Heavy Metal Philosophy

I inadvertently started a Twitter thread where metalheads kept sending me pictures and stories about their spouses. It was one of the cutest and most wholesome Twitter experiences I've ever had. It taught me something about us and social media. Let's talk about it in this week's episode. Heavy Metal Philosophy Contact; https://www.spreaker.com/show/heavy-metal-philosophy HeavyMetalPhilosophy@gmail...

I got the pleasure to interview Jon Donais about his new band, the super-group Living Wreckage. I had the privilege of listening to their debut album early and then Jon and I had a chat about the band's direction and the state of rock n roll. Living Wreckage Socials; https://livingwreckagemetal.bandcamp.com/ https://www.facebook.com/livingwreckage/ https://www.instagram.com/livingwreckage/ https:/...

I grew up in a fundamentalist Christian family. There was a lot of music and entertainment that I wasn't allowed to consume. How did I go from attending church daily to being a heathen and advocating for extreme metal? How did you get into metal? Let's talk about it. Link to 1st Column for Metal Digest; https://metal-digest.com/2022/09/06/what-is-heavy-metal-philosophy/ Heavy Metal Philosophy Cont...

We got to listen to the new Fallujah Album, Empyrean, early and Scott was nice enough to give me an interview before the album releases today. We talk about the choices on the record, the contributions of new members, their return to form, sci-fi angels, and much more! Metal Digest Articles by Jon Barbas; https://metal-digest.com/author/jon-barbas/ Heavy Metal Philosophy Contact; https://www.sprea...

I'm a big fan of the last three Behemoth records. Evangelion, The Satanist, and I Loved You At Your Darkest are all outstanding. But after hearing the singles from the new album, Opvs Contra Natvram, I'm pretty worried I may not like the next record. I don't really like Ov My Herculean Exile, but I do like The Deathless Sun. So what am I looking for in the next one? Let's discuss it on this week's...

Between the recent releases from Amon Amarth and Arch Enemy, the current release from Machine Head, and the upcoming release from Behemoth; I have an important question to ask you all. How do we properly judge new records from bands that have already released their best work? Every album can't possibly top the last one in perpetuity. So how do we do this fairly? Let's discuss it in this week's epi...

It's come to my attention that Spotify has been censoring metal album cover art. There's also been articles written about explicit content on the platform prompting the company to take further action. People have gone to forums requesting options for explicit content on their profiles. I typically am always against censoring art, but where do we draw the line? Let's discuss the issue on this week'...

After last week's episode about old legendary bands still putting out brutal metal I had an epiphany about the way I judge bands that diverge in sound. My review of Arch Enemy's Deceivers will expand on my epiphany. Heavy Metal Philosophy Contact; https://www.spreaker.com/show/heavy-metal-philosophy HeavyMetalPhilosophy@gmail.com https://mobile.twitter.com/heaviestdoyen https://www.facebook.com/He...

I used to think that metal was for young people. I thought that once bands got old they eventually lost their edge. We've definitely gotten some high-profile examples of that, but some veteran metal bands recently put out some supremely heavy albums. What is the difference? How are bands like Cannibal Corpse able to still be so brutal? How is Soulfly still so angry? Did the new Amon Amarth coast o...

I was researching opinions on Christians listening to Black and Satanic metal when I came across a hilarious piece of advice from a man claiming to be a former Satanic Sorcerer. But that wasn't his only extraordinary claim. You have to hear this to believe it. Heavy Metal Philosophy Contact; https://www.spreaker.com/show/heavy-metal-philosophy HeavyMetalPhilosophy@gmail.com https://mobile.twitter....

Everything was going great out here at the cabin in the woods. But this past weekend we had a lightning strike near the homestead. The shock took out my well water pump, the garage doors, the internet, and my solar inverter. I can fix or get fixed everything but the solar inverter. There's a lot of unknown maintenance issues that come with solar powering your homestead. I'll go over them in this e...

The way we feel about moral issues can often be clouded by our biases. In order to answer this question it was a useful exercise to compare this Pantera tribute tour to other bands that have reunited without original members. We analyze these comparisons in this week's episode. Join me! Heavy Metal Philosophy Contact; https://www.spreaker.com/show/heavy-metal-philosophy HeavyMetalPhilosophy@gmail....

After the Master of Puppets scene in Stranger Things, the internet exploded with joy from the metal community. But there were also articles written and takes tweeted denouncing people gatekeeping Metallica and fans who discover them from the show. I was curious about these gatekeepers so I did a little searching, but I didn't find hardly any people doing this. From reading the volume of tweets I e...

This week we do a deep dive on Gojira's debut album, Terra Icognita. It's pretty remarkable that even from the opening album the band already was writing deep lyrical examinations of humanity and our relationship with the natural world. Most bands eventually grow into deeper meanings, but Gojira was there right from the start. Let's examine the album together! Heavy Metal Philosophy Contact; https...

Last week I filmed my scene in the upcoming camp slasher "Tin Roof". It was fascinating to watch the process of professional movies being made. I'll tell you a few observations from set, including a drunken incident. Join me for a few stories and maybe at the end I'll even jab at this past weekend's current events. Heavy Metal Philosophy Contact; https://www.spreaker.com/show/heavy-metal-philosoph...

I've been seeing a few comments from people saying they only listen to the OG death metal bands because death metal isn't what it used to be. Well let me introduce you to some fresh new blood that does the genre justice. Check these bands out and I promise you won't be disappointed. Heavy Metal Philosophy Contact; https://www.spreaker.com/show/heavy-metal-philosophy HeavyMetalPhilosophy@gmail.com...

Tomb Mold just released a new demo and it got me on a kick of listening to metal bands that are soulsborne themed. It turns out there's quite a lot of them, probably more than any other video game. Why is that? What is it about Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and/or Elden Ring that resonates with metal heads? I go over the similarities between metal music and the games and I talk about some of the great b...

There were several high profile instances of online harassment from angry fans this week. From Moses Ingram on Star Wars to developers of Destiny 2. Toxic fandom struck again. What should these people do about this? I have several strategies that I employ when people say mean things to me online. I present them to you here. Heavy Metal Philosophy Contact; https://www.spreaker.com/show/heavy-metal-...

This past week the country witnessed the shocking failure of police to act in the face of tragedy. However, there are numerous cases in history to show this isn't an aberration. It even goes all the way to the Supreme Court. In this episode we'll discuss these cases and also gun control policy suggestions. This will be uncomfortable to put it mildly. Let's hope we don't have to have anymore episod...

I love the band Septicflesh, but I never would have considered them an all time great band. This week, however, I was thinking about what makes an all time great band. The qualities I thought of, Septicflesh has. Should I reconsider them in those lofty heights? Let's discuss it! Heavy Metal Philosophy Contact; https://www.spreaker.com/show/heavy-metal-philosophy HeavyMetalPhilosophy@gmail.com http...

This week there were three controversies in the metal community all revolving around cancel culture. Each of the three were very different from each other and thus one was more justifiable than the other. In this episode I explain my philosophy on cancel culture, when I think it's good, when I think it goes too far, and why these incidents merit different responses. Heavy Metal Philosophy Contact;...

This past Thursday I went to a killer death metal show. I saw Cognitive, Inoculation, and my favorite Hath. The next day I went to a Gojira and Deftones concert. The people I saw at this concert... I couldn't believe the way they behaved and dressed versus what I saw at the death metal show. Death metal has always seemed to me to be the more extreme genre of metal than the alternative/nu-metal sty...

When I was making my best releases of the weekend episode I was shocked to see that Rammstein aren't in the metal archives. Why not? Are they not metal? There are other bands in the archives that are far heavier. Plus we celebrate Heavy Metal Philosophy's 1 Year Anniversary. I have plans. Allow me to share them with you. Heavy Metal Philosophy Contact; https://www.spreaker.com/show/heavy-metal-phi...

This weekend I saw Behemoth, Arch Enemy, Napalm Death, and Unto Others in concert. All four acts were wildly different. Is that good for concerts? Or is it better for the acts to be similar? I tackle this question and also review the overall concert experience in this episode. Heavy Metal Philosophy Contact; https://www.spreaker.com/show/heavy-metal-philosophy HeavyMetalPhilosophy@gmail.com https:...

After seeing the data from the Billboard charts on Machine Gun Kelly's success, and the relative success of Meshuggah's latest album... I did some reflecting on our culture. Plus there was a surprise breakout band that also beat Meshuggah that really surprised me. Let's discuss what this means philosophically. Heavy Metal Philosophy Contact; https://www.spreaker.com/show/heavy-metal-philosophy Hea...