Debating Metal: The Podcast

On August 4th, Metallica rolled into Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ for a weekend takeover that included 5 bands, 2 free parking lot concerts, 2 full shows w/ different setlists, over 30 songs and over 80,000 of the band’s closest friends, including Debating Metal alum, Sklo, on both nights. For Kenneth Dean, Metallica came to Arlington,TX and AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys,...

Last episode we gave you our take on albums that were rereleased after their initial debut for one reason or another.  Today were taking a look at albums that are more Special Edition than the re-releases we talked about last episode. These include Anniversary Editions, Deluxe Editions and even one that came with a platinum album in its sleeve. Today we’re expanding on that list of albums with Rem...

Sometimes, despite talent and good songs, a band doesn't get things right the first time and might have to change things up to break a new market. On this episode, the guys are going to talk about albums that for one reason or another were remixed, remastered and rereleased by the band. In most cases, it’s a bands first album that may have been self-released and their new record company wants a sh...

When it comes to the music business, not many artists can claim to have had 2 successful careers, let alone 1.  Artists like Ozzy Osbourne and Sammy Hagar are examples of artists who have had multi-platinum success first in a band and then as solo artists with Sammy even joining an already successful band and making it more successful than before. Another example of this is Dave Grohl, who first c...

Celebrating his 50th year in the business David Coverdale began his career in 1973 fronting the legendary Deep Purple.  4 years later in 1977, Deep Purple disbanded and his solo career began. After releasing 2 solo albums, David formed Whitesnake and never looked back. Since 1978, Whitesnake has released 13 studio albums, 9 live albums and 12 compilations having sold over 12 million albums in the...

With a career that lasted over 10 years and came to an unfortunate end with the death of drummer John Bonham, Led Zeppelin released 8 studio albums, 4 of which went DIAMOND, 1 collection of leftover tracks, 4 live albums and various compilation albums, reaching heights most bands only dream of. On this episode, the guys are going to rank their albums from what they think is their weakest all the w...

Today we are taking a trip once again back in time to the early 80’s and the New Wave of British Heavy Metal Scene where Venom's first two albums set the stage for an entire genre. Today we’re putting Venom’s debut album Welcome to Hell against its successor Black Metal, song for song to see which one is the better album.  While both albums are considered influential, only one album can come out o...

From straight out of the L.A. club scene, these shock rockers are known for saw blades and raw meat.  Led by lead singer, guitarist and main songwriter Blackie Lawless, this band is still going strong today as they've been celebrating their 40th year with their biggest US tour in decades.  Today we bring you W.A.S.P. Greatest Hits. The guys will choose 15 songs each from their 15 album discography...

With 9 studio albums with original vocalist Ozzy Osbourne, another 3 with Ronnie James Dio, 5 more   with Tony Martin, 1 with Ian Gillan and 1 with Glenn Hughes, Black Sabbath has an extremely large catalog of music. On this episode, the guys are going rank their albums from what they think is their weakest all the way up to what we believe is their very best. That’s right, we’re ranking the disco...

Whether it's their debut album or their third release, there comes a time in a band’s career where they make their career defining album. It’s the album that opened the door for that artist to headline arenas instead of clubs. They go from selling 500,000 albums to 3 million. Today we’re going to dive into what we think are Career Defining Albums by our favorite metal artists. And when we’re done,...

Metallica released their latest album on April 14, 2023 and we decided to give you a review of the album. Writing for the album began in 2020 during the pandemic shutdown and recording began in March of 2021 and finished in November of last year. The album was announced shortly thereafter on the Howard Stern show and the single “Lux Aeterna” was released that day. Joining us on the episode is Sklo...

Formed in 1985 after the dissolution of Mercyful Fate, vocalist King Diamond joined forces with Andy LaRocque to form the eponymous band and have released 12 studio albums, 3 live albums, 2 Eps and 5 compilations albums since their debut with plans for a new studio album to be released in the near future. On this episode, we’re giving you King Diamond's Greatest Hits. Chris and I will choose 15 so...

On this episode Chris Kaye returns as he and Kenneth Dean, the Dean of Metal once again going back to the 80’s for a head-to-head that no one saw coming. Known for their motto “Death to False Metal”, today it’s Manowar’s Fighting the World vs. Kings of Metal. After signing their major label record contract, Manowar released their 1987 album Fighting the World to a generally good response and MTV p...

On this special episode of Debating Metal, Kenneth Dean, the Dean of Metal brings in a special guest Sklo to fill in for Chris Kaye. Sklo and Kenneth Dean discuss which are the best musicians to make the perfect heavy metal band. They will each choose 5 musicians from vocalists, rhythm guitarists, lead guitarists, bassists, and drummers. Following the discussion, the guys offer their BIG 4 Concert...

On this special interim episode, Kenneth Dean, the Dean of Metal is without his metal partner in crime Chris Kaye.  Chris is recovering from some sort of cold, cough, sinus thingy.  So tonight, the Kenneth Dean flies solo! Tonight Kenneth Dean is going to talk about Debut EP’s from 80’s metal bands and the stories behind them.  As you know, in the 80’s heavy metal really began to take off and forg...

Having released their 17th studio album in 2021, Iron Maiden continue to add to their impressive catalog. On this episode, Kenneth and I are going rank their albums from what we think is their weakest all the way up to what we believe is their best for Iron Maiden - Worst to First. So sit back, relax, turn it up to 11 and let the debate begin. BIG 4 - Iron Maiden Songs sung by Paul Di'Anno Hosts -...

40 years ago, the L.A Club scene was on the verge of exploding onto the mainstream. Bands like Dokken, Motley Crue and Quiet Riot were getting gobbled up by major label record companies looking to find the next BIG THING while veterans like Judas Priest, Ozzy Osbourne and AC/DC were looking to maintain their relevance. At the same time, new bands, tired of the hairspray and makeup of the burgeonin...

In 1991, Grunge exploded into the mainstream when bands like Melvins, Temple of the Dog, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Muhoney and Nirvana to name a few, all released landmark albums that changed the landscape of music for the next decade. Today we’ll discuss the rise and the fall of Grunge as the mainstream music industry raced to sign the next big thing out of Seattle. Today’s episode will feature som...

With its roots dating all the way back to 1984, Grunge took America by storm in the early 90’s. It broke all the rules and defied the norms set by music industry bigwigs. Grunge bands changed the standards by which heavy rock music was done. It changed how bands wrote music, how they presented themselves, how they dressed and in turn, it became a cultural phenomenon that flipped the music and fash...

On this episode, we’re sticking around the Pacific Northwest and while the band we’re going to discuss today predates the Seattle grunge scene, they are still no less important to its history.  Today we give you Metal Church’s Greatest Hits. Chris and I will choose 15 songs each from their 12 album discography. Any songs duplicated automatically make the list. Whichever songs were not, we’ll debat...

Today we’re hitting the Seattle scene and taking a look at the career of one of the most unique bands to come out of Seattle as we give you Alice in Chains Greatest Hits. While their history is marred with fits and starts, triumphs and tragedies, the band were able to release 6 full length albums, 3 Eps, 3 live albums, a Greatest Hits, and a Boxed Set. On this episode, Kenneth and I will choose 15...

On this week's episode, the guys are bringing you a head-to-head featuring one of Germany’s first thrash bands. Today, we’re bringing you Kreator – Coma of Souls vs. Violent Revolution.  It's 2 of their heaviest albums at that time and we battle it out to see which one comes out on top. So sit back, relax, turn it up to 11 and let the debate begin... BIG 4 - Kreator Songs Hosts - Kenneth Dean, the...

For our first episode of 2023 we’re ringing in the New Year with the one and only Teutonic Terrors from Solingen, Germany, otherwise known as Accept. With 16 albums, we have a lot of songs to choose from. So Chris and I will pick our 15 favorite Accept songs and whichever songs are duplicated make the list. The ones that don’t will be debated to determine which make the final cut. Then we’ll arran...

For today’s final episode of the year, we’re taking you back to a time when music was sleazy, sexual, satanic and made you do things your mother warned you not to do. No, we’re not taking you back to last week, we’re going all the way back to 1985 and revisiting the PMRC’s Filthy Fifteen. And for the final episode of the year, we're giving you our BIG 4 Albums of 2022. So sit back, relax, turn it...

Happy Holidays Metal Heads! This special episode of Debating Metal has the guy give you their top 10 Favorite Metal Christmas songs. From King Diamond to Stryper, we run the gamut of good tidings and face melting metal.  So sit back, relax, grab a cup o' cheer, turn it up to 11 and let the list begin!