The Downbeat

My guests on the podcast this week are Brian Eschbach and Alan Cassidy of The Black Dahlia Murder. After the tragic death of vocalist Trevor Strnad, Brian took over on the mic and Alan remained very good at the drums. We talk about the giant leap from guitarist to vocalist, as well as Alan’s office chair, the devil's lettuce and the early days of the band and more…

My guest on the podcast this week is Matt Guglielmo, drummer of The Acacia Strain, End, and the man a LOT of your favourite heavy bands call when they need session work. We talked at length about his unique way to learn songs fast, how he overcame some serious wrist injuries, what it takes to nail the session and his work as a producer. Great guy UNREAL drummer, some absolute gems in here.

My guests on the podcast this week are Misha Mansoor and Matt Halpern of progressive metal band Periphery. We talk about the mental struggles and themes that led to the creation of their new extremely collaborative album ‘ A Pale White Dot’ as well as the ins and outs of the music industry, business, money, success, AI, the future and much more. Check out A Pale White Dot on 3DOT recordings, available now.

My guests on the podcast this week are Jonny Reeves and Joel Birch, both vocalists of Australian metalcore band The Amity Affliction. We talk about the events which led to the new addition of Jonny, and the unlikely separate but mutual upbringings that explain some of the meanings behind their new album ‘House Of Cards’

My guests on the podcast this week are Chris Davis and Andrew Tkaczyk of THE GHOST INSIDE. In 2015 The Ghost Inside suffered through a life changing bus crash which claimed lives, limbs and nearly the future of the band. 10 years later TGI is stronger than ever - thanks to the mental fortitude of the members and an ingenious device created by Andrew’s father ‘THE HAMMER’ that allows him to play the drums perfectly while missing most of his leg. A truly harrowing and inspirational story, this is a podcast that shouldn’t have as many laughs as it does.

No episode this week. The vibe does not match the collective grief of the heavy music community. Back next week.

My guest on the podcast this week is Cody Quistad, guitarist of Wage War. With 4.3 BILLION streams to his name, Cody is also an incredibly talented and sought-after songwriter. We caught up to talk about Wage War’s new EP ‘It Calls Me By Name’ as well as what he thinks of the modern scene and the term’ Octanecore’ - when heavy breakdowns meet active rock choruses, which is something that Cody pretty much single handedly brought into the mainstream. Big brain on this lad.

My guests on The Downbeat podcast this week are Tūranga Morgan-Edmonds and Lewis de Jong of ALIEN WEAPONRY.Alien Weaponry are a groove metal band from New Zealand, and their music and lyrics heavily reflect all three members’ Māori ancestry. This episode digs into said ancestry with conversations about Tā moko (traditional Māori tattoos) as well as the Haka, a ceremonial Māori dance that the band performs on stage. We also discuss their new album Te Ra, meeting your idols, working with Randy Blythe, and touring with Gojira. A truly educational episode 2.5 hour episode… and I could have done 2.5 more.

My guests on the podcast this week are Flo and Kevin of LANDMVRKS. We talk About the struggles around making their new album ‘The Darkest Place I’ve Ever Been’, as well as Flo’s battle with anxiety, the importance of their role in France’s burgeoning metal scene, US ‘cuisine’…and graffiti

My guest on the podcast this week is Adam ‘Nolly’ Getgood. Acclaimed guitarist and producer whose credits include Animals as Leaders, Periphery and Sleep Token. Nolly is also the co-founder of GGD - a hugely successful plugin company that went from being two friends with a mutual love of capturing drum tones to a household name in the world of music production. We talk in depth about the origin and ethos of GGD, his career as musician and producer, and of course the development of MY new plugin on their platform: One Kit Wonder: The Downbeat. He’s a very nice and successful man

My guest on the podcast this week is Cody Ash. Cody is the drumming powerhouse behind the country megastar Jelly Roll. We tell the entire story of his career trajectory - from sleeping in a van in metalcore bands all the way to his current gig playing sold out arenas alongside the likes of Eminem and Post Malone.

My guest this week is George Lesage Clarke IV (seriously). George is the vocalist of the pioneering black metal/shoegaze band Deafheaven. A deeply poetic and well read man, we do a deep dive on their latest album Lonely People With Power (my AOTY) his lyrics, the nature of hereditary vices…and Cradle Of Filth.