Heavy Metal 101

Wherein Eric and John gird their loins, say their prayers, and set forth on an exploration of two of the most frightening, awe-inspiring, and odd monuments in the history of rock music: Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II, while also peaking in on some of the bad behavior that was so deeply interwoven into the legend of Guns N' Roses.

Click on the links below for all the music listening/video breaks in this episode:

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Wherein Eric and special guest co-host Ross explore the decline and fall of the most beloved musical genre of their shared misspent youth, glam metal, looking in on the life, times, and repertoire of bands including Slaughter, Poison, Ratt, Warrant, Skid Row, Kiss, Mötley Crüe and many, many more as the 90's death-marched all of them slowly but surely towards (a temporary!) cultural irrelevance.

Opening poem excerpted from ...

Wherein Eric explores a collection of the coolest new metal releases from February of 2025. Heavy Metal 101 is, at last, (almost!) up to date! This minisode is being offered on the main podcast feed as a "Patreon Sneak Peek" for non-members. Please consider signing up to the Heavy Metal 101 Patreon page for just $3/month. Members get access to exclusive content (like this!), as well as the satisfaction of supporting our s...

Wherein Eric takes John on a scenic tour through some of the darkest and lowest circles of Hell via an exploration of the tragic tale of Mayhem and the music of many of Norwegian black metal’s founding fathers, including Darkthrone, Burzum, Immortal, and Emperor.

Click on the links below for all the music listening breaks in this episode:

Listening break #1: “Black Metal” by Venom from Black Metal (1982) https://youtu.be/rYg5c_LrsRk?...

Wherein Eric transcends the very fabric of reality as we know it and takes full advantage of the extraordinary opportunity to interview one of his great musical heroes, Kory Clarke of Warrior Soul, discussing the earliest portion of his music career, Warrior Soul's iconic 90s albums, and what he and the band are up to these days.

For more information about Kory Clarke and Warrior Soul visit:

https://www.facebook.com/warriorsouloff...

Wherein Eric and John once again examine some of the gnarled roots underneath the heavy metal family tree, exploring the development and formative influence of golden age 1950s rock 'n roll, and, just maybe, find the very first heavy metal song ever all the way back in 1956!

Click on the links below for all the music listening breaks in this episode: Listening break #1- "Rocket 88" by Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats (1951) htt...

Wherein Eric and John celebrate the holiday season first via a nostalgic deep dive into the 90s catalog of arguably the greatest heavy metal "should have beens" of that entire decade, Warrior Soul, and then explore the ever-growing catalog of seasonal themed metal releases. Click on the links below for all the music listening breaks in this episode: Music listening break #1- Warrior Soul "The Losers" from Last Decade Dead Century...

Wherein Eric and John rhapsodize over three of the greatest heavy metal albums ever made, Judas Priest's Painkiller, Megadeth's Rust in Peace, and Black Sabbath's Dehumanizer, in an episode so great that even John doesn't hate it. Click on the links below for all the music listening breaks in this episode: Music listening break #1- Judas Priest "Painkiller" from Painkiller (1990) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hadGUw2tpk Music ...

Wherein Eric and John deep dive into the moldering early history of American death metal and British grindcore, exploring the fetid formative tales of an assortment of bands including Death Possessed, Morbid Angel, Obituary, Deicide, Napalm Death, and Carcass.

Click on the links below for all the music listening breaks in this episode: Music listening break #1- Possessed "Death Metal" from Seven Churches (1985) https://www.youtu...

Wherein Eric and very special guest Patrick, of the Rewind of the Living Dead Podcast, celebrate the spooky season by exploring the intersection of heavy metal and horror movies and take a deep dive into the delightful 2016 heavy metal horror comedy Deathgasm and its accompanying metal soundtrack. Boo!

Here is a link to a YouTube playlist featuring the discussed bands/songs from the (truly excellent!) Deathgasm soundtrack: htt...

Wherein Eric and John sip hot, black coffee and burn nag champa incense while exploring the diverse and wonderous "alt" branch of the metal family tree, discussing an assortment of bands including: Faith No More, Rage Against the Machine, Nine Inch Nails, White Zombie, Melvins, Alice in Chains, Tool, and many more! Click on the link below for the episode video break:

Video break: Tool- "Sober" from Undert...

Wherein Eric and John return to the fray, exploring the extraordinary music making of Iron Maiden in their first Bruce Dickinson fronted period, 1981-93. Click on the links below for all the music listening breaks in this episode: Music listening break #1- "The Trooper" from Piece of Mind (1983) https://youtu.be/4VZbjrDwQ28?si=7rIZSnnsjQYHPH_Z

Video break #1: "Can I Play With Madness" (1988) https://youtu...

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...