The Best of 2025 at Midyear

00:00:00There's a podcast that's sure all that rocks hard is gold. And they're climbing the stairway to 11. When they get to there they know the record stores are all closed. But online they can get what they came for.

00:00:33And they're streaming the Stairway to 11.

00:00:40Hello and welcome to Stairway to 11.

00:00:43My name Is George.

00:00:45This is John.

00:00:46And I'm TR.

00:00:48And today we are going to copy off the homework of our other podcast,

00:00:53The Metalheads Podcast, who just did the top 20 albums of 2025 mid-year. We're going to do the best of 2025 so far in the world of rock and roll. This is all of us just, we looked at what came out in 2025 that we've been listening to. And we're going to talk about that. And we made a list about it. Yeah, that's all this really is. We hope you like our new direction. Yes. Yes, yes.

00:01:23Shark Sandwich? No. You can't say that. They can't print that. That's nitpicking. Speaking of which, before we get into this, I know at least one of us went to see... I was going to go, but I had an emergency. I couldn't go. I know. Meow. Yeah. Had to go to the doctor. I know. But, TR, did you go? I did twice. Nice. Well, how was it? And it was awesome. Which, for

00:01:53Which version? Was it the original theatrical or did they add any? No, so there was nothing added. They did put it into 4K, I guess. And for people that don't listen to our podcast ever, except for right now, this is Spinal Tap he's talking about. Yeah, this is Spinal Tap, the 41st anniversary. Which is awesome. Yeah, exactly. And so, yeah, they released it in theaters over the 4th of July weekend for about, like,

00:02:23Literally like four days or something. I mean, it was really quick and short. But yeah. And so there was no way I was not going to see that movie. So I did go see it. And it was really cool because I never saw it in a theater before. I would imagine that actually very few people did because, you know, when it came out in 1983 or 4 or whatever it was, you know, I'm sure not a lot of people saw it in the theater.

00:02:53And so it was pretty cool to see it big. And nothing had changed. Because there was a trailer for the film where they changed one of the reviews of one of the albums. Rob Reiner, when he does the interview with them, and they took out the word retarded. They're treading in a sea of retarded sexuality.

00:03:22And they changed that in the trailer

00:03:25for the re-release of the film.

00:03:29However, they did not...

00:03:31It was still intact in the movie.

00:03:33They did not mess with the movie,

00:03:35which I was glad about

00:03:37because the use of that word

00:03:40was not out of what it means.

00:03:45I mean, the whole point of it

00:03:47was it was used as the word is meant to be used.

00:03:51It was not a slur or anything

00:03:54Yeah

00:03:54So anyway I don't know why they did that

00:03:57For the ad for the movie

00:03:59What did they change it to?

00:04:00They just cut the word

00:04:01They just said

00:04:03I can't remember now

00:04:05But it was like

00:04:07I can't remember what they said

00:04:09Fire retardant

00:04:11They changed it

00:04:15And it's like

00:04:16Why would you even bother doing that?

00:04:19Like I just didn't understand it

00:04:20But anyway

00:04:21Thankfully, the movie was untouched in terms of any changes. They didn't mess with it. It sounded great. It looked great. At the end of the film, they did a trailer for Spinal Tap 2, which comes out September 12th. The new film by Rob Reiner on Spinal Tap, The End Continues, Part 2.

00:04:50And so that was kind of fun to watch a trailer of that at the end of the Spinal Tap film. Given the relationship of this movie to this podcast, the three of us should go see this new movie together. I agree. The only issue is I will be in Atlanta at that time. Well, when you come back. On the 12th? Yes, on the 12th. You're going back down? Yeah. So the Dream Theater date that got put on.

00:05:22Oh, it's that weekend. It's that weekend. Well, it doesn't have to be the exact day. Well, that's true. And I hope that you guys will have patience and we can all go see it. I can. I will do whatever you want to do. I just think the three of us should need to go. And yeah, maybe. Yeah, I agree. Awesome, dude. Yeah, let's do it. All right. I can't do that dream theater tour. There's just no dates that work out because we're going to be in Atlanta when they're in our area.

00:05:50are close to us. Right. Well, and when they announced the date of the 40th that I missed, I was like, well, I got to go back for that. And then I'm staying. So I'm doing both nights. I'm doing the Parano... What is it? So they're doing... You're going to get to see both sets then? Yeah, I'll get to see both sets. Oh, that's cool. You know, the album tour is the Saturday.

00:06:20I don't know if it's a Friday and a Saturday or Saturday and Sunday, but like the album tour night is the first and then the 40th anniversary replay is the next night. So I'm doing both of those shows. And what's that new album again? Parasomnia. I'm having a little trouble. Yeah. It's one of those words. All right. Cool. All right. Cool. Awesome. All right. Well, let's get into those lists we keep talking about.

00:06:49Yes.

00:06:52TR, you want to start us off?

00:06:54All right, I shall.

00:06:57So this is not in any order.

00:07:00No, no orders.

00:07:02I just literally put down the first thing that I put down.

00:07:06And so my first one is Rush 50.

00:07:10This is a career-spanning anthology, and just like every Rush re-release,

00:07:15they always sprinkle in some unreleased stuff to make all the fans want to buy it.

00:07:19Frankly, I have tons of Rush and almost didn't get this, but some of the live tracks were better than the other sources I had. And the original 45 with Not Fade Away and Can't Fight It was remastered and on this release. So I kind of almost had to get it. So I went and got it. I got the four CD version of this. There are obviously multiple LP versions and all this other stuff.

00:07:49Like that was as far as I wanted to go with this. So there are some cool live tracks that are part of this that I either didn't have or, you know, it's going to be a better version of what I had. So I went ahead and, you know, pulled the trigger on that. So that's my first entry in this list. What are the tracks that you think are better? Well, I will tell you. Let me bring it up real quick.

00:08:17because I did not bite. Oh, you didn't? No. No. Okay. I don't know what I would be getting on here that would be that much better for me. Uh-oh. So that's why I'm curious to know what are the better. Okay. Well, this is like, so I literally, I only like on, so on, so I'm old school and I put everything on iTunes and so, so yeah, so the 45, not fade away,

00:08:47You Can't Fight It. I could get those as single songs. I know, and I actually had the MP3s of those that they released on the internet years ago, but these are actually pretty good versions of them. Right. And then they had, I think it's the St. Catherine's Show, which had Need Some Love, Before and After, Bad Boy, Garden Road, and Anthem Live. There was a live drum solo. There was a Trees Vault Edition, which had a slightly different solo.

00:09:17and some different, you know, some slight differences. Yeah. Sorry. You all right there, George? Yeah. Okay. And then La Via Strangiato live, In the Mood live, and then also the What You're Doing, Working Man and Garden Road live from the final tour in LA. They had a recording of that. So I grabbed those because that's really, that's what I just listed is literally all I wanted from this.

00:09:48So that's why I thought, yeah, I'm going to get this. It's being a fan. That's what fans do. Yeah, I can't, you know, it's like they get you every time. Yeah. Not everyone. Not everybody. And at the drive-thru. But, you know. Yeah. Speaking of Rush, completely unrelated to the band, and yet not entirely unrelated to the band, I must type it a lot because I was texting with my sister this morning.

00:10:17And I, we were planning, she's here from Norway and we're planning a trip. And I was talking about rush hour in the local area. And when I typed rush, it capitalized it. As well it should. As well it should. Yes, George. See, that's proof. That is. True fans, phones. Yes. Capitalize it automatically. Rockers. Exactly.

00:10:50All right, I'll do this one first. Again, mine's not in any order either, but I did put five albums I wanted to talk about first. I have nine on my list, but they're not in any order. This is my biggest surprise because I had checked out on this artist a long time ago because I just wasn't digging some of the direction he was going.

00:11:16But I'm digging this album. This new album. Which is Stephen Wilson's The Overview. Yes. I thought that was pretty good. It is. And it's his return. Sort of return to prog. It's not. Some people are hailing it as this great return to prog. It is. And it's also still his solo type stuff in there. It's a mix of both. Although the second song is definitely the

00:11:46One That Harkens Back More to Porcupine Tree. The first one, I think, is a combination of that first song. What is that first one called? One's called The Overview. Objects That Live Us, I think. Objects That Live Us, yeah. That's the longer song of the two. Right. So I think it's a really good album. And when I had heard that he was doing two pieces only, I was like, oh, this should be interesting. It's really not two pieces. They may be two songs, but it's almost like a collection of

00:12:16songs thematically linked together.

00:12:19Because there are kind of semi-hard breaks on some of those pieces.

00:12:24And you can get both, which I actually appreciate that he did.

00:12:27So then you can actually get the full versions, which the first song is 23 minutes.

00:12:33The second song is 18 and change.

00:12:35And what's nice is then you could also get the songs broken out if you wanted it to get both.

00:12:40So both type of fan is appeased in that.

00:12:42Some people want the full.

00:12:43Some people want the partial.

00:12:45Some people want both and he gets twice the money. Or you can order the one digital and you get all of it together. Whatever. I think that's what they were doing when I got it. Because I also have a hard copy of it too. But I think it's cool to hear him kind of venture back down into that world, especially on the title track, the overview. I would say that there are two pieces of that song, which are two of the best things I think he's done in a really long time.

00:13:15And that is part two of Beautiful Infinity Borrowed Atoms, which is a split title there. And then the part three, which is Infinity Measured in Moments, I think is just outstanding, that third part of that song. And I'm actually looking forward to seeing him for the first time solo. Trust me, I've seen him live a lot. I've never seen him. I actually have seen him solo before he was even doing his solo work.

00:13:45Oh, I saw him.

00:13:47I saw him.

00:13:47The.

00:13:50That short acoustic thing he did.

00:13:53Semi-acoustic thing with Jordan Rudis.

00:13:55Yeah.

00:13:55Yeah.

00:13:56Yeah.

00:13:56Where we had to drive hell over high water to see him.

00:14:00Right.

00:14:01So.

00:14:01Wait, I'm thinking of, was it?

00:14:04What did he do with Aviv?

00:14:07Oh, he did the Blackfield thing too.

00:14:09Yeah.

00:14:10Blackfield.

00:14:10Like, yeah.

00:14:41to my own criticisms about giving a fair shake to an album. But I like this album. I think it's solid to really good. And if you're interested in hearing him kind of delve back into that world, it might be a good place to start. There's some hints, some Easter eggs kind of to some old things he did in prior years that kind of pop up here and there, which is kind of nice. The little slide guitar thing kind of pops up from this guy moves sideways.

00:15:11his era of Porcupine Tree, which I was like, oh. Yeah. I noticed that too. There was, yeah, there are a lot of little nuggets in there that are just like little nods to earlier Porcupine Tree, which I thought was really cool that he kind of acknowledged that. And, and. Yeah. The slide guitar is like Far Cry from Rush. When they gave us that eight second snippet, that that's all they gave us before the album came out. And it's the Alex Lifeson note, which if you don't know,

00:15:41know what that is look it up um it's his hemispheres note and when they do that

00:15:47like literally every old school rush fan had a heart attack because they thought

00:15:51hemispheres was coming back psych yeah uh so anyway that's my my first pick steven cool yeah that

00:16:00john that was definitely on my list as well yeah and yeah i agree like this to me is you know the

00:16:07that he's gotten to the porcupine tree sound with his solo releases.

00:16:12But it's still very solo, Stephen Wilson.

00:16:14Yes, I agree. And it's, I mean, it's progressive, but it's, but it's still kind of modern.

00:16:21And the band's outstanding. I mean, he has all his, the musicians in his band are, are very good. Just like all the musicians of porcupine tree are great.

00:16:29Yeah, exactly. Well, he, you know, he gets really good players. My beef, I guess, is that.

00:16:37He's always claimed he's not a guitar player, but to me, he plays in a tasteful way. I agree. You know, a la David Gilmour, which, you know, it's not how many notes you can play. It's what you get out of the note that you do play. And I feel like he's done himself a little bit of a disservice by getting these stunt guitars to, you know, drop in and do all these solos and things.

00:17:06Because I always felt like his guitar playing was always very tasteful and kind of served the song. And it was never kind of out of control or ridiculous or over the top, you know? And so, but I will say, like, on this album, even though he does have other guitarists playing on it, it's not as over the top as some of his other songs.

00:17:36Releases that where, you know, it was just kind of complicated just to be complicated or, you know, I don't know what kind of point he was trying to prove. But like, to me, like the playing on this album is very tasteful and not over the top, which is nice. And I'm looking forward to seeing this live just as much as you, John. Like, you know, they'll play the album in its entirety while they play a movie specifically made for the album behind the band.

00:18:06while they play, which I got the opportunity to see on the, I don't know if you guys have heard of Veeps. Yeah, I've heard of it. And so they actually showed that movie, I don't know, I think it was like a couple of months ago. So I signed up and got into that and it was pretty cool. So it's this really, really cool, like there's different kinds of CGI animations and stuff, but it doesn't look like cheesy.

00:18:36or anything. It's actually very well done. And so I'm looking forward to actually seeing that play, you know, behind them live while they play the album. Yeah, me too. All right, Georgie, take us away with your first pick. All right, so my first pick, I'm just going to get this out of the way. This is Jesse Stiletto and their self-titled first album. To quote Bandcamp listener,

00:19:06Jono Schneider. Sick, heavy, energetic, hard rock that gives you that early Queens of the Stone Age vibe of big ass riffs throwing you around the ring and daring you to stand up and be counted. Pure sleaze that oozes blue oyster cult. Yes. Yeah. We had these guys on a couple episodes ago. Yeah. And I just got my ass kicked all over the Metalheads podcast.

00:19:36for listing this as my number four album of the year, I think it was, so far. And hell yeah, this is an amazing album that you, I mean, if you didn't listen to that episode, you should go back and listen to it. And you should also listen to this album. So there you go. Yeah. Well, I think it's all on all of our lists, George. Well, then let's talk about it more later. All righty then.

00:20:05Back to you then, T.R.

00:20:07Well, then I think I'll just bring it up right now.

00:20:10Well, all right, then.

00:20:11Because Jesse Stiletto, their self-titled album, is also on my list.

00:20:17And obviously, you know, awesome album.

00:20:20We talked about it pretty much in depth on our interview with them in a previous episode.

00:20:26So I would highly recommend that those of you who haven't listened to that particular episode go back and listen.

00:20:33And you can hear straight from the source how they came up with the album, all the various things that we talked about on that episode about how they, you know, went about recording and all the things. I actually learned a lot about like the whole recording process and what they did and how they did it. And so I was really glad that we had that opportunity to talk to them. So super cool guys, super cool album. It's definitely worth a listen.

00:21:03And if you like, you know, 70s rock, if you like music, if you like music, this is for you. It's definitely kind of a, you know, if you like that kind of stoner desert rock plus 70s blue oyster cult kind of deal, then, you know, this is this is for you. So, yep, that's another one on my list. Right on. John.

00:21:33Okay, I'm not going to go with them next as my pick. More on that later. Quitter? Not a quitter. I'm not a follower. Oh, there you go. Oh, I see. Striking out on my own. Okay. I'll do what I want. You tell them. Wait, you tell me. You tell me. All right. So my second pick is a band called Awkrist.

00:22:03And the album is called Waving at the Sky. Now, when you look at the name Akris, you're like, well, I don't see Akris. I see A-V-K-R-V-S-T. Yeah, the Vs are used. I don't know why they did it, but they did. They are Norwegian prog rock with some prog metal in their sound. This is their second album to come out. They are kind of an up-and-coming new band that's gaining a lot of traction. They're already on Inside Out Music, which is a heavy prog.

00:22:33and prog metal label. Some people say it's where bands go to die. I don't know. I mean, they've got a huge roster. It's part of the Sony Music Group because Century Media is above them. So they're in that whole chain of albums. So maybe it's good, maybe it's bad, but they're getting good press. They're playing shows. So they started out of nowhere and now they're two albums in and they're getting bigger and bigger and they've made quite a splash on the prog rock scene. But like I said, modern prog rock from a couple of friends,

00:23:03that started, wanted to start a band that's now grown into a full-fledged five-piece. Like I said, Norwegian. Obvious influences are kind of progier era Opeth and kind of the 2000s Porcupine Tree, but it's still their own sound. They have a unique way of developing their harmonies and their choruses, and they have a great way of building up these kind of bombastic sounding songs without making them bombastic.

00:23:32If you're a prog fan, you know what that means. Because there's a lot of bombastic prog. You're like, ugh. And then there's others that are bombastic without being bombastic. There's a lot of times saying that word. But I love them. I think they're great. And TR's gonna just shake his head, but there's a guest on the album, and I don't know what it is. And this guy's not in his band.

00:24:03That's Haken's Ross Jennings. Oh, yes, of course. Things on this song, The Manevalent. Wait a minute, let me grab the bubbles from the air. But he sounds great on the chorus. Okay. So maybe he's a guy that is getting better as he sings more and more. Yeah. And the song suits him perfect. It's a short song, but it's great overall. I will say, though, the theme of the album is quite disturbing.

00:24:31So I'm going to quote Steve Joyce from his review. He's from the Prague Report. I want to give him credit for this. I'm using all his words to describe this album. This album is actually a prequel to the debut album, story-wise, even though it's the second album. And it's basically, the songs are inspired by a gruesome family tragedy and the bleak soul from the debut is one of the main characters in these two albums, I guess. And the subject matter is based on true events.

00:25:01where neighboring families who both abuse their own children and each other's children are in this kind of harrowing, unsettling situation. I kind of paraphrase a little bit what he said there. It's a really disturbing story, but the music's great. Yeah. So if you're looking, if you're into prog rock, modern prog rock, and with some of those touch points, you know, like I mentioned, the prog era, Opeth and 2000 errors, Porcupine,

00:25:31without them sounding like, but they have touches of that in them. This might be in your wheelhouse. It's good stuff. Excellent, sir. All right. My next pick is the 11th studio album from the English musician Peter Murphy. Silver Shade. Yeah, this is coming. Yes. Peter Murphy, formerly the vocalist of the, I don't know,

00:26:01Proto-goth-rock band Bauhaus. Post-punk band, yeah. Post-punk, however you want to call it. I was just reading the other day how they're considered one of the first goth-rock bands. I'm like, eh, whatever. That's cool. Anyway, I really, really, really, really like this album a lot. I mean, not like Jesse Stiletto a lot, but you know. Well. You know what is.

00:26:31really amazing album to me uh it features collaborations with boy george

00:26:38trent resner and danny and justin from tool

00:26:44so you know you mentioned trent resner after the first song i was like i don't know and i went and

00:26:52looked at the listing i was like ah trent trent resner's involved in that song i said now that makes

00:26:59sense why the song is the way it is.

00:27:02You know, this album, I mean, first of all, it goes a lot of places, I feel.

00:27:08But places that it really goes to me that I like, obviously, Peter Murphy Bauhaus, there's a Bowie connection there.

00:27:17And that's still there.

00:27:19But also, there's very much, I call it the Sisters of Bowie.

00:27:23That's what I call this album.

00:27:24Sisters of Bowie, because there's a bit of a Sisters of Mercy thing going on in some of these tracks, too.

00:27:29And I don't know, it's just, I just love this album. I actually, you asked me last night if I'd listened to it. I was like, because I was, yeah, I listened to it again yesterday. And I was like, just, and I was like, you better listen to this. I was like, not yet. So I did. I listened to it last night. I listened to

00:27:59Yeah. You know, but there were a couple that I thought were really good that stood out. I thought when he was more rock-ish with the sound and not as new wave-ish, I like that a little more. Okay. Well, I love new wave stuff, so. No, no, no. It's all good. I like new wave stuff, too. What I'm saying is on this album, I thought. No, you don't. You just said you don't like new wave. I'm just messing with you. I'm sorry. Carry on, please. He's giving me the look. Yeah. Meanwhile, back at the podcast. He's got the look.

00:28:29Sorry. Okay. Carry on. Yeah. I just, I like when the band gets a little more rockish. It's a fuller sound. And I think the full sound of the band sounds pretty good on the album. Yeah. It's cool. I mean, I don't have a lot of Peter Murphy. Actually, it's one of the artists I have a greatest hits to, you know, and I think I have two other albums. Yeah. This makes me, I mean, I've never been a huge fan of Bauhaus or Peter Murphy. And this album is so good that I'm like, all right,

00:28:58I'm doing a deep dive on both of these now.

00:29:00Oh, okay. I'll join you with that.

00:29:02To do a little more, I already know a lot of stuff.

00:29:05And like I said, I have a few albums.

00:29:06Yeah, yeah. I know some stuff, but I'm not at all supremely versed in either of these.

00:29:14And I have seen him live. He was great when I saw him.

00:29:17Nice.

00:29:17It was awesome, actually.

00:29:19So, very good.

00:29:20I knew as soon as you asked me, I was like, oh, shit, that's going to be on his list.

00:29:24Yep, yep. I was playing my hand there.

00:29:27But I mean, this is honestly probably, in terms of rock music, if we were numbering this, this would probably be my number one album so far, because it's just, hmm. Yeah, it's cool. I mean, other than Jesse Stiletto, because, you know. Yeah, yeah. Which is one plus. One plus. It goes to one more than one. Yes, 11. It's lesser than zero. All right, back to TR. Yes.

00:29:57One, it came out in January of this year, and it is Riverside Live ID. So this is a live album by Riverside for their Identity or ID tour. I liked ID when it came out in 2023, and I was disappointed when it turned out that I would not be able to attend the shows that they played and supported the album in 2024. So I was happy to get this live show documented.

00:30:27this album cycle.

00:30:30I've always enjoyed Riverside Live, and this is no exception.

00:30:33Wonderfully played, with a clear mix, this is a great show and captures what makes this Polish band special live.

00:30:43They're kind of, you know, obviously a progressive rock band.

00:30:48For those of you that may not be familiar with them, they can be heavy, but they can also be very mellow.

00:30:57And so this particular live album, I thought, was very, very, very well done. And I like ID. It was a great album when it came out. So this was a great tour for them to record to have as a live album. So this is my choice for my next choice here. Yeah, I did see this tour because you couldn't go with me. And I did see it. And it was they were awesome. I've seen them quite a bit. Actually, I've been pretty

00:31:27I've caught them more than my fair share in the States. I think I've seen them like six times. Are they Polish? They are Polish. I'm recalling the story from Jay when he was in Poland. Yes, the drummer. Oh, did he see them over there? No, no. He went to the record shop. The record shop or bar? No. No, the barber is the dude from Behemoth. Yeah, yeah. I think, isn't it? Yeah, but yeah, the record store. And they were like, piss off.

00:31:57Yeah. It was the drummer. Yeah. Wow. Yeah. They were playing, they were practicing at the record shop. Yeah. That's funny. Yeah. They're, they're, so early on, they, there was a lot of comparisons to Porcupine Tree, which were just flat out dead raw. Yeah. I mean, okay, maybe a little bit, I guess. I don't know. I mean, there's, they had more, more in common with, and they were both like 2000s. Yeah. They have more in common with Pink Floyd than they,

00:32:27the porcupine trick. I thought, you know, especially on the first album, they did. And then it blew up with the second album. And the first album's outstanding. But all their albums are great. I love everything from them. Yeah. And they always put on a great show. Yeah. And I don't know, TR, if you were, I think you were able to see them with the original guitarist before he passed away, right? I believe so. I would have to kind of consult my... That was a tough one when he passed away because his sound, he did sound like David,

00:32:57He was one of the few non-English or American players that sounded like David Gilmour. That actually got that style down of how he would solo. Because he could shred, but he chose not to. And he unfortunately passed away, and then they kind of did an album without a guitarist. Now they have a guitarist, finally, who respects, you know. Yeah. So the first time I actually saw them was in 2006 at Near Fest.

00:33:27I saw that too. Yeah. And then the next time. Wait, actually, no, there's two near fest appearances. Maybe I didn't see them with you. I did. Okay. I missed them on the second near fest show, but I think it was, was that the one where Osric's played? Yes. Yeah. It was the show. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Okay. Right. So that, that was 2006 and I saw them on that tour. That's the show where they took, they turned his guitars.

00:33:57and it pissed me off.

00:33:59Because he, you're right, they can get, they can get pretty heavy.

00:34:03That's right.

00:34:03And, you know, for Near Fest, that was kind of, you know, too much for that crowd, right?

00:34:08The Prague Hobbits would not have it, right?

00:34:12So they'd have to put their shoes on and storm down outside.

00:34:16That's right.

00:34:17George is sleeping while we're talking about Riverside.

00:34:21Yeah, the next, you know, and amazingly, I'm looking in my little spreadsheet of shows here,

00:34:26And the next time I saw them wasn't until 2019. Wow. So somehow I did not see them from 2006 to 2019. I don't understand that. But then, you know, I saw them with you again in 22. Yeah, when Keith Semple of Siberium opened up for them at Soundstage in Baltimore. Yeah. Well, that might be because, TR, they didn't really tour. Well, that's true.

00:34:56They didn't have a lot of tours, I guess. No. And so I was fortunate. They played Prog Power twice. I saw them both times. Yeah, right. Okay. So anyway, that's a good one. I haven't listened to it enough. All their live stuff sounds great when you go back and listen to it. John. All right, George, let's bore you some more proggy. All right, cool. I could use an app. Come on. I'm doing a polo.

00:35:26from the Metalheads podcast. Ooh. Yeah. A reach around. Pull through. A pull through. Yeah. Whatever you want to call it. A reach over. Yes. So my third selection is a couple of letters. That is the band A through Z. It's their album A to Z squared, but that's with a two, not a dash. However,

00:35:56I didn't know that it could also be called alligator zipper. Which I'm like, huh, okay. And somebody made this up. But then I thought about it. And I was like, wait a second. And if I think of the first album, that'd be apple zebra. I'm like, okay, there's a trend going on here. And that's because there's an alligator on the album cover with the zipper. And so I hated the first album cover on the first album. Cause like I said, it was apple. But now I think it's kind of funny. Now I see the, I get it a little more.

00:36:31But that starts with an X, George. Oh, crap. Yeah. I'm going to do that completely over. Yeah. Oh, no, you're leaving that in. That's going. Damn it. Yeah. Anyway, the band A through Z is a kind of. How did I? You just did. You got tricked. I know. I know how to spell xylophone. Do you? Are you sure?

00:36:56I do, but I'm going to own that, though. I was thinking alliteratively, I guess. You were thinking phonetically. It was a little homophonic for you. Damn it! Phonetically. Wow. And I'm the one who hit the sauce at 1 p.m. today. Wait a minute. Hold on. It's been a day. All right. So back to this album, then. So it's a progressive metal, hard rock, AOR album, all mixed into one big

00:37:26Music Salad. And it's the second album from this group, which features Mark Zonder of Warlord, ex-Fates Warning drummer, Ray Alder of Fates Warning. Maybe it's ex-Fates Warning. We don't know if they're going to play any more shows, but he's also ex-member of the band Redemption. And why do I mention that? Because they have a new guitarist in a band, Nick Van Dyke, who is from where? Redemption. And he comes in and adds a little more heft to the sound, which I think makes this a better album.

00:37:56in my opinion. And there's some other great players on this album. You know, they played with Warlord, Steve Vai, Alcatraz, you know, so there's DGM. It's a mix of kind of an all-star band of musicians you might not know, but they're great musicians. And like I said, it's just a great mix of progressive metal and hard rock. It's catchy, melodic choruses. Everything's tight. The songs are focused. They're not long, you know, four or five minutes.

00:38:25It's just in and out. And some songs start out very heavy, very prog metal-ish, but then they come out with this huge AOR kind of chorus. You know, like, okay. But then you listen again, like, okay, this works. It's a great album. It was my number 11 on the Metalheads podcast, top 20 episode for 2025. So, and I like it. I think it's good. I'm looking forward to more if they continue to get a little heavier and still maintain all the aspects that they're trying to do, which is this kind of catchy,

00:38:55Hard Rock Chorus Structure, then I'm in. And I will say, Ray Alder sounds better now than he's ever sounded in his career. At least in the last 20 years, I'll say. I totally agree with you, John. He sounds so good. This song, this album is on my list as well. And I agree. Like, Ray sounds, again, other than like Theories of Flight, where I thought he sounded really good and very inspired. From Fate's Warning, yeah.

00:39:25Yes, from Fate's Warning. He sounds very inspired on this. He's singing kind of, I don't want to say at the limits of his voice, but he's really laying it out. He's not going where he shouldn't be with his voice right now. No, that's true. But at the same time, he's very capably singing in the range that he's singing in, and it's actually beyond what I thought he would actually sing.

00:39:54So yeah, it kind of exceeded expectations in my view. And I agree, like this album definitely improves upon the first release by this band. I thought the first album was okay, but really didn't do much for me. But this album definitely had a lot more oomph and a lot more, I don't know, it just seemed more interesting and more progressive.

00:40:24and heavier and just everything was better about it, I think. And maybe that's just them all getting to know each other and just... They sort of know each other. Well, they do, but I guess, I don't know, as a unit, working all together, right? And just that chemistry from Redemption and the various other stuff that kind of, I don't know, that probably came into this. We've got three bands covered here. I mean, you've got three guys in Warlord.

00:40:54Two Guys in Redemption and Two Guys in Fate's Warning. So they've all kind of... They've played together. But as this unit, I feel like this is certainly much better than the first album. And I enjoy this album as well. So it's on my list as well. And Mark Zonder is an absolute drum god. He's just... I don't even know what to say. He's just so damn good. He's not my favorite drummer, but he's in my top 10. I mean, being a former drummer. I have a gazillion drummers I love.

00:41:24But he's at the very top up there for me. Yeah, they pretty much covered it A to Z. Definitely. Almost. There's other animals that start with A. And there's xylophones that start with A. Stop! Yeah, I don't know. Pardon me, I have been consuming. I am not as dumb as

00:41:54I appear in the mirror.

00:41:57You know, if you just move to your pick, you'll pretty much end this for yourself.

00:42:01Okay.

00:42:03So my next pick is a band called Paralyzed.

00:42:08And they're, I want to say third or fourth album, I'm not entirely sure, called Rumble and Roar.

00:42:16They're a German rock band founded in 2019, and their retro style incorporates heavy blues rock and stoner compared to bands of the 70s hard rock era. Such says their Facebook page. And I agree. This is just like a snarling, rockin', hard rock 70s album released in 2025.

00:42:43It's, you know, if you want a hard rock record that rips, look no further. That's all you're going to get from this. I mean, it's not all you're going to get from it, but, you know, you're going to get at least that is what I mean to say. That it's just a cool album. And I've been listening to this for a few months now, and I'm digging further into their discography and me likey.

00:43:11It is nice to see hard rock coming out of places that are not your traditional places. What I mean by that is, at this point, where is hard rock really coming from? If there are any bands, it's always going to be the usual suspects. Not that Germany isn't the usual suspect. Germany is, for sure, yeah. They are. But they're more a metal country now, for music, it seems like, for the stuff we listen to. So it's nice to see a non-metal band coming out of Germany that you hear about.

00:43:41I'm sure there's tons of them. I don't know them. It's just here I'm hearing about one. So I'm like, cool. It's not just another, it's not another power metal band, you know, hey, hey, hey, you know, every show.

00:43:53Well, you know, if you go to Valken, they're cranking out their metal big time. But then at two o'clock in the morning, they're like,

00:44:04They're putting out the dance music. And that is what's very cool about Europe is that they're not as lame as the United States is about metal. And, you know, you can only be metal, dead to false metal, even though I've always been dead to false metal. But, you know, it's cool that they are way more open-minded to things than certain other places. I don't know if it makes us lamer. We just have,

00:44:29Crappy Corporations feeding us stuff to listen to. However that works out. And that's why we're here. Right. But let's not make no mistake here. Eastern Europe listens to some pretty bad techno. I don't care what anyone says. I don't care. They were big fans of David Hasselhoff, so, you know. Well, here's what's interesting about Germany. They like their techno too, if I'm not mistaken. They like David Hasselhoff, like you said. And the band

00:44:59Saga from Canada, who can't get a date in the U.S., play huge tours in Germany.

00:45:05Oh, man.

00:45:05Every time.

00:45:06It's unreal how they're so big there.

00:45:09And that's like their biggest country in the world.

00:45:11Barb and I were going to the beach a couple weeks ago and, you know, sliding around the XM radio.

00:45:18And Saga came on.

00:45:19And I was like, dude!

00:45:22Hell yeah, man.

00:45:23I love that band.

00:45:24We got maybe like a third of the way through the song, but she was like, no.

00:45:27Yeah, no.

00:45:30You should have just said, put your hand on her and said, John said we're playing this song. And just let it run out and see what happens. Well, I can only do that once in a while. And I save that for the Rush. Because she always changes the Rush. Yes. See, that's unacceptable. Save it for the right battles. I know. She knows this. She knows this. Yeah, but they're Canadian too. You know what? Do this next time. George say, oh, check out this Rush song. You know, on the loose. Whoa. I didn't know they sang this song. I thought it was sung. No, it's Rush. Actually, I think that was the song too.

00:45:58There you go. No, no, no. Wind them up. That's Rush. Yeah. Well, she doesn't like them either. So. Yeah, but you're, if you're going to save it for a ban and you're saving it for Rush. Oh, I see. I got it. Very smart. Very smart. They're Canadian. So you can say, well, look, they're Canadian. Why about that? Come on. I'm starting to think she has something against Canada. Shit. Then you might as well just throw Triumph in there. Yeah, I was just going to say. Put Triumph under the bus. Oh, hell, throw April Wine in there while you're at it. Yeah, man.

00:46:28I don't think she'd like any of that. Yeah. All right. All right. Right now there's one listener saying, did he just drop April wine? Yeah, man. I like me some April wine. Yeah. I couldn't name one, but I do like it. I don't think you can, I don't think you can get away with saying Devin Townsend's rush though. No, probably not. You're certainly not going to be able to do strapping young lad, that's for sure. Wow. Yeah. Yeah.

00:46:59All right. All right. Back to TR. All right. Well, I don't have any Zyltoid albums for you, but the album that I am going to mention is something I've already mentioned before, which is Mogwai, The Bad Fire. So this also came out in January of this year. Mogwai has been around since the mid-90s, and 30 years later, they are still releasing quality albums. As I mentioned on an earlier episode, I saw them on this

00:47:28in April of this year, and they played six songs from the new album. So they are no nostalgia act. And for good reason. The new album is solid. So Mogwai, The Bad Fire, if you like instrumental post-rock and you like Scottish bands, then this is the album for you. Do you like it, George? No, I am familiar with the name of the band. I don't know their music.

00:47:57I have tried to listen on before because I'm like,

00:48:00but,

00:48:01um,

00:48:03you know,

00:48:03I mean,

00:48:03who doesn't want to listen to gremlins,

00:48:05but,

00:48:05uh,

00:48:07but no,

00:48:08I was not,

00:48:09I mean,

00:48:09first of all,

00:48:09it surprised me that you brought them up the last time you brought them up,

00:48:13not this time.

00:48:14Um,

00:48:16and,

00:48:16uh,

00:48:17it makes me feel like I need to go check this out more.

00:48:19Cause I feel like I just put it on and was like,

00:48:22you know,

00:48:24like somebody that would put something on for like 15 seconds and then be like,

00:48:27I don't like that.

00:48:30They're one of the earlier bands.

00:48:32They would be after the whole,

00:48:35when Talk Talk and Slint were kind of doing the early days of,

00:48:39and those are my two touch points for the kind of early,

00:48:44early Godfathers,

00:48:46you know,

00:48:46the first few bands that started the whole post-rock scene,

00:48:49but Mugway is not that far off from that because they're,

00:48:52they're late set 90s when their stuff came out originally.

00:48:56So,

00:48:56And they have a tie-in to Fate's Warning. Remember we used to do that on this? Seven Degrees of Fate's Warning? Yeah. No, no. We have a tie-in. Remember two bands you wouldn't think would be connected? Well, there's a connection. TR and I had a Fate's Warning show. I can't remember where it was. And I kept saying to them, what is this song they're playing before the show? Oh, I forgot about that. Do you remember this? And I was like, what is this? And you're like, I don't know. This sounds really familiar. I was like, I know this song. I got to figure it out. Come to find out.

00:49:26It's Mugwai. It's the song Bat-Cat off the album The Hawk Is Howling, which is, I love that album. Yeah. And they were playing it on the PA's, you know. Yeah, like on the PA before the show. And I kept saying, I know this song. And I had the album at home, of course. And I'm like, what is this? Well, I'm going to have to check these guys out. I forgot all about that. That's funny. Yeah, they're cool. I mean, if you know what you're getting into when you listen to post-rock slash post-metal, instrumental now.

00:49:56mind you. Then you know what you're getting. It could be just that it was instrumental and I was like, okay. Not that I don't like instrumental music. I do. That's why I said that. But maybe I was just like putting it on and going, okay, where's the vocals? There's no vocals. I did not know until you just said that they were instrumental. A little bit right here and there. They do have some vocals, but they're so far in the background sometimes or they're

00:50:26like processed, like synthesizer kind of vocals that you almost can't even understand them.

00:50:33Oh, so it's atmospheric black metal. Never mind. Hate it.

00:50:37Well, it's with production, though, so it'd be modern black metal.

00:50:40Oh, okay. Then I like it.

00:50:42Yeah, you'll love it. Nice. Okay, cool. Yeah.

00:50:46You knew there was going to be a post-rock album on TRLS, and that might not be the last one.

00:50:51Oh, it's not. I know for a fact it's not.

00:50:53He's paddling.

00:50:54I'm still on Post Rock Island, man.

00:50:58All right, John.

00:51:00Okay, so my next one is a band that I have not listened to for years.

00:51:07And it's one of the, I have this trinity of bands that I dismissed for years.

00:51:15And then all of a sudden, the dam broke and I started listening.

00:51:18I was like, you know what, I'm going to listen.

00:51:21And I was like, oh, I like this band.

00:51:23I'm going to listen to this one. I like this band too. And in a third band. And now I have almost everything from all three of these bands. So the first one, I think that broke the dam was Between the Buried and Me. I never liked them. Tierra and I have seen a million times. Always thought great musicians. I like sections, but I can never get into them. Now I'm a big fan. I have everything. Another band was Neable Fiscaris. If I say that, it's hard to say. I never got into them.

00:51:52Yeah, it's close enough, right? Never got into them. Now I like them. I like them probably the least of the three, but I like them. They're good. And now I appreciate them a lot more. And the third one is actually a band I had an album for, a live album, mind you, and I never listened to it. That's the band IQ and their album, Dominion, that came out this year. You would think that I would be an IQ fan. I didn't realize they were still around, yeah. Yeah, they're still cranking up. Well, they put out an album every five years now, but.

00:52:21Okay.

00:52:23You would think that I would be an IQ fan because I love Marillion, early Marillion, and some post-Fish Marillion. Not a lot. There's a lot of, in my opinion, stinkers. And there's somebody out there who actually listens to us is going to be like throwing darts my way. That's just how I feel. Sorry. And I love the band Arena, which is the original drummer from Marillion. That's his band. And it's also got connections to other

00:52:51of the dreaded neoprog. People like to call them neoprog as a pejorative. It's supposed to just mean newer prog. But it's taken on an evil name with all those old prog hobbits from the 70s. It's supposed to mean that for this case. I know. Or it's a dude in a movie that dodges bullets. You know, so. Whoa. Yeah, who apparently does live at the end and becomes John Wick. Yes.

00:53:21Wait for John Wick 13.

00:53:24I'll just go with five first.

00:53:28Oh, wait.

00:53:30Oh, yeah.

00:53:31Didn't work out for me at the end of four.

00:53:33I don't know.

00:53:33I didn't see it yet.

00:53:35Thanks for the spoiler.

00:53:37Well, it's only been out for, what, two years?

00:53:39All right.

00:53:40Still.

00:53:42Oh, at this point.

00:53:43I give up now.

00:53:45Jesus.

00:53:46Let me, I'll tell you what happens, George.

00:53:48A lot of people die.

00:53:49He's back.

00:53:50That's right.

00:53:51I think if you're asking him I'm back yeah I'm thinking I'm back shouldn't have killed his dog man I know um anyway it's the classic story yeah it is so I believe this is her 13th album I'm not sure if that's correct because there's a demo early release that they rerecorded later on uh years later and gave it a proper recording so I'm pretty sure it's her 13th album it's solid to really good progressive rock neo prog if you like that kind of thing

00:54:21kind of stuff, that term, from one of the giants of the subgenre. It's an actual compact record because it's only five songs at 53 minutes, as opposed to like eight songs over 80 minutes, which they like to put out a lot of music with their albums. And this is where they decided to keep a single disc, which is nice.

00:54:46Kind of succinct, I guess, at 53 minutes.

00:54:49Well, there's a 23-minute song on there. But I will say, for some people, they're not digging this album because there's not as many hooks on it. It's not a hook-driven album. But there's still plenty of heavy, dark, emotional moments like they're known for. The musicianship is just outstanding. They're all great musicians. And I don't admit this often, if hardly at all, but there is one song, Far From Here, which to me is a standout track on the album. It's actually one of my favorite songs in their whole catalog.

00:55:19And I'm not as versed as some people. I've still, even though I've been listening to them now for, I don't know, six or seven years. And I did have their Subterranean album, Subterranean, whatever it's called, live for 20 years and listened to it once. It stands out for me. But I don't often mention tearjerker moments in songs. And the last two minutes of this song are hard for me to get through every single time. So it's just, they're one of the few bands that,

00:55:49are post-golden age of prog rock and not part of the new wave in the 90s. So they're in that 80s range or late 80s range. They're actually early 80s, but they're part of that that stands out for me. Dave, I think, weathered the test of time better than all the other bands that came up with them. And I say that and Morellian fans are pissed at me right now, but I'm sorry. There's a lot of age stuff that stinks. I'm sorry. It just does. It just does. For me. For me. If you like it, that's awesome. I'm glad you do.

00:56:19So, and they're heavy. They can get really heavy. He has some hard driving riffs on it, but then they get very, very mellow, very quiet. Kind of like Riverside, man. In our van down by the river side. So that's my pick, I.K. Dominion. Wow, okay. Welcome to the Prog Rock Podcast. Oh, it doesn't stop. Yeah. I should have known.

00:56:49I was getting into here. That's right. You got these two guys. You're going to get some of this. Going to get some prog. This is my prog rocks on the mainland. Mainline prog. That's right. Oh, yeah. I'm just looking. And yeah. A lot of prog coming up. All right. Well, I'm going to take us to someplace that neither of you are going to go. Because that's where I live. Is on George Rock.

00:57:19Island. Oh boy. Where you guys don't even visit except for once in a while. Is this one of those after school commercials like conjunction junction? What's that function? I'm just a bill up on Capitol Hill. Yes. Those those they worked. Schoolhouse Rock. Schoolhouse Rock, baby. Yeah, it did. All right. So this is a 13th album. By IQ? By Massachusetts

00:57:53I just got sidekicked in the head first. Yeah. This is their latest album for the people digitally. Digitally released on July 4th. The recorded version, the CD version, if you will, is not out until October. So it's kind of out, kind of not, but it's out. It's out. Let me tell you. And yeah,

00:58:19This is a pretty cool album. I mean, you know, Dropkick Murphy's Celt Punk. Come on. That is right up my alley. You know, I love these dudes. I've loved them for a long time. And this is a really cool new album. You know, the songs are, I'm going to keep this minimal and say they are apropos for the times.

00:58:48But what else I really love? Also, well, there's a song with Billy Bragg on there. And hello, Billy Bragg. If you don't know him, look him up. But I love that they tend to do songs that are just like so specific to someone they know. There's one, the last song on the album is called One Last Goodbye Tribute to Shane. But there's also another one. Which one is it? I can't remember which one it is.

00:59:16The Big Man. I think it's about somebody from Pennywise. Another punk band. And they're just like, we're going to write songs about our friends. And I think that's really cool. And yeah, it's a great album. The song Chesterfield's an aftershave about his grandfather brought a tear to my eye. And yeah, good stuff. Punk rock, baby.

00:59:44So let me see if I get it straight. So you're giving me a hard time for bringing out all the

00:59:49rock rock and you're just hitting all the like similar genre bands for yourself. Yes, exactly. Exactly. So we're covering all kinds of ground for everybody here. Yes, we are a full service podcast. That's right. And that's why this is some crappy music. I'm not really giving you a hard time. I know. I like the stuff you like, you know, just playing. Just playing too.

01:00:15You're allowed to make fun of prog fans. I make fun of prog fans all the time. I'm one of them. Yeah, exactly. Same here. Are you guys prog hobbits, though? Well, I don't have hair on my feet. I don't either. I do. I'm sure some people call us prog hobbits, but we know better. Yeah. We can spot them, though. Oh, yeah. We've seen plenty. Yeah. I mean, now that Near Fest is over, it's kind of like a little harder to find them, but they're all. That's because they're all down in Miami on a

01:00:43cruise to the edge baby i see over there your prog hobbit i see you yeah

01:00:52okay i see you with your opeth heritage shirt on

01:01:00i see you over there yeah meanwhile george is sitting here going okay i don't know what they're

01:01:06laughing about but good for you all right well it's it's it's it's sad when you when you know

01:01:15I don't know what a frog hobbit is I mean oh George you're you're miles ahead it's a lot

01:01:22where we are allowed to say we want to say because let me tell you man I've taken some

01:01:26hardcore yeah we've lived a life I've taken some hardcore abuse some old prog nerds and just like

01:01:39And we're not young, so trust me. They were old. Oh, yeah. If you don't listen to Soft Machine, you're not a pro fan. Right. Whatever, dude. All right. So they're basically, what do you call them? Soft Machine is like a jazz fusion prog band, which is funny. It's like, they're all prog, you know, man. No, I was trying to think of them as

01:02:06What's the word that we use for metal people that

01:02:09try to tell you how things should be?

01:02:12Oh, yeah. They are gatekeepers.

01:02:15Gatekeepers, thank you. Yeah, gatekeepers. Okay.

01:02:18Not all of them. I mean, it's funny because you would think

01:02:21quote-unquote progressive

01:02:24quote-unquote rock fans would be open-minded.

01:02:27They're fence-minders.

01:02:31Boy, I'll tell you what.

01:02:33I wouldn't fare well in the Yes community with my Yes views. I don't think I would either. Trust me. I've seen more than my fair share of Yes shows. An all umpteen number of incarnations of that band. Oh, I know. Going back to 1983. So I can just don't bring up tales from Topographic Ocean with me around. Oh, don't get me started. Run!

01:03:03He's chasing John. All right. Should I move us on? All right. Well, we're going back to post-rock island, whether you like it or not. Swim. Swim. Yes. Learn to swim. Learn to swim. So this is Pelican flickering resonance. I'm okay with this. Yeah. So Pelican just put out a new album. And it's from this post-rock, post-metal instrument.

01:03:33instrumental band. Original guitarist Laurent Schroeder-Lebeck is back in the band after being gone since 2012 and it sounds like a return to form. I like the albums with Dallas Thomas but this sounds like classic Pelican. I just saw them last Saturday in Philly and they crushed it. Pelican are just so good and they've been around since the early 2000s and they're still just killing it out there and I

01:04:03I really enjoyed the show I saw on Saturday where they actually played at least three songs from the new album along with classics throughout their catalog so it was really I think they played more than that dude I looked at the set list I think it was like five actually yeah four or five of them yeah have to show yeah that's cool so it was very good nice and yeah so great show and the new album's really good and like I said just sounds like classic Pelican to me

01:04:33This is interesting because there's a very dream theater like mentality to this album. The same way the fans feel about the new dream theater album with Mike Portnoy returning. Oh, we're back to the original dream theater now because he's back. And I hear that which is about Pelican. And I like this album, but I gotta tell you, I don't understand this. Oh, they're back to return to form the way they sound. I'm like, man, Nighttime Story sounds just like traditional Pelican. I think it's awesome.

01:05:02It's true, yeah. Like, I mean, it's not like it was, they were so far out of the world, you know, but it definitely does have that classic sound. I'm poking fun at the idea of how everyone's saying that about these bands. I'm like, they still sound the same the last few albums. This might come up again. I knew you were going to have this. I knew you liked this album. I still think I like Nighttime Stories better. I have to give this a little more time. I spun it again the other day, and I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I

01:05:32I like it but I think I do I don't know and the funny thing is he was only gone for two albums even though it was all those years it was a couple of EPs too yeah right but two studio albums which is nuts that this is only their seventh studio album yeah since what 2002 yeah early 2000s I mean technically the first EP is basically an album I mean it's what like 30 some minutes long or whatever it's long isn't it the first EP yeah I think so

01:06:02So I almost sort of feel like that's like a

01:06:06To me, it's like the original Queensryche EP, you know?

01:06:10Yeah, right.

01:06:10To me, it's almost like that's their first release because it was so prominent. It stood out so much.

01:06:15It wasn't just like two new songs and like a remix and like cover of like Johnny Cash's, you know?

01:06:20It stood on its own. I mean, for sure. Yeah.

01:06:23Nice. Okay, cool. I mean, I really want to give this more time. I just haven't yet. That's the only thing.

01:06:29But it's cool. I mean, I always enjoy Pelican. You and I have seen him a few times together. Yeah. We've had a great time seeing him, so. Mm-hmm. All right. So I'll do my next pick, and I'll make it quick, I guess. Uh-huh. All right. So my number five, which apparently I'm being shamed. Not at all. Mentioning this on the Metalheads podcast. Oh, wow. Only because I don't just think it's proto-metal.

01:06:59And I guess I should have put it on because people put acoustic albums on and live albums have made it. And why? Albums with. Yeah, that was on his list, though. He didn't put it on, I thought. Or did he? YYZ. That was like his number one. Was it his number one? I thought so. That's ballsy, Jay. I forgot you did. Jay has got balls that are like. Yeah, you know, it's not an album with two new songs. So big. And like everything else was recorded like years before that or anything. Jay's an innovator. Yeah.

01:07:29It's not clutch, Will. Just kidding. Just kidding. I love you, Will. I do too, and my next pick is dedicated to him. So, yeah. So my pick is Jesse Stiletto. Jesse Stiletto. We've heard this name mentioned a few times. Hard rock, proto-metal, stoner rock, desert rock. You know, whatever you want to call it. Heavy metal. Cool, riff, heavy, groove-driven hard rock from this

01:07:59the mysterious dark ethers of our universe. These people come. We don't know who they are. We do. But they don't want you to know that. Yeah. So, you know, speaking of heavy metal, do you remember the movie Heavy Metal, the animated movie? Oh, yes. Still one of my favorite soundtracks of all time with like two metal songs on it. So would you say that Jesse Stiletto would work on the heavy metal soundtrack? Oh, yeah. Yes. Heavy metal. Absolutely. Redux.

01:08:29Yeah, exactly. They would be on that. Absolutely. Well, boys or cults on there. What? Yeah. Don't fear the stiletto. That's right. Hint, George needs a credit on the next album. And I gotta say, I yesterday- Extra special thanks. Yeah. Actually, just say, extra special thanks, and just say to the Podfather.

01:08:59Yeah. Who's the pot father? Hugs and kisses. People will be looking it up online. I will say, their cover version, maybe I'm going to get, it's his heresy, but their cover version of Boyzio Cold Stairway to the Stars, I kind of think it's ballsier. Yeah. I think it's got a little more oomph to it, you know? Well, that's because it's heavy metal, but you know, what do I know? No way, man. This is an indie acoustic band from Palm Springs, California. Just saying, you know, metal has been

01:09:29Influenced by Neil Young.

01:09:32That which has been considered heavy metal has gone through a lot of changes in the last 50 odd years.

01:09:38I agree.

01:09:39And I agree.

01:09:40That is how.

01:09:41Why are you justifying this to me?

01:09:43Because you're here.

01:09:47See, I'm getting shamed.

01:09:48All of a sudden this has turned into Game of Thrones and I'm walking naked through town, which literally no one's there to watch, which is great.

01:09:54Except me, which is the whole point of this is John naked through the streets.

01:09:59Pretty soon you're gonna be hugging me from behind

01:10:01and Coldplay's gonna start playing

01:10:03What?

01:10:05And I'm gonna be like, ah, I ran away

01:10:08Don't want your wife to see that

01:10:10Don't want anybody to see that

01:10:12Just get a text message, it's just like, thank God somebody found you

01:10:18We're all over the place, aren't we?

01:10:20One last thing to say about it

01:10:22that TR and George have already said

01:10:28yes

01:10:29sound with a mix of boys or cult and some sandy windswept desert-y stuff and shit going on. You know, shh, tumbleweeds all over. And kind of a sci-fi type cover. This is your band. Oh, yeah. And it should be your, you know what? It should be your band. It should. It's on three lists now. Let's top on our, let's top on our top three that we're going to have. Yeah, our top three is definitely, Jesse's still

01:10:59with a bullet. Boom. And Jesse Stiletto one, Jesse Stiletto two, Jesse Stiletto three. Yeah. All right. We'll take beers for all the props there, guys. Thanks. Yeah, right. Yeah. Extra special thanks. Go to. Yeah. All right. Back to me, I. Yes. So. This one, as I mentioned,

01:11:29is dedicated to my brother will. My brother from another will. Brother from another mother will. This is the sixth album. I can't believe this is only the sixth album from this artist in 17 years. But this is the album Mayhem by Lady Gaga.

01:12:01I love Lady Gaga.

01:12:04And this album, like so much of her stuff, it rocks.

01:12:09And that's R-A-W-K-S.

01:12:11It rocks.

01:12:12The day music died 2.0.

01:12:15Oh, come on.

01:12:16Don't be all Will on me.

01:12:18Tear an iron.

01:12:20Look, I have nothing against her.

01:12:22I don't either.

01:12:23It's just not something I want to listen to.

01:12:25But I appreciate, George, that you are branching out and bringing to this podcast something that would not be here if John and I were the only ones on it. Hey, man, you know, is this pop music? Yeah, it is. But is it pop music with cojones? Yes, it is also that. And meat dresses. And meat dresses. Hey, who doesn't want a meat dress? Yeah.

01:12:54Well, if it's raw, cooked, it depends. Does she actually write all her own music, or does she have a team of writers? I don't want to mention any names, Taylor Swift, with these teams of writers. Actually, I think Taylor Swift writes a lot of her stuff. She's got a lot of credits on her. I do know that there are a lot of people involved, but I do know that she's at least involved in the process. Gaga is as well. I'm looking at the album right here. She is credited on every one of these.

01:13:25One of them has one, two, three, four, five, six, seven people on it. But a lot of them are like her and two or three other people. Yeah. So I'll just say, when you slag on the Beatles, I don't care if you don't like them, you can't slag on the fact that those 20 year olds wrote all those songs. Wait, wait, she slagged on the Beatles? No, no, I'm talking about people in general, they slag on the Beatles. Oh, okay. Well, those people are idiots. How they say modern music's better. I'm like, I don't think they're writing their music.

01:13:55My Friend. No, I don't think there's anything but other Beatles. Although I will say that, you know, maybe George Martin deserved a few more credits on that. Oh, he's a production dude without question. And yeah, he's, well, he is the fifth Beatle. Yeah. Yeah. But that's one dude. Yeah, I know. I'm just. But we're not talking about the Beatles here. We're talking about Jesse Stiletto. We're talking about Jesse Stiletto. Yeah. And Lady Gaga. And Lady Gaga. And I'm hoping that maybe they can do a crossover album.

01:14:24You know, don't listen to him, guys. Gaga Stiletto.

01:14:30Jesse Gaga.

01:14:31Jesse Gaga, that would be even better. Or Lady Jessie.

01:14:34Lady Stiletto.

01:14:35Because, you know, I was like three quarters of the way through the interview before I realized that Jessie was in fact a woman.

01:14:42Well, I have to admit, I was surprised by that, too. I did not know that until they said that.

01:14:47And I was like, duh, that's what's on the album cover.

01:14:49Yeah, which I totally missed.

01:14:52Yeah, right.

01:14:53Don't feel bad, George, because I was right there with you. Yeah, so, you know, it is what it is. And we've just told those guys how dumb we are. So that's cool. Yeah, that's all right. I didn't say I was dumb. I was just like, oh, that's cool. Yeah, no. Well, it's one of those names go either way, you know, because I was making the Jesse's girl joke. Right. Well, yeah, because, you know, that can still work. Yeah, it's Pat. Yeah. Oh, jeez. Yeah, see? I knew I'd get you with that. Oh, jeez.

01:15:24But yeah, I love me Lady Gaga. I'm sorry. I will not apologize. You shouldn't have to. I was born this way. What can I say? Okay, just make it stop. You know what? You can like her all you want. Just stop with that stuff. It's like a disease, man. I'm like abracadabra. I'm in the Garden of Eden.

01:15:53I feel like a perfect celebrity vanishing into you. Like a killer, zombie boy. Oh, boy. Lord, strike that poor boy down. I'm sorry. I saw her live, and it was amazing. One of my best. Oh, I don't doubt it. Yeah, I'm sure. I mean, there is a queen above the lady. Well. And that's Madonna. That's Madonna, of course, yes. But. Yeah, we all know this. But Madonna didn't have an album this year, so. For some people. Hmm.

01:16:23No, no. Other people have other queens. Yes. Named Annika. Oh, I will not dispute that. Yes. All right. And that's my mic drop on the queens. Boom. All right. So I know we've done five. Do we want to just keep going in the same fashion? Yeah. I mean, I only have a few more here. Yeah. I won't talk as much as these because I mentioned the five that I wanted to mention. All right. Let's keep going. All right.

01:16:53Okay.

01:16:56So my next one is King Buffalo.

01:16:59Live at Freak Valley.

01:17:01Volume 2.

01:17:02Love those dudes.

01:17:03Yeah.

01:17:04Recorded live at the Freak Valley Festival in Germany in 2023.

01:17:09This vinyl only release is an accurate representation of King Buffalo's ultra cool,

01:17:14locked in, vibey live performances.

01:17:18They run the gamut from psychedelic, stoner, heavy, to chilled out and mellow. I love this band and the fact that they don't play the same set list every night of a tour. I've seen them a couple of times and they just do what they want to do, man. And it's great. And I've specifically gone to multiple nights on a tour to see them and they mix it up, which is super cool. And this was a vinyl-only release, which

01:17:48It was kind of cool. I ripped it from my USB turntable and got it on my digital, you know, there and now I can listen to it and it's awesome. So love these guys. King Buffalo. If you haven't heard them, go check them out. Yeah, I agree. I endorse this message. Nice. All right. My next one, which is kind of funny considering I made the comment about nice to hear of rock bands from Germany. My next.

01:18:18Prog-rock albums from Germany. Go figure. We're going to get a message from our listener, Derek, who's going to be like, dude, you don't know all these rock bands from Germany? I'll be like, no, that's why I made that comment. But he's Irish. Why does he care about your German bands? Because he knows a lot about rock. Because we had a little bit of a conversation about different rock throughout Europe and the US and Canada and all that stuff. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I trust his

01:18:48knowledge to be way better than mine for that stuff.

01:18:52So my album, and I won't go on too long about it, is a band called Evron, and the album is called Shells.

01:18:59They are a prog rock band.

01:19:02They got a little bit of prog metal and a little bit of that neoprog, but they are kind of an unknown band on the scene because they're very underrated.

01:19:11It's their eighth album, and their first in 17 years, they kind of sort of stopped playing.

01:19:18And I believe,

01:19:22I could be wrong about this.

01:19:23I believe the drummer just passed away.

01:19:24He was the brother of the lead singer and guitar player in the band.

01:19:28I think I could be wrong about that.

01:19:30And the album,

01:19:32I think it was dedicated to him if I'm not mistaken.

01:19:35I've always liked these guys going back to roughly 2002.

01:19:38They started in the early nineties and I didn't catch wind of them until about 10 years later in their career.

01:19:44And then they were done by 2007,

01:19:462008.

01:19:47So just really good, classy, professional-sounding prog rock. And they sort of remind me of the gathering in that sense. Both bands, they sound nothing like each other, but they both have a sophistication and quality to their music. You can tell that they put effort when they construct songs and put them together. And whether you like them or not, you would know, okay, they're not just slapping songs together and they're not just playing them, you know, half-duty.

01:20:17Kicked, half-tilted. They're not sloppy. Everything's well done. A couple of slobs hanging out on a couple of bums. Just quality across the board in terms of the production and everything. I'm a super fan. The music is very emotionally charged. I'm not a lyrics guy. Sometimes I don't get caught up in them as much. I think some people get too caught up in lyrics.

01:20:47their lyrics are very profound and they're kind of running the gamut of life experiences so it's kind of nice not to hear you know the lemon song type of lyrics you know white snake lyrics or angry political lyrics it's kind of nice or all the death and doom and all the crap that we listen to on the other side of it it's kind of nice to hear some relationship based kind of yeah stuff so so how's that spelled john evron e-v-e-r

01:21:17And Tiara, if you check out their latest album, Shells, and I believe it's on Bandcamp, I'll give you two songs that will give you the gamut of their whole career. So like if I scan these, I'll have listened to everything. Yes, you'll never have to listen to another song again. Okay, just checking. No, you'll get the gist of what they're all about. Cliff Notes version. And that's the opening track, No Embrace, and then they have a track called Guilty as Charged. They're great examples of their style.

01:21:47It was two songs. Cool. All right. Thanks. Yeah. Very introspective on the way they construct the themes on the albums and everything. So like I said, if you look at the picture, we're like, these guys look like the guys I sat next to at a show last week. They're just regular guys. Yeah. And they've got this kind of underground, underground cult following, which is kind of cool. I'm kind of proud to be part of that a little bit. We all have those bands in our back wallet.

01:22:17that nobody else is, not even people in the subgenres have heard of. We kind of feel like we're alone with those bands, but maybe somebody knows them. Yeah. Cool. Thanks. I feel alone with my next five picks. Here we go. I will be for one of my, my, if y'all have heard any of these albums, I will lick my own butt. Wow. I can't wait to see this. Which is not possible.

01:22:47by the way. So yeah,

01:22:48I was going to say,

01:22:49I'm not sure.

01:22:51I hope I know it.

01:22:52Well,

01:22:52I mean,

01:22:53you may have,

01:22:53you know,

01:22:54of this band,

01:22:55this one,

01:22:56I don't know if you know any of the other ones,

01:22:58but you,

01:22:58you've heard of this band.

01:23:00I'm guessing that you haven't listened to it.

01:23:03And that is the one,

01:23:04two,

01:23:04three,

01:23:05four,

01:23:05five,

01:23:05six,

01:23:06seven,

01:23:06eighth album from the band garbage.

01:23:10Let all that we imagine be the light.

01:23:13Wow.

01:23:13I have not listened to them in a long time.

01:23:15Yeah.

01:23:15Yeah, they're kind of cool. I'm going to see them. Love their first album. Barb and I are going to see them for the third time in September. Nice. I've never seen them. Yeah, no, they're great live. And, you know, frickin' Butch Vig is the drummer for this band, which... Oh, wow. Okay. I mean, come on, you know. He's a drummer, yeah, but he does other things. Never mind that for now. Uh-huh.

01:23:45Okay, so let all that we imagine be the light. So apparently a few years back on the No Gods, No Masters tour, I believe, I am resetting this directly from my memory, which is not always correct, but I believe it was on the No Gods, No Masters tour, Shirley Manson, the singer, fell off the stage and damaged her hip, which ultimately,

01:24:17involved her needing while she finished the show, but ultimately she needed hip replacement. And so apparently this album was sort of written during her convalescence and is highly lyrically inspired by that and is a little more positive, actually, than a lot of their previous stuff. Although there is a song on here.

01:24:44I was just listening to it yesterday. Crap, the lyrics aren't here. But it's called, the song is Chinese Fire Horse. And there's some serious F-bombs going on in there. So maybe not as positive always. But cool album. I love Garbage. They're like rock. They're hard rock. But they've also got like this electronic element to them that it's just super catchy. And, you know,

01:25:14They came out of the 90s, and they've managed to stick around this long and still be relevant. So way to go. Garbage. What is their deal with them when they first met? Were they all like producers or DJs or something? Oh, I don't know about that. I thought there was some story, but I might be getting the next stuff. There might be. I mean, obviously Butch Vig is a producer. Yeah, I thought there was something about them that was unique how they came together, but I might be wrong. I liked the first album a lot, and then I kind of

01:25:44I fell off the map from there. And I know it's silly to say that, but I did. I'm only happy when it rains. My band did a cover, you know, did that, did that song. That was one of our, one of the tracks we did. So yeah. Plus they've got that kind of cool, loungy, stupid girl. Yes. Which of course always makes me think of the Stones, but because they have a song called stupid girl as well. Right. But not the same song.

01:26:14No. No. So I'm going to assume here that I do not yet have to lick my butt. Yeah, pretty much. All right. I feel pretty safe after this. I definitely need garbage. The rest are even more obscure than that. Oh, they are. If we keep delaying, I'll just go listen to the album real quick. I know the album. But you have to know it ahead of time. Luckily, this is a podcast without any visuals. Yes. Well, one of these albums is actually pretty

01:26:44He's pretty huge. Like, from a popular music perspective, I'm aware, even though to me he's just some dude that sings. But I do not expect you to know him. So, no butt-licking today, boys. All right, yes. I think we're all in the clear here. We're all safe from a certain manner of speaking. Yes, thank God. All right. Back to you, T.R. Yes.

01:27:14So my next album came out in March. And it's Sergeant Thunderhoof. Oh, wow. Avon Calling. So this is a live recording from August 2024 of this outstanding British band. This is an honest, unretouched recording, but that doesn't take anything away from it. They sound great and as powerful as their studio albums. These guys don't venture out of the UK much, so this may be the only way I'm going to hear them live.

01:27:44Their album The Ghost of Badon Hill came out in November 2024, just missing our cutoff of this year. But it's worth a listen. So if you guys have not listened to Sergeant Thunderhoof out there, again, they're on Bandcamp. You can find them there. Outstanding rock band out of the UK. Awesome. I've heard of this band, but I have not actually listened to them.

01:28:14them. And so that's very interesting to me.

01:28:18I love these guys. The singer is tremendous. Just the construction of their songs is really good. And they did a split with Howling Giant that was particularly good. All their stuff is good, in my opinion. But this split that they did with Howling Giant,

01:28:42where they each did...

01:28:46They were going to do...

01:28:47It's like one of those deals where the record company's like,

01:28:50Hey, why don't you do a split with these guys?

01:28:52And both bands were like,

01:28:54Look, if we're going to do this, we're going to do it.

01:28:56It's going to be epic.

01:28:57So both of them put this split together

01:29:01where they both worked together on themes

01:29:05and different elements of these songs.

01:29:08And they each did a song.

01:29:10And both of them were about these Japanese sword makers. And they worked together to make the songs. And each of the songs was over 10 minutes long. I mean, it was epic. And anyway, love these guys. Sergeant Thunderhoof, just a terrific... They rock.

01:29:39They just such a cool sound. I like them a lot. I salute you. Yes. Thank you, Sergeant. At ease, man. Same for me with like George. I know the name. I just haven't listened to him before. Yeah. All right. Well, John, what do you got? All right. So my next one is a band I discovered with this album and it was their sixth release. So I was like, wow, I've missed out on this band for 20 years. And I ended up going back and I bought everything.

01:30:10It's cool stuff. And I don't think there's an album I dislike in there in the comic I've listened to so far. So my next album is from a band called Magic Pie, and the album is called Maestro. They are a Norwegian, ready for it? Progressive rock band. Some symphonic prog, and they've got a little bit of prog metal in them too. So I would say a very good way to describe their sound a little bit, even though they've got their own thing going again.

01:30:40think about like the flower kings sort of meeting 2000s dream theater a little bit in terms of style maybe and maybe somewhat technical or the guitarist is he's outstanding he's really good but he has a little bit of that mid 2000s dream theater heaviness okay uh where you know dream theaters getting a little more froggy they weren't as metal but they were still pretty heavy

01:31:09like the early days and the flower kings have a unique sound um and i think i use them as a touch

01:31:16point because um they have their their music's uplifting it's positive i mean i don't know if the

01:31:22lyrics are positive because i've read them but you you don't feel like there's no darkness to the sound

01:31:27which of course i love but on this it's a little happier sounding yeah it's just good stuff i mean the

01:31:32opening track i think is a perfect example of those two kind of styles merging together

01:31:39Like I said, I never learned before. I saw this album cover. I kept hearing the name and I kept thinking it was a band you liked, TR, but you like a band called Magic Circle. Yes, Magic Circle. And I kept saying, is this the band TR likes? Oh man, am I finally getting into it? And then I always remember the album cover from the first album, which is a big green apple. And I was like, oh, not Circle, Pi. You know? And so I dove in and I haven't even still listened to a couple of the albums all the way.

01:32:07I'm still kind of working my way. So this would be a fourth band for me in the last like six, seven years that I've discovered that have been around for a while that I had no idea about that I bought everything to for the most part. So like I said, their guitarist, Kim Stenberg is just, wow, he's good. Really good. And he can get heavy and he can get technical, but then he's got real tasty stuff. So Magic Pie, Maestro. Cool. All right.

01:32:36So my next pick is a mighty collaboration between two blues greats. The 83-year-old Taj Mahal and the 73-year-old Keb Moe. This is not their first album together, although because Wikipedia apparently does not like them, I don't know how many albums this is. But this is their latest album, Room on the Porch.

01:33:05And I love this album

01:33:09I mean not like Peter Murphy or Jesse Stolato

01:33:11But you know what I mean

01:33:12Or Lady Gaga

01:33:13We can't all be those bands

01:33:15But yeah no

01:33:18I mean I love me blues

01:33:19I love me both of these guys individually

01:33:22And together they just make

01:33:24Beautiful Beautiful Blues

01:33:27Which is really down and out

01:33:29But it's still beautiful

01:33:31Oh it's so good

01:33:32These guys

01:33:34It's really kind of jarring for me to hear that Taj Mahal is in his 80s and Kebmo is in his 70s. I know. I just looked that up. I mean, I knew Taj Mahal was probably up there. Honestly, I saw Taj Mahal in the 80s, and it's just like, oh my God. You know? I can't believe. It didn't occur to me, because I don't typically listen to blues that much. Well, you should. I mean, given your tastes,

01:34:02I think you should.

01:34:04Well, maybe.

01:34:04But I just don't, I don't know.

01:34:06I've just never been a blues guy.

01:34:08But you can be now, though, right?

01:34:10I suppose.

01:34:11Just for me, a little bit of that goes a long way.

01:34:14And so, unfortunately.

01:34:16Everything we're listening to comes from the blues.

01:34:19Oh, I know that.

01:34:20But like, just like where it went is what I'm more interested in.

01:34:25Dang.

01:34:27Yeah.

01:34:27Frog came from a sunny English countryside hill.

01:34:31Yes.

01:34:31and fairy tales. Yes. Okay, everything but Prog came from Blues. Prog, we don't really know where that came from or why, but there it is. But Blues, man. We know that Prog came from the Hobbits. We know that. That's right. Yes. One day a Hobbit farted and there was Prog. No, then there was Stonehenge. Then the music came. Then the music came so that they could trot upon it. Right, right. Yes. Sorry, I wasn't reading the script.

01:35:03No, you just know that. It's innate. It's innate. Well, George, I appreciate this selection because it's something I wouldn't, you know, again, you have avoided licking your butt because it is not something I would have thought of. Well, stick around, pal. Stick around. Better run through mine real quick because I don't want to see this. No, I mean that you're not going to see it.

01:35:33All right, shall I go to the next choice here? Sure. All right, so my next selection is from a band called No Sound, and the album is called To the Core. And actually, it's more of an EP than a full album, because it's about 20 minutes long. But it's a nice return to form for this group headed by Giancarlo Era. It's chilled out like Pink Floyd. The songs are shorter and more concise than previous efforts.

01:36:01which kind of leaves you wanting more but based on the band camp page era states i always

01:36:07prefer to play a song again because it was beautiful but too short rather than wonder why it goes on for so long without saying anything new so i would say that that's indicative of this particular ep uh i i liked i got you know some of no sounds albums like when they were kind of first coming out and then i kind of lost touch with them

01:36:33And I listened to some previews of this EP online at Bandcamp and thought, yeah, it sounds pretty good. So I picked it up and I ended up really liking it and, you know, kind of fits in with what I feel like kind of their earlier output. So I like it. Well, with that mentality, it sounds like he could have been in the replacements. Oh, why? Oh, because is that their thing? They don't play long songs. There's no point in repeating.

01:37:01I guess, but like, honestly, like. I'm joking. It's a joke. Yeah, all right. I'm just like, dude, you said the replacements. My mind is blown, you know? Yeah. George is like, wait a minute. Guess what, George? You're gonna have to lick your butt. No. I like some of the replacements. There's no punk rock here, but I do like the replacements too, and Paul Westerberg, so. Yeah. All right. All right, my turn. Yep. I only got two left.

01:37:31Yeah, me too. Oh, shocker. Another prog band. But this is a carryover from the Metal Edge podcast. And I'm shocked how high. How high. No, no, I'm fine. I just got tongue twisted. Are you the new Will on this podcast? No, I'm doing Steve Carell from Bruce Almighty. Sorry. I will shut up.

01:38:03Oh, man.

01:38:06My next one is Dream Theater's Parasomnia.

01:38:09Oh.

01:38:10Yeah.

01:38:11But wasn't that released?

01:38:13Oh, yeah, that was released this year.

01:38:17Yeah.

01:38:17Wow.

01:38:18Yeah, February.

01:38:19It was my album of the month for February in the Metal H podcast.

01:38:21Yeah.

01:38:22So, yeah, I look, this is like I said, there's a tie to Pelican on this and everyone,

01:38:29Either people hate this album, or the Dream Theater Hobbits are saying, you know, oh, it's a return to form. Mike Portnoy's back. I'm like, you know what? It's a really good album. I enjoy it. There's still some stuff they're doing that I'm not keen on. They did dial back some of the Jordan Circus music, which is nice. It's still there, but it's not as bad. They dialed it back a little. It's a heavier album for them in a while. They kind of venture back to the

01:38:59mid-2000s, I think, with their sound. And they play it a little safe. That's how I kind of felt about the New Pelican. It's familiar territory, but that's what people want, and that's what the band wants to do, and there's nothing wrong with that at all. And I have no issues with Mike Mangini on drums, and I actually like the last two albums from them a lot. It's the other three I was not so big on. I thought they were just okay. But I've actually been back on the train for a few albums.

01:39:28But this one continues in the right direction. I think

01:39:33it won't be that high

01:39:34on the other podcasts at the end of the year.

01:39:37But I got a lot of listens this year

01:39:39so far. And so it's a band

01:39:41I've been with for

01:39:43and I'm late. I got into them in like

01:39:4594 and I'm late.

01:39:48So yeah.

01:39:49Yeah.

01:39:50I mentioned them on the podcast before you

01:39:53did.

01:39:55Ordo's joke.

01:39:57For what?

01:39:58Because I wasn't on the podcast then. Nobody was on the podcast. There was no podcasts in then. But as an Ordo's joke for Metalheads people, if you don't know. You just thought about them. Like when I was living in California, I was like, I don't know, who's this band? And you're like, I already thought about them. Yeah. Well, I did get the second album when it came out. I know. We've had this conversation. Yeah, but that's not where I'm going. It's not where I'm going with it. I'm just playing. I know. And look, trust me, I got my, I got my Tales of Topography.

01:40:31I like that first album and I've had it on cassette in 1989 man absolutely and all these these post scenes for memory fans they're like the post in absentia fans from Porcupine Tree right who slide on the early stuff yeah you just go pound sand get out of here yeah yeah you're like that dude from Tuscany and you think he's awesome

01:40:59Yeah. Word. Music's great, but man, those lyrics. Yeah. Anyway, that's my next one. I just, there, I mentioned this on the Metalheads podcast. I'll bring it up here for you guys. It's called the Whooby. We all have our Whoobies. Yeah. Right. And Dream Theater is a Whooby band for me. It is, you know, and it, you know, I'm embarrassed to say, like, I didn't even list this on my list. That's all right. But, but, you know, but, but. I'm going to

01:41:28see them. But yet, like, the album was good, and I listened to it, and I was excited to hear Portnori back in the band and everything. But, like, I listened to it, like, one time, and I just need to listen to it more. Because I think if I do, I'll, you know... Warm up to it. I'll warm up to it more. Not like I was cold to it, but just, like, I don't know. It was kind of like,

01:42:00I can't describe it but just essentially like

01:42:04you're right John they kind of played it safe

01:42:07so there wasn't anything on here that where it was like mind-blowing

01:42:11or kind of like oh my god you know

01:42:14they've they've just you know innovated something different

01:42:17it was kind of like what you'd expect from them

01:42:20which is what was I mean it was good

01:42:22and it's definitely a good dream theater album

01:42:25but I guess it I don't know it just didn't really

01:42:28register with me and i guess i need to listen to it more because i think i haven't given it a good chance so i have a good question to ask real quick and you guys don't have to answer it but it's a question to put out there for a band like this it's been around now 40 plus years yeah i want to ask you mentioned something terry so nothing that you know was new or experimental innovative whatever i can't remember the exact words you just said but in a nutshell you were saying that yeah nothing from them like that so my

01:42:58The question is for bands like this, what do you expect from a band 40 years into their career? Exactly. It's just like Judas Priest, right? Although I will say when Firepower came out, it was a lot more than what I expected. Sure. But I guess the question for people who complain like this all the time, like, well, what do you want? Because if you want the early stuff, why don't you just go back and listen to the early stuff? Yeah, I agree. And you could just say, hey, I'm not into this. But man, people just, it's the world we live in. And I'm not going to bust on them for it.

01:43:27No, no, no, no, no, no. It's a general question I'm throwing out there. But I mean, it's a very valid point, John, because to be honest, like some of these bands that have been around that long, yeah, you're not going to get some kind of ground shaking, innovative thing out of them typically. I can only think of two bands that ended their career with possibly their best albums. And those bands are only around for 20 years. And I know George will appreciate these. One is Bull.

01:44:00That last album is just

01:44:02going to get steamrolled.

01:44:04And then, come on, you just did

01:44:08I know that.

01:44:08The last album is just

01:44:10come on, it's just ridiculous how good

01:44:12it's the best stuff they ever did, in my opinion.

01:44:14Oh yeah, no, I wasn't slagging it.

01:44:17No, no, I'm saying

01:44:17But they ended prematurely.

01:44:20Of course, but the point I'm making is

01:44:22it's really rare a band 20 plus years

01:44:26I mean

01:44:27Yeah. I mean, it's a great point. I mean, you know, what can you really expect, right? Like blood can you squeeze out of that rock? Yeah. Right. And, and, you know, these bands, I mean, as much as they want to feel like they're really doing something amazing, you know, they're in their comfort zone. They are. They're just going to be doing what they do. And that's, that's what comes out. There's only one band that can do this. One, that's going to be innovative and do something so off the wall and their fans will go crazy.

01:44:57And that's King Crimson. It's literally the only band. And you'll put something and be like, what the hell is that? Or you'd be like, oh my God. It's almost as good as in the Court of the Crimson King. Who was the other band along with Bolt Thrower? Celtic Frost. Oh, okay. For the last album. He must have missed that. Well, I was wondering because I was like, which of course is Tom from Celtic Frost. Right, that's why I was laughing because you did that before I said it.

01:45:27Okay, that's hilarious. Yeah. I mean, but that's where only 20-year careers at that point or maybe a little longer. It's hard. I'm not slagging on people for disliking stuff. I just want to know what are you expecting from them. Yeah, what do you really expect? It's true. That's a good point. You know? All right. All right. Let's wrap it up. All right. We're almost done. Well, I got a couple more. I have three more. I got one more, so we'll go through this round and I'll let you guys run through your stuff. All right. So my next album that will

01:45:57definitely not have me licking my butt.

01:46:01Is the second part of the album.

01:46:08How does that work?

01:46:09So this guy put out an album and then he put out a second part of the album this year.

01:46:15This is Teddy swims.

01:46:17I've tried everything but therapy part two.

01:46:20So a second album.

01:46:22Yeah.

01:46:23It's like,

01:46:23it's like a,

01:46:24And they've released it as like a double album, I think, since then. But he did an album, then he did part two, which came out this year. The first one came out, I think, 2023 or so. Yeah, 2023. And he's sort of a soul country pop singer. Very popular from what I hear. I don't listen to the radio and associate with people other than you guys and the other podcasts.

01:46:54But as I understand it, he's quite popular.

01:46:59And I can understand why.

01:47:01Because he's just got a voice, man.

01:47:03And what I think is really cool is that he sort of came to be by doing YouTube cover songs like four, five, six years ago.

01:47:15And he was sort of discovered that way, I guess.

01:47:19And dude, he's got a, just a very soulful, well, you know, soul music, but he's got a very soulful voice and he's incredible. And a lot of people, uh, what's the song? What's the song? Come on. Let's go back to the first album. Uh, lose control. I don't know if you've heard that song, but there's a song called lose control. It's freaking everywhere. And, uh, that is Teddy swims, but that's not on this one. This is the part two.

01:47:49which is also quite good.

01:47:53And I'm probably selling out hard with this one,

01:47:57but because I don't know people that know this album, that's okay.

01:48:01I kind of feel, I still feel kind of like, you know,

01:48:08like someone who listens to music nobody listens to.

01:48:13Well, I chose not to list that music because it wouldn't fit the, you know, the quote-unquote format. I got plenty of that music. Well, I mean, this is, you know, soul country pop. That fits into the rock. Of course. Rock adjacent. Rock adjacent. So you've, I don't want to belabor this too much, but you brought up something that came up in a conversation I had with my better half yesterday, Jen.

01:48:44And she's like, why do you have a list for your episode? What are you guys doing? I said, oh, we're doing our favorite albums for the first half of this year. She's like, well, how do you have any albums? What albums? Nothing's come out. I'm like, what do you mean? She's like, you're supposed to be doing a classic rock podcast. That stuff's already been released. And I'm scrambling. I'm like, oh, shit, she's got me. Right? She's onto us. Wait a minute. I'm like, yeah, but we changed it up. She goes, no.

01:49:13It's not a classic rock podcast. It's a podcast that covers all eras of rock.

01:49:21Well, we started out that way. We have morphed and we've expanded. She's like, that's not, no, it's supposed to be classic rock. She just shut me down.

01:49:31It does not have to be classic rock. The whole point was to cover rock music.

01:49:36I know. Well, she's a huge, she's even more than I am. Classic rock fan.

01:49:42Well, that's fine. And maybe we should have her on. But she is incorrect that this is only a classic rock podcast. She would do nothing but just... We're so much more than that. She would do nothing but beat on me the whole time if she was on it. Nah. That would be fun. She and the cat would gang up on you, I think. Yeah, speaking of which, I'm going to have to go feed her soon. All right. Where are we at, TR? All right. So my next one.

01:50:12I had a little trouble finding out exactly when this came out, but apparently it came out in March. Of 2021. Of this year. And it's Fate's Warning live at the Dynamo. A little later than I think. Yeah, a little later, I think. Oh, okay. Well, this 1998 performance was previously only available on VHS and DVD, but was issued for the first time on CD this year. And vinyl. Yeah. It actually had a vinyl press.

01:50:42Yeah. Okay. Uh, this was the, a pleasant shade of gray tour. And there are, I would say there are definitely better live performances, for example, live over Europe, uh, from this band, but it's hard for me to pass up live feats. And, uh, so I picked this up and I thought I, I like it. I think it's a very good, you know, live performance. Yeah. It sounds like crap because it's from, it's from the VH. Yeah. It's from the video. Yeah. The, the, the fidelity.

01:51:12is not good, but the performance is amazing. So it's like a Misfits album. You guys are like, I'm thinking, I'm trying to think of it. I don't know. Maybe. Misfits songs are good. Misfits sound quality is crap. You can tell that this was originally released on VHS when you listen to it.

01:51:42You know how you can tell when a radio broadcast is released as a live show? And there's some bands that's happened over the years. They say, oh, we're finally releasing the radio. If it's not from Westwood One, I don't know if you guys remember Westwood One. Amazing stuff from that. And if it's not, what's the other one? King Biscuit. If it's not King Biscuit or Westwood One, you could tell the difference. They'd have professional trucks at those shows doing everything. If you know what I mean, the trailer trailer.

01:52:12You said VHS, and I don't know if people

01:52:18Well, actually, probably everybody that listens to this podcast knows what that is

01:52:23Nobody's listening knows what VHS is

01:52:29But VHS was a video

01:52:32format from the 80s

01:52:34That I desperately miss so much, it's such a pain in the ass, but I missed the whole process

01:52:39Yes, I really do

01:52:41Oh, rewind, dude. Oh, shit. The tape snapped. Please be kind. Yeah, exactly. I think I've finally gotten rid of all my VHS. Now I just have all these DVDs to get rid of. Well, maybe I'll take them off your hands. Maybe you will. Yeah. So anyway, I'm glad you put it on there, too. I have it, too. I got it also. Okay, good. It's just the quality is so rough. I almost want to watch the VHS now. I mean, right. Yeah.

01:53:11Yeah, because at least you're seeing what's going on, you know, even though the sound isn't there. But their performance is outstanding. Sondra's still in the band at that, you know, obviously, you know, so it's, and I believe, is that with Joey Vera? Is that the first live stuff he's doing with them at that point? I think so. Yeah. Joey Vera from Armored Saint? Yeah. Yes. He ended up becoming a full member. He still is, actually, but he's been with them now almost 30 years.

01:53:41you know when he first started filling in live for them

01:53:48yeah all right cool awesome glad you mentioned that one all right my last one i'll do real

01:53:52quick uh it's already been mentioned and that's pelican flickering resonance it's uh it's a good

01:54:00album i like it i'm just not uh feeling it like so tara and i are kind of flip-flop and i've mentioned

01:54:07how this album reminds me a lot of Dream Theater, even though they sound nothing like each other. Just the whole aesthetic. Right. You know, original band member coming back, fans getting kind of jazzed up, talking about returns to sounds. I just haven't spun this one enough either. So I need to spin this a little more. So you spin the Dream Theater, I'll spin the Pelican some more. We'll see where we land. It's good. I like it. It's... Yeah. I like that there's a couple of tracks on here that are kind of a little more contemplative. Mm-hmm. A little bit more kind of pulled back or...

01:54:37a little more mellow. There are a couple. I was like, whoa, this is actually really mellow. Yeah, which I thought was really cool. And they actually played a couple of them live, which was nice because it was kind of unexpected because I thought they'd kind of come with an onslaught. But they actually threw some of these contemplative pieces in, which I thought was really cool. So, in fact, they closed the show with Wandering Mind, which is the last song on the album.

01:55:06And it's kind of, I don't know, it's kind of got a chilled out sound, which I thought was kind of an interesting way for them to close the show. So yeah. No, I think if you listen to it some more, John, you'll like it. I like it a lot. And I think, you know, I listened to it quite a bit because I wanted to get ready for the show. Right. And so I kind of, you know, listened to it probably more than I probably would have.

01:55:35I hadn't been going to the show. So, you know. And you know, what's cool is you got the, they played Drought off the first album. Yes, which was a shock to me, but that was cool. Yeah. And I know they've played it a few times since 2022, I guess. I'm looking right now at Set List FM. Yeah. But I don't know if I've seen them play it live before. I don't think I've seen them play that. I don't think I have. I'm looking right now at the shows. So I wouldn't have seen it in 22 because they didn't play anywhere here.

01:56:05And what's the other 23 is the other time they played it. Let's see. No. So I never, I wouldn't have seen it. So that would, we'd have to go all the way back to. Yeah. The early days. Cause like. 2000s. Yeah, exactly. So that's cool. You get to see that. Yeah. That still might be my favorite album from them. I think I liked that one the most. Okay. I think so. Yeah. Cool. That's all I got.

01:56:36Okay.

01:56:38Eight.

01:56:38All right.

01:56:39Last butt-licking chance here.

01:56:43Are you done, TR?

01:56:44Yeah.

01:56:45All right.

01:56:46I'm going to do two then.

01:56:48My last.

01:56:48Oh, no.

01:56:49Oh, I'm not done.

01:56:49I have one more to go.

01:56:51I'm sorry.

01:56:51I didn't understand the question.

01:56:53Then I'm going to do one.

01:56:54All right, then.

01:56:56And it shall include no licking of butts.

01:56:59All right.

01:57:00Good.

01:57:01This is the Welsh rock band, Those Damn Crows, and their fourth album, God Shaped Hole. Alas, I did not review this album today like I wanted to. Life got in the way. But as I recall, it's a pretty hard-rockin' album. Not quite metal. I wouldn't put it on a year-end list.

01:57:33But it's still pretty hard rock. And it's good. What am I going to say? It's good. It's Welsh hard rock. What more do you need? Cool. That's all I got to say about them. Don't know them. Yeah, I can't say I've heard of them, actually. Honestly, I swear Matt knows these guys. But it could be a very similarly named

01:58:01band, including Dam and Crows or something. I don't know.

01:58:05Kind of like John saying Magic Circle or Magic Pie.

01:58:08Exactly. Matt, if you're listening, please let me know if you know those damn crows.

01:58:12I'm going to get a text. Oh, it's Counting Crows. I like them.

01:58:15Yeah. Well, I like them too. And wait, I think they had a new album this year.

01:58:21I think you're right.

01:58:22And it was actually pretty good. Their last few albums have been kind of stinkers, but this new one was more of a return to form.

01:58:28So just a crows addendum. That would be a late add. Yeah. The new counting crows album is pretty good too. Damn crows and counting crows. Exactly. Counting those damn crows. Counting those damn crows. It's all good. Yes. If it's got a crow, it should go. If it don't, then it won't. If it fits, you must acquit. Exactly. All right. All right. What do you got for your last one? All right. My last one here.

01:58:58So this album actually just came out July 4th. Oh, I thought we weren't doing any of those. Well, I'm going to put it in here anyway, because you said this is our podcast and we can do whatever the hell we want. Well, I would have included a few more albums. Unless you're John. You got to remember this. This is a screw job is what this is. Yes, it is. I hope you enjoy your job. Yep. Our listeners are going to be very upset.

01:59:28So this is the band, another British band, Witch Hazel. And the album is Lamentations. It's their fifth full-length album from this British band led by Colin Hendra. And while they don't explicitly call themselves a Christian rock band, it's clear that they are based on their lyrical themes. Whether you're a Christian or not, the music is catchy and has a retro 70s sound and feel. Lots of tasty twin guitar harmonies.

01:59:58The New Album follows in the vein of those that came before. Very solid, warm guitar tones and clean production. I like Witch Hazel and I've liked them for a number of albums. Pretty much I like all their stuff. And this is, I don't want to say more of the same, but definitely what you'd expect from them. So I really enjoy this album. I'm familiar with them. And I think John is too, based on the non-plus look on his face. Yeah, the look on his face is the same.

02:00:28This would have been on my list, but there's an album I would have put on my list.

02:00:33That's fine. I'll save it for the year end.

02:00:35Yeah.

02:00:36Yeah.

02:00:36You do that, Mr.

02:00:38You're not allowed to do what TR can.

02:00:41Trust me, it's coming up.

02:00:43Oh, there's going to be a reckoning.

02:00:46Yeah.

02:00:48All right.

02:00:49So my last album is one that nobody in the entire world has heard of.

02:00:57Except for the people that put it out. So this is Pennsylvania's premier blues rock power trio based on everything I see online. Dustin Douglas and the Electric Gentleman and their fourth album aptly titled Four. It's a pub band, isn't it? It probably is, but I found it on Bandit.

02:01:29And, you know, you look at, yeah, yeah, I think it is. But I don't care. It's a cool album, man. It's blues rock. What do you got to complain about? It's blues rock. And what is it? The Electric Gentleman? I mean, Dustin Douglas and The Electric Gentleman. How can you not listen to something called that? Well, yes. I mean, it does sound intriguing. It does. And this is their fourth album. And they're from

02:01:57Pennsylvania, which is just north of here. Yeah, like a few minutes up the road. Exactly. So what's not to love? Wow. I don't know. Listen to it and tell me. Yeah, exactly. Okay. Dustin Douglas and the Electric Gentleman. Yes. All right, then. Four. Four. All right, that's all I got. Okay. And it could be like Eddie and the Cruisers or something. Maybe, maybe.

02:02:27If the Cruisers had been electric, maybe. And from Pennsylvania. Were they from Pennsylvania? And if they were actually a real band, but maybe. Well, they were John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band. The Beaver Brown Band. That was a real band. Yeah. That sounded like Bruce Springsteen. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Right. I actually liked it better than Bruce Springsteen. Well, I understand that because you don't like Bruce Springsteen. Yeah. Stringbean, whatever his name is. Yeah. Bruce Stringbean? Yeah. I like that too.

02:02:57Bruce Stringbean. Come on. One, two, three, four. I don't know how... That's him counting down a song. I don't know how any red-blooded American or anybody else in the world can't like Bruce Springsteen, but, you know, we all have opinions and tastes. This guy right here. I was born in the USA, so I don't know. Not Nebraska. On the darkness of the edge of town or whatever. I was the darkness on the edge of town, let me tell you. And ever since you've been born

02:03:27to run. That's right. Yeah, pretty much. After you had your 10th Avenue freeze out. No, no. Because you were on fire. He was down in that tunnel of love. Thank you. I was just going there with that. Yeah. After you left Nebraska. No, I never been to Nebraska. I might have. When you were reliving your glory years. Glory days. Hello. Yeah. You should know about glory. Yeah. That just shows you how much I really care.

02:03:57I honestly don't understand to me I you should like Bruce Springsteen I don't know why you don't and you know God speak you and all that Lizzie and UFO I just never got them all right three bands that everyone's like you don't like them like no everybody's got their blind spot I've got plenty of them I'm sure I don't like all the albums we mentioned like all the albums you guys mentioned tonight you know

02:04:27Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. See, we didn't have to lick our butts either, TR. No, but like this episode is 100% butt licking free. So I would suggest, George, when you do the artwork for this. Here we go. You don't have to say it, but you could put a cat leg on a desk with a leg up. Right. And you could even do it from the backside. So you just see the leg up and the back and their ears.

02:04:57You don't see the actual act. But if anyone has a cat, you trust me, you've seen it more than your fair share of times. Unfortunately, you know, I've already done the artwork, but which one am I going to choose is the question. But if you want to experiment a little. I could. I'll see what I can do for you, John. Don't hold your breath, but I'll see what I can do. I think that would be really funny. All right. Well, here we

02:05:27at the end of our very first mid-year episode. Yep. We will not have a list for this. No, there will be no statistics, no lists. No. If you heard it, you heard it. That's what it is. If you haven't, go listen to it. Yeah, check it out. That's what it is now. Anybody know that one? TR, come on. It's what it is now.

02:05:57Mark Knopfler, come on. Oh. Wow, is this name that tune? And like four? I can name that tune. Two notes. Like, no, you can't. Name that tune. Yeah, I don't know. I'm just rambling here at the end. Here we are. It's the end. All right. Goodbye, and we'll see you next time. Yes, rock on. Peace.