Speak N' Destroy

JAMES HETFIELD’s GUITAR TECH talks about getting the Metallica gig in 2003; his first visit to HQ and interview with James; his early days of touring with The Breeders, Hole, Veruca Salt, and Garbage; Courtney Love and the legacy of Kurt Cobain; Hetfield’s playing and tone; and more. Check out Chad's line of wireless stage gear, Lite-Time, right here. Speak N' Destroy podcast theme by Scott Mellinger. Visit the Speak N' Destroy website and various social media profiles HERE. Speak N' Destroy is part of the PopCurse podcast network.

JUSTICE FOR ALL: THE TRUTH ABOUT METALLICA author Joel McIver is responsible for more than 25 books about rock music, including TO LIVE IS TO DIE: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF METALLICA’S CLIFF BURTON (with a foreword by Kirk Hammett) and biographies on Black Sabbath, Slayer, Tool, Motörhead, and Slipknot. He’s also the co-author of memoirs from Max Cavalera and David Ellefson. Speak N' Destroy podcast theme by Scott Mellinger. Visit the Speak N' Destroy website and various social media profiles HERE. Speak N' Destroy is part of the PopCurse podcast network.

SPIRIT ADRIFT frontman Nate Garrett is the former guitarist for Gatecreeper and a massive Metallica fan. Three different Spirit Adrift albums have landed in the coveted Top 40 Albums of the Year list in Decibel Magazine - two of them in the top 10 and one, Enlightened in Eternity, at No. 5 for 2020. The album was also included in the Top 10 of the year-end album list from Revolver Magazine. Speak N' Destroy podcast theme by Scott Mellinger. Visit the Speak N' Destroy website and various social media profiles HERE. Speak N' Destroy is part of the PopCurse podcast network.

KVELERTAK guitarist Vidar Landa met James Hetfield when the Metallica frontman came to see his band at a club in San Francisco. The Norwegian metal act - who are also a favorite of the guys in Mastodon, Converge, and Ghost, among other bands - went on to play multiple shows with Metallica, including the historic gig at London’s O2 Arena in 2017 which broke the venue’s attendance record. Speak N' Destroy podcast theme by Scott Mellinger. Visit the Speak N' Destroy website and various social media profiles HERE. Speak N' Destroy is part of the PopCurse podcast network.

STATE OF MERCURY YouTube channel guitar shredder C.J. Cox is a master of the rework, where he re-records and often rearranges a Metallica song from one album in the style of another. His most popular videos include “What if ‘Enter Sandman’ was on …And Justice for All?”, “What if ‘Master of Puppets’ was on The Black Album?”, and “What if ‘Blackened’ was on Master of Puppets?” Speak N' Destroy podcast theme composed, performed, and produced by Scott Mellinger. Visit SpeakNDestroy.com. Support us on Patreon. Follow on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Follow Ryan J. Downeyon Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Speak N' Destroy is part of the PopCurse podcast network.

Ex-KERRANG! Global Head of Brand Strategy Ethan Fixell is a former standup comedian and rock musician who headed up the U.S. division of the long-running UK magazine just a few years ago. As of the time of this conversation, Ethan is Head of Production for the Custom Podcasts division of iHeartMedia. He’s written extensively about alcohol and appeared on The Tonight Show, PBS, VH1, and Bravo. Speak N' Destroy podcast theme by Scott Mellinger. Visit the Speak N' Destroy website and various social media profiles HERE. Speak N' Destroy is part of the PopCurse podcast network.

METAL INJECTION co-founder and editor Robert Pasbani is also the co-owner of the Blast Beat Network, which handles digital advertising for his own site as well as Metal Sucks, Lambgoat, The PRP, Gear Gods, and Metal Insider, among others. He’s a former on-air host for Sirius XM’s Liquid Metal and hosts The Metal Injection Livecast and Squared Circle Pit. Speak N' Destroy podcast theme by Scott Mellinger. Visit the Speak N' Destroy website and various social media profiles HERE. Speak N' Destroy is part of the PopCurse podcast network.

STERN PINBALL Senior Director of Licensing and New Business Development Jody Dankberg is directly responsible for the awesome Stern Pinball machines involving Game Of Thrones, KISS, and Metallica, among others. As one of the founders of Krank Amplifiers, he was particularly close with the late Dimebag Darrell. Jody talks about his career in music, including the story behind the Metallica pinball machine. Speak N' Destroy podcast theme by Scott Mellinger. Visit the Speak N' Destroy website and various social media profiles HERE. Speak N' Destroy is part of the PopCurse podcast network.

OVERKILL drummer Jason Bittner is also a longtime member of Shadows Fall and has filled in for Charlie Benante in Anthrax. He performed on Marty Friedman’s 2011 solo album and was briefly the drummer in reformed thrash band Toxik before his three year stint behind the kit for Flotsam & Jetsam. Jason spent a year at the Berklee College of Music, before embarking on a career that’s taken him around the world. Speak N' Destroy podcast theme by Scott Mellinger. Visit the Speak N' Destroy website and various social media profiles HERE. Speak N' Destroy is part of the PopCurse podcast network.

COMEDIAN Don Jamieson is a standup comedian who first rose to prominence in the metal world as co-host of VH1 Classic’s That Metal Show. A prolific joke writer heard on The Howard Stern Show and an Emmy Award-winner for his work on HBO’s Inside the NFL, Jamieson has released four comedy albums and toured as the opening act for Andrew Dice Clay and the band Pop Evil. He’s hung out with the Metallica guys several times and even performed at the inaugural Orion Music + More Festival, where he was brought onstage and introduced by Lars Ulrich. Speak N' Destroy podcast theme by Scott Mellinger. Visit the Speak N' Destroy website and various social media profiles HERE. Speak N' Destroy is part of the PopCurse podcast network.

SLAYER cofounder Dave Lombardo talks about Slayer and Metallica's first show together; filling in for Lars Ulrich; the Big 4; which Slayer song was influenced by Metallica; designing the Slayer logo; how he almost joined Megadeth in 1986; Grip, Inc.; The Misfits; Mr. Bungle; Rick Rubin; holiday text messages from Glenn Danzig, and much more. Check out the Beloved Ghouls song HERE. Speak N' Destroy podcast theme by Scott Mellinger. Visit the Speak N' Destroy website and various social media profiles HERE. Speak N' Destroy is part of the PopCurse podcast network. 

METALLICA: THE CLUB DAYZ, 1982 - 1984: Live, Raw and Without a Photo Pit! collects the multitude of killer pictures of Metallica captured in their formative years by Bill Hale. He was there for six of the band’s early shows, including their first with Cliff, the band's last with Dave, and the first Metallica show with Kirk. Megadeth: Another Time, A Different Place is similarly stuffed with seminal photos, and features a foreword by Dave Mustaine himself. Bill talks about those shows, those guys, that early scene, and his current life in Hawaii. Speak N' Destroy podcast theme by Scott Mellinger. Visit the Speak N' Destroy website and various social media profiles HERE. Speak N' Destroy is part of the PopCurse podcast network.

Ex-MEGADETH lead guitarist and solo artist Marty Friedman on discovering KISS, his formative bands in Hawaii, hearing the Metallica demo, Kill 'Em All, Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets, the behind-the-scenes similarities between Megadeth and Metallica, what makes "Enter Sandman" and "Through the Never" so hilarious to the Japanese public, and so much more. The YouTube video Marty talks about can be found HERE. Speak N' Destroy podcast theme by Scott Mellinger. Visit the Speak N' Destroy website and various social media profiles HERE. Speak N' Destroy is part of the PopCurse podcast network. 

COMEDIAN Dean Delray draws upon a life of heavy metal and Harleys that began in the Bay Area, telling stories as a standup and longtime host of the Let There Be Talk podcast. His show bears the distinction of being the first podcast to feature all of the current guys in AC/DC. He spent four hours talking with Kirk Hammett for one episode and has himself appeared on the podcasts hosted by his friends Bill Burr, Marc Maron, and Joe Rogan. Speak N' Destroy podcast theme composed, performed, and produced by Scott Mellinger. Visit SpeakNDestroy.com. Support us on Patreon. Follow on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Follow Ryan J. Downeyon Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Speak N' Destroy is part of the PopCurse podcast network.

SKYLANDERS ACADEMY creator Eric Rogers tells the story of getting James Hetfield to voice werewolf musician Wolfgang in the hit animated series, which ran for three seasons on Netflix. Based on the Activision game series, Skylanders Academy also featured the voice talents of Justin Long, Ashley Tisdale, Breaking Bad’s Jonathan Banks, Bobcat Goldthwait, and my favorite comedian of all time, Norm Macdonald. Eric talks about working on the Emmy-winning series FUTURAMA, the ups and downs of developing Skylanders Academy, and of course, Metallica. Speak N' Destroy podcast theme by Scott Mellinger. Visit the Speak N' Destroy website and various social media profiles HERE. Speak N' Destroy is part of the PopCurse podcast network.

MUSIC ATTORNEY Eric German worked with the record companies in their lawsuits against Napster, including A&M Records v. Napster. He’s also a massive Metallica fan and spent his teenage years playing in rock bands. These days, his clients include Five Finger Death Punch, AWOLNATION, Bad Wolves, and Asking Alexandria. This conversation is filled with insights about copyright law as it pertains to music. Speak N' Destroy podcast theme composed, performed, and produced by Scott Mellinger. Visit SpeakNDestroy.com. Support us on Patreon. Follow on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Follow Ryan J. Downeyon Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Speak N' Destroy is part of the PopCurse podcast network.

BLUE ÖYSTER CULT lead guitarist (and sole consistent member!) Buck Dharma on meeting Metallica; the band’s cover of “Astronomy”; the famous Saturday Night Live sketch with Will Ferrell and Christopher Walken; writing, recording, and making music videos during the pandemic; participating in the 1986 metal all-star project Hear ’n Aid; his solo work; and BOC’s fourteenth studio album, The Symbol Remains. Speak N' Destroy podcast theme composed, performed, and produced by Scott Mellinger. Visit SpeakNDestroy.com. Support us on Patreon. Follow on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Follow Ryan J. Downeyon Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Speak N' Destroy is part of the PopCurse podcast network.

ARMORED SAINT (and Fates Warning) bassist Joey Vera discusses the band’s long career and the group’s history with Metallica. Speak N' Destroy podcast theme composed, performed, and produced by Scott Mellinger. Visit SpeakNDestroy.com. Support us on Patreon. Follow on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Follow Ryan J. Downeyon Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Speak N' Destroy is part of the PopCurse podcast network.

ARMORED SAINT vocalist and former Anthrax frontman John Bush talks about turning down an invitation to sing for Metallica; touring with Metallica and W.A.S.P. back in the day; Sound of White Noise; balancing life, family, and career; singing with Metallica at the band’s 30th anniversary shows; and the possibility of a solo tour doing material from his era fronting Anthrax. Speak N' Destroy podcast theme composed, performed, and produced by Scott Mellinger. Visit SpeakNDestroy.com. Support us on Patreon. Follow on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Follow Ryan J. Downeyon Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Speak N' Destroy is part of the PopCurse podcast network.

ARMORED SAINT: THE MOVIE director Russell Cherrington tells the behind-the-scenes stories of interviewing James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich for his documentary. His relationship with Armored Saint goes all the way back to the tape trading days of the early ‘80s metal scene. Metallica once extended an invitation to Armored Saint vocalist John Bush to join their band. Russell is also the award-winning director of Nightbreed - The Cabal Cut, a restoration of the Clive Barker horror classic. He’s worked with Peter Gabriel, Nine Inch Nails, and Brian Eno, and is a senior lecturer at the University of Derby. Speak N' Destroy podcast theme composed, performed, and produced by Scott Mellinger. Visit SpeakNDestroy.com. Support us on Patreon. Follow on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Follow Ryan J. Downeyon Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Speak N' Destroy is part of the PopCurse podcast network.