Wherein Eric and John return to some of Eric's most favorite historical stomping grounds, the epic history of that most maligned of heavy metal subgenres, glam metal, by delving into just what a vast assortment of bands, including Poison, Cinderella, the mighty Guns N' Roses, and many, many more, were up to in the late 1980s. Click on the links below for all the music listening breaks in this episode! Music listening break #1: Poison - "Look What the Cat Dragged In" from Look What the Cat Dragged In (1986) ⁠https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPAlXQeaaKw Music listening break #2: Guns N' Roses- "R ..read more

Wherein Eric torments John relentlessly, deep diving into the life and work of Kiss, the single most favorite band of Eric's misspent youth, in the 1980s. Throughout these "Special Topics in Metalology" episodes, we'll feature extended timeframes, more music, and even more verbal sparring, as we engage in deep dive explorations and analyses of challenging and esoteric subjects drawn from a wide swath of heavy metal history. Click on the links below for all the music listening breaks in this episode! Music listening break #1: "Creatures of the Night" from Creatures of the Night (1982)- https ..read more

Wherein Eric rings in the holiday season in the best way possible: By exploring the esoteric underworld of 1980s American independent heavy metal bands with author Alexandros Anesiadis. Alex is the author of the fantastic new book Heroes of the Metal Underground: The Definitive Guide to 1980s American Independent Metal Bands. Purchase copies for yourself and 10 of your closest friends at: https://www.amazon.com/Heroes-Metal-Underground-Definitive-Independent/dp/1627311408 Assigned Listening #1: Street Child- "Street Child" ⁠https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5P_Yuio2pc Assigned Listening #2 : Ru ..read more

Wherein Eric, flying solo, takes a bit of a chronological detour, examining the heavy metal of the 21st century. On this edition, Eric surveys the very best albums of 2023, along with a pedagogical discussion of some of the many, many sub genres that comprise the metal of the 21st century, culminating in the official pick for HM101 Heavy Metal Album of the Year for 2023! Visit us at: ⁠⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/heavymetal101podcast⁠⁠ ⁠⁠(you can leave us a voicemail if you're so inclined!) Contact us at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠heavymetal101podcast@gmail.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ Social media: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.faceboo ..read more

Wherein Eric and John conclude their epic diptych exploring the music and stories of women who rock, taking a look at an assortment of amazing female heavy metal artists and their extraordinary music making in the 1980s. Opening clip: Wendy O. Williams Assigned Listening #1: Rock Goddess- "My Angel" https://youtu.be/ezQ6jDaC6Tc?si=DrrizhtdjJXyggxl Assigned Listening #2 : Wendy O. Williams- "It's My Life" ⁠https://youtu.be/J3AJq_a8ETc?si=-NEA49-pHqcc9zds⁠ Assigned Listening #3 : Warlock- "All We Are" https://youtu.be/SX-_-4yBFIg?si=Goqv9bSTHvx59yrt Visit us at: https://podcasters.spotify.com/po ..read more

Wherein Eric and John embark on an epic diptych exploring the stories of women who rock, first by delving into the prehistory of women in heavy metal via a look at of some of the monumental contributions of women to the wider history of rock music from 1938 through the 1970s. Opening clip: Joan Jett Closing clip: Lzzy Hale Assigned Listening #1: Sister Rosetta Tharpe- "Strange Things Happening Every Day" (1944) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4-22b72muY Assigned Listening #2 (sort of): Big Mama Thornton- "Hound Dog" (1952) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucqhmFyzMgs Assigned Listening #3: T ..read more

Wherein Eric and John take Heavy Metal 101 to the next level, combining elements of classic horror radio plays, telling the narratives of four macabre King Diamond classics, alongside the story of the band and the man in the 1980s in classic HM101 style. Prologue- "The Call" The Story of Fatal Portait Eric and John do their thing, pt. 1 Assigned listening #1: "Halloween" (from Fatal Portrait)- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ppu5BsqKck The Story of Abigail Eric and John do their thing, pt. 2 Bonus listening: "A Mansion in Darkness" (from Abigail)- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kFDU04PA-o T ..read more

Wherein Eric and John take a scenic tour through the cassette collection of a young Eric, and explore three of the biggest pop metal hit albums of the mid-1980s: Bon Jovi- Slippery When Wet, Whitesnake- Whitesnake (aka 1987), and Def Leppard- Hysteria. Assigned Listening #1: Bon Jovi- "You Give Love a Bad Name" (the video) ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrZHPOeOxQQ Assigned Listening #2: Whitesnake- "Here I Go Again" (1982 video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSlSaGcc0QM "Here I Go Again" (1987 video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyF8RHM1OCg Assigned Listening #3: Def Leppard- "Pou ..read more

Wherein Eric and John return for season three with a bang, exploring the seminal works of the "Big 4" of American thrash in 1986/7, Metallica's Master of Puppets, Megadeth's Peace Sells...But Who’s Buying?, Slayer's Reign in Blood, and Anthrax's Among the Living. Assigned Listening #1: Metallica- "Battery" ⁠https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvW4OQFA_UY Megadeth: "Peace Sells" the video- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdEupVsL07E Assigned Listening #2: Slayer- "Angel of Death" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7cWi41XGCM Visit us at: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/heavymetal101podcast ..read more

Wherein Eric and John continue to delve ever more deeply into the gritty, glitzy history of glam metal, focusing this time on the first wave of 1980's Sunset Strip bands including Mötley Crüe, Dokken, W.A.S.P., Great White, Stryper, and Ratt. Assigned Listening #1- Mötley Crüe- "Live Wire" (version 1, Elektra Records) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6AiAKJDWCQ (version 2, Leathür Records original mix) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJjydoG5M9E Assigned Listening #2*: Ratt- "Lack of Communication" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8kFKMjTFBs *Just in case you aren't familiar, here's a link to ..read more