ATX Metal Podcast

The Breakdown In this episode of the ATX Metal Podcast, host Ryan Rayle welcomes back the duo Lift the Curse, consisting of Jon Yadon Jr. and Ryan Hegefeld. They discuss their dynamic as a band, their creative process, and the excitement surrounding their upcoming showcase. The conversation delves into their songwriting methods, the importance of collaboration in music video production, and the cu...

The Breakdown In this episode of the ATX Metal Podcast, host Ryan Rayle engages with members Danny Leal and Travis Case of the band Estraya, discussing their formation, musical influences, and the challenges they faced in the music industry. The conversation delves into their new single '411', the dynamics of songwriting within the band, and the unique experiences of performing in unconventional v...

The Breakdown: In this episode of the ATX Metal Podcast, host Ryan Rayle interviews members Austin Blades and Giancarlo Fernandez of the San Antonio-based band Left IV Dead. They discuss the band's formation, their energetic live performances, and the evolution of the metal scene over the years. The conversation delves into the creative process behind their music, the importance of stage presence,...

The Breakdown In this episode of the ATX Metal Podcast, host Ryan Rayle interviews the members of Tibetan Sky Burial, a local band known for their introspective and heavy sound. They discuss their musical journey, the challenges of maintaining a band, the chaos of live performances, and the creative process behind their music. The conversation also touches on their gear, influences, and what audie...

The Breakdown Backbiter, a metal band from Ohio, discusses their formation, music, and experiences in the local music scene. They talk about how they recruited a new member based on his participation in their shows and how having two guitarists enhances their live performances. The band shares their influences and how their sound has evolved over time. They also discuss their craziest shows, inclu...

The Breakdown Jake Murphy, a solo artist from Denver, shares his journey of becoming a solo artist and creating music. He started his music career in a band in Oklahoma and later moved to Denver to pursue his solo project. Jake collaborates with Tyler Ruhl and Elliott Post to create the instrumental tracks for his songs. He records the vocals himself and sends them back to Tyler for mixing and mas...

The Breakdown In this episode of the ATX Metal Podcast, Ryan Rayle interviews the members of Lift the Curse, an alternative heavy rock band based in Austin, Texas. The band consists of Jon Yadon Jr. on guitar, and Ryan Hegefeld on guitar and vocals. They discuss their background, the formation of Lift the Curse, their songwriting process, and their live performances. The conversation also touches...

The Breakdown In this episode of the ATX Metal Podcast, Ryan sits down with the band Venustra. The band has a unique theatrical show and incorporates elements of shock rock, Japanese visual Kei, and swing music into their sound. They have faced challenges in defining their genre but strive to create a bigger sound that sets them apart from other bands. The conversation also touches on the importan...

The Breakdown In this episode of the ATX Metal Podcast, Ryan sits down with Eamonn Danzig, one of the creators of the Bat City Black Metal Fest. They discuss the origins of black metal, the message behind the festival, and the efforts to promote inclusivity and distance the genre from its tainted past. The festival will feature eight bands, live sword fighting, tattooing, and a corpse paint booth....

The Breakdown In this conversation, Ryan interviews Dave Perry of Fear of Water. They discuss various topics including the music industry, radio stations, and the success of Fear of Water's music. Dave talks about the secondary market for radio stations and how they have embraced his music. He also shares his experience with imposter syndrome and the impact of having his music played on Octane, a...

The Breakdown: Glass Grinder is a metal band from Austin, Texas that combines elements of grindcore, deathcore, and heavy metal. They aim to stand out by not being confined to a single genre and experimenting with different styles. The band started as a three-piece improvisational group and eventually evolved into a five-piece band. They have released an EP called 'I Hate You' and are working on a...

The Breakdown: In this episode of the ATX Metal Podcast, Ryan and Josh discuss their foray into the world of reaction videos and their love for metal music. Josh, also known as Drifter Voyages, is a metal reaction content creator on YouTube and the frontman of a metalcore band. They talk about what they look for in reaction videos, their favorite elements in metal music, and the importance of crea...

The Breakdown: A Means To An End is a metalcore band from Corpus Christi, Texas. The band has been together for about eight or nine years, but started taking their music seriously about five years ago. The band consists of Storm Galindo on guitar and vocals, Noah Delos Rios on vocals, Ralph on drums, and Kyler on bass. They describe their sound as metalcore with influences from various genres. The...

The Breakdown In this conversation, I chat with members Dan and Tanner of the band Waterfront to discuss their background, education, and signing with Affiant Records. We talk about their musical influences and how they came together as a band. They also share their experiences in high school and university, particularly in relation to their music education. The guys highlight the benefits of work...

The Breakdown In this episode of the ATX Metal Podcast, Ryan sits down with the band DSGNS to discuss their new record and their journey in creating it. They talk about the process of recording the album live and the challenges they faced. The band members also discuss their approach to playing chaotic music and their collaborative songwriting process. They reflect on the history of the band and t...

The Breakdown In this episode of the ATX Metal Podcast, Ryan interviews the band members Daniel and Stephen of Thumbscrew and delves into their journey as a metal band. The conversation covers their early years, the evolution of their sound, the transition to a new vocalist, recording and promotion challenges, touring experiences, and memorable moments on the road. The band members share their pas...

The Breakdown In this episode of the ATX Metal Podcast, Ryan interviews Kevin Hellestad from the Chord Progression Podcast. They discuss the importance of supporting the local music scene and how to discover new bands. Kevin shares the origin story of his podcast and his passion for promoting local artists. They also talk about the challenges of being a podcaster and the impact of honesty in music...

The Breakdown In this interview, I speak with Colin and Ashleigh of Tulip, a symphonic groove metal band from Dallas. We discuss the band's unique sound and influences, as well as their journey forming the band. The conversation also touches on the challenges of balancing music and relationships, finding time for music amidst family duties, and the music scene in the Dallas area. We also talk abou...

The Breakdown In this conversation, Dalton Kennerly from the band LEVELS discusses various aspects of the band's journey and music career. He talks about treating the band as a business, the band's influences and musical style, their collaboration with Landon Tewers (The Plot in You), and the sound shift in their new singles. Dalton also shares insights into signing with SharpTone Records, negotia...

Profiler is a Nu-Metal reawakening from the mind of vocalist and guitarist Mike Evans. This band is inspired by those who have incited change in genres, arts, and theories. It's a weight of legacy that Profiler is comfortable shouldering, backed by SharpTone Records, its home since 2020. After starting as a solo project in Bristol, UK, Mike stepped out from the studio and onto the stage, enlisting...

ESP was founded in 2015 by Timothy Moss. The band’s concept and music was inspired by Timothy’s  travels in the Middle East and events in the US.  The band’s first release, “Call To Arms” was produced by Wyn Davis at Total Access Recording Studios in Redondo Beach, CA . The release on Starwest Entertainment Records was well received and garnered industry interest.  After the pandemic it was decide...

I love when "new to me" bands reach out asking to check out their music out.  It's one of the cool aspects of running a metal podcast.  Vox Nostra dropped me a DM on Instagram about a month prior from the date of this release asking to check out their debut single "Façade".  Upon the pressing of the play button, the riff begins and I got drawn into blast beats and melodic tapping followed by some...

Release The Captive have been around the Austin, TX metal scene for a few years now.  I spoke with the band previously back in Dec of 2021 (link below if you want to give that a listen first).  Now that the band has a new drummer and a new single, "Defiance", we got together and caught up with the guys to see what's been going on in the RTC camp. We get into how their new single "Defiance" came to...

I get a fair amount of emails asking for reviews and promotion and I came across one email for a band based out of Germany.  It isn't everyday that I get emails from across the pond so I had to check it out and I am glad I did.  Thanks to Hannes, he connected me with Christopher Danner, the vocalists/guitarist of Torrential Rain, a metalcore outfit from Nuremburg, Germany.  Germanys progressive me...

I wanted to mix it up a little bit so instead of interviewing one band, I sat down with three individuals from three various projects to talk about all things guitar.  In this episode I sat down with a long time friend Brien Allen (Bridges Ablaze / Arborenna / Altermind), Dylan Kortz (Living Hollow / Hopefool) and Jon Tadon (Lift the Curse / The Browning).  In my years of doing this podcast, of th...