Riot Act

Originally posted August 29th on https://www.patreon.com/riotactpodcast As part of our second anniversary celebrations last year, we turned Rioteers Review on ourselves for the first (and last) time. Steve and Remfry are discussing Overton Progessive Melodic Noisecore band Stegal, the 2001 debut full-length album fronted by a certain Mr. Stephen 'Bri' Hill. A searing amalgam of Deftones' White Pony and Converge's Jane Doe (sort of), Stegal garnered a reputation for being the most annoying band in Overton, pissing off their contemporaries with their antagonistic ways and stage-wrecking antics.  Picking up a physical copy of Angharod these days is nigh on impossible, with some enterprising entrepreneurs attempting to sell second-hand copies of the scarce record for £99 (although rumours persist that a box of around 200 copies are gathering dust in the house of one of the band members). Criminally, Angharod never received a vinyl release, forever destined to remain a collectible curio amongst fan

This week, Steve and Remfry discuss the 'doomsday vault' that is being created on the archipelago of Svalbard (just off the coast of Norway) to preserve the world's best music and whether the lockdown restrictions lifting in the UK on 19th July will (hopefully) mean that some UK-based festivals (we're looking at your Bloodstock and Reading and Leeds) will be able to go ahead (again hopefully). Happy days ... (hopefully!) We also question the decision of a New Zealand based mother naming their children Metallica, Slayer and Pantera ... naturally, Remfry brings you the pedophile angle on the story.  There's not an awful lot going on in terms of new releases this week, but there is a bunch of stuff that we've missed over the past couple of months that definitely deserves some recognition, so we review new(ish) releases including the OST to DC Dark Nights: Death Metal (21:49) Roadrunner: New Light, New Machine by Brockhampton (53:19) Black to the Future by Sons of Kemet (84:33) Entertainme

We can officially announce that it's coming home but no-one's bothered to tell Remfry what 'it' is ... luckily Steve's on hand to inform, educate and entertain, three things that we're super psyched to do on this podcast. We also discuss why Bruce Dickinson is a bit of a plonker and talk about the latest allegations against Marilyn Manson. New releases reviewed this week are Call Me If You Get Lost by Tyler, The Creator (40:22) The Nightmare of Being by At the Gates (82:08) Consolamentum by Year of No Light (96:45) and Turnstile Love Connection by Turnstile (114:07) This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

In a bid to annoy Steve, Remfry has taken a suggestion from the Download forums to discuss the debut album from our lord and savior Jesus Chr... I mean Tom Delonge. As suggested by Asthenia 912 (likely not their real name) we try to get to the bottom of Delonge's messianic complex and how on earth he could have viewed this U2 knock off as "the greatest rock and roll revolution for this generation." This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

It's a bumper 3 hour show this week because Stephen 'I hate weather' Hill has been to a festival (say whaaaaaat!?), the Download Pilot (26:02). We hear his views on this history making event as well as taking a look at the forthcoming Black Album re-issue from Metallica and the varied line-up of artists they have  New releases reviewed this week are De Doorn by Amenra (101:39) Serpent & Spirit by URNE (122:04)Year of the Horse by Fucked Up (139:41) and It's a (Doggy Dog) World EP by The Guru Guru (161:00) This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Remfry and Steve honour Skunk Anansie's Skin as she is set to receive an OBE from The Queen (the monarch, not the band), discuss Roger Waters being aggy over social media and James Labrie guesting on his son's band's cover of Kickstart my Heart by Mötley Crüe, a song that feels as if it were recorded single-handedly with the intention of enraging us both.  We review new releases including I Lie Here Buried With My Rings and My Dresses by Backxwash, Migration by Bossk, Aggressive Continuum by Fear Factory, Path of Wellness by Sleater-Kinney and Arrows In Words From the Sky by Machine Head. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

It’s been a minute since we’ve released any Interview Specials what with one thing and another but we’re back with a very special chat indeed as Remfry sat down with Tom Begley, the mastermind and low-end rumble provider from post-metal stoner legends Bossk. We’re here to discuss their second full-length album Migration, a record that had a very unorthodox gestation. We discuss the collaborative nature of the record, how the band wrote music over noisescapes that were provided by Japanese band Endon, the guest spots from Cult of Luna’s Johannes Persson and Palm Reader’s Josh Mckeown, the circumstances behind the delay of vinyl that is affecting bands on a global scale, plus the future of Bossk and the exciting prospect of even more new Bossk music coming sooner than people might think. Pre-Order your copy of Migration https://www.bossk.org/?fbclid=IwAR3g5TGqaCYbTNgmPGOfWeCs0LvvUc4LmAUj-4Hjl3Ptij4RP9e1yxcYNNU (here) This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://ch

Steve and Remfry discuss the relative merits of writing their memoirs ... is it too early? Could we ask Jordan to ghost write it? Would anybody care? Expect to see two volumes in your local Waterstones by the end of the week (RRP £18.99). Something that will undoubtedly be better written is Bill Bailey's proposed song for Eurovision 2022, something that will automatically give the UK their best chance of winning in years! We can't agree on which is better though, Katrina and the Waves or Gina G ... Albums reviewed this week include Bodies by AFI (18:41) Blue Weekend by Wolf Alice (40:52) No Gods No Masters by Garbage (69:50) and Replica of a Strange Love by Wristmeetrazor (91:08) This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Steve and Remfry 'go down and deep' on the Download Pilot line-up and end up completely and utterly contradicting our stance from last week by having a *whispers* bit of a moan. Still ... festivals are back ... sort of ... yay! Something that no-one in their right mind should have a problem with is us moaning about the fact that Vince Neil STILL has a career in music even though he is clearly a washed up, overweight sexist sack of shit who can't sing, as he proved earlier this week at a festival in Iowa. What an utter goober! Albums reviewed this week are Nowhere Generation by Rise Against (35:24) Arrows by Red Fang (62:29) Family the Smiling Thrush by Boss Keloid (78:58) and Drool by Part Chimp (92:32) This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Steve and Remfry are keeping the Sabbath dream alive as they take a look at Sons of the Pioneers, the debut (and only) full-length album by 'nu-metal' one hit wonders The Workhorse Movement as suggested by Doug Rae. Outrageously coloured hair, mustard-coloured suits, two vocalists, one of whom is called 'cornbread' ... it could only be the early 2000s. The Workhorse Movement had Monte Connor's backing, the Roadrunner A&R guy famous for signing the likes of Slipknot, Sepultura, Fear Factory and Machine Head ... but do The Workhorse Movement live up to such lofty signings? This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Steve's furious as per after Remfry takes 25 minutes to make a coffee ... Why do something in 3 minutes when you can do it in 25 eh? Once we get around to talking about ... ya know, MUSIC, we discuss the news that Download are set to host a three day pilot festival at a capacity of 10,000 in three weeks time ... a festival ... with music ... in a field ... in three weeks. Bet the internet's still gonna kick off though isn't it! Oh and ex-Megadeth bassist David Ellefson is, in the words of Frankie Howerd, a very dirty old man. Reviews this week are Cavalcade by black midi (23:26) Lustful Sacraments by Perturbator (54:09) Wretched Abyss by Noctule (80:13) and Perfect by Mannequin Pussy (91:26) This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Remfry and Steve discuss weird collaborations as the news breaks that A$AP Rocky has wrangled in Morrissey to guest on his new album ........ joy! In other news, Slipknot's Shawn Crahan (AKA Clown) is to release his own brand of Cannabis products, Glastonbury have been granted a license to hold a mini-festival called Equinox with a capacity of 50,000 patrons and accusations against Prince have once again reared their ugly head in a New York Times interview conducted with Sinead O Connor.  Albums reviewed this week include Intruder by Gary Numan (37:51) Witness by VOLA (60:35) Frontera by Fly Pan AM (72:59) and Flag by Prosperina (83:04) This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Steve and Remfry discuss 1987's Scream Bloody Gore, the debut album by Death, as suggested by Tom Butterworth. The boys discuss the album's standing as the first true death metal album ever and whether it deserves such a lofty title, they ponder the impact Death have had on the metal world at large and pontificate about the size of venues Death would play if they were still around today  This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Steve let's his love for Depeche Mode's Martin Gore be known in a very unorthodox way and seems intent on bringing the weird perversion up frequently on this week's show. Remfry, no stranger to wild perversions himself, respects Steve's life choices, but wants no part of it.  Thank the God of synth-pop then that there's plenty to talk about on this week's show otherwise we'd be stuck in an eternal shitstorm loop. We discuss award show politics and ponder how an artist who has released just one single in the past 12 months can win Best International Female Solo Artist over someone who, in the same period has released three full-length albums all of which have gone to #1 in the UK Charts. Similar pondering occurs over Rage Against the Machine and Iron Maiden still not being deemed worthy entrants to the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame ... although we're less fussed about it than the internet seems to be. Plus we discuss Die Antwoord's removal from ALT+LDN festival and what (if

Remfry is uncharacteristically keen to talk about the rumours of a new Spice World film that is set to emerge next year to coincide with Spice Girls' 25th anniversary (according to The Sun ... so maybe don't get your hopes up Spice Girls fans). Also in the news, one of the best new stories of the year, nay the decade, nay EVER - a drunk man was arrested after swinging a full colostomy bag at police. What has this to do with music? Well, it happened at Kid Rock's Honky Tonk Rock 'N Roll Steakhouse in Nashville. So, just another typical day at the Steakhouse then ... Albums reviewed this week are Van Weezer by Weezer (18:42) Endless Arcade by Teenage Fanclub (47:40) The Last Three Seconds by Voronoi (59:35) and There Is No God Where I Am by Cruelty (78:35) This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

We've resisted covering some BIG albums on Classic Albums over the year or so that we've been putting these out but one area we simply couldn't resist dipping our toe into any longer was the Seattle Grunge (not a genre) scene. And in typical Riot Act fashion, we start with an album which is about as far away from the 'typical' grunge sound as you can get.  In this first part of a two part special, we look back at Superunknown, the 4th (or 5th) album by Soundgarden. Remfry leads the chat and states his case for Superunknown being not only an undeniable classic but pretty much one of the best records of all time (and there's little disagreement from Steve). Released on 8th March 1994, Superunknown was an expansive, experimental smorgasbord of sound that explored a rich tapestry of psychedelia, stoner rock, crooner vocals and doom-laden riffs, an album which takes a Black Sabbath mixed with The Beatles approach as its starting point(!) and twists that idea into ever more exploratory and f

With the sad news that 2000Trees has had to postpone their 2021 edition, Steve and Remfry take a realistic look at whether the UK will be seeing festivals this summer or not ... don't get your hopes up. But nevermind, there's always 2022 and Download have swooped in to cheer us all up by announcing 70+ bands for next year's line-up, which is exciting isn't it! ... Isn't it!? Well, in typical Download fashion ... no it's not. Darn! Still, there is plenty to get excited about as it's a HUMONGOUS week for new music! We review Fortitude by Gojira (16:30) The Million Masks of God by Manchester Orchestra (51:43) Typhoons by Royal Blood (1:12:27) and Hell Unleashed by Evile (1:37:27) This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

As suggested by Jed Grainger, Steve and Remfry discuss the debut (and only) album from the short-lived project formed by Omar Rodriguez Lopez and Cedric Bixler-Zavala of At the Drive-In / The Mars Volta fame. Released digitally on July 1st 2014 (november 10th 2014 physically) Antemasque caused a minor ripple for fans of At the Drive-In and The Mars Volta, which led Antemasque to play their debut London show at the Electric Ballroom, a show which Remfry attended and recalls here via a long lost Team Rock review. Steve generally mopes, but at least he likes Antemasque more than the last At the Drive-In album This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Remfry and Steve start this week's show on a sombre note as we pay tribute to Jim Steinman, the colourful composer behind hits like Bat Out Of Hell and Total Eclipse Of The Heart, who passed away earlier this week from kidney failure after being ill for some time. In other news, the internet has been a-buzz with hype after Mudvayne announced they are set to return to US festivals to play their first shows since their hiatus in 2010. Exciting news for sure, but maybe not quite as exciting as many people seem to be making out.  Albums reviewed this week are Sweep It Into Space by Dinosaur Jr. (24:30) Californian Soil by London Grammar (44:06) Vital by Big I Brave (1:05:18) and Intermission by Assertion (1:17:10) This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Steve and Remfry discuss the passing of DMX as well as the dubious reunion of Emperor with ex-member Mortiis (fine) and Faust (.... ah!) Probably not your finest move Ihsahn, we'll be honest.  Albums reviewed this week are Ultra Pop by The Armed (22:25) The Battle At Garden's Gate by Greta Van Fleet (39:41) Sleeps Society by While She Sleeps (56:30) and Violence Unimagined by Cannibal Corpse (75:33) This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy