Everything Went Black Podcast

It took decades, but I have finally embraced my love for the Deftones despite my general disdain for Nu Metal one of the all-time low points in heavy metal history.  Ralph and I look back and investigate our experiences with the band and how they have made an impact on several sub-genres of metal and alternative music.

Intro:                    “Unholy Passion Theme” – composed and recorded by Mike Hill

Outro:                  “Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)” – Deftones

I discovered Trivax from listening to the excellent podcast Into the Necrosphere hosted by my brother Jackie Smit; ITN is THE best extreme music that you will ever hope to find, I’ve discovered so many great bands as a result.

Trivax is one such band.  Though they have been in existence for over a decade, I am a new fan.  Jackie was kind enough to put me in touch with Shayan, the founder and driving force behind Trivax.  We had a deep conversation, so check it out!

Intro:     Everything Went Black Theme Song – composed and recorded by Mike Hill

Outro:   “Into the Void” - Trivax

This week, Jade Willow, adult entertainer, visual artist, podcaster and appreciator of all things macabre, joins us. I was recently a guest on her podcast, Shedding the Skin, and we had such an interesting conversation that I thought it would be cool to have her on Everything Went Black.

Intro:                 “Everything Went Black Theme” – Composed and recorded by Mike Hill

Outro:               “Cruel Lover” – The Devil’s Blood

It was destined to happen. It was only a matter of time before Ralph and I spent an entire episode talking about comic books. Fortunately, now is probably the best time to do such an episode with all of the various Marvel and DC film and TV projects in the works.

Unholy Passion Theme composed and recorded by Mike Hill

Outro:                  “Weathered Statues” - TSOL     

Love him or hate him, it’s undeniable that Andrew “Dice” Clay has, along with Eddie Murphy, has made an impact on comedy, film and popular culture.  In light of the current climate of sensitivity and the overall thin-skinned nature of our society today, Randy and I decided it was time to do an episode of Road to Ruin on Dice’s milestone album “The Day the Laughter Died,” one of the most uncomfortable nearly two hours of comedy ever produced. 

Intro:                “Problem Child” – AC/DC

Outro:              “Antisocial” - Anthrax

I’m working on the second decade of my friendship with Dre Black, road warrior supreme.  I met her back in the early part of the millennium out on the road. At the time she was tour managing, driving and doing pretty much whatever needed to be done to keep a band on the road.  Over the years, She’s played guitar in a multitude of bands including Howl, Storm of Light and more recently Race Traitor.  It was great to catch up with Dre as the world begins to re awaken and if all goes well, we’ll both be out on the road again.

Intro:                    “Eighteen is Over the Hill” – The West Coast Pop Art Experiment

Outro:                  “A B Side” – Manfred Mann

Drew Murphy, bassist for Tombs and Hammer Fight (among others) joins us this week to talk about his comic book work on Fuzzy Stick: Master Assassin, his printing company Colossal Customs and how difficult I am to work with.  Drew and I spent the entire day in the hot sun at Monster Mania in Phoenixville, PA. Just a heads up: I recorded this episode in a hotel room, so we had some audio challenges like air conditioning and various dudes comin in and out of the room. Nonetheless, we had a blast hanging out. This was my first expedition out into the larger world after getting vaccinated, it was a little intense being around this many people at one time.

Intro:        "Target Acquired" - Hammer Fight

Outro:       "Gods of Rock 'n' Roll" - Hammer Fight

This week, Ralph and I give our reflections on the 1991 remake of Cape Fear. Directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Robert De Niro, the film demonstrated a shift in Scorsese’s career who was coming off of the success of the Mafia epic Goodfellas from the year before.  The move features an all star cast including Jessica Lange, Nick Nolte, Juliette Lewis, Joe Don “Walking Tall”  Baker, Robert Mitchum and Gregory Peck who were in the 1962 original.  Scorsese’s version gave us the Southern boogie man, Max Cady, one of the most terrifying characters of the era.

Intro:                “Unholy Passion” – Samhain

Outro:              “Sore” - Buzzoven

If we can take anything away from the last 15 plus months is that friendship and family are probably the most important aspects of being human.  We’ve all dealt with loneliness, despair, anxiety and fear and having a good base of people is crucial.  I mention this because Champ Morgan, this week’s guests is an old friend, a good friend that I have often times leaned on in times like this.  I’ve known Morgan for a long time (more years than I care to recount) and I’ve had the opportunity to observe the long list of bands that he has been part starting with the might Kill the Client to Derelict Satellite, BLK OPS, and most recently his blistering grind band Triage, who just recently deployed their debut album.

Check out it out.

Intro:   “Armageddon Worship” - Triage

Outro:   “Methlehem” – BLK OPS

I’m really stoked about this episode. Randy and I got together with our brother Jeff Caxide for the first time in years, face to face, not Zoom, no WhatsApp.  We had a great time hanging out. Jeff reminisces about his years playing in the legendary, genre-defining band Isis.

Intro:                    “Wavering Radiant”

Outro:                  “Hand of the Host”