Radical Research Podcast

Australia’s Vauxdvihl (or, for a short time, Vaudeville) came quickly, evolved swiftly, and left behind a beautiful corpus of 19 documented songs. We have stood in awe for three decades of this short but impressive discography, and episode 123 of our weird little podcast is an attempt to bring you into the Vauxdvihl fold. (Beware of the ridiculous amount of Fates Warning mentions here…or make a drinking game of it.)

Note I:

The Radical Research Patreon page is now set up and ready for your patronage. We are offering tiered subscription levels for those who want a set-it-and-forget-it donation option. As ever, if you choose to support us, we are humbled and grateful! patreon.com/RadicalResearchPodcast

All past Radical Research episodes can be found here, where you can also find Jeff’s Peter Steele and Fates Warning books…and more to come soon! Radicalresearch.org

Music cited in order of appearance:

Intro: “Summoning” (Siberian Church Recordings, 2001)

“To Dimension Logic” (To Dimension Logic, 1994)

“Questions or Misanthropy” (To Dimension Logic, 1994)

“Separate Ends” (To Dimension Logic, 1994)

“Comedy of Errors” (To Dimension Logic, 1994)

“Philosophia Mosaica” (To Dimension Logic, 1994)

“In Search of Forever” (To Dimension Logic, 1994)

“Assassination” (Vog, 1998)

“The Funeral Party” (Vog, 1998)

“For the Son Has Gone to Hell” (Vog, 1998)

“Plots, (T or F) Are a Necessary Thing?” (Siberian Church Recordings, 2001)

“Isis/Pekt” (Siberian Church Recordings, 2001)

“Movement” (Siberian Church Recordings, 2001) 

Radical Research is a conversation about the inner- and outer-reaches of rock and metal music. This podcast is conceived and conducted by Jeff Wagner and Hunter Ginn. Though we consume music in a variety of ways, we give particular privilege to the immersive, full-album listening experience. Likewise, we believe that tangible music formats help provide the richest, most rewarding immersions and that music, artwork, and song titles cooperate to produce a singular effect on the listener. Great music is worth more than we ever pay for it.

Jeff: “Was talking with my friend S. Craig Zahler a few days ago, and we were discussing Sarcofago’s 1987 debut, I.N.R.I. Zahler noted that there are some bewildering timing issues in 'Nightmare,' and how he’d like Hunter ('who is 20 times the drummer I am') to try and identify what the hell’s going on. I put this quandary/query to Hunter and let ‘er rip.”

Note I:

The Radical Research Patreon page is now set up and ready for your patronage. We are offering tiered subscription levels for those who want a set-it-and-forget-it donation option. As ever, if you choose to support us, we are humbled and grateful! patreon.com/RadicalResearchPodcast

All past Radical Research episodes can be found here, where you can also find Jeff’s Peter Steele and Fates Warning books…and more to come soon! Radicalresearch.org

Sarcofago, “Nightmare” (I.N.R.I., 1987)

Radical Research is a conversation about the inner- and outer-reaches of rock and metal music. This podcast is conceived and conducted by Jeff Wagner and Hunter Ginn. Though we consume music in a variety of ways, we give particular privilege to the immersive, full-album listening experience. Likewise, we believe that tangible music formats help provide the richest, most rewarding immersions and that music, artwork, and song titles cooperate to produce a singular effect on the listener. Great music is worth more than we ever pay for it.

This episode brings to a close our periodic investigations of the Steven Wilson-curated 'Intrigue' compilation. Covering progressive sounds in UK alternative/post-punk music from 1979-89, 'Intrigue' nails its intention, proving that, while traditional prog rock may have waned in the '80s, that spirit of adventure and invention remained alive through the work of dozens and dozens of UK music-makers in this time period. This episode focuses on Kate Bush, Dif Juz, Cardiacs, Dead Can Dance, SLAB!, Momus, No-man and a host of others.

If you don’t want to hear about our awesome Patreon supporters and how YOU TOO can support us, and if you don’t want to hear about Deserts of Hex #2, which YOU ALSO would love to read…then skip to the 9:07 mark of this show where we finally start talking about the subject at hand: Intrigue compilation, CD 4. Thank you.

Note II:

The Radical Research Patreon page is now set up and ready for your patronage. We are offering tiered subscription levels for those who want a set-it-and-forget-it donation option. As ever, if you choose to support us, we are humbled and grateful! patreon.com/RadicalResearchPodcast

All past Radical Research episodes can be found here, where you can also find Jeff’s Peter Steele and Fates Warning books…and more to come soon! Radicalresearch.org

Music cited in order of appearance:

­­­intro: Talk Talk, “Living in Another World” (The Colour of Spring, 1986)

[all snippets are taken directly from the Intrigue compilation; the following indicates where the songs originally appeared]

This Mortal Coil, “Ivy and Neet” (Filigree & Shadow, 1986)

Perennial Divide, “Beehead” (Beehead 7”, 1987)

The Sisters of Mercy, “This Corrosion” (Floodland, 1987)

Dif Juz, “No Motion” (Lonely is An Eyesore, 4AD compilation, 1987)

SLAB!, “Gutter Busting” (Descension, 1987)

Momus, “Murderers, the Hope of Women” (Murderers, the Hope of Women, 1987)

Dead Can Dance, “The Host of Seraphim” (The Serpent’s Egg, 1988)

The Shamen, “Omega Amigo” (Omega Amigo single, 1989)

No-Man, “Night Sky, Sweet Earth” (Speak, 1999 re-recording of 1989 version, originally from The Girl from Missouri EP)

Kitchens of Distinction, “The 3rd Time We Opened the Capsule” (12” single, 1989)

In this .5 episode (the longest point-5 we’ve done to date), we offer up 6 subjects of previous Radical Research episodes and take a look at their activities since we last put our spotlight on them. (As we explain at the beginning, the sound quality is rough this time, as Hunter is still reeling from Hurricane Helene’s effects on his household's technology.)

Note I:

The Radical Research Patreon page is now set up and ready for your patronage. We are offering tiered subscription levels for those who want a set-it-and-forget-it donation option. As ever, if you choose to support us, we are humbled and grateful! patreon.com/RadicalResearchPodcast

All past Radical Research episodes can be found here, where you can also find Jeff’s Peter Steele and Fates Warning books…and more to come soon! Radicalresearch.org

­­­Hail Spirit Noir, “The Road to Awe” (Fossil Gardens, 2024)

Hammers of Misfortune, “Ghost Hearts” (Overtaker, 2022)

Manes, “End of the River” (Pathei Mathos, 2024)

Diskord, “Cogged Pother” (Bipolarities, split with ATVM, 2024)

Switzerland’s deadliest export, Coroner, which sliced and sawed its way through the metal landscape of the ‘80s and early ‘90s, has finally found its way under the Radical Research microscope. From the savage thrashing mayhem of R.I.P. to the reclined elegance of its final missives, Radical Research dives deeply into the methods and madness of one of metal’s ablest battalions.

Note I:

The Radical Research Patreon page is now set up and ready for your patronage. We are offering tiered subscription levels for those who want a set-it-and-forget-it donation option. As ever, if you choose to support us, we are humbled and grateful! patreon.com/RadicalResearchPodcast

All past Radical Research episodes can be found here, where you can also find Jeff’s Peter Steele and Fates Warning books…and more to come soon! Radicalresearch.org

Music cited in order of appearance:

­­­“Pale Sister” (Mental Vortex, 1991)

“Son of Lilith” (Mental Vortex, 1991)

“Coma” (R.I.P., 1987)

“Absorbed” (Punishment for Decadence, 1988)

“R.I.P.” (R.I.P., 1987)

“Shadow of a Lost Dream” (Punishment for Decadence, 1988)

Canvas Solaris, “Arc-Lite” (Tribute to Coroner, 2010)

“Paralized, Mesmerized” (Grin, 1993)

“D.O.A.” (No More Color, 1989)

“Tunnel of Pain” (No More Color, 1989)

“Read My Scars” (No More Color, 1989)

“Grin (Nails Hurt)” (Grin, 1993)

“Gliding Above While Being Below” (Coroner, 1995)

A quick look at Queen’s “The Prophet’s Song,” its a cappella middle section, and the treatment it was given by one Jeff Scott Soto in various live performances. It’ll all make a little more sense when you listen…

The Radical Research Patreon page is now set up and ready for your patronage. We are offering tiered subscription levels for those who want a set-it-and-forget-it donation option. As ever, if you choose to support us, we are humbled and grateful! patreon.com/RadicalResearchPodcast

All past Radical Research episodes can be found here, where you can also find Jeff’s Peter Steele and Fates Warning books…and more to come soon! Radicalresearch.org

Music cited in order of appearance:

­­­Queen, “The Prophet’s Song” (A Night at the Opera, 1975)

Jeff Scott Soto (fronting Sons of Apollo), “The Prophet’s Song” (live in Orlando, FL, February 2018)

Radical Research is a conversation about the inner- and outer-reaches of rock and metal music. This podcast is conceived and conducted by Jeff Wagner and Hunter Ginn. Though we consume music in a variety of ways, we give particular privilege to the immersive, full-album listening experience. Likewise, we believe that tangible music formats help provide the richest, most rewarding immersions and that music, artwork, and song titles cooperate to produce a singular effect on the listener. Great music is worth more than we ever pay for it.

Is there an album more representative of this podcast's main focus? Not outside of Norway, there isn’t. Montréal’s DBC (Dead Brain Cells) released ‘Universe’ in 1989, a tech-y cosmic opus of 37:26 that manages to cover the big bang, the evolution of life, the fall of the dinosaurs, man’s eventual dominance on Earth, and humanity's possible future in the album's brief but eventful duration. Join us as we spelunk through the black holes and blocky, monolithic riffs of DBC's second and final album…  

All Ye Who Enter: Tangents on other Canadian metal bands will happen throughout this episode. And a Swiss one, too. And time machines…and the moon…and Phil Anselmo’s Mind Over Four shirt.

Note II:

Although Hunter claims Garth Richardson (aka GGGarth) produced Helmet’s Betty, the RR fact-checking department can find no evidence that the guy was anywhere near that album. Hunter apologizes and says, “Total brain fart. It was T-Ray [Todd Ray].”

Note III:

The Radical Research Patreon page is now set up and ready for your patronage. We are offering tiered subscription levels for those who want a set-it-and-forget-it donation option. As ever, if you choose to support us, we are humbled and grateful! patreon.com/RadicalResearchPodcast

All past Radical Research episodes can be found here, where you can also find Jeff’s Peter Steele and Fates Warning books…and more to come soon! Radicalresearch.org

­­­[all snippets from DBC, Universe, 1989]

“The Genesis Explosion”

“Heliosphere”

“Primordium”

“Exit the Giants”

“Rise of Man”

“Estuary”

“Humanity’s Child”

“Phobos & Deimos”

“Threshold” “Infinite Universe”

Radical Research is a conversation about the inner- and outer-reaches of rock and metal music. This podcast is conceived and conducted by Jeff Wagner and Hunter Ginn. Though we consume music in a variety of ways, we give particular privilege to the immersive, full-album listening experience. Likewise, we believe that tangible music formats help provide the richest, most rewarding immersions and that music, artwork, and song titles cooperate to produce a singular effect on the listener. Great music is worth more than we ever pay for it.

This is a “careful for what you wish for” kind of thing. For years and years, we hoped that we could hear the mighty Steve DiGiorgio’s bass work with more clarity on Death’s 1991 masterpiece, Human. Once we could, thanks to the 2011 reissue, we relented and realized we preferred the original version after all. We present this mini-episode in good humor and with an anxious heart, because we hope no one, least of all DiGiorgio himself, understands this is not a critique of his playing. The man is a god to us…we just prefer the original sound of the 1991 ‘Human’ over the 2011 reissue. This shit’s important!

The Radical Research Patreon page is now set up and ready for your patronage. We are offering tiered subscription levels for those who want a set-it-and-forget-it donation option. As ever, if you choose to support us, we are humbled and grateful! patreon.com/RadicalResearchPodcast

All past Radical Research episodes can be found here, where you can also find Jeff’s Peter Steele and Fates Warning books…and more to come soon! Radicalresearch.org

Music cited in order of appearance:

­­­Death, “See Through Dreams” (Human, 1991 [2011 reissue])

Death, “Suicide Machine” (Human, 1991 [2011 reissue])

Death, “Vacant Planets” (Human, 1991 [2011 reissue])

Operating outside of the metal infrastructure, but heralding its glory and complexity more so than most “true” metal bands, The Fucking Champs, in their 1994-2007 rampage, cobbled together elements of Trouble, Confessor, Don Caballero, and Kraftwerk and reshaped the geometric possibilities of math metal, all with the insouciance of its indie rock roots. Please join us as we attempt to solve this riddle wrapped in a conundrum. You’ve got a thirst, Portland!

We talk about the various name changes our San Franciscan heroes have endured…from The Champs to C4AM95 to The Fucking Champs. We failed to mention what might be our favorite name, one they never recorded under but adopted for a short spell: The Champs UK.

Note II:

Apologies for the confusion on the tracks we sample from V. You’ll hear the correction within the episode, and the correct song titles are noted below. Drag City, we are pissed! But…we’re already over it.

Note III:

The Radical Research Patreon page is now set up and ready for your patronage. We are offering tiered subscription levels for those who want a set-it-and-forget-it donation option. As ever, if you choose to support us, we are humbled and grateful! patreon.com/RadicalResearchPodcast

All past Radical Research episodes can be found here, where you can also find Jeff’s Peter Steele and Fates Warning books…and more to come soon! Radicalresearch.org

Music cited in order of appearance:

Intro: “Lamplighter” (IV, 2000)

“So Then I Was All Why’d You Say Fuck My Style” (Songs for Films About Rock demo, 1994)

“Merry Go Round” (Songs for Films About Rock demo, 1994)

“Flawless Victory” (III, 1997)

“Heart to Heart” (III, 1997)

“Tonight, We Ride” (III, 1997)

“These Glyphs Are Dusty” (IV, 2000)

“Esprit De Corpse” (IV, 2000)

“Thor is Like Immortal” (IV, 2000)

“Children Perceive the Hoax Cluster” (V, 2002)

“I Am the Album Cover” (V, 2002)

“Major Airbro’s Landing” (V, 2002)

 “A Forgotten Chapter in the History of Ideas” (VI, 2007)

ep. 120 preview: DBC, “Infinite Universe” (Universe, 1989)

Radical Research is a conversation about the inner- and outer-reaches of rock and metal music. This podcast is conceived and conducted by Jeff Wagner and Hunter Ginn. Though we consume music in a variety of ways, we give particular privilege to the immersive, full-album listening experience. Likewise, we believe that tangible music formats help provide the richest, most rewarding immersions and that music, artwork, and song titles cooperate to produce a singular effect on the listener. Great music is worth more than we ever pay for it.

Sometimes it takes a while to come around to an album. In our case, it took 28 years with Cryptopsy’s second album, None So Vile. Better late than never. We repent!!!

Note I:

The Radical Research Patreon page is now set up and ready for your patronage. We are offering tiered subscription levels for those who want a set-it-and-forget-it donation option. As ever, if you choose to support us, we are humbled and grateful! patreon.com/RadicalResearchPodcast

All past Radical Research episodes can be found here, where you can also find Jeff’s Peter Steele and Fates Warning books…and more to come soon! Radicalresearch.org

RR listener Joseph Schafer pointed out that we incorrectly credited the sample at the beginning of 'None So Vile.' It is, in fact, from the film 'The Exorcist III: The Heretic.' Our apologies and thanks, Joseph, for helping us come correct!

Music cited in order of appearance:

All from Cryptopsy, None So Vile (1996)

“Slit Your Guts”

“Orgiastic Disembowelment”

“Crown of Horns”

Radical Research is a conversation about the inner- and outer-reaches of rock and metal music. This podcast is conceived and conducted by Jeff Wagner and Hunter Ginn. Though we consume music in a variety of ways, we give particular privilege to the immersive, full-album listening experience. Likewise, we believe that tangible music formats help provide the richest, most rewarding immersions and that music, artwork, and song titles cooperate to produce a singular effect on the listener. Great music is worth more than we ever pay for it.