Welcome to Endless Metal. This is Ben, and today Markisan and I are bringing you the gift of Warrel Dane on a special episode that celebrates his life, music, and the tremendous impact he's had on both heavy metal and on us. This episode, we're also joined by two of our friends, both massive fans of Warrel's music, particularly Nevermore - Ian Gillings of the progressive, melodic death metal band, Rannoch, And John Comisky, co-host with Markisan on the Metalheads Podcast.
If you're already a fan of Warrel Dane, we think you'll enjoy hearing us reminisce about the seminal albums and songs he was a part of. And if you're new to Warrel's music, we hope we can inspire you to spend some time listening to his amazing bands, Nevermore and Sanctuary, as well as his solo material.

So sit back and enjoy a Goose Island 2024 Bourbon County Brand Vanilla Rye Stout: Skål!

On this episode we pay tribute to the SoundGod Steve Albini. The late and great recording engineer on countless killer albums by a diverse array of bands heavy and otherwise. Ben, Jeff, and Markisan dug deep into Albini's discog and, in the process, came to a deeper appreciation of not only his unrivaled engineering prowess but the deep emotional connections we have to so many of the records recorded in his legendary Chicago studio, Electrical Audio. Taking on an almost impossible task, the boys pick their gun-to-the-head-must-pick top 4 Albini recorded albums of all time. We had an absolute blast recording this one and hope you will as well. So kick back and crack open an Allagash Curieux Tripel, a Belgian-style golden ale aged in bourbon barrels! #metalheads #stevealbini #podcast

What are the 3 most haunting metal albums of all time? An obvious question for All Hallow's Eve...But Ben, Markisan, and Jeff present very different choices that are not at all obvious. What transpires is a fun and deep discussion of the visceral emotional connections that feed our metal hearts (reference to Accept intended!). We begin by talking about recent shows we've seen. Ben gushes about seeing Opeth live for the the first time! Markisan is knocked out by Amorphis! Jeff is blown away by Boris on their Amplifier Worship Anniversary Tour! And then we present our top 3 choices and honorable mentions. It's so much fun to share our deep passion for this incredible and emotional music! Metal is life, life is metal. So sit back and crack open a New Trail Double Zombie Double Pumpkin Ale!

Welcome old buddy and new co-host Markisan to the Endless Metal Podcast! As previously discovered in an earlier episode, Markisan listens to more metal than any other human being on planet earth. He's also a kind hearted fellow cat lover and all around great guy, so we are thrilled he will be joining the brotherhood! Like so many middle-aged metal fans we love Sabbath, Maiden, Priest, and other gods of metal. But our typical sonic assaults of choice are of the more death metal variety--where inhuman growls and torn throat rage--rule the infernal roost. Here, we step away from the mayhem and madness, and dive into six albums released this year with ALL clean vocals. Needless to say, there are many phenomenal vocalists carrying the NWOBHM torch and its endless legacy into 2024. We talk about each others choices in 3 rounds--6 albums total--from least to most favorites, although we concur all these albums are solid METAL \00/ So sit back, strap on your ⁠HEAVYS ⁠or listening devices of choice, and crack open a ⁠Brimming Horn Eternal Champion/Skullseeker Mead⁠

***Song clips from these albums appear throughout the episode in this order:

"Blood and Honor" from the album ⁠Kingdom Torn Asunder by Ironflame⁠

"Dearly Departed" from the album ⁠Daydreaming in Moonlight by Inner Strength⁠ "Rebels of Earth" from the album ⁠Prequel To Madness by Traveler⁠

"House of Warship" from the album ⁠Garden of Heathens by Heavy Temple⁠

"Young God Resurrected" from the album ⁠Ancient Doom Metal by Scald⁠ "Sword of a Thousand Truths" from the album ⁠Kingdom Torn Asunder by Ironflame⁠

"Lamentations By The Lochan" from the album ⁠Traverse the Bealach by Sgàile⁠

Don't adjust your dial! That is HEAVY hip hop you're hearing by CLIPPING. ! A killer artist that performed at this year's Roadburn festival.

It was great to have Andrew Corson (Fathoming Heavy) back on the podcast to talk about Roadburn, the festival he has attended 10 times since 2013! We talk about how this massive multi-day heavy music fan's dream in Tilburg (The Netherlands) has evolved and, of course, Andrew provides vicarious enjoyment. Hearing stories (Andrew's chance to ask members of Khanate a hilarious question!) and amazing sets by COUCH SLUT, KHANATE, THE KEENING, & many other killer artists, is something we cannot get enough of! So turn on, tune in and crack open an ice cold Uiltje Brewing Company's The Walter IPA!

Intro music for this episode: "Tipsy" by CLIPPPING.

Closing music: "The Stupid Man" by COUCH SLUT

Ben and Jeff had a blast talking to the incredibly talented Andrew Black (touring bassist for MIZMOR and new solo black metal project, LITHA). We begin by sharing our love of ambient music and making hypnotic sounds. Andrew is an accomplished sonic explorer who specializes in sublime tape loop manipulations, floaty minimalist piano, and dubby beats. A prolific artist of 12+ ambient albums it was fun to talk to Andy about his sound craft process. Moving freely we also dig into Andy's long trajectory as a metal guitar player growing up in the small Salem scene, his earliest band Fink and the sludgy metal goodness of Sorcerer. We spotlight Andrew's incredible new project as LITHA. Reflecting on the self-titled album on Bandcamp, Ben wrote: "An incredibly personal album that serves as therapy for the artist and listener alike. Gloriously bleak and lugubrious black metal that is at once fragile and beautiful. The contrasts are captivating. Despite the darkest of times, the sun will rise. A stunning and fearless achievement to be savored."

The title of this episode is from LITHA's self-titled debut on Tarturus Records in Europe - the album was recently released on vinyl.

Music from this episode includes a short tape loop from Part 4 from Andrew Black's wonderful album "Today," and we conclude with crushing "I am many" from LITHA in its entirety. So crack open your favorite brown bottle flu cure and enjoy!

When Sally Gates moved from New Zealand to Florida, she was already an accomplished guitar player. Playing live in a metal cover band and the grindcore assassins, Relentless Attrition, she honed her chops in the Aukland scene. A year or so later circa 2008, she had moved to Miami and became the touring bass player in the mighty death metal cosmic destroyers known as Gigan. Touring on the band's seminal album "The Order of the False Eye"

--a death metal record full of mind bending tempo changes and otherworldly aural assaults--Sally began her sonic journey in the U.S. with a proverbially sonic bang. But there was only one problem, she wasn't a bass player! Now writing and creating with her axe of choice, Sally's Orbweaver project picked up where Gigan left off--launching the listener to the outer orbits of extreme prog death metal. At the same time, Miami's ever expanding noise scene seeped into her restless improvisatory soul.

The fearless artist followed her own path. Landing in Brooklyn's ever expanding instrumental improvisation scene, Sally Gates could not be happier.

Ben and Jeff were thus so excited to talk to Sally about her new band TITAN TO TACHYONS. An all instrumental experimental jazz-metal group featuring drummer Kenny Grohowski and two bassists: Trevor Dunn (Mr. Bungle, Fantômas, Tomahawk) and Matt Hollenberg (Cleric, John Zorn). The band's second album "Vonals" is as mesmerizing as explosive--a strain of heavy music they simply can not get enough of!!!

So cozy up with a Tired Hands Brewery Eviscerated Pathway of Beauty Double Citra IPA and enjoy!

Music from this episode comes from the composition "Neutron Wrangler" from the album vonals.

Check out some of Sally's incredible guitar playing here:

Looping the Seas of Primus

Beethoven Piano Tapping

And gorgeous paintings here: https://sallygates.myportfolio.com/

He's back! Literally the day after the Metalheads recorded their just released 4+ hour episode 150, 10th anniversary podcast! The inspiration of this podcast was not only huge for rebooting Endless Metal but for appreciating how metal is something much more than music--namely, forging lasting friendships. While not a great photo--a lot of blue light-- you can see Ben and Jeff with Markisan at the April 2024 Decibel Metal & Beer Fest. While it was our first time meeting person, we're excited to join Markisan and all the boys next year's fest! This cast features some of Markisan's most memorable moments on air with the boys, our shared love for the new Glassing record From the Other Side of the Mirror--we include the track "Nominal Will" at the end of this episode. We turn next to favorite concerts and merch at mid-year! A really fun free-flowing discussion. So crack open a 66.6 ABV DDDDDDHHHH Moonshine Barrel Aged IPA and enjoy!

Ben had a great time talking to Kevin Curran and Mike Munro—two legends of the incredible and underrated Boston power thrash metal scene of the 1980s and 1990s. They talk about the brotherhood and musical vision behind their new super group Kingdom of Tyrants and the band's absolutely phenomenal debut album “Architects of Power.” From Ben's signature metal gushry LOL to deep dives into song development and Mike's vocal arrangements, this interview covers a lot of ground. Rather than proceed in any canned linear way, we talk about Mike's artistic development since his last record with Meliah Rage, the tour de force "Masquerade." We also explore the importance of history in Kevin's approach to song lyrics and how the timeless themes of the Guilded Age created connective tissue between each of "Architects of Power" nine tracks, including the mythological lessons of "Daedalus" and the album's epic "Ghosts of Industry." We also hear from the band's manager and videographer par excellence, Rudy Childs! Exploring the early origins of Steel Assassin and Mike's early band Speed Limit, some great stories and laughs are shared as they drink brews and talk metal past and present. Samples of songs on this episode appear in this order:

Introduction: Daedalus (from Architects of Power by Kingdom of Tyrants)

II. History Will Tell (from Masquerade by Meliah Rage)

III. Ghosts of Industry (from Architects of Power by Kingdom of Tyrants)

IV. Metal or Die (from Architects of Power by Kingdom of Tyrants)

Links to Album Bandcamp sites: Buy or die!!!!

⁠Kingdom of Tyrants - Architects of Power⁠

⁠Meliah Rage - Masquerade⁠

Kingdom of Tyrants Videos by Rudy Childs

⁠⁠A Boston Metal Story - KINGDOM OF TYRANTS interview⁠⁠

⁠KINGDOM OF TYRANTS "Ghosts of Industry" music video⁠

⁠KINGDOM OF TYRANTS "Kingdom of Tyrants" music video⁠

⁠Kingdom of Tyrants - The Judas Gate⁠

Getting back to why we created this cast in the first place: We're great friends who love metal and digressions about books and other things on our minds! We zoom, drink a beer, and chat it up. Always enjoyable! This chat was in anticipation of the Decibel Magazine Tour 2024 with HULDER, DEVIL MASTER, WORM and NECROFIER on March 8 at Underground Arts in Philly. The picture for this episode is of Ben and Jeff at the venue in full metal pose. We'll talk about that show and the recent Decibel Metal and Beer Festival on future casts! Music for this episode is "Serpent Drug Cult Mythology" from the album "Death Rituals" by Swamp Witch.

With few exceptions most short lived metal bands make forgettable comeback albums. One very recent and clear exception to this rule is the stunning death doom record "Death of Sorrow" by Sorrow (Extreme Records, 2023). "Death of Sorrow" is equal parts catchy crushing riffs and and deeply personal ferocity--killer vocals and lyrics that are brutal commentaries on political corruption, religious hypocrisy, and the dark side of the human condition. If you've listened to earlier episodes, you know Jeff and Ben are huge fans of hardcore punk legends Black Flag, Minor Threat, and many others. We appreciate hardcore's brutally honest lyrics, DIY ethos, and take no prisoners delivery. To that end, Sorrow is a rare gem. While they play slow crushing death metal, songs like "Doom the World" and "Judicial Falsity" are heavy smack downs on America's broken social systems and suffocating hypocrisy. Most importantly, this deeply personal record is characterized by a seething ferocity that acts as a pressure valve for decades of pent up aggression (fear, hatred and disgust too). Not surprisingly "Death of Sorrow" was #15 on the Endless Metal top 30 of 2023. And it may even be higher now, as we continue to listen to this record over and over into 2024. It was thus an honor to interview Sorrow's original and now reformed lineup: Andy Marchione (Vocals and Bass), Bill Rogan (Guitars), Brett Clarin (Guitars), and Mike Hymson (Drums).

****

While it may be a point of debate, Sorrow put "death metal" and "doom" on a flier in 1990 and are thus one of the first band's to integrate two of our favorite metal genres. We revisit their (mostly bleak) past, although they played some killer shows in the early 90s with fellow death doom legends Winter and, as the accompanying visual shows, Sorrow headlined a show with another incredibly influential doom band, Grief (now Come to Grief).

Prior to becoming Sorrow, the band in the late 1980s cut their teeth as Apparition in Long Island's (New York's) burgeoning extreme death metal scene. A scene where their friends from the obscure (wink, wink) death metal band Suffocation were tearing up now defunct local clubs like Sundance. We learn about the band's early struggles as perpetual outsiders to the scene as well as some classic and harrowing stories from the road. Classic tales are told of Sorrow's ill fated signing to the infamous Roadrunner Records in the early 1990s--the label that released the band's first EP "Forgotten Sunrise" and first proper full length "Hatred and Disgust" (1992)--and then summarily dropped Sorrow barely two years later. Fortunately, the band's last rehearsals of new material were captured on video. Although they considered a reunion circa 2010, it took eleven more years for Sorrow to reunite, re-learn, and properly record a new record. Some 30 years later, thanks to the miracle of home digital recording by Andy (mixing) and Brett (mastering) "Death of Sorrow" was finally given its proper release. While it is highly unlikely that Sorrow will ever play a live show again, there is a possibility we may hear some new music in the future (Sorrow from the Grave?).

So turn off the latest news of our corrupt, war ridden world and, indeed, enjoy the gift of Sorrow!

Music included in this episode appears in the following order:

"Doom the World" by Sorrow

"At Dawn They Sleep" by Slayer

"Infinite Universe Infinite Death" by Journey into Darkness

"Eternal Frost" by Winter

"Hidden Fear" by Sorrow

"Judicial Falsity" by Sorrow

"Leave Me in Hell" by Venom

"Flight of the Bumble-bee" by The Great Kat

"A Wasted Cry for Hope" by Sorrow

"Small Man, Big Fan" by Minor Threat

"Dumb and Dumber: So you're telling me there's a chance"

"Fracture" by Spacedive

"Remembered Eternally" (Complete Track) by Sorrow