In this bonus episode, Mike Hochins from DoC friends VHS discusses the upcoming VHS album, I Heard They Suck...Blood, and his favourite vampire films.

MUSIC IN THIS EPISODE:

"Horror of Dracula" (Feat. Trevor Strnad)

"Undead Casanova"

taken from the upcoming album I Heard They Suck...Blood

Tim Cappello - "I Still Believe"

taken from The Lost Boys OST

Dreams of Consciousness Podcast Episode 199 features an interview with Derek Webster of Succumb.

San Francisco's Succumb integrates noise elements and chaotic hardcore into a speedy black/death/grind mix to create a frantic style all of their own.

I spoke with Succumb guitarist Derek Webster about the band's evolution from their previous incarnation, Cloak, and how living in the Bay Area affects Succumb's sound. We also discussed the writing and recording of their latest album, XXI.

My thanks to Derek for speaking with me, and to all of you for listening.

Music In This Episode:

"Bedchambers"

"Survival"

taken from the album Succumb

"8 Trigrams"

"Graal"

taken from the album XXI

Thanks for listening! Interviews, reviews, and more at www.dreamsofconsciousness.com

Dreams of Consciousness Podcast Episode 198 features an interview with Ivan Cepanec of Dickless Tracy.

Slovenian trio Dickless Tracy have been nestled in the underground since the late Nineties. Now, as the band gets ready to celebrate 25 years as a band, they're primed to break through to a largeer audience with their most accomplished material to date.

I spoke with Dickless Tracy drummer Ivan Cepanec about the band's history, and the metal scene in Slovenia. We also talked about the stylistic shift from grind to death metal songs on their latest album, Grave New World, and why the band's earliest recordings are so difficult to find.

My thanks to Ivan for speaking with me, and to all of you for listening.

Music In This Episode:

"Promised For Eternity"

taken from the album Halls Of Sickness

"Pathetic Descendant Of Apes"

"Morphing Into Maelstrom"

taken from the album Grave New World

"The New Domination "

taken from the album Paroxysm Of Disgust

Thanks for listening! Interviews, reviews, and more at www.dreamsofconsciousness.com

Dreams of Consciousness Podcast Episode 197 features an interview with Brenna Leath and Tradd Yancey of Crystal Spiders.

I spoke with bassist/vocalist Brenna Leath and drummer Tradd Yancey about the early days of Crystal Spiders, and how Brenna achieves her unique bass sound. We also talked about how writing songs is like making cupcakes, and working with Corrosion of Conformity's Mike Dean on the band's second album, Morieris.

My thanks to Brenna and Tradd for speaking with me, and to all of you for listening.

Music In This Episode:

"TIGERLILLY"

"CHRONIC SICK"

taken from the album Molt

"PANDORA"

"EN MEDIAS RES"

taken from the album Morieris

Thanks for listening! Interviews, reviews, and more at www.dreamsofconsciousness.com

Dreams of Consciousness Podcast Episode 196 features an interview with Harri Kuokkanen of Hooded Menace.

Hooded Menace combine the distinctive Finnish doom/death style with large dollops of the "Peaceville Three". Over the course of six albums and multiple EPs, the band has become one of the most popular representatives of the slower side of underground metal.

I spoke with vocalist Harri Kuokkanen about what led him to join Hooded Menace, as well as how guitarist and founder Lasse Pyykkö disseminates material to the rest of the band. We also talked about metal legend Andy Laroque's production on the latest Hooded Menace album, The Tritonus Bell, and why the band recorded a W.A.S.P. cover.

My thanks to Harri for speaking with me, and to all of you for listening.

Music In This Episode:

"Night of the Deathcult"

taken from the album Never Cross the Dead

"Celestial Dissection"

taken from the Hooded Menace/Algoma Split 12"

"Blood Ornaments"

"Corpus Asunder"

taken from the album The Tritonus Bell

Thanks for listening! Interviews, reviews, and more at www.dreamsofconsciousness.com

Dreams of Consciousness Podcast Episode 195 features an interview with Patrik Lindgren of Thyrfing.

Emerging from the Nineties' black metal explosion, Sweden's Thyrfing has spent more than 20 years expanding their vision of folk-influenced black metal. Though they may have mixed feelings about being labeled "viking metal", the band has created one of the most successful marriages between Scandinavian mythology and the bombastic side of underground metal.

I spoke with Thyrfing guitarist Patrik Lindgren about the "big picture" mentality that shaped the band, and the circumstances that led to Naglfar's Jens Rydén becoming Thyrfing's frontman. We also discussed the recording of their latest album, Vanagandr, and why the band made the decision to write all their lyrics in Swedish.

My thanks to Patrik for speaking with me, and to all of you for listening.

Music In This Episode:

"En sista litania"

taken from the album Hels Vite

"Veners förfall"

taken from the album De Ödeslösa

"Träldomsord"

"Undergångens länkar"

taken from the album Vanagandr

Thanks for listening! Interviews, reviews, and more at www.dreamsofconsciousness.com

In this crossover with Comic Stans Podcast Episode 3, I spoke with comics writer/artist Ed Luce (Wuvable Oaf, Henry & Glenn Forever & Ever, Decibel Magazine) about his experiences as a metal fan.

Comic Stans is a new podcast I launched, where I speak to comics creators about their work, process, and experiences in the industry. You can find out more at patreon.com/comicstans.

Music In This Episode:

Judas Priest: "Hellbent For Leather"

Cretin: "Ghost of Teeth and Hair"

Sanguisugabogg: "Sangui Succulent Decedent"

Thanks for listening! Interviews, reviews, and more at www.dreamsofconsciousness.com

Dreams of Consciousness Podcast Episode 194 features an interview with Aaron Weaver of Wolves In The Throne Room.

If there's one band that epitomizes the intensity, atmosphere, and iconoclasm of USBM, it's Wolves In The Throne Room. Their influence can be heard throughout the current generation of American black metal bands, who all take some part of the sound that WITTR pioneered.

I spoke with WITTR drummer/songwriter Aaron Weaver about the way he visualizes WITTR's music, and how their music is tied to the woods of his home state of Washington. We also discussed why WITTR's latest album, Primordial Arcana, was recorded and mixed in the band's own studio The Owl Lodge, and guitarist Kody Keyworth's songwriting contributions to the album.

My thanks to Aaron for speaking with me, and to all of you for listening.

Music In This Episode:

"Crystal Ammunition" (excerpt)

taken from the album Black Cascade

"Mountain Magick"

"Primal Chasm (Gift of Fire)"

taken from the album Primordial Arcana

"Crystal Ammunition"

taken from the album Malevolent Grain

Thanks for listening! Interviews, reviews, and more at www.dreamsofconsciousness.com

In this supplement to Episode 193, Charlie Leduc of Deformatory and I discuss the long relationship between his band and Dreams of Consciousness.

Music In This Episode:

"Masticated By An Infinite Shadow"

taken from the album Inversion of the Unseen Horizon

"The Antibody"

taken from the album In The Wake of Pestilence

Thanks for listening! Interviews, reviews, and more at www.dreamsofconsciousness.com

Dreams of Consciousness Podcast Episode 193 features an interview with Charlie Leduc of Deformatory.

Deformatory and Dreams of Consciousness have a history that goes back to the earliest years of this blog. For almost a decade, the band have catered to my love of frantic, blastbeat-driven Canadian death metal, while also patiently indulging my references to maple syrup and The Kids In The Hall.

I spoke with singer/guitarist Charlie Leduc about what Deformatory have been up to since the last time they were on this blog, and how their music takes listeners on a journey. We also discussed their impending third album, Inversion of the Unseen Horizon, getting Cryptopsy's Jon Levasseur to contribute to the recording, and why concept albums fill a innate human need to tell stories.

My thanks to Charlie for speaking with me, and to all of you for listening.

Music In This Episode:

"Obsequium"

taken from the album Malediction

"Myiasis"

taken from the Deformatory/The Blood Of Christ split Bilateral Carnage

"Summoning The Cosmic Devourer"

"Beyond The Abhorrence"

"Impaled Upon The Carrionspire "

taken from the upcoming album Inversion of the Unseen Horizon

Thanks for listening! Interviews, reviews, and more at www.dreamsofconsciousness.com