Riff Worship

Eyehategod's approach to extreme music quickly set them apart from their contemporaries in the New Orleans scene. While many of these groups took influence from band's like Black Sabbath and the Melvins, Eyehategod's feedback-fueled sound was far more abrasive, bleaker, and grating. The lyrics, while satirical at times, dove head first into themes of addiction and trauma. This was reality, and the...

As our Sammy Duet trilogy comes to a close, we look to his first of three albums with Louisiana legends Crowbar. By 1998, Crowbar had proved they were beyond capable of writing earth shattering riffs. On their 5th album, however, they sought to evolve this sound through dynamics that previous albums had lacked. This is especially evident on tracks like “December’s Spawn” and the sludge metal anthe...

In this 2nd installment of our Sammy Duet trilogy, we look back to where it all began. While bands like Crowbar and Eyehategod were starting to make waves in the city of New Orleans, a group of outliers were creating noise well ahead of their time further south. They wore their influences on their sleeves combining the grooves of Sabbath, the intensity of Discharge, and the artistry of The Doors....

With two albums under their belt and a newly signed deal with the legendary Metal Blade Records, Louisiana’s own Goatwhore were primed for domination. The band was out to make a statement, recruiting a young Zack Simmons behind the kit and extreme music veteran Erik Rutan (Cannibal Corpse, Hate Eternal) to help mold their sound. Combined with a bit of spite towards the detractors, Goatwhore were a...

In our final episode of the year, the guys do the impossible by narrowing down their favorite releases of 2023 including Afterbirth, Baroness, Cannibal Corpse, Predatory Void, Tomb Mold⁠, Zulu⁠, & many more! They also discuss their favorites shows from the year as well as EPs, Splits, "Non-Heavy" releases, & what they're looking forward to in 2024.Listen to Riff Worship's "Best of 2023" Pl...

When reuniting after nearly two decades apart, the last thing fans expected of legendary New Jersey/New York hard rock band Twisted Sister was an ode to the most festive time of year. In 2006 the band released their final album which had a twisted take on all things holly & jolly...What if the Ramones sped up Sinatra? Or Iron Maiden added guitar harmonies to a Bing Crosby classic? Twisted Sist...

Alice In Chains had toured the world with the release of their massively successful sophomore album Dirt. By the time they returned to Seattle, however, two big changes had occurred. The band parted ways with their original bassist Mike Starr and they were unexpectedly evicted from their home. Fortunately, guitarist Jerry Cantrell had booked time with engineer Toby Wright during their tour under t...

As the millennium was drawing to an end and a presidential election coming into play, NOFX’s outspoken songwriter “Fat” Mike Burkett began examining the American sensibility. What he found was selfishness, materialism, and several issues embedded in American culture that struck a chord (or riff) with him. With these themes weighing heavily on his mind and an extensive library of riffs to pull from...

In a brief and very volatile time during the '90s, Kansas City's Coalesce released an impressive volume of work that set them apart from their contemporaries in bands like Botch, Cave In, & Converge. This week, Riff Worship discusses their posthumously released album 0:12 Revolution In Just Listening, the chaos that made it, as well as the stand out riffs that helped shape an entire generation...

After unleashing one of thrash metal’s crowning achievements with Rust in Peace, Megadeth were confronted with an important question: “Where do we go from here?” Would they continue down a path of technical precision or shy away from it completely? Anticipating the evolving music trends of the era, Dave Mustaine answered with something in the middle. While retaining the precision of the preceding...

Motörhead had experienced a lot of adversity and change by the time they reached the ‘90s. With a four year gap between releases, the band traded one tumultuous record label relationship for the next and leader Lemmy Kilmister made the continental move from England to LA. This was a time for reinvention, but in true Motörhead fashion that just meant putting out the best version of what the band ha...

This week on Riff Worship we are joined by Decibel Magazine writer and Krieg frontman Neill Jameson to discuss Ruiner , the band's first full-length record in nearly a decade. In this episode we cover everything from the album's origins, Milwaukee Metal Fest 1998, Portillo's, as well as a riff of his choosing! Ruiner is out NOW via Profound Lore Records Follow Krieg on Facebook & Instagram For...

It's October 32nd and we're diving head first into the holiday season by sharing our favorite horror films & bands that best represent Halloween! Check out the companion playlist here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0w63gCq6fjP3JPqOaAylNn?si=8699d173f53e41f4 For all updates on the show, follow us here: @distortion891  on ⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ , ⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

This week on Riff Worship , Austin & Dylan are rejoined by their longtime friend Justin Swindle to discuss Cleveland metallic hardcore legends Ringworm and their 2001 sophomore album Birth Is Pain Recommendations: Alluvial - Death Is But A Door Mizmor - "Doubt" (Mizmor Version) Disgustibus - Body Horror Longings - Dreams In Red No Faith - Forced Subservience When a Stranger Calls (1979) STOMAC...

With humble beginnings in Pig Destroyer guitarist Scott Hull’s bedroom, Agoraphobic Nosebleed quickly took on a life of its own in the underground. While having rarely played live the band’s first decade was prolific to say the least, featuring several splits, EPs, and full-length releases. The formula was effective: “micro-length” arrangements combined with programmed drum parts at insanely fast...

Chuck Schuldiner was never one to follow the herd. Dissatisfied with the limitations many extreme metal bands had placed on themselves, Schuldiner always strived to set Death apart lyrically and musically. Each era of the band contains a distinct sonic quality, and with the technical proficiency and introspective themes of their fourth album Human it was clear they had matured. Much of this progre...

In the final installment of our Cattle Decapitation career-long deep dive, we dig into an era that may yield the most challenging and polarizing music of their discography. As we plunged into the end of the world with the massive Death Atlas , no one could have predicted that the album cycle would be marred with an almost 2-year pause due to a global pandemic. With no touring for the foreseeable f...

If Cattle Decapitation had called it quits after the release of The Harvest Floor , their career would have been considered exceptional. After spending the better part of a decade touring the world and churning out a series of genre-defining records, what more did they need to prove? This question can be liberating for an artist. If you’ve accomplished your goals, you may not be as reluctant to br...

With the release of their Metal Blade Records debut, Cattle Decapitation seemed focused on creating an album more akin to their death metal predecessors on To Serve Man . However, an evolution would occur over the next few years that would set them apart from the many trends in metal and hardcore throughout this time. It was clear that the band’s technical prowess and songwriting ability had grown...

There are some bands in extreme music whose catalog is so vital to the genre that it would be impossible to accurately describe in a single episode. It's been nearly 30 years since their inception and yet San Diego's Cattle Decapitation continue to evolve, releasing some of the best death metal of their career while others may have become stale or hung it up along the way. Over the next few weeks,...

This week on Riff Worship , Austin & Dylan continue their plunge into the world of Swedish metal with Tribulation's 2018 opus ' Down Below' : a vampiric, genre-bending masterclass in songwriting, atmosphere, and all things the riff. It's exactly the kind of record that was written for the fan in the front row and the die-hard in the back of the house! Recommendations: Harms Way - "Devour" Wolv...

This week on Riff Worship , Austin & Dylan are joined by guitar virtuoso & record producer Andy LaRocque ( King Diamond , Sonic Train Studios ) to discuss owning & operating a recording studio, his origins in riff writing, as well as the 35th anniversary of King Diamond's Them Recommendations: "Welcome Home" by King Diamond "Sleepless Nights" by King Diamond "A Mansion in Darkness" by...

This week on Riff Worship , Austin & Dylan are joined by James Wallwork of Faerie Ring to discuss their latest riff infused offering 'WEARY TRAVELER' (out NOW via King Volume Records ), working with Alex Kercheval (Coven, Postal Recording), cycling, Dick Dale, & more! Order 'Weary Traveler': https://kingvolume.8merch.us/product/faerie-ring-weary-traveler-lp/ Recommendations: Dick Dale "The...

After nearly 3 demanding years of touring, Watain composed what could be considered their most grandiose and divisive album of their career. The mythologies and lore that surrounded the group were more present than ever in the record’s concept and lyrical themes. Musically, it was just as venomous and violent as their previous offerings, while still managing to push the boundaries of their sound i...

By 1996 death metal started to become stale and stagnant, with a wave of copycats looking to replicate the success of the genre’s heavyweights. As we’ve covered in previous episodes, extreme music had flirted with the major label world, but did not quite achieve the lofty expectations that were unfairly placed on its gore obsessed shoulders. A return to the underground was the (left hand) path nee...