“That’s NOT how you eat a chili dog…” The allure of SHOCK ROCK is, has been, and always will be the LIVE component of it; being at the show and viscerally experiencing all of the sights and sounds, in the flesh and in the moment. While many artists do also have lyrical subject matter which might make them eligible for placement in the SHOCK ROCK su…

It’s time to learn about the healthiest, most productive way to release “all of your aggressions” fueled by “road rage” and crank the volume all the way up to LOUD to indulge in metal that comes shrink wrapped “pre-LOUD” from the factory. Remember that sometimes “it’s a little gamey and a little tangy” which is why it’s always a good idea to “dip ‘…

For most SLAYER fans, Tuesday, September 11, 2001, began as every other new music release day would: we all anxiously anticipated stopping by the record store after work to pick up a copy of their brand-new album, GOD HATES US ALL. Words cannot describe the eerily psychotic synchronicity that seemingly linked the atrocities of that day with the tim…

“I’m just letting you know; I was holding back…it may get worse…” TITLE TRACKS are not always the ultra-obvious, one trick pony they’d seem to be. Sometimes it IS ultra-obvious and is smack dab in the middle of the chorus where it belongs, sometimes only one of the words might be included in the chorus, and still other times “the chorus is not expl…

“You can take something so pretty and make it so ugly…” It’s been a while since we discussed any NWOOSTM, so we figured we’d check out one of the NWOOSTM playlist recommendations from “Mr. PB&J” himself. (NOTE: that’s New Wave Of Old School Thrash Metal in case you’re not into acronyms). THRASHING LIKE A MANIAC (which you can find on Amazon music),…

“If Bruce Dickinson wants more cowbell, we should probably give him more cowbell…” You’ve heard of movies based on books, but what about albums based on books? IRON MAIDEN’s seventh studio album, SEVENTH SON OF A SEVENTH SON, released on April 11, 1988, is inspired by Orson Scott Card’s 1987 novel “Seventh Son” and is their first official “keyboard…

We got a little out of control and went far beyond the “appetizers” section, to the point that there was no “meat” to skip to (in terms of a docket), primarily because we had a lot to talk about: albums ahead of their time, new Olympic competitions, and a whole host of other things (including our potential 9/11 Head-To-Head Death Match teaser…). Be…

“Do you know how many burps I edit out?” EXODUS have been blessed with the almost uncanny gift of delivering absolutely devastating opening tracks on every album they’ve ever done.* There’s simply nothing like the “violently articulate” manifestations of Gary Holt’s riff wizardry to fuel the intensity of how blisteringly killer the opener (not to m…

Hopefully by now, everyone is familiar with those first three notes from the first Black Sabbath album. During The Middle Ages, this was referred to as DIABOLOUS IN MUSICA (which is Latin, meaning “The Devil In Music”). While also known as “The Devil’s Interval”, or in musical parlance simply as the tritone, SLAYER fans recognize DIABOLOUS IN MUSIC…

Imagine being in a record store, just flipping through the LED ZEPPELIN section of albums on November 8, 1971, and finding an album that appeared unfamiliar, mysterious, and perhaps even a bit out of place. The album cover gave no reference as to the band’s name or any discernible album title, the back cover had no track listing, there were no pict…

Often in life you have to “strike while the iron is hot” because more often than not, the “First Strike Is Deadly” and not striking may result in lost opportunity and success. And while TESTAMENT were riding the wave of success from their first three albums and the subsequent tours that followed, their fourth album within three and a half years, SO…

1991 was a year unlike any other. KFC changed their name to avoid paying royalties to the “trademarked” commonwealth for which they were named (whereas K-Y Jelly could not be reached for comment), Terminator 2: Judgment Day was blowing up the box office as the number one movie in America, the first ever “world wide web” website was introduced to th…

May 17, 2024, marks the day that KERRY KING released the diabolically brutal debut, FROM HELL I RISE, forging a new chapter in thrash metal. And before you get all “skeptical” about it and start in with some snide remark like “Oh, this is just diet Slayer…”, understand that this is definitely NOT Slayer (although, it kinda is…even though it’s “alle…

Not only is BILLY MILANO a blessing and “a bold, courageous man”, he’s also the mastermind behind M.O.D. (METHOD OF DESTRUCTION), the crossover thrash patriots that emerged following the end of S.O.D. with a similar sense of politically incorrect humor, biting social commentary, and a more hardcore infused thrash sound than S.O.D. (Stormtroopers of…

May 3, 1988, may just be the biggest, red-letter, landmark date in all of progressive metal, as it marks the release of QUEENSRYCHE’s 3rd studio album OPERATION: MINDCRIME, one of the finest concept albums in all of metal. It’s very much a “Pink Floyd meets heavy metal” style and vibe, and is quite a departure from their two previous albums (The Wa…

Summary: AC/DC’s follow-up to Back In Black, 1981’s FOR THOSE ABOUT TO ROCK (WE SALUTE YOU), seems to have a heavier, darker, and doomier vibe than its legendary, multi-platinum predecessor. FTATR (WSY) is all about dynamics, as Robert John “Mutt” Lange’s production masterfully blends the sounds of Highway To Hell & Back In Black with just a touch …

We’ve already tackled Side One of our ’86 HEAD-TO-HEAD DEATH MATCH featuring MOP & RIB (“Puppets & Blood”), and now it’s time to go through Side Two in order to reach our final verdict. As usual, there were difficult decisions to be made, and the deliberation was not easy, but we did it, and the only thing we can really say that will make any sense…

For those who haven’t been following the bouncing ball(s), we’ve been discussing the ’86 DEATH MATCH since we did our ’88 Death Match a few episodes back (which was a complete bloodbath all on its own!) so we decided “What better way to commemorate our 5th anniversary as ‘The Number 2 Podcast Ever’ (behind Rogan) than to pit the two finest albums i…

Definitely “angsty” and undisputedly heavier, more aggressive, and focused than punk, NEW YORK HARDCORE (NYHC) emerged at a time when punk was on its way out and thrash was on its way into the heavy music scene, ultimately becoming a “de facto” bridge between the thrash and punk scenes and eventually bringing them both together to bless the metal w…

“Is this the GOOD Sabbath or the BAD Sabbath?” We know what you’re thinking: “Wait, didn’t they skip a few albums in there somewhere? Did they put them all on Patreon or…what happened?” Rest assured, nothing has been skipped, however, we did jump ahead a little bit because “some of us” have been jonesing to fast forward through the BLACK SABBATH ca…

The “Bunkerpoon After Dark” is a bit different than the usual Metal Nerdery Podcast format. It’s stripped down, bare, naked, and not unlike “The Triangle”, it’s unredacted, unfiltered, and completely raw. There’s not a lot of production quality, no shittah, no clinkies, and no beers of the episode, but it’s pure unbridled Metal Nerdery madness at i…

After catching Damage Inc. live in concert a few weeks back, we felt inspired to investigate the vast conglomeration of artists who have performed their own cover versions of songs originally written by the biggest cover band to have ever blessed heavy metal, the mighty METALLICA. Even though METALLICA have come a long way from their old school “di…

Before OM and High On Fire, there was the marijuana infused, Sabbath worshipping, stoner metal power trio hailing from San Jose, California known as SLEEP. Just saying the name transports you to a land filled with THC infused riffs, the sweet aroma of sinsemilla, and enough smoke to indicate that the pyramid sized bong is fully loaded and ready to …

Ahhh, the joys of 1994 and the youthful days of yore. Y’know, there was a time when 1994 actually seemed relatively “recent”, like maybe a couple of decades ago, but we’re actually 30 years beyond 1994, the year when Jeff Bezos founded Amazon in his garage, Quentin Tarantino released an ultra-vulgar display of cinema with “Pulp Fiction”, Sony forev…

It’s safe to say that 1990 represented the absolute zenith of thrash metal greatness. All you have to do is thumb through everything released that year and you’ll have irrefutable proof. Thrash was at its peak when SUICIDAL TENDENCIES unleashed their 5th studio album, LIGHTS…CAMERA…REVOLUTION! their first to feature “future Metallica bassist” Rober…

Although they formed in Ventura, California in the early 70’s just a few short years after Black Sabbath and Judas Priest, CIRITH UNGOL (which, if you know anything about J.R.R. Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings lore, translates to mean “Spider’s Cleft”) sound like a band “out of time”. Whether they’re releasing 70’s sounding albums in the 80’s or …

With the release of their 4th album (a.k.a. one of the finest albums in thrash metal history), MEGADETH conquered new levels of greatness with their progressive thrash masterpiece RUST IN PEACE, featuring Marty Friedman on guitars and Nick Menza behind the drum kit who, along with founding members David Ellefson and Dave Mustaine, would become know…

After hair metal all but destroyed heavy metal in the late 80’s and early 90’s, things were a bit grim. Grim in the same sort of way that Birmingham, England was grim in the late 60’s. Perhaps one of the silver linings to emerge out of the make-up and hairspray laden aftermath of glam was the down to earth, retro metal infused sounds emerging out o…

Welcome to the inaugural episode of the Metal Nerdery Podcast “Bootleg Edition” series, recorded deep within the echoey underground confines of The Bunkerpoon, direct from The Bunkerpoon video feed. While we strive to be “The Black Album of Podcasts” (in terms of sheer production quality), we decided to see what it might sound like if Bob Rock prod…

Given that it was produced and released without the band’s involvement (and likely lacking the front to back awesomeness it would have otherwise possessed), WE SOLD OUR SOUL FOR ROCK ‘N’ ROLL was “technically” BLACK SABBATH’s 7th release; a greatest hits compilation covering “The First Six” albums from the legendary Ozzy Osbourne era of the band. H…

Spring, 1991. Thrash had hit its apex as a genre and was beginning the transition into what would become “the next wave” of thrash with a sound and identify located somewhere between the thrash, groove, and death metal genres. With SEPULTURA’s 4th album, ARISE, emerging a mere 2 years after their 1989 thrash masterpiece, Beneath The Remains, the Br…

1984 was the year that saw the introduction of the Apple Macintosh, the launch of the Technology, Entertainment, Design conference, and the year the world learned of the terrifyingly destructive potential of A.I. courtesy of Skynet and The Terminator. 1984 is more than just the title of George Orwell’s cautionary, dystopian novel or Van Halen’s wil…

Originally formed in the thrash metal mecca known as The Bay Area a year before Metallica was even a thing (shortly before relocating to the Tri-County, metropolitan Seattle, Washington realm), METAL CHURCH continues to bless congregations of faithful metal fans with their own unique brand of thrash infused progressive power metal which has relentl…

“And in THIS corner…” Already knowing (going in) that our 1988 HEAD-TO-HEAD DEATH MATCH was gonna be “bigger than China”, the Bunkerpoon oversight committee made the executive decision to break this “hog” of an episode into a two-part cliffhanger dangler. At this point, we’ve covered side 1 and now we’re tackling side 2 of Metallica’s …AND JUSTICE …

The Bunkerpoon is all about passion and “Love Excretions”. Enjoy all the likes and the loves of this year’s Valentines Day Massacre and Happy Valentines Day to all! Help Support Metal Nerdery https://www.patreon.com/metalnerderypodcast Leave us a Voicemail to be played on a future episode: 980-666-8182 Metal Nerdery Tees and Hoodies – metalnerdery.…

“In THIS corner…” Throughout the thrash community, there’s always been a battle line drawn between the progressive, harmony laden sensibilities of METALLICA and the darker, eviler shades of SLAYER. For many of us, the two albums from these two thrash titans that are most synonymous with summertime and high school are Metallica’s …AND JUSTICE FOR AL…

Back in the early 90’s (along with hometown thrash titans Ghost Story, Akathesia, and Nihilist) one of the most unique bands to have dominated the local metal scene and trailblazed the path for rap metal before it was even a genre was Atlanta cross-over, groove metal pioneers, STUCK MOJO. Armed with the aural onslaught of Rich Ward’s behemoth guita…

Eleven years before Metallica released “The Black Album”, AC/DC released “The FIRST Black Album”, BACK IN BLACK, their seventh studio album overall and their first album featuring new vocalist Brian Johnson following the tragic and untimely passing of former frontman Bon Scott. While AC/DC always had an aggressively intense, hard rock sound through…

When addressing the concept of the THRASH FAMILY TREE, there should be a handful of bands and musicians which immediately come to mind. This week’s docket is a reflection on the vast interconnectedness of the THRASH FAMILY TREE, consisting of The Big Five of Thrash and beyond. Whether we’re talking about musicians snatched up by other bands, replac…

As of this episode, we will have covered each and every era of every EXODUS vocalist, from Paul Baloff to STEVE “ZETRO” SOUZA to Rob Dukes (and back again) to ZETRO. As the 2nd vocalist for EXODUS, STEVE SOUZA’s voice gave the band a distinct sonic ferocity which set them apart from their “Big Five” counterparts, spewing forth some of the most brut…

If you thought this episode was going to be all about early Metallica, early Anthrax, or early Slayer, SURPRISE, it’s not! While the above bands do in fact belong under the same umbrella, CLASSIC METAL (relative to today’s heavy metal landscape) falls right in that sweet spot from the late 70’s through the 80’s, when hard rock began its transformat…

November 18, 1983 Put your ’83 hat on and travel back to the days of yore when OZZY OSBOURNE was still a relatively new solo artist struggling to bounce back after enduring the tragic and untimely demise of guitarist Randy Rhoads following The Ozzman’s first 2 legendary albums, Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman. Enter Jake E. Lee, Rhoads’ succe…

Not only were VAN HALEN effectively “the Black Sabbath of shred” but they ultimately paved the way for the L.A. hair metal shred scene that exploded during the 80’s. Not only is this episode an ALBUM DIVE into the first VAN HALEN album (by none other than the mighty VAN HALEN), but If you’re into “reading books with your ears” then check out the au…

8/21/1990 Relative to earlier ANTHRAX albums, PERSISTENCE OF TIME has a more aggro sound than any album before it. The darker mix and overall vibe represent a departure from their previous albums, with an infusion of S.O.D. along with more progressive sounding elements. Perhaps the most memorable things that stand out about this album in the persis…

Whether it’s the Kool-Aid man crashing through walls with refreshments, Macho Man Randy Savage snapping into Slim Jims, or James Hetfield just being the most affirmative frontman in all of metal, YEAH is the common denominator among these men of greatness. In our quest for the SOURCE OF THE YEAH, we felt obliged to produce our most positivity infus…

After 39 years, LIVE UNDEAD may still be one of the finest recorded moments in SLAYER’s budding thrash legacy, capturing a “kinda live” re-recording of the best parts of their hugely successful Metal Blade debut (SHOW NO MERCY) and their follow-up EP (HAUNTING THE CHAPEL) in a room full of rowdy, surly, and occasionally unruly, die-hard SLAYER fans…

Before CORROSION OF CONFORMITY gifted us with their signature “Southern Fried Sabbath” sound, the metal world was first introduced to BLIND, a unique blending of thrash, doom, and stoner metal tempered with heavy foundations built on straight-up Sabbath worship. Clearly a progression from the punk & hard-core centric sound of earlier COC and their …

“You know I've smoked a lot of grass, Oh Lord I’ve popped a lot of pills…” – The Pusher Since before the dawn of heavy metal, RELAXERS have been a recurring theme in song lyrics. Whether revered with praise and appreciation or reviled through tales of tragedy and woe, one cannot deny the obvious power and impact RELAXERS have had on heavy music thr…

“Sure, God’s all-powerful, but does he have lips? Whoa…” It was the early 90’s, and the landscape of metal was undergoing a transformation. Hair metal was effectively dead and gone, the popularity of thrash was rapidly approaching its zenith, and ALICE IN CHAINS were well on their way to becoming one of the most recognized bands in the world, thank…

“You have to watch it with your ears and listen with your eyes…” There’s a multitude of reasons why we need time travel technology, but the most pressing one is so we can go back to our high school years and re-discover the NOLA based thrash-groove force of nature known as EXHORDER. While EXHORDER may be one of the more obscure artists from the thr…