Metal Nerdery Podcast

“And in THIS corner…” Already knowing (going in) that our 1988 HEAD-TO-HEAD DEATH MATCH was gonna be “bigger than China”, the Bunkerpoon oversight committee made the executive decision to break this “hog” of an episode into a two-part cliffhanger dangler. At this point, we’ve covered side 1 and now we’re tackling side 2 of Metallica’s …AND JUSTICE FOR ALL and Slayer’s SOUTH OF HEAVEN. And let’s ju...

The Bunkerpoon is all about passion and “Love Excretions”. Enjoy all the likes and the loves of this year’s Valentines Day Massacre and Happy Valentines Day to all!   Help Support Metal Nerdery https://www.patreon.com/metalnerderypodcast Leave us a Voicemail to be played on a future episode: 980-666-8182   Metal Nerdery Tees and Hoodies –  metalnerdery.com/merch and kindly leave us a review and/or...

“In THIS corner…” Throughout the thrash community, there’s always been a battle line drawn between the progressive, harmony laden sensibilities of METALLICA and the darker, eviler shades of SLAYER. For many of us, the two albums from these two thrash titans that are most synonymous with summertime and high school are Metallica’s …AND JUSTICE FOR ALL and Slayer’s SOUTH OF HEAVEN, two undisputed thr...

Back in the early 90’s (along with hometown thrash titans Ghost Story, Akathesia, and Nihilist) one of the most unique bands to have dominated the local metal scene and trailblazed the path for rap metal before it was even a genre was Atlanta cross-over, groove metal pioneers, STUCK MOJO.    Armed with the aural onslaught of Rich Ward’s behemoth guitar sound and the “no bones about it” ferocity of...

Eleven years before Metallica released “The Black Album”, AC/DC released “The FIRST Black Album”, BACK IN BLACK, their seventh studio album overall and their first album featuring new vocalist Brian Johnson following the tragic and untimely passing of former frontman Bon Scott.   While AC/DC always had an aggressively intense, hard rock sound throughout the 70’s on their rise to glory during the B...

When addressing the concept of the THRASH FAMILY TREE, there should be a handful of bands and musicians which immediately come to mind. This week’s docket is a reflection on the vast interconnectedness of the THRASH FAMILY TREE, consisting of The Big Five of Thrash and beyond.    Whether we’re talking about musicians snatched up by other bands, replacements for original members, or “hired guns” wi...

As of this episode, we will have covered each and every era of every EXODUS vocalist, from Paul Baloff to STEVE “ZETRO” SOUZA to Rob Dukes (and back again) to ZETRO. As the 2nd vocalist for EXODUS, STEVE SOUZA’s voice gave the band a distinct sonic ferocity which set them apart from their “Big Five” counterparts, spewing forth some of the most brutally savage lyrical imagery in all of thrash. Whil...

If you thought this episode was going to be all about early Metallica, early Anthrax, or early Slayer, SURPRISE, it’s not! While the above bands do in fact belong under the same umbrella, CLASSIC METAL (relative to today’s heavy metal landscape) falls right in that sweet spot from the late 70’s through the 80’s, when hard rock began its transformation into something darker, heavier, and more aggre...

November 18, 1983 Put your ’83 hat on and travel back to the days of yore when OZZY OSBOURNE was still a relatively new solo artist struggling to bounce back after enduring the tragic and untimely demise of guitarist Randy Rhoads following The Ozzman’s first 2 legendary albums, Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman.   Enter Jake E. Lee, Rhoads’ successor, and the debut of his shred skills on Ozzy’...

Not only were VAN HALEN effectively “the Black Sabbath of shred” but they ultimately paved the way for the L.A. hair metal shred scene that exploded during the 80’s. Not only is this episode an ALBUM DIVE into the first VAN HALEN album (by none other than the mighty VAN HALEN), but If you’re into “reading books with your ears” then check out the audiobook “Van Halen Rising” as it provides some int...

8/21/1990 Relative to earlier ANTHRAX albums, PERSISTENCE OF TIME has a more aggro sound than any album before it. The darker mix and overall vibe represent a departure from their previous albums, with an infusion of S.O.D. along with more progressive sounding elements. Perhaps the most memorable things that stand out about this album in the persistence of ANTHRAX’s history are their appearance on...

Whether it’s the Kool-Aid man crashing through walls with refreshments, Macho Man Randy Savage snapping into Slim Jims, or James Hetfield just being the most affirmative frontman in all of metal, YEAH is the common denominator among these men of greatness. In our quest for the SOURCE OF THE YEAH, we felt obliged to produce our most positivity infused and affirmation laden episode yet, an endorseme...

After 39 years, LIVE UNDEAD may still be one of the finest recorded moments in SLAYER’s budding thrash legacy, capturing a “kinda live” re-recording of the best parts of their hugely successful Metal Blade debut (SHOW NO MERCY) and their follow-up EP (HAUNTING THE CHAPEL) in a room full of  rowdy, surly, and occasionally unruly, die-hard SLAYER fans with the objective of capturing the “live” perfo...

Before CORROSION OF CONFORMITY gifted us with their signature “Southern Fried Sabbath” sound, the metal world was first introduced to BLIND, a unique blending of thrash, doom, and stoner metal tempered with heavy foundations built on straight-up Sabbath worship. Clearly a progression from the punk & hard-core centric sound of earlier COC and their maiden voyage into thrash metal territory, BLI...

“You know I've smoked a lot of grass, Oh Lord I’ve popped a lot of pills…” – The Pusher Since before the dawn of heavy metal, RELAXERS have been a recurring theme in song lyrics. Whether revered with praise and appreciation or reviled through tales of tragedy and woe, one cannot deny the obvious power and impact RELAXERS have had on heavy music throughout the years. While there are an endless arra...

“Sure, God’s all-powerful, but does he have lips? Whoa…” It was the early 90’s, and the landscape of metal was undergoing a transformation. Hair metal was effectively dead and gone, the popularity of thrash was rapidly approaching its zenith, and ALICE IN CHAINS were well on their way to becoming one of the most recognized bands in the world, thanks (in no small part) to their slot supporting The...

“You have to watch it with your ears and listen with your eyes…” There’s a multitude of reasons why we need time travel technology, but the most pressing one is so we can go back to our high school years and re-discover the NOLA based thrash-groove force of nature known as EXHORDER. While EXHORDER may be one of the more obscure artists from the thrash metal heyday of the late 80’s and early 90’s,...

LED ZEPPELIN III might just be one of the most perfectly ideal albums for fall as it contains all of the essential components of fall: subtle stoner vibes, a folksy, medieval, Tolkien-esque feel, and a general all around magical and mystical nature. It’s a vastly unique album and is (sonically speaking) more radically different than anything else in their catalog.   Led Zeppelin’s sonic palette ha...

“That devil stuff just freaks me out, man…” It’s October, which means it’s Halloween season and the haunted realm of ghosts & ghouls, werewolves & witches, vampires, goblins & zombies will soon be taking over.  It also means a brief review of some classic horror cinema and enough sugar to (quite literally) reanimate the dead.   To properly commemorate the upcoming celebration of All Ha...

September 7, 2018 One of the finest albums of the fall season that deserves space in your autumn playlist (right alongside everything Sabbath & Zeppelin) is PIG DESTROYER’s 2018 work of grindcore perfection, HEAD CAGE.    While the Alexandria, Virginia based grind lords are one of the most recognized bands of the genre, HEAD CAGE has a more “mainstream” sound that could best be described as a...

November 3, 1992: RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE’s self-titled debut injected some much-needed angst & social awareness into metal in the early 90’s with their own unique brand of vitriolic, sonic vengeance aimed at the corrupt power elite responsible for negatively impacting sociopolitical and corporate landscapes the world over with complete impunity.   With powerfully simplistic riffing, a revolu...

Who: King Parrot, Lamb of God, & PANTERA What: One of the finest heavy metal concert experiences EVER When:  Tuesday, September 12, 2023 Where: Ameris Bank Amphitheater - Alpharetta, Georgia Why: For the celebration of The Abbott Brothers history & legacy   On this night, thousands of loyal Atlanta metal fans made the pilgrimage to behold the spectacle of King Parrot, Lamb of God, and PANT...

“That’s something you could remember to forget later…” One of the most profound things about heavy metal is its natural evolution over time. It’s never forced and somehow everything just flows together with perfection, like some intelligently designed, supernaturally endowed, cosmic jigsaw puzzle.    Similar to the way Pantera picked up the baton for metal in the early 1990’s, LAMB OF GOD became t...

“Awww mannn…” As of the recording of this episode, we were hyping ourselves into a frenzy to get fired up and ready for the upcoming PANTERA show (with King Parrot and Lamb of God opening) at the Ameris Amphitheater in Alpharetta, Georgia on September 12th, 2023.   And as of the publishing of this episode, we will have already borne witness to the awesome display of power which made PANTERA the qu...

September 29, 1986:   By this point in time, nearly 2 years had passed since the release of Powerslave and nearly a year had passed since Live After Death was released, commemorating the World Slavery Tour of 1984-1985 that cemented IRON MAIDEN as one of the most legendary bands in all of metal. And just like with any other advancements forward impacting time and technology, SOMEWHERE IN TIME, the...