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Queens of the Stone Age’s new album Perfecth gets the Mandatory Music treatment. Mike, a lifelong fan, gives it 4.5/5. Seb, a casual listener, gives it 3/5. We cover the kintsugi theme, Josh Homme’s “peace and acceptance” phase, his open tunings, and standout tracks like “Mono”, “Sunday” and “Phantom Limb”. Our combined score is 3.7/5.

Mandatory Music is proudly hosted and produced by Michael Heide and Sebastian Kwapich

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  Tony Iommi’s new solo album From the Dark on The Black Sabbath guitarist is 78 and still writing riffs that sound like they came from someone half his age. They talk about how singer Jørn Lande got the gig and why his voice has that Dio feel, whether this is “grandpa metal,” and why the album fits better alongside Heaven and Hell than the Ozzy era. They also cover Brian May’s guest solo, the tight eight-track format, standout songs (Return of the Arbalest, Over the Violent Sun, Stormwatcher and the seven-minute closer Legacy), and why a producer getting writing credits across the album strikes them as odd. Then they rate it out of 5.

Also in this episode: Floor Jansen’s departure from Nightwish, Iron Maiden’s tour stops next year, and a surprisingly spirited defence of Blaze Bayley-era Maiden.

Next week: our Queens of the Stone Age review.

Contact us: [email protected]

Mandatory Music is proudly hosted and produced by Michael Heide and Sebastian Kwapich

Contact Mandatory Music:
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Mike and Sebastian finally dig into Greta Van Fleet on Mandatory Music, Episode 102, with a deep dive into “Saw You Stand” from the new album Palace for the People (out October 9).

Sebastian argues it’s the best Greta Van Fleet song to date, and Mike, who’s never been a big fan, admits he’s coming around. They talk about why the singer’s usual “look at me, I can sing” performance gives way here to a vocal that feels lived in, how the melody and piano keep the song from ever feeling flashy, and the reverb-soaked guitar solo with its deliberate string-rake imperfections that recall Jimmy Page. They also cover the opening line borrowed from a Burt Bacharach and Hal David classic (with proper credit), what the lyrics might really be about, and what separates a band doing a ballad from a ballad singer, with Nothing Else Matters as the example.

Plus: Led Zeppelin comparisons, upcoming releases (Queens of the Stone Age, Nickelback, and Down’s new song “The Myth”), and the great floss-versus-dab debate.

Tell us what you think of the song: [email protected]

Next episode: October 28.

Mandatory Music is proudly hosted and produced by Michael Heide and Sebastian Kwapich

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Mike and Sebastian break down Metallica's first two nights at the Sphere in Las Vegas on Mandatory Music, Episode 101.

They go through both set lists, including Battery as an opener for the first time since 2014, Shortest Straw, ...And Justice for All, Blackened opening Night 2, and Devil's Dance returning for the first time since 2008. They also debate Fixer and James's range, why 72 Seasons should be rotated out for Room of Mirrors or Chasing Light, and whether Hardwired... to Self-Destruct deserves more love. Then they get into the visuals (Call of Cthulhu, King Nothing, and a very red Devil's Dance), why the Sphere is a strange place to watch a band, what it cost to build, and which studios made the content.

They also touch on Dungeon Crawler Carl and Spaceballs 2.

Mandatory Music is proudly hosted and produced by Michael Heide and Sebastian Kwapich

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Episode 100! 🎉 We made it — and to celebrate, we're diving into one of our favorite arguments: which legendary bands are actually overrated? Pearl Jam, Coldplay, Led Zeppelin, U2, Nickelback, and Slipknot all get put on trial. Plus: VMAs recap (Taylor Swift's new deluxe album, Madonna's questionable dance moves, Snoop Dogg's... joke), music news (Clutch's new record, A Perfect Circle's 2026 tour, Slipknot's stadium tour), and the Nirvana reunion at the VMAs.

Thanks for listening to 100 episodes — here's to the next hundred.

📧 Got a hot take? Email us: [email protected]

TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Cold Open: Unofficial Episode 100
1:13 Soccer Life & Playing Forever
2:30 Metallica / Elton John's "Nothing Else Matters" Story
4:15 VMAs Recap: Snoop Dogg & Taylor Swift's New Award Category
6:08 Taylor Swift's Showgirl Deluxe: Has She Lost Her Edge?
10:00 Madonna at the VMAs & Aging Gracefully in Music vs. Sports
13:40 George Michael Tribute & Feeling Out of Touch with Pop
14:25 Music Discovery: Spotify, Apple Stations & Crimson Blood
15:39 Genre Snobbery: No Metal Category & the Grammys
19:06 Music News: Clutch Announce Wasted Lands
21:42 Metallica/Foo Fighters Ticket Presale War Stories
26:12 A Perfect Circle's New Single & 2026 Tour
27:18 Judas Priest's Ian Hill Misses First Show in 57 Years
28:05 Slipknot's Stadium Tour Announcement
28:38 Bands Worth Seeing Live for the Spectacle
30:23 Roger Waters' "Legacy" Pink Floyd Tribute Show
33:35 Nirvana's VMA Video Vanguard Award
34:38 MAIN TOPIC: Overrated Bands — Pearl Jam
38:36 Coldplay
39:45 Led Zeppelin
43:19 Nickelback
44:24 U2: Is The Edge Actually a Great Guitarist?
52:00 Slipknot Revisited
53:17 Where to Find the Show
55:33 Teaser: Greta Van Fleet's "Saw You Stand"

Mandatory Music is proudly hosted and produced by Michael Heide and Sebastian Kwapich

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• Foo Fighters Concert Review: A 3-hour, 25-song set at BC Place converted a skeptic into a fan, highlighting Dave Grohl's exceptional showmanship and the band's tight performance.
• Metallica's "In the Round" Stage: Metallica uses a central, circular stage for stadium tours, a format pioneered by Def Leppard, to sell all seats by providing unobstructed views.
• New Music & Band Updates:
  • Pepper Keenan (COC/Down): Working on a country-tinged solo album.
  • William Shatner: Releasing a heavy metal album, What the F is Heavy Metal, at age 95.
  • Anthrax: Released Curse some Parsifio, possibly a final album, with a title that translates to "My journey is over."
• Dave Mustaine's "Big Four" Picks: Mustaine named Testament, Exodus, Overkill, and Trivium as his "Big Four" of modern thrash, a controversial list that includes a non-thrash band.

Topics

Concert Review: Foo Fighters & Queens of the Stone Age

• Venue & Logistics:
  • Location: BC Place, Vancouver.
  • Timing: An early 4 PM start was likely due to Vancouver's Sunday curfew.
  • Sound: BC Place's sound system has significantly improved.
  • Merch: An outdoor merch tent effectively managed lines.
• Queens of the Stone Age (QOTSA):
  • Performance: Crushed a 12-song set, reigniting a love for the band.
  • Setlist: Focused on classics like "Songs for the Deaf" and included "666" for the first time in 1.5 years. No new material was played despite a new album releasing in a month.
• Foo Fighters:
  • Performance: A 3-hour, 25-song set that converted a skeptic into a fan.
  • Showmanship: Dave Grohl's high-energy performance included storytelling and genuine crowd interaction.
  • Band Intros: A highlight where each member played a snippet from their previous bands (e.g., The Wallflowers, Sunny Day Real Estate).
  • New Drummer (Josh Freese): Fully integrated; switched instruments with Grohl for a shredding guitar solo on "The Tap Dancing in a Minefield."
  • Technical Detail: The band tuned down to D, a common tactic for older bands to preserve vocal range.

Metallica's "In the Round" Stage Design

• Concept: A central, circular stage that allows for 360-degree audience views.
• Benefit: Maximizes stadium capacity by eliminating blocked-off sections behind a traditional end-zone stage.
• Origin: Pioneered by Def Leppard on their 1987-88 Hysteria tour, not Metallica.
• Other Bands: U2 also used a similar "in the round" setup for their 360 Tour.

Music News & Updates

• Pepper Keenan (Corrosion of Conformity, Down):
  • Working on a first-ever solo record.
  • Style will be country-tinged, similar to the Down song "Stare Too Long."
• William Shatner:
  • Releasing a heavy metal album, What the F is Heavy Metal, in late 2026 at age 95.
• Nickelback:
  • New album out in late October.
  • The single "Rattle the Cage" was praised as a strong song, possibly influenced by John 5's guitar work.
• DragonForce:
  • Frontman Marc Hudson stepped back due to severe tinnitus.
  • New album, DragonForce, features guest vocals from Alyssa White-Gluz (Arch Enemy).
• Slipknot:
  • Launched a cryptic website teasing a tour announcement for September 28.
• Dave Mustaine (Megadeth):
  • His memoir, In My Darkest Hour, revealed James Hetfield (Metallica) provided significant emotional support during Mustaine's 2019 throat cancer battle.
• Anthrax:
  • Released 12th studio album, Curse some Parsifio, after a 10-year gap.
  • The title, Latin for "My journey is over," suggests it may be a final album.
  • Scott Ian called the track "The Edge of Perfection" the band's greatest song.

Mandatory Music is proudly hosted and produced by Michael Heide and Sebastian Kwapich

Contact Mandatory Music:
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Thanks for listening and keep on rocking 

We would love to hear from you!! Send us a text

After what was supposed to be a one month break turned into 4 months but that's ok. We are back to our normally scheduled programming putting shows out weekly again. 

So for our first show back we spend some time catching up a bit talking about Seb's amazing World Cup experience, one check mark off of his bucket list. We talk a little music news and cover a few different topics and for the main course we  had the privilege of playing some brand new music that will not be released until September 25!! One and a half dog, a band from Norway reached out to us to have a listen to their new single "The Letter" and it was so amazing we had to play it for everyone to hear.

Here is a link to their Apple Music profile so you can listen to the other great songs they have released https://music.apple.com/ca/artist/one-and-a-half-dog/1481249509.

Mandatory Music is proudly hosted and produced by Michael Heide and Sebastian Kwapich

Contact Mandatory Music:
email us at [email protected]
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Thanks for listening and keep on rocking 

We would love to hear from you!! Send us a text

This week we dive into our second album battle between familiar foes Metallica an Megadeth. We had a blast burning this down so tune in and check it out!

Track-by-Track Comparison:

72 Seasons vs. Tipping Point:

• Winner: Split decision.
• Rationale: Tipping Point is a punchier opener, but 72 Seasons was praised for its dynamic structure.
• Screaming Suicide vs. I Don't Care:
  • Winner: Screaming Suicide.
  • Rationale: The main riff and solo are strong, and the song is better live.
• Sleepwalk My Life Away vs. Hey, God:
  • Winner: Hey, God.
  • Rationale: Sleepwalk's intro is great, but the song loses momentum. Hey, God is a solid, mid-90s Megadeth-style track.
• You Must Burn! vs. Let There Be Shred:
  • Winner: You Must Burn!.
  • Rationale: A sludgy, chuggy gem with a great middle section. Let There Be Shred would have been better as an instrumental.
• Lux Æterna vs. Puppet Parade:
  • Winner: Puppet Parade.
  • Rationale: A tough matchup. Puppet Parade is a classic 90s Megadeth track with more body.
• Crown of Barbed Wire vs. Another Bad Day:
  • Winner: Crown of Barbed Wire.
  • Rationale: A unique, sonically different song for Metallica, praised as a "sleeper song."
• If Darkness Had a Son vs. Made in Hell:
  • Winner: If Darkness Had a Son.
  • Rationale: The intro is a 10/10, despite the song losing steam vocally. Made in Hell's drum intro was criticized as random.
• Too Far Gone! vs. Obey the Call:
  • Winner: Split decision.
  • Rationale: One host chose Too Far Gone! for its strong second half. The other chose Obey the Call for its menacing guitar tone.
• Room of Mirrors vs. I Am War:
  • Winner: Room of Mirrors.
  • Rationale: A complete, sonically distinct song with excellent harmony guitars.
• Inamorata vs. The Last Note:
  • Winner: Inamorata.
  • Rationale: An epic, doom-metal-influenced song considered one of Metallica's best of the century.

Mandatory Music is proudly hosted and produced by Michael Heide and Sebastian Kwapich

Contact Mandatory Music:
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This week, Mike and Sebastian go down the rabbit hole. It starts with Megadeth tackling Metallica’s Ride the Lightning Live, but quickly spirals into a bigger conversation about aging metal bands, artists ditching their biggest hits, and why metal still gets misunderstood. Along the way, they connect metal to classical music, debate creative choices from major artists, and somehow end up talking Star Wars, new releases, and Hollywood’s reboot obsession. It’s messy, it’s fun, and it’s exactly what you’d expect.

Mandatory Music is proudly hosted and produced by Michael Heide and Sebastian Kwapich

Contact Mandatory Music:
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This week on Mandatory Music, Sebastian and Mike dive headfirst into the latest Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees. It’s a lively, no-holds-barred discussion as they break down every name on the list—celebrating the legends who were long overdue while also questioning a few picks that didn’t quite hit the mark. Who made the cut? Who sparked debate? And which inductee had one of them shaking their head? Tune in and find out.

Mandatory Music is proudly hosted and produced by Michael Heide and Sebastian Kwapich

Contact Mandatory Music:
email us at [email protected]
find us on Facebook search mandatory music
Instagram: mandatory_music1
Twitter(X) @mandatory_music

Thanks for listening and keep on rocking