Speak N' Destroy

ALTER BRIDGE. Mark Tremonti first rose to prominence as the guitar player in Creed, but his high school years were informed by Venom, Slayer, Mercyful Fate, Death Angel, and most of all, Metallica. He talks about swiping his older brother's tape; learning "Sanitarium," "The Call of Ktulu," and and "Orion"; meeting James, Lars, Kirk, and Rob over the years; his early bands; his many fantastic stories about Eddie Van Halen; Alter Bridge vocalist Myles Kennedy nearly joining a reformed Led Zeppelin; getting a guitar from Hetfield; his dream Metallica setlist; and much more.  Keep up with the podcast at SpeakNDestroy.com Follow Speak N' Destroy on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Follow Ryan J. Downey on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Speak N' Destroy is part of the PopCurse podcast network.

SAXON. Metallica played their second and third shows ever, at the Whiskey A Go-Go, opening for Saxon. Lars Ulrich marked the 37th anniversary on Instagram, writing, "For us at the time, this was like winning the lottery. Not only was this our first Hollywood gig, but in the early 80s, Saxon were one of the biggest, most exciting & influential hard rock bands in the UK & Europe. All in all, an incredible night for ‘Tallica." Saxon vocalist Biff Byford talks about that legendary night in 1982; the metal scene of the early '80s; hanging out with Lars in 2007; performing "Motorcycle Man" with Metallica at the 30th anniversary shows; British humor; his 2019 heart attack; and his debut solo album, School of Hard Knocks.  Naked Six is the name of the band fronted by Biff's son, Seb.  Keep up with the podcast at SpeakNDestroy.com Follow Speak N' Destroy on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Follow Ryan J. Downey on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Speak N' Destroy is part of the PopCurse podcas

MEGAFORCE RECORDS. The first manager for Metallica, Jonny Z, issued the band's first two albums through Megaforce, the label he cofounded with his wife, Marsha Zazula. As managers and label executives the duo worked with Anthrax, Testament, Overkill, Ministry, and Raven, to name just a few. Jonny talks about the No Life 'Til Leather demo; his first conversation with Lars Ulrich; bringing the band across the country from California to Old Bridge, New Jersey; what Lars, Cliff, James, and Dave were like; meeting Kirk Hammett; the making of Kill 'Em All; asking John Bush to sing for Metallica; 12" singles; Ride the Lightning; losing the band to bigger management and a major label; the Rock Hall of Fame induction ceremony; his relationship with the guys today; and his brand new memoir, Heavy Tales: The Metal. The Music. The Madness. As lived by Jon Zazula.  Keep up with the podcast at SpeakNDestroy.com Follow Speak N' Destroy on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Follow Ryan J. Downey on Twitter, Instagram, an

Ex-TERRORIZER Deputy Editor Andrew Carter joins Ryan J. Downey for a full report, recap, and discussion of S&M²! Andrew is former Deputy Editor of Terrorizer Magazine; ex-manager for Raging Speedhorn and Iron Monkey; and worked for nearly a dozen years in music licensing for one of the major film studios. Andrew explains the fateful role Metallica played in his life decisions, including his experience at the fan club only London Astoria 2 show in 1995; and the pair break down their experience during the first night of the S&M² event in San Francisco. A cinematic version of S&M² hits select theaters in October 2019. Learn more about Andrew in this extensive Q&A published by Decibel Magazine a few years ago.   Keep up with the podcast at SpeakNDestroy.com Follow Speak N' Destroy on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Follow Ryan J. Downey on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Speak N' Destroy is part of the PopCurse podcast network.

TOXIC HOLOCAUST mastermind Joel Grind talks about the massive influence of Metallica; his favorite riffs; the connection between album artwork and vibe; Cliff Burton; Lars Ulrich; the time he distilled Hardwired down to its thrashiest elements as a labor of love passion project; the 20th anniversary of Toxic Holocaust; soundtrack and production work; and his new album, Primal Future: 2019.  Keep up with the podcast at SpeakNDestroy.com Follow Speak N' Destroy on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Follow Ryan J. Downey on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Speak N' Destroy is part of the PopCurse podcast network.

CREEPING DEATH guitarist Trey Pemberton talks about his first Metallica record; personal Metallica album ranking; favorite riffs; his musician mother; the various death and thrash metal ingredients that make up his band; the rich history of heavy metal in Texas; Creeping Death's visual aspects; and the band's full-length debut, Wretched Illusions. This episode contains the Creeping Death song "Bloodlust Contamination."  Creeping Death "Bloodlust Contamination" Music Video. Keep up with the podcast at SpeakNDestroy.com  Follow Speak N' Destroy on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.  Follow Ryan J. Downey on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.  Speak N' Destroy is part of the PopCurse podcast network. 

SUM 41 guitarist Dave "Brownsound" Baksh takes us behind-the-scenes of MTV Icon: Metallica, the 2003 event where his band brought down the house with a ripping Metallica medley that stood in stark contrast to some otherwise questionable band/song pairings. Dave talks about the feedback he received from James and Kirk; discovering Metallica; his favorite Metallica riff to warmup with; the infamous Guns N' Roses / Metallica show in Montreal where PapaHet stepped into a huge "tower of flame"; Sum 41's latest album; and much more.  The St. Anger fan re-recording we talk about can be found here.  Keep up with the podcast at SpeakNDestroy.com  Follow Speak N' Destroy on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.  Follow Ryan J. Downey on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.  Speak N' Destroy is part of the PopCurse podcast network. 

KILL 'EM ALL engineer and mixer Chris Bubacz joins the show to talk about recording and mixing the seminal debut album from Metallica in a tiny studio in Rochester, New York. Meeting the guys; the state of their gear; Lars Ulrich's hands-on approach; Cliff's bass solo; Megaforce Records founder Johnny Z; plus a little bit about his work on the debut album from Anthrax and records by The Rods, Ace Frehley, and Znöwhite.  Chris runs a studio monitor-loudspeaker company called Guzauski-Swist Audio, named after his business partners, Mick Guzauski and Larry Swist. Info can be found at gsstudiomonitors.com.  Keep up with the podcast at SpeakNDestroy.com  Follow Speak N' Destroy on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.  Follow Ryan J. Downey on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.  Speak N' Destroy is part of the PopCurse podcast network. 

DEMON HUNTER guitarist Jeremiah Scott, who also produced his band's most recent albums, talks about hearing Metallica for the first time; learning his first Metallica song; the guitar teacher who tried to steal his girlfriend; having "For Whom the Bell Tolls" played at his wedding; the inherent silliness and/or awesomeness of certain band names, from Smashing Pumpkins and Pantera to Metallica to Demon Hunter; seeing Lemmy join Metallica onstage in Nashville; Bob Rock; sneaking into concerts as a 16 year old kid and as an adult; becoming a producer; and much more.  Keep up with the podcast at SpeakNDestroy.com  Follow Speak N' Destroy on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.  Follow Ryan J. Downey on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.  Speak N' Destroy is part of the PopCurse podcast network. 

RED FANG was handpicked to join Metallica's inaugural Orion Music + More as part of a diverse specially curated lineup that included Modest Mouse, Eric Church, Best Coast, Ghost, Baroness, Arctic Monkeys, Avenged Sevenfold, Torche, and Sepultura. Red Fang guitarist/vocalist Bryan Giles tells the story behind that day and talks about hearing "For Whom the Bell Tolls" for the first time; facts vs. feelings; propaganda; pinball; high school humiliation; Ronnie James Dio; James Hetfield; Red Fang's experimental music video; their next album; and much more.  Keep up with the podcast at SpeakNDestroy.com  Follow Speak N' Destroy on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.  Follow Ryan J. Downey on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.  Speak N' Destroy is part of the PopCurse podcast network. 

THE CULT. Metallica and The Cult have a long history of friendship and touring, so naturally, Billy has a ton of great stories! He also talks Bob Rock, Rick Rubin, Sire Records; the Cult’s trio of classic albums; the story behind the iconic Sonic Temple album cover; and so much more. Keep up with the podcast at SpeakNDestroy.com  Follow Speak N' Destroy on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.  Follow Ryan J. Downey on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.  Speak N' Destroy is part of the PopCurse podcast network. 

OVERKILL frontman talks about falling in love with music; hearing Metallica for the first time; meeting the guys; the formative years of thrash metal; Metallica's collaboration with Lou Reed; Metallica cover songs; punk vs. thrash; taking care of his voice; Overkill's longevity; and Mickey Mouse.  Keep up with the podcast at SpeakNDestroy.com  Follow Speak N' Destroy on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.  Follow Ryan J. Downey on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.  Speak N' Destroy is part of the PopCurse podcast network. 

Journey into the Weird Tale of H.P. Lovecraft in our first ever bonus / mini-episode and learn a bit about the literary giant who inspired "The Call of Ktulu," "The Thing That Should Not Be," "All Nightmare Long," and "Dream No More." A genius, a visionary, a recluse, and a person with very problematic personal views, Howard Phillips Lovecraft continues to influence and fascinate metal musicians, film directors, and authors alike, including Opeth, Dream Theater, High On Fire, Guillermo del Toro, and Stephen King. Show Notes:  The Enduring Influence of H.P. Lovecraft on Extreme Music Writers of Color Continue to Wrestle With Lovecraft’s Racist Legacy The Gates Of Slumber

SUM 41. Frontman for the Canadian pop punk band on their ripping medley at MTV Icon: Metallica (2003), with all of the behind the scenes detail; his favorite Metallica riffs; and his band’s new album.

REVOCATION. David Davidson, the Berklee College of Music educated frontman for death/thrash metal merchants Revocation, talks about his band's ripping cover of "Dyer's Eve"; ...And Justice for All; Master of Puppets; the Black Album; "Johnny Got His Gun"; H.P. Lovecraft; "Weird" Al Yankovic; his songwriting process; seeing Metallica live for the first time; his band's latest album, The Outer Ones; and his new project, Gargoyl.  Follow Ryan J. Downey Follow Speak N' Destroy Make sure to visit Speak N' Destroy online.   Speak N' Destroy is part of the PopCurse podcast network. 

A YEAR AND A HALF IN THE LIFE OF METALLICA director Adam Dubin on the behind-the-scenes story of the classic home video, including his first meetings with James and Lars, speeding down the 405, the Kip Winger dartboard, and hazing Bob Rock; his new Bay Area thrash documentary MURDER IN THE FRONT ROW; his college roommate, Rick Rubin; co-directing the Beastie Boys videos "(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party)" and "No Sleep Till Brooklyn"; working with Danzig; the pivotal role of Kirk Hammett; and more. Find out how to watch his new film at https://mitfr.com/.  As always, keep up with everything Speak N' Destroy:  SpeakNDestroy.com RyanJDowney.com PopCurse.com 

ALTITUDES & ATTITUDE. Frank Bello (ANTHRAX) and David Ellefson (MEGADETH) live from the Musicians Institute, part of the MI Conversation Series presented by Loudwire and Ultimate Classic Rock. In this wide ranging conversation with Ryan J. Downey and the audience Q&A that followed, the two Big 4 bassists talk about their band together, Altitudes & Attitudes, meeting for the first time while on tour in their respective bands, and the early days of thrash. Frankie does the best impression of Gene and Paul from KISS ever, both guys remember Alice In Chains opening for the first US "Clash of the Titans," David talks about the influence of original Metallica bassist Ron McGovney, and both men share thoughtful reflections on the late Cliff Burton. Keep up with the podcast at Speak N' Destroy dot com and on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Keep up with Ryan J. Downey at Ryan J Downey dot com and on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. 

CHICKENFOOT. Kirk's guitar teacher! Recorded live as part of the MI Conversation Series at the Musicians Institute in Hollywood, California, presented by Loudwire and Ultimate Classic Rock. This is an in-depth (and at times very emotional discussion) about his life and career. Joe talks about switching from drums to guitar as a kid; jazz music; teaching his neighbor, Steve Vai; recording and releasing his classic records; his songwriting process; and working with a young Mr. Hammett as the Bay Area badass figured out what to do in Metallica.

ex-THE ATARIS. Christopher Swinney is the former guitarist for gold-selling pop punk band The Ataris, host of That One Time On Tour podcast, and of course, a massive Metallica fan.

REFUSED. Refused frontman Dennis Lyxzén performed "Whiplash" with Mikkey Dee (King Diamond, Motörhead, Scorpions) and a cellist at last year's Polar Music Prize ceremony, in front of Lars, Rob, and the King and Queen of Sweden. Dennis tells stories from that night, talks about meeting Metallica when International Noise Conspiracy shared a stage with them, his love for the early Metallica records, and even his respect for Lulu.