Heavy Metal 101

Wherein Eric and John return to the fray, exploring the extraordinary music making of Iron Maiden in their first Bruce Dickinson fronted period, 1981-93. Click on the links below for all the music listening breaks in this episode: Music listening break #1 - "The Trooper" from Piece of Mind (1983) https://youtu.be/4VZbjrDwQ28?si=7rIZSnnsjQYHPH_Z Video break #1: "Can I Play With Madne...

Wherein Eric and John create the most complex, elaborate, and delightful list possible of the most essential, awesome metal albums released during the genre's golden decade, the 1980s. Although we here at HM101 are more about the journey than the destination, if you want to skip to the "short list", it can be found starting at approximately 1:14:50. Click on the links below for all the music liste...

Wherein Eric and John explore the magnificent oeuvre of perhaps the most metal man who ever lived, the late, great Ronnie James Dio, from his career as an early rock and roll crooner through his iconic stints with Rainbow, Black Sabbath, and Dio. Click on the links below for all the music listening breaks in this episode: Music listening break #1: Dio- "We Rock" from The Last in Line (1984) https:...

Wherein Eric and John return to some of Eric's most favorite historical stomping grounds, the epic history of that most maligned of heavy metal subgenres, glam metal, by delving into just what a vast assortment of bands, including Poison, Cinderella, the mighty Guns N' Roses, and many, many more, were up to in the late 1980s. Click on the links below for all the music listening breaks in this epis...

Wherein Eric and John go to some truly dark places, exploring one of Eric's least favorite metal subgenres, progressive metal, but come out the other side stronger, wiser, and having talked about an assortment of amazing artists including the "big three": Fates Warning, Dream Theater, and Queensrÿche, as well as Eric's pick for THE SINGLE GREATEST HEAVY METAL ALBUM OF THE 1980s!...

Wherein Eric torments John relentlessly, deep diving into the life and work of Kiss, the single most favorite band of Eric's misspent youth, in the 1980s. Throughout these "Special Topics in Metalology" episodes, we'll feature extended timeframes, more music, and even more verbal sparring, as we engage in deep dive explorations and analyses of challenging and esoteric subjects drawn from a wide sw...

Wherein Eric, flying solo, takes a bit of a chronological detour, examining the heavy metal of the 21st century. On this edition, Eric surveys the very best albums of 2023, along with a pedagogical discussion of some of the many, many sub genres that comprise the metal of the 21st century, culminating in the official pick for HM101 Heavy Metal Album of the Year for 2023! Visit us at: ⁠⁠https://pod...

Wherein Eric rings in the holiday season in the best way possible: By exploring the esoteric underworld of 1980s American independent heavy metal bands with author Alexandros Anesiadis. Alex is the author of the fantastic new book Heroes of the Metal Underground: The Definitive Guide to 1980s American Independent Metal Bands. Purchase copies for yourself and 10 of your closest friends at: https://...

Wherein Eric and John conclude their epic diptych exploring the music and stories of women who rock, taking a look at an assortment of amazing female heavy metal artists and their extraordinary music making in the 1980s. Opening clip: Wendy O. WilliamsAssigned Listening #1: Rock Goddess- "My Angel" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtC-QMModH4 Assigned Listening #2 : Wendy O. Williams- &qu...

Wherein Eric and John embark on an epic diptych exploring the music and stories of women who rock, first by delving into the prehistory of women in heavy metal via a look at of some of the monumental contributions of women to the wider history of rock music from 1938 through the 1970s. Opening clip: Joan Jett Closing clip: Lzzy Hale Assigned Listening #1: Sister Rosetta Tharpe- "Strange Thing...

Wherein Eric and John take Heavy Metal 101 to the next level, combining elements of classic horror radio plays, telling the narratives of four macabre King Diamond classics, alongside the story of the band and the man in the 1980s in classic HM101 style. Prologue- "The Call" The Story of Fatal Portait Eric and John do their thing, pt. 1 Assigned listening #1: "Halloween" (from...

Wherein Eric and John take a scenic tour through the cassette collection of a young Eric, and explore three of the biggest pop metal hit albums of the mid-1980s: Bon Jovi- Slippery When Wet , Whitesnake- Whitesnake ( aka 1987) , and Def Leppard- Hysteria . Assigned Listening #1: Bon Jovi- "You Give Love a Bad Name" (the video) ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrZHPOeOxQQ Assigned List...

Wherein Eric and John return for season three with a bang, exploring the seminal works of the "Big 4" of American thrash in 1986/7, Metallica's Master of Puppets, Megadeth's Peace Sells...But Who’s Buying?, Slayer's Reign in Blood, and Anthrax's Among the Living. Assigned Listening #1: Metallica- "Battery" ⁠ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvW4OQFA_UY Megadeth:...

The season #2 finale, wherein Eric, John, and special guest Ben Apatoff (author of Metallica: The $24.95 Book) discuss the formative history of arguably metal's most culturally significant band, Metallica, from their prehistory and formation through the release of Ride the Lightning. Assigned listening #1: "Hit the Lights" by Mettallica ( sic ) from the first pressing of the Metal Ma...

Wherein Eric and John continue to delve ever more deeply into the gritty, glitzy history of glam metal, focusing this time on the first wave of 1980's Sunset Strip bands including Mötley Crüe, Dokken, W.A.S.P., Great White, Stryper, and Ratt. Assigned Listening #1- Mötley Crüe- "Live Wire" (version 1, Elektra Records) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6AiAKJDWCQ (version 2, Leathür Re...

Wherein Eric and John delve into the seedier side of the heavy metal multiverse, exploring the history of glam metal via both an examination of the earliest days of British glam rock and a look at the proto-glam metal scene found on the 1970's Sunset Strip. Assigned Listening #1: Montrose- "Rock Candy" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z25xrCoTdZI Assigned Listening #2: The Runaways- &...

Wherein Eric and John excavate the most significant of heavy metal's musical roots, the blues, exploring the origins and histories of the genre as well as its more direct connections to the history of heavy metal. Throughout these "Roots of Heavy Metal" episodes, we'll dig deep into the many influences that made heavy metal music what it is, with longer episodes, more musical exa...

Wherein Eric and John reflect upon the ascendency of heavy metal as an increasingly significant force in popular culture by looking at four massive albums released in 1983 and 1984, Def Leppard's Pyromania, Quiet Riot's Metal Health, Twisted Sister's Stay Hungry, and Van Halen's 1984.  Assigned Listening: Def Leppard option #1: video-"Photograph" https://www.youtube.com/w...

Wherein Eric and John explore the formative years and the 1980's output of possibly the most important band of all the bands, the glorious Mercyful Fate! Long live the King indeed. Throughout these "Special Topics in Metalology" episodes, we'll feature extended timeframes, more music, and even more verbal sparring, as we engage in deep dive explorations and analyses of challengin...

Wherein Eric, flying solo, takes a bit of a chronological detour, examining the heavy metal of the 21st century in smaller, bite-sized chunks. On the inaugural journey of this new bonus series of HM101 mini-episodes, Eric takes a look at some of the finest music of a brand new century, way back in 2000-2001.  These 20th Century Curmudgeon's Guide to 21st Century Heavy Metal bonus episodes will...

Wherein Eric and John take a look at some of the earliest evidence of the genre fragmentation that would eventually define metal in the later 1980s and beyond via the NWOBHM of 1981, discussing the roots of pop metal, traditional metal, and extreme metal. Assigned Listening #1: Def Leppard- "High 'n' Dry (Saturday Night)" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkfJOrdc1AUAssigned Listen...

Wherein Eric and John explore the foundational moments of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal in 1980, featuring early works by Saxon, Def Leppard, Diamond Head, and Angel Witch.  Assigned Listening #1: Saxon- "To Hell and Back Again" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bM2wXFgO9g Assigned Listening #2: Def Leppard- "Wasted" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQzw1wJO8bY Assigned Lis...

Wherein Eric and John take a look at what some of the classic metal bands discussed in season #1 were up to in the year 1980. Part 2 focuses on Judas Priest (British Steel) and Motorhead (Ace of Spades), as well as a look in on what all the other season #1 bands discussed were up to in and around the year of our lord 1980.   Assigned Listening #1: option A Judas Priest- "Breaking the Law&quot...

Wherein Eric braves both the end of the world and John's horrifying, disembodied groans and shrieks in order to bring you the haunting tale of three of the foundational bands of extreme metal: Hellhammer, Bathory, and Mantas (with just a touch of Venom thrown in for good measure)!Assigned listening #1: Venom- Welcome to Hell https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4e0VvHZMaTsAssigned listening #2: Hel...

Wherein Eric and John take a look at what the mighty Black Sabbath ( Heaven and Hell ) and the newly musically single Ozzy Osbourne ( Blizzard of Ozz ) were up to as a new decade dawned. Assigned Listening #1: Black Sabbath- "Heaven and Hell" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FRA7UXlGu8   Assigned Listening #2: Ozzy Osbourne- "Mr. Crowley" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0RE230...