Metal Shop's Backstage Pass

Dave Bland is a beast of a drummer for the band Full of Hell and vocalist for the band Jarhead Fertilizer. I chatted with Dave about the newest Full of Hell album, beginning to tour as a literal child, playing the keyboard, scars, working at a sunglasses store to fund his musical obsession and much more.

Ghost Bath is a unique sounding melodic black metal band that released their album "Self Loather" via Nuclear Blast in late 2021. I spoke with frontman and founder Dennis Mikula about a variety of subjects including growing up in a small town music scene, post hardcore music, his love of Agalloch, scars and much more.

Portland metalcore band Dying Wish has had a crazy past 12 months. I caught up with vocalist Emma Boster to chat about some crazy tours in 2021, their debut full length "Fragments of a Bitter Memory," growing up singing, her love of basketball, upcoming tours and much more. 

I spoke with Leah and Joseph from Northwest Terror Fest about the return of NWTF in 2022, what it takes to run a fest, learning experiences, how to curate a good lineup and much more. Northwest Terror Fest 2022 is going down June 30th – July 2nd at Neumo’s in Seattle.

Lord Ahriman is the founding guitarist and current bassist of the groundbreaking Swedish black metal band Dark Funeral. I chatted with him about their upcoming album “We are the Apocalypse”, his musical inspirations, early influences and favorite artists, being stuck in Cancun at the beginning of the pandemic and much more.

Tacoma technical death metal band Aethereus is back with a badass new album called “Leiden.” The album is out today (January 14th), so we dissect the making of the album and the evolution of the band. Stay tuned until the end to hear an epic song from “Leiden.”

Aeon is a death metal band from Sweden that returned from a nine year hiatus in 2021 to release “God Ends Here” on Metal Blade Records. I spoke with guitarist Zeb Nilsson about discovering metal at just 5 years old, his love of the band WASP, his views on religion, scars on his body and more. “God Ends Here” is available now!

I spoke with John Olgeirsson,  the vocalist of Icelandic tech death band Ophidian I about their new album “Desolate”, living in San Diego while his band is in Iceland, working with both Season of Mist and Unique Leader, nerdy stuff, metal t shirts, staying sane during the pandemic, growing up in San Diego, vocal influences and much more.

Happy Holidays! I caught up with a good friend Brian Ortiz from Xibalba. We chatted about their most recent album, the return to shows, his side projects Tzompantli and Mortuary Punishment, the Sopranos and more.

Brann Dailor is an incredibly talented drummer who just happens to draw clowns. I spoke with Brann about the new Mastodon album “Hushed and Grim,” drawing a clown a day during lockdown, 70’s prog, Alice in Chains and much more.

After Eyehategod was forced to cancel their Seattle show on November 30th due to Covid, I decided to check in with vocalist Mike IX about how they’re all doing. We also discussed their new album, some of his favorite New Orleans based punk bands, being the last metal band to play Bumbershoot, his medical issues and transplant, Dimebag stories and much more.

Dead Heat is a southern California based crossover hardcore/thrash band who released a KILLER album “World at War” this year. I spoke with the band prior to their record release shows and we touched on a variety of subjects including the definition of “Nardcore,” being a band during the pandemic, early musical influences and much more.

Seven Spires is a Boston-based symphonic metal band that recently released their 3rd album “Gods of Debauchery” back in September. I spoke with vocalist/keyboardist Adrienne Cowan about her love for Children of Bodom, musical theater, embracing nerdiness, recording during the pandemic and more.

Converge is releasing a brand new collaborative album with Stephen Brodsky from Cave In and Chelsea Wolfe today called “Bloodmoon 1.” I spoke with vocalist Jacob Bannon about this highly anticipated album, staying sane during the pandemic, the return to live shows, being a small business owner during the pandemic and much more.

SANGUISUGABOGG is a brutal death metal band from Ohio that released a killer album “Tortured Whole” on Century Media. They will be playing El Corazon here in Seattle on November 20th with Frozen Soul. I chatted with vocalist Devin Swank about his roots in death metal, having a metalhead for a dad, how he stayed sane during the pandemic and much more,

Doc Coyle is the guitarist for the heavy rock band Bad Wolves. Doc has also done time in the gritty metal underground as guitarist for God Forbid + he hosts a popular podcast called “The Ex Man.” I spoke with Doc about a variety of topics including his foray into music growing up, finding a new vocalist for Bad Wolves and everything that went with that, his podcast and more.

Bay Area thrashers Exodus are back with a new album "Persona Non Grata" (Nuclear Blast) next month, so I spoke with vocalist Steve Souza. We chatted about everything from his early days and inspirations to gardening and getting in shape during the pandemic + the new album and much more.

Goatwhore is returning to Seattle on October 29th, so I caught up with guitarist Sammy Duet and what chatted about the following…. Sobriety during the pandemic His old band Acid Bath Recording an album during the pandemic Halloween Scars Pointy guitars Northwest music + much much more

Doro Pesch is an icon in the world of heavy metal and rock n roll. Doro started her career as vocalist for German heavy metal band Warlock, then continued on with a solo career after.  I spoke with Doro about the 35th anniversary of the classic "Triumph and Agony" which coincides with the release of "Triumph and Agony Live" on DVD and CD. Enjoy my chat with the queen of metal. 

Omnium Gatherum is an awesome long-running Finnish melodic death metal. They are gearing up to release their new album “Origin” via Century Media, so I spoke with vocalist Jukka Pelkonen about everything from early inspirations to what it was like recording an album during a worldwide pandemic.

KK Downing is a rock n roll legend. As a founding member of Judas Priest, K.K. traveled the world and wrote some of the most iconic guitar riffs ever. K.K. is now preparing to release his first album with his new band K.K.’s Priest. We discussed the new album, what led him to start his own project, where he draws inspiration from and much more.

Scott Mellinger plays guitar in a highly influential metalcore band called ZAO. The band is playing the big Furnace Fest 2021 down in Arkansas this weekend, so I thought it would be fitting to feature one of the most beloved bands from that scene on the podcast this week. Scott is a great guy to chat with and the new Zao album is high quality stuff. Go out of your way to check out “The Crims...

Darin Wall is a true hero. After performing a show on his 41st birthday in Idaho with his band Greyhawk, Darin was shot in the leg while stopping an active shooter situation. I talked with Darin about that scary night and everything that happened afterwards. Make sure you stay tuned until the end to hear a song by his killer metal band Greyhawk  

Replicant is an awesome New Jersey based death metal band who is releasing their brand new album “Malignant Reality” on September 10th via Transcending Obscurity Records. I spoke with the guys from Replicant about recording the album, early influences and much more.

Rivers of Nihil has been on the forefront of pushing forward the limits of progressive death metal, and they are continuing to do so with their new album “The Work.” I spoke with drummer Jared Klein about the new album and their huge upcoming tour with The Black Dahlia Murder. Saxophones!