Ep #	Date	Duration	Title	Description
71	02/08/2012	0:54:34	Big 4 Undercard	Everyone can usually agree on the Big 4 but what about those great bands that have always been considered contenders? That's usually where the real discussion between metal fans lies. Everybody has their own take on who belongs in that pantheon right below the Big 4. and J and I are no different. We had total agreement on a few but in true metal tradition we had to thrash out the final spot.
70	02/01/2012	1:07:18	Hair Strikes Back	WARNING - This episode may cause you to choke on hairspray. Nostalgia is not what it used to be. J and I have noticed a recent trend in metal releases. There appears to be two metal revivals bubbling to the surface and coincidentally one is making J happy and the other is making me happy. This episode we focus on J's. Always one to appreciate the fun parts of metal (which is why he's a big Anthrax fan) J has been happy to see a lot of new bands unabashedly displaying their eighties hair metal influences. So this episode we explore some of these bands. Call em' hair, sleaze, or glam these guys are gaining traction without a boost from major labels. Stay tuned for an episode in the near future where we will delve into the revival of NWOBHM and classic metal…UP THE IRONS!
69	01/25/2012	0:54:47	Forging A Road To Metal	Way back about thirty episodes we asked for your gig travel stories. One of our listeners answered the call and so this episode was inspired by some great European road stories. The take away I got from all this is that metal fans will go to great lengths to see their favorite bands. I doubt that Bieber fans ever crossed a continent for a show, but for metalheads the journey as they say can be the reward. What the hell am I talking about? The metal at the end is THE reward.
68	01/18/2012	0:51:08	Ride The Relevancy	The words were tendered…Tallica no longer relevant! Being a long time fan I had to disagree. I figured I would toss it out to J he was going to agree with one of the views and either way it would make for great discussion. I almost expected him to go against my opinion, knowing his reaction to the Black Album but to my surprise he stood firmly in the relevancy camp. Judging by the incredible anniversary shows they just rolled out at the Fillmore I think we made the right decision. Playing a week of shows with no songs being played more than once. If that wasn't enough the band also rolled out pretty much everyone ho ever played with them including the mysterious Hugh Tanner, Lloyd Grant, Ron McGovney, Mr Newsted, and of course mega Dave just to name a few.
67	01/12/2012	0:54:40	Psyched About Sykes	John Sykes one of hard rock and metal's quintessential journeyman guitar players. Whitesnake, one of metal's great hopes of 1987. The question arose, did Coverdale screw the proverbial metal pooch when he sacked the band that really played on the 1987 album. That's the topic of this weeks episode…along with the usual unplanned rambles along the way.
66	01/04/2012	0:59:30	The Black Metal Episode	What??? No, not that Black metal. This episode was inspired by two things. A suggestion from J and a comment from Doug Pinnick on "That Metal Show". So we thought why not tackle the subject this week. The roots of metal are tied directly to American blues and the pentatonic blues box. If that's the case why are there not more black folks in metal? It's not like there are not some great examples in metal right now, why aren't there more. I'm not sure if we came away with an answer but the discussion was pretty good anyways.
65	12/28/2011	0:59:31	Music Discovery II	Time once again for one of our more popular shows, music discovery. It's been a few months so why not get the word out about some great releases. Hopefully you ill hear some must have tunes and go out get them for yourself. That's a wrap for this year. Next up in 2012 is the mysterious Black Metal episode.
64	12/21/2011	1:09:36	Satan Claws is Comin' To Town	Time once again for us at FoM to spread some holiday cheer. So for your consumption here's our second annual holiday/year end episode. J and I discuss the past year and throw out a few wishes for 2012, all with a healthy dash of metal clad holiday tunes.
63	12/14/2011	0:59:34	Final Score on the Big 4	So we have talked about two of the latest release from the Big 4 in the last few episodes. In this episode J and I look at the latest recorded output from all of the Big 4 and give our current ratings on who comes out on top. We also have a contribution from Cast Iron comrade John Katic as he talks with Jonny from Art Of Dying and finally J and I do our first Scrap Metal revisited as we look at the latest release from Riot.
62	12/07/2011	1:09:30	Drummer Roundup Part 2	So here's part 2 of the roundup of some of our favorite drummers this weeks episode is capped off with an interview with the legendary Andy Parker from UFO humbly submitted by one John Katic. If you haven't caught John's show head over to castironring.com and follow the link to Iron City Rocks. Be sure to check out all the other great shows there as well.
61	11/30/2011	0:59:31	Drummer Roundup Part 1	So far on FoM we have talked about singers and bassists. We talk guitarists on pretty much every episode, although I would expect that they will get their own roundup in the future. However the next two episodes of FoM are all about the skin pounders. The original concept was that J and I would each bring a list to the table like our artwork episode. In this case it didn't quite work out so well. This time J came up short on the list but what the hell, ever forward. That's metal !!!!
60	11/23/2011	1:28:50	Focus on Worship Music	Okay, so we aren't the first metal podcast to do a breakdown of the long awaited Anthrax release "Worship Music" but what the hell we are gonna do it anyways. This week J and I discuss the new disc and J also waxes a bit on the new Megadeth release too.
59	11/16/2011	0:59:20	Focus on Th1rt3en	It's been a Mega month. The new Gigantour lineup was announced and on the same day Mustaine and co released their new disc on Roadrunner fittingly titled Thirteen. In this episode of FoM we assess the Gigantour tour and do a track by track rundown of the new disc.
58	11/09/2011	0:59:28	The Countdown Winds Down	Countdown winds down…WTF? This weeks episode drops within days of the reveal of The Cast Iron Ring. Head over to http://castironring.com/ and watch the seconds tick by until all is revealed on 11/11/11 In the meantime have a listen to this weeks episode as J and I wrap up our discussion of music delivery past, present and future. I'll also given update on what former FoM guests Benedictum are up to and roll some great metal tunes including a NWOBHM blast from the past.
57	11/03/2011	1:09:32	Focus on John Petrucci	Okay maybe John Petrucci is only part of the podcast but would you have been as interested if it said Focus on Formats Part 1. I didn't think so. So first up this week J and I will be delving into the formats we bought metal on both past and present. We had a lot to say so this puppy will be divided among this weeks show and the one to follow. Then, we get to John Petrucci. Cohost John Katic caught up with Petrucci fresh from the release of the new disc "A Dramatic Turn of Events". JP talks about the new disc, tour plans, and some of his solo stuff too. This weeks brings us less than two weeks from the launch of the Cast Iron Ring. Stay tuned for more. And as always Focus On Metal…Everything Else is Insignificant.
56	10/26/2011	0:59:54	A Black Tide of Drummers	For some reason, with no intent beforehand, this one turned into a drummer episode. First up is MVP drummer Scot Coogan the man behind the skins on the latest Lynch Mob disc as well as the stick man for Ace Frehley (among others). We catch up with Scot right before the Lynch Mob show in Pittsburgh. I know what you're saying, MVP. Hey the guy's a local boy so I gotta give him props. Next up is a sit down with Steven Spence from upstarts Black Tide. Fresh off the sophomore release and some killers tour stuff, including opening two local gigs for Iron madden, Steven talks all things Black Tide. We also open the vault and give you a taste of now defunct NYC metallers Sinful. And as always metal tunes for your headbanging pleasure.
55	10/19/2011	1:14:25	Focus on Christian Metal	Christian metal, white metal, unblack metal whatever you want to call J and I don't know much about it so that means it's a perfect topic for Focus on Metal. Apparently Christian metal has a huge following and that really peaked our interest her on the show. Ya we know about the obvious bands but it's surprising just how many bands are out there in this genre. Probably the biggest scene for this type of metal right now is in metalcore. It's amazing how many metalcore are christian focused and yet have a large fan base in both the secular and non-secular communities. So with all that in mind J and I hunkered down into our metal libraries searching for examples of this genre and we were surprised at what we found. We call this one The Godcast…enjoy.
54	10/12/2011	0:59:31	Nick Catanese, Focus on the Evil Twin	Nick Catanese has got to have one of the best gigs out there. Faithful sidekick to Zakk Wylde and the anchor for Black Label Society. Nick is the man and our man with the interviews John Katic caught up with Nick for a little chat. As usual when to Pittsburgh boys get together there's gonna be some honest smack talk going on and in this installment Nick lays out his thought on several topics. Nick does tend to have a bit of a Star Wars obsession goin on so we will have to forgive him if he goes of a bit on the sci fi.
53	10/05/2011	1:03:06	Focus on Phil Soussan	Phil Soussan, the guy is a true journeyman bass legend. He's the guy behind Ozzy's "Shot In The Dark". He's worked with Jimmy Page and tons of other folks. So this week on Focus on Metal it's all about Phil.
52	09/28/2011	0:59:59	Artwork Summit Pt. 2	This week we present the second half of our metal album artwork discussion. If your usual two metalheads discussing their picks wasn't enough we decided to let a third metalhead give their opinions too, in a special guest feature.
51	09/21/2011	1:04:28	Artwork Summit Pt. 1	Long talked about, we finally devoted an entire discussion to metal album artwork. This week and continuing next week we bring you the first F0M episode solely focused on artwork. Yes we actually were able to stay focused on topic for an entire discussion. I brought the vinyl and J brought the CDs and we had at it.
50	09/14/2011	1:38:40	Focus On Manowar	I know a lot of shows make a big deal out of getting to episode 50 but ya know we do a weekly show so 50 isn't really that much of a milestone. So with that in mind we decided that this week it was time for the Manowar Super Special. Strange choice? Maybe, but J had suggested it awhile back and I thought, why not. So this week it's Manowar and nothing but Manowar. I think that's how they would want it, right. So if your a fan of Rob and the boys then hopefully this will be a great episode. And if you aren't really familiar with them then this will serve as an excellent guideline to the band. And if you don't like the band then this episode will probably... For more Manowar news visit the Kingdom Of Steel at www.Manowar.com
49	08/31/2011	1:23:46	Metal Mantra	This week on FoM we delve into J's mantra "when a singer leaves a band, I'm done". It's a long and winding road but I'm still gonna try and convince him that some singers can be replaced. Plus lotsa classic metal tunes and another round of Six Degrees Of Steve Harris.
48	08/24/2011	1:28:41	Martin To The Max	This week on FoM we bring you master metal author Martin Popoff. Few authors can lay claim to the track record of this guy. 34 books on hard rock and metal. He is probably the all time king of album reviews, coming in just shy of 8000 reviews. Add his time with Brave Words and Bloody Knuckles and all the liner notes and other stuff he's done and it all adds up to an unbeatable track record of metal authorship. So being a long time buyer of Martin's books I was psyched to have him on the show. We discuss his latest two books "Black Sabbath FAQ" and "The Deep Purple Royal Family" both of which I highly recommend. Of course when two old school metal heads with the same kinda music background get together we talked about a whole bunch of other stuff too. Plus J and I talk a bit on the Sabs and of course there's your weekly dose of classic metal.
47	08/17/2011	1:27:03	Metal Music Discovery 1	How do ya follow a George Lynch episode? Dunno, but here's what we're gonna do. There's been a load of great classic flavored metal releases this year and it's about time we publicized some of them. J and I realized that we just don't have enough time in a regular episode to keep everyone up to date on the great stuff out there so here's our shot at rectifying the situation. We looked at what has come out so far this year, picked some of our favorites and put em' all into this show. Hopefully you will find some worthwhile stuff in here.
46	08/10/2011	1:28:35	Lynched	George Lynch. Need I say more? Hard to believe that three episodes ago we were talking about Winger and this episode it's Mr. Scary himself George Lynch (courtesy of our cohost John Katic from Iron City Rocks). So George will be talking about the new album as well as the gear that makes his tone. J and I will set the stage will bit of chat on the whole Eddie versus Randy deal. Long story short if it smells like it, it probably is. As usual we will play plenty of metal including some tasty treats from George's latest release "Kill All Control"
45	08/03/2011	1:28:32	Scrued	It's been a hot summer so far and this week J and I got a bit lazy. So this one's a bunch of talk about a bunch of stuff all adding up to nothing (except some amusing conversation). Sometimes a hot summer day will do that to ya, but we still put out a show and that's what counts. Plus we throw Killer Dwarfs on the scrap pile and round it out with an interview with shredder Rob Balducci (courtesy of Iron City Rocks). And of course a bunch of great metal for your listening pleasure. Fear not though, next week we get Lynched. That's right the master himself George Lynch will be the featured guest on the show and I'm sure I'll be driving J nuts with guitar talk.
44	07/27/2011	1:23:02	Iron Woman	As promised this week on FoM we have one of the coolest vocalists in metal today, Veronica Freeman from Benedictum. If you are unfamiliar with Benedictum we aim to change that this week. Veronica and I sat down for a chat about the band and their latest release Dominion. Veronica is the female version of Dio. Not only because of her incredible pipes but also because she his just as personable and down to earth as Ronnie was. In fact if you want to hear her sing some Dio pick up a copy of Benedictum's first release Uncreation. To kick off the show J and I had a chat about the changing face of women in metal and look back at some of the well known and lesser known women who have made in impact in metal. Looking to round out your metal collection. Century Media has put together an excellent collection of essential metal releases on their store. Go to Centry Media and shop away.
43	07/20/2011	1:00:00	Hey Beavis...	It's Winger. I know, I know. I could just blame this one on J but he has a point, Winger is a pretty damn good group of musicians that kinda got the shaft by a friggin cartoon. So on this episode J and I toss around the Winger talk. To back up the viewpoint we toss out a few tunes from the last two albums which, although having some semblance of earlier stuff, is headed in a heavier direction. Then we follow that up with a chat with Reb Beach brought to us by contributing cohost John Katic. John and Reb will talk Winger and Whitesnake plus some of Reb;s possible upcoming solo stuff. We also play a dedication for recently departed Motorhead guitarist Michael "Wurzel" Burston. And to make sure you don't think we're heading down the hair band rabbit hole we play some brand new Seven Witches for ya. Next week is the long awaited chat with Benedictum's killer vocalist Veronica Freeman so stay tuned for FoM # 44 and I do believe that there's some George Lynch in our very near future too.
42	07/13/2011	1:18:06	Metal Merch To The Max	Merch the hallmark of every metal head. For many it's the first indication that that other weird dude is a metal head too. On this episode wistfully discuss metal merchandise of the past as well as the current state of the metal merchandise machine. Head back to yesteryear where back patches and classic concert tees roamed wild in the streets. We also managed to cram in a great interview with Michael Wilton from Queensryche. Whip discusses the new disc, their summer 30th anniversary tour plans, the Epitaph run with Judas Priest and even some of his own merchandise that's out there.
41	07/06/2011	1:15:02	Beer, Spatula and Death	In this strange and oddly paced episode recorded at four different occasions that took two months to complete, we learn about some bizarre news events and follow a few oddball online happenings. The episode happens to close a chapter of a specific Focus on Metal division. Get ready for the unexpected, get a cold one and crank it up. Oh, and stay focused. \m/
40	06/29/2011	1:22:59	Rokken with...	C'mon you know you are a Dokken fan. Just admit it and prepare to bask in the metal goodness of classic era Dokken. On this episode Scott and J delve into the first four releases from the George, Don, Mick And Jeff (and Juan if you wanna be technical). Up for examination are Breaking The Chains, Tooth and Nail, Under Lock And Key , and Back For The Attack. We also make a brief stop with the Nightmare on Elm Street EP and since we are known to go down roads we don't intend to go, we also end up discussing briefly the catalog in the nineties after the "classic era" releases. In addition to that we have a quick rundown of some new metal releases for your summer enjoyment and of course the usual dose of metal tuneage.
39	06/22/2011	1:24:48	Two Tickets To Metal Paradise?	The concert experience, is it better, worse, the same? Are fans a better audience in Europe or North America? Every metal head knows South American metal fans totally know how to have a concert experience. So It ain't even worth discussing. As far as the other questions J and Scott spend this episode dissecting and dissertating upon those very questions. Also up, we throw Shok Paris on the scrap pile and wrap it up with a chat with none other than Ricky Warwick. Former leader of The Almighty but nowadays better known as the new frontman for the legendary Thin Lizzy. And if that ain't enough metal goodness we also debut a brand new segment, The Tape Trader. The music on this one is of a decidedly NWOBHM bent as we hear from the likes of AIIZ, Girlschool and Picture to name but a few.
38	06/15/2011	1:27:15	A Pair Beats An Ace	There's many ways to stock your band with guitar slingers but is one way better than the other? J and Scott kick this question around on this episode of Focus On Metal. Drawimg on past experience and personal bias the discussion is as usual lively and guaranteed to drift into other areas. Also on this episode a Deep Cut from Riot in honor of Mark Reale's birthday. And we top it all of with a quick rundown of some releases including what may be the first playing of anything from the new Saxon disc on a podcast. As usual there's plenty of metal tossed into the mix including Arch Enemy, Testament, Anvil, Hammerfall and more. Stay tuned next week for a visit by Ricky Warwick of Thin Lizzy.
37	06/08/2011	1:25:44	Return of The Blade Part 2	Tokyo Blade was one of the original NWOBHM bands. Recently the release their first new music in what seems like forever. Thousand Men Strong is one of the strongest releases the band has ever had. The new disc contains all the elements of classic NWOBHM but with some modern touches. As if that wasn't enough the band is composed of the classic 1984 line up of the Blade with the inclusion of their brand new vocalist Nick. Andy Boulton one of the founders of the band and the only remaining original member sat down with Focus On Metal to discuses all things Blade. On this episode you will hear Andy discuss all his current gear as well as great stuff he has used in the past and his gear plans for the future. In addition to that we have another installment of Six Degrees Of Steve Harris, A Deep Cut, and a whole metal load of killer Tokyo Blade tunes from the past as well have stuff from the new album. Want More of the Blade : www.TokyoBlade.com is the official site for Tokyo Blade. Get all the latest news, sign up for the email list, and buy all your Tokyo Blade mercy including the new disc.
36	06/01/2011	1:25:56	Return of The Blade	Tokyo Blade was one of the original NWOBHM bands. Recently the release their first new music in what seems like forever. Thousand Men Strong is one of the strongest releases the band has ever had. The new disc contains all the elements of classic NWOBHM but with some modern touches. As if that wasn't enough the band is composed of the classic 1984 line up of the Blade with the inclusion of their brand new vocalist Nick. Andy Boulton one of the founders of the band and the only remaining original member sat down with Focus On Metal to discuses all things Blade. On this episode you will hear Andy discuss the past, the new disc, the new singer, the music and concert industry and much more. And of course you get to hear samples of almost all the tracks off the new disc. This is part one of my talk with Andy and part two will roll next week in episode 37 which will focus on all the great gear that he is currently using. Want More of the Blade : www.TokyoBlade.com is the official site for Tokyo Blade. Get all the latest news, sign up for the email list, and buy all your Tokyo Blade mercy including the new disc.
35	05/25/2011	1:44:01	The Ronnie and Bob Show	May 16th marked the one year anniversary of the passing of Ronnie James Dio. As anyone who has listened to past episodes of FOCM know some of us here as huge Dio fans. Join us on this special episode of Focus on Classic Metal as we pay tribute to the mighty RJD. J and Scott have a brief talk about their thoughts on Ronnie and then we turn this episode up to eleven as we welcome perhaps the best metal podcaster out there…Bob Nalbandian. If you aren't familiar with Bob, he is the host of the Shockwaves Hard Radio podcast as well as the Shockwaves Skull Sessions podcast. Bob was also the founder of the Headbanger fanzine and has worked with some major metal publications. If you like what Bob has to say please subscribe to his shows, you won't be disappointed. There's not a lot of music in this episode BUT we think that all the great stuff from Bob more than makes up for it. Visit FocusOnMetal.net for information on all the past episodes and to find the links to all our other social media sites. Comments/suggestions/listener submissions: scott@focusonmetal.net julient@focusonmetal.net
34	05/10/2011	1:34:53	Overdrive Deep Dive	K.K. leaving the Priest. WTF!! We do our first ever new release deep dive. We gave Overdrive's new disc Angelmaker the full FOCM treatment and came away with a four horns up rating. Listen to the show and decide for yourselves. If you agree…buy it. Also on this episode we roll out our first listener submitted metal. Be sure to check out a great track from Virginia's own The Omega Point. And if that wasn't enough we toss in a classic live metal morsel from one of our favorites Angel Witch. Visit FocusOnMetal.net for information on all the past episodes and to find the links to all our other social media sites. Comments/suggestions/listener submissions: scott@focusonmetal.net julient@focusonmetal.net
33	05/04/2011	1:28:36	Hate To The Max	Focus shifts from monologue to abundance of interviews. This week, while you visit the Psycho Dungeon, you get treated to three of them. Max Cavalera and Marc Rizzo of Soulfly and Cavalera Conspiracy plus Jade Simonetto of Hate Eternal. They all talk about their newest albums. Hate Eternal drops "Phoenix Amongst the Ashes" on May 10 via Metal Blade, while Cavalera Conspiracy's "Blunt Force Trauma" has been out since late March via Roadrunner. We also discuss Marc's solo album, find out what Max thinks of the end of the run for the world's most wanted fugitive (who also gets a song dedicated to him and can now sing along in hell). Dario talks about the Big Four, Dream Theater drummer drama and reveals details of a fun contest that he won and thus saved you from being tortured by an out of context song. Call us at 205-383-3666, email at shout@focusonmetal.net. iTunes reviews and rating are always welcome and appreciated. Thanks to John at Iron City Rocks for his help.
32	04/27/2011	1:31:06	Metal Mental Overload	This one kicks off with a discussion about the huge amount of new metal choices available every week. Is it making these new songs disposable compared with the classic albums? Will new metal fans have the same connection with these songs years from now like some of us do with the first albums that brought us into metal's glorious embrace. As long as we are talking releases we may as well throw in a new releases update. So we did. But wait there's more, John Katic talks with Kingdom Come main man Lenny Wolf, Wargasm hits the scrap pile, and it's time once again to play "Six Degrees of Steve Harris" Metal Overload indeed. And remember…Focus On Metal, Everything else is insignificant. On a sad note… 22-April K.K. Downing announced he was retiring from Judas Priest. For all the detail hit Focusonmetal.blogspot.com For those of us on the classic team, this was indeed sad to hear. K.K. has always been the unsung heart & soul of the Priest.
31	04/19/2011	1:47:50	Psycho Dungeon	Focus on Metal Network adds one more show to its roster. Welcome to Sycco Dungeon. We shift focus from dialogue driven show to Dario's monotonous monologue broken up by all types of interesting guests. Despite being alone, somehow Dario is surrounded by girls who make a few unexpected appearances on this inaugural episode of Psycho Dungeon. We introduce you to incredibly talented guitarist Gretchen Menn as we discuss her involvement with a few tribute bands and the launch of her solo career. We hear a sneak peek from her upcoming debut album. We also dig into Focus on Metal Vault to bring out an educational ear opening topic as well as some killer tunes from Slayer, GWAR and Cavalera Conspiracy. Find out Dave Mustaine's favorite Slayer song (which he claims he recently discovered) and get totally shocked to learn how many (or few) sold albums it takes to get into Billboard 200 these days. Dario does one of his usual rants with an unusual twist and wraps up the show with an Extreme Classic from 1988. Make sure to hit us up at shout@focusonmetal.net or call and leave a message at 205-383-3666.
30	04/13/2011	1:42:01	Listing Towards A Ramble	Listing Towards A Ramble, what the hell does that mean? Well this episode of Focus On Classic Metal started off as a discussion of metal "best of" lists and quickly dissolved into all matter of rambling discussion. Somehow Julien managed to wrest control of this one and sometimes ya gotta just roll with it. That being said we did manage to pack in some great metal tracks for your head banging enjoyment. Some NWOBHM form Avenger. Fifth Angel hits the scrap pile. Sonic Force gives us a deep cut. But wait there's more. To find out what other tracks are in store for your listening pleasure you'll just have to listen to the whole damn thing. We have gotten lots of great show ideas from the listeners (as well our own personal favorites) and there's plenty of great episodes yet to come from the Focus on Classic Metal team. . So remember…Focus On Metal, Everything else is insignificant. . One final word. If you like Glen Drover's guitar work make sure you check out the new release Metalusion which hit the shelves on April 5
29	03/30/2011	1:31:06	Silver Metal Edition	On this episode of Focus On Classic Metal we celebrate the 25th anniversary of Slayer's Reign In Blood as well as 1986 as a pivotal year in classic metal history. If that wasn't enough we also check in with Motorhead drummer Mikkey Dee and find out what's going on in the world of Lemmy and company. It wouldn't be Focus on Classic Metal without the music and this show includes some great tracks from the likes of KIng Diamond, Slayer, and Fates Warning just to name a few.
28	03/23/2011	1:47:35	Mountain of Doom	While saving Dario's liver from excessive drinking and your ears from vulgar display of unfunny stories, Mandy, the core of the Extreme Pear rejoins her sidekick Dario and the Extreme Metal Podcast churns out another brutal episode. After getting stood up twice, the third date with AMON AMARTH results in a cool albeit brief interview with Johan Sv?derberg, the guitar player. Johan talks to us about the new album, his influences and much more and the Extreme Pair summarizes "Surtur Rising" and plays a couple of premiere AMON AMARTH tracks from the upcoming release. We also review a black metal documentary "Until the Light Takes Us", dig into our own closets in search of the most unextreme skeletons. We find Stryper, but nobody claims that one. Another hot episode of Focus on Extreme Metal turns brutal when we attempt to launch a dual-channel synchronized fartburp. We also play some music as picked by our listeners, deliver the metal news with new releases and tour report followed by birthdays and we end the epic return to offbeat form with a third installment of the now classic Extreme Pair outtakes. Our new episode also features a brand new track from PROTEST THE HERO's new album Scurrilous as well as music from GWAR, DEICIDE, DEATH TOLL RISING, VILE, HATE, BURZUM and much more. Enjoy, be sure to call us and leave a voice mail at 205 383 3666 and write to us at metal@extremepair.net
27	03/16/2011	1:29:44	Words From Drover	On this episode of Focus On Classic Metal, Scott talks with Glen Drover about his upcoming release Metalusion due to hit shelves on April 5. If that's not enough metal guitar goodness, this weeks guest host is Dave Reffett who comes on board to give a NAMM show recap. Metal Church comes up in the scrap yard plus a bunch of new metal and old metal for your weekly dose of the heavy.
26	03/09/2011	1:45:02	Extrement All	The first (and hopefully last ever) episode of Focus on Extreme Metal featuring Dario exclusively features an interview with SCALE THE SUMMIT guitar player Chris Letchford. Chris talks about the new album "The Collective", the dark nature of the album and it's creative development as well as the dream come true tour with Dream Theater. The new episode of the Extreme Pair (without the vocals of the better half) also concentrates on instrumental music of the extreme variety. The bands featured on the show come from all aspects of extremeness, some brutally technical, some more proggy, while some are totally deranged and devoid of any scales with heart stopping time signatures. Some of the bands heard on the episode include Behold the... Arctopus, Spastic Ink, Sleep Terror, Blotted Science, Cloudkicker, Exivious, Abolishment of Hate and Gordian Knot. Some of the music presented should come with a health warming label. Dario also presents an unofficially licensed from the Bonebat Show "Pisses Me Off" segment. Our new episode also features a brand new track from Lifelover's new album Sjukdom As always, we are looking for bloggers and other content providers to join our team, we also appreciate your iTunes reviews and ratings, and if you feel so inclined, leave us a message on our voice mail at 205 383 3666. Keep it hot and keep it brutal.
25	03/02/2011	1:28:38	No Escape From Alcatrazz	On this episode of Focus On Classic Metal, Scott & Julien discuss guitar based gaming and it's contribution to the spreading of metal and it's possibilities as a new music distribution paradigm. If that wasn't enough we present an in depth interview with a vocal legend, Graham Bonnet about his past, present and future. The guy stepped in Dio's shoes. How many singers can say that? Besides singing for Blackmore he has also fronted with Yngwie and Steve Vai in Alcatrazz and has 7 solo discs to his credit. Also in this episode, some new album release news, a deep cut from Rage and plenty of "classic" metal.
24	02/23/2011	1:40:34	70,000 Tons of Filth	This episode starts off cold with the darkness of Cradle of Filth, featuring and interview with guitarist Paul Allender. He talks about his musical influences growing up, his hiatus from the band when Cradle rose above underground and he also talks about the new album, Darkly, Darkly Venus Aversa. We then switch scenery, because we find a need to escape a cold winter snap that brings sickness and despair to the Extreme Pair. We take this opportunity to warm up and talk exotic metal with Rob Cranny (Northern Storm Records) who has been to four Wacken Open Air festivals as well as the newest and coolest fest, The "70,000 tons of Metal", a four day cruise that took 2,000 lucky metalheads and 40 metal bands on a journey nobody is likely to ever forget. We talk to Rob about the experience of sharing a large cruise ship with devoted metalheads and non-stop music coming from three stages on board of 70,000 tons of metal. Our new episode also features Metal Swapping (featuring Into Eternity and Canvas Solaris), New Releases, Tour Report, Metal Birthdays and much more including music from Cradle of Filth, Hatriot, Rob's label representatives Profaner and a brand new track from the new Deicide album. As always, we are looking for bloggers and other content providers to join our team, we also appreciate your iTunes reviews and ratings, and if you feel so inclined, leave us a message on our voice mail at 205 383 3666. Keep it hot and keep it brutal.
23	02/16/2011	1:22:06	Mega Poland	On this episode of Focus On Classic Metal, Scott talks at length with former Megadeth axe slinger Chris Poland. We find out what Chris is doing now, hear some of his new material and go over what gear he is currently using. Also Julien and Scott discuss Chris's influence on the first two Megadeth albums and also debut the Crushed Metal concept. As you may have guessed there's quite a bit of Megadeth to be heard on this one headbangers. On a sadder note R.I.P. Gary Moore.
22	02/10/2011	1:48:58	The Reek of Carcass	Mandy and Dario had a great chat with a pioneer of the second wave of extreme metal, Bill Steer, known for his work with Carcass and Napalm Death. Bill talked to us about his latest Firebird album, tough times surrounding the last Carcass studio album, and an even more difficult process of reuniting with the band. Bill spends a bit of time discussing Heartwork and talks in depth about its impact on the band. For us it is always a pleasure to talk to such an influential individual such as Bill. Mandy and Dario also dress the upcoming episode with Carcass music, and typical features of Focus On Metal, such as news, new releases, tour report, and the return of metal birthdays. Episode 22 of Focus On Metal is feature-packed with many surprises. Naturally, with off the wall humor you’ve come to expect from the Extreme Pair.
21	02/02/2011	1:29:25	Joe Stump Special	Here we are with another episode of Focus On Classic Metal. On this episode Scott talks with metal guitar master Joe Stump. Joe is a solo guitar virtuoso as well as the guitarist for Holy Hell and Reign Of Terror. If that wasn't enough he is also the metal guitar guru at the prestigious Berkeley School of Music and an all around pretty cool guy. Also on this episode Julien and Scott dug through the metal scrap pile and came up with Kick Axe plus the premier of two new FOCM segments and the new release report. As usual there is a whole bunch of great metal too. It's 90 minutes of classic metal by metalheads for metalheads. \m/
20	01/26/2011	1:25:40	Remastering Rudy	In this bonus Focus On Classic Metal episode a bit of breaking metal news, J and Scott talk on the subject of metal remasters and reissues and John Katic from Iron City Rocks delivers a killer interview with all star bassist Rudy Sarzo. If you ever wanted to know about Rudy you need to listen to this one.
19	01/22/2011	1:42:51	Keepers Of The Flames	In this episode the classic metal team kick off the new Focus On Classic metal podcast. Features include a killer interview with guitar god Dave Reffett the man behind Shredding The Envelope.
18	01/12/2011	1:48:27	Taste of India	Let the initiation begin! In our debut episode of Focus On Extreme Metal, Dario and Mandy get exotic! We take a trip to India to check out the exotic India metal scene and speak to Madhav Ravindranath of Roadcrew Records and Headbangers India. We talk 2011 predictions & which new releases we are salivating for. In a new segment, Dario & Mandy swap albums from Celestiial & Nachtmystium. This episode features plenty of music, featuring Gyibaaw, Vital Remains, Inner Sanctum, Skrypt, Theorized, Undying Inc, Blind Image, Heathen Beast, and Gruesome Malady. We love to hear from you. Connect with us at www.focusonmetal.net. Shout@FocusOnMetal.net. or call our VM at (205) 383-3666
17	01/05/2011	1:22:44	Extremely Classic	Julien and Scott discuss all things Savatage and predictably go off topic and down several other avenues before returning to the topic and hand. This was a discussion that was recorded for the holiday episode but due to space considerations was bumped to this episode. Also on this episode John has a great discussion with David "Rock" Feinstein on his new release and his memories of Ronnie. And as always a boatload of classic metal music including a double shot of Annihilator. Email: Shout@FocusOnMetal.net Voicemail: 205-386-3666FocusOnMetal.net
16	12/28/2010	1:48:50	2010 in a Can	We sum up the year and feature an interview with Steve Seabury who baked us a delicious cookbook, "Mosh Potatoes". We add a ton of music from the best albums of 2010 as per last week's guests on our show. We also share top news stories from the last 12 months and Mandy and Dario talk about their favorite releases and concert experiences, all drenched with their distorted sense of humor. Put your headphones on, buckle up and as usual, expect the unexpected. Heavy New Year and Cook Out With Your Book Out. Call us! 205-383-3666Email us at Shout@FocusOnMetal.net
15	12/22/2010	1:43:25	Extreme Holidaze	Dario & Mandy call around the world and find out what were some of our metalhead friend's top picks of 2010 and wish them all happy holidays. Hear some metal holiday music and have a safe & happy holiday season from all of us at Focus On Metal. Call us! 205-383-3666Email us at Shout@FocusOnMetal.net
14	12/15/2010	1:43:13	Classic Holiday Show	The Classic Holiday show. We interview Chris Caffery (Savatage/Trans-Siberian Orchestra), Scott and Julien team up to bring you their Classic Holiday Special as they wrap up the year with music and summaries and we also bring you the classic Focus on Metal Hits in form on New Releases, Tour Report and Metal Birthdays.
13	12/08/2010	1:40:52	No Ordinary Joe	John talks to the man, the myth, the legend: Joe Satriani about his latest album, Black Swans and Wormhole Wizards, we also find out what's next for Chickenfoot, and Joe talks about his videocast promotions of his projects and how they got started. We've launched a brand new segment called Scrap Metal, with a spotlight on an older and forgotten release that likely slipped past you. Dario does his first really angry segment! Find out what ticks him off. Don't miss the news, tours, and the shredfest of guitarists celebrating their birthdays.
12	12/01/2010	1:36:44	Hale the Emperor	Scott & Julien talk early metal days with author and photographer Bill Hale, John talks to Samoth (of Emperor, Zyklon, and so many more) about his current musical project The Wretched End. Our birthday segment is back along with the news, tour announcements, and new releases!
11	11/24/2010	1:37:58	Dissecting the Corpse	Dario and Mandy welcome Cannibal Corpse bassist Alex Webster to the show and dicusses tour, what's to come, and about meeting album cover artist Vincent Locke for the first time. Dario doesn't believe Mandy's mom is a fan too, and calls to quiz her. Episode is packed with favorite Cannibal Corpse songs and our usual metal news, tours, new releases and Mandy gives recipe for her Cannibal Corpse inspired shot.
10	11/17/2010	0:00:00	Ironing The Maiden	(missing)
9	11/10/2010	1:34:34	Guitar Merry Go Round Table	Guitar great Tommy Merry talks in detail with Dario and Scott about his music, filmmaking, and guitar gear. A must not miss interview! An unexpected phone call to Dario as he wraps up the show changes the face of the Metal Birthdays segment forever. We also bring you the latest news and tour announcements.
8	11/03/2010	1:25:32	Book, Bass and Boards	First installment of Focus on Books features an interview with author Mark Eglinton. He talks about his book, "James Hetfield: The Wolf at Metallica's Door". Dario and Scott discuss the least popular instruments in metal, bass and keyboards. This episode's music is used to illustrate samples of metal's most influential bass guitar heroes. Most of our regular segments are here for your enjoyment as well.
7	10/28/2010	1:28:39	Accept and Reunite	In this episode, we talk to Wolf Hoffmann of recently reactivated legendary Accept. He talks about the reunion, growing up in Solingen, Germany and the type of impact that had on the Accept sound, he also speaks of his photography endeavors. Accept's reunion prompts us to discuss metal reunions in general with focus on most recent ones as well as hypothetical returns of bands no longer with us. We also bring you our usual dose of metal news ranging from new releases, tours and metal birthdays.
6	10/20/2010	1:27:09	GWAR on Metalcore	Oderus Urangus pays us a visit and slays us with his insane sense of humor. He talks about the Bloody Pit of Horror, upcoming tour and drenches us with crazy stories only his off the wall mind can master. Mandy and Dario trained a full week to be able to talk about metalcore, subgenre of metal that has taken off and left them wondering why it is so popular. We also bring you the latest news, tour report, new releases and birthday announcements.
5	10/06/2010	1:30:20	To Metal or Not To Metal	Metal can mean different things to everyone, but we all have to agree that while it is nice to sound heavy, without the right attitude, all you are is a poser! This week we Focus on an interview with Doro Pesch and discuss her long spanning musical career, we also interview famous guitar player Eric Johnson. We still manage to deliver our usual segments into a jam full 90 minutes which happens to be our major league debut on Pure Rock Radio. Special thanks to John at Iron City Rocks.
4	09/29/2010	1:27:42	Triptych of Tom G. Warrior	Tom Gabriel Fischer is a very influential musician. He may not agree with that, but extreme metal beginnings started with this mastermind's visions. We talk to Tom from his Swiss home and get an insight on his current musical endeavours with Triptykon, past work with legendary Celtic Frost as well as his creative collaboration with famous surrealist painter Giger. In the very first episode hosted by the "Extreme Pair", Dario has a bit of fun with trying to identify the 14 most influential extreme metal bands of the 80s as picked by Mandy. If he correctly identifies at least 10 out of 14, Mandy promises to bake him something metal and forever immortalize the process with video. Scott introduces us to his new Home Recording Tips segment and we all benefit from learning about the latest news, new releases, tour announcements and birthday celebrations. Let the insanity begin.
3	09/20/2010	1:22:54	Battle of Big Two	During episode 3 Scott and Julien focus on a retrospective look at Metallica's Death Magnetic and compare that album to Megadeth's End Game. Because of their long standing disgruntledness, Dario and Mandy were disqualified to join in on that conversation but managed to throw in their two cents. Focus on Metal rounds up the latest new releases, tour report, metal birthday celebrations as well as an album review, music and more
2	09/14/2010	1:08:33	RoadRunner Records	This week we Focus on the history and past and present line up of artists under contract with RoadRunner Records, we also bring you metal news, album releases, tour report, metal birthdays, great music and more.
1	09/07/2010	1:06:23	Focus on Metal begins with Orion	Focus on Metal officially launches off with an interview with Orion of Behemoth and Black River. We also introduce you to our regular segments such as tour report, upcoming new releases, metal birthdays and album reviews. Sit back, grab a cold one and enjoy. This is episode 1 of many. Subscribe and send us your feedback. Remember, we Focus on Metal. Everything else is insignificant!
0	09/04/2010	1:07:12	Inevitable Intro	There rarely is a metal album without an intro. Same can be said about a podcast that focuses on metal. While we are still putting the finishing touches on the first episode, let us introduce you to Episode 0. The one that starts the Focus on Metal insanity begins with the introduction of your hosts. We are a dedicated metal team consisting of four members coming from two different countries and three time zones. We introduce you to the metal beginnings of Scott, Julien, Mandy and Dario. Stay tuned for more episodes to follow. Our next show will focus on Orion of Behemoth as he updates us on the condition of Nergal and reveals a lot more about himself than you thought you knew. Remember, we Focus on Metal. Everything else is insignificant!
---	08/26/2010	0:02:14	Welcome to Focus on Metal	Premier global metal crazed netcast called Focus on Metal featuring dedicated and knowledgeable fans is coming soon. This fast paced show will feature interviews with metal's most important personalities, latest news headlines and in depth news analysis, interesting topics, great music, reviews of the latest releases and plenty of segments from contributing metalheads. The show you've all been waiting for is just around the corner. We Focus on Metal. Everything else is insignificant!