Spinning the Wax

Today we're listening to Illinois death metal, courtesy of Illinois death metal!

Aaren Pantke, vocalist and guitarist of MOLDER brings on IMPETIGO's 1992 album "Horror of the Zombies," a "quintessential" record he calls the "epitome of all things fun, gross, extreme and over the top, yet refined and listenable."

We dive into his love of horror and death metal, and why he's more focused on creating badass riffs than sharing any sort of emotional or reflective message.

He also chats about why Impetigo had such an influence on Molder and the death metal genre, and we have an amazing exchange about fans pretending to know lyrics even he doesn't know.

Molder's new album "Catastrophic Reconfiguration" is available via Prosthetic Records now!

Intro Molder clip: "Catastrophic Reconfiguration"

Outro Molder clip: "Bursted Innards"

Bec Thorwesten, bad bitch and vocalist of Melbourne, Australia's Terminal Sleep stops by the show to listen to Linkin Park's massive debut record "Hybrid Theory."

It's responsible for turning countless kids onto heavy music, and we discuss who we were half a lifetime ago, the perfection of Chester Bennington's voice and how the album still generates feelings no matter how long it's been since last listen.

Bec also dives into the growth of Terminal Sleep over the last few years, touring Australia, learning how to take care of her voice and why she prefers the album experience.

There's also a ridiculous amount of time dedicated to talking about our cats. Lmao, sorry not sorry. Hail Strudel and Banana!

🔗 TERMINAL SLEEP 🔗

https://www.instagram.com/terminalsleep/ | https://www.instagram.com/bsmoocho/ | https://terminalsleep.bandcamp.com/

VOLATILE WAYS - "Televised Suicide [ft. Bec of Terminal Sleep]" | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3p1WoRMUrjY

Enrique Sagarnaga, drummer for Philadelphia metal bands Crypt Sermon, Daeva, The Silver, and Head of PR at Relapse Records, brings on the criminally underrated Iron Maiden album "Dance of Death" Enrique shares how much Maiden's music has meant to him throughout his life, and the surprising amount of positive and uptempo songs on this record helped get him through turbulent times. While this album may often be overlooked because of it's infamous art, it's a gateway for both new and veteran Maiden fans alike. There's also plenty of talk about Nicko McBrain's drumming choices, the story Bruce Dickinson weaves throughout the album, and differentiating between Iron Maiden's "epic" songs and their "hot dog" songs.

Friend and Knotfest colleague Tori Kravitz, host of the femme-centric podcast She's With the Band, as well as the behind-the-scenes series Beyond the Breakdown, stops by to listen to Alice in Chain's masterpiece "Dirt".

This is a favorite album for both of us and it facilitates some deep and meaningful conversation, in addition to the usual gushing and awing at these songs.

Tori discusses the widespread influence of AIC on myriad genres, her entry into heavy music, vulnerability as a women in the music industry, as well as her favorite car karaoke songs from this record. We also have some candid, honest and positive conversations about mental health. But even with those heavy topics during an absolute downer of an album, we still manage to have a smile on our faces most of the time!

Check out She's with the Band: https://open.spotify.com/show/63uOdCHZro8L3tMB3uoscx?si=941254aac0824341

Check out Beyond the Breakdown: https://knotfest.com/pages/beyond-the-breakdown

Violinist and singer Andrea Morgan introduces Jon to Buried Inside and their 2005 album "Chronoclast (Selected Essays on Time-Reckoning and Auto-Cannibalism)". Andrea plays in atmospheric and blackened doom metal band Exulansis, as well as Rebecca Vernon's new solo project The Keening, with whom she toured Europe and North America earlier in 2024. She chose to spin a concept album about time and its stranglehold on all things because of the breadth of its art, as well as how influential the music has been on her journey as a musician. During their conversation, Andrea opens up about what it's like to live as a professional musician and the sacrifices that have to come along with that, as well as navigating the metal world as one of the few violinists. Of course, she also waxes poetic about "Chronoclast" and how everything — from the lyrics to the music to how the vinyl is packaged and presented — is painstakingly intentional. At the end, she talks about reaching out to Mark Molnar, the string player on this record, and the response he sent her in return.

On this episode of Spinning the Wax, guitarist Sammy Urwin of UK metalcore band EMPLOYED TO SERVE (and founder of the amazing CHURCH ROAD RECORDS) listens to "Close to the Edge" by Yes. A self-described musical magpie, Sammy holds my hand while I listen to a Yes album for the very first time. He talks about how the band were an acquired taste (like a lot of 70s prog) and explains his journey constantly looking for new and interesting sounds. We also chat about how artists balance fans' expectations with what fulfills their soul, the story behind Church Roads Records, and a hint at new Employed to Serve music down the road.

It's time to dance under the shadow of the atomic bomb!

Hellripper's James McBain joins Spinning the Wax with Beastmilk's impossibly catchy album "Climax."

Before permanently changing their name to Grave Pleasures, Beastmilk ushered in a tidal wave of goth-rock, post-punk and nihilistic goodness that many bands have tried to emulate since. James discusses how this album influenced his early songwriting and shaped him into the musician he wanted to be.

We also dive in to Hellripper's busy summer, where he spent nearly six weeks on the road with black metal legend Abbath, how Atlanta's Cloak are one of his new favorite bands, and he gives amazing advice to solo musicians looking to launch their own project.

🔗 HELLRIPPER 🔗 Website: https://www.hellripper.com/ Bandcamp: https://hellripper.bandcamp.com/music IG: https://www.instagram.com/hellrippermetal Linktree: https://linktr.ee/hellrippermetal 🚫 Spinning the Wax Links 🚫 IG: https://www.instagram.com/spinningthewax/ Patreon: patreon.com/SpinningtheWax Contact: spinningthewax [at] gmail

On this episdoe of Spinning the Wax, vocalist Adrienne Cowan shares the album that taught her who she is: Kamelot's "Epica".

Adrienne is one of the most talented musicians you'll ever meet, and uses her talents for the amazing symphonic metal band Seven Spires, in addition to lending them to Avantasia, Sascha Paeth's Masters of Ceremony and Sonic Symphony.

In this wide-ranging talk, we discuss her vivid memories discovering herself with this album and how it's still teaching her things today. She also talks about her parents' encouragement and learning the hard way not to measure her worth in social media views. We also dive into our struggles with ADHD, anxiety and depression, and get so in the weeds we don't even realize the album's over!

Spinning the Wax is a heavy music interview series where guests spin a record of their choice and have a candid discussion while listening.

"A Fortress Called Home" by Seven Spires is available now via Frontiers Music.

🔗 SEVEN SPIRES LINKS 🔗

Website: https://www.sevenspiresband.com/

Bandcamp: https://undeath.bandcamp.com/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/sevenspiresband/ | https://www.instagram.com/adrienne_cowan/

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/SevenSpires | https://linktr.ee/adriennecowan

Merch USA: https://merchbooth.net/seven-spires/

Merch EU: https://shop.art-worx.de/uk/bands/seven-spires/

Record Label: https://www.frontiers.it/artist/2026

🚫 Spinning the Wax Links 🚫

IG: https://www.instagram.com/spinningthewax/

Patreon: patreon.com/SpinningtheWax

Buy Me a Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/spinningthewax

StayPuft: https://www.instagram.com/staypuft_mallow/

Contact: spinningthewax [at] gmail

In this episode of Spinning the Wax, powerhouse guitarist and vocalist Debbie Gough of UK's Heriot brings on the emotionally crippling "Rheia" by Oathbreaker.

Though not always an easy listen, Debbie speaks about how the album influences her approach to writing music and how there's so much to take away from it even after countless listens. She also discusses seeing the band live, how true crime influences her lyrics, and how Heriot has been grinding in the underground for years ahead of their highly-anticipated debut album.

Spinning the Wax is a heavy music interview series where guests spin a record of their choice and have a candid discussion while listening.

"Devoured by the Mouth of Hell" by HERIOT is available Sep. 27 via @centurymedia .

🔗 HERIOT LINKS 🔗

https://www.heriotmetal.com/

Bandcamp: https://heriotmetal.bandcamp.com/music

IG: https://www.instagram.com/heriotmetal/ | https://www.instagram.com/debbiegoughhh/Linktree: https://linktr.ee/heriotmetal

Merch: https://heriotmetal.myshopify.com/

Record Label: https://www.centurymedia.com/new/heriot-3

🚫 Spinning the Wax Links 🚫

IG: https://www.instagram.com/spinningthewax/

Patreon: patreon.com/SpinningtheWax

Buy Me a Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/spinningthewax

StayPuft: https://www.instagram.com/staypuft_mallow/

Contact: spinningthewax [at] gmail

In the first episode of Spinning the Wax, Undeath vocalist Alexander Jones kicks things off with At the Drive-In's seminal album "Relationship of Command." He talks about his obsession with this album in his teenage years and how the influence of At the Drive-In that resonates to this day. Jon and Alex also discuss Undeath's latest album "More Insane," and how producer Mark Lewis gave him brand new confidence in his voice. They also enter Old Man Corner and tell stories about destroying family computers with file share programs in the 00s. Spinning the Wax is a heavy music interview series where guests spin a record of their choice and have a candid discussion while listening. "More Insane" by UNDEATH is available Oct. 4 via  @ProstheticRecords . 🔗 UNDEATH LINKS 🔗 Website: https://undeathmetal.com/ Bandcamp: https://undeath.bandcamp.com/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/undeathny/ Linktree: https://linktr.ee/undeathny Merch USA: https://undeathmetal.com/collections/all Merch EU: https://evilgreed.net/collections/undeath Merch AUS: https://artistfirst.com.au/collections/undeath Record Label: https://prostheticrecords.com/artists/undeath/ 🚫 Spinning the Wax Links 🚫 IG: https://www.instagram.com/spinningthewax/ Patreon: patreon.com/SpinningtheWax Buy Me a Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/spinningthewax StayPuft: https://www.instagram.com/staypuft_mallow/ Contact: spinningthewax [at] gmail