Riffology: Iconic Rock Albums Podcast

When hair metal gets sober and serious Hosts: Neil & Chris Duration: ~64 minutes Release: 26 August 2024 Episode Description What happens when one of the most notoriously chaotic bands on the planet decides to clean up, move to rainy Vancouver and treat an album like a full time job? In this episode, Neil and Chris dive into Mötley Crüe's Dr. Feelgood, the record that turned a drug soaked touri...

When heavy metal myths meet GCSE revision Hosts: Neil & Liam Duration: ~60 minutes Release: 19 August 2024 Episode Description What happens when a scruffy GCSE revision soundtrack, a cult TV show and a supposedly satanic metal anthem collide? In this episode, Neil and Liam dive deep into Iron Maiden's The Number of the Beast, the 1982 game‑changer that turned Bruce Dickinson into a metal folk h...

When a “crystal clear” vinyl turns into wall art Hosts: Neil & Chris Duration: ~63 minutes Release: 12 August 2024 Episode Description Neil and Chris dive into Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, an album so iconic that even Chris (who admits he barely knows it) assumed “The Great Gig in the Sky” was track one. From its cradle-to-grave concept, to its uneasy beauty, this episode is equal parts ...

When the bell dongs, the power-up begins Hosts: Neil & Chris Duration: ~60 minutes Release: 5 August 2024 Episode Description Neil and Chris dive into one of rock’s ultimate “how did they pull this off?” moments, the making of Back In Black in the wake of Bon Scott’s death, and the lightning strike arrival of Brian Johnson. Along the way they celebrate Brian’s unbelievably entertaining storytel...

When molten riffs feel strangely meditative Hosts: Neil & Chris Duration: ~56 minutes Release: 29 July 2024 Episode Description This week in The Monster Shop, Neil and Chris head to France by way of outer space to dive into Gojira's towering 2016 album Magma. Sparked by the band's appearance at the Olympic opening ceremony, they pivoted the schedule at the last minute, stuck the record on repea...

When pain, pop hooks and static collide Hosts: Neil & Chris Duration: ~52 minutes Release: 22 July 2024 Episode Description In this episode of The Monster Shop, Neil and Chris dive into Linkin Park's era-defining debut, Hybrid Theory, on the anniversary of Chester Bennington's death. They recall the first time the record blindsided them in car stereos and nightclubs, how it seemed to arrive fro...

When thrash goes sharp and surgical Hosts: Neil & Chris Duration: ~58 minutes Release: 15 July 2024 Episode Description This week the Monster Shop heads into the Bay Area, plugging into Testament's "The New Order" and the brand new remaster that has both of you grinning like teenagers again. Neil digs into why this was the record that floored him back in 1988, when the combination of speed, mel...

When punk sneaks into the mainstream Hosts: Neil & Chris Duration: ~49 minutes Release: 8 July 2024 Episode Description This week in The Monster Shop, Neil and Chris rewind to the mid nineties and the moment Green Day's Dookie blew a hole in the underground punk scene and let the whole world in. From teenage Walkman memories to modern day festival fields and Silverstone gig slots, they trace ho...

When a punch lands in your headphones Hosts: Neil & Chris Duration: ~58 minutes Release: 1 July 2024 Episode Description What do you do with an album that sounds like it is punching you in the face, yet somehow still sneaks in ballads, groove and some of the tastiest solos of the 90s? In this episode Neil and Chris go back to Pantera's Vulgar Display of Power, a record that soundtracked bad col...

When haunted houses tune your headphones Hosts: Neil & Chris Duration: ~55 minutes Release: 24 June 2024 Episode Description What happens when an album you did not get as a teenager becomes the record you reach for when you want to disappear into headphones and think about the internet, ghosts and dynamic range? In this episode Neil and Chris finally hand themselves over to Radiohead's OK Compu...

When The Jungle gatecrashes Your Hi-Fi Hosts: Neil & Chris Duration: ~56 minutes Release: 17 June 2024 Episode Description This week Neil and Chris crank the headphones, fight off chest infections and march straight into Guns N Roses' Appetite for Destruction, treating it as both scruffy gang story and studio nerd dream. Between tales of forgotten interfaces, Tascam detours and finally hearing ...

When Big Hair Meets Bigger Heart Hosts: Neil & Chris Duration: ~51 minutes Release: 10 June 2024 Episode Description This week Neil and Chris park the motorbike, escape the rain and head straight back to the late eighties, cracking open Bon Jovi's New Jersey with the kind of affection that only comes from growing up with it. Between greenhouse gardening that does not wreck your back and memorie...

When Middle Age Still Screams Youth Gone Wild Hosts: Neil & Chris Duration: ~51 minutes Release: 3 June 2024 Episode Description This week Neil and Chris throw on the leather jacket of their youth and dive into Skid Row's self-titled debut, while also admitting their backs now hurt from gardening more than from the mosh pit. What started as a 15-year-old's lifeline of attitude and escape has be...

When A Voice Turns Headphones Into A Portal Hosts: Neil & Chris Duration: ~46 minutes Release: 27 May 2024 Episode Description In this episode Neil and Chris sink into Jeff Buckley's Grace, an album that refuses to sit neatly in any rack divider. For Chris it is one of the few CDs he kept when he sold almost everything to buy a guitar, a benchmark for how emotional and aspirational a record can...

When Heavy Metal Marches Into The Mainstream Hosts: Neil & Chris Duration: ~51 minutes Release: 19 May 2024 Episode Description This time Neil and Chris plug into Metallica's Black Album, the record that dragged a thrash band out of the underground and straight into school corridors, rock clubs and living rooms everywhere. One of them arrives as a long time skeptic who grew up on the faster, na...

When Punk Rock Credentials Trump Commercial Polish Hosts: Neil & Chris Duration: ~46 minutes Release: 12 May 2024 Episode Description Welcome to the relaunch of The Monster Shop, where Neil and Chris kick things off by diving into Nirvana's raw, uncompromising third album In Utero. Fresh off the massive commercial success of Nevermind, Kurt Cobain deliberately chose producer Steve Albini to str...