#580 - Michael Amott (Arch Enemy)

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It's the Metal Sucks Podcast with your hosts Petter Speich, Brandon Hahn, and Jocelyn Sharp. Metal Sucks Podcast. What is going on, all our wonderful friends and listeners out there? It is I, your host, Petter Speich. And this week is going to be a special... This will be our farewell episode, me and the team that have been doing the podcast for a long time. So we're going to use the second part of the show, which we normally talk about the news, to, you know.

Give gratitude to everyone that's been a part of this team and everything we've done through the years. Make sure you are following all the co-hosts, keeping in touch with them. First, you've got Jocelyn Sharp. That's J-O-Z-A-L-Y-N Sharp. Go to JocelynSharp.com.

Of course, Sylvia Alvarado. Follow her everywhere at It's the Sylvia. And Brandon Hahn at your... buddy gooch and do not do not do not forget to follow the site that we work for at metal sucks on everything all social medias get the stories first do all that this week Big interview. Super stoked. Super excited. I've been listening to this record for a hot minute, guys. And that is the latest from Arch Enemy. Blood Dynasty is coming out March.

We got Michael on the show to discuss it. And as I said, this is a little bit of a different episode. So we're going to jump right into that interview right now. Here is me, my interview with the one and only Michael Amat from Arch. enemy everybody what's going on peder metal sucks podcast on the phone i got michael from arch enemy and we are here to celebrate

The 12th record, man. Blood Dynasty. It's coming out March 28th. And North American fans out here, make sure you are picking up tickets. April 14th, we're going to get to see them all across the state. So make sure you guys are paying attention to that. First question I'm going to ask you, Michael. 12 records in. Man, 30 years. Fantastic. Fantastic thing for the fans, obviously, for you guys. What is the most exciting part for you?

when you are writing new music and getting into writing mode at this stage in your career? Well, I mean, I think it's... I believe it's the most... In some ways, it's the most exciting part of being a musician and a songwriter is to put together new things and collect new ideas. Yeah, just be creative.

And of course, once you get out there, then you get into this phase where it's more like talking about music more than actually doing it, you know, which is kind of like sex. It's more fun to do it. the part where you go out on tour and that's also very exciting to meet the fans but after a while that becomes repetitious as well you know you're just kind of repeating the same you're you're not really in creative mode so i mean being creative and making new music is really uh

I mean, it's extremely gratifying. Yeah, and you know...

Talking about that, when you do have new ideas, what is something that motivates you idea-wise? Are you a big history guy? Do you love horror films? Is there anything that you kind of go to if you have maybe a writer's block mentality or anything like that that does kind of really just... give you that enthusiasm to create? Just lots and lots of coffee.

I don't know. I mean, you know, it's just one of those things, you know, I really try to transport myself back to when I was like 13, 14, 15 and just getting into heavier metal stuff, you know. buying slayer records and stuff like that and just i'm just like losing myself in that world you know and trying to go back into that mode you know trying to find it's kind of a so far

Quite lucky with that. I can have the imagination to come up with new things. I don't know. For me, it's a very natural thing in a way. It's not really like a... I don't really have a formula for how I do it. I just kind of... I wake up every day and I play guitar every day. So it's just a part of... of what i do you know and then you know i collect ideas so it's not really like i set out like okay i'm going to start writing a song on tuesday and finish it by thursday or something it's more

I think it's like this for most people. It's just a continuous thing that I do every day for a couple of hours every day. And that's how I play guitar. It's really coming up with new little bits and pieces.

Now, 13-year-old you, you brought up, right? At that time when you were first getting into heavy music and all those things, what was the most intimidating factor for you?

um because you were self-made guitar player you learned how to do that um but what was the most intimidating factor when it was time for you to finally be like i am gonna follow this dream oh well you know it's not like it wasn't like in the movies you know it wasn't like in a moment you know it was just more like it was very gradual i guess

Initially, I was playing such extreme music that there was no mainstream. Not that there's mainstream now, but it's so big now, metal. And extreme music is just so huge compared to how it was back then. I mean, now it can actually be like something that you do for a living or, you know, you know, you could like choose music as a career. And at that time, it was just like nobody was doing those barely any like.

death metal records out you know so everything was everything was just tapes and underground and like small tiny shows and you know i'm talking about shows with like 30 people there you know Yeah. I mean, it just didn't seem like a viable sort of, you know, it wasn't like, I'm going to do this. I always thought I was going to do music.

I'm always going to do music because it's my passion, but it was my hobby, you know, and it became a career, like gradually. Well, at one point when I joined... i joined an english band british band and then started tory worldwide when i was like 19 20 years old that's the first time i came to the states and stuff like that so that was like Of course, that was what you say, a watershed moment. Yes.

Yes, that's the movie moment if we may, but it took a while. Yeah, we got there in the end. We're writing my script now. It would be a beautiful story, man. And I got to tell you,

Do you like deadlines, though, when you're creating? Or when do you know when to say when? You've been writing forever now. And like I said, when do you be like, that's it for me? Or do you have to walk away from things? How does that process for you? Well, deadlines are sometimes a good thing. I think a lot of people will tell you that. I can sort of just procrastinate and just think about stuff forever. Yes.

And then they're like, it could always be a bit better. I'll just let this one sit for a while and maybe I'll come back to it later. but if i have a deadline i've got to get it done but you don't want them too tight you know these deadlines you don't want them to crush you and crush your creativity but at the same time it's good to have

So that's what we do. I mean, we write for a long time, you know, and then basically what happens with us is that a tour gets booked and the studio time gets booked.

And then as soon as everybody knows we're going to go into the studio, like so many people are depending on Archenemy nowadays. So it's like, then the tours get booked and the crew gets booked and everything gets... booked around the fact that we're actually going into the studio to make a record so then all of a sudden it's all like oh it's on and you just have to deliver you know and i think that's kind of a that's a good thing because you know

just left to our own devices, I think it would take 10 years between every album maybe. Yeah, exactly. It'd be great. It'd be great albums. It'd be great albums, but there'd only be three of them. The third one would be coming out now. Oh, man. I got to tell you, you know what? One thing growing up when bands...

the great catalog like you guys got the 12 albums we're talking about guys but we're celebrating here the one album Blood Dynasty you guys have to get your hands on it it's amazing and one thing I loved when bands did collect a lot of stuff is that

And I don't see this too much anymore, and you can maybe correct me if I'm wrong, but I used to go see bands live and they do medleys, right, of like an album or something like that and give you like hooks and all that stuff kind of and put together like a medley, like a 10-minute medley of like five songs from a classic record, something like that.

If you were to pick an Arch Enemy album that you wanted to do a medley for the fans at this stage in your career, what Arch Enemy album would you choose to... to cut up dice up and give the fans as many little parts as possible of um that's a great question i mean i like when bands do that i know that when i saw rabbit rush they did that a little bit

stuff like that I mean I like but I've seen sometimes people don't sometimes we actually do like we we throw in a riff and we just tease them with a riff like a great part from a song and then we actually Stop it. And, you know, it sort of goes into another song. And I think that goes down quite well.

because sometimes people just want that one riff um but then um maybe wages of sin which was you know for us iconic riffs and parts and melodies maybe that would be a good one i think that would be awesome just that's my vote That would be cool. And you're right. I don't see it too often anymore, but I definitely feel like I hope it can get brought back. There's a couple things that have changed. Like growing up, I remember encores were this huge thing, right?

And I didn't know how a proper encore was. Like for me as a fan, I always wanted a band to play the song we can all scream and chant to at the end. When the encore came back, it was kind of more for the deep cuts or like the fans, right?

but it really didn't play out that way. It usually was, the encore was, the songs that we can all chant together on the way out. How do you like doing the encores? Do you like doing the deep cuts at the end, or do you really like giving them that song we all want at the very end of it? um i mean we kind of do our thing it's just uh it depends on what kind of show we're doing you know like in the state in the states it's been a long time since we played a long show arch enemy show like we

do in Europe or in other parts of the world where we play, you know, 90, 95, 100 minutes. That's been a long, because usually we end up doing, even though we're closing shows, we're on like bigger, you know, packages, package tours, you know.

and then you know you're in you're kind of doing 65 minutes to 70 minutes and stuff and that really eats into those kind of you know then you're just trying to cram in as many songs as possible really and I like those moments when the show goes, when there's sort of those dynamics, you know, with a dramatic type of atmosphere and you build it up again.

I mean, I think that's cool. I mean, encores that we do, we've been doing a lot. What did we do? A couple of summers ago, we did some old stuff from Wages Inn at the end of the show. We almost always end the show.

every like the last thing that we do is nemesis which goes into a part like an instrumental part from our first album actually which is kind of becomes standard sort of thing for us but um yeah i mean i like the deep cuts and then so we do both we if we can we do the deep cuts uh the as an encore and then into something that everybody knows we do both

Yeah, I love it, man. Again, I feel like I'm seeing less and less encores. But out here in the States, you said there's always this package. Yeah, you're right. You're right. I mean, I see bands and they play the headline and they play for one hour. And then after the last song, they're off and that's it. There's no... coming back. The band isn't coming back.

i still wait though i've seen the curtain close i'm like oh shit now it's time to go right so i need like that sign because it's like oh yeah i'm trained thinking oh i got one more i got one more right but um yeah it's it's it's

Again, times have changed a little bit. I get it and all that stuff. But we're talking – North America, you guys are coming out here April 14th. It's been three years, if I'm not mistaken, since the last time you guys rolled out here in the States.

um so we're clamoring we're excited i need to see dream stealer live so that's hopefully in the set i don't know but it's got to be right uh uh and how are you guys excited to come back when you do take uh years off you know to a region as big as north america uh tell us about that and usually how how surprising it is when fans run up to see you guys i mean it's we we have a long history you know the

We're coming to the States, North America in general. But it's not as frequent as it used to be. I think, I mean, you know, America is more, the States are more like... How should I say trend? There's trend driven, I'll say. So sometimes they're like, you know, Scandinavian extreme metal is super hard and then it's not. then it becomes kind of comes back again a little bit and you know that that also factors in like what we can do and how um

In Europe, I would say in the other parts of the world, Arch Enemy is just growing, growing, growing, growing every year. And it just gets bigger and bigger and bigger. And it's very stable, you know. Whereas in the States, it's a little bit more up and down. It's a bit more of a roller coaster for us. Although the core fan base is always there, which is great. We appreciate them very much. And we want to go over and play more in the States if we can.

So it's really the opportunities that we do. Like you said, it's been three years. Yeah, it's true. But we were on the road the whole time. Plus, we made a new album. We're always busy. We're always working. So it's just that we're not working as much in the States anymore. But, you know, some bands never make it over there. It's kind of complicated to go to the States to get the visas, to get the, it's, you know.

it's a bit more of an effort for a European band. Much like, well, in some ways it's like that for American bands to get over to Europe, right? It's just one of those things. It's just one of those things. 100 but uh you know and and then it's about getting the right opportunities and the right tour together and stuff um and there's always a it's a highly competitive market over there you know the u.s fans

They tour a lot in their own country, which makes sense. But for us, it's more like... It's, of course, super exciting. Always fun. It's just that it's a little bit, you know, the shows aren't as big as they are for us and the rest of the world, but at the same time, they're still awesome. So we're looking forward to it.

It's going to be awesome. It's an event, and I always like to tell it to fans. We've got to make sure, because like you said, the Visa thing's going on for bands that come over here. It's a different time, and we need to make sure we're supporting bands that are taking that effort to come out here and showing them. And like I said, there's... one-of-a-kind shows. Their packages would be great, guys. So make sure North American fans...

I mean, I want us to sell out this tour. April 14th is when it starts. Let's make sure we're getting our tickets there. Now, going back to the record, everybody, Blood Dynasty is coming out March 28th. But Jens Bogren is back on this one, helping produce, mixing, all that. How did he get back involved into this project, and when did you know this is the guy that I want to get involved in this album this time around?

good question i mean it was uh he mixed a couple of records for us in the past he mixed the war eternal and will to power so 2014 and 17. And then we did another album, Deceivers, we did somewhere else in Denmark. And then going into this one is, yeah, thinking about where can we go and, you know, yeah.

i mean he'd been he'd been asking us for a while Jens Bogren if he could because he only make i mean not only but he mixed a couple of records for us and now he was been asking if he could produce you know and be more involved from the beginning so this is actually the first time

that we've been in one studio the whole from like recording the the drum tracks to the last overdubs which were you know guitar or vocals or whatever so we did the whole thing in one place which was first we haven't done that in like i don't know 15. 20 years i don't know it's we've always been moving around to different studios doing different things with different people because um the last few records have been kind of self-produced as well

We're just getting great mixing engineers. But this time we thought, why not try to get somebody who can sort of pull it together for us. And it was great. I mean, Jens did a fantastic job. pulled out some great performances, I think, out of us. And he was very passionate as well about his ideas and, you know, some of them that we use.

Yeah, I'm a big fan, obviously. I interviewed him when he was doing the Fashion Aces Street Studio kind of like show or... you know lessons for people and and uh it was a great it was a great chat and it's just it's good to see his name when it's it's tied to arch enemy man or or anything it's just a great it's just i'm like oh yeah a little extra excitement you know

oh that's cool yeah i mean he's got a really also he's he's built from you know he just bought some land and built a new studio like the whole building is from scratch just a custom built beautiful studio with different rooms and rooms we could we could track guitars and smaller studios upstairs and we could we there was also living quarters you know so we could stay there and live there we all had our own rooms and you know

so it's kind of like a very um it's a good place for us to sort of because we live a little bit we're a bit scattered and uh geographically so it's cool to just bring everyone together we can live together and work together and just get it done. But it was very, very cold in Sweden. He lives in the middle of Sweden and there's so much snow and it's so low temperatures, it's bizarre.

I guess it adds to the vibe. It adds to the caffeine working on the hot coffee is what it adds. That's what I'm talking about. Oh, yeah. Fucked up. So my stomach drank so much black coffee, strong black coffee. Now going back to 13-year-old you. that's where you're making the awesome music man in that studio you never saw that coming right it's it's great how things have no oh yeah yeah yeah absolutely i mean you know yeah unbelievable really it's been such a great um

journey you know and it's not been like uh never been an overnight success it's just been very sort of incremental you know new things happening all the time that are cool but it's been a super cool experience and just arch enemy and basically everything has beaten yeah very interesting yeah super fun now one thing i'm still a vinyl collector i love getting my vinyls and my cds i'm still a big big on that stuff but when i see the artwork

I get excited because I know when the vinyl hits, it's going to be amazing. And I got to tell you, Blood Dynasty's artwork, right when I saw the image, I'm like, this is made for that vinyl. owner like myself. Tell me a little bit about how that came together and the artwork for this packaging. But we went back to a guy that we've been using a couple of times now, which is a guy called Alex Reisfar. He's from Portland, the States. And I love this very...

this painting style that he has. You can see the paint and the brush strokes in there. Even when you look at the album, when it's printed, you can see all that. It's made by a human, which I think is... That's my whole trip. I'm interested in the human condition and the human expression. And that's in art, you know.

that's definitely him you know and i thought you know i gave him i just threw the album title at him and a couple of ideas and he just ran with it and i mean yeah he's just awesome and he's just one of you know A great painter. And yeah, lucky to have such cool art for the album, for sure.

Man, and the color palette's really cool, too, you know, because you just always think of, like, where's it going to kind of go, but, like, when I saw the color palette of what he used, and it's just a really great... piece of art if you guys haven't seen it and that's the thing like for us collectors it feels like that piece of art you know when it's when it's done like that so it's it's really cool so make sure you guys yeah checking that out thank you you know i put a lot of work into the

the layout and everything you know the fonts and the everything how everything comes together and i've always loved being a part of that because it's uh yeah it makes it more complete package and experience i think for the fans and for us as well you know if everything ties together oh yeah

Absolutely, man. Absolutely. Now, I did want to talk about, put a light on Joey Concepcioni. He's the guitar player. He's been in the band since 2023, and this is the first record he's recording on. When you have a new member in a band and you guys have been together for so long, how is that energy? Is the excitement a little bit different when there's somebody new, even though he's been in the studio before, but with you guys?

I think you're right, yeah. There is a bit of added excitement, yeah. I mean, it's just something different to somebody new in the room, you know. For me, it was fun as a guitar player. We flew him over to Sweden. He was there at the studio with us at Spielberg's place. work together and it was great I mean just a good atmosphere and he's new so he's eager to please you know yes that's what I mean that's the good stuff yeah yeah

Yeah, it's like anything. He's just a sweetheart and he's just born for this in a way. He bought his... first Arch Enemy album when he was 12 years old, he told me. So I was like, wow. I don't know how that makes me feel, but anyway. It's pretty cool. You know, he's just really, he's very well versed in the history of the band. You know, he just knows everything about it. He's just been very, I think, you know, I think he joined his favorite band. It feels like that.

it's kind of interesting to see get his perspective on things as well you know it's like oh you you did that on this album and then you did this and that song it's like oh yeah you're right because you know i've never really i don't have the same that perspective because i've been in it the whole time

no absolutely yeah that's so you know he he actually makes us he he definitely makes me feel good about things and choices we've made and that because he he tells me how they hid him as a fan you know in the early earlier days so that's cool and then uh yeah i mean he added his own creativity to the album and it was great to do stuff face to face because i know the last album was our sort of difficult you know album

what he's done during the pandemic and all that stuff so it's uh it was nice to be face to face again and just work you know yeah so that was all good stuff Yeah, and a lot of people forgot, but coming back to that energy and that kinship and just being that team that's creating in a room together, I think a lot of people forgot how to do that.

And some of you can never go back almost, you know, just because of budgets. But the fact that you guys can and put out a record like this, that's just icing on the cake, you know, for a lot of people. So that's awesome that you guys got to do it that way.

Yeah, we just waste money, you know, because, you know, hey, you only live once.

this is our legacy right so that's fun too i mean i yeah i like wasting money in the moment later i i'm like oh gosh during it and it feels good yeah um you know yeah but you know you start cut corners and things like that it's like you're gonna regret it later i think but uh but i get it you know because you know For most bands, you know, the album selling physicals, yet making money with music is like, you know, now musicians sort of become content creators and other things.

teachers or content creators or whatever they are you know you know we haven't had to do all of that because we have i guess we have one foot in the old school you know the old world so to speak you know with the And yeah, we just established the band earlier on, I guess. And still, we're working with the new ways of doing things as well.

Yep, got to adapt to survive. But you said it, the established, you know, the trust the fan base have, the excitement for the records, all that stuff you guys built. 30 years michael you've been there the whole way uh and it's you know no no missteps and i mean these things are So you've got to give yourself some credit there. Don't worry. There's been some missteps. Minor. Come on. But the last question I want to ask, I see our time is running out, and I do want to just...

Spotlight one more time, guys. Latest from Arch Enemy, Blood. dynasty is coming out march 28th we talked about the artwork get the physical copy pre-order it you guys make sure you're getting your hands on this record uh we talk about the visual aspect your guys's music videos are always charged i love them um and really

are a part of the cycle. I think a lot of us fans go and we watch a lot of the music videos on YouTube over and over again. You guys are just one of those bands that have that excitement on the stage and in that setting.

How involved are you in the visual part of the music videos when you're creating for Arch Enemy? Well, sometimes it depends on the video. Sometimes more, sometimes less, you know. We always shoot a whole bunch of them for every album. And then some of them are more in the vision of the director. You get it like a treatment.

They send them a song and then they send something back that they, you know, this is what we like to do. Some of them are straight up performance videos like, you know, like Deceiver Deceiver or... was the one basically the band playing in a room or in some location on a location and then

we there are other ones now you know we like one cool video that we did was for liars and thieves kind of one of my favorites actually because it's uh we had a we had a video guy with us on the road and he was making these little cool you know short content things for like posting on socials and uh but really badass looking and then we got the idea to release this as a single we changed our release plan and then we

started playing The Sunrise and Thieves live on tour, even though it wasn't out yet. Nobody heard it. And it went down super well, and he was filming it, and then he edited it together on the tour bus or backstage or whatever. He was sitting there with headphones editing it.

That came out really nice, I think. And I love when I see the fans in the video as well. Because that's really... what it's all about somehow you know and see that happiness and that sort of enthusiasm and that energy in the crowd uh so that's kind of one of my favorite ones that we've done actually so and that didn't cost us anything almost

But then there are other videos, you know, where we do, nowadays we work with, we did one for, like, The Eye of the Storm, and then he also did the latest one, Blood Dynasty, that's a German guy. And we shot that at those in Berlin.

and those are more you know green screen and all these kind of tricks trickery in post-production and stuff so those are you have no idea how those are going to come out because they just that's something in his head you know and then he he creates everything around the visuals with the visuals and everything so there are several ways of approaching them but i mean we're super happy that people enjoy them

And, you know, but sometimes the simple things are what hits the hardest, you know, like when we did Eagle Flies alone, as well over a hundred.

million views on youtube and uh you know it's just basically us playing on a very cold day in sweden somewhere in a quarry in amongst some rocks and stones and some water i mean it's just there's nothing to it really just that it's beautifully shot and maybe the song is good also so you know it's just it's just one of those things that worked you know so you never know what's gonna what's gonna capture people's imagination and make them want to watch it over and over again.

Yeah, it's an exciting part, though, to the whole puzzle. And we get, like you said, we get some more this cycle around, which is always excellent. So fans, one more time before I let you go, Michael. Blood Dynasty is coming out March 28th. North American fans, April 14th when the Tourist.

arts make sure you're jumping on there and make sure you guys are looking at some watching these music videos they're outstanding liars and thieves we talked about blood dynasty so with that i want to thank you so much michael for calling in here to the metal sucks podcast thank you very much it was a pleasure Thank you. Appreciate it. Ford Blue Cruise hands-free highway driving takes the work out of being behind the wheel, allowing you to relax and reconnect.

while also staying in control. Enjoy the drive in Blue Cruise-enabled vehicles like the F-150, Explorer, and Mustang Mach-E. Available feature on equipped vehicles. Terms apply. Does not replace safe driving. See Ford.com slash Blue Cruise for more details.

First song you heard is the latest off Arch Enemies record, guys. Blood Dynasty is coming out March 28th. That song is fucking awesome. Dream Stealers, the first track. Second track you heard is the title track. Blood Dynasty. Dynasty. It's coming out March 28. Make sure you're picking it up. Living with this thing. This record kicks ass. Third song, a band I adore. Legion. Their new album, The Osereri.

O-S-S-U-A-R-Y is coming out April 4th. That's the first single they put out, Driftwood. Love it. The Osserary is coming out April 4th. Make sure you are picking it up, pre-ordering it. The Metal Sucks Podcast.

hey guys it's sylvia and i'm here because unfortunately this is our final episode um a little backstory when i first came on the podcast it was at a time where it was pretty rough in my life just career wise I was let go of a show where I had two other co-hosts. And during that time, I felt like I couldn't be totally myself. Like I was incredibly in my head. And just to be totally honest, I think I was a little insecure.

So when I came on this podcast, I was worried that the same thing was going to happen. But the first episode that I recorded with them. One of the biggest things for me was I can be myself. And that was super important. I can joke around. It was accepted. And it overall just felt more comfortable. So thank you.

for listening to the show. Thank you for allowing me to be myself and being cool with it. And a huge thank you to Pete, Jaws, and Brandon just for giving me the opportunity to work with you guys. So take care. The Metal Sucks Podcast.

I just wanted to say to everyone how grateful we are for the past decade of support and camaraderie and laughs and, you know, even some tears, man.

i really really appreciate the opportunity to be on metal socks and the doors it's open for me as well as the friendships it's made i got to be tangentially involved in interviews with my favorite bands in the world all over the course of this 10 years um guys like adam from kill switch and jesse like these are people that i've looked up to since i was 11 years old you know so it's amazing to be able to

now being a project that celebrated the things that they do getting to work with p and sylvia and everybody it's like been so wonderful because friendships that I had before the podcast that were, you know, just like acquaintanceships have now become really amazing friendships that, you know, we're planning on spending time together after this and planning out time so that we can.

continued to have those friendships because the best part about metal sucks was that we had an excuse to hang out every week there was you know as an adult it's so easy to let life pass you by but metal sucks forced us to get together and talk about some of our favorite subjects and you know

our friendship grew because of that and i'm so grateful for it i'm so proud of what we did and i'm so proud of the stories we covered and the things we didn't back down on and the way that we shared our perspective and the way that we changed our perspective when it was necessary

I'm going to miss it. I'm going to miss meeting up with everybody every week and having laughs. And, you know, it's just been an amazing run. And all the Meddlesex fans that I get to see in person when I'm on the road, I'm so grateful for you guys coming out and supporting.

and the love all over the years i can't tell you enough how much the fans mean to us and and how much you becoming fans of us in addition to the podcast um has validated us in all of our art forms and i'm so grateful and i'm sad that the podcast is over but there's a time and a place for everything and you shouldn't be sad we all have other projects and you know you can come support them i love you guys i'll see you on the internet

The Metal Sucks Podcast. Let me just start off by saying what an honor it was to be able to do this podcast, provide entertainment to... Like, seriously, there are hundreds of fans that tuned in every single week just to hear our peace of mind and to hear Pete try and wrangle us all in and get us back to talking.

this subject was um the support really meant a lot and it's a huge reason why We continue to do this podcast for as long as we did The other reason why I wanted to do why me personally why I wanted to do the show for as long as we did I just enjoyed the team. I mean, there were a lot of laughs that Pete, Joslyn, and Sylvia, we all shared together. And those laughs were treasured.

But it but the number one reason why I wanted to keep doing the show is because of Pete and What an honor it was to just Watch him work and what an inspiration it was to watch him put the show together and Keep coming back and keep coming back and just constantly reminding us how important the fans were the memory that sticks with me the most is probably during covid when i made a uh a battle rap between pete's two sons and it wasn't one one his son briscoe represented

I think he represented the pro-mask crowd, and then his other son, Dio, represented the anti-mask crowd. Now, keep in mind, there were, I think... four and one at the time it's just a funny silly thing that we put together and um the interview that i felt that would that i that i felt lucky to get that was able to debut on metal sucks was when i interviewed justin chancellor bass player for tool and he announced that they were

that Tool was working on a new record. Now, this is something that hasn't happened in 13 years, and he announced it on this show, and that news took off like wildfire, and it hit a bunch of different sites, a bunch of different news sources. And, I mean, what else can I say, man? Oh, and also I just want to thank Vincent Axel for giving Pete and I the chance to do this show, the chance to...

launched this platform. We took over for Chuck at Godless and the show was doing well. And then Pete and I took over and the show just morphed into something totally different. Pete's interview skills just carried the show. And I just couldn't be. I'm very proud of what we did on this show. I wish I wish.

There was a way that we could stick around, but all good things come to an end, and I'm happy for the run that we enjoyed. The Metal Sucks Podcast. Oh, it's, you know, we've had plenty of time to prep for. uh, final episode and the messages. And there's so many different ways that I, I want to approach it. It's not, not, it's not, not this conversation has rolled in my mind. God, six to eight weeks. I don't know how long now.

And, you know, you kind of go in there knowing like, hey, you can't really mess it up. Whatever you do is fine. You listeners out there and the people that support us and all the people we've worked with.

four all that stuff um you know you guys got our backs so i can't really fuck anything up but you still want to make it right you still want to somehow use these airwaves that we've been blessed with to show the gratitude the thank you, the, you know, friendship that's been bonded, you know, all the way since we started this podcast, uh, at least us we've started, we've been on the show, um, history of the podcast, you know, we're.

We've done over 600 episodes because we've done a lot of half episodes and special things. Chuck and Godless, they started the first 173. We've done over 425. When me and Brandon got on... When we auditioned and got the job, Barack Obama was the president of the United States. That's how long we've been doing this podcast through and through.

weekly uh the contract we got was there were like a 40 episodes a year is all you gotta do here's what you're doing and yada yada and i remember at that time saying okay 40 episodes years obviously it's gonna be best for us, beneficially, financially, because we're going to do what we need to do and do that. That's not the rope we tell. We said we're going to not miss a week.

Not miss a week of the podcast, no matter what. We know the holidays we take off. That's part of the thing, which is not a big deal for two or three weeks. But some years we took off one, you know, one week, maybe two. That's one thing that I can say without a doubt is that we've always promised you guys, hey, we never missed a week. It's very hard to get it done. And as of today, being this team's final show, we didn't miss a week, guys.

We kept our promise. We were here every Monday, Tuesday if it was a holiday on occasion, but mostly Mondays. Our deadlines to get everything to the team so they can post it on the site was Sunday. And I never missed a Sunday. We got it done. Looking back, we had births, we had weddings, funerals to go to. I remember being at Disneyland, a vacation with my family and going back to the hotel room.

to get an interview done, do a quick edit in the morning, wake up at 4 a.m. while they're sleeping and just get it in the Dropbox. You know, a lot of sacrifice, but that whole pride of... You know, don't miss a week. It's a promise we made and a promise we needed to keep to the fans and to the team. So despite the contract of the 40 episodes a year, we always went beyond that.

You know, that's something that I hope everybody's appreciative. Now, one thing I need everybody to know, and hopefully you guys are aware, but sometimes people are, you know, they don't see it, you know. There's been eight voices that have done the 600-plus episodes on this podcast. As I mentioned, Chuck and Godless, the godfathers of the podcast. Ben and Matt did multiple episodes, the people that started the site.

And then us, we did over 425. So the lion's share is definitely going to be me, Jocelyn, Brandon, and Sylvia. Doesn't mean anything. There's eight voices that have been on a podcast that lasted. 12 years you know to this point um and hopefully continues you know like i don't know that future i have no idea on that you know but if it does

and there is new hosts, you guys better support them. You better be amazing. I give the sign off. I am so stoked. That's the best case scenario. Podcast continues. Get some new voices in there. New hosts see things differently. you guys keep getting the metal news and and everything that metal sucks do that's the best case scenario but i have no idea so no commitments are being made on that this might be it you know um point is is that we had eight voices through 600

It's a milestone. We didn't miss the episodes. We kept it going. And so many people worked behind the scenes. The principles of Metal Sucks, the website. I can go one by one and say a beautiful thing about each person through the years, guys, but I'm just going to say it and sum it up in one amazing way. Family. Always been a family to me. Every way, every which way, like little dreams of me having a story on the website. You know, I just saw Danzig last night in Down.

out here in Las Vegas and you know me being able to write a story on the website me being able to to do anything to be a part of a website that I've I've followed for I don't know how many years 18 now every day checking it out clicking on it and i'm going to follow it till the end click on every story and and just see the the personalities i love metal sucks man love it but they've been a family through and through you know in the best times

And the worst times, you know. Like, I mean, we had a really close friend of mine that I'd go to shows with. He passed unexpectedly. And we had to do a GoFundMe. Dude, you know it. $1,000. Metal Sucks family donated to that GoFundMe. You don't forget things like that. You don't forget things like that, you know? So hats off because the opportunity, the everything we've got to do.

Is that Metal Sucks family. Forever grateful. You know, through the years. And, you know, every name I can say doesn't matter. Just trust me. Great dudes. And they gave us an opportunity, and I know, without even talking, we didn't disappoint them. When that post shows up, And I see it on that Monday morning, and I get to share it with the next people I got to thank, the publicists, right? And I've worked with the same ones for the whole decade I've been doing.

metal interviews man and there wouldn't be an episode without them continually discussing it with me and putting artists on the show you know the publicists that work in heavy metal are The essence of everything that gets out to you guys. And like I said, I'm saying these things because these are all the people it takes for us to get these episodes out to you the last 12 years. All of us, right?

It's just an amazing thing. And then who else? The reason anybody ever clicked on an episode or did anything, the artists. I've never had an issue or a beef or any kind of problem with an artist.

In 10 years, a publicist, nothing, you know? And I attest that to just the great professionalism and dealing with that. You know, any interview that... you guys listen to and that came off with meaningfulness with playfulness with excitement in music and you know in the airwaves the artist is the person that made that happen

It wasn't me. I just had to ask questions, keep going, get the 30 minutes of time. It was them. Every episode, you know, we are always on the back and that's how I wanted it to be. They're the forefront. They're the people that are out there doing it. And to say 400 episodes that I did of those people to participate, to make sure we didn't miss a week is such a big deal.

Those artists out there is what it's all about, supporting them, doing what they do because what they give us is priceless. And they don't know that all the time, you know, especially in modern times, right? They don't know. So you got the Metal Sucks team. You got the publicists. You got the artists. You got everybody that has helped keep this show going. And then, of course, my team, you know.

the team that we got we started this podcast uh me and brandon um and then jocelyn came on and jocelyn is a personality uh that loves music, loves comedy, loves humanity, loves life. And it's such an energy that she brings, whether it's in the room or on the phone that just made it so.

meaningful even if we're talking about something dumb she brought so much meaning from her perspective um and sometimes i would sit there as we're riffing a talking about a metal sucks news story and just be amazed at where her mind was and that's a friend of mine that i you know i i can't tell you how great it's been working with her for a decade because we've done rise to offend and metal sucks obviously and um

Then a little bit down the road, Sylvia came in, and I feel like it was, man, a year maybe. I can't remember exactly, but she's been doing this since 2017, 2018, 2019. I can't remember. And Sylvia is, I don't know. I've always felt like I needed a voice because I'm a weird dude and I see things in such a PG way.

grew up through Catholic school and certain things, but always believed and loved the morality things. I fight every single day not to be desensitized because I want to feel, and Sylvia is like the person. Just like me. You know, you find people that are just like you that kind of just get you. You can say something they understand. And when she joined the show, she was, you know, the rock.

in a lot of ways after covid that kept it going that never made me want to quit she is so meaningful to the program she did interviews with fantastic artists that she you know obviously for comp 92.3 the radio station works out but she always was like this would work on metal sucks and I loved it I loved being able to get Avenged Sevenfold or Corey Taylor or anybody like that that

You know, she built a relationship with out here out in Vegas, and she always wanted to share it with the show. And her interviews are great, you know. So, Sylvia, I can't say anything more than, you know. Working with her has been the easiest thing I've ever done when it comes to this kind of stuff. That takes us to Brandon. Brandon's my best friend. I've known that kid since I was 16 years old. Brandon was a radio DJ at 19.

He's 45 now, program director, and he has been on the pulse of music forever. The only reason that I even... started podcasting at all is because of him. He asked me to help him because of my views were a certain way and everybody else was so rock and roll. And although I was on the.

pulse of music i was always you know wallpaper you know but i i never was loud i was never this so in essence he he brought me in to be like hey man you just know your stuff you know and and you're somebody that that Has a voice that can work and all those things. But him believing in me, putting me out there, and then us paying our dues for years. I'm the best man at my wedding. I'm the best man at his wedding.

When one on us go, we'll be holding the coffins, man. So to do something like this creatively with someone like him, that's fake. That's beyond. that's just beyond anything so uh he's the best and uh i'm i i'm glad so glad through all these you know family things and lives that i got to sit down with him weekly you know

and talk about life and see him and create something with him for decades upon you know our friendship as long as we've known and then lastly guys fans There's too many to name. But there's such this cloud of negativity when it comes to anything to do with certain aspects of putting yourself out there. And my father always said, if you surround yourself with kind people, kind people will find you. If you deliver a kind message, kind people will acknowledge that.

our fans have been nothing but kind and supportive and amazing throughout the years every email i've ever gotten um from a fan has been just so like i said i can't even respond because i can't share the words of what they say There's been people that listen to 600 episodes of this show. And those people, I'll tell you, are, you know, we're a part of your life, man.

You know, I wish I can give everyone a shout out. I wish I could. You guys all deserve it. You guys truly deserve it. One name at a time. Give me two hours. Metal sucks. Let me just say everybody's name and say thank you. I really wish I could. But it's got to be Blanket. And if you guys gave us a chance and you chose to listen to us weekly, we have been blessed to be a part of a moment in your life all those times, no matter who the artist was, whoever we put out there on the spotlight.

You guys listen to us or listen to me do an interview or whatever. It's been a blessing. I will miss sharing those moments, and I am forever grateful that you gave us that time and your ears and your lives for a moment. And hopefully we brought kindness to you. And hopefully we made you smile. I know we made some angry. I know we did that because we're human beings. And, you know, in conversation those things happen. But you know our hearts have always been with you guys.

I am you guys. All you guys listening, I am you. Across the world. Guys and gals. The same. We get it. This is us. And at every show across the world that we go to, that we sit there and our legs hurt after four hours and we're like, hey, can I have a seat? And yada, yada. But we don't care and we tough it out. All of us. We experience the same thing across. I am you. You guys are me.

Um, just absolutely blessed. So with that metal sucks podcast guys, I'm going to end the show or I'm going to end our run. Um, the same way that Chuck and God ascended theirs. with the song playing through. But my last words to you are thank you. Goodbye, my friends. Scavenging a derelict world, you settle into an underground settlement. But now you must return to the surface, where arc machines roam.

If you're brave enough, who knows what you might find? Ark Raiders, a multiplayer extraction adventure video game. Buy now for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and PC. Rated T for Teen.