Riff Worship

During their volatile four-year existence, NYC’s Born Against played over 200 shows across North America and Europe, released several splits and LPs, and managed to alienate just about everyone in the DIY hardcore scene. In our final episode of 2025, we are rejoined by special guest Bryan Funck (Thou) to discuss the chaotic legacy of Born Against and perhaps their rawest compilation of music to da...

Before "metalcore" became a buzzword, Earth Crisis was already bridging the gap between the raw energy of New York Hardcore with the technical precision of metal. Their sound wasn’t just a sonic shift, but a platform to deliver an uncompromising message of animal rights and their commitment to a vegan straight-edge lifestyle. This week, in collaboration with The Pitch of Discontent, we a...

Having traversed the realms of grindcore, death metal, and progressive experimentation, English pioneers Carcass sought to refine their sound into something far more unprecedented on their 4th album. Featuring songs such as “Embodiment,” “No Love Lost,” and the genre-defining title track, 1993’s Heartwork set a new standard for modern extreme metal. Despite its major label distribution, the album...

Following the critical success of 2024’s Duality, blackened death metal outfit Defacement have returned with Doomed—arguably their most potent and varied album to date. This week we are joined by Defacement members Khalil, Ahmed, and Tadzio to discuss the intense work ethic behind these back-to-back releases, the logistics of songwriting across borders, and the philosophy behind their devastatingl...

This week we are joined by guitarist and grindcore scholar Jack McBride (Bandit) to explore the enduring legacy of Florida’s Maruta and dive into their pummeling sophomore album, Forward Into Regression. Released via Willowtip Records nearly 15 years ago, Forward Into Regression remains a milestone of technically proficient death metal mixed with the unhinged ferocity of grindcore. We’ll break dow...

After the release of the now-classic Leviathan and the relentless touring that followed, Atlanta prog/sludge quartet Mastodon signed to a major label and unleashed another slab of conceptual madness with their third full-length album. Featuring tracks as varied as the melodic “Colony of Birchmen,” the psychedelic freakout of “Bladecatcher,” and the tectonic shifting “Circle of Cysquatch,” 2006’s B...

It’s the Danzig debut album Charlie Brown! This week we’re celebrating the Halloween season with a dark, blues-inspired heavy metal masterpiece. We’ll discuss how the Misfits and Samhain laid the foundation for Glenn Danzig’s solo work, the introduction of longtime collaborator and producer Rick Rubin, co-writing tracks for Hollywood and Roy Orbison, and the chaotic recruiting of jazz guitar schol...

Everything has to start somewhere. Before the sonic evolution to space-rock on Jupiter and their eventual move to a major label, Cave In was just a group of teenagers trying to find their voice in the East Coast hardcore scene. Born in Methuen, Massachusetts, the band experienced a tumultuous and transitional series of events that helped create their debut album, Until Your Heart Stops. This week...

A decade ago, Salt Lake City’s Cult Leader unleashed their emotionally devastating debut album, Lightless Walk. Quickly making ripples throughout the extreme music scene, the album perfectly balances grinding, visceral bursts of aggression with morose moments of catharsis. This week we’re joined by guitarist Michael Mason and bassist Sam Richards to discuss the band’s necessity-driven, DIY beginni...

This week, Riff Worship celebrates 25 years of Electric Wizard’s nihilistic masterpiece, Dopethrone! We’re joined by special guests John Hoffman (STOMACH, Weekend Nachos) and David Stepanavicius (Atræ Bilis, Fulci Rots) to explore the band’s rural Dorset roots as well as the tumultuous events and hazy recording sessions that forged tracks like “Barbarian” and “Funeralopolis.” Please join us as we...

Between the Buried and Me was born from a desire for unrestricted, musical expression. Guitarist Paul Waggoner and vocalist Tommy Giles started the band to escape the creative constraints of their respective projects and explore new sonic territory. Following their initial two releases, the band underwent a crucial transformation. In the months leading up to recording their third album, they final...

Blending the ferocity of extreme metal with the complexity of jazz, Germany’s own Defeated Sanity push the boundaries of “Progressive Brutal Death Metal” on their fourth full-length. This landmark release showcases the band’s technical proficiency on tracks like “Naraka” and “The Purging,” while delivering relentless brutality through more direct assaults like “Verses of Deformity” and “Initiation...

In a brief, yet explosive, four-year period, KISS transformed from a struggling New York City club band into a global phenomenon. Fresh off the success of a People’s Choice Award (“Beth”) and rigorous touring cycles (including a series of record-breaking shows at Budokan), the band’s larger-than-life aesthetic and stadium-shaking sound were fully realized by 1977. The commercial and pop-culture do...

This week on Riff Worship, we’re diving into the short-lived but legendary hardcore punk band, Inside Out. Fronted by a pre-Rage Against the Machine Zach de la Rocha alongside guitarist Vic DiCara, their sole EP, No Spiritual Surrender, became a cornerstone of the ’90s hardcore scene. From the their formation to their unique blend of influences and connections to other iconic acts like Shelter and...

Inspired by the Dante Alighieri epic poem “The Divine Comedy,” Sepultura’s Dante XXI is a modern soundtrack for a descent into hell. Tracks like "Convicted in Life," "Fighting On," and "Ostia" demonstrate the band's ability to blend their hybrid of thrash, death metal, and hardcore with beautiful orchestral arrangements. Much like Virgil, Derrick Green’s commandin...

Formed by members of several New Jersey DIY heavyweights like Black Army Jacket, Endeavor, and Human Remains, Burnt by the Sun set out to create music they longed to hear themselves. The band’s effortless ability to blend different textures of extreme metal quickly set them apart from their metalcore contemporaries. This is especially evident on their Relapse Records debut, Soundtrack to the Perso...

Born out of Oakland's DIY hardcore punk scene, Neurosis emerged as a band driven to defy the conventions of what heavy music could be. Before they discovered how to replicate the sounds they envisioned, the band spent years honing their craft and grinding it out on the road. It wasn't until their third album, Souls at Zero, that Neurosis began to fully experiment. By incorporating new inst...

This week we honor the legacy of the one and only Ozzy Osbourne! Join us as we explore his legendary career, from his revolutionary time with Black Sabbath to his iconic solo work. We'll dive into our favorite Ozzy Osbourne albums and songs, and discuss his undeniable and continuous impact on the world of heavy metal. Ozzy Osbourne Tribute Playlists Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1...

Off the heels of their successful Metal Blade Records debut, The Oncoming Storm, Boston metalcore shredders Unearth were set to unleash a much-anticipated follow-up. Stepping out of their comfort zone, they recruited legendary producer Terry Date to forge what became the band's most aggressive and vitriolic album to date: 2006's cutting III: In The Eyes Of Fire. With scathing tracks like &...

Following the global acclaim of 2003’s Through the Ashes of Empires, Robb Flynn and Machine Head set out to create a follow-up that would cement their place at the forefront of modern metal. The album took many shapes before the band ultimately shed all external expectations and wrote purely for themselves. This resulted in politically-charged epics like “Clenching the Fist of Dissent” and “A Fare...

After years toiling in Austin’s DIY hardcore and punk scene, Mammoth Grinder truly came into their own on their third album, Underworlds. Now a four-piece (recruiting members of fellow-Austin heavyweights, Iron Age), the band channels their extreme music predecessors in Discharge, Master, and Repulsion into 10 pummeling tracks that laid the groundwork for future releases. Join us as we discuss the...

This week on Riff Worship, we're thrilled to present an exclusive interview with guitarist Trevor de Brauw of the legendary Chicago quartet Pelican! We’ll explore the band’s remarkable 25-year evolution, culminating in their critically acclaimed 7th album, Flickering Resonance. Join us as we discuss Pelican's roots in the eclectic Chicago DIY punk and hardcore scene, including early bands...

This week on Riff Worship, we explore the unrelenting, drum-machine driven sounds of Birmingham's Godflesh! Shaped by their industrial upbringings and DIY ethos, discover how Justin Broadrick and G.C. Green changed the trajectory of extreme music forever. Join us alongside special guest and Godflesh superfan, Zach Reini (Ukko’s Hammer), as we discuss the band’s origins and dissect their highly...

Guitarist Scott Hull made the most his time recording and playing in bands, honing his skills and adopting a format that would lay the groundwork for his next project: Pig Destroyer. Joining forces with former Enemy Soil members J.R. Hayes and Brian Harvey, the band initially channeled their politically-charged hardcore influences before finding their stride on brutal standouts like Prowler in the...

After the critical success of their 2003 sophomore album Waking the Fallen, Orange County’s Avenged Sevenfold underwent a period of significant transformation. A new deal with a major label, vocal surgeries, and a bold shift in musical direction all marked a turning point for the band. Never content to repeat themselves, they forged ahead to create the album they had always envisioned—an ambitious...