Chris Akin Presents

What happens when a legendary thrash metal band loses its original singer, finds an unexpected replacement, and decides to make a record that sounds nothing like a nostalgia exercise?

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FORBIDDEN guitarist Craig Locicero joins Chris Akin on CHRIS AKIN PRESENTS to explain how a reunion he never wanted turned into an entirely new chapter for one of the Bay Area’s most respected thrash metal bands.

Craig admits he wasn’t interested in bringing FORBIDDEN back after Russ Anderson stepped away from music. But a series of unexpected performances involving Norman Skinner, an opportunity to play a major European festival, and a new creative spark changed everything.

Now FORBIDDEN is preparing to release its first studio album since 2010.

And Craig makes one thing clear: he isn’t interested in making the same record twice.

In this revealing conversation, Locicero discusses the pressure to recapture the band’s classic sound, why Skinner’s songwriting surprised him, and how the new album combines old-school thrash with progressive arrangements, heavy metal influences, and ambitious lyrical concepts.

He also opens up about his reputation as FORBIDDEN’s creative leader, explains why the new lineup works differently, and addresses an uncomfortable reality facing veteran metal musicians: fans may love the music, but streaming doesn’t pay the bills necessary to keep a band on the road.

Can FORBIDDEN establish a new identity while honoring the records that made them legendary?

Watch the full interview and decide for yourself.

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Has modern recording technology taken something essential away from rock music? THE PINEAPPLE THIEF frontman Bruce Soord thinks there’s something irreplaceable about musicians creating together in the same room.

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In this exclusive CHRIS AKIN PRESENTS interview, Chris Akin sits down with Soord to discuss the band’s new album, *Far and Wide*, their move from longtime label Kscope to InsideOut, and why the group deliberately returned to a more traditional approach to writing and recording.

Soord explains how working together as a band helped capture the energy of their live performances, why drummer Gavin Harrison pushed everyone to become better musicians, and why this new creative direction isn’t just a temporary experiment.

The conversation also gets personal. Soord reveals the heartbreaking experience involving his father’s final days that inspired “Still Living,” discusses his changing approach to vocals and songwriting, and explains why the band’s musical complexity must serve the emotion of a song.

PLUS:

- Why THE PINEAPPLE THIEF left Kscope after approximately 20 years.

- How Gavin Harrison helped elevate the band’s musicianship.

- Why recording together can accomplish things remote collaboration cannot.

- The emotional story behind “Still Living.”

- Why “No Exceptions” represents the band’s collaborative approach.

- How Bruce Soord’s singing voice has evolved.

- Why touring America is becoming increasingly expensive.

- Why Soord wants fans supporting independent record stores.

Is the future of rock music actually hiding in the way bands made records 50 years ago?

Watch the full interview and decide for yourself.

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All comments are merely the opinions of the people speaking them, are for comical performance, and are in no way stated as factual.

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Can a band from Barcelona capture everything that made 1980s heavy metal great without becoming another nostalgia act?

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On this episode of **CHRIS AKIN PRESENTS**, Chris sits down with **Christian Blade of Spanish heavy metal band STREAMER** to discuss their album **INTO THE VOID**, the growing traditional metal movement in Spain, and why the band believes it’s experiencing its strongest period yet.

Christian takes us inside the making of INTO THE VOID, including the title track that almost didn’t get finished, the historical inspiration behind **”The Day Barquinona Died,”** and the hard-rock attitude of **”Rock All Around.”**

They also discuss the influences of New Wave of British Heavy Metal and American power metal, the legacy of Spanish metal legends like Barón Rojo, and the reality of trying to take an underground band beyond its home country when touring costs are out of control.

And while plenty of bands chase fame and fortune, Christian explains why STREAMER measures success a little differently.

**IN THIS INTERVIEW:**

- How STREAMER formed in 2013 and evolved through lineup changes.

- Why Spain’s traditional heavy metal scene may be stronger than ever.

- The story behind INTO THE VOID and its Black Sabbath-associated title.

- How British and American metal influences shape the band’s music.

- The medieval Barcelona attack that inspired “The Day Barquinona Died.”

- Why “Rock All Around” takes a more straightforward hard-rock approach.

- Why international touring remains difficult for underground bands.

- Why merchandise sales matter more than casual streaming for the band.

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STREAMER merchandise and music: https://bandcamp.com/streamermetal

**CHRIS AKIN PRESENTS** — Real conversations with the musicians keeping hard rock and heavy metal alive.

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On this episode of CHRIS AKIN PRESENTS, Chris sits down with original Godsmack guitarist Lee Richards to discuss his new release, LEE RICHARDS AND FRIENDS – SONGS FOR A BROKEN WORLD. Richards explains why the record sounds nothing like Godsmack, how songs written during the Another Animal era finally found a home, and why he decided to step behind the microphone as a lead vocalist.

Richards also tells the remarkable story behind his departure from Godsmack. He reveals why discovering that he had a son he never knew existed caused him to walk away from the band and become a father just before Godsmack exploded. He discusses whether he regrets that decision, his later return to work with Godsmack, writing “Touche,” and why music never completely disappeared from his life.

Chris and Lee also dig into the creation of SONGS FOR A BROKEN WORLD, Richards’ approach to songwriting, working with Tony Rombola and Shannon Larkin, his haunting interpretation of “Summer Breeze,” his friendship and creative partnership with Ugly Kid Joe vocalist Whitfield Crane, and his plans to finally get back on the road.

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Prog metal used to be about pushing boundaries, but now it feels like a giant flexing contest for music nerds. Temic keyboardist Diego Tejeida stops by to break down why so many modern bands are utterly obsessed with technical wankery and complex time signatures instead of writing actual songs that hit you in the gut. From cutting through bloated solos to the raw reality of staying alive on the road in today’s music industry, this conversation tears down the pretentious wall surrounding progressive metal.

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Most musicians who try to act look like complete fools the second the camera starts rolling. They think hitting a stage translates to movie stardom, but the reality is usually a cringey train wreck. London May went from beating the hell out of the drums in Samhain to taking on intense, dark movie roles. Chris Akin digs into what actually goes down on a film set, the brutal reality of pretending to be a psychopath vs. method acting, and why stepping out from behind a drum kit into the cinematic spotlight breaks most rockstar egos.

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All comments are merely the opinions of the people speaking them, are for comical performance, and are in no way stated as factual.

After years away, Galactic Cowboys return with their new album, What Planet Are You From?

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Monty Colvin joins Chris Akin to talk about how the album actually came together, why the band turned to Kickstarter, the departure of their longtime drummer, the devastating loss of Johnny after he had already recorded his drum tracks, and why the band decided to keep moving forward.

And musically, this isn’t simply a nostalgia trip.

Monty says he deliberately wanted to bring back some of the heavier, thrashier attitude from the band’s earliest records — and the addition of a drummer capable of double-bass work helped take the songs somewhere Galactic Cowboys hadn’t gone before.

The conversation also gets into some of the album’s most direct material, including “Super Spreader,” “Blinders,” and “Train Wreck,” and the band’s frustration with a world where figuring out what is actually true can sometimes be harder than finding information in the first place.

Then there’s “Love Rehab,” Monty’s deeply personal song about coming through one of the darkest periods of his life, featuring cello from his fiancée’s daughter.

And “Find Our Way Home,” an epic, Beatles-influenced track written by vocalist Ben, which brings together acoustic elements, organ, multiple influences and even contributions from fans who supported the Kickstarter.

Monty also talks about why Galactic Cowboys still matters to him after more than three decades, the band’s plans for a possible Houston release show, touring without label support, and what would determine whether there is another Galactic Cowboys album.

WHAT PLANET ARE YOU FROM? is scheduled for release October 9, 2026.

Watch Chris Akin’s full conversation with Monty Colvin.

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There’s never been a time when you could find more information faster—and Andrew Hudson thinks that might be exactly what’s screwing everything up.

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The Harlot guitarist opens up about the overwhelming flood of information, misinformation, algorithms and clickbait that makes even the simplest story impossible to take at face value. Why do people automatically believe the version that agrees with them? Have we gotten so buried in bullshit that we’ve stopped caring about what’s actually true?

CHECK OUT HARLOTT'S TRIAL BY FIRE VIDEO HERE:

And just when you think the conversation is done going down that rabbit hole, Andrew gets into how technology is changing music, why discovering new bands has become harder, and the bizarre future of AI-generated music.

FOLLOW HARLOTT AND SHOP ON THEIR BANDCAMP PAGE:

It’s a hell of a conversation about truth, technology, music and the sheer amount of noise coming at us every damn day.

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SickSense isn’t exactly interested in staying in its lane—and the new Funerals EP makes that painfully obvious.

Vicky Psarakis opens up about the band’s darker musical direction, the surprisingly personal story behind A Moment of Violence, and why chasing whatever happens to be commercially popular can be a fast track to sounding like everybody else.

Then the conversation gets downright nasty when AI music enters the picture. Suno, Spotify, musicians skipping the hard work, endless AI-generated albums and the question nobody seems to want to answer: what happens to music when the humans stop being necessary?

Add a new North American tour and a completely DIY approach to keeping the band alive, and this interview goes a hell of a lot deeper than simply talking about a new EP.

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What if one of the biggest musical revolutions in history started because a DJ was pissed off that the best part of a record was always over too damn fast?

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That’s where this conversation gets really interesting.

Grandmaster Flash goes deep into the experimentation, science and sheer ingenuity behind the techniques that helped build hip-hop—from extending drum breaks and creating a musical bed for MCs to throwing park parties with makeshift sound systems long before the record industry understood what was happening.

He also explains how hip-hop escaped New York, why it took so long for the mainstream to recognize what had been created, and why so many of the people who helped build the culture still aren’t remembered the way they should be.

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And then there’s the really crazy part: techniques invented in the 1970s are now embedded in rock, metal, pop and electronic music all over the planet.

It’s a hell of a story—and Birth of a Culture finally puts much of it on paper.

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All comments are merely the opinions of the people speaking them, are for comical performance, and are in no way stated as factual.