Metal Nerdery Podcast

“Is it metal? Or is it NOT metal?”   As metalheads, we’ve all heard some variation of this argument at least once in our lives, and the further down the rabbit hole we go, the more we truly reflect on what makes something obviously metal or obviously NOT metal.    “Fish teeth is metal as fuck…”   What’s the lyrical content like? The darker the subject matter, the more metal it is. Lyrics about lov...

“I wonder if we’ll get a cease and desist on this episode…”   Generally speaking, whenever someone says “ Slayer ” or “ Metallica ”, you think of two veteran thrash bands which both formed in 1981 and both released their debut albums in 1983. This is common knowledge among most fans of both of these bands.    Ironically, there’s another band who follows this exact same timeline of forming in 1981...

“I’m not Peter North shooting ropes across the room…”   Released on September 12th (and in the U.S. on the 13th), 2011, WORSHIP MUSIC is the first ANTHRAX album featuring Joey Belladonna on vocals since 1990’s Persistence of Time and is truly a return to their thrash roots, with a nice blend of classic 80’s era Thrash Thrax and the more groove laden heaviness of 90’s era Bush Thrax. This was defin...

“You can’t be funny if you’re happy all the time…”   1996 marked the time that The Super Bowl went Triple X, when Atlanta hosted the Summer Olympics, the United States national debt was a measly $5 Trillion, and the world of heavy metal continued its march forward, trudging past the brief grunge fad into darker, sludgier, and heavier waters.    “Is this KISS?”   The thrash period of the early 90’s...

“There were 2 years of my life that I was dead certain I was gonna be a breakdancer…”   The release of THE ULTIMATE SIN on January 24, 1986, the 4th studio album from OZZY OSBOURNE (and the 2nd & final album to feature Jake E. Lee on guitar) is definitely one of the heaviest albums of Ozzy’s 80’s output.    “I’ve got the magic!”   With heavier riffs, crazier guitar pyrotechnics, and darker lyr...

“I don’t think I’m smart enough to listen to this…”   As with the many legendary concept albums that have come before, masterpieces such as King Diamond’s Abigail, Queensryche’s Operation: Mindcrime, and Dream Theater’s Scenes From A Memory, THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT, the latest offering from OPETH, is one of the finest examples of storytelling ever captured in audio form and is their first prop...

It’s that time of year…time for some big tasty turkels, delicious side dishes, and a nice tryptophan induced nod after feasting yourself into fullness and naptime. It’s THANKSGIVING, and while most folks are gearing up for the coming holiday season (which will start promptly in the pre-dawn hours of Black Friday), we realize that we’ve NEVER taken any time off during the holidays and that perhaps...

“Those guys are parents to 2 babies…and we’re fighting over which baby is cuter…”   With SIDE 2 of our PUPPETS VS JUSTICE HEAD-TO-HEAD DEATH MATCH, things are a bit trickier, because the math doesn’t sync up perfectly track for track. But not to worry, because we worked out all the math to try and keep things as “Even Steven” as possible.   “You go to the peak of your ability…that’s what Justice w...

“How about we let the producer ‘produce’?”   We’ve all heard that METALLICA’s “last great album” was 1986’s haunting thrash metal magnum opus, MASTER OF PUPPETS, one of the finest moments in the band’s catalog and the final studio album of “The First Three” to feature Cliff Burton on bass.   “I don’t care if there’s no bass…I’m sorry…”   We’ve also all heard (especially since the release of The Bl...

“Y’all don’t have to make everything about everything…”   Time has a strange way of playing with the mind and blurring perceptions. For example, 24 years is effectively a quarter of a century, and while that sounds like a pretty vast swath of time, in reality it is merely a tiny speck in the grand scheme of the endless universe. To put it another way, as of the date of this episode in 2025, it has...

“I had to watch it 3 or 4 times to finally get there…”   Ahhh, the 80’s. A time when people could actually afford to live, back when Taco Bell was both super cheap and equally delicious, horror movies were genuinely scary and often boasted incredibly “special” special effects, and terrified parents everywhere were completely “freaking the motherfrickin’ frick out” over heavy metal and the ensuing...

“You can understand everything he says…he’s much more pronunced.”   With Diego Rapacchietti, the “Swisstalian” timekeeper who replaced original drummer Marky “Marquis” Edelmann behind the kit, both Ron Broder (Ron Royce) and Tommy Vetterli (Tommy T. Baron), known collectively as Swiss thrash kings CORONER, have returned with DISSONANCE THEORY, the first new studio album featuring brand new materia...

“That dude is Dracula, man…”   The entire month of October is Halloween. And you can’t do October without TYPE-O-NEGATIVE, as they are the official soundtrack to the month of Halloween.    Released August 20, 1996, OCTOBER RUST, their 4th studio album (or 3rd if you count “Origin of the Feces” as a “live” album, which we actually do, even though it’s technically not) is much more gothy, textured,...

“I didn’t do stink finger until sophomore year…”   Switzerland is known for a few things with holes in them, most notably their cheese (and quite possibly their chocolate). But the biggest hole Switzerland is known for (other than CERN) is the seemingly endless void between the last CORONER studio album (“Grin” in 1993) and their upcoming 2025 release “Dissonance Theory”, which makes the gap betwe...

Released 10/15/1996, WISEBLOOD, the 5th studio album from CORROSION OF CONFORMITY, is the perfect soundtrack to October and everything that goes with it, including shag carpeting, wood paneling, and fresh greens.   Filled with driving metal riffs and all of the sonic textures that made the 70’s the best decade for music, the “Skynyrd Fried Sabbath” infused 70’s jam band stylings of WISEBLOOD evoke...

“Is that Richard Pryor?”   Released 04/21/1992, the 3rd official BEASTIE BOYS studio album, CHECK YOUR HEAD, is a genius title because this album is “all up in here” and is the perfect psychedelic ASMR accompaniment to justify your luxury headphone purchase.    While this episode is more than a little bit “off the reservation” we feel like with the right headphones and the right relaxers you’ll be...

“In fairness, I guess if they didn’t have the make-up, what would they have? A different career?”   Released March 15, 1976, DESTROYER, the “iconic and mysterious” 4th studio album by KISS, was the first studio release after their breakthrough double live album ALIVE!, which chronicled their first 3 studio albums in a live concert setting and really brought the power and spectacle of the live KISS...

“The look on his face is like a kid on Christmas morning getting everything that he never asked for from Santa…”   July 21,1987 marked the beginning of the GUNS N’ ROSES era of L.A. metal with APPETITE FOR DESTRUCTION, the scorching debut album chock full of enough sleaze, swagger, and excess to put the boys in Motley Crue to shame.    If Slayer were the 80’s answer to 70’s Sabbath, then it’s not...

“This might be my favorite moment in music in 2025…”   Just when you think “all the riffs have been done”, 2025 gives us the gift of BRAND-NEW METAL, including new music from OLD SCHOOL THRASH BANDS, a feat many would call miraculous, considering how long it’s been since these bands have released any new material!    Whether it has been a half decade, a decade and a half, or in the most extreme ca...

“That’s the thing about music…it’s time stamped…it’s the soundtrack of our lives…especially for metal heads…”   The metal world mourns the tragic loss of another legend, and this one hit too close to home...    BRENT HINDS of Atlanta metal pioneers MASTODON was killed on August 20, 2025, in a traffic accident, just months after he and the band parted ways.   There is no other band on earth like MA...

“We can’t ever talk about this so let’s talk about not talking about it when we’re talking about it…” Released on July 14th, 1992, COUNTDOWN TO EXTINCTION, the 5th MEGADETH album (and the 2nd to feature “the classic lineup” of Dave Mustaine, David Ellefson, Marty Friedman, and Nick Menza) would become the follow up to “one of the most perfect thrash albums of all time”, featuring a more streamline...

“I like feet, bro…” Whether it’s the “spooky kabuki KISS” face paint of the 70’s, the “ultra gloves of shame glam KISS” from the 80’s, or the black metal corpse paint of the modern day, MAKE-UP has been a part of rock and metal across a multitude of decades and genres that not only made for a superior stage show but also helped homely looking metal heads look and feel more attractive and confident...

“When you thought it was over…it did kind of a slide down…and then he slid back up and back down again…and then he does it again…” August 8, 2006, marks the first SLAYER album in 16 years featuring Dave Lombardo behind the drum kit with CHRIST ILLUSION, their 10th studio album and their first since the release of God Hates Us All on 09/11/2001.  With the original classic lineup in place and artist...

“It’s strange to think about a world without The Prince of Darkness…”  It all started on February 13, 1970, with the ominous sounds of chapel bells, thunder, and pouring rain, and it all ended with an emotionally charged, worldwide downpour of tears from fans across the planet on July 22, 2025, the day that OZZY OSBOURNE, The Prince Of Darkness, bade this world farewell and passed into eternity. O...

“Careful back there…”   Generally speaking, an artist’s DEBUT ALBUM will often be quite good, while their SOPHOMORE ALBUM, in contrast, will often be far more advanced, sophisticated, and light years better than the first, in terms of song writing and overall production. While this is more often than not the rule, there are some notable exceptions.   As with asking a parent with 2 kids “which one...