Into The Necrosphere

This week Harald Fossberg - a journalist, writer of “Nyanser Av Svart” and member of death punks, Turbonecro - joins the podcast to share his perspective on the advent and evolution of Norwegian black metal.  We also talk about the influence of British bands like Judas Priest and Killing Joke on the scene, and we reflect on the panel discussion about hate speech in black metal that both of us part...

This is a conversation recorded at the inaugural Fortress Forum, part of the 2024 installment of Fortress Festival held in Scarborough, UK on June 1st and 2nd. Ralph Schmidt is the guitarist and vocalist for the German black metal band, Ultha.  He plays in the post-punk ensemble, SUIR, is a die-hard fan of professional wrestling, a card-carrying member of the Horsemen of the Podcasting Apocalypse...

On this episode, I speak to Aaron Weaver, drummer and founding member of seminal US black metal band, Wolves In The Throne before a captive audience at this year’s iteration of Fortress Festival.  Aaron shares some of his memories of recording “Two Hunters”, we debate the merits of Metallica’s “Some Kind Of Monster” documentary, discuss our mutual love of Neurosis and much more. Then I give you my...

This is a conversation recorded at the inaugural Fortress Forum, part of the 2024 installment of Fortress Festival held in Scarborough, UK on June 1st and 2nd. Der Weg Einer Freiheit is a German black metal band from Würzburg.  They were formed in 2009 by Tobias Jaschinsky and Nikita Kamprad and have released five critically acclaimed records, including “Unstille” in 2012 and “Finsterre” in 2017....

This is a conversation recorded at the inaugural Fortress Forum, part of the 2024 installment of Fortress Festival held in Scarborough, UK. Dayal Patterson is a British author, music journalist and founder of the excellent publishing house, Cult Never Dies. He has written several non-fiction books about metal, most notably the seminal “Black Metal: Evolution Of The Cult”.  You can view and purchas...

This week living legend and one of the nicest guys in metal, Sakis Tolis, returns to the show to discuss Rotting Christ’s new opus, “Pro Xristou”. We explore how his approach to writing music has evolved over the course of his career and we uncover some surprising admissions about his creative process.  After that, I discuss why the latest records by Göden, Vredehammer, Gatecreeper and Atrae Bilis...

This week’s episode takes me to the Munich High End Hifi Show, where I catch up with Rune Skov, Sales Director for Gryphon Audio. We dive into his inspiring journey from teacher to a leader in one of the most cutting-edge brands in high-end audio. We chat about the future of the industry, swap hifi stories, and much more. PLUS – I break down three budget-friendly entry-level hifi systems you’ll lo...

The great and powerful Silenoz of Dimmu Borgir makes his first appearance on Into The Necrosphere to discuss the band’s triumphant performance at this year’s Inferno Festival.  He also walks me through the complexity of recording with large orchestras, shares his reflections on a career spanning over three decades and much more. On my weekly news rant, new singles by the likes of Darkened, Crypt S...

On this episode I visited with D.G., guitarist and vocalist for Icelandic black metal powerhouse, Misthyrming, shortly following their show-stealing performance at this year’s Inferno Festival in Olso, Norway.  We discussed his influences, our shared love of Rammstein, his reflections on the band’s career to date, what motivates him today and much more.  Later in the show, I also share another rou...

This week I get to tick off a wishlist podcast guest as I welcome Matt Pike of High on Fire to the show for the first time.  He is joined by his bandmate, Jeff Matz, to discuss their ferocious new album, “Cometh The Storm”.  I also get Matt to share the stories behind some of my favourite High on Fire tracks over the course of their discography, discover why Matt decided to pick up the guitar, lea...

My guest this week requires absolutely no introduction: the legendary David Vincent, currently spreading the devil’s message by way of Vltimas, Terrorizer and I Am Morbid.  We had a lengthy conversation about a host of topics including his songwriting and performance philosophy, living life on your own terms and what continues to motivate him at this stage of his career. PLUS:  The world premiere...

For this very special episode of Into The Necrosphere, I caught up with Dayal Patterson, founder of Cult Never Dies, at the Inferno Festival in Norway.  We discussed his journey from photographer to journalist and eventually writer of indisputably the greatest book to chronicles black metal’s history ever published, “Black Metal: The Evolution Of The Cult”.  Dayal went into detail about the book’s...

On this week’s episode, I connect with S.B., drummer and vocalist for Richmond, Virginia’s Antichrist Siege Machine, for his first ever long-form podcast interview.  In a wide-ranging discussion, we cover several topics including how S.B. manages drumming and vocals on stage, the steps he took with regards to his own physical health to level up his performance, the upcoming Antichrist Siege Machin...

In this episode, I’m on location at the historic Akershus fortress in Oslo, Norway, where I have the pleasure of a conversation with Archaon, the guitarist of 1349. We delve into his personal journey into black metal, the origins of the band, and get an exciting glimpse into their upcoming album. Later we’re also joined by my good friend Svartalv, of the band Nocturnal Breed, who shares his insigh...

This past weekend I had the privilege of ticking off an experience that's been very high on my bucket list by attending the 2024 edition of the legendary Inferno Festival in Oslo, Norway. Joining me on this grand odyssey was my good friend and fellow Horseman of the Podcasting Apocalypse, Shayan of the band Trivax and the host of Iblis Manifestations. On this episode we discuss our experiences ove...

On this episode I’m joined by Andrew Craighan, founding member and guitarist for seminal UK doom mongers, My Dying Bride.  We discuss their upcoming record, the masterful “A Mortal Binding”, and go in depth into the history of the band, including a frank assessment of arguably their most controversial album, “34.788%... Complete”. Then it’s on to a round-up of new releases by Brodequin, Civerous,...

My friend Jason Peppiatt makes his long overdue return to Into The Necrosphere this week.   I get the latest on all of his musical endeavours, including Psycroptic, Domination Campaign and Permafog.  We also discuss his approach to writing lyrics, his thoughts on AI in the metal scene, dealing with growing older and much more in an epic 2-hour long conversation. Then, I’m joined by my fellow Horse...

Joakim Sterner of Swedish blackened death metal legends, Necrophobic, joins me this week to discuss their tenth album, “In The Twilight Grey”.  We also reminisce over the halcyon days of the Swedish death and black metal scene, Joakim reveals how and why he became a drummer and much more. PLUS - I wax lyrical about some of my favourite new releases, including albums by Skeletal Remains, Keres and...

Katy Irizarry makes her fourth appearance on Into The Necrosphere, and true to our tradition, we hold nothing back as we set the world to rights. We delve into the influence of AI in music, the chaotic state of today's politics, and much more. Katy also provides an exciting update on the rapid expansion of Suspiria PR, and we offer a sneak peek into the panel she will be moderating, which I am pro...

This week Mateo Von Bewitcher joins me to reflect on Bewitcher’s first decade of existence by taking me on a curated tour of their new retrospective compilation, “Deep Cuts & Shallow Graves”. We also discuss the controversy surrounding Vince McMahon (formerly) of the WWE, share our opinions on the most evil sounding albums ever recorded and much more. I also do a round-up of my favourite relea...

Kyle Rasmussen joins me this week for a conversation about the making of “Suffer & Become”, masculinity, authentic creative expression, cancel culture and much more. It's a chat for the ages and definitely NOT for sensitive souls. PLUS on this week’s news rant: - Deicide commit the ultimate blasphemy by commissioning AI album artwork - High on Fire are back and unsurprisingly their new materia...

Chis Monroy and Mike De La O of brutal death metal upstarts, Skeletal Remains, join the podcast this week to discuss “Fragments of the Ageless”, why Chris doesn't enjoy being a frontman, winning over tough crowds and a whole lot more. PLUS - on this week’s news rant: - My Dying Bride return to form and instantly rocket to the top of the list of my most anticipated releases of 2024 with “Thornwyck...

On this episode I chat to Suffocation bassist, Derek Boyer, about the making of the band’s new album, “Hymns From The Apocrypha,” replacing Frank Mullen, and life on the road. We also discuss Derek’s own triumphs in the face of adversity on the road to realizing his dream of playing in one of death metal’s most iconic bands. Also on this installment of the podcast: Conspiracy X is back to torture...

This week I conclude my epic countdown of the best albums released in 2023. I’m joined by my fellow Horsemen of the Podcasting Apocalypse and frontman for Tombs, Scorpion Throne and Begotten Suns - Mike Hill - to run through our respective Top 10 lists and crown the winner of the year’s greatest record. PLUS - The world premier of the new single by progressive death metal juggernaut, Stellar Remai...

This week I am continuing my celebration of the very best albums of 2023. My fellow Horseman of the Podcasting Apocalypse - the Sinister Minister himself - Karl Hikara (Sol Nox) and the Duke of Metal, Dave Berrardi, joins me to share their Top 10s, while I count down my numbers 20 through 11. We also reminisce over some of my favourite (and not-so-favourite) episodes of last year. PLUS - Shograath...