The Rock and Metal Profs

On this special edition of RAMP, Matt discusses the current RUSH Fifty-Somthing Tour with Rush aficionado Dr. Reynaldo Rojo Mendoza.  Rey attended two RUSH shows in Mexico City in June 2026, while Matt attended two shows in Chicago in July.  We talk setlists, performances, and of course, the incredible Annika Niles.  This episode contains a few spoilers about the shows, so if you're planning on se...

When Metallica released LOAD and RELOAD in 1996 & 1997, there was great controversy, particularly from long-time die-hard fans of their early work.  There were myriad accusations that the band sold out, that they were chasing trends, and that they had betrayed their fans.  Their look was dramatically different, their album art, even their music videos signaled a departure from what had come be...

This week Matt is flying solo and telling the story of Dokken in the late-90s and 2000s.  This was a challenging time for the band, but despite changing tastes in music culture, the fickle record industry, grunge, and multiple lineups, Don Dokken and company managed to produce some of the band's best music!  Sadly, this era of the band is often overlooked.  We take a break-neck tour of the band's...

The RAMP are Rockin' with Dokken!  In this is episode of RAMP, Court and Matt get cerebral and discuss confirmation bias in rock and metal -- The subjectivity in loving what we love and wanting others to share our taste in music.  What underpins this behavior?  The Profs try to unpack it.  Then, a long-overdue handling of one of the great bands of the 1980s -- DOKKEN.  Were Dokken just another hai...

2026 is a BANGER year for new rock and metal music so far.  Matt and Court talk the triumphant return of RUSH with Annika Niles, and celebrate the long-awaited release of Joe Holmes' new record!!! The Profs also discuss new offerings from Armored Saint, Spread Eagle, Evanescence, Geoff Tate/Operation Mindcrime, Elegant Weapons, Green Lung, Anthrax and Blue Medusa!  Then, Matt introduces Court and...

The Profs chat recent rock and metal news, and they examine the Scorpions' records from 1984's "Love at First Sting" to 2022's "Rock Believer."  Dr. Lewis takes the lead on this one!  We thank all our listeners for taking the time to download and listen.  We appreciate you!

It's time to ROCK YOU LIKE A HURRICANE!  Undeniably the greatest hard rock/metal band in German history, the Scorpions heralded career spans 60 years!  Few bands have made a greater impact on the history of modern rock/metal music than the Scorps.  The Profs look at the early history of the band as it coalesced in postwar West Germany and how Rudolph Schenker, Klaus Meine, Uli Jon Roth, Michael Sc...

Court and Matt are back with their admittedly fragmentary best of 2025 concerts and albums.  The Profs also discuss recent rock and metal news, and the state of the genre in 2026.  Megadeth, Anthrax, Queensryche, Accept, Ratt, Slaughter, L.A. Guns,  Iron Maiden, Ghost, Helloween, Ozzy, Wings of Steel, Alice Cooper, KISS, Phantom Spell, VV and Peter Criss were all topics covered, and more!  Look fo...

Court and Matt have guested on R. Alan Siler's podcast "Modern Musicology" on multiple occasions, and we thought it was time to turn the tables!  On our final episode of 2025 the Profs interview the busiest man in America -- drummer, librarian, author, performer, music connoisseur, and host of multiple podcasts -- R. Alan Siler.  Alan has performed in many bands, including tribute acts covering KI...

Well, we decided to bring the show back after a 3-year hiatus.  On the eve of Halloween, what better way to celebrate our return to podcast glory than with the ultimate horror band, GHOST!  Court and Matt, with shows to follow as time permits.  No social media presence this time, but you can email us at Therockprofs@gmail.com. Welcome back, and as always, thanks so much for your listenership and s...

The Profs discuss the origins and evolution of rock and metal!

Oh the excess and bombast of the Sunset Strip in the late-70s and 1980s!  The Profs discuss the epicenter of rock and metal in the 70s-80s as the Sunset Strip in L.A. became ground-zero for some of the greatest rock and metal acts in American history. 

Yes, we know we talk about KISS too often.  However, in our defense, those early-80s KISS albums were SPECTACULAR.  Court and Matt discuss the iconic albums "Creatures of the Night", "Music from the Elder", "Lick it Up" and "Animalize."  

Oh the glory of the all-day music festival.  US Fest, Ozzfest, Louder than Life, Wacken and Hellfest.  So many festivals and so many bands!   The Profs discuss the pros and cons of rock and metal music festivals, and cover some of the best and worst ones they've attended.  

In this special episode of RAMP, our podcast producer and colleague Tim Williamson takes over the show.  We talk about whatever he wants to talk about!

Yeah, we've heard it all before.  After "...And Justice for All", Metallica became a different band, "sold out", and went mainstream.   Early Metallica fans in particular love to condemn Metallica in the 1990s as the band who let them down.  The Profs dispel the myths and do their level best to objectively assess Metallica's catalog in the 1990s and beyond.  

KISS fans are a devoted bunch, and much of their love for the band is contingent upon when they started listening to them.  For Matt, KISS in the 1970s were at their zenith.  However, for slightly younger fans like Court, those 80s albums hold a special place.  Dr. Lewis shines in this one, talking about the non-make-up years, the brief tenure of guitarists Mark St. John and Vinnie Vincent, the pe...

This week the Profs discuss one of the more controversial album releases in American music history, "Use Your Illusion I and II."  Many rock fans may not remember that Guns & Roses did something no band had ever done in 1991 -- They released two double studio albums on the same day!  Heralded by some rock fans as the answer to glam metal and the emerging grunge scene, some GNR fans were not im...

The Profs discuss some of the best rock and metal music offerings of 2022.

Dr. Lewis and Matt take questions from the RAMP audience and discuss.  Part 2 of 2 episodes.

Dr. Lewis and Matt take questions from the RAMP audience and discuss.  Part 1 of 2 episodes.

The Rock and Metal Profs interview Professor of Philosophy, literary critic and heavy metal scholar William Irwin from King's College in Pennsylvania.  His new book "The Meaning of Metallica: Ride the Lyrics" is a detailed breakdown examining the history and philosophy of the most influential metal band in American history, Metallica.  

The profs discuss the release of the newly remixed and remastered Holy Diver album by Ronnie James Dio.

New York-based band RIOT enjoyed modest success in the late-1970s and early-80s.  They grew a die-hard following, even as they evolved into one of the few American Power Metal bands of the 1980s.  However, line-up changes, tragedy, and a few ill-fated marketing decisions limited the band's appeal and commercial success.  Undaunted, RIOT continued to produce quality music, and despite the odds they...

The Tony Martin-era of Black Sabbath is much celebrated amongst fans of the band.  Following the departure of Ronnie James Dio in 1982, Sabbath sought out veteran leadership in the form of Deep Purple vocalist Ian Gillan.  That line-up produced one very good album, but it was not to last.  When Gillan left the band, Iommi and company found stability, talent and tremendous writing chops with Britis...