Lorenz Kandolf of Germany’s Traitor, Rezet, and Wulfpack joins me during Episode 055 to chat a bit about geophysics, German politics, and pop culture references, including Traitor’s take on George Michael’s “Careless Whisper”.  Traitor and Rezet released their latest album and EP, respectively, earlier this year.  I also found out that Justin Bieber is a pretty good drummer! 

Nate Trash and Joel Peterson of Calgary metal band Whorrify joins me today to chat about the band, energetic performances, Dad life, video game music, and overcoming addiction.  Nate also hosts the Trash Talk with Nate Trash podcast, streaming every Monday and Thursday on Twitch. 

Jesse Bergen of black and thrash metal band Diabology joins me for the first episode of Year Two of Giro Nation Metal.   Diabology is releasing their second album, Father of Serpents, on October 7th, 2022, just three days after the release of this episode.  We chat about Diabology, its musical beginnings, and changes between albums.  The conversation spans lyrical content, imagery, working with Anditya Dita, and experiences in metal. 

Episode 052 is the year end, wrap up episode of Giro Nation Metal.  To celebrate this occasion, I wanted to dive way back into Canadian metal, and I was lucky enough to chat with Canadian Thrash OG’s Pierre Rémillard and Martin Gagné of Quebec’s Obliveon.  We chat about the band, its origins, new music, and I’m given a lesson in vinyl. 

Kyle Nesbitt of UK’s Ninkharsag talks in depth about Dread March of the Solemn Gods and his lyrical/inspirational process.  He talks about Ninkharsag’s focus as a live band and what they hoped to accomplish with their latest release.  Ninkharsag will also be playing the Reaper Festival in September and will embark on an unannounced, European Tour in October this year. 

Charlie and Neil of Canada’s Deformatory join me once again for a deep dive into Harbinger, their latest EP which is released on September 13, 2022.  We talk about the new EP, it’s direction, album art, and working with Paolo Girardi.  The guys talk about easter eggs they’ve included in their releases, cancel culture, and we go into Charlie’s musical history.  

The Lord of the Logos, Christophe Szpajdel, joins me as he draws up some new logos for Giro Nation Metal and prepares for Devon Open Studios at the Tavistock Wharf in September.  He tells of some of his favourite Canadian bands and other musical tastes.  He revisits some of his previous art exhibits, the metal scene as a whole, and a look back at his career – including how he ended up producing Emperor’s logo. 

Luka & David of Canadian death metal band Atrae Bilis take me on a deep dive of the band’s history, lyrical content, writing process, & upcoming music. They also chat about some of the differences between living in Canada and their home countries, the attitude shift surrounding psychedelics, mental wellness, & personal responsibility.

Sgah'gahsowáh, the mastermind behind BlackBraid, a solo black metal band whose first album is being released on August 26, just three days from the release of this episodes.  We talk about BlackBraid, releasing his first album, his approach to music and working with Adrian Baxter.  The conversation then spans the Ghost Dance of the 1890’s, and Wounded Knee, their consequences and current practice.  

Todd Harris of Mortal Thrall takes me on a journey through the story of Maria de los Dolores Lopez, who lost her life branded as a heretic during the Spanish Inquisition.  A wide range of musical topics are explored and a shout out to Trepanation Records, Mike and Emily Low, and Wiegedood.