Heavy Metal 101

Wherein Eric and John return to the fray for season #2, and explore the rise and debut album of one of the greatest heavy metal bands of all time, the mighty Iron Maiden! Assigned Listening #1: "Prowler" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnCHrQqmN0Q Assigned Listening #2: "Running Free" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbK9vqF8EOc Assigned Listening #3: "Iron Maiden" htt...

Wherein Eric, John, and very special guest author and Sabbath scholar Nolan Stolz pick up right where we left off on episode #1, exploring 1970's Black Sabbath from the release of the seminal Paranoid through Never Say Die! and Ozzy's departure at the end of the decade.  Music listening break #1: "Children of the Grave" from Master of Reality https://youtu.be/X01Envh1kSA   Music...

Wherein Eric and John get down to the business of creating a concrete list of essential heavy metal bands and albums from the 1970s for a listener's "starter pack" of music from metal's first decade. We're more about the journey than the destination, but a short form of the list is available from 39:31-40:54. Visit us at: https://anchor.fm/heavymetal101podcast (you can leave...

Wherein Eric and John explore the surprising amount of interconnectivity and influence between arguably the least and most prestigious of musical genres, heavy metal and classical music, via comparisons of Deep Purple with Antonio Vivaldi and Eddie Van Halen with Niccolò Paganini. Throughout these "Roots of Heavy Metal" episodes, we'll dig deep into the many influences that made heav...

Wherein Eric and John wax rhapsodic about the majestic debut album of Van Halen, arguably the single most important heavy metal release of the 1970s by a band not named Black Sabbath. Here is a link to a recording of this episode's discussed track, "I'm the One" from the self-titled Van Halen debut: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzkXGIRaxcI Visit us at: https://anchor.fm/heavym...

Wherein Eric and John establish a foolproof, highly scientific (ish) taxonomy of early heavy metal, tour the porous and contentious borderlands separating "heavy metal" from "hard rock", and delve into the metal side of Boston's most favorite musical sons, Aerosmith, and their masterpiece "Toys in the Attic". Here is a handy link to a recording of this episode&#39...

Wherein Eric and John explore the aesthetic look of heavy metal fans and artists, delve into the genre's darkly theatrical onstage sensibilities, and take a peak at the work of two of the most influential shock rock acts of the 1970s: Alice Cooper and Kiss.  Here is a link to the excellent live montage video of "Deuce" from Alive! that Eric and John watched: https://youtu.be/YDr8gys2...

Wherein Eric and John temporarily shed the strictures implied by the "101" course designation, and drink deep from the cup of Death, arguably the greatest single metal band of all time. 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...

Wherein Eric and John discuss the arrival of punk rock on the scene, its near-destruction of heavy metal, and how metal would soon rise like a phoenix from the ashes via the high velocity proto-thrash of the late, great Motorhead. Here is a handy link to a recording of this episode's discussed track, "Overkill" from the album of the same name: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VNUyjRR...

Wherein Eric and John attempt to answer the age old question, "What the hell is heavy metal?", and also worship at the altar of the one, true metal god Rob Halford while discussing the formative Judas Priest classic, "Sad Wings of Destiny".  Here is a handy link to a recording of this episode's discussed track, "The Ripper" from the album Sad Wings of Destiny: htt...

Episode #1, wherein Eric and John discuss Black Sabbath, the song, from Black Sabbath, the album, by Black Sabbath, the band. Happy birthday heavy metal! Here is a handy link to a recording of this episode's discussed track, "Black Sabbath" from the album Black Sabbath : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISXnYu-Or4w Visit us at: https://anchor.fm/heavymetal101podcast (you can leave us...

Welcome to heavy metal 101, the podcast wherein Eric, an expert, and John, a novice, explore the history and repertoire of some of the coolest, scariest music in all the land, heavy f'n metal! Visit us at: https://anchor.fm/heavymetal101podcast (you can leave us a voicemail if you're so inclined!) Contact us at: heavymetal101podcast@gmail.com Social media: https://www.facebook.com/HeavyMet...