because then, on one hand, I guess you'd have to
look at the sort of year of pressing and just assume I guess, But
like they need to slap a sticker on the on the on the first album
with new vocalist. I mean, Elliot, you're I'm guessing that from that
you've you've heard the album because it was like it was, it was very
low and my priorities prior to a few days ago, this certainly made me
be like, Okay, I'm gonna put it on. Yeah. I was
really curious just to see like how obvious the switch was, like, because
they've clearly tried to make it as seamless as possible, so and they I
knew it was the guy from the Virgin's Crown, who sounds quite a lot
like CJ. The thing that is interesting for me is that I get the
impression they're doing this to kind of make the switch over into a new singer
as quickly as as seamless as possible and put CJ into the past. But
the thing you're saying about their legacy is because this hasn't happened before, I
wonder if this is going to be like the album without CJ rather than the
album with the new guy, Like the story almost overwhelms what they're putting out.
Yeah. I also thought of that lawn Ashure situation, because there's you
always feel bad for a band when a piece of work that they put so
much effort and pass it into gets overshadowed like this. And I know,
obviously it's early days. Now, the album's a week old. I assume
it's this is going to be remembered as the one with two versions where CJ
got kicked out and secretly removed the day it was released. Can't not be.
That's too madd a story in too madd a situation. I again,
I listened to it for the first time today. If you really turn your
brain off and have it in the background, there's no way that you'd pick
up it as a different guy. I think attentively, there are differences.
There are. I mean, I'll give you an example. In the song
blood Thrown there there's a mush cool where he goes and so they rocked,
and he rolls his r's in a way that I've never heard CJ do.
It's more like a Travis Ryan approach or something. And so I think,
generally, with an attentive ear, you can go, Okay, that's a
guy who clearly has a very very similar vocal tone to CJ. They've obviously
picked him because he can do the parts very well, but you know,
it's a voice. You can't have an exact replica. He will sound a
teeny bit different in certain registers. I think there's a decent argument when you
look at the reaction online that this isn't as much a sort of like face
saving move as you could accuse them of doing if you were being really cynical
about this, Because fact is, their social media pages are fucking swarming right
now with people telling them that the band is dead to them now and that
they are you know, pussies for bowing to the mob or whatever, seemingly
not aware that they seem to make up more of the mob than any else.
But it's it's it's a sad state where there are so many more people
who agree with CJ than you would like to think, and those people like
are absolutely making their voices heard when it comes to what they think of via
as murder in this situation. And you know you mentioned songwriting credit Sam,
there are people are like, oh, you know, you've stolen his lyrics.
Whatever, he didn't write the lyrics. Read any interview, and Andy
the guitarist is like the real mind behind all the music. I mean,
I've not I've not seen much of this, like the actual response to it
from what you're just not gone into comments sections, Yeah, just kind of
deliberately avoiding it. It's I didn't look, but I knew it was there.
Yeah, It's just it's it's just such a weird situation. And it's
like it feels like, depending on the circles you're moving on who you're speaking
to, either this is the most like brilliant funny fallout, or it's say,
some people bowing to the mob. And it's just like, it's kind
of a shame that they've clearly made a concerted effort to salvage the record,
and in the way they've done it, and I can't really think of another
way they could do it. They've made more gossip. Yeah, on the
side, it's an impossible situation they find themselves, and I think I think
just to you know, sort of I guess, get some of our own
whatever that Again, it's not hard to assume whose side we sort of land
on here, if you have to go be that sort of binary about it.
But like you know, we were saying we don't feel great about the
fact that cdmar and saying these violently transphobic things, which they were would be
sort of just kept in there without much real sort of change the opposite.
So you know, I'm sure I speak for all us when we say we
think it's a good thing. Again, I'm going to take that it's one
that is personal to me in my whole way of life and circumstance, So
of course I'm gonna feel strongly about it. And and again, like I
do, Jenny actually feel quite like again they're not necessarily the biggesteons because again
there's a guy violently threatening to skilled people. But they have been thrust into
a culture war now, but it's going to define this next chapter of their
band. Yeah, I guess that's what I want to want to follow up
on the is and no one wins these culture wars, like because you can't
get fruit. It is a really unfortunate position for the guys Nights moment to
basically be like they had a choice. Do they go with what is the
easier, probably more ultimately commercial of like letting it blow over seeing or do
they stick with their morals and take a stand. And I have like I've
got a lot of respect from them. And again they're now initial post of
the trans flag. We what we support you. I believe that now.
I didn't believe that when it happened, because it was just like and I
think that was clearly the moment that we need to get something out there,
because fuck, we need to figure something out, but we can't not address
this. And and now, like I said, they are trapped in a
culture war that is going to define the next this entire album cycle. Yeah,
that's what I wanted to follow up on, because, like you say,
they've done something where they are going to be dragged into again. People
will draw lines in the sand, and like they just want to move on
with their careers, right, Like they've made this album. Unfortunately it's going
to be mired in this sort of controversy and moving forward they have to deal
with people having made up their minds about them one way or another based on
how they handle this particular incident and just just kind of squash some of that.
I guess in terms of at least how I feel about that isma going
forward, I mean, like fucking you know, Ronnie rad Key obviously had
to pipe up like the awful shit stain and our collective shoe that he is,
But like there is that statement in the line in Diosma statement that you
mentioned, Sam that I think is one of the best things I've seen a
band say actually, which is everyone had their own right to free speech and
to seek their truth. They're also free to receive the consequences that come with
it. And again, it's not just oh, we said something that upset
people. It's not even just oh, he said something that we as a
band all disagree with and find a boring. There's obviously an internal band fall
out here. That's not we've not been privy to. If one member starts
to try and throw his weight around to take over a band and force him
to go in a direction with their message that the others aren't down with,
he's going to get kicked out. That's been true forever. That's not a
New Culture Wars issue or whatever. That's a guy being removed from a band
because he's a dick and they don't like him anymore. That like, there's
there's no conspiracy there. And people also again seem to be upset that,
you know, like Ronnie Radkey here the kind of vias murder or a band
who use evil, blasphemous imagery, but they draw the line at transphobia yeah,
because that's a different thing. That's like, it's a completely different intent.
What the hell is this idea that bands can't be edgy if they don't
let bigotry happen, Like it's just it's it's mind numbing seeing all this stuff.
The thing with me again is is the any idea that not being transphobic
is siding with the establishment? It fucking isn't. Have you not seen how
normal I and kind of like who's forward anti transnarratives are at the moment of
course all bases. It's so fucking establishment to be transphobic. And that's that's
one that makes this one really for me, is was like actually like taking
their thanks trans for me is the risk at the moment they should turn that
fucking freedom of speaks line into a mosh call that I get it into people's
heads. But like that there is a threat to their livelihood here, like
in choosing to remove him in the first place, the most recognizable person in
the band, who a lot of people agree with what he said, who
seemed to want to turn him into some kind of martyr after this, Like
that's a knock to as murder. But they felt they had to do it
anyway, what does that say I guess not just about maybe what they believed,
but also what the situation behind the scenes was like and how bad it
must have gotten. They left the band before, and the entire time CJ
was gone, it was like, and then they're not as good about CJ
like that. I saw him on that and I thought they were still really
good live, but everyone was kind of like that CJ. They didn't do
any music. So then when CJ came back, it was kind of like
they are as Murderer back, So they knew that they knew that they were
taking a risk, having already experienced the kind of like without CJ. It's
not that it's Murder fallout. Yeah, I've had to you know, they've
had experienced with it, and they've had to go that's a risk worth taking
at this point, I think, you know, perhaps there are points in
the last couple of weeks where as Murder could have handled themselves a little bit
differently, you know, maybe hammered home the point a little bit quicker of
where their hearts lie or whatever, but here like a more decisive move you
could barely fathom to the Again, the reason we're talking about this so extensively.
I know it's gone on quite a while, this particular discussion, but
it's it's amazing, Like I said, historically and just in terms of the
logistics of what's happened here. You know that there was a brief couple of
weeks where th As Murder flirted with being a maybe we've got to be in
the t shirts kind of band. Now I am quite impressed with them,
and I know there's a tour coming up, and there were a couple of
people who are I discord, who were like, oh, I've got my
tickets, Like, but I really i'd been upset about what's been said.
You know, do I go. I think there are definitely going to be
people now that CJ has gone and the band have made a move that they
don't agree with who won't be going. So maybe if you don't align with
that, I would be inclined to show my support either way you look at
it, whatever way you look at it, it's it's an incredible move.
You know, they re recorded the vocals in secret or while keeping the release
date still within a week of where it originally was. That doesn't happen,
you know, I think the only word you can use is scenes. Yeah,
so that is what's happened with I as murdered. That's our extensive take
on it, I suppose. Again, apologies if that one ran a little
bit long. It's just a pretty fucking unbelievable thing that happened. We're going
to move on. Bloodstock announced their third headliner. It feels like it's quite
soon. Actually it's only been fairly recently. You know, the first two
we're announced to Bloodstock itself this year, isn't it really? Yeah, but
we now have three blood Stock headlines. We've also got a few more bands
to be added to the bit as well, but obviously we had Architects an
a Monomath already occupying two slots there. The third they've been announced to be
Opeth, who are particularly they're forming a fan picked. Now, this is
quite interesting. I don't know what it is. I look at that poster
and I go even though it seems very Bloodstock in a way, like all
three of these bands are bands. I would be personally excited to see Bloodstock
right headlining Bloodstock even but there's something about putting them together which just doesn't look
quite right. There is a weirdness to see Architects samwiched in between a modern
Marth and Opath, two Swedish death metal bands. Really bizarre. Yeah,
Like I mean, I will be Opath as a headliner, not particularly and
again I like some of the earlier Opef stuff, some of like the kind
of stuff I found requests it. I have no idea what that could turn
out to be. I'll be on there trying to get them to play some
still still life stuff. Finally, Yeah, bigg But I mean I think
it's it's it's a nice broad eclect techniques of headliners all doing different things within
the sort the realms of metal. I mean, it's like it's a weird,
like weird look to either over there. But I do think I'm like
that. I imagine that's that's quite a good mix. It's just strange because
when Architects got booked there was a whole criticism and it's one that I'm not
unsympathetic to about it seem a bit mini download, and now booking Opeth as
your third headliner, it's about as non mini download as you can have a
polutely a fan pick setlist which is going to be leaning on the records from
you know, Morning Rise to ghost reveries I imagine, and yeah, just
as a grouping as the three, it's weird because it's like the biggest band
are like the least traditionally Bloodstock and the band who have the most interesting draw
are sort of comfortably the smallest. It's it's one of those where you know,
you look at blood Stock lineups in the past and the three headlines you
can got to go, yet they're filling all three spots. They're all sort
of similar size. Here You've got like an arena kind of mainstream metalcore band
who are leaning on things like Lincoln Park in recent years, and then like
I say, two bands that traditionally are Swedish death metal. Yeah, I
think there's something about, like I mean, architect through the whole thing out
of whack, right, And I don't mean that in a pejorative sense against
architects. I am, you know, I'm with the people who say architects
get into headline a major metal festival is a good thing, and that's cool
and I'm excited to see it. But when you put it at blood Stock,
it was always gonna be like, Okay, how are you going to
balance this? Right? Because it was always the thing of trying to make
blood Stock still feel like Bloodstock and not the mini downloaders you put it in
to very much simplify it. And you go, Okay, I'm on a
Marth with them. That's a super safe bet, right, That's that's a
relatively modern band. Yeah, they're they're even doing the Sunday slot, which
is traditionally kind of the classic band. But you did go, okay,
get an old band, right, Like I was wondering whether the Bidding Wolf
of Pantera was kind of going underway or whatever. We spoke about Scorpions maybe,
who are on the VAC and Bill as like, she's like a really
old band. Who could you do it for the old heads? And you
go okay. There's three very different headliners, but all collectively they show the
breadth of what Bloodstock can be. There is something that's just really bizarre about
having Okay, we've gone really out of out of you know, left field
tays what a Bloodstock band is with Architects, how are we going to balance
that? And and they've gone with you know, they they're lacking at that
really old sort of classic presence. Instead, they've got two bands who,
again either side of architect it's there's just something about it that looks really,
really fucking weird. It's hard to explain why, but you take one of
Opeth and on a math, wouldn't you and then maybe a classic that's like
you can see like yeah, one of those two and then and then you
say a more classic headline if they if they had booked pan Terra and obviously
putting aside any ethical concerns, now, I'm just talking purely business wise here.
If they'd booked pan Terra as a demographic or they'd pooked anything old and
that, like a Scorpions or something, and you had that Architects and on
a math, you go, okay, that's a strong bloodstock trio. But
I think having those two bands who are from a similar ear a you know,
gat a similar place in the world, even similar roots, it makes
And again neither of them are like obviously Opeth, I think Animono Math actually
are classic heavy metal bands, but they're not, you know, quotes classic
heavy metal bands. There's something about having those two bands that seem makes Architects
look even more incongruous and even more like a departure from what else is going
on. It's the logos as well. Yeah for me, like it's so
weird. So I guess it comes down to again, how how can you
balance this elsewhere? Because I imagine you obviously architect Day gonna have a load
of day tickets of people who just want to see architects. Are those people
going to be excited to see a Monomath and Opeth either side of you know
what is more traditionally bussed dot fare not necessarily. It's a very weird and
like I say, I personally, for me, that's a strong trio,
you know, Like I'm not I'm not the person who's going to be there,
particularly for architects necessarily, but I like them a lot, and like
I said, I'm happy to see them do the thing. Personally, I
will watch Opeth, I will watch Architects, I will watch I'm on particularly
the ape fan voted thing. I can get the right songs in there.
I have a great time each of those nights. But in terms of I
don't know, selling it as a festival, it's the most like what is
this festival? What is the identity of this place? I can remember in
a while. So I mean, like I said, I'm I'm excited,
but it's I just look at it in terms of thinking about the demographic and
who's going to want to go. It just looks in Congress. I mean,
I see. I would say the undercard feels quite strongly bloodstocking its identity.
There's really again the slot on Outsider, but it's I look at that
under kind of girl like that that feels yeah exactly, But then it's about,
you know, making I just feel like the Saturday is going to stand
out so much from the other days. I mean, it's what's gonna happen
if you're sticking say you've got malevolence subheadline to architects like that feels like a
no brain and they're gonna stay hate Breed on there as well have been confirmed
to be on the Friday, So that's ope, God, that's all weird
and either way that's a head fuck. Op. Yes, I don't think
that. I think they'll probably third down. I think we still got a
subheadliners to go in between them. But yeah, I have a feeling that
the Saturday is just going to have such a different vibe to the other days,
and I hope the other days can pick up the slack and don't feel
undersold in comparison. I don't know. I think that's the strangest thing about
it for me is that Architects are the biggest of the three bands. When
Parkway Drive did it, yeah, but they're the weirdest for the festival.
It's what was that twenty nineteen when Parkway Drive did it was like it was
Saboton, parkwer Drive and Scorpions. It's like sort of New Wembley Arena playing
power metal band and a classic one of the best selling rock and metal bands
sort of historically of all time. And so Parkway Driver like, yeah,
it's kind of it's something else, but you've already got the people whereas to
have the biggest band be the least traditionally Bloodstock is Yeah, that's what it
is. It's the biggest band is the least safe bet and you had to
counteract the least safe bet for the festival where things are more safe bets and
modern manth really is that Opeth kind of is as well, But like I
said, it makes it makes the wild card just look weirder. I feel
like we're sort of undo menicircle saying the same things. We're going to move
on now. But I just I look at that and I go, yeah,
I'll go. I don't know who else this is for now, Like
I said, I want to sort of ratle along a little bit because we
spent a lot of time talking about those first couple of stories. But this
is a highly notable thing as well. Live Nation also strummed up a whole
load of conversation this week because they've announced what they are calling the On the
Road Again program, which in short, removes much cuts from a long list
of venues that they are going to be working with in the US. I
haven't seen anything actually about whether this relates to the UK or any other territories,
and so I think when we are talking about it and people are asking
us questions, that's a big thing to consider. I don't know whether this
actually applies to shows that you know, you and I maybe go into.
But they're also going to be providing essentially financial support for some bands with like
travel money basically, like they're going to be I think it's fifteen sorry,
fifteen hundred dollars for you know, just sort of general costs of being a
band on tour. And that's pretty first look, you go, wow,
that's a pretty unbelievable thing. That's the kind of thing that we would never
assume these kind of capitalist monopolies to you know, ever budge on doing.
But concerns have been raised by particularly independent venues who aren't going to be involved
with this, about it being a further sort of employee by Live Nation to
try and monopolize some of the touring thing. And I think the important thing
there is actually the to me at least, it feels like the bonus money,
you know, because removing merch cuts is like, okay, that that
levels the playing field right between you and an independent venue that don't do that.
But giving band an incentive to play at your venues by offering, okay,
here's by the way, over a thousand dollars so you can your gas
money. Yeah, your gas money. That's like, oh that's that's feels
a little bit sneaky, don't it. Nothing can just be nice. This
is the problem. I'm in a nightmare this week. You read the first
thing, you just think like, oh, that's quite nice, given like
a little present for the bands, great guys, and then you hear this
other side you go, oh, really, I don't really considered that.
And it's a tough one because it's like you do want the can everyone be
happy? Like? Can the large venues? Can the independent venues? Can
the bands? Can they all? Kind of? Is there a really good
ecosystem where everyone gets a fair cut? You know, I don't know,
like you some of these capsulist monopolies, someone is to win and lose.
It's just I don't know. There is something about it where it's if something's
too good to be true. It probably is for me with it being live
Nation, who you know, did make an appearance in my eight the war.
It is too good to be true in my eyes, I'm not I'm
like I see it by more. I'm not going to hand it to Nation.
There is an ulterior motive I just couldn't buy. Yeah, And that's
maybe just me being cylicle. Someone else is also drawn. Again. These
are again people involved independent venues and thing of that who have sort of seen
this and be like, hang on, let's read the small print here.
It's also been brought up that there's a for the next ninety days point,
So does that mean it's a hey everybody for the next ninety days. Its
basically a fucking like free trial. But then you'll go back to having your
cuts installed. I don't really know. It feels like a very strange yeah.
Again, I looked at it and when like, WHOA, what an
unexpected win for the rock and metal community, I guess music in general.
But then you think about it a bit longer and you go, oh,
there's something something mysterious. Is foot is a foot? Yeah? So I
guess we'll see where that goes. And I said, I don't know if
that even applies to you know where we are or not. Quickly fly through
a couple of new album announcements and things like that. The most shocking one.
I had to read this a couple times to really figure out what's going
on. Year of the Knife. I've got a new album out. It's
going to be coming on the twenty seventh of October. It's called No Love
Lost. They've released two songs. Both of them are like a minute long,
fucking, nasty, violent. I really like Your of the Knife.
They're one of my preferred sort of the current sort of smaller hardcore bands,
I guess, and they feature the vocalists from Sangui, Superbog and Full of
Hell on the respective tracks, but obviously the sort of if your ears have
pricked up there the year of the knife. Currently, you know, recovering
from one of the most serious vehicle accidents that I can recall in recent memory,
and they're singer Maddy Watkins has been undergoing a extensive recovery process in hospital.
So this is obviously recorded quite a while ago, and it feels like,
again, a must be a really surreal environment to be releasing an album
in. Yeah, it definitely feels like this is Cleveland. So that was
done before the accident. Kind of pigs one that that ap they released,
was it either very early, yes, your w it's a lot like shorter
kind of grind yer life. But they've said they've got the album out's like
twenty minutes, so like they've clearly gone Maddie is Like, I'm sure they'll
probably intended to announce this album a couple of weeks ago, maybe yeah,
yeah, like but and they've clearly had to wait until Maddie isn't I can
at least a somewhat stable and healthy condition before they can kind of do that.
But I'm really happy that they are, you know, they feel over
and where they can be like, okay, where we're ready to put our
next statement and I hope that it's not too long before Maddie can you know,
get and again. I like how recovering Pressent seems really hard, but
I'm I'm glad to see there there kind of ass where they can start to
edge the band forward again. It's weird to hear songs like this and go
it's quite heartwarming to hear that noise because it's like, I kind of just
presumed that after that accident they either have no choice but to radically change or
maybe even bow out because it's such an, like you say, one of
the more shocking, horrific, sunning accidents to befall a band recently. And
even though this is they've kind of even said this isn't the promise of them
being at full capacity in terms of touring and bringing out But I imagine it's
good to have this like in the camp, like good for Spirits at least
to be like, we've got this so when we do come back, we're
not starting from scratch again. Yeah, I guess just you know again,
it's one of the things where the hardcore community is really sort of rallied around
them and you know shown you know, financial support and everything to them.
So a new album coming out. I guess there's another way to show that.
And they are a good band, so that's coming up. We also
have the new album from under Dark, the second album UK black metal band.
They released a record in twenty twenty one that was pretty good. This
is a very interesting proposition. I think it's out on I think Church Road
Records, and it seems to be a sort of Midlands urban decay concept album
I suppose, of which they've released a track. I think the track is
really really promising sounding. So that's coming out in November. That would be
one of sort of the last albums really sort of you know, hit our
ears before we get to end of year season and all that. But that
sounds interesting. And then we also have Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes returning for
their fifth album. Where did that come from? That's that's really that's a
that's a wild stat right there. But their record is called Dark Rainbow and
the song they've released from it Man of the Hour. It feels like another
swing they always they seem to jump around quite a lot, and I think,
you know, Sticky, I think we'll probably go down at least so
far as the most sort of divisive, least liked, perhaps by long time
fans, Frank Carter the Rattlesnakes album. I know that he's obviously that they're
a really big band, so they're obviously there are fans there. But I
know, for our kind of demographic, the T and N community and so
on, Sticky seemed to really do a nose dive in terms of the the
positivity that was around Frank cart and the ratles Snakes. But this record is
very different. Again, at least the song is Yeah, I like this
song. I'm always down from Frank doing his crooning, kind of melodic vocal.
I think he's he's got the when his character really shangs from that,
I'm always like, yeah, it's cool. I think this. This feels
more believably believable. It's Frank Carter. Then. Like again, I think
Sticky was, you know, they wanted to have fun, cut, loose,
dance punk record and cool. But this feels a bit more again,
just a bit more authentic. I've never really liked Frank car Rail Snakes,
like I don't know what, it's never jeal with them. With each record,
I think they've gotten worse and worse and Sticky Yard I was in the
camp thing like truly like really rubbish record, But I admire the move on
this one, even if I'm not all that taken with it yet. It
sounds a little bit like sort of late stereophonics for my tastes. But the
one thing I've always admired about the rail Snakes is they're willingness to swing with
each record, like the fact that it's so obvious which album is, which
there's no one that's made of done them, buy another? And this promises
to be different again, So if you're if you're going with the direction,
that's exciting. Yeah, Like I I mean, I don't know if the
rattles nates I guess in terms of they're an interesting bad in terms of where
they live, I guess, and where they sort of evolved into. I
don't even necessarily they are primarily a sort of you know, heavy music sphere
band anymore. But this, uh, you know, this song, it
does it appeals to some different spots that Sticky didn't. And I mean the
album covered as like a hotel your album or something like that. So yeah,
I'm always curious what's gonna be going on? I do I like this
song and it's going to be that's out on January the twenty sixth. Questions,
we'll try and do this fairly quickly, but we've got a few Martin
or Longshore asks. Who are your favorite musical siblings? Probably Roger or family
members because they've said probably Roger and Freddie from Agnostic Front and Mad Bull for
me, who I believe like cousins or nephew or something like that. I
just thought about simbling straight away. And obviously there's loads personally, Obviously,
the first ones that come to mind, like the Cavaliers, the Abbots in
Pantera, the do plant Years in Gagia. Of those, I think I
would say the Cavaliers. Personally, I probably takes primer A Sepultura as my
favorite band of all those. Obviously there's the Youngs and a CDC fucking Van
Halen. I mean, you know, the Searls and the news that they
made together for a lot of listeners I know will be a thing. You
know, Keith and Jordan as well, though not these days, but you
know, historically there's a lot. I mean that was my go to pick
was the Buckleys, but again, like that's there's been a bit of ugly
fallout from again recently from certain interviews. So yeah, I don't know if
I can say that at this point. I mean, who could forget Zach
Ward and Charlie Bonance. Well, no, it should replace the Abbots of
course. Sorry, that's a joke that went completely over my head. I
apologize. That was better than I gave it credit for. Again, I
thought about I was like, my first in think was the Valeras, and
then I remember the Boler Brothers and at the Gates, who are probably actually
my favorite band to contain musical siblings. It feels like they're not sor at
the forefront. I was like, oh, yeah, the Abbots of the
Plantiers, the Calalaria's, But that's a that's a that's I mean the engine
of that band. Really. One of the more intense ones in terms of
the swing between the two members or three members really is the three Wilson's in
the Beach Boys, because Brian Wilson is maybe the greatest pop songwriter of all
time and Dennis Wilson was mates with the Madison family, so it's all good
company. The Beg's are all brothers, I think are Jerry Only and Doyle
brothers actually in the Misfits. There's a lot, are they? I think
so? Yeah? Well the idlers in Lamb of God I mean historically,
but yeah, there's a fair few in like black metalans. Again, one
I really loved I kind of like, oh yeah then is like the tallest
brothers in Rotten Christ, who have been the two members of that band who
have sort of kept the step ship steady. Football is You? Is my
favorite one in terms of like I guess the idea of them being brothers is
you know the Swedish sort of black thrash band Nifflheim. Oh yes, because
their two brothers in that band are known in Sweden as the heavy metal brothers.
And if you have it's like it's in Swedi's like it's like the hard
rock brothers or something. But like the if you have reached a point in
your life where you're covered in fucking like spiked bracelets, I would say bracelets
is bracers, isn't it? Bracelets makes that sound way too fucking clair successories,
But like, if you reached that point and you are known in your
local sea and as oh yea, that's the heavy metal brothers, You're you're
absolutely doing it right. If we're talking about brothers in Nippelheim, one of
my favorite metal stories ever is them talking about I think there were towe about
Metallica cutting their hair. And again if you don't know, if you're listening,
the Nippleheim brothers are basically completely bored, but I have really loved and
one of them was in he said, like we in Nifflheim, we may
only have one there on our head, but it will be long. Yeah.
If we're talking sort of the iconic pairings where the brothers actually feel like
a famous part of the image of the band, So like Pantera, Gagira,
I guess you could throw a CDC and van Ham in that as well.
I would have the Cavalleras. But there are bands where you almost forget
that are brothers in them, so I would maybe take over all of that.
Kyle Finnity asked with the Live Nation cuts, do you see merch prices
going down or staying as they are? I guess you've got to look at
the small print for this, which is a we don't currently know or his
eye don't if it's going to be in the UK, all the revenge in
the US, so for us I don't think it means jack shit. And
also it was for the next ninety days, so I guess probably stayed the
same. I mean, accident they won't be going on going down either.
But I don't see the prices going down either, to be honest, because
I know band's sort of raised the prices to compensate for merch cuts and that
sort of thing. But if people are willing to pay those prices, and
most people don't know that this development has happened, I think most bands are
just going to go, let's just you know, we'll scrape a bit off
the top for ourselves for the first time. So I mean, I don't
know. That's very cynical, but I don't see it changing. Prices don't
tend to go down for things, sure, O Brian asks this is you're
no way to put this question in. It's basically for you, Elliott.
Where do you draw the line between songs and albums being objectively good and it's
just being a personal preference that you think it's good. Is there even such
a thing as objectively good? And if so, what qualities make it so?
Is it true that some albums are so objectively good that you can't say
they are bad, but only there isn't to your taste. Now, in
general, I try and tell a sort of line of this. I think
it's just about being a reasonable person, right in terms of how you want
to come at things. Like what I mean by that is you can go,
oh yeah, I don't like this, but you know, maybe it's
just not for me or whatever, and you can recognize certain like oh yeah
for the demographic this is for for the person who this might chime with,
this is clearly well done or whatever. But this basically does come down to
the word objective in tandem with subjective art being an inherent cardtradiction doesn't Elliott,
yes, I to the Patrid specials. If you need more, ye need
the whole thing, don't find it there. But somearis there is no such
thing as objectively woden it comes to art, and anyone who thinks there is
is an irredeemable fool. And the phrase I got issue is like something so
objectively good that you can't say it's bad. I mean, I have no
person I have no problem personally with saying that something that's widely beloved is rubbish,
because if you don't like it. That's essentially the same thing like if
someone goes someone came to me, and when I know Sergeant Peppers is a
shit album, I'd hope that I'm not so like arrogant and insecure that I
need them to quantify that with a bunch of Oh. But I don't really
like the Beatles. It's not really my sort of thing. But I appreciate
that it's actually really good. I just don't understand it. It's not for
me, but it's not. It's just not for me because you you know,
other people might have a better grip it, like just just have a
normal conversation in it. I think if someone says I think this album's rubbish,
you know what they mean. You know, yeah, I think in
the in the context of reviewing something, I think it is helpful to go
I don't really like this kind of thing. I obviously think it's bad,
but I'm not the best judge of it in the way that like, you
know, if I didn't like coffee, I wouldn't go and be a coffee
taste and just go like all day. That would be a waste of time
and no use to anyone. But in just in just general chats. I
don't know why we have this whole like court of law thing where it's like
you have to admit it's good even if you don't like it. What I
mean, Yeah, again, there are things that I will like, so
like, I don't like it, but I can I can respect you know,
it's important. Blah blah blah blah blah. I'm also like, I'm
not going to still pretend that I think I have to, you know,
admit that I'm wrong for thinking it's a pilot toss. Yeah, it comes
down to a weird sort of a fluctuation in language, I suppose, where
people assume there has to be some kind of like outright objective truth in a
statement on a piece of art that's never going to happen, you know.
Like and like I said, it's about just for me, the way I
come out it is is about just sort of being level headed and reasonable.
If I commit to saying something is rubbish, it's because I think it's rubbish,
right, But there are things like I said, where I go,
oh, you know, I as you say, Elliott, this isn't in
my wheelhouse or whatever. But clearly there are things about it. I can
see how it would connect with someone and I don't have to be a dickhead
about that. I don't have to come out and be in the most like,
oh you are you are wrong and if you fucking think that this this
thing is bad is good even that I think is bad. But I don't
know why there is this sort of like I completely I didn't even thought about
it in so heavily away, But when we've had the AA said awf for
discussion. You're right. The court of law thing of like you can just
say you think something's bad and people know that it's an opinion because because that's
what an opinion is. There's this weird like you have to distinguish opinions from
facts that feels like it should just be a given based on the fact that
you personally are saying it. It's just a really fucking bizarre thing. So
it's just for me. A big part of it is the arrogance of the
people saying that. Is if I say, oh, that album's rubbish and
they go, no, it's objectively good, it's like, oh, so
I'm glad I checked, like, yes, it was rubbish. And if
I go on the record saying again, I don't believe this, But I'm
just using an example of like a really beloved album. If I was to
say on the record, okay, computer is shit, right, that doesn't
change history, That doesn't make it means you think that's that's not a that's
not a jury decision, right, there's not a verdict being passed here,
and we lock it away for eternity. That's just really, I don't need
a right to reply. Yeah, there's just it's some guy the said a
thing that you know is an opinion. I get like, that's not my
opinion. I'll just use that as an example. But it's just it's a
weird fucking basically, you know, there are there are records where you can
recognize, oh, yes, this is well played, this is well composed,
the yadda yadder, But an opinions an opinion, and you can say
it without having to, fucking I don't know, jump through eighteen hoops every
time you fucking do it. It's just nonsense. And then Jack Cousins asks
genuine question, do you agree that Busted are better than ninety percent of pop
punk bands? And yes, I can't as a pop punk band. Here
is the thing with this, I don't know why we need Busted to be
a pop punk band. You can just enjoy them as being a pop band.
There's no punking it. It's it's it's insecurity of like not being able
to pop music. But no Busted arm better than nine cent pop punk.
Be well, I mean, I pick a figure, but is Busted like
a really good like great Sis calog E actually got a good album. Yeah,
there is material and those records. That is like again, I used
to love Busted when I was like six years old. I don't listen to
anymore because I'm an adult and it feels like music again. I don't mean
this is to mean anyone who does still love them, That's fine. You
can be nostalgic about it whatever. You can love those songs. But for
me, when I listened to my go okay, this is music meant for
children. I have grown past this. I don't need it. I don't
need to play with you anymore. But that you can still just enjoy them
as a Oh yeah, that that's a band who wrote a catalog of as
you say, sam greatest hits, pop songs or whatever. But I don't
know why, I'll say I know there is there is a lineage of like
maybe people who got into Busted then grew slightly older and found out about blinkin
Ay two and YadA YadA. That is the timeline that is like, we
don't we don't review their albums. You know, it's because I don't think
they're that fucking relevant to our interests, I think. But a big part
of this comes down to most modern pop punk is absolutely god is a job
that is in the absolute pits right now, which is where the point that
Blink when to releasing two pretty good songs. I guess last week good everyone
throffing the mouth saying pop punk has been saved, but because like sta like
all rappling away two songs are a revelation for the genre right now, because
that's how bad it is. And I then that's why a lot of people
are super nostalgic for Busted, because pop punk and any of that sort of
thing is so bad that you can kind of Beanis says like, oh,
but this is what it was good, and I'm just like, yeah,
I just I don't know when it happened where we live in the world where
pop punk is somehow more mature and credible than pop But if I was Busted,
I'd rather be a pop band. I mean, in terms of public
perception, it's a strange thing to be like, all right, listen,
guys, you are a great pop band. If you get even better,
you can graduate to pop punk. It's like, what, that's the hierarchy.
That's the way we're going. Like, like, you say, why
do we need Busted to be in pop punk? Yeah? I agree with
that. It tells again this this question. I mean, if you're gonna
be really like literal about it, they are better than ninety percent of pop
punk because, like most, ninety percent of anything is going to be subpar,
right, because it's just average. They do have a they said they
wrote in their prime. They probably wasn't they wrote it was it. But
you know, Busted have a collection of songs that are catchier, more memorable.
They are. Yeah, they are more hard hitting in the memory pop
hits than the vast majority of pop punk bands have. I don't take them
more seriously than I do most pop punk bands who actually mattered, right,
like pop punk bands who we have in the lineage of good ones, I
probably don't care about listening to Busted, or am I going to pick listening
to Yellow Card, I'm going to reach the yellow card every time. I'm
sure when that's one thing that maybe someone would agree with, but you know,
you might say and they fucking if you want to throw no effects in
the equation or anything like that. I don't know, but yeah, I
just I just feel like it's a thing where it's busted. You know,
they have a collection of nostalgic hits that are I'm sure people love and I
don't but gross people loving it at all? You know, go while,
But I don't know why we need to constantly drag rock musick to out and
by forts busted into the equation basically ejectively bad yes and for disagreeing. Okay.
Usually at this point we would plug the Patreon with a new album club
pack that we've just recorded prior to doing this. If you heard last week's
show announcement, then you would know that this time it's actually going everywhere because
we have teamed up with the folks at Down Nations Festival, who bring you
a album club slash preview show I guess of some of the special album sets
that they have coming up at this year's event. To avoid confusing your podcast
feeds. With that being the case, with two episodes on the same day.
I'll put that up in a couple of days time, but we have
just recorded it. And guys, even if you're not going to Downation or
have no intention of doing so, this is a still sick bunch of albums
that we have that we've got to go in on. Some have been album
clubs in waiting for Ages, both from the you know, the underground and
the relative mainstream of metal. What treats I mean, like I said,
a total revelation for me of a band. I've been aware of their importance,
but actually finally seeing them and listening to what you would reckonize their masterpiece
has just been like, holy fucking shit, this is one of the greatest
extreme metal albums ever. Yeah, and we finally spoke about the oncoming storm
and people want us do that. Forages a bit of a detox after last
month's Attila Slushbox twenty debarkle like funny it's called Acacoca and Dead Guy a detox
after anything, But yeah, I've gone from like super excited for the first
of all to like looking at the calendar now just and the fact that like
there's still other things to go for. It's just the best. Yeah,
so very much you get so that'll becoming a couple of days time. Do
check it out, even if you're not a damnation go It's some great fucking
records. And like Elliott said, with last month being very about something else,
next month we'll swing around to get to something else again. That's how
we do it. So that's that's that's what's going on. You guys who
are signed up at the Patreon, we have not forgotten about you. We
do appreciate your continued generosity. Next up is indeed the continuation of a relatant
Chains special. You've had a few weeks to digest part one with those monumental
records in that first part, But this time we are going to close up
the lane s daily years and we're going to hit even more all time high
watermarks, like the amount of messages that we got after the first part going
like yeah, Dirt is good and all, but I can't wait till you
get to Alison Chain's unplugs like that is all coming. If you want to
check out just the Dirt discussion to see if you want to get in you
know further, you can find that on the Abastment on YouTube channel and there
will be several more hours of AIIC coming at you at patron com slash.
That's not matter. Let's close this extended hyper Blasts with an extended album list
because it is the This is probably the biggest pairing of like Busy Weeks in
the calendar all year. And it's combined with the fact that last we didn't
have a hyper blast because we did our review show. We saw we got
a few things left over from last week that we didn't talk about. Let's
dive into all of this. First up, the one you are all waiting
for. I'm sure last week we did not talk about, I'm sorry,
the release from Samurai Pizza Cats and their new album You're Helcome, Sam Do
you know what I'm talking about? As this bypassed you, I've heard the
name. I definitely rememb about them, and I think I've blocked out to
see some red Pizzacats and just got it's it's I believe an electric coolboy sort
of side thing. There are some members that's involved. Your Helcome is certainly
a title. Let's move on. Half a Coward released an album called This
Place Brings Only death Half a Coward. It feels like, I don't know
there was there's been less buzz around this for want of a better word.
The last you know, Half a Coward seemed to have sort of moved into
a point of being, I don't know, like kind of continuing to do
a thing that's maybe gone slightly out of fashion. That they are a you
know, a tech Fest mainstay, and that I know tech Fest isn't actually
thing anymore, but that's the kind of position they they landed in and they
carry on doing that. Yeah, I wish them well, and I'm sure
this record has you know, if you if you are heart of a Coward
lifer, I'm sure it will hit that same spot for you. This is
a record that did get a decent bit of praise. Guilt Trip a Uk
I think kind of crossover thrash hardcore band. I've seen them alive a couple
of times. They released a recordord Severance, that definitely got some tongues wagging
for just pure riff power. Elsewhere we got Three Teeth and Endex kind of
industrial metal, sort of modern mainstays at this point, Ken Mode reason now
I'm called void and I had to be like Oh my god. I can't
believe it's so soon again because they at leased one last year. But I
guess that these two records are. I think the first one was called Null,
So it's sort of a pairing of existential crisis records, as you can
imagine from a noise rock band like them. This one I completely didn't know
about. Killed Devil Hill came back last week. Did you have this,
Elliott? They've got a record Seeds of Oblivion Killed Devil hillback. I'm assaulted
as you asked me that, because I remember you bringing them up before.
I was like, I remember that. Oh god, you've just referred Pan
Terror in air quotes. It's a good time to bring back my side project
that no one likes. Yeah, but they've got a record out also in
alternative rock stuff. It was a decent week last week because we had a
Pew Pew Pew p PQ with Sick Days. That's a band too have sort
of become, you know, fairly well liked that sort of Menzingery sort of
realm, and then similarly also had a black band I believe I've seen supporting
the Menzingers sincere Engineer Police record called Cheap grills, moving completely the other direction
in the extreme area Profanatica. We're back with a record called Crux Simplex,
the fucking grottiest black metal band in the world, the funniest man in black
metal if you ever read anything about him. I was pissing myself over the
censoring on the Spotify version of this album cover where it just does the tiniest
little portion of a crotch and just leaves everything else completely on the show,
because that really makes a difference. We also have a final Gasp, Morning
Moon and Silence in the Snow ghost Ie Is I'm not talking about the Trivium
album for once. Both of those are kind of in a post punky sort
of realm. And then we also had this is actually pretty cool. There's
an EP from a band called Morning called Hive of Resentment, and it's kind
of spin kick black metal is about the only way I can just describe it.
It's it's like a kind of it's like, you know, a crossover
hardcorey thing like you can imagine bands like maybe Gilt Trip doing, but we're
full of like icy black metal rifts. It's pretty cool, and literally the
last track on it's like three tracks The last track is a dungeon stints outro
like brilliant. Yes, more and more of that. Let's move on two
this week, which I think is I'm going to say, the biggest fucking
week in the heavy music calendar this year. We did review last week the
new Blood command Alb, which is out today. It's called Word Domination.
It's fucking mental, it's so so erratic. I think people are gonna have
a lot of fun with it if they just go with that kind of spirit.
I'm intrigue definitely to hear what people make of it. Now they can
hear it elsewhere. There's a bat called Code Orange who have released an album
that's called The Above that's out and speaking of fucking you know, throwing you
for a loop, there's gonna be this is gonna get tongues wagging. This
is gonna split people. This album. I've had a week of it and
I'm just there's there's gonna be a lot of that. We will talk about
it further elsewhere, but yeah, fucking hell, big day. We've also
got similarly, you know, there their peers in the kind of hardcore world.
Harm's Way came back after a fairly decent Absence with a record called Comments
Suffering. That is one that we are going to talk about as well,
following up more in that kind of vein Coyo. This is about that you
quite like Sam right, Yeah, nice melodic melodic hardcore slightly like they kind
of tread the line between melodic hardcoren pop punk like quite nicely. But they're
really cool. Yeah, And their record is called would You Miss It?
And then we also have Grove Streets formally Grove Street Families, a band here
whose record is called The Path to Righteousness. Let's spin over to something that
I will I mean, I have been, but I will continue to be
spinning very heavily. The new Primordial album is called How It Ends Imordial.
I know they're not they're not a big name for this podcast necessarily, but
they are like probably my second favorite band of all times. So this is
obviously a big old one for me that I'm going to be going with.
And and the other one that I'm really excited about is a new record from
Maggot Heart. It's called Hunger. This band are brilliant. They are a
super fucking jagged, eclectic, weird, inventive kind of metallic post punk band,
I guess is what you would call them. I loved their last record,
so I'm really excited to actually check out this one tomorrow. Blackstone Sherry
got a record called I Love the Pivots. We can do with this screaming
at the Sky is. There's Stephen Wilson. His new solo record that we
spoke about, the announced a few weeks ago, actually is out. It's
called the Harmony Codex gun Ship. Speaking of busts, actually wasn't one of
busted in or am I thinking of like Fight Start? I think it's fight
Star. That's what I'm think that getting the one of fight Star, who
wasn't Charlie Simpson Gunship Since by act they've got a new record and they've been
releasing loads of singles off it that have like guests on them. The unfortunately
one I can remember is Milky from Orgasm is on it. I'm sure there
are other people as well who are on their their records called Unicorn, kk's
Priest Leave Sinner Rides again, featuring such hits as One More Shot at Glory
that is out. You can go and listen to it and enjoy a stuttering
picture of a van on a screen more like hard rock stuff, Graveyard like
everyone that kind of like Swedish retro rock thing. They've been a fairly reliable
band in that realm. They've got a record six I haven't kept up,
but I'm presuming it if they're sixth one as in Hell. This was Michael
from Volbeat's death metal band that he announced a little while ago. That record
is out today. If you want to hear what he's getting up to it
that it's called imp Horror Novosa jail Break. That is at least South American
thrash sixty eight with their record. Yes, and Dot Dot Dot, isn't
that Josh? It's yeah, Norma Jeane the Chariots. It's gonna like garage
rock two pieces. Yeah, And I think you can tell from that whether
that's going to be you or not. Great band name here, Filth is
Eternal. Their record find Out I quite enjoyed. If I remember greatly this
band's previous record, you can imagine that's kind of a hardcore, grindy,
sludgy sort of affair. Let's keep going some. I think there's on twenty
bucks spin, so if you're into extreme stuff, you'll probably go over there.
Ruined Lust Dissimulant one. I actually a few here, but I am
again quite excited to actually check out. There's a man called Moonlight Sorcery whose
record is called Horned Lord of the Fawnered Castle. Again you know from that
whether you like it or not, but genuine I think it's their first full
length. They had like two really good EPs and this is the full length.
You know, it's blue cover black metal. You know what I mean
by that. It's fucking hyper melodic, you know, Swedish style. But
there's an amazing guitar playing in this band that genuinely sounds like quite a lot
of Children of Bodham influence. So if you feel like, if you you
want to hear something that's maybe a bit dissectiony but has those crazy sort of
guitar acrobatics, I do recommend the new Moonlight Sorcery record. Also WHOA as
in like misery as opposed to WHOA long running USBM bats. I've actually been
listening to a decent out of Woe in the kind of week running up to
this. Forgetting There had an album coming out, so that's perfect timing for
me. The records called Legacy of Frailty. We've got Is Scandia and Spirit
of Silvestris more on that front. And finally, we have an ep out
from only one of the best fucking most beloved extreme metal bands in the world.
Wolves in the Throne have an ep out called Crypto Ancestral Knowledge, which
is like a bit of a coda to their last full length record, which
was fucking brilliant. Oh my god, WHOA what a couple of weeks.
There are some albums in that batch that you may have noticed. We're not
included in our September episode. That would be very weird to not touch on.
October has its own fucking busy lineup, but we are, in fact,
as well as the ads and Chain special, we are going to be
dusting off the Hyperblast Reviews episodes as well, and next week's episode here on
Friday. It's going to take some you know, particularly continually evolving hardcore bands,
maybe x hardcore at this point, who knows. Under the ninth.
Thanks you so much for listening. Get in on all the album clubs that
are coming here in a couple of days time, Completely on us and we
will see you soon. But I