Chord Progression Podcast: The Gateway to New Rock and Metal Music

In March of 2026, we had the pleasure of having Brendon Small, the creator of Dethklok, on the Chord Progression Podcast to talk about 20 years of Metalocalypse. Seems like that episode need a litte bit of an epilogue.

So what should we do for that? How about connecting with a guitarist that is not only performing with Dethklok, but also other artists, and has her own music with a new album that came out earlier in 2026? I think tha...

While heavy music continues to be all of the rage, deathcore is a genre that is not slacking behind in terms of adding to the popularity. Stalwarts of the genre like Whitechapel keep growing, and massive bands like Slaughter to Prevail are playing in front of thousands of people, consistently. So the question is, who is next?

Whoever is next is going to need to show us what makes them special in the deathcore scene. They need to hav...

Haste The Day has been around pretty much since metalcore got its jump back in the early 2000's, creating music throughout the entirety of the decade. But in 2011, they split, as it seemed that there was no much futher progression in the metalcore world to be had. Of course an album came out back in 2015, but that has been it.

However, times change, and things change. As metalcore has become much more expressive and creative since O...

Younger artists are contending with many different hurdles in the music industry now compared to 10, 20, 30, 40 years ago. But there are a few things that remain consistent that they have to contend with when compared to musicians of the past. And one of those is, the need to create quality music.

But can a stubborness to create that high quality music end up being detrimental to a band's success? If a new artist is creating music, ...

As hardcore music, and heavy music in general, have exploded in popularity since the pandemic, we have been exposed to more and more artists making great music for us to enjoy. But with social media and tik tok driving a lot of discovery to a new audience, a new issue has come to play. The want to go "viral".

With the want to go viral, younger artists in the heavy music space, and music in general, are creating music and catering to...

Almost 30 years and going to be 10 albums into a career, Atreyu have created music in many different ways to tap into their metalcore style. Whether it was their classic sound on The Curse, their transcendent sound on In Our Wake, and a more modern approach on Baptize, they have created their music in many ways.

But what are they going to do with album #10 to make it different than what they have done in the past while still being A...

For a band that has been around for almost 20 years, and only have 2 albums to their name, you would assume their influence on a genre would be minimal. But as time has proven with a few releases, and a few shows, the want and desire for more music has not died.

Now with their first song released since their "Overthrown" EP in 2023, and more music still to come, many metalcore fans are curious as to what could be next. What could th...

What makes a song timeless? What makes an artist's music timeless? We listen to artists from the 70's like Queen, from the 2000's like Fall Out Boy, and Bring Me The Horizon's 2013 album, Sempiternal, and they all sound of the time, but they sound timeless today. But why?

Is it because they don't use common influences of the time in their music and make something fluid for fans across the years? Is it because the influences of the t...

When Broadside has been around for over 15 years at this point, their core fans know their sound and casual fans have heard of them. But as costs continue to rise and staying full time as a musician becomes tougher, Broadside was going to have to do something on album number 6 to really make a splash.

So did they change their sound? Did they play into what is popular and the wants of the casual music listener? Did they work to pleas...

The music industry is in love with artists releasing singles right now, as streaming platforms have incentivized singles being released to please playlists and algorithms for popularity and discovery. However, rock and metal artists seem to still be holding onto the album. So, who is right.

What if we said that it was both? What if we said it was releasing an album to create a full body of work, but also releasing a few singles in b...

When the pandemic finally broke and concerts came back in 2021, we finally were able to return to mosh pits, our home away from home. Our first mosh pit back was an album release show at the West Chicago Social Club, for a band we hadn't ever heard of. Since then we hace seen that band at least 6 times, and have always wanted to bring them here.

Today is the day we make that want a reality, bringing you the leaders of the bad luck c...

Over 15 years making great thrash metal is not an easy thing to do. As the world of music has changed much since the time of trash metal bands being regarded as mainstays in the pop culture music scene, something has to be done for bands to evolve their sound to still be uniquely them, but also fresh to stand out amongst the crowd.

We saw Testament successfully do this in 2025 by bringing in more influences from the modern metal wor...

When two artists come together thanks to "band Tinder" (called Band Mix), we have a story of musicians who found another that would be just as dedicated to the band and the craft of creating music. It is what is needed in order from a band to break out from being a local act.

But what else is needed beside just dedication and commitment to the music and to the band in order to be successful and grow. Well there are a few things that...

Hardcore music is more popular than ever in 2026, tahnsk to the success of artists like Knocked Loose, Kublai Khan, and Drain making waves in the culture of the music scene, and playing larger & larger venues year over year. But there is something that stands out about hardcore music today that is making it so popular. The heaviness and individuality is standing strong and connecting with fans.

So what is this band doing to brea...

Rock music has always had a reputation of "live fast and die young." You saw this taken to the max with so many legendary artists in rock and metal like Motley Crue, Ozzy Osbourne, Jimi Hendrix, and many more. Many of those artists lived life "on the edge" and never looked back.

But what about the opposite of living on the edge? What about an artists creating their own music to go after their dreams, regardless of what the genre or ...

Everyone that has ever wanted to make music and have it be their career has had dreams of making it big, of becoming a world renowned artist, and have their music reach the masses. It is something that many try, but very few ever achieve.

For artists today, is there a prototype or archetype that they can follow in order to achieve their dreams? From what we have seen there is in a basic sense. A sense of consistency, trusting themse...

If you are a part of the heavy music scene or alternative scene in any way, Warped Tour has touched your life in more ways that one. Whether it was spending all day in the summer moshing to your favorite bands, discovering new artists, or finding a sense of community where you maybe felt alone. Warped Tour was there. And when it went away after 2018, there was a void, but their legacy lived on.

With Warped Tour returning in 2025 and...

Typically when music fans hear a band decided to get "experimental" on a new album, there is a stigma attached to it that makes fans question the direction. What is this new sound going to be? Is this change going to be a massive shift from what the band has as its core sound?

But what would be a word for an album where a band does take those chances and has a lot of natural flowing fun while doing it? Would it match when the sound ...

20 years ago, the world was graced with the greatest, most crude, and yet hysterical cartoon TV show ever made called Metalocalypse. Following the adventures of Dethklok, it became a cult classic that is still watched and loved by many today. And of course, the creators are more than happy to take this music on the road live to the people today.

But what is the legacy of a show if it was made 20 years ago and fans of heavy music are...