MetalVice

Episode 80: Irish Shows

Music is an international language. We all know that. We have all heard that. While we have talked with and met amazing people from all over the world at shows in the past, we ourselves have never experienced a show outside the US. That is until our very first trip to Europe when we went to Ireland. Join us as we look back at these overseas shows and talk about how they are so different, yet exactly the same as every other show we have been to. Live music is everywhere, get out and enjoy it!

Episode 79: '68

This episode is all about ‘68. The band, not the year. The first time we saw ‘68 was as the first opener for Avatar’s first world tour. They blew us away then with their sound and performance. This has since been a band we wanted to see again. For this second time, it was as a headliner. We were so excited to see and hear them live again. As an opening act they had the greatest way to end their set and we desperately wanted to see what they would do as a headliner. But first, we had a couple other amazing acts to see. Starting the night off we had The Homeless Gospel Choir (Derek Zanetti). Following this protest set we once again got to see The Callous Daoboys, another band we first saw at an Avatar show. It was definitely another outstanding lineup at Cobra Lounge.

Episode 78: The Colors Experience

Between the Buried and Me set off on the road to bring audiences The Colors Experience. A two night opportunity for fans to hear both Colors I (night 1) and Colors II (night 2) played live in their entirety. The Acacia Strain joined BTBAM, and followed the theme of the tour, by playing Step Into The Light (night 1) and Failure Will Follow (night 2), in their entirety. While we were only able to see the first night, their performances definitely left us with a new outlook on albums being played in full.

Episode 77: Record Collection - Part 2

In part two of our record collection we get to the Slipknot section. Not only do we look at and talk about our Slipknot records, we also look at the small collection of records the members of Slipknot have put out that we own. Starting with Stone Sour and then moving on to Corey Taylor’s solo albums. 

Episode 76: Record Collection - Part 1

If live music is the best way to consume music, what’s the second best? Well, for us, it's vinyl. Now sure, there are people who say vinyl has the best sound. They even have science to back it up. While they might be right, it’s the experience that we love. The experience of going out to a shop and digging through all the albums until we find the one that speaks to us. Listening to the whole album from start to finish. Having to physically flip the disk. The crackle when the needle runs through the groves. This will be part one of a new series where we look through our collection and talk a little about each album. Here in part one we look solely at our Metallica albums.

Episode 75: Covers And Tributes

What’s the difference between a cover band and a tribute band? Is one better than the other? Or is it music and who cares? Music is awesome however we get it, right? In this episode we look at both tribute and cover bands. We talk about some of our favorite cover songs, albums, and artists we view as cover artists (even though they have their own original music).

Episode 74: Bullet For My Valentine

Late in 2023 we got the pleasure to see Bullet For My Valentine for the very first time. A band that has been around for quite some time, yet somehow we have not had an opportunity to see them. Their first opener Vended, a rather young group, we saw four times prior to this. All in 2023. Then, somewhere in the middle, we got Of Mice & Men. The show and crowd that night were amazing. With one small exception, the damn back lighting. In anycase, all three bands put on an amazing performance and we can't wait to catch them again.

Episode 73: 100 Greatest Metal Songs

We can all agree that top lists suck, right? Yes our year end shows are just top lists for different categories. Everyone also has their own hierarchy of bands or songs. Any outlet that publishes articles has had, or will have, a top X list at some point. When we look at these lists we can't help but have some, or several, issues with the order. We need to keep in mind though, that this list is just one person, or a committee of people’s, opinions. In this episode we take a look at one such list, a Rolling Stones 2023 article, The 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Songs of All Time. What will be number one? I mean we all know it's going to be Black Sabbath with Puppets at number two right?
 
Article: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/100-greatest-heavy-metal-songs-1234688425/

Episode 72: Mia X Ally - The Viral Hits

The music we mostly gravitate towards is metal. Bands are, mostly, composed of the same elements; a vocalist, guitar, drums, and hopefully a bass. Though, from time to time we get something else, something unique, something “non-traditional”. Like a Hurdy-gurdy or a Morin Khuur. It's one of our favorite things hearing and seeing these instruments used in the music we listen to. Now sure, a Violin and Bagpipes, in some circles, are absolutely traditional instruments. But for us they are not what we first think of when we think of “our” music. We definitely don’t view these as the primary instruments. For Mia and Ally, though, they are the lead instruments and at the center of their amazing music and live set. A random ad for Mia and Ally’s Viral Hits tour, on whatever sh!t social media platform we had spent too much time on, led us down a rabbit hole to discover their beautiful music and then to buying tickets to the show. With the help of an outstanding team behind them, Mia and Ally put on an amazingly unique show that we can't wait to see again.

Episode 71: Candlelight Concerts - The best of Hans Zimmer

Lighting is one of the most common effects that’s used in a live show. Everything from the amount, to color, and positions can drastically improve or hurt a performance. How about a show lit only by candles? That's exactly what Candlelight Concerts offers, a show only with light by candles. Or fake candles, for obvious fire reasons. Shows can range from classical classics, to ballet, Adel, and even Linkin Park. For our show, we saw the Metropolis String Quartet performing music from some of Hans Zimmer’s most notable films.