Riff Worship

This week on the Riff Worship podcast, we highlight our most anticipated extreme music releases of October! From atmospheric death-doom to blistering hardcore punk, we break down the albums you need on your radar this month. In this episode: Dream Unending – Certain Uncertainties (20 Buck Spin) Release Date: October 30th We review the highly anticipated third album from the atmospheric death-doom...

Have you ever bought a record just because the cover caught your eye? This week on Riff Worship, we spotlight the legendary creators who defined the aesthetic of the bands we love! Join us as we discuss our favorite albums covers including the profound works of artists like John Dyer Baizley (Baroness, Pig Destroyer), Orion Landau (Yob), Mariusz Lewandowski (Mizmor), Paul Romano (Mastodon), and Ar...

This week on Riff Worship, we explore the impact and evolution of extreme music compilations and label samplers! In this episode, we’ll discuss: Why compilation albums matter as cost-effective label promos, essential music discovery tools, historical snapshots of evolving musical trends, and sources for rare, exclusive tracks! We also break down landmark releases that shaped the underground: Earac...

This week on Riff Worship, we unpack the underground legacy of post-hardcore icons Hot Cross and the turbulent creation of their 2007 swan song, Risk Revival. In this episode, we discuss: The band’s roots in post-hardcore and screamo heavyweights Saetia, You and I, and Neil Perry. Their essential catalog, including defining splits with Light the Fuse and Run, Lickgoldensky, and The Holy Shroud. Th...

Long before the ballads and sold-out stadiums, a twenty-year-old Billy Joel ditched classical piano, maxed out a Hammond B-3 organ through a wall of Marshall stacks, and set out to melt faces. In this episode of Riff Worship, we explore the strange, short-lived history of Attila: the legendary proto-metal duo Joel formed with drummer Jon Small. Join us as we trace their evolution from The Lost Sou...

This week on Riff Worship, we dissect the history of Atlanta’s vegan straight-edge grindcore trio, Dead in the Dirt. We trace their journey from early DIY beginnings to their signing with Southern Lord, exploring the making of their debut LP, The Blind Hole! In this episode, we’ll discuss: Guitarist and vocalist Blake Connally’s bizarre introduction to extreme music, from unearthing a buried Helme...

Special guest Zach Reini (Ukko’s Hammer) returns to the Riff Worship Podcast to help us unpack the legacy of Finnish death-doom trailblazers Rippikoulu and their monumental 1993 demo, Musta seremonia! In this episode, we’ll discuss: Rippikoulu’s evolution from their chaotic hardcore punk origins in Valkeakoski to becoming architects of crushing, atmospheric death metal. Revisiting their 1992 debut...

In the mid-1980s, global charity supergroups like Band Aid and U.S.A. for Africa dominated international headlines, raising tens of millions of dollars to combat severe famine in Ethiopia. Yet, despite heavy metal’s massive commercial dominance, hard rock and metal musicians were noticeably excluded from pop-centric relief efforts. In this episode of Riff Worship, we break down how Dio guitarist V...

This week on Riff Worship, we dive into the chaotic evolution of mathcore pioneers The Dillinger Escape Plan and the transformative journey behind their sophomore album, Miss Machine. Formed in Morris Plains, New Jersey, in 1997 from the ashes of the short-lived hardcore band Arcane, Dillinger immediately set out to break the boundaries of heavy music. By fusing free jazz, progressive metal, and n...

This week on Riff Worship, we dive deep into the making, history, and sonic evolution of Kylesa’s seminal 2009 masterpiece, Static Tensions! From their roots in Savannah’s pioneering crust-punk band Damad to their rise as titans of psychedelic sludge, Kylesa's story is defined by resilience, reinvention, and sheer heaviness. In this episode, we explore: The early days of co-founders Phillip Co...

This week on Riff Worship, we dive into Rush’s 1978 conceptual titan, Hemispheres! Following the grueling tour cycle for A Farewell to Kings, Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart headed to Rockfield Studios in Wales with producer Terry Brown to test their limits and record one of the most complex and ambitious albums of their career. We break down Rush’s origins in Willowdale, Ontario, the tran...

This week on Riff Worship, we’re joined by prolific multi-instrumentalist Garry Brents (Sallow Moth) and guitarist Joe Gordon (Mortal Decay) for a deep dive into Mortal Decay’s landmark 2002 sophomore album, Forensic! Together, we trace Mortal Decay’s evolution—from their early 1990s origins as Necropolis and Macabre to underground demo staples like Grisly Aftermath (1993) and Brutalizing Creation...

This week on Riff Worship, we dive headfirst into one of the 21st century's most visceral extreme music masterpieces: Trap Them’s 2008 sophomore album, Seizures in Barren Praise. Joining us to dissect the record's enduring legacy is Clint Gee, vocalist of Seattle grindcore outfit Smearing! We’ll take a look into the blueprint of the record, exploring how the band seamlessly fused hardcore...

This week on Riff Worship, we descend into the slowest, darkest, and heaviest corner of extreme music history to explore the birth of Funeral Doom through Thergothon’s 1994 cult classic, Stream from the Heavens! Before disbanding in 1993 and leaving the metal world behind, a group of Finnish teenagers completely rewrote the rulebook on heavy music. Fed up with the oversaturated early-'90s deat...

Discover the chaotic history of metalcore pioneers Deadguy! In this episode of Riff Worship, we chart the band’s volatile journey from their 1993 formation in New Brunswick, NJ, to the creation of their 1995 landmark album, Fixation on a Coworker. This week we’ll explore: How members of Rorschach, No Escape, and Lifetime collided to create an abrasive, influential sound that paved the way for band...

This week on Riff Worship, we explore the brief yet prolific history of His Hero Is Gone and their landmark 1997 album, Monuments to Thieves! Active only between 1995 and 1999, the legendary Memphis, Tennessee crust punk band left their mark on underground music forever. By blending punishing, heavy metal-inspired hardcore punk with a fiercely independent approach, they created a blueprint that st...

In the late 1980s, the San Francisco Bay Area was the undisputed global epicenter of thrash metal. But deep within the underground, a new generation of metalheads were brewing something far more extreme. In this episode of Riff Worship, we are diving headfirst into the blood, guts, and history behind one of death metal’s foundational releases: Autopsy’s 1989 debut album, Severed Survival! Join us...

What does it take to create one of the most abrasive, unsettling metal records of the 21st century? In this episode of Riff Worship, we dive into the shadows to dissect the terrifying sonic legacy of the UK’s most elusive extreme music collective: Dragged Into Sunlight. Formed in 2006 by a group of anonymous DIY veterans, Dragged Into Sunlight have spent the last two decades weaponizing a volatile...

This week on Riff Worship, we’re diving into the comprehensive history of Washington D.C.’s Majority Rule! From skateboarding and high school Driver’s Ed to their final release, Emergency Numbers, we’ll explore the lineage of one of hardcore's most abrasive and dynamic trios. In this episode, we discuss: Their first basement demo and early split 7-inches with Positive State, Turbine, and The B...

This week on Riff Worship, we’re diving into one of the most revered and fiercely debated styles in extreme music: Death Metal! Special guest David Stepanavicius (Atræ Bilis, Fulci Rots) returns to the show to help us trace the genre’s rapid evolution, highlight defining record labels, and break down our Top 5 Death Metal Albums of All Time. From the foundational tape-trading days of Old School De...

This week on Riff Worship, we dive deep into the technical and spiritual labyrinth of Gorguts’ 1998 masterpiece, Obscura! Often hailed as one of the most innovative death metal albums of all time, Obscura was a radical departure that redefined the genre's boundaries. We trace the band’s journey from their 1989 formation in Sherbrooke, Quebec, through their early days with Roadrunner Records an...

This week on Riff Worship, we trace the origins of one of extreme music’s most prolific forces: Full of Hell. We’re joined by special guest John Wooten (Wooten Photo) for a deep dive into the foundations of the band, culminating in their seminal 2011 debut full-length, Roots of Earth Are Consuming My Home! In this episode, we’ll also discuss: The band’s pivotal relationship with the legendary A389...

This week on Riff Worship, we explore the history and impact of the seminal 2002 album Oceanic by post-metal pioneers Isis! Join us as we trace the band’s sonic evolution, from the bludgeoning heaviness of their debut Celestial to the atmospheric and melodic textures that would evolve throughout their career. In this episode we’ll discuss: How James Plotkin (Phantomsmasher, Khanate) bridged the ga...

This week on Riff Worship we take a deep dive into the history and eventual “demise” of the double album! From the introduction of the LP in 1948 to an era of pivotal releases ushered in by Bob Dylan’s Blonde on Blonde, we’ll explore the evolution of the format while attempting to answer several key questions. What actually defines a double album? Is it a matter of intent or runtime? Are they nece...

This week on Riff Worship, we explore the pivotal sophomore era of Coheed and Cambria. We'll trace the band's evolution from their early days in New York mixing punk, funk, and heavy metal as Shabütie to the moment they truly found their voice. Released on October 7th, 2003, In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 served as the moment the band came into its own both musically and conceptuall...