Speak N' Destroy - METALLICA Podcast

METAL ALLEGIANCE and BPMD bassist Mark Menghi talks about jamming with James Hetfield, playing one of Cliff Burton's basses onstage as the late Ray Burton looked on, discovering Metallica, and the origin stories behind both of his bands: Metal Allegiance with Alex Skolnick (Testament), Mike Portnoy (ex-Dream Theater), and David Ellefson (Megadeth) and BPMD, with Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth (Overkill),...

TAKING BACK SUNDAY drummer Mark O'Connell (who has an ...And Justice for All tattoo) talks about discovering the band; which songs he plays in the dressing room before going onstage; seeing the band live for the first time; his two favorite songs from each record; almost meeting Kirk Hammett; and the St. Anger snare. Plus, he gives a full-throated and detailed endorsement of Lars Ulrich's drumming...

DECIBEL and Revolver Magazine contributor J. Bennett joins the show. Bennett wrote the exhaustive Hall Of Fame piece on ...And Justice for All for Decibel, featuring all four of the guys on the record, in which Jason Newsted went into detailed specifics for the first time about how the bass was recorded (among other treats). He's also a longtime contributor to High Times , Vice , Bandcamp Daily, a...

WARBRINGER vocalist John Kevill and drummer Carlos Cruz join Speak N’ Destroy for our 50th (!) episode.  The duo share a dense knowledge and passion for the genre and dive in here on the chemistry, serendipity, and near scientific structure that makes Metallica and bands like Slayer, Bathory, and Kreator, so great. It's a deep conversation about art vs. craft; the accidental brilliance born o...

BREAKING BENJAMIN. "Through the Never," "Sad But True," and "Enter Sandman" have all been part of the Breaking Benjamin setlist. In addition to playing guitar for the multiplatinum band, Keith Wallen is a former member of Adelitas Way and has cowritten songs with Saint Asonia, Red, Fuel, and Saving Abel. Keith talks about discovering Metallica; seeing them live for the first time; the first riffs...

ALTER BRIDGE. Mark Tremonti first rose to prominence as the guitar player in Creed, but his high school years were informed by Venom, Slayer, Mercyful Fate, Death Angel, and most of all, Metallica. He talks about swiping his older brother's tape; learning "Sanitarium," "The Call of Ktulu," and and "Orion"; meeting James, Lars, Kirk, and Rob over the years; his early bands; his many fantastic...

SAXON. Metallica played their second and third shows ever, at the Whiskey A Go-Go, opening for Saxon. Lars Ulrich marked the 37th anniversary on Instagram, writing, "For us at the time, this was like winning the lottery. Not only was this our first Hollywood gig, but in the early 80s, Saxon were one of the biggest, most exciting & influential hard rock bands in the UK & Europe. All in...

MEGAFORCE RECORDS. The first manager for Metallica, Jonny Z, issued the band's first two albums through Megaforce, the label he cofounded with his wife, Marsha Zazula. As managers and label executives the duo worked with Anthrax, Testament, Overkill, Ministry, and Raven, to name just a few. Jonny talks about the No Life 'Til Leather demo; his first conversation with Lars Ulrich; bringing the band...

Ex-TERRORIZER Deputy Editor Andrew Carter joins Ryan J. Downey for a full report, recap, and discussion of S&M²! Andrew is former Deputy Editor of Terrorizer Magazine; ex-manager for Raging Speedhorn and Iron Monkey; and worked for nearly a dozen years in music licensing for one of the major film studios. Andrew explains the fateful role Metallica played in his life decisions, including h...

TOXIC HOLOCAUST mastermind Joel Grind talks about the massive influence of Metallica; his favorite riffs; the connection between album artwork and vibe; Cliff Burton; Lars Ulrich; the time he distilled Hardwired down to its thrashiest elements as a labor of love passion project; the 20th anniversary of Toxic Holocaust; soundtrack and production work; and his new album, Primal Future: 2019 . ...

CREEPING DEATH guitarist Trey Pemberton talks about his first Metallica record; personal Metallica album ranking; favorite riffs; his musician mother; the various death and thrash metal ingredients that make up his band; the rich history of heavy metal in Texas; Creeping Death's visual aspects; and the band's full-length debut, Wretched Illusions. This episode contains the Creeping Death song "Blo...

SUM 41 guitarist Dave "Brownsound" Baksh takes us behind-the-scenes of MTV Icon: Metallica , the 2003 event where his band brought down the house with a ripping Metallica medley that stood in stark contrast to some otherwise questionable band/song pairings. Dave talks about the feedback he received from James and Kirk; discovering Metallica; his favorite Metallica riff to warmup with; the infamous...

KILL 'EM ALL engineer and mixer Chris Bubacz joins the show to talk about recording and mixing the seminal debut album from Metallica in a tiny studio in Rochester, New York. Meeting the guys; the state of their gear; Lars Ulrich's hands-on approach; Cliff's bass solo; Megaforce Records founder Johnny Z; plus a little bit about his work on the debut album from Anthrax and records by The Rods, Ace...

DEMON HUNTER guitarist Jeremiah Scott, who also produced his band's most recent albums, talks about hearing Metallica for the first time; learning his first Metallica song; the guitar teacher who tried to steal his girlfriend; having "For Whom the Bell Tolls" played at his wedding; the inherent silliness and/or awesomeness of certain band names, from Smashing Pumpkins and Pantera to Metallica to D...

RED FANG was handpicked to join Metallica's inaugural Orion Music + More as part of a diverse specially curated lineup that included Modest Mouse, Eric Church, Best Coast, Ghost, Baroness, Arctic Monkeys, Avenged Sevenfold, Torche, and Sepultura. Red Fang guitarist/vocalist Bryan Giles tells the story behind that day and talks about hearing "For Whom the Bell Tolls" for the first time; facts vs. f...

THE CULT. Metallica and The Cult have a long history of friendship and touring, so naturally, Billy has a ton of great stories! He also talks Bob Rock, Rick Rubin, Sire Records; the Cult’s trio of classic albums; the story behind the iconic Sonic Temple album cover; and so much more. Keep up with the podcast at SpeakNDestroy.com   Follow Speak N' Destroy on Twitter , Instagram , and Facebook...

OVERKILL frontman talks about falling in love with music; hearing Metallica for the first time; meeting the guys; the formative years of thrash metal; Metallica's collaboration with Lou Reed; Metallica cover songs; punk vs. thrash; taking care of his voice; Overkill's longevity; and Mickey Mouse.  Keep up with the podcast at SpeakNDestroy.com   Follow Speak N' Destroy on Twitter , Instag...

Journey into the Weird Tale of H.P. Lovecraft in our first ever bonus / mini-episode and learn a bit about the literary giant who inspired "The Call of Ktulu," "The Thing That Should Not Be," "All Nightmare Long," and "Dream No More." A genius, a visionary, a recluse, and a person with very problematic personal views, Howard Phillips Lovecraft continues to influence and fascinate metal musicians,...

SUM 41 . Frontman for the Canadian pop punk band on their ripping medley at MTV Icon: Metallica (2003), with all of the behind the scenes detail; his favorite Metallica riffs; and his band’s new album.

REVOCATION. David Davidson, the Berklee College of Music educated frontman for death/thrash metal merchants Revocation, talks about his band's ripping cover of "Dyer's Eve"; ...And Justice for All; Master of Puppets; the Black Album; "Johnny Got His Gun"; H.P. Lovecraft; "Weird" Al Yankovic; his songwriting process; seeing Metallica live for the first time; his band's latest album, The Outer...

A YEAR AND A HALF IN THE LIFE OF METALLICA director Adam Dubin on the behind-the-scenes story of the classic home video, including his first meetings with James and Lars, speeding down the 405, the Kip Winger dartboard, and hazing Bob Rock; his new Bay Area thrash documentary MURDER IN THE FRONT ROW; his college roommate, Rick Rubin; co-directing the Beastie Boys videos "(You Gotta) Fight For Your...

ALTITUDES & ATTITUDE. Frank Bello (ANTHRAX) and David Ellefson (MEGADETH) live from the Musicians Institute, part of the MI Conversation Series presented by Loudwire and Ultimate Classic Rock. In this wide ranging conversation with Ryan J. Downey and the audience Q&A that followed, the two Big 4 bassists talk about their band together, Altitudes & Attitudes, meeting for the first time...

CHICKENFOOT. Kirk's guitar teacher! Recorded live as part of the MI Conversation Series at the Musicians Institute in Hollywood, California, presented by Loudwire and Ultimate Classic Rock. This is an in-depth (and at times very emotional discussion) about his life and career. Joe talks about switching from drums to guitar as a kid; jazz music; teaching his neighbor, Steve Vai; recording and relea...

ex-THE ATARIS. Christopher Swinney is the former guitarist for gold-selling pop punk band The Ataris, host of That One Time On Tour podcast, and of course, a massive Metallica fan.

REFUSED. Refused frontman Dennis Lyxzén performed "Whiplash" with Mikkey Dee (King Diamond, Motörhead, Scorpions) and a cellist at last year's Polar Music Prize ceremony, in front of Lars, Rob, and the King and Queen of Sweden. Dennis tells stories from that night, talks about meeting Metallica when International Noise Conspiracy shared a stage with them, his love for the early Metallica records,...