In this episode we’ll discuss current events, what’s Nate been listening to, independent music from Cymothoa from Minneapolis, Minnesota and Deformatory out of Ottawa, Canada, we’ll discuss some tidbits from the music-related podcast community in the Podcast Roundup, and we’ll wrap the show taking a look at TeamRock’s Proof that 1980 was the best year for Heavy Metal – are they right?

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Podcast Roundup: [PLAY SOUNDER]

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Joe Rogan had Sturgill Simpson on his show in early April, episode #780. Sturgill is a Tool fan! Also, he comes face to face with a wild buffalo and lives to tell the tale.

The Nerdist had Iggy Pop and Josh Homme back in March for those interested!

One on One with Mitch LaFon has a cadre of kick-ass guests since we last spoke: Joey Belladonna from Anthrax, Brian Tatler from Diamond Head, and Nikki Sixx from Sixx:A.M.

Al Jourgensen from Ministry makes an appearance on the Metalsucks Podcast

The Ritual Madness Podcast has released for download the episode with Kobaloi – a band that we played here on the show. I can’t wait to check this one out now that I’m getting into the swing of things with a new podcast app.

Talking Metal has an interview with one Mr. Charles Benante from Anthrax that I can’t wait to hear – and we’ll discuss a snippet about what they discussed in the news today!

Eddie Trunk has a bad episode discussing his time at the 2 Las Vegas Guns N’ Roses shows. I really wish that we had the ETPodcast Drinking Game going for this one. I’d probably have died from alcohol poisoning. However, he does make it up with a good interview with Ace Frehley.

What’s Nate been listening to?

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Artist: Death

Notes: http://www.emptywords.org/

Album: Individual Thought Patterns

Song: The Philosopher

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NEWS

1. ANTHRAX Drummer Explains Decision To Keep ‘For All Kings’ Off SPOTIFY After Release

2. DAVE MUSTAINE: ‘There’s A Terrible Lie Out There About Me And My Reputation, How Difficult I Am To Work With’

3. OVERKILL To Start Recording Drums For New Album In May

4.ANTHRAX’s JOEY BELLADONNA: Why We Don’t Perform Any JOHN BUSH-Era Songs

5.EARACHE Signs New Distribution And Services Deal With ADA/WARNER

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Artist: Cymothoa

from the Album: Replacement Tongue (2014)

the Song is: Snake Denim

Link: https://cymothoa.bandcamp.com/releases

Artist: Deformatory

from the Album: Malediction (2016)

the Song is: Apothic Existence

Link:  http://www.deformatory.ca

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1. We’ve got a bit of fuckery going down in the Flummox camp – it seems that they’ve won a contest to play the  Shoney’s Restaurants 5K Family Fun Run 2016 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee, however the the people at Shoney’s haven’t contacted the band nor returned their emails regarding what happens next. The band feels that it’s because the people at Shoneys didn’t expect them to win. If anyone from Shoney’s is listening, please contact the band. Flummox is an experimental Metal band out of Murfreesboro, Tennessese and we’ve featured them on episode 30 as well as the 2015 Independent Music Review.

2. Meriden, Connecticut old school thrash metal band SHALLOW GROUND are on the look-out to add a 2nd guitarist to the band. Here’s what the band expects from any candidate: “Dedication, reliable equipment and transportation is a must.You must be able to come to practice once (possibly twice a week in the future) to the Meriden area. Also be able to play shows two or more times a month. We all are slaves to society,and have families, we have busy schedules outside the band, so we are flexible with scheduling to get the job done (homework is a must, we will work with you to make learning the songs easy) We are laid back dudes, we have fun with what we do, but this is our business, so serious inquiries please.”

We played Shallow Ground on episode 50 – check out that episode if you haven’t already.

3. Minneapolis, Minnesota based power metal band ETERNAL VOYAGER are currently in the studio recording their upcoming 2nd album titled “Darkened Times”.

Vocalist / Guitarist Brian Blake has checked in with the following:

We are well on our way into the recording process of our upcoming new second album titled “Darkened Times”, which will be mastered by guitarist / producer Stu “The Hammer” Marshall (Death Dealer / Blasted to Static / Zephaniah / Vanlade / Corners of Sanctuary) at his Frontier studio in Sydney, Australia.

We are hoping to release this monster ripping album during this upcoming summer or at the latest in fall 2016. It just depends on when we can record additional drum tracks, even though we have our own studio now, we are not set for drum recordings as of yet.

We also have plans to shoot one or two music videos during the coming months for the songs “Winds of Fire” and possibly the title track “Darkend Times”, so we are currently very busy.”

4. Attacking with an onslaught of crushing hyper-speed with straight-ahead black metal brutality sure to impress and amaze die-hard fans of the best of the classic Norwegian scene. Swiss one man black metal band, ENOID is offering a FREE download of ‘Je T’Arracherai Les Cieux’, which is one of eight tracks from the upcoming album ‘Exilé Aux Confins Des Tourments’ set for co-release via Satanath Records (Russia) and Black Plague Records (USA) on May 5, 2016.

To get your FREE download of ‘Je T’Arracherai Les Cieux’, please visit the following link:

5. BRUTAL BATTLE CUBA is proud to announce Montreal’s DEALER as the 2016 winner for this year’s competition to perform on the Brutal Fest tour across Cuba from Aug 18-28. The national final took place on April 23rd in Montreal between city round winners …From The Deep (Ottawa), Exes For Eyes (Oshawa), 3 Days Dead (Oshawa) plus Dealer (Montreal) and was judged by Bart Frydrychowicz (Quo Vadis), Aaron Homma (Annihilator, Killitorous) and Alex Dupras (Plasma Rifle, Unhuman, Teramobile).

“What a first year we had! I cannot believe it is already over! DEALER, from Montreal, won this edition and will be representing Canada at the Brutal Summer Fest 2016 in Cuba! I can definitely say that all the bands were amazing, but DEALER came to this contest to win and there is no doubt about it. Huge presence on stage, trashy and aggressive “in your face” crossover between trash and hardcore. The Cubans are going to have a blast seeing these guys live! We are wrapping up this first year and already, we are working on the next one! Stay tuned, some announcements will come pretty soon!” comments BBC organizer Richard O’Neil.

DEALER will be introduced to every aspect of Cuban culture during their seven date tour over two weeks across the country with five to seven other international bands that includes crew members, drivers and one big bus on the road. As winning band, they will also be given the opportunity to be endorsed by companies such as InTune Guitar Picks and SoulTone Cymbals as well as a few other great prizes from BBC sponsors.

DEALER (MONTREAL) (National Winner) – http://dealermtl.bandcamp.com

…FROM THE DEEP (OTTAWA) – http://fromthedeepband.bandcamp.com

DEAD 3 DAYS (OSHAWA ROUND 1) – http://www.dead3days.com

EXES FOR EYES (OSHAWA ROUND 2) – http://www.exesforeyes.com

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If you have any news you’d like to share regarding your band please email us at news@dotwpod.com

FINAL DISCUSSION TOPIC or SEGMENT: 
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AC/DC – Back In Black

AC/DC connoisseurs rightly identify Powerage as the band’s finest hour, but Back In Black – the second biggest-selling album of all time, behind Michael Jackson’s Thriller – is their blockbuster production, and the greatest ‘comeback’ album of all time. Born out of tragedy, following the loss of the inimitable Bon Scott, here ‘DC consolidated all the commercial lessons learned with producer ‘Matt’ Lange on 1979’s Highway To Hell, and delivered 10 lean, mean masterclasses in breezeblock riffola, with new ‘boy’ Brian Johnson bellowing over the top like a man with his scrotum on fire. Magnificent.

Black Sabbath – Heaven And Hell

The first six albums Sabbath recorded with Ozzy Osbourne may have created both the blueprint for heavy metal, and the standard by which all subsequent albums in the genre are measured, butthere’s a strong case to be made for Heaven And Hell being the most consistent body of work Sabbath ever recorded. With Ronnie James Dio installed as Ozzy’s replacement, Sabbath were unrecognisable from the worn-out and weary unit who recorded the lacklustreNever Say Die, with Tony Iommi in particular a man re-born. “It really did feel like we were starting all over again,” the guitarist later admitted to Hammer. “And we all knew when the album was finished that it was something special.”

Def Leppard – On Through The Night

Def Leppard may have hit their creative peak when paired with ‘Mutt’ Lange for the slick, widescreen hard rock of Pyromania andHysteria, but their debut album has a raw charm all its own. Recorded with Judas Priest producer Tom Allom when the average age of the Sheffield band was just 18, the spunky, spirited On Through The Night took the band’s key influences – Queen, UFO, Mott The Hoople, Thin Lizzy – and repackaged them with a youthful metallic sheen and punk rock snap. The birth of a British rock institution.

Diamond Head – Lightning To The Nations

The most under-rated band in this list, Stourbridge’s Diamond Head should, on the strength of their debut album, have been global superstars. A combination of bad luck, and ill-judged business decisions, ensured that it would take the patronage of Metallica – who freely admit that their early game plan was to sound like a mixture of Diamond Head and Motörhead – to truly secure the NWOBHM quartet a place in history, with Lars Ulrich’s hero-worship of the group leading to the San Franciscan band recording no fewer than four tracks from Lightning To The Nations (Helpless, Am I Evil?,The Prince and It’s Electric).

Iron Maiden – Iron Maiden

Steve Harris has long bemoaned Will Malone’s production on Iron Maiden’s debut album, but if the January 1980 recording sessions at Kingsway Studios didn’t fully capture the thrilling live energy of the East End band as the bassist intended, the strength of the songwriting here is undeniable, and still remarkable 36 years on. While Phantom Of The Opera, Running Free, Prowler and the title track are now rightly regarded as heavy metal standards, under-rated tracks such as the moody, atmospheric Strange World andRemember Tomorrow were brilliant early indicators that Maiden possessed a skill set far more developed than their enthusiastic NWOBHM peers. That Maiden could afford to leave off the fantasticSanctuary from the album’s original UK pressing speaks volumes about their confidence in what remains one of the greatest metal debuts of all time.

Judas Priest – British Steel

With 1979’s live album Unleashed In The East a ‘greatest hits’ set in all but name, Judas Priest had effectively drawn a line under the first decade of their career, leaving them with a blank canvas as they began work in January 1980 upon what would be their sixth studio album. “You could feel that there was something really exciting about to happen to the band,” Rob Halford later recalled to this writer, “it was very tangible.” Written and recorded in just 12 weeks,British Steel typified the hunger, confidence and rising ambition in the resurgent UK metal scene, its mix of terrace choruses and razor-sharp riffs turning the band into Top Of The Pops regulars at home and a platinum-selling arena act in the US. Halford calls the album “magical”: he’s not wrong.

Motörhead – Ace Of Spades

With the release of the brilliant Overkill and Bomber in 1979, Motörhead were on a hot streak and full of confidence when they began work on their fourth album in the summer of 1980. Lemmy’s band may have pre-dated the emergence of the NWOBHM, but their raw, ferocious punk-tinged rock n’ roll was perfectly attuned to this new climate. With fabulous understatement, in his autobiography White Line Fever, Lemmy noted “The songs on Ace Of Spades are considered classics by Motörhead fans, and I must say, they are an excellent bunch.” Lemmy may now have left us, but the likes of (We Are) The Road Crew, Jailbait and that deathless title track will ensure that that incomparable throaty roar will echo in our heads forever.

Ozzy Osbourne – Blizzard Of Ozz

In the summer of 1979, Ozzy Osbourne was staring into the abyss. Kicked out of Black Sabbath, the singer was holed up in a West Hollywood apartment attempting to numb his pain with cocaine and spirits, convinced that this was The End. And then a young guitarist named Randy Rhoads entered his life, and everything changed: returning to England, the cleaned-up vocalist wroteGoodbye To Romance, Suicide Solution, Crazy Train and Mr Crowleywith his new musical foil in a matter of weeks. When Sabbath’s label Warners passed on the album demos, Ozzy’s manager (and future wife) Sharon Arden convinced her father Don to release Blizzard Of Ozz on his Jet label. The album would go on to sell six million copies and establish Ozzy as an international superstar. “My ego loved it,” Ozzy recalled. “It was like ‘Fuck you, I told you I was right!’”

Saxon – Wheels Of Steel

Saxon’s patchy 1979 debut album only hinted at the promise held by the Yorkshire quintet, with even frontman Biff Byford conceding “to be honest, it wasn’t very good.” Under pressure from their record company to deliver the goods, in 1980 the band stepped up to the plate, racing to the forefront of the NWOBHM scene with the release of not one, but two, landmark metal releases. Pound for pound, Wheels Of Steel just eclipses Strong Arm Of The Law, with the brawny Motorcycle Man, 747 (Strangers In The Night) and the chugging title track evergreen classics in the band’s set-lists to this day. Speaking about the album to Hammer ten years ago Byford noted “It’s obviously a classic. But, more than that, it saved our career.”

Van Halen – Women And Children First

Bored and weary of having hits with souped-up cover versions of other artists’ songs, Eddie Van Halen approached his band’s third album with the intention of creating a heavier sound for the Pasadena quartet. This new attitude was evidenced in the album’s killer one-two opening of And The Cradle Will Rock… and Everybody Wants Some! and while the guitarist was far too melodically gifted to ever steer his band into pure heavy metal territory, the likes of Loss Of Control and Romeo Delight displayed a hardening of the VH sound. Ahead of the album’s release, motormouth vocalist David Lee Roth predicted that the new decade would belong to Van Halen, warning “we’re the youngest and the newest and we’re coming on real strong.” American rock critics may have hated his flashy, cocksure band and everything they represented but Women And Children First served notice that heavy music wasn’t going away anytime soon.

1. Judas Priest – British Steel

2. Ozzy Osbourne – Blizzard Of Ozz

3. Black Sabbath – Heaven and Hell

4. Iron Maiden – Iron Maiden

5. Motorhead – Ace Of Spades

6. Diamond Head – Lightning To The Nations

7. Saxon – Wheels Of Steel

8. Scorpions – Animal Magnetism

9. Angel Witch – Angel Witch

10. Samson – Head On

Events

– Bon Scott, lead singer of AC/DC, dies at 33 on February 19 after a binge of heavy drinking.

– October: Iron Maiden comp guitarist Dennis Stratton leaves and is replaced by Adrian Smith.

– John Bonham, drummer for Led Zeppelin, dies at 32 on September 25, after a binge of heavy drinking. His death was similar to Bon Scott’s, and caused Led Zeppelin to disband.

– April: Brian Johnson joins AC/DC replacing Bon Scott as lead singer.

– May 18: Peter Criss, drummer of Kiss, leaves the band. Eric Carr takes his place.

– Sounds Music Paper Editor Dave Lewis, invents the term New Wave Of British Heavy Metal to accompany a article Geoff Barton wrote on three young British Heavy Metal bands touring together, namely Samson, Iron Maiden and Angelwitch.

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That’ll do it for this episode – and as always, thank you for listening. If you have any comments or such you can email Nate at his Disciples of the Watch email address nate@dotwpod.com or yours truly using gene@dotwpod.com.

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Artist: Diamond Head

Album: Lightning to the Nations

Song: Helpless