Hello everybody, Welcome to twenty twenty four and welcome back to That's Not Metal,
the award winning podcast. You thought we weren't going to take that opportunity
immediately, You're wrong, guiding you through the essentials in rocking heavy metal,
and we're back at it again for yet another year. You can't stop us,
don't even try. We hope you had a jolly old festive period.
But the grind begins again now and kicking off that's no matter this year.
I am paren Hayish as always. That hasn't changed. Sam Dignon is here
for this first edition of five of Blasts, and we've got Mark Anderson with
us for this one as well. Happy New year, gang, Happy.
I mean we've we've we've spoken in the time since then. We got to,
you know, talk about our big favorite lizard. We did Godzilla,
yes, but you know, proper musical that's no matter begins here. Hello
everybody, Yes, yeah, no, this is this is like I say,
the beginning of and like, yeah, thank you for voting for us
on that Pop babeward all the listeners that that was. That was a nice
like like like yeah, I mean, well I'll get to that in a
minute. But I guess, how about this, What was the best show
that you went to over the Christmas period after we'd stopped doing kind of weekly
coverage that kind of thing. Did think I went to any Blood Commander that
in that category. I think I briefly gave them a shout. We didn't.
I think it's probably review the Bloo Command show and that that I went
to, but I kind of I might mention, but yeah, you know,
it was Blood Command being brilliant that the the world Domination tracks they can
now sprink into the set list is just these kind of like either like wild
Ferrell blasts of like Chaos or that when they can start line dancing during some
of them and all things like that, or doing the Welcome to the Next
Level and then just like free shapes on the stage. Excellent stuff. I
love Blood Yeah. For me, it was the Paradise Lost Icon thirtieth anniversary
show in Bradford with my dying bride. I'd never been to Bradford before we
got told to go sample the curry scene there. We went to an Indian
that does the largest narans in Yorkshire or something like that. It was fucking
mental. It was like the size of the table. The gig was good
as well. Madame Bride were beautiful, but that Naran will stay for me
for life. How you doing, Mark, I'm all right, I can
review doing justin Bieber karaoke with my brother. That's just in the comfort of
your own home. Yeah. So we are almost two weeks into January now,
Tea, and I'm starting a bit late to the New Yeal. It
was just because of where the Fridays fell. But we got the most you
know, important bits of news from the last few weeks since we've been off
air to kind of pour over, and the first of which to address,
as Sam was alluding to it pertains to just us for once. But yeah,
we won a pod Bible award. We had you know news a few
weeks ago that we've been very out of the blue nominated for Best Music Podcast
twenty twenty three by pod Bible, which is a magazine that specializes in podcasts,
and last week we actually won the thing, which which is a hilarious
outcome. We were giggling when we were nominated that we've spent the last couple
of shows reviewing like really cult obscure metal releases and then weally, just like
the Halloween Roulette was sort of really soon before we got announced for it.
It was like that and the Malacarbatan review and stuff. But then you know,
and then we've been plopped into a category against like actual famous people.
You know, it's not an award for best Metal or best Alternative Podcast or
anything like that. The net was wide and now we can say not only
pod Bible Award winning, but Gary Kemp defeating podcast. Right. That's that's
on our resume now. And you know, in all seriousness, when I
saw the award was listener voted, I actually thought we might be in with
a shot, because getting our foot in the door of these kind of things
is the kind of weird bit for us, because you know, we're not
part of a larger media outlet. We're not part of it with anyone.
The actual nomination was kind of the really mental thing to happen because I guess
that required, you know, I guess someone at pod Bible who knows who
we are and likes what we do to put us forward. So whoever that
was, you know, maximum hails to you. But once we were in
there eligible for votes, I thought we might actually be in with a chance
here because I bet the tn M listeners will show up if we're up for
something like this, and lo and behold you did. So thank you to
everybody who cast your vote for us. This year is going to mark the
ninth year of this show running. We obviously look very different to how That's
No Metal did back then, But considering we are that far into being just
an independent heavy music podcast, come on or here to talk about new music
to you, with no stake in any battle. You know, the winds
of favor change all the time and all that. Something like this is a
massive reward and a reminder that you know, you guys still care and are
still there for what we're doing and are enjoying the work we do. And
that's a wonderful boon to start twenty twenty four with when we're looking ahead to
all the stuff we have in store for you. So cheers very much.
News that isn't just us cloating again several weeks worth. We're not going everything.
But I couldn't believe that we hadn't that this one. This feels like
it's so long ago, this first story. Yeah, I mean it did
land in the gap for us didn't it like this has a few you know,
Bringing the Horizon are currently a very relevant band into you know, this
isn't just a few week old piece of news. This is currently they are
anywhere you look in the UK. Their tour is unfolding. So Bringing the
Horizon art you know, in a lot of different places right now, and
they have a few different news stories attached to them. The big one from
a few weeks ago, and I guess probably the most like wow, piece
of news from the time we haven't doing new shows. As you were saying,
Sam, is the fact that Jordan Fish has split from the band Bringing
the Horizon are. I guess they must have someone on tour with them right
now, but from what I gather, he wasn't on tour with them for
at least the last tour if it was in Japan before he announced his departure,
they had someone else doing his stuff at that point. I didn't realize
that until after happening someone point out from things, but I was like,
so they've clearly had this iteration really to go, but yeah, this was
this was out of the blue, like, oh yeah, as someone who
I'm a big bring Me fan, uh and have was when I was a
teenager, and I remember sort of when jo Nah left and then this new
guy came in, Jordan, we were all like, I was the leaning
in on the synth stuff, is that really gonna work? And then it
obviously it worked tremendously to the point where Jordan is now like he was seen
as like the second figurehead of bringing me, well, just this news,
shoot me. Basically I was like, what the fuck are they gonna do?
I think it's certainly true that if you were I mean bringing the Horizon
again very in the conversation as the biggest metal band of their generation, and
you know, the last ten years in which they have essentially achieved that.
I think a lot people would point to Jordan Fish as the kind of most
influential person in that band as to where their sound went. I think he
absolutely is. I think again, before he came in, they dabbled with
the electronics, but him coming in and what he did and how he did
it, and then when you sort of started to become more and more like
ideas and essentially shape what the next ten years of shitty knockoff want to be
metalcre bands are going to try and copy like he is such a pivotal point
in where bringing the horizon when and it was to me it was like,
you're getting the guy who has shaped your sound even more definitively arguably than Nolly
has over the last decade. That's crazy. Yeah, I mean, I
guess the argument is there that you know, he did his role of you
know, he kind of helped send them in that direction, and now they
are so far down that path that it's not like him not being there is
going to suddenly, you know, revert them to something else or whatever.
Like I'm sure that they will continue on roughly in the sort of realm that
they've been and where you know, jorder Fish helped propel them. But I
guess it was, like, you know, it's one of the more surprising
band you know, departures that we've had that isn't from Slipknot in the last
you know, several years even, but bringing us up to much more current
affairs. They have this week again as their tour has kicked off in the
UK, they've released a new single called kool Aid And currently I don't know
if this is again because the way our podcast kind of goes out on the
day before we've actually heard the news or anything, but there was talk in
the middle of the week that it was on chant to be their first UK
Top ten single, which is I don't know, if it's just because January
has less going on, I don't know, but like that would be some
pretty surprising news going there and kool aid. You know, we haven't stopped
to talk to speak about every single bring Me a single, I guess because
we have been such a long old wait for that next post human record that
we've heard so many songs from it. But this one, I I think
this is my This is the most I have liked to Bring the Horizon single
in several years, because I have I've really not liked most of the last
three to four years of their their single output. And I'm not saying this
is obviously, like you know, of the highest caliber of their all time
singles, but when put against the ones that we have been getting in you
know, the twenty twenties, the certainly the pool that are going into this
upcoming EP album whatever you want to call it, this is the one where
I've gone I can actually see myself playing that and not pulling faces as I
so. The first time I listened to it. I forgot it almost immediately,
and then after a coup more listens like, I mean that chorus is
a bit bit limp, but the chorus, it's only bringing chorus the last
couple of years that I've like gone, Yeah, that works. It's better
than like the Chorse to Die for You or the the shitty hyper pop one
like that was doing all over the place sort of stuff. I don't know
if I preached the Glassdoor song, but I like glass or so like,
but I do agree this is of the recent crop of and singles. It's
on the better end. It's got a mean riff, Like I quite like
the hand clap into like the opening I'm always going to go go for that
breakdown goes pretty hard. I just think it just it. It felt a
little bit bubble gum at first of kind of like nothing sticking with me.
But yeah, it's decent and I think like worth coming because this thing is
the first bringing the Rison song that doesn't have a Jordan Fish writing credit,
Is it really Yeah, Like my friend like did some digging. He said,
yeah, this's the first one of the reacent ones that doesn't actually have
him as having a ryning credit on it, so I was like that probably
again makes it worth a bit more discussion as to what it could symbolize.
I'm coming out this differently like I feel like this current batch of me sign
singles which has been going on for about two three years. Die for You
was twenty twenty one. That was the first thing we heard from this twenty
twenty one according to Spotify years. Yes, I was right at the end
of the year, wasn't it must have been like right? Yeah? Yeah,
all those thingles I like, I find them very middle of the road,
So I tend to like I like Lost the super Tiktoky one, and
I really like Die for You. Oh yeah, the main he went in
that direction. Yeah, because I think if you're gonna do this sort of
produced within an inch of its life sort of heavy but barely fucking heavy thing,
you might as well go crazy and hyper poppy with it. This is
so boring. Oh it exits my brain within a second, and the last
thirty seconds of it is completely fucking useless. Yeah. I don't know what's
going on there, but I think for me, like again, the most
exit my brain ones are Again I was before recording now, I was just
going over and refreshing myself on some of them. As there's that the like
I'd lost, I'd pretty much forgotten a Strangers, pretty much forgotten about dark
Side, pretty much forgotten about this one. I like, Yeah, the
one that I like because that's the Glass Draw one. This one is again
there's a legit riff that in a like again that the the the Glass Draw
of the Daryl Palumbo featuring one is the other one of this like six singles
that I think is like okay, but this to me again, this this
one has a riff in a way that isn't just like a tokenistic screamy heavy
way like it's just the actual song is based on a bounce, which I
like. And I also I think Olie these days with the direction that sounds
gone, he kind of is always just gonna sound obnoxious with how they produce
his voice. But the chorus to me on this one, it has a
kind of scale to it that is a little more paternal ish. It's like
the most all like this kind of modern hyper pop start, like you know,
leaning era of Bring Me. It's the most sort of like send paternal
grandeur ish. I have heard one of the choruses go and I think that
is the ingredient that has made me go like this one of these. You
know, for me, it's like a seven out of ten song when their
output for the last three years has veared from kind of fives and six to
you know, two's in like differ use case. I think as well,
this one actually at least sounds like Bringing with the Horizon, what like,
yeah, that big bring again. Whereas because again I like aiming, but
it's the thing I've knocked him for a bunch of recently, is that,
like, what do bring Withers actually sound like a lot of time it's oh
whoever's guesting on their song? Yeah, And I think that that is the
feature for me that again, the chorus on this, it reminds me of
like, you know, when I was quite a big fan of Bringing the
Horizons, you know, at their best kind of circle that's the spirit and
Ammo and those kind of things, and this sort of tapped into a bit
of that. So yeah, I think it'll probably end up being one of
my favored songs on this upcoming release whenever that arrives. And you know,
fair play for the current chants stats battle whatever is going on there. The
other really kind of I'm not to say shocking, maybe not shocking, but
I guess sort of somewhat has an era of finality to it. News that
we got in sort of, you know, end of last year beginning of
this one, is that the brad Wilk went to Instagram to basically declare the
Rage against the Machine reunion that has been going for a couple of years has
run its course. They are not planning on playing any more shows. Obviously
there was never any question of music really, but you know, they had
play shows in the US. They would go into play shows in the UK,
such as you know, Reading and Leeds, but they got canceled.
I believe that was due to Zack Della Rocker's injury, wasn't it. But
if you were waiting for those to be rescheduled or anything, it's not happening.
They're done this again. For me, like I never saw Rage in
any incarnation. Obviously, I wasn't around to see them in their heyday.
I didn't see them, you know, when they came back the first time.
Obviously they didn't come here at this time. So I think for me,
Ragi are always going to be one of those bands that like you know,
there were kind of a thing in history that I just wasn't around to
see in the same way as a you know, real panterra or type of
negative or whatever. So in a way it almost doesn't affect me because it's
kind of like Radient Machine now stay remaining exactly where they were, which is
in the rearview mirror. But I guess what do you make of the the
recent Ragient Machine reunion having kind of run its course and reached a point of
finality? I mean, I guess, I don't know. Is it because
of Zack's injury not healing up as as it should have, and you can't
like maybe just don't want to go out and tour again? Yeah, like
you like saying you don't like I don't know the reasons. I mean again,
I'm guided I'll never get to see Rage, probably, But at the
same time, they can just be that that band who were like when of
those great bands I'll never get to see. There's a whole bunch of them,
like sometimes as improven. Sometimes not seeing a band is better than seeing
a sort of latter of union. I'm not saying Rage we're going to be
like that at all. I know we've you know, given Tom Morello's kicking
and this rage, you might have been the one thing that kind of like
brought him back up in the estimations. But I like fair enough, you
know, they they don't have to do it, like and if they don't
feel like it is going to be real or genuine, whatever their reasons are,
that's that's on them. Yeah. It's funny because coming from the you
know, the UK perspective, they never came here, So in my mind
it just sort of didn't happen anyway. How many shows they did prior on
this run, But I don't know, it makes no difference to me.
Really, I wouldn't have been going to the shows anyway. Yeah, that's
sort of how I view it in a way that there were a couple people
being like, oh, you know for the kind of oh it's a shame
for their legacy. They didn't get to kind of put a big climactic standpoint
or anything, and they just sort of linked the finish line here is I
really in history? Is the twenty twenty three raging its machine? Where you
going to be the deciding factor for that band's you know, like most people
will forget that, ever, happened, and they were because they didn't release
the music, right, so you know radios, betwenes legacy and plays in
the history books. I think it's entirely unaffected by whether they came to the
UK here or not, or this particular you know reunion run. So yeah,
all agreed. It's basically they are They are history now and maybe that's
a maybe that's for the best. Sleep Token had the most streamed metal album
of twenty twenty three when the numbers were all added up. Obviously, that
means they outstreamed Metallica A then sevenfold, these other big bands who released,
you know, highly popular records. I would have predicted that. I think
that would have been my guess. And I think it also makes you know,
when we were talking about like, isn't it mental that the Grammy's looked
over sleep Token and stuff this time around, that makes it particularly wild that,
you know, on this cycle of all and they weren't kind of in
that conversation. But yeah, not a surprise there really if they're played a
sleep Token for those numbers. Now, speaking of bands actually come into the
UK, Corn this week have announced a hand full of shows, one of
which is their all time biggest UK show. They are playing Gunnersbury Park in
London with a bill that features Denzel Curry, spirit Box, Worgasm and Loathe.
They are also playing shows in Scarborough and Halifax, Yorkshire, pulling in
the big guns. For some reason, not all of that support bill is
on those shows. Unfortunately, if you're in the North, you're not getting
Denzel or spirit Box I think, but you know, those other ones are
milling around there. They have Corned been back since COVID. I just might
have This might be the big you know, post COVID return to the UK
for Corn, which is I guess that's what it must be five years or
so since they here. Yeah, I mean Gunnersy is kind of becoming the
hot spot for the new metal party of the summer. Bit one was these
three sites where they did the Limbiscuit and Pendulum to that little run last year
and so they've clearly gone well that went down. Well, let's you know,
get another sizeable new metal band and put together a cool kind of like
build that that fits them and like yeah, like Corn like something like what
like no, would it be the very fit of common When did the debut
come out? Not you fare like no, for yeah, no, soar
anniversary of the debut, I was like, yeah, no, it isn't
so like it feels all kind of like just a bunch of things lining up
for the for Corn to be able to pull off us or big celebratory show
like that. Yeah, I'm well tough for them. There's a bird time
they played something that big. Yeah, I'm looking at this. I'm looking
at the dates like I would love to go. It's around the corner of
for me, I feel like I have to go, Like yeah, Like
it's like the unfortunate thing is it's Bloodstock weekend. So if you are,
you know, going to that metal festival, which is a festival that some
people have gone, hey maybe Corn tore headline. You know, they're actively
diverting away from it this time, so you're not gonna be there. But
if it wasn't that weekend and I was in London with the full Denzel Curry
spirit box lineup, I would go to that. Maybe traveling to Yorkshire to
see Wargasm Open is like not quite as appealing, but certainly the big London
all day version of this show Corneder and a proper outdoor gig in the UK
Denzel Curry and you know that kind of full day thing. To me,
it has the similar vibes or something like that Queens of the Stone Ange and
Friends show that I went to several years ago, but you know, a
kind of new metal version and that you know, looks pretty grand. Indeed,
the poster is really cool as well. Fair play on the art design
on that one. Paramore almost not worth keeping up with. Kind of Paramore
stands speculation because that's a whole thing onto itself, and Paramore have been ruffling
all kinds of feathers recently amongst their hardcore fan base by doing things like deleting
their social media channels and all this kind of business. There's been weird rumors
that they were going to like Taylor Swift their way through their back catalog or
something for some record things. But amidst all of this in at a time
when some people are like, oh no, a Paramore gonna break up,
the first thing that they actually announces that they have contributed a Talking Heads cover
to the a twenty four Stop Making Sense movie kind of campaign that they've been
going on with, which is not out yet. But I think it's just
very funny that amidst all that kind of speculation around Paramore, the first thing
they imaged to is like, oh yeah, by the way talking Heads cover
Yeah, like you know, putting out a festival day exactly. It got
so bad that someone like a source close to the band had to confirm they
are not breaking up, Like it got so bad, but yeah, I
got I saw the troubler was like, yo, that's really sick. It
makes perfect sense that you know, of course they've done it. The back
of this is why and like you want, like a popular band who you
can slap on an a twenty four branded talking Heads cover album, Paramour are
like the go to as you're kind of like number one pick, like hell
yeah, I'm I'm excited for this. Yeah. So I haven't heard that
just yet, looking forward to that. What we have heard is Issues who
in one of our last hyperblasts of last year, we spoke about their decision
to disband and they're going to be going on a farewell tour this year,
and we spoke a little bit, I guess about the kind of the rise
and fall of Issues as a popular, relevant band and maybe you know,
some of the missed opportunities that were there or whatever, But they have put
out a farewell single essentially, I presume this will be the last one ahead
of their tour. It is cooled since I lost you and you guys as
the the issues fans who you know, we're talking about the sort of the
rise and fall of their their their music and you know, maybe rise again
at certain points whatever. I don't know, but if this is to be
the last issue song going ahead of that farewell tour, what do you make
of it? For this was surprisingly good. I had no expectations from a
farewell issue song at this point. I'm guessing it's Skylight on vocals, and
I'm like, why didn't they do more of him on vocal? Has got
a decent voice that like can hold the sort of like soulful pop melodies.
I found this less like intrusive on the ear, shall we say then,
like the Tyler Carter ear and stuff. I think the guy's kind of sort
of smooth and more soul inflective voice, like you were saying, like it
didn't do a huge amount for me, but like I listened to it,
I was like, this is something that you could least sort of you know,
sort of get into a laid back groove with in a again for a
non Issues fan, a pleasant enough way. The fucking the DJ scratches are
still a bit like funky Pigeon. But you know, as a song,
I thought it was solid. Yeah, it's funny hearing a vocalist with a
lower register. Yeah on it come in and that threw me off a wee
bit. But on repeat listens it is. It is really smooth and they
sort of play through his voice more where the instrumentation is a little bit more
jazzy, a little more more you know, loungey. Perhaps it's still like
the tech bouncy tech shit, but the chorus is really big, and yeah,
I kind of wish that this is what Issues were and continued to do.
Yeah, maybe there's like a it feels like a bit of a look
into a kind of alternative pathway that they know could have gone down and done
something with right. Dominating social media feeds for a lot of people in the
last week or so over the last weekend is something that we are going to
be We'll keep this somewhat short because we're gonna be talking some more about this
on something fairly soon. But f YA Fest in Florida, which is a
hardcore festival, one of the many large regional hardcore festivals I guess in the
US being played in seemingly just like a gymnasium with the just anything. Yeah,
but Dying Feet has played it, which is I guess unusual. The
people are like, oh, this is what's this death metal band doing at
this hardcore festival? But their fucking set has just been being circulated and circulated
for the absolute fist swinging carn is unfolding when you put that band who wrote
those beatdowns in front of like a US hardcore crowd who are ready to,
you know, throw some elbows, and I don't know, Dying Fetus Fever
has been sweeping sweeping the world. I mean you look at the setlets stay
play, and that's a band who have gone, we're playing a hardcore festival.
Let's just get our most fuggish, beat down heavy songs unless covering during
the Integrity cover for the first time, Like that is how you tailor that?
Like that is a perfectly tailored setlers for the set, for the for
the second they're in. And the thing that the video that doesn't for me
is there's the video of them at the end of in the trenches and when
they hit the beat down and start cheering audibly, everyone is like, oh
fuck, yeah shit, this is real. I'm like, ah, this
is just really cool to see. More like I welcome it. I would
love to more like legendary definital bands kind of just get their chance to play
a hardcore festival and have people go like fist swinging carnage to it. I'm
surprised it didn't happen sooner, because surely though the perfect death metal band for
it, And yeah, that's that footage is fucked so sick. I wish
I was there soul, but yeah, me too. And it has inspired
some very very funny Twitter conversations and back and forth as well. That again,
we'll maybe touch with a little bit more when we do something else right,
going back over sort of the festive period, I guess if we start
this at Christmas Day, you know day a side of course, I was
looking for my phone on Christmas Day and I thought, oh, there it
is. Of course it is released their first song in several years, called
Bury Your Bury the Cross with Your Christ on Christmas Day. It's good.
I think the last few day Aside records have been very, very good.
Indeed actually, and if this is a kind of hint that there is going
to be a new one dropping this year, I would I would absolutely take
that elsewhere we had. Jeff Loomis announced his departure from Arch Enemy, where
he has spent the last I think about a decade he was in that band,
and I know that this is one of the things that I think people
I presume I'm the only one here who can particularly speak to any sort of,
you know, opinion on this either way, I guess. But Jeff
Loomis was the guitarist in Nevermore and he was fucking incredible and they were incredible.
And when that band split up, the surprise news that he was going
to be joining Arch Enemy as their second guitarist came and a lot of people
were like, oh my god, he's like one of the most like visionary
guitarists in metal of his generation. What could he possibly add to that?
And then now a decade later, people like, oh, you just wasted
a decade in Arch Enemy. I think people have put too much kind of
thought on that. What did you really think he was going to do?
Like it was always Michael Lambert's band, Did you really think that he was
going to turn up there and completely revigorate the sound of it. And you
know, I think it was more of a like he had a nice time
for ten years. He turned up, he got to play some sweet guitar,
he toured the world for a bit in a band that wasn't his one.
Now he's going to go and do something else. Great. I don't
think there's much like the Jeff Loomis stint in Arch Enemy. I think has
had more headlines devoted to it than I think it really needs to be.
A man joined the band and had a nice time for ten years. That's
the extent of the conversation really. And now when we go to twenty twenty
four news again, we're gonna fly through this fairly quickly. But for the
first few days of this year, I thought it was going to be like,
wow, Like twenty twenty four is going to shape up to be an
all time crazy news year, because three days in we'd had like a story
a day that was just fucking batshit. It was like the Twelve Days of
Christmas because the first day we had news from Green Day that they had gone
on some New Year's Eve kind of show in America. They performed their song
American Idiots, and when they changed the line to I'm not part of your
maga agenda, loads of people got upset, seemingly realizing for the first time
in twenty years what Maerican Idiot is about, Like, you know, media
literacy is dead, and I'm like, yeah, yeah there. Green Day
bring politics into their performance of American Idiot just like and again like I was
like, oh no, can we not stop in Like Green Day are like
the radical political band now because it's fucking Green Day. They're the most kind
of like like but now liberal kind of proposition out this point, but not
a radical move to do this. No, it was like first day of
the year and Green Day had a one hundred hit record of being cool for
them, maybe we can carry that energy forward into next week when their album
comes out. But that was hilarious. The second day, it was just
a headline that just maybe we I'm not I've not even really looked at the
story in question, but the headline was Dave Ellison, when you bear it
all even nothing to hide? I missed this and when I looked at the
notes and saw that, I was like, I howed. I was like,
oh my how was he still talking about it. He's been out of
that band for like at least two or three years now, and he's still
having to be like, well, I'm proud I master be incredible stuff.
And then the third day the thing got really fucking dark and wild. One
of a former mister Bungle member who had performed the saxophone on I guess most
of their classic records in the kind of late eighties early nineties, has been
arrested and charged for the murder of his girlfriend. So fucking horrendous stuff going
on there. But yeah, really like twenty twenty four news came out of
the gate hard. And then as we close this up, just looking forward
to a couple of the album announcements that we've had for the coming months that
I think are worth looking at. Dudz Rete have returned announcing their new album,
which is going to be out on Mark to twenty second. This band's
previous album was one of my very very favorites of the year it came out.
You may remember they have released a single here, which is just the
kind of melodic black metal, you know, crust punk kind of mix that
I love from them. It has a guest solo on it from m from
Lamp of Murmur and when that starts it is just like proper heroic guitar hero
stuff. It's great. And then we also have gouage Away have announced their
third album, Sam you must be a gouge Away enjoyer, right, I
love Gouageway, And then them kind of coming back are like after several years
of just very quiet behavior is something I am extremely excited about. I'm pretty
sure the're on the Outbreak lineup, which is one one. I'm just like,
hell fucking yeah, Goageway are back for good and I'm going to be
seeing them in the summer. I might be making up on the outbreak lineup.
But yeah, a new album. Two songs which both are like really
different, one of the more kind of like screechy sort of punkin and one
kind of on the more like ambient, slower stuff. But yeah, this
is exciting times for me. Yeah, and those are a couple of records
that are coming in March. So questions for the first time in twenty twenty
four. Thank you very much to the members of That's Focused group who contributed
to these questions. That is the place you want to go if you want
to get in on questions every week, and we are going to start with
what Mark Paul is here as essentially as a stand in for the most frequently
asked question we got, as you can imagine, was basically like, what
are you looking forward to in twenty twenty four? What bands are going to
be releasing albums in twenty twenty four? Mark Paul asks, as I'm a
bit out of the loop, what albums are do you potentially do this year?
Are you most looking forward to? So, as I guess we don't
do the preview shows anymore, we might as well spend the first type of
last of the year talking about some of the albums that we are most excited
for in twenty twenty four. I have got an alphabetical list of a bunch
of bands that I am just particularly excited about releasing albums. But I can
throw to you guys, first of all, what are the albums who are
from bands who you are fairly certain are releasing albums this year? Not just
kind of wild speculating, but like they have. Yeah, I've not gone
You're excitful, full offbetical, But I mean, surely knock Loose must have
something in the pipeline with those singles and the tour. Like again, I
can't remember who's actually announced stuff to go, Like I'm like, they're that
Gollageway album that I've got in my eyes. It's better Lovers, I'd guess
would be on the sort of the punch. But again I've kind of like
not a chance to sort of sit down and look at and be like,
Okay, who's got stuff coming? What's announced? This is? This is
Blizard me a little bit this one outside of I said gouge Away there,
I'm sure there are plenty of that I've forgot about. Law Jane Gray's album
is due out. You know, I'm excited for that, even though it
should be an against me album, but it's never happening. Just give up,
Sam. Yeah, it's interesting, like of the sort of fixed releases
we know the release dates for these things, there isn't much. Like there's
a Judas Priest album obviously, I'm looking forward to that. I've quite liked
the singles from the some forty one album Last One, so you know it's
a double album, Like do we need a double album for the Last One
album? A little bit, there'll probably be one full album normal album's worth
of bangers on it, so I'll take that. Recently, just the last
couple of days, I've been checking out the Amaranth singles and even though Amaranth
thunder Band I particularly listen to full albums from often those are some bangers,
so they can deliver a couple more bangers on the record. I'm looking forward
to that. Three bands like Mark list of Amar is one of the There's
other bands who have released singles that don't have albums a thatch yet, so
I hope Royal Republic see Space Cowboy. There's a Japanese shoe gays band I
really like called April Blue. They released a song recently that's really good.
For Your Strong released a single just that sort of went under the radar at
the end of last year. It's pretty good. But hopefully there's an album
covering because I just I just love for Your Strong so much, and you
know, just hope one of my favorite bands release stuff. Jimmy World,
Devil Solders all who have Jimmy well will be nice considering they've been just sort
of dancing. Yeah. So my my alphabetical list of things that I was
just particularly excited about. Alcest I think I've recorded one. Black Curse,
the Black Dahli and Murder have said that they are going to Yeah, I
don't know if I'll be coming this year, but they have an album in
the pipeline and obviously that'll be really you know, important thing to kind of
look at. Bleeding Through confirmed that they have an album. Yes, especially
with last year, Blood Incantation have an album coming. One of the first
big ones that I'm really excited for what we're getting is in February, the
Chelsea Wolf album is coming out. That Dodd three album I just mentioned.
I'm excited for that one. I believe Duel we're probably going to be doing
something this year. High on Fire I think have been working on a new
album. I've heard this one and it's good, but you know, the
album in February. I'm excited to be out there. Inter Armor is one
of the big big ones for me. Judas Priest as well. He's been
talking about it a lot in the last couple of weeks. So I don't
know if it's coming this year. But Kerry King album that he's kind of
basically you know, his new band that seems to just be like Slayer.
But what if it was only Kerry King, but I like Slayer enough to
be like, yeah, it's been a while, give me some Kerry King.
Let press are working, have got a new album in the works,
Nails new album coming over the summer, apparently Oceans of Slumber. I've been
working on another one, a Rancy Pazuzu. I'm really excited for Rotten Christ.
I'm excited for another fairly early one in February. Getting Spectral Voice unto
others, is obviously a huge, huge one. I'm really excited for the
debut Vicious Blade album and some again I'm not sure are definites, but like
Ulva released a single just randomly like last week of twenty twenty three, maybe,
and if they've got another one coming out. I still fucking listened to
Flowers of Evil all the time, so give me more of that. I
would love there for there to be a Converge album this year, like whether
that be Blood Moon two or you know, the follow up to the Dusk
in Us, whatever form that would take. It's been you know, enough
years now from both of those things for sure, something to be arriving,
so I would love for that to happen. Similarly, been saying every year
for several years now since he released a fucking single. But King Diamond Slash
Mercil Fake have albums that they are just sitting or not doing anything with.
Apparently second year in a row where Tom Jy Warriors said yeah, the Tripic
one album's come in. So if that came this year, that would obviously
be the one I'm the most excited for. And again, like you were
saying, Sam, I hope that off the back of those singles as a
knock loose album, that would be nice in that kind of hardcorey world.
The ones that I'm looking at where I go, Yeah, that would be
cool is a flesh Water, which is the kind of vein spinoff band.
But they seem to be gearing up to do some more big things this year.
I just saw a status earlier today that Hi Viz are working on the
follow up album to the really good one from There's a lot of the outbreak
bands I'm looking at being like, okay to share Maria coming back? Can
they have a you know, it's been been a good while, it's their
last album, be nice to have from them. Yeah, And then again
you might notice from that list I put together there's a lot of underground bands
there. I was struggling to think of big bands that really are definitely releasing
records this year. Every big band that I really care about has I either
released an album like within the last couple of years or just seemed to be
off grid or something like. The only one I could come up with is
obviously MCR released a single. Will they ever release more? But that's again
for a lot of it's on the underground stuff. So if big bands come
through with big records, that would be something of a surprise. So that
would be nice indeed, right. Gary Blackwood asks best examples of bands whose
debut album didn't live up to the hype of their early releases or EPs.
My example is Hot Milk. The EPs were great, but for me,
the album like everything that made those great. Also do a Pearl Jam,
specially your big Cows. Congratulations on the award. Do you really want me
to fucking talk through Pearl Jam catalogue? Maybe if someone really cared, But
like, I don't know if that's a one that's like screaming out of us
as one that you need to hear us as a group of people, particularly
talking even when I'm not that you know, I only probably would like Pearl
Jam because they're you know, as we said on the they're like the Springsteen
of the grunge bands. Even I find Pearl Jam a bit boring. Yeah,
anyway, I actually this is the question I struggled with. I could
think of bands who you know, had really big debuts and they never quite
topped. There are a couple of like you know, there are again,
there are underground extreme metal bands who released like a legendary demo and then never
fucking released anything else. But like bands who released really great EPs or let's
say demos, early releases and then the album wasn't as good. Made one
that jumped immediately to mind, which was Activist. That's the only one that
I could think of as well, Like they spun spraight straight to mind and
that like on that like EP, the buzz and excitement around that band was
like, this could be the next big crossover thing. You know, They're
they're supporting Corn at Brixton, They're opening the main stage at Reading Festival.
There was all of the science pointings there and then combination of it took too
long to get out, and then it also wasn't as good as the EP
meant, all of the buzz around that band disappeared so quickly. Another words
was like, because this wasn't exactly like their debut EP or debut album.
It was they've had stuff before it, but that that was kind of just
massively overlooked over here in it. But like Crosswack had a kind of sort
of thing like this where Zion was more or less their debut over here,
Like no one over here really paid any attention to the first EP or album
and that got so much buzz. And then I still really like what the
Abams have done since then, but that that didn't exactly you know, take
off after this like explosive EP that got them noticed here. Yeah, Actavists,
That's that's it. I was soul in on that EP, and even
though I listened back to it quite often with sort of rosy eyes, tears
in my eyes, Like even though the even though the record Actavis put two
years ago, I really like, I think that's wicked, but just the
momentum wasn't there for the many Moore. Yeah, I both activist debut albums.
I don't I don't fully subscribe to the idea. The EP was amazing
and then the album was like really disappointing or anything. I think it was
more just two longs. Yeah, like the moment was really there with them
on the EP. And then the albums, which again have been good,
but they haven't quite captured the magic, I guess. And again the album
the first one I like, but the best song on it was Elevate,
which was a song that was kind of brought over from the EPs. And
I guess, you know, if I'm if I'm ever in a mood to
kind of go and relive the activist days, I probably will just put the
EP on rather than anything else. But that's that's the one example that very
obviously sprang to mind really Uh. The other one that just spunk to mind
just now is a band we talked about earlier. Issues. Oh, I
mean I like the album, people love didn't it, But people didn't love
it as much as the EP. A lot of people will point to the
EPs to kind of like this was the best thing Issues ever did, and
I'm like, I kind of get it, Like I still really like a
lot of that first album, but there were there were people who were switching
off on the album even after just the EP, like Callum Reid asks bands
who you think have a later classic era that matches or even exceeds their earlier
classic period. I think I've heard Creator being mentioned on the pod as an
example, but any of that come to mind, I think Creator is one
that I wouldn't say exceeds because ultimately, like you know, if I'm picking
a Creator record for the whole Hall of Fame, it's always going to be
pleasure to kill, and that early year is amazing, but certainly they have
a second classic era that you know it's lasted longer for sure, and they
have they are a band who are hitting at that higher level still. Again,
the go to examples for me, I've got two that are always true
and if actually come up with you more around them as well. But the
two that mediates me to mind me always are if you include Monotheist from Celtic
Frost and then continuing that over into Triptocon that as an era I think out
class the eighties classic Ketty Frost era. And the parallel example is Napalm Death,
who I would say for me, I would have kind of from two
thousand and five to obviously they haven't followed up the latest record yet, but
I mean just let's say, in terms about put twenty five to twenty twenties.
You know code has read smear campaign time, wait for no slave,
utilitarian, apex, predat easy me and throws the joy of the jewels of
defeatism. That is the best and apalm death material, I think, And
so those are the best two. I think. My other ones, again,
I would say, are similar is Rotten Christ's Rotten modern Day from kind
of Theogonia in two thousand and seven through to today. I think a lot
of people would say that that is their kind of best era if they're not
like really nineties purists about it. And then again similarly to what we were
saying earlier, but one that I've been thinking about dying thetus Reign Supreme two
the present day, I think, particularly on the back of Reign Supreme.
But you know, when you've got you wrong one to fuck with and make
them beg for day, maybe collectively killing an adrenaline, the grow tesquing palement,
ep destroy the opposition, stop at nothing. Maybe you could say that's
collectively a stronger run than the last three. I don't know, but it
is it is close. And are those are the obvious ones. For me,
Napalm Deaf were the one that sprung to mind to me as the obvious,
I don'tice because just not enough of my favorite bands have like long enough
runs to really break up into distinctive eras. Because I was like, who
do I like that it's gonna? I was like, who are still like
really good to who've been going for like twenty plus years? And I was
like, converge, But again like did they have they ever not actually just
been fucking brilliant like and then yeah, there wasn't anyone else like Cannibal Corpse,
But again, when does like the Whinegan when you break up in series,
when yeah, they've just been like crushing it for ages, that's a
creator is one whereas they're still brilliant. But ultimately I would say like the
classic eras and that thing is like is I don't I forgot anything that I
would see it is better better than the classic hera because again, like I
think blood Moon is actually that's but you know Jane Doe and like that,
So yeah, I converge. I would argue it maybe in the like there
are bands where the classic era hasn't stopped, where that's if you start converging
classic era in two thousand and one with Jane No. You could argue that
that era is still ongoing to this day, and there are other bands in
that category. I really Underground one, but CI is one of those where
you go, like, what the fuck is the classic SI era? They're
just always brilliant. The sugar is like, maybe they're not in it right
now, but certainly it's long enough when you go like, okay, let's
start it to destroy a race improve where does that classic era end? Like
Colos, that's you know, yes, well, I mean, I'm just
saying in terms of a length of time, that's like there's not a contained
era there. And you could argue that Colos is a later career record,
but what I'm saying is it's still in the same protracted span of brilliant stuff
began in the nineties. I think my sort of wild card choice is,
as we've kind of done a special on if you say that Clutch kind of
earth rocker on is kind of a phase of that band, I would say
collectively that maybe is my favorite run of records from them over the you know,
pure Fury Blast, Tirant whatever era. Yeah, I think that's a
really good shout, especially with Slat of Beach on. Yeah. Again,
that's a real because if you had you know, Book of Bad Decisions is
a good record, but really it's off the back of Earth Rocker and Psychic
Warfare. But now Somemis on Slat of Beach is another fucking absolute banger where
you go ground it out to the sort of twenty tens clutch here are probably
being yeah, my favorite kind of collector period of clutch. I think that's
a really good shout. Yeah, So there you go. There's a handful
of answers, and then will A Roth ends us off here with a nice
and broad one. What album slash band do you wish you could hear for
the first time again? Let live Let's take history like that. It's the
one every time I'm like, I wish I could hear this for the first
time again and just have my mind blown by it. Like anybody asked my
question, that's about my my number one pick. I have a bunch of
like American Idiot. When I heard American Idiot by Green Day as a kid,
Yeah, changed my life basically similar to that Shelter by alcest And there
was a hell and send Paternal by Bommu the Horizon. Those are albums that
I really associate with just being overwhelmed with what am I listening to? This
is all I need to hear. Now. This is a bit of a
tangent, but when I was in secondary school, my first year of secondary
school, everyone was into rock because it was a big popular thing. You
know. Eventually Haven't Folded Built from My Valentine were really popular, and then
over the course of like a holiday break, no one liked rock apart from
me anymore, and everyone loved Pendulum, And I remember at the time really
rebelling me against that and hating Pendulum and hearing their songs all the time.
I really love pendulumlum So I would love to hear those songs for the first
time, fully equipped to hear them and love them and have my balls blown
off. Yeah, that's a I think American idiot. And I would expand
that to someone like The Black Parade as well, record that if I could
hear them with my head now rather than just being sort of omnipresent, that
would be amazing experiences to like just take those in as albums completely fresher the
first time and Similarly, again, I didn't put this down, but it's
made me think of it, and it's one that I have regularly thought.
This about is the classic run of News Records, because when I was a
kid, they were kind of like I think a few times they were there.
I almost took them for granted how weird they were, because it was
like the first full rock album experiences that I was really going for like that.
But if you presented me now, having never heard it before, with
like here's origin and symmetry, here's absolution, you'd be like, what,
what the fuck is all of this? The answers that I did put down.
This is the first time we've had four questions, and for every single
one I can arguably put Triptoicon down as an answer. But like you know,
they're my favorite band, and obviously if you were to play me a
Paristeridimonies or something for the first time now, it would blow my fucking head
off because it's like everything I love. The immediate answer I did think of
is that kind of bands in that strand of like metallic mathy hardcore like Converge
and Dillinger, particularly Converge, Like the first time I heard them, I
maybe wasn't ready for that kind of music yet, but now I love it
so much that like, if you were to go, hey, you know,
Perrien, now here is fucking Acts of Fall, whatever Converge record you
choose to put in front of me, that would be an amazing like rush
of like holy shit, just love at first listen. And you know,
I think there are bands that are sort of classic bands that if if you
put them in front of me without the years of attachment or whatever, they
would still kind of really blow me away. I think if you put songs
for the Death by Queens of stone Age in front of me for the first
time, I would lose my fucking mind, if you like, I think
typeer negative, if you put in front of me the first time, I
would just like fall head over heels in love again, and and just the
sensation of hearing Travis Ryan sing for the first time in cattle the appetation would
be an amazing one. You know, that's one I remember as being a
really freaky moment, And it'll be fun to have that against such a thought
of another because growing up there's lots of basically every Bond Jealvy song I don't
remember hearing for the first time because it was just always part of my life.
They were living on a prayer for the first time again would be pretty
like whoa, oh yeah, show me any of those Bond Jelvy songs now
and I'd be crying. I'd be like, what the fuck is this?
I did no music concenters perfect like yeah. So thank you for the first
round of question for twenty twenty four. I am now going to tell you
about the first thing that are going to be going on on the Patreon in
twenty twenty four because, as Sam mentioned earlier, we have we put up
a tinhum Do's Horror for the Godzilla heads out there when we're talking about Minus
one. But with the musical TNM engine beginning to run again, there have
been some years when we've been we've waited until sort of February ISSH or whatever
to give you our first kind of band special stuff of the year. This
time we are hitting the ground running first band SBECO twenty twenty four. You
are getting in its entirety this weekend because the first thing that we are doing
this year is as a band. We mentioned earlier in the list of upcoming
releases for this year that we are particularly excited about a band called Nails,
and seeing as you know, we haven't been working on new album releases or
anything right now, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to come and do a
one a one part band special, as we've done before on the likes of
oath Breaker, on the works thus far of Nails and the wacky story of
that band went on the course of particularly the back end of the twenty tens.
But basically, we are going to bring you fully up to date on
what Nails have been through and what what became of them ahead of the grand
return that is slated for a further into this year. So myself, Sam
and Elliott this weekend are going to be diving through the Nails catalog and talking
about the story of the hardest band of the twenty tens. That is their
reputation and their legacy, I guess. So we're going to go all in
on that. We have been listening to the records. It doesn't take long.
Wow, what a fucking a set. You can listen to all three
Nails records and it's shorter than one of the albums on our last special like
that, that's you know, that's all of the way they're packing it in.
So yeah, but it's gonna be a good time. So if you
want to support us, that is at Patron Macomm's slash. That's no metal.
It is what has kept this porcust alive all these years. So thank
you very much for those who you know, continue to do it. Those
who are still signing up for the first time. You want your nail special,
We know you do. It's coming this weekend and first hyper Blasts of
the year means we have our first round of twenty twenty four releases. We
have a few from last week with the you know, the slim Trickle that
came out on the the you know, the very first Friday of the and
then a few more this week last Fridays. It begins with after everything I
said on the fucking TNM Awards show, which is I think the first time
you'd be mentioned. I couldn't believe it when I checked my fucking you know
release radar and Peyton Parrish was there with his new album Soul you Can Write
twenty twenty four off immediately some other stuff. Sprints released a I think it's
a debut album called Letter to Self and This is one that got quite a
few tongues wagging in the kind of you know, the industry world and the
press talking about this being one of the early standouts of twenty twenty four.
We were talking where we don't really know if it's something that kind of pertains
all that much to I guess are kind of the kind of thing that we
normally would be that interested in. Because I listened to this and I don't
really have much opinion on it, so I don't know if we're going to
be reviewing it. But the Sprints album seems to be quite popular, So
there you go. My recommendation of the bunch from last week's is it was.
It was hardcores week. Really, there was loads of hardcore records.
Hardcore never sleeps apparently. My favorite one was Gray State with Wheels of Progress.
Yeah, Vegan, you know, old school, fucking early two thousand's
metalcore from from Europe the way the sort of shred metalcore like that, that
kind of like the guitar worsh but one not just like beatdowns and pinch harmonics,
like well, yeah, if you like Archangel and if you like Heaven
shell Burn and that kind of stuff, that is a good record. Indeed,
elsewhere we had Haywire. I believe this band just go by Haywire,
but they're streaming is Haywire six one seven if you need to search for them.
I don't know why that is. But they put a record call Condition
for Demolition. It's like nineteen minutes long. It's just a hardcore slap to
the teeth, rejoice all of Heaven's luck. This is more of a kind
of like black and crusty type thing, if you are going for that.
We also have Cancer Christ with God is Violence, which is just all out,
you know, a narcic, crazy fast release. And speaking of again
your more kind of black and crusty type stuff, there's a band who are
called Svetist Stutter. I believe it's how I'm Gonna say that again links and
well, the titles of everything we say are always in the descriptions episode.
But their record Candler was something that was out as well. And then we
move forward to today's releases where it is not all just hardcore. The first,
I guess the most prominent one is the band Casey returning with their record
how to Disappear. This is another one that we were having a conversation about
when we were sort of discussing what should be on our kind of you know,
the the reviews episode whenever we get to that in January or whatever,
whether this is one we'll do or not. But Casey fairly well known sort
of emo alternative rock band, I guess, and this is their big sort
of return album. And they're a band that I only vaguely knew during their
kind of initial run, and we were sort of like, you know,
trying to judge a Casey return. How big a deal actually is that in
the grand scheme of things. I think, you know, they're on those
meads you say beloved in the UK in particular, there is there's a real
I didn't even know there were UK band fair enough. Yeah, no,
the w was they came up at the same time as Holding Absence and Love.
It was the three of them, Casey, Hung Abs, lob all
kind of coming up at the same time and Casey suddenly split. So this
is them coming back. Yeah, I'm curious how this goes, but I've
never been the biggest fan, but like I know, people are excited for
it, so yeah, yeah, there you go. And then we also
have in the UK hardcore front a band Rough Justice, who are releasing their
album Faith in Vain. This was one of the many sort of UK hardcore
bands. W've got a very good response off the back of last year's Outbreak
festival, and I suppose for the UK hardcore scene this will be one of
the releases that kind of really kicks the year off. Ryu Jin have a
self titled album. This is like a Samurai metal thing. It's a Japanese
band with that kind of you know, sort of Asian instrumentation and stuff like
that. Mate Matt Hafey is involved. He's like, I think he's working
on a producer or something in that capacity on I know he guess on the
record as well. But if that's the kind of thing that you're into,
then you can go and find that this. I didn't know was ongoing,
but I saw it and I was like wow. Some people may remember several
years ago when T and M reviewed the record Christ the Exorcist from prog rock
musician Neil Morse as this fucking insane, mostly terrible, sort of you know,
religious rock opera thing that was going on. He's been working on another
one and I didn't know because we actually have The Restoration Joseph Part two is
out today from Neil Morse. I don't know how many parts will be involved,
but I'm excited to find out. And then a bunch of EPs.
Today. We have Alluvial with death Is but a Door that's a kind of
you know, sort of techy death Corps type things. Sound fairly decent from
what I heard earlier Life Sick Love and other lies. This is actually fairly
appropriate for what we were just talking about. Because Todd Jones from Nails does
a little guest vocal on this. It is what you would expect from that
fast, grindy type hardcore. We have Extinction, a d ruthless intent thrash
metal band, and then one that I'm going to check out for sure,
Esquala Grind, who are a band who have sort of gained a little bit
of steam in the last couple of year or so of like, you know,
really horrible kind of death grinding type stuff. They're on tour with Napalm
Death Here last year and stuff like that, and their EP is called It's
called death metal in all caps with every basic it's basically every letter is doubled,
so it's like a death metal but you can find it and type of
how you want, but I'm sure that'll be horrid. So that is the
first Hyperblast of twenty twenty four. That's the first round of records that you
need to be going in and listening to. Thank you very much for listening
to us. We from here on out are of course going to be here
with you every single week going forward. Next week we are going to have
another Hyperblast. We are also going to have our Nails special coming to the
Patreon this coming weekend. We are going to have more things coming here hot
off the heels of that, and eventually we will get round to our first
reviews episode of the year as well. Proper. So cheers very much,
enjoy what twenty twenty four brings us. Hope it's okay.