Heavy Metal 101

Wherein Eric and John go to some truly dark places, exploring one of Eric's least favorite metal subgenres, progressive metal, but come out the other side stronger, wiser, and having talked about an assortment of amazing artists including the "big three": Fates Warning, Dream Theater, and Queensrÿche, as well as Eric's pick for THE SINGLE GREATEST HEAVY METAL ALBUM OF THE 1980s!

opening poem: Music by Walter De L...

Wherein Eric rings in the holiday season in the best way possible: By exploring the esoteric underworld of 1980s American independent heavy metal bands with author Alexandros Anesiadis.

Alex is the author of the fantastic new book Heroes of the Metal Underground: The Definitive Guide to 1980s American Independent Metal Bands. Purchase copies for yourself and 10 of your closest friends at: https://www.amazon.com/Heroes-Metal-Undergr...

Wherein Eric and John conclude their epic diptych exploring the music and stories of women who rock, taking a look at an assortment of amazing female heavy metal artists and their extraordinary music making in the 1980s. Opening clip: Wendy O. Williams Assigned Listening #1: Rock Goddess- "My Angel" https://youtu.be/ezQ6jDaC6Tc?si=DrrizhtdjJXyggxl

Assigned Listening #2 : Wendy O. Williams- "It's My Life" ⁠...

Wherein Eric and John embark on an epic diptych exploring the music and stories of women who rock, first by delving into the prehistory of women in heavy metal via a look at of some of the monumental contributions of women to the wider history of rock music from 1938 through the 1970s. Opening clip: Joan Jett Closing clip: Lzzy Hale Assigned Listening #1: Sister Rosetta Tharpe- "Strange Things Happening Every Day" (1944)...

Wherein Eric and John take Heavy Metal 101 to the next level, combining elements of classic horror radio plays, telling the narratives of four macabre King Diamond classics, alongside the story of the band and the man in the 1980s in classic HM101 style. Prologue- "The Call" The Story of Fatal Portait Eric and John do their thing, pt. 1 Assigned listening #1: "Halloween" (from Fatal Portrait)- https://www.yo...

Wherein Eric and John take a scenic tour through the cassette collection of a young Eric, and explore three of the biggest pop metal hit albums of the mid-1980s: Bon Jovi- Slippery When Wet, Whitesnake- Whitesnake (aka 1987), and Def Leppard- Hysteria.

Assigned Listening #1: Bon Jovi- "You Give Love a Bad Name" (the video) ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrZHPOeOxQQ

Assigned Listening #2: Whitesnake- "Here...

Wherein Eric and John return for season three with a bang, exploring the seminal works of the "Big 4" of American thrash in 1986/7, Metallica's Master of Puppets, Megadeth's Peace Sells...But Who’s Buying?, Slayer's Reign in Blood, and Anthrax's Among the Living.

Assigned Listening #1: Metallica- "Battery" ⁠https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvW4OQFA_UY
Megadeth: "Peace Sells" the vi...

The season #2 finale, wherein Eric, John, and special guest Ben Apatoff (author of Metallica: The $24.95 Book) discuss the formative history of arguably metal's most culturally significant band, Metallica, from their prehistory and formation through the release of Ride the Lightning.

Assigned listening #1: "Hit the Lights" by Mettallica (sic) from the first pressing of the Metal Massacre #1 compilation (1982) ht...

Wherein Eric and John continue to delve ever more deeply into the gritty, glitzy history of glam metal, focusing this time on the first wave of 1980's Sunset Strip bands including Mötley Crüe, Dokken, W.A.S.P., Great White, Stryper, and Ratt.

Assigned Listening #1- Mötley Crüe- "Live Wire" (version 1, Elektra Records) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6AiAKJDWCQ

(version 2, Leathür Records original mix) https://ww...

Wherein Eric and John delve into the seedier side of the heavy metal multiverse, exploring the history of glam metal via both an examination of the earliest days of British glam rock and a look at the proto-glam metal scene found on the 1970's Sunset Strip.

Assigned Listening #1: Montrose- "Rock Candy" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z25xrCoTdZI

Assigned Listening #2: The Runaways- "Hollywood" https://w...

Wherein Eric and John excavate the most significant of heavy metal's musical roots, the blues, exploring the origins and histories of the genre as well as its more direct connections to the history of heavy metal.

Throughout these "Roots of Heavy Metal" episodes, we'll dig deep into the many influences that made heavy metal music what it is, with longer episodes, more musical examples, and even more delightful verbal sparring as we...

Wherein Eric and John reflect upon the ascendency of heavy metal as an increasingly significant force in popular culture by looking at four massive albums released in 1983 and 1984, Def Leppard's Pyromania, Quiet Riot's Metal Health, Twisted Sister's Stay Hungry, and Van Halen's 1984. 

Assigned Listening: Def Leppard option #1: video-"Photograph" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4dHr8evt6k Def Leppard option #2: audio-"Stagefr...

Wherein Eric and John explore the formative years and the 1980's output of possibly the most important band of all the bands, the glorious Mercyful Fate! Long live the King indeed.

Throughout these "Special Topics in Metalology" episodes, we'll feature extended timeframes, more music, and even more verbal sparring, as we engage in deep dive explorations and analyses of challenging and esoteric subjects drawn from a wide swath of he...

Wherein Eric and John explore the foundational moments of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal in 1980, featuring early works by Saxon, Def Leppard, Diamond Head, and Angel Witch.  Assigned Listening #1: Saxon- "To Hell and Back Again" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bM2wXFgO9g Assigned Listening #2: Def Leppard- "Wasted" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQzw1wJO8bY Assigned Listening #3: Diamond Head- "Am I Evil?" https://www....