Send us Fan Mail

Crank up your stereo for this one - It's about to get heavy, cold, and soul shattering. We welcome an artist from our very own local area here in Fort Worth, TX, frontman Chad Green of death metal quintet, Frozen Soul. We speak to Chad about how insane the long road to dropping their new record was envisioned, and even though it's the debut album, it feels as if it took 17 years in the making for it to come to the surface. Well worth the wait. Chad dives into his upbringings and influences, including stories about his relationship with the late Riley Gale, another local artist who fronted the band Power Trip. Chad went through many personal and artistic battles, and has taken in the music industry experience first hand to realize that the hard work is just getting started. At the same token, there are many rewarding parts of this entire experience where he realizes can't be found elsewhere. Plenty to discover in this episode about one of the newer heavy hitters that's about to take the metal music world by storm – or rather, a violent and furious blizzard – get it? Tune in now and make sure to buy/stream Frozen Soul's earth shattering debut masterpiece “Crypt Of Ice”, out now everywhere on Century Media Records.

Send us Fan Mail

We are joined today by one of the more decorated and influential heavy metal guitarists to date – Michael Schenker. On the year of his 50th anniversary, he is preparing to release a record that will be etched in metal lore. The new record, appropriately titled “Immortal”, will feature many of metal's finest musicians as they join forces with Michael's talents. Michael also recalls many of his most memorable touring experiences throughout his career, whether it's playing with Scorpions, UFO, Ratt, or his solo work. He stays humble – yet he appreciates his storied journey where many have compared him to the likes of Dave Mustaine, Randy Rhoades, and Kirk Hammett. Tune in now as Michael talks about the other artists he collaborated with to bring the sound of “Immortal” to the surface, and how co-producing with lifelong friend Michael Voss served as a building block to the newest chapter in his life. The new Michael Schenker record “Immortal”, drops January 29, 2021 on Nuclear Blast Records.

Send us Fan Mail

From Pantera to Cattle Decapitation, and from Misery Index to Pig Destroyer - We have an episode for the books to open up 2021. We welcome John Jarvis, Adam Jarvis, Derek Engemann, and Mark Kloeppel from the band, Scour – minus lead vocalist Phil Anselmo. If you know your history, all of those aforementioned musicians have cemented their place in the extreme heavy metal music realm. Having been playing in different bands before Scour existed, we had the chance to speak with this talented and unique music roster on how their current group became to be. Sure, you can label the term “Supergroup” in their direction, but it's not what they are about. As my conversation unfolded with them, the commonality here was that these were friends coming together to do what they love doing most – and that is playing music with a passion unmatched. The history between the 5 go back a long way and we discuss the experiences each of them have taken in during that timeline (Oh yes, we got tour stories). Now with the newest release of their 3rd EP titled “Black”, the Scour Boys also talk about the collaborations they brought in with other well-established artists like Erik Rutan, Pat O' Brien, and Jason Momoa – All of which have guest starred in the tracks within this relentless brutality of a record. This is how you close out a year full of mayhem, which at the same time opens up so much potential and positivity into the next. Let Scour be your escort into 2021 as they also talk about bigger and better goals for each of the members going forward. Pick up their newest EP, “Black” out now on Housecore and Nuclear Blast Records.

Send us Fan Mail

When you are the host of multiple podcast shows, and have played in diverse groups of metal bands, and are also the CEO of a small coffee business (the latter which is still in the works) – you are a busy artist to say the least, let alone releasing new records all the while during a pandemic. Frontman Mike Hill from post-metal band Tombs is doing exactly that. Having already released an EP and LP this year, the commitment from him has always been top-notch. Mike talks about Tombs' latest full length titled “Under Sullen Skies” and how the many different music composition ideas came together so well, but not without the collaboration of his band-mates - Matt, Drew, and Justin. It was also about bringing in the engineers, mixers, and a countless amount of guest musicians that took in part to manifest this record to the surface. Mike's aspirations as a musician seem to have grown more and more throughout his career, and it's a topic we dive into together where many of his experiences (good or bad) have always been a factor into shaping him into the person he is today. Listen in to an episode full of great stories told by Mike himself and make sure to buy Tombs' 5th and latest record, “Under Sullen Skies” out now on Season Of Mist Records.

Send us Fan Mail

IUF welcomes vocalist/frontman Marcus Larsen from the diabolic rock outfit, Demon Head. From acoustic instruments, flourishing mellotron strings, brass instruments, tape manipulation and church organs – Demon Head have created their own signature sound in the world of doom metal. Now getting set to release their 4th studio album in the first month of 2021, Marcus sees it as a new fresh approach to things with a new chapter along with his band-mates – As well as it being the New Year itself. Marcus reminiscences about the touring life on what he missed the most, and now with 2020 in the rear-view mirror, he is hopeful the band will get the chance to present the new album to the fans around the world in a live performance fashion. Marcus has also taken in many different experiences and perspectives in his timeline, from his influences and his writing, to his challenges he has faced throughout that taught him a great deal to be a better composer and artist all-around. Many topics to uncover in this episode for Marcus and the history of Demon Head. Listen in now, and buy/stream their newest album “Viscera” getting set to drop January 29, 2021 on Metal Blade Records.

Send us Fan Mail

It's been nearly a decade since the debut record from New York-based dark rock outfit Vajra. After years and years of self-discovery, intuition, and a mindset of refocusing the band's energy – Vajra have come back with a hauntingly progressive resurgence into the metal scene. We are joined by frontwoman Annamaria Pinna and bassist Dave Sussman from the band as they talk about their personal pathways each of them have traversed to get to this point in their career. Now getting set to release a new album to kick off 2021, they have garnered attention from the likes of profound media outlets such as Rolling Stone, Loudwire, and Metal Injection. If there is such a process to come back into the music platform with a newer attitude, this is the way to do so – and Vajra are making some noise that will turn many eyes and ears in their direction for years to come. Annamaria and Dave also talk about the new record “Irkalla”, which is the first album in a trilogy set of albums that explores consciousness, and some of the strongest themes that surround the writing processes behind it. As they head into the new year, they talk about what the rest of their bright future holds – and it is a combination of elements they cannot wait to unleash onto this world. Tune in now and make sure to buy/stream Vajra's new long awaited album “Irkalla”, set to release January 15, 2021 on Thunder Cult Records.

Send us Fan Mail

It's easy to lose one's mind during a pandemic; It's harder to stay focused on the goals in hand that may have been sideswiped throughout the year. Alan Averill, an Irish music artist/frontman of heavy metal bands Dread Sovereign and Primordial - tells his experiences and outlook from the present and into the beyond. While many people tend to stay optimistic despite the years' massive obstacles, Alan describes the situation as exactly what it looks like. Prepare for the worst, hope for the best attitude is the best way to look into things. While not in the ideal position, Alan talks about Dread Sovereign's upcoming new album “Alchemical Warfare” set to unleash in the first month of 2021, which was intended to release much earlier. Perhaps pushing things back a little sets events up for a better outlook for the New Year. Now, while the music being released was on hold for him and his bandmates, Alan also talked about his new podcast he launched over the summer titled “Agitators Anonymous”. The podcast surrounds topics such as tour stories, politics, the occult, culture, history, travel, dark humor, and of course, heavy metal music. It was a way for him to release his thoughts onto a platform which gave him the productivity and outlet he never knew he needed. In a way, it allowed him a chance to grow as an individual and as an artist. Now with over 30 episodes and 75,000 listens worldwide – Alan definitely made the best of his situation. Listen in to this episode as we go deep into the mind of a talented individual and make sure to buy/stream Dread Sovereign's newest record, titled “Alchemical Warfare” coming out January 15, 2021 on Metal Blade Records.

Send us Fan Mail

Panic. In the year of 2020, that seems to be a common theme. For guitarist Lance Dowdle, the word “Panic” was just a title of the newest album of his own Pennsylvania rock quartet - From Ashes To New. This title was planned in the summer of 2019, and the relevancy to release it in today's time had much irony around it. Lance talks about the different stages from writing, theme structuring, and the production process that took shape prior to the release of this 3rd studio album. From Ashes To New has been making plenty of positive noise over the years, to the point where the band has been compared to the likes of Linkin Park, while earning well-deserved recognition throughout the industry. Furthermore, Lance has taken in a lot of experience throughout his career to where he sees things differently now, in a more positive manner. It's easy to lose sight of certain goals when you are a young artist while making music - but when that artist grows through touring, making new connections, and overcoming struggles, it's the outcome on the other side that opens up a different perspective for the better. Lance has so much left he aspires to accomplish artistically for himself and his bandmates, and even though he has done so already, he is striving to become a better person each day. In which case, there is no panic in him. Listen in now and make sure to buy/stream From Ashes To New newest record “Panic” out now on Better Noise Music.

Send us Fan Mail

Houston, TX based rapper Hyro The Hero joins us in this edition of IUF. From blending elements of hip-hop/rap/rock/metal, this is as good as it gets. We all know of the nu-metal genre originating from the early 90s, and now in the midst of a resurgence of that particular sound, Hyro has incorporated his own unique sense that stands out from the rest of the palate. He recently joined forces collaborating with Disturbed's frontman David Draiman and Hellyeah's frontman Chad Gray to release some of the most genre fusing singles you will ever hear. Having other artists outside his own field to create music alongside him has allowed Hyro to tap into a whole new dimension that he was even unaware of – and the result is testing his limits to expand on what Hyro The Hero is really capable of. We discuss these singles and so much more that lead into the new album he has set in store for the dedicated fanbase in the coming year. Tune in to this episode now and make sure to stream the newest singles from Hyro The Hero titled “We Believe” and “Fight” out now on Better Noise Music.

Send us Fan Mail

Accept guitarist Wolf Hoffmann joins us in this episode. Over 4 decades of playing with a “Balls To The Wall” attitude – Wolf's name has already been etched into the history of heavy metal as we know it. Hailing from Solingen, Germany – Accept has been widely praised as one of the most influential and pioneering bands of the genre in the music timeline. Now as they are getting prepared to release their 16th studio album “Too Mean To Die”, it adds to an already star-filled heritage. From playing in some of the biggest festivals like Wacken, 70k Tons, and Bloodstock – the passion to create the music they love has never been a vacant notion. When you have musicians like Kirk Hammett of Metallica citing Wolf as an inspiration – you know that alone is certification on a legacy built. Wolf Hoffmann reminiscences about all his experiences that led him to where he is currently at (that includes the hair metal days of the 80s), and playing guitar is what he does best, and it doesn't seem like that will ever be a fire capable of being put out. As Accept continues to build their discography, the memories will be built even higher. Listen in now to our conversation with Wolf and be sure to buy/stream Accept's newest upcoming metal masterpiece titled “Too Mean To Die” out January 15, 2021 on Nuclear Blast Records. Start the New Year on a bright and heavy note.