Classic Metal Show

Rock stars used to trash hotel rooms and live on the edge, but today they throw massive temper tantrums over basic interview questions. From Stephen Pearcy dropping new tracks out of nowhere to Blackie Lawless pulling last-minute show cancellations and former metal icons holding 20-year grudges, the rock scene has turned into a total soap opera. Neeley and Chris Akin dive straight into the fragile...

Most musicians who try to act look like complete fools the second the camera starts rolling. They think hitting a stage translates to movie stardom, but the reality is usually a cringey train wreck. London May went from beating the hell out of the drums in Samhain to taking on intense, dark movie roles. Chris Akin digs into what actually goes down on a film set, the brutal reality of pretending to...

When live rock concerts turn into glorified movie theater screenings where the band looks like microscopic specks on stage, somebody has to call out the absurdity. Chris Akin and Neeley break down the massive hype surrounding high-tech Vegas venues, evaluate a young 23-year-old singer stepping into the shoes of an iconic 80s frontman, and examine a mind-boggling Netflix true crime saga where a sus...

Why did Thunder walk away from rock and roll, and what did Def Leppard and Whitesnake have to do with bringing them back? THUNDER’S BANG IS AN AMAZING RELEASE! DON’T MISS THIS VINYL VERSION OF IT: https://amzn.to/4ynn1Af In this 2008 interview from THE CLASSIC METAL SHOW archives, Thunder guitarist Luke Morley talks about the band’s breakup, unexpected reunion, and the making of *Bang!* in an Engl...

Getting older completely changes how you spend your Saturday nights, and we are diving headfirst into the brutal reality of aging in the rock world. From trying to figure out where older guys even go to meet people without resorting to terrible dating apps, to getting hit with brutal medical news right when you’re trying to get your life together, nothing is off-limits. Great price on Anthrax’s CU...

The rock world is spiraling out of control, from massive tech spectacles replacing real human performances to aging rockers trying to navigate modern society. Unfiltered chaos ensues as the circus of live music, viral culture, and bizarre legal battles gets torn apart piece by piece. Is live music actually dead, or are fans just getting dumber? GET METALLICA’S HARDWIRED TO SELF DESTRUCT GUITAR SHE...

After years away, Galactic Cowboys return with their new album, What Planet Are You From? GET ALL YOUR GALACTIC COWBOYS MUSIC AND MERCH HERE: http://galacticcowboys.com/ Monty Colvin joins Chris Akin to talk about how the album actually came together, why the band turned to Kickstarter, the departure of their longtime drummer, the devastating loss of Johnny after he had already recorded his drum t...

Jon Bon Jovi is back in the news, and it is absolute comedy gold. From selling four identical album variants just to fleece hardcore collectors into buying the same record multiple times, to getting trapped by a wedding band in Miami and forced to sing his own hit against his will, the guy just cannot catch a break. We break down the cringe-worthy video of Bon Jovi looking completely trapped on st...

Big Dad Ritch of Texas Hippie Coalition sits down with Chris Akin for a wide-ranging conversation about the past, present and future of one of America's most distinctive heavy rock bands. Texas Hippie Coalition is celebrating 25 years of Red Dirt Metal with not one but TWO new albums — Stoned Cowboys and Band of Outlaws — released simultaneously through the band's newly launched Big Dad Records. R...

When the banter gets turned up to eleven, nobody in hard rock is safe from the crosshairs. The hosts dive headfirst into a scathing critique of KISS frontman Paul Stanley, questioning his stage persona, his vocals, and whether his famous stage banter was ever actually authentic or completely copy-pasted across decades. From hilarious impressions of Stanley’s iconic screeching to discussing Gene Si...

Quiet Riot just hired a 23-year-old singer. Judas Priest is giving Sad Wings Of Destiny another 50th-anniversary treatment. And Jay Jay French is still asking why Twisted Sister can’t get the Rock Hall’s respect. AFTER ALL THESE YEARS, METAL HEALTH IS AVAILABLE AGAIN ON VINYL! GET IT BEFORE IT GOES AWAY AGAIN! https://amzn.to/4iQxuA8 What do these stories have in common? GIVE THE RESPECT JJ FRENCH...

Can you imagine spending your whole life in the music biz just to watch the Grammys treat metal like a joke? Well, some people can’t even handle the thought without a full-blown mental meltdown! Let’s just say there was screaming, swearing, and an almost cardiac event. Seriously, it’s brutal but hilarious, and you are going to want to hear this. KILLER METALLICA BLACK ALBUM (DELUXE EDITION) VINYL...

How much should you mess with a classic? The guys get into Eddie Trunk, what actually makes a great rock interviewer, the bizarre politics of music publicity, and whether Testament’s Souls of Black deserves a modern remix. KILLER TESTAMENT RELEASE HERE. GET IT NOW: https://amzn.to/4hln9ty The full episode, exclusive third segment, and early interviews are already on Locals: https://classicmetalsho...

There’s never been a time when you could find more information faster—and Andrew Hudson thinks that might be exactly what’s screwing everything up. GET HARLOTT'S EXSEQUIIS HERE: https://amzn.to/46BEvx9 The Harlot guitarist opens up about the overwhelming flood of information, misinformation, algorithms and clickbait that makes even the simplest story impossible to take at face value. Why do people...

Jim Florentine shows up with a #1 comedy album, 26 years of prank calls, and enough stories to derail an entire afternoon. GET JIM FLORENTINE & DON JAMIESON’S TERRORIZING TELEMARKETERS VOL. 8 HERE AND LAUGH YOUR ASS OFF! https://amzn.to/4y9J3XQ This conversation goes from the art of keeping a straight face during completely ridiculous prank calls to AI trying — and failing — to write comedy. Then...

A new Galactic Cowboys album, an $88,000 Kickstarter, Pantera memories, Christian metal, aging rock bands and one hell of a debate about who actually counts as the real band. Monty Colvin doesn’t hold much back. THIS BOX SET IS CRAZY GOOD!! GET GALACTIC COWBOYS’ THE BOX THAT BUD BOUGHT (THE METAL BLADE YEARS HERE: https://amzn.to/4AsNWNi Watch commercial free and without delayed publishing by beco...

SickSense isn’t exactly interested in staying in its lane—and the new Funerals EP makes that painfully obvious. Vicky Psarakis opens up about the band’s darker musical direction, the surprisingly personal story behind A Moment of Violence , and why chasing whatever happens to be commercially popular can be a fast track to sounding like everybody else. Then the conversation gets downright nasty whe...

When classic 80s bands lose the rights to their original master recordings, they usually run straight to the studio to re-record their biggest hits. But what happens when the new versions sound completely unmitigated, flat-out terrible? We listen to Loverboy’s re-recorded tracks side-by-side with the originals, and the drop in quality is mind-blowing. From shot vocal cords to completely lifeless g...

What happens when the guys who built classic metal are still out there playing decades later? GET JIM FLORENTINE’S JERSEY TRASH AT A GREAT PRICE HERE: https://amzn.to/47eA4IR Chris Akin and Matt Hartnett get into the uncomfortable questions about aging rock stars, nostalgia, anniversary tours and whether some bands are simply trying to recreate a past that can’t be recreated. They also go behind t...

Neeley is off chasing Dokken, which means Chris Akin gets to do something he rarely gets to do — run a LIVE Classic Metal Show “off” show. DON’T WAIT! TERRORIZING TELEMARKETERS VOL. 8 IS AVAILABLE NOW: https://amzn.to/4iDjUjk And this one has the potential to get completely out of hand. Joining Chris is Hart O The Matter host Matt Hartnett, along with comedian Jim Florentine and Galactic Cowboys b...

Walking into Asia as the new vocalist means stepping directly into the crosshairs of fans who know every note, every lyric and every inflection. GET INDIGO FROM ASIA ON VINYL HERE: https://classicmetalshow.locals.com Harry Whitley doesn’t shy away from that pressure. He talks about the John Wetton comparison, the challenge of performing the classic songs, and what changed when he finally got the c...

What if one of the biggest musical revolutions in history started because a DJ was pissed off that the best part of a record was always over too damn fast? DON'T WAIT! GET YOUR COPY OF GRANDMASTER FLASH'S BOOK BIRTH OF A CULTURE NOW!! https://amzn.to/4bXCiPU That’s where this conversation gets really interesting. Grandmaster Flash goes deep into the experimentation, science and sheer ingenuity beh...

Motley Crue is back with another reissue, and the reaction here is anything but enthusiastic. GET MOTLEY CRUE’S TOO FAST FOR LOVE 45TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION ON VINYL HERE: https://amzn.to/4AfzHeI Neeley and Chris Akin go deep on why they believe Motley Crue has become the king of recycling its own catalog, whether there’s actually anything worthwhile about the latest package, and why the band’s hist...

Alex Van Halen has a new book coming — and the price tag becomes the real story. GET ALEX VAN HALEN’S BOOK BROTHERS IN HARDCOVER HERE: https://amzn.to/4isjkoE Neeley and Chris Akin dig into the book’s expensive signed edition, the unreleased 1974 demo included with it, the option to make monthly payments, and the surprising numbers being discussed when it comes to Van Halen’s alleged net worth. Th...

Slayer is back, but the bigger question is whether a band that supposedly retired can still justify the hype every time it steps onstage. GET SLAYER’S SOUNDTRACK TO THE APOCALYPSE BOX SET HERE: https://amzn.to/46qWmH9 Neeley and Chris Akin go deep on why Slayer’s limited appearances may actually make the band more valuable, why the live show remains an absolute assault on the senses, whether six s...