Inner-Strength Check Podcast

A first-time for me for sure... not one, but two incredible musicians from a much-beloved band of mine in the same interview - stoner metal legends High On Fire!

Matt Pike (Vocals/Guitars) Coady Willis (Drums) and I discuss their recently-released 13th studio LP 'Cometh The Storm', out now via MNRK Records.

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In the chat, we discuss Coady's arrival into the band, the songwriting and inter-band dynamics as a power-trio and of course both international touring (hint) and the process of recording their latest smasher of an LP.

Iconic U.S. rock band, High on Fire, released its' new LP, Cometh the Storm, on April 19 via MNRK Heavy. The GRAMMY Award-winning group, celebrating its 25th anniversary, recorded 'Cometh the Storm' at GodCity Studio in Salem, Massachusetts with producer Kurt Ballou.

The 11-song effort -- the band's ninth studio album -- marks the release of the first new High on Fire music since 2018's Electric Messiah.

Doom/death metal legends My Dying Bride are primed to unfurl their 15th album, 'A Mortal Binding' via Nuclear Blast on April 19th.

A very honourable privilege indeed!

Veteran guitarist and riff-writing factory Andrew Craighan and myself caught up over quite different timezones in order to discuss the songwriting process, influences, rehearsal and production process behind the bands' 15th LP.

In addition, our conversation also explores finding ongoing motivation and work/life balance, longevity, touring prospects and more.

LINKS:

Youtube Video Interview:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MQR-vku21g&t=268s

What an honour to have the opportunity to catch up with guitarist + vocal maestro Kyle Thomas of NOLA thrash metal scene veterans Exhorder!

In the interview, we cover a whole bunch of topics ranging from the creative process and inspiration behind upcoming LP 'Defectum Omnium' to longevity as a band, influences, local up-and-comers in the NOLA scene, touring post-pandemic and much more!

The new album launches March 8th via Nuclear Blast Records, and let me assure you it's a scorcher!

Watch:

‘Forever and Beyond Despair’ Music Video: https://youtu.be/6tlYIhF14qk

‘Year Of The Goat’ Music Video: https://youtu.be/0OeDu5VMC6w

ISC Links:

Official Website - www.innerstrengthcheck.com

Facebook - facebook.com/innerstrengthcheck

Instagram - @innerstrengthcheck

Youtube - Username @innerstrengthcheck

Twitch - twitch.tv/innerstrengthcheck

Email: [email protected]

Hi All!

What a year, eh? 2023 was tumultuous to say the least.

Listen in for my comprehensive review of Inner-Strength Check as a platform. In this episode, I speak openly about some internal challenges and external factors that challenged my capacity to maintain this project.

In more positive news, we close out both with some celebrations and successes for this humble little podcast in the past year, too.

Finally, we discuss some housekeeping, look to 2024 for some directions in content and I beseech for some of you to join the line and have a chat!

TOPICS:

0-8min - Intro

8-22min - Review of ISC 2023 - Stats and Discussion

22min - Setbacks - Neurodivergent Challenges, Cognitive Distortions And Other Silly Brain-Things

25 min - Setbacks - Self-Care (And A Word For Your Self-Care Too) + RANDOM ZOMBIE NOISE.

30min - Setbacks - Impostor Syndrome (A Common Podcaster/Hobbyist Trap)

34min - REALLY BAD BORAT IMPRESSION!

35 min - Successes - ISC Triumphs Last Year.

37min - Successes - What ISC Taught Me - Skills, Gratitude, Experience.

40min - Successes - Awesome Opportunities! New Dead Festival, Interview Highlights, Review/Promo Materials For Music Industry etc.

42min - Skills-Specific Growth, Thanks to ISC.

45min - How ISC Helped Me Regain Creative Expression.

45-50min - My Biggest Podcasting Influences.

45-60min - Directions! Housekeeping per Platform, Website Revamp, New Series, Planned Audio/Written Content, Co-Host Requests.

62min - MusoLegion Shoutout!

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(Please refer to the ISC website for show notes & additional links and resources as discussed in this episode.)

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www.innerstrengthcheck.com

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Peace. Love. Grindcore.

A supergroup of brutal death metal luminaries, New York's Afterbirth have absolutely hit it out of the park with this one. In a time where 'progressive' death metal is starting to coagulate into a similar-sounding theme, these guys have deliberately chosen their own brutal, mesmerising path.

A unique and truly envelope-pushing LP, 'In But Not Of' is truly one of my favourite heavy albums of 2023.

If you claim to like progressive extreme metal, this is a must-listen. Seriously.

The album is out now via Willowtip Records and all major streaming platforms.

LINKS:

Subscribe to the podcast for more captivating reviews and interviews, topical episodes and more.

Music, hobbies, mental health, art, lifestyle - it's all here!

www.innerstrengthcheck.com

The core tenet of this podcast is around legitimising the value of the arts, interests, hobbies and leisure in today's increasingly stressful, commodified world.

There's no better example of why this matters more than ever than the absolute dumpster-fire we're faced with in terms of user experiences on social media and like, in 2023.

Join me as we explore exactly how, where and why Big Tech is becoming 'enshittified'.

Timestamps:

[0:00] - Intro/Housekeeping

[1:58] - Hobby Update! (Tabletop RPG, [7:35] Music, [11:55] Video Games)

[13:36] - Topic - Intro, Overview Discussion

[20:35] - The Internet - History, Culture and Changes 1990s - Now

[23:45] - Defining 'Enshittification'

[26:59] - The 'Walled-Garden Ecosystem' Of Big Tech (Facebook, Twitter/X, Google, etc)

[31:00] - Amazon's Trajectory of Enshittifying The Online Marketplace

[33:00] - Regulatory Lobbying, Antitrust, Copyright and IP

[42:43] - 'Social Media Is Doomed To Die' - Runaway Growth & Increased Use of Short-Form Media

[48:00] - IPO, Capital and The Consumer-Facing Burden of Information Synthesis (Thanks, SEO!)

[51:00] - RANDOM CHIRPS OF AGREEMENT FROM BASED COMRADE BIRD OUTSIDE!

[52:00] - User Feedback/Commentary

[54:51] - RIP Reddit - API Changes, The Death of Third-Party Apps & Overall Enshittification

[57:00] - UNEDITED SIGH OF EXISTENTIAL RESIGNATION!

[58:50] - The Reddit Moderator Exodus & Informational Damage Control

[64:00] - Oh Elon - X, Twitter Takeover & A Chronology of Failures, One Year On

[72:00] - Concluding Thoughts

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UPDATE 14/01/2025: - NEW WEBSITE!

LINK:

In the previous episode, we explored ADHD from a more symptomatic, lived-experience perspective, particularly the struggles and frustrations commonly experienced.

Expanding from there, this episode moves into a more macro-oriented lens with a view for rationalising and strategising direct action initiatives for ADHDers, the neurodiverse and allies.

We explore neurodiversity as an overarching concept, and how research demonstrates this can be expanded across a range of conditions.

From there, we drill down into the pervasive impact ADHD has upon the Australian economy re: healthcare, disease burden and a plethora of associated costs. As well, we critique some important concerns about accessing diagnosis, and how this impacts research methodology and literature.

Finally, we touch on individual, group and community-level solutions we can begin exploring to provoke some personal change and broader direct-action!

(References will be available on the website @ innerstrengthcheck.com - post link TBA.)

TIME STAMPS:

[0:00 - 31:57] - Introduction/Neurodiversity

[31:57] - The Declining Role of Online Praxis Due To The 'Enshittification' of Tech

[34:00] - Analog Supports - Community, Psychosocial Support, Role of Hobbies and Lifestyle

[40:00 - 49:00] - Research - Biopsychosocial Factors, Methodological Concerns, Comorbidities and Literature Issues

[49:00] - Societal Costs of ADHD (Overview - Healthcare and Workforce Burden, Prevalence and Mortality Measures)

[54:30] - Specific Healthcare Statistics (Nationwide, Australia) & Service Access Impact

[57:00] - Specific Workplace Statistics

[58:00] - Educational Outcomes, Carer Costs, Fiscal Losses + Justice/Crime Data

[59:00] - Incentivising Training and Diagnosis For Reduced Societal Burden

[61:00] - RANDOM CONSERVATIVE BOOMER AD INSERT!

[64:00] - What Can We **Do**? Direct Action Via Local Government/Grassroots ADHD Programs

[64:00] - RANDOM GRATUITOUS DESK-TAPPING TO EMPHASISE A POINT!

[65:00 - 67:00] - International Resources And Advocacy Groups

[68:00] - RANDOM TERRIBLE IRISH ACCENT!

[70:00] - Speaking Return On Investment to Policymakers

[73:00] - Academia: Example (LaTrobe University - Neurodiversity Project)

[74:00] - Neurodiverse Workforce Participation

[75:00] - Utilising Community Development And Informal Supports

[80:00] - Embracing Neurodivergent Strengths/Community Allegiance

[82:00] - Specific Tools - Mental Health, Apps, Bulletjournal, etc + Conclusion: Bringing It Back To Hobbies As Change Agency

UPDATE 14/01/2025: - NEW WEBSITE!

LINK:

https://www.innerstrengthcheckpodcast.com/blog/archive-episodes-16-17-adhd-awareness-month-2023

[Content Warning - Discussions related to Mental Illness, Suicide, Self-Harm, Trauma, Psychosis, Substance Use]

I can't sit quietly on it anymore and frankly, for myself and the peer community I am seeing things backslide towards stigma lately. I don't want that for myself or my peers and I'm not taking it laying down anymore.
I wanted to be comprehensive, transparent and brutally honest about the complexity and pervasiveness of life with ADHD, from a late-diagnosed adult perspective for myself and others. There's still hope and optimism in there, but please be warned upfront that this is likely to be a bleak episode overall.
If we truly want to 'RaIsE AwArENesS' (ugh), then we need to be challenging society and ourselves. It needs to be thought out, not just Twitter hot takes. This might be a confrontational listen for you, it might not. That's not my burden to bear. Just be aware.
This episode is dedicated to people in my personal and professional life with ADHD who have paid and/or nearly paid the ultimate price, and succumbed as a result.

Rest In Power.

UPDATE 14/01/2025: - NEW WEBSITE!

LINK:

https://www.innerstrengthcheckpodcast.com/blog/archive-episodes-16-17-adhd-awareness-month-2023

I've once again been very lucky to have an opportunity to interview a Swedish heavy music industry veteran.

I spoke with Niklas Sandin, bassist of Katatonia regarding recent international touring and how this compares to the quieter pandemic-times, adjusting back to the touring and album release cycles once more, thoughts about their upcoming Australian tour in 2024, and Sandin's experiences in the band as a bass player since joining in 2010.

Please do check out the full post on innerstrengthcheck.com, including links to the video interview on my Youtube channel, important information regarding the upcoming Australian tour in 2024 and much more.

Looking forward to the upcoming tour in Oz!

(Full transcription of this interview is available on innerstrengthcheck.com.)

On the rarest of occasions, there comes along a band that latches on and annihilates your ears with such a unique combination of sounds, you find yourself dislodged from the monotony of every-day music, and rooted firmly in the terrain of admiration.

We walk through John 'Human Furnace' Bullock's trajectory through the hardcore and metal scenes, lyrical and thematic inspirations and how he utilises The Riff and his bandmates as part of his vocal craft.

You can pre-purchase the new album here, courtesy of Nuclear Blast Records, as well as find links to the bands' discog on Spotify, Bandcamp, Apple Music and Deezer:

https://ringworm.bfan.link/seeing-through-fire-lp