Radioactive Metal

Whew!   We had a lot going on this week. And while most of it was outside the realm of Metal, we decided we still wanted to go over it. Considering Geekworld is good neighbors with Metaldom.   Simply enough, we're talking all our adventures with Free Comic Book Day, May The 4th (Be With You) and the 8th of May (International Motorhead Day). As well, we tackle the announcement from Propaghandi rega...

When RAM was an interview show, we on occasion extended that to the "Indie Spotlight". Whenever an indie band impressed us above and beyond, we liked giving them a moment in the Hot Seat as well.   So since Aaron is going to be sharing a stage with symphonic metal band Eden On Fire this summer, we figured we'd do just that. We're stoked to speak to vocalist Amy Gould and introduce them to our list...

Today more than ever touring is getting tougher and tougher on a lot of artists. Especially financially.   Pop artist Kate Nash has a huge following and her tour was packing 'em in . But she returned home in the red (!). But a couple bare behind pics on OnlyFans and that was that. So that got us thinking about the whole OF thingy and if it's a viable option for artists. What does it take to make i...

The mid 80s were an interesting time for Canadian legends Rush.   Like so many of their contemporaries of the time, the trio seemingly openly embraced the era by developing a very "80s" look and sound. That was never more evident than their '85 album "Power Windows". The decisive album is 40 years young.   So as is tradition, we've chosen this album for our 40th Anniversary Deep Dive series. Since...

There was a time when "physical product" was flying off the shelves.   There were some points when labels and stores couldn't keep up with demand. Through it all though there were some albums that should have sold by the bucket load. But they somehow fell short.   This week we go over some of these "can't miss" albums. That did. "Cold Lake" anyone? "Chinese Democracy". How about Crue's self titled...

We've all seen the memes.   Pics of a dozen deceased artists with the caption "You can only bring one back for one more show". Unfortunately, Metaldom has lost their share of artists. And I know we'd all love to see them play their trade one more time. Lemmy? Ramones? Maybe RJD?   This episode we share our list of encore performances. In our "News, Views and Tunes", we talk the appropriate Juno wi...

Aaron is an accomplished musician. He's gifted on a number of instruments and frequently educates us with his Gear Talk. As for Snowy...not so much. He's never so much as owned an instrument. But that's not to say he doesn't appreciate a good axe.   Especially if it's a signature instrument played live by a fave artist. For instance, Micheal Schenker's Flying V. Or one of Lemmy's basses. How about...

Rock n Roll has no rulz.   But I'm sure when we're consuming our fave artists, we all have our own guidelines. Especially when it comes to the all important vinyl. I know when we're digging in the shops we have our own "do's and don'ts". Where's our shopping preferences? What about pic discs and coloured vinyl? And what about Walmart? So this week we do a deep dive into our favourite pastime of di...

Welcome to #2 of our 40th Anniversary Deep Dive Album Spotlight. Last time we focused on Motley Crue's "Theatre of Pain", an album that epitomized 'Hair Metal'. This time we're going to the opposite end of the spectrum.   NY thrashers Anthrax' second effort "Spreading The Disease" was an important album. Not just for the band, but the Metal underground in general. Along with some of their Big 4 br...

The countdown's on!!   Record Store Day is generally a big f'n deal around the RAM offices. April 12 is when it all goes down and the first step is the release of the RSD Special Albums list. Another tradition is going over the list on the air. We scroll the list and make our picks for what we hope to find on The Big Day. So go to www.recordstoreday.com , find the list and join us.   As well, we d...

Every year the nominees for the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame always seem to raise eyebrows and get tongues wagging. Over the last couple years, the controversy generally is about what exactly constitutes inclusion. Semantics aside, we enjoy getting "The List" and this year we're taking a cue from "High Infidelity" and making our Top 5 list of choices. Who you got?   In our "News, Views and Tunes", we...

It's that time again. Our little longtime listeners know what the Juno Awards (Canada's answer to the Grammies) mean to us. At least the Metal category, being two time judges ourselves. So we're stoked for this year's nominees. Especially since four out of five are Radioactive Metal alum. So in the spirit of the Junos, we go over the list and "cast our vote" over the air. You'll find making a pick...

As we move along in life we pick up (hopefully) little bits of information. It's mostly info that isn't too groundbreaking or Earth shattering.   But in the context of our beloved genre, these tidbits become downright interesting. Over the past little while we've been compiling out own list of musical trivialities and this week we're sharing a handful of them. We hope we informed as well as entert...

With 1985 celebrating its 40th anniversary, it's time to kick off this year's Deep Dive series on cool albums turning 40.   1985 was an interesting year. That year could be argued to be the year that really kick started "hair" metal. And Motley Crue's "Theatre of Pain" was leading the pack. Gone were the studs and satanic imagery replaced by the pink scarves and hairspray. Nikki Sixx was leaning i...

As dedicated Metalheads, we all have those special albums near and dear to our Metal Hearts. I'm talking that collection of songs that changed our lives. It got us thinking how cool it would have been to be in the studio when these masterpieces took shape. Either as a fly on the wall or giving our 2 cents. Even getting coffee or going on beer runs would've been cool.   So this week we share our ch...

A new year always means more important anniversaries. We hate to remind our more veteran listeners that the year 1985 is 40 (!!) years old now! It was an important and pivotal year for Metaldom, to which the effects are still being felt today. So this time we're going deep into '85. We're going over some of the fantastic albums that hit the racks and some of the amazing bands that first hit the ga...

It's not over until...we've had our Rammy Awards.   Basically, the Rammies are our take on the Grammies. Meaning we make our picks for the "Best Of" for the year that was. In the categories that mean the most to Metalheads; Band, Album, Live, News Story a.o. As well, as is tradition, we give our inductions into the RAM Hall of Hall for Band, Album and what we call Myth and Legend. Play along with...

Aaron has become a proud papa again. First when his offspring came into the world. Second when his little girl asked for a skateboard.   Excited as we are to commemorate this event, we felt it was a good time to discuss all things skating. We discuss our first decks, "skate" music, Thrasher mag and the skateboards impact on pop culture. We even invited Snowy's board Betsy to sit in with us.   Musi...

Happy New Year!!   2024 is coming to an end, so consider this episode the Radioactive Metal New Year's Eve party. This time we pour some bevvies, crank some tunes and talk about...whatever.   You know, like a party. And what's a party without good friends? So we pour a Lemmy for our bud and sister podcast Wrestling Night in Canada co host Mr. Matt Copper. We yap about new movies, Godzilla comics,...

The biggest news on the hearts and minds of Metalheads the world over is the retirement of long time Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain. Having been behind the kit since the classic '83 record "Piece Of Mind", Metaldom just won't be the same.   As is tradition, every significant retirement requires a proper send off. So we decided to have one for our listeners. We go over our fave Nicko skinbeating...

The annual Montreal black metal festival Messe De Morte is in the books. We never made it out to La Belle Province ourselves, but it's a yearly trek for our good bud and sister show Wrestling Night in Canada co-host "Ducky" Dustin Maruca.   So this week we sat Mr. Maruca in the hotseat to the get the 411 on the fest. We go over the line up, the highs and lows and and the presence of Antifa (!). We...

Remember when you were a kid and you hated brussel sprouts? As you got older, your palette may change and evolve to where those evil little veggies may not taste so bad. The same can be said for musical tastes. Particularly towards specific artists or even entire subgenres.   We all have those specific bands that really didn't turn our crank at the time. But now you find yourself front row centre....

Dec. 6th is the last Bandcamp Friday of the year .   One Friday a month, Bandcamp relinquishes their cut of all the sales on the site. Effectively giving the artists 100% of the profits. We've been big supporters of BCF for years now. So this week we figured we'd throw out some of our recommends to add to your collection. But don't just take our suggestions. Run, don't walk, to Bandcamp right now....

It's no exaggeration when we state that we grew up in record stores. From our early teens right up to this writing, we had a variety of shops that were/are our homes away from home.   These hallowed halls come with a variety of memories you just don't get with streaming. So this week we figured we'd give these cherished shops a "Horns Up" and share some memories. For instance, some of the cool alb...

We admit it. We're old.   Actually, we prefer "music veterans". We're veteran enough to have consumed out music on all three physical media formats - vinyl, cassette and CD (and even a few 8 tracks lol). So with these formats we have a number of special albums that we shelled out for all three. Generally the lineage would be from vinyl to cass. to CD. But of course there's no tried and true formul...