Metal Nerdery Podcast

Released on May 29, 2000, BRAVE NEW WORLD is the first IRON MAIDEN album to feature the return of Adrian Smith & Bruce Dickinson since their respective exits from the band following No Prayer For The Dying and Fear Of The Dark and is also the first album to feature the band as a sextet (or sixsome, if you prefer).

 

While the concept of three guitarists (Janick Gers, Dave Murray, & Adrian Smith) seems like a dream come true for fans obsessed with the legendary dual guitar harmonies of their 80’s output, BRAVE NEW WORLD features a more cinematic & progressive sound that is not so much a departure from their core sound as it is a bold step forward beyond the old school IRON MAIDEN palette into new sonic territory.

 

Prepare your relaxers of choice, be “brave”, and brace yourself for the most controversial IRON MAIDEN opinion ever uttered on this podcast when you JOIN US as we dive into their twelfth studio album: BRAVE NEW WORLD.

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Show Notes & Time Stamps:

(00:01): “It’s always good to be here…down here in Bunkerpoon Central…”

“I don’t know if I’d use that as a mickey…

#markthetime

*WARNING: #listenerdiscretionisadvised *

WELCOME BACK TO THE METAL NERDERY PODCAST!!!

“We’re on the outer cusps of Hurricane Isaias…”

“Chimpanzees are in the hurricane…”

(3:02): PATREON US at www.patreon.com/metalnerderypodcast 

“Apparently, it’s called ‘dead name’…we’ll save that for June…”

**SOCIAL MEDIA US AT #metalnerderypodcast ON #YouTube #Facebook #Instagram & #TikTok EMAIL US at metalnerdery@gmail.com & VOICEMAIL US at 980-666-8182!!!**

#ZZTop MESCALERO (Mescalero – 2003)

“Didn’t Jack Beard just die?”

(NOTE: That’s Frank, not Jack) / “(ZZ Top) were the longest running original band members…”

“There’s a documentary about them…” (The Little Ol’ Band From Texas – 2019)

#markthetime

“I think they pronounce it Connec-ti-cut…”

(12:05): #TheDocket METAL NERDERY PODCAST PRESENTS: IRON MAIDEN – BRAVE NEW WORLD (Released May 29, 2000)

The Piece of Mind era lineup PLUS The No Prayer For The Dying era lineup

“There can never be too many guitar players…”

NOTE: Technically it’s BOLTH Megadeth & Anthrax supporting Maiden on the latest tour, depending on the show.

(15:42): THE WICKER MAN

“Sounds like old school Maiden…with modern production…”

“You’ve gotta give them credit: coming out in 2000, it does not sound anything like what came out in 2000…it sounds like Maiden.”

A different vocalist/singer determines which type of venues you can play…

(Re: The Blaze Bayley vs Bruce Dickinson lineups of Iron Maiden)

(20:48): GHOST OF THE NAVIGATOR

“That’s what a lot of #IronMaiden is (triumph metal) …you have to be in the mood for it…”

“That’s a live sound…that production.”

“Very epic-y…this could have been the album after Somewhere In Time…this would have been perfect even after Seventh Son of a Seventh Son…”

“What do you think about the cover…is it fitting (relative) to the other (Iron Maiden) covers?”

“If you took the Eddie face out, would it look like an Iron Maiden cover?”

#markthetime / “There’s just not enough Eddie in it…”

(25:41): BRAVE NEW WORLD

“You hear the keyboards back there?” / #NotMyMaiden

“I know, it’s a lot of melody, dude…I didn’t know if you’d be able to handle it…”

“The biggest buildup of the song…get on with it…”

“How far in is it?”

“They could have shortened that beginning part a little bit…”

“Are you ON the mic?”

(29:54): BLOOD BROTHERS

“It’s the bass line from Orion…kinda, it’s very close…” / “It’s a waltz (3/4 time)…”

“This is also ‘Not MY Maiden’… (here we go…)”

“I swear, that’s either strings or keyboards in the background…”

“It sounds like it could be on a Disney movie…” / #DisneyMaiden

“Have you ever seen the movie Brave?”

“I just have to be in the mood for Maiden…otherwise, it doesn’t hit right…”

(32:57): THE MERCENARY

“That could be on the first album…”

“I’m kinda noticing a repeating theme…the way they’ve structured each of the songs…they have the same layout…”

 

(34:27): DREAM OF MIRRORS

“Here’s a shorty…”

“Definitely a mellower Maiden…”

“You have to be in the mood for Maiden…”

“Okay, go to 3 ½ …” / #LOL

“See, THAT’s Maiden…a chase scene with the horses…that sounds like classic Maiden…”

“I understand the riff…but sometimes, you could shave 4 minutes of repetition out of all that and tighten it up…”

“In fairness, (Maiden) have always been a progressive metal band…with longer songs…”

(39:31): THE FALLEN ANGEL

“That sounds like it could be on the first album…”

“That’s a different bass sound for Maiden…I think they’re tuned down a bit…maybe not…”

“Does this sound more like classic (Maiden) than not?”

 

(41:37): THE NOMAD

“This has a very middle eastern vibe to it…”

“Odd sound for Maiden…that’s weird…”

“He said it (desert) twice…THREE TIMES!”

“I was waiting for this part…”/ “That’s not on the boat…”

“Their music is definitely cinematic …I kinda hear the Disney thing…”

“It does sound symphonic…it could be one dude on a keyboard…”

 

(47:04): OUT OF THE SILENT PLANET

“Sounds like a noisy planet to me… (you were just waiting to say that, weren’t you?)”

“It’s keyhorns…”

“That’s a different flavor of Maiden…”

“When did this album come out? Was it May or June?”

“It’s almost anthem-y…it’s just not the rockin’, metal songs of the early 80’s…”

“Let’s see how it ends…”

 

(49:16): THE THIN LINE BETWEEN LOVE & HATE

“Sounds very suspenseful…”

“It’s definitely different than the 80’s Maiden…”

“I think there’s a cool part coming up…right after the solo…”

“It’s very Floyd-y…”

“Oh shit, that’s Planet Caravan!” / “The thin line between Pantera & Black Sabbath…”

NOTE: Listen to the last 30-40 seconds of the song for something funny from Nicko…

“There’s a few riffs and a few moments in these songs that are so old school…”

“I’m listening to this differently now than I was in 2000 when I got it…”

“I wanna know from Bill what it is…is it that it doesn’t sound like 80’s Maiden? There are moments that do and a lot of moments that don’t…”

“The album art looks like a futuristic Disney city…”

NOTE: The most recent Maiden album is Senjutsu, released September 3, 2021

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US!!!

#untilthenext #outroreel

“It sucks that he’s gone, but what a legacy!”

 

The recent passing of VENOM bassist & frontman Conrad “Cronos” Lant came as an unexpected shock, especially given the recent release of INTO OBLIVION, the 16th and final album from the godfathers of extreme metal and undoubtedly the most well produced and best sounding album in the band’s discography.

 

Released May 1, 2026, and featuring all of the signature elements that VENOM fans would expect, INTO OBLIVION sounds modern without sounding dated and maintains the themes & imagery of darkness and evil that have been the band’s calling card for nearly half a century. 

 

Prepare to hear us butcher the name of Hurricane Isaias, get ready to brush up on your Latin skills, and find out why your VENOM friends were always scarier (and much cooler) than your other friends when you JOIN US as we celebrate the legacy of Cronos and dive deep INTO OBLIVION.

Visit www.metalnerdery.com/podcast for more on this episode

Help Support Metal Nerdery https://www.patreon.com/metalnerderypodcast

Leave us a Voicemail to be played on a future episode: 980-666-8182

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Can’t be LOUD Enough Playlist on Spotify

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Show Notes & Time Stamps:

(00:01): “In the middle of the night…”

“It is a windy rainy Saturday…it’s very gloomy & doomy & Halloweeny…”

“Remnants of Hurricane Isaias…”

“That ain’t right…that ain’t what they said on The Weather Channel…”

(NOTE: Isaias means “Yahweh is salvation…God saves…” #BibleStudyASMR)

“We were blessed by not getting blown…away…”

“A lot of high-pitched talking around here…” / #markthetime

“Riff Lifter might be my new favorite band concept / band name…”

“Can’t we just start the Sabbath Fuzzy Sabbath?”

#SabbathFuzzySabbath #SmaugMountain #RiffLifters #AndAssociates

***WARNING: #listenerdiscretionisadvised***

“Did you just crack your knuckles?”

***WELCOME BACK TO THE METAL NERDERY PODCAST***

“Very excited that we have a new button…” / #NewButtonAlert

 

(04:30): ***PATREON US at www.patreon.com/metalnerderypodcast ***

“Wait a minute…he said ‘we’ve got Phil’…we’ve got a new Phil…that’s not even Phil, that’s Phillip…man…” / “Speaking of Norvyn, I’ve got a good video that he sent…”

***EMAIL US at metalnerdery@gmail.com ***

#InhumanCondition GODZILLA (Panic Prayer – 2023) 

#musicvideo #BlueOysterCult  / “What is that, a T-Rex? It’s GODZILLA…with a mustache.”

***VOICEMAIL US at 980-666-8182!!!***

 “Unless you’ve got Saudi money…”

“It’s gonna get to the point that we’re gonna have to do a whole voicemail episode…”

 

(12:30): #TheDocket METAL NERDERY PODCAST PRESENTS: VENOM – INTO OBLIVION

“Russ didn’t know that Cronos (recently) passed away…”

#Venom #Cronos #ConradCronosLant #RestInPeace #RestInPower #RIP

(NOTE: The Venom - Inside the Metal episode was released in October 2025)

Into Oblivion is Venom’s 16th album and was released May 1, 2026.

“The Venom friends were always scarier…and they can smoke in their room, too.”

#RussellsReflectionsVenomEdition #TheGate

“I’m hoping that this is like the latest Pentagram record (in terms of the songs and the production) …”

 

(19:04): INTO OBLIVION

“That’s some good produced double bass…that’s what Witching Hour needs…”

“That’s actually a perfect mix…its good, and it sounds like Venom…”

“Imagine giving Black Metal this (production) treatment…”

“It sounds modern, it doesn’t sound dated…”

NOTE: It’s NOT 2023…it’s 2026! (“Why did I say 2023?”)

 

(21:47): LAY DOWN YOUR SOUL

“If their older records sounded like this…oh man!”

“Callback to Witching Hour…it’s almost like a reboot of Witching Hour…”

“That’s a pretty rad solo…”

Cronos – Bass, Rage – Guitars, Dante – Drums 

“It’s a good mix but it still sounds like a Venom recording…”

 

(25:19): NEVERMORE

“Ahhh…Edgar Allan Poe…” / #TheRaven

“It’s like dark victory metal…”

“Cowbell? I thought I heard a cowbell…”

“His voice is so fucking metal…it’s not pretty, but you like hearing it…it just fits.”

“So far, this is not disappointing me at all…this might be my 2nd new favorite discovery of 2026…after Psycroptic…”

 

(27:54): MAN & BEAST

“That sounds like Viking metal…” / “I hear ‘S-T’…”

“What are they tuned to? That’s gotta be tuned down something fierce…”

“I want to look up the tuning for that…it’s a basic chug…it sounds dark and menacing and…metal.”

 

(29:43): DEATH THE LEVELLER

“It’s very Motorhead-y…very early Venom, too…”

“They’ve been around so long they’ve influenced themselves…” (45+ years since the release of Black Metal)

“That’s the best guitar player they’ve ever had…”

“Was that a whistle…like a Molly Hatchet (Flirtin’ With Disaster) whistle!?”

“We’re 5 tracks into this thing…what was (Venom’s) last album before this one (with Cronos)?”

“We are so wrong…” / 

CORRECTION: Tony Dolan (Demolition Man) is very much alive and very much NOT dead.

“Here’s the tuning…C# Standard…this ain’t no dropping the E string…”

NOTE: It’s tuned a whole step down from E♭…it’s tuned 1.5 steps down (from standard pitch) …

“Wow, that was fucking boring!” #THCOCD

“It’s on track to being…it’s on the fast track to getting the #Coroner treatment…if you’re gonna start with Venom, I’d almost suggest starting here and then going directly to Black Metal…”

“All that to say…this is fast tracking into the Coroner Dissonance Theory territory…in terms of production…”

 

(36:25): AS ABOVE SO BELOW

“Now THAT’s fucking Venom…”

“Venom is never gonna be Coroner…based on the production, I think I would start here…”

“Daemon Est Deus Inversus…” #Latin

 

(39:03): Track 7 KICKED OUTTA HELL

“He sounds possessed…that’s what I like about him…”

“It sounds like 1989…I can hear it on WREKage…”

“That little Latin sounding part in the chorus…is a Latin aphorism meaning: ‘The devil is God inverted’…

“You just learned Latin…”

 

(41:24): LEGEND

“Nice squealies…it gives it a nice creepiness…it enhances the creepiness…”

“The production makes the riffs sound WAY bigger & bulked out…”

“That almost sounds a little like Tom G. (Warrior - Celtic Frost) right there…”

“Track 10…that’s what we should name the podcast…”

 

(44:02): LIVE LOUD

“Got some Tommy Victor (Prong) going on there with the pinch harmonics…”

“They’ve gotta have the double bass, always, it’s gotta be there…”

“(Live Loud) is the closest you’ll ever get to a Venom pop song.”

“I think the whole sound (the production) is what made them campy sounding…the production was almost…laughable…”

 

(46:56): METAL BLOODY METAL

“This is White Zombie…”

“It sounds modern without sounding dated…it’s still dark and serious…”

The guitar player’s name is Stuart “Rage” Dixon: 2007 to present.

NOTE: There was a remix of the Black Metal track in 2005.

 

(49:46): DOGS OF WAR

“It’s noisy…”

“If you tuned all that up to E it would be kinda ‘meh’…it wouldn’t have the evil darkness and the heaviness to it…”

 

(51:21): DEATHWITCH

“Listen to that tone, dude…those are some live sounding drums…I was about to say: they’re in the room…”

“I’d say they struck guitar player gold with (Rage)…he’s got all the things, and he can do all the stuff…”

“There’s a lot of layers…there’s 3 members in that band and I just heard 4 guitar players…”

 

(54:16): UNHOLY MOTHER

“Do I sense a progressive type song? Melodic?”

“Cronos will figure out a way to ugly it up…in a good way.”

“Kinda reminds me of a Danzig tone…or Slayer even…or Sabbath …”

“He kinda almost sounds like Blackie Lawless for a minute…”

“That guitar player can do it…he’s badass!” / “Bass!? It’s a bass solo…”

“I’m glad we heard that last little part…that really wraps it up.”

“It sucks that (Cronos) is gone, but what a legacy!”

NOTE: Regarding The Ultimate Revenge (it was released in 1985): Combat Tour Live - 

Slayer, Exodus, & Venom

“You can watch these videos on YouTube…uncut.”

“It kinda feels like you shouldn’t be listening to it…”

“What a great legacy to leave behind…” / RIP Conrad “Cronos” Lant

“(Cronos) had some cool boots…”

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US!!! / #untilthenext #outroreel

1976. The year of the American Bicentennial. The year that brought us “The Tale of Two Steves” (Jobs & Wozniak) who created the Apple Computer Company, Evel Knievel who successfully jumped 7 Greyhound Buses at the Kingdome in Seattle, and Bruce Jenner who took home the gold in the men’s decathlon at the Summer Olympics in Montreal. 

 

1976 was all about being “on the train to Bangkok” and getting “super Asian” (so to speak) in your buddy’s Trans Am before catching The Song Remains The Same at the Midnight Movies. It was the year that brought us Kansas’ progressive “pre-metal” breakthrough masterpiece, Leftoverture, the year of not one but two (count ‘em, TWO!)  KISS releases in the same year, and also the year that brought us perhaps the strangest and most misunderstood Black Sabbath album of the 1970’s. 

 

Fast forward fifty years to 2026. America is now a quarter of a millennium old, and since 1976, we’ve gone from albums to 8-tracks…to cassettes…to compact discs…to streaming…and now BACK to albums, cassettes, and CD’s again, with music consumers and die-hard music fans enjoying a bit of a renaissance as they rediscover the joy of purchasing physical media and reading the lyric sheet & taking in the vibe of the album art all while listening to the music and being simultaneously transported to a completely different time and dimension…specifically, 1976.

 

Get ready for the weirdest question EVER from the world’s biggest KISS fan, understand why front AND back album art is so important, find out who James Hetfield’s long lost uncle probably might be, discover the endless joy of finding a “project band” (regardless if you’re from “Lebanon…Libya…or Lisbon”), and prepare for the most gloriously orchestrated “palette cleanser” you’ve ever experienced when you JOIN US as we go back to the 70’s and revisit the hard rock and pre-metal glory days of the CLASS OF 1976.

Visit www.metalnerdery.com/podcast for more on this episode

Help Support Metal Nerdery https://www.patreon.com/metalnerderypodcast

Leave us a Voicemail to be played on a future episode: 980-666-8182

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and kindly leave us a review and/or rating on your favorite Podcast app

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Email: metalnerdery@gmail.com

Can’t be LOUD Enough Playlist on Spotify

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Show Notes & Time Stamps

(00:01): “And we’re back…the biggest bailout in all of Metal Nerdery history…”/ 

“So, we just found out a neat little bit of history here…”

The mystery regarding the back album cover of AC/DC’s Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap

(Basically, the people are redacted on the back album cover but the eyeball redaction black bars from the front album cover are still in the same place as the people were on the front.)

NOTE: Technical Ecstasy is the 7th Black Sabbath album, NOT their 6th album…their sixth album is Sabotage.

***WARNING: #listenerdiscretionisadvised ***

“Everything is different than everything…”

***WELCOME BACK TO THE METAL NERDERY PODCAST LOCATED IN THE BUNKERPOON CENTER FOR METAL EXCELLENCE!!!***

***PATREON US at patreon.com/metalnerderypodcast 

“Who’s Lee?”

 

(08:02): METAL NERDERY PODCAST PRESENTS:  1976 – YEAR IN METAL

“It’s ½ a century of metal…and rock (pre-metal) …metal wasn’t really a thing in 1976…not like it was in the 80’s…” / 

“During the year of America’s bicentennial…now we’re a quarter of a millennium years old…”

“It’s kind of a rewind episode…” / “I’m googling I’m not looking at porn on my phone…”

“If you put your ’76 hat on, what’s the top Billboard (song)…the Billboard Top 100?” #Billboard

“Wait…did you say Eric Cartman?”/ #allbymyself / “You’ve gotta admit, Slow Ride is a bad ass song!”/ “That’s kinda pretty close to what I said…”

(14:25): “What about Wheeler’s song?” 

#ACDC SQUEALER (Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap – 1976)

“This sounds like stripper music to me...”

“Sorry, I had to swallow…I love this part…”

“She said she’d never been…never been balled before…and I don’t think…she’ll ever ball no more…fixed her good…”

“You can’t listen to that and be sad…”

(18:42): “That’s probably one of THE heaviest Aerosmith songs I think…”

“Testament would have KILLED Back In The Saddle…”

#Aerosmith BACK IN THE SADDLE (Rocks – 1976)

“That just sounds kind of ominous…this might be one of my favorite Aerosmith songs…”

“Listen to that bass, dude…that’s gnarly!” / “Suki…”

“It’s the chorus and that bass for me, that’s what gets it…”

“This is Guns ‘N’ Roses before Guns ‘N’ Roses…”

“Southern metal is the next iteration of your Molly Hatchets and your Lynyrd Skynyrd…it’s just heavier…”

(23:05): “Hot take:  off of Presence, what’s your fave tune?”  / “Achilles Last Stand is the most metal thing on there…”

#LedZeppelin ACHILLES LAST STAND (Presence – 1976)

“What a way to open…ALL the cokelines, too…”/ 

“That is such a wild little fill…that riff is kinda crazy…”

“That climb is really cool, too…it’s very prog rock.”/

“The Runaways (debut album) came out in ’76…” #LitaFord / “She was not from Lebanon…or Libya…or Lisbon, Portugal…”

(27:15): “How about a little Rainbow?” 

#Rainbow A LIGHT IN THE BLACK (Rising – 1976)

“Oh, that’s metal as hell…”

“That man’s voice…is gold…” / #RJD

“That’s metal before metal was metal…70’s style…that’s definitely more metal than rock, for sure…”

 

(29:30): “How about a little punk? How about some Ramones first album?”

“14 songs…29 minutes long…”

#Ramones BEAT ON THE BRAT (Ramones – 1976)

“It’s almost like Devo…kinda…it’s like punk Devo…”

 

(31:30): “How about Billy engages with a little MC Tentacle…?”

“Not a black horse, a dark horse…” / #ohyeah 

 “If you look at Ted Nugent back then, tell me he does not look like (James) Hetfield…circa 1991ish…”

#TedNugent WRITING ON THE WALL (feat. Meatloaf) – (Free For All – 1976)

“Cat Scratch Free For All?/ “Stranglehold…all day long…”

 

(34:06): “How about some RUSH?”/ “We’re all about relaxers down here…”

#RUSH A PASSAGE TO BANGKOK (2112 – 1976)

“It’s ALL about drugs, man…” / “That makes me wanna smoke opium…I’ve never smoked opium…”

“They’re one of my project bands…all I listened to was RUSH…” / #projectband

“For a long time it was #DOWN … I could not listen to anything but DOWN…”

“I just call that ‘Project Band’…normally if I get into a mood to listen to one band and one band only, it’ll be Led Zeppelin…” / #TheSongRemainsTheSame

“I have memories of being super Asian at Billiam’s house watching that movie…”

 

(39:11): “Speaking of California…”

“Is there something better (else) on that album than THAT song?”

“This will be the song that gets us kicked off the podcast…”

 

(40:09): “How about a little Priest? Some Sad Wings (of Destiny)?”

#JudasPriest THE RIPPER (Sad Wings of Destiny – 1976) / #usethoseheadphones 

“Stranglehold again…/ “They got the vocals right up front…”

“So it IS about Jack the Ripper…”

 

(42:33): “You know what…I’ve gotta tell yall…what did you think about the first Boston record?”

#Boston ROCK AND ROLL BAND (Boston – 1976)

“Add a little more distortion and that’s a Pantera riff…”

“They all had afros…”

 

(45:10): #BlueOysterCult E.T.I. (EXTRA TERRESTRIAL INTELLIGENCE) / (DON’T FEAR) THE REAPER (Agents of Fortune – 1976)

“Guys, I need a little bit of cowbell…” / “It’s 70’s all day…”

#cowbell #WillFerrell #BruceDickinson #ChristopherWalken #SNL

 

(46:55): “Alright, what else…?” 

“We can do a Chronicles Death Match for (bands releasing two albums in) the same year?”

“How about Emerald? Mastodon actually covered (Thin Lizzy) a while back…”

#ThinLizzy EMERALD (Jailbreak – 1976)

“I can see why Mastodon did this…”

“It’s got a Maiden vibe to it…”

“I can definitely hear that Maiden was influenced by them…”

 

(51:03): “Here’s a KISS song, off of Rock and Roll Over…it’s a Gene song obviously because it’s all about sex…”/ “That’s a badass album cover…for 1976…”/ “Are there ANY songs we’ve ever heard of? (which is a really weird question coming from the world’s biggest KISS fan)”

#KISS LOVE ‘EM AND LEAVE ‘EM (Rock And Roll Over – 1976)

“As a kid I loved this song, but this may not translate well to 54-year-old me…”

 

(53:33): “We don’t have to end on that…I fully understand your need to palette cleanse after that…we can’t play 2 KISS songs in a row…alright, palette cleanser…”

#Pantera PALETTE CLEANSER (Reinventing the Vulgar Display of Power Metal Projects, Far Beyond the Southern Steel Trendkill Jungle from Hell)

“The winner…the winner of 1976…”

“Cannot EVER be loud enough…” / #CantBeLoudEnough

“If you want more 1976, go back and listen to the episode BEFORE this one…we did a whole ass 1976 album dive…which we didn’t even mention on this one…”

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US!!!  #untilthenext #outroreel

“Was it as good as The First Six? No…”

 

Released on September 25, 1976 (exactly 4 years to the day after the release of Vol. 4), TECHNICAL ECSTASY, the 7th album by the mighty BLACK SABBATH, is one of the most mysterious, polarizing, and perhaps confusing albums from the legendary Ozzy Osbourne era of the band.

 

First of all, the album cover depicts two robots having a fling and exchanging “lubricants” with each other on an escalator; a pretty massive departure from the darker album art featured on any of The First Six albums.

 

And then there’s the track listing, which is almost as bizarre and mysterious as the album art. Depending on which version of the album you have, Side 2 might actually be Side 1…or it might not be. So, if this feels like a Mandela Effect moment to you, then you’re not wrong.

 

“Does it need to be part of the Sabbath canon? Yes.”

 

Sonically, TECHNICAL ECSTASY is a far more experimental and rock and roll version of Sabbath than any other album in their discography, and yet somehow seems strangely out of sequence relative to The First Six. In fact, the more experimental, progressive sound found on Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (which, in and of itself, is quite a departure from the darker, heavier sound of The First Four) almost seems like a more natural predecessor to TECHNICAL ECSTASY than Sabotage. 

 

Either way, it IS part of Black Sabbath & Ozzy Osbourne history and given the 50th anniversary of its release (and, ironically, the 5th anniversary of the Steven Wilson Remix which was released on October 1, 2021), we felt it necessary to give this album another spin and see if we could figure out what we’ve been missing all these years.

 

“That’s a perfect name for that song…they could have called it “It’s Not Bad” …”

 

Get ready for a spicy “hot take” that we did not see coming, understand what’s about to happen whenever you hear the “kung fu flute” from out of nowhere, remember to “write it down, so it’s in writing”, and just know that “when he says ‘I mean, come on’…you know” it’s time to JOIN US as we revisit BLACK SABBATH’s enigmatic 7th album: TECHNICAL ECSTASY.

 

Visit www.metalnerdery.com/podcast for more on this episode

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Show Notes & Time Stamps:

(00:01): “You know what time of year it is, right? It’s my horror movie season…”

#RussellsReflections #moviereview #HouseOf1000Corpses #RobZombie 

(“Doctor Satan?”) / ***WARNING: #listenerdiscretionisadvised ***

“Gotta case of the shaky leg over there?”

“I would love to have Elvis Presley on this podcast…”

***WELCOME BACK TO THE METAL NERDERY PODCAST AND THE BUNKERPOON CENTER FOR METAL EXCELLENCE!!!***

“Fun fact: I saw some crazy story where a guy…coughed up a blood clot from his lungs that was intact…it looked like the innards of his lungs, and he just coughed it up…”/

“There’s a serial killer in Austin…they call him ‘The Riverside’…something…” 

(“The Riverside Grinder…?”) 

“I wonder if Grindr got the idea from Judas Priest’s “Grinder” …” / #right #tobefair

 

(06:45): ***PATREON US at patreon.com/metalnerderypodcast ***

“They’re both unisex names…or are they polyamorous names? Or trans names?”

#onmicburp / “There’s gonna be a burp master remix…a club mix…”/

***VOICEMAIL US at 980-666-8182

***EMAIL US at metalnerdery@gmail.com 

***SOCIAL MEDIA US at #metalnerderypodcast on #YouTube #Facebook #Instagram & #TikTok ***

“I remember that from Henry Rollins…”

 

(10:10): “If you want to send us your shit-tah, you can email it to us and WE’LL PLAY YOUR SHIT-TAH!!!” 

#Suspended BEAST WITHIN (Hollowed Minds – 2015) /

“That does NOT match the album we’re gonna talk about today…”

“He likes his snuff porn…”  / #authenticity

 

(13:33): #TheDocket METAL NERDERY PRESENTS: BLACK SABBATH – TECHNICAL ECSTASY

“There’s a LOT of cokelines on this one…almost all the cokelines for almost all the songs…”

“I think it might sound more like Sabbath Bloody Sabbath than we think…SBS has got some elements of this…mixed into some of the songs…”

“Sometimes I just like to be told I’m right…”

“You could never find (Technical Ecstasy) at the record store…” / #tobefair

“Did you do that on purpose?” (re: first Sabbath purchases…in order)

“You’ve seen American Psycho, right? Then don’t talk shit about Huey Lewis…” / 

Released on September 25, 1976 (released 4 years to the day after Vol. 4)

***Remixed version (Technical Ecstasy) by Steven Wilson released on 10/01/2001***

“It’s just a weird album cover…robots having sex with each other…I’m guessing the robot on the right’s gotta be a dude…I think the one on the left has gotta be a lady…” /

“When he says ‘I mean, come on’…you know…”/

“It’s the whole ‘cradling the balls of the algorithm’, right? Everybody’s doing this…so WE should do this!”

“What’s working? Let’s try that…”/ “I wanna hear the #KISS death metal album…” / 

“I have a memory…a Billiam memory (regarding Technical Ecstasy) …that was probably also after we watched ‘The Song Remains The Same’…”

 

(23:28): “I swear, looking at the track listing…I feel like…I swore that Side 2 was Side 1 on the tape that I got…I swore that All Moving Parts (Stand Still) was what opened the tape…I don’t remember Backstreet Kids being the opener…” / #alright /

“We’re not fisting…Russ, would you like to be his proxy?”

“I’ve had that same phenomenon…”/ 

“I swear that the tape that I got starts with Side 2 as Side 1…”

“Here you go, reissue…1999.” / #Lechmere #Richway

 

(27:00): BACK STREET KIDS 

“This has that weird keyboard thing in the middle…”

“Who did the keyboards on this?” (Gerald Woodroffe on keyboards)

“I always thought…if I didn’t know any better…I would say that Sabotage came after Vol. 4, and then Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, and then (Technical Ecstasy) …based on the sound of the records…”

“In terms of what would sound the best: Vol.4, Sabotage, then Sabbath Bloody Sabbath and then this…do you think Never Say Die would still sound right after (Technical Ecstasy) or do you think would it be better after Sabbath Bloody Sabbath? 

I can hear this coming after Sabbath Bloody Sabbath…it makes sense…”

“Back Street Kids is a way better opener than “All Moving Parts…”

 

(31:52): YOU WON’T CHANGE ME

“Now that sounds like MY Sabbath…kinda doomy…”

“I could hear that on Sabbath Bloody Sabbath easily…”

“It almost has a weird Beatles vibe to it somehow…” 

“That’s a pretty iconic keyboard line…”

 

(35:05): IT’S ALRIGHT (featuring Bill Ward on vocals)

“Now THAT sounds like The Beatles…it’s alright…”

“It’s always bean that way…” / “It’s NOT Black Sabbath…whatsoever.”

“That’s a perfect name for that song…they could have called it ‘It’s Not Bad’…”

“You don’t know how quick my hands can move until you hear that song come on…” / 

#BlindedByTheLight  #REM

 

(38:18): GYPSY

“Kung Fu Flute sounds like a cool name for a show…”

“Is this Led Zeppelin?” / #ImmigrantSong

“Is that the first-time drums have opened a Sabbath song?” (NO, it’s Iron Man)

“You’ve gotta have your tits out…” / “It’s more rock and roll Sabbath…”

“That sounds like King Diamond…in a weird way…it’s like a rock opera…” (NOTE: this part sounds very reminiscent of the end of Dream Theater’s Fatal Tragedy)

“See, now THAT sounds like Sabbath…that’s kinda got a Sabotage vibe to it…”

“Taking Sabbath Bloody Sabbath a step beyond…”

NOTE: Tony Iommi produced the album, there were no outside producers

“I’m not a big fan of ‘stroking the shaft and cradling the balls’ of the algorithm…but I also understand ‘we don’t want to starve to death…’”

“They’ve already done all of that…and they’re artists, they want to create new things…”

 

(44:37): “Imagine this being the opener…”

ALL MOVING PARTS (STAND STILL)

“Skynyrd…Skynyrd vibes…Saturday Night Special…” / “Dogs love Black Sabbath…”

“You’re right, Matt…I think we need to write it down, so it’s in writing…”

 

(46:54): ROCK ‘N’ ROLL DOCTOR

“Guys, we need some cowbell…” / “That’s definitely #RockAndRollSabbath …”/

“I’ve got a hot take…” / #hottake / “C’mon, the piano AND the cowbell?”/

“I think…I would probably rather listen to (Technical Ecstasy) than Mob Rules…”

“If you think about it, (Mob Rules) is pre- Holy Diver…”

“You play CDs? Alright…to me it seems kinda laborous…and bulky…” / #physicalmedia

 

(50:25): “Track 7…OR Track 3…depending on your pressing.”

SHE’S GONE

“This is actually a beautiful and terribly depressing ballad, but the acoustic sound is perfect…it’s so clean”.

“It’s dark…kinda gives me that Solitude vibe…”

“I wanted you to be my wife…” (“Awww, what a fucking line!”)

“There’s a demo version of this (on Instagram) with clean electric guitar…but it had drums…and different lyrics…”

“If you’re going through it…that song will get the waterworks going and clean you out…then you’ll be ready to go out and bang whores again…which leads us greatly into the closer (or the end of side 1 depending on your pressing) …”

 

(53:13): DIRTY WOMEN

“This kinda sounds more like a classic Sabbath song…”

“Ozzy sounds like modern Ozzy here (on this song) …his voice got higher…”

“That sounds like old school Sabbath…with the dual solos…”

“I don’t think we’ve been fair to this album…it’s good…I mean, it’s not the best, but it’s good…”/ “That might be the heaviest song on the album…”/

“I think maybe we’ve been terribly unfair to this album…”

“I appreciate this album now, more, being almost the same age as the album, than I did as a teenager when I discovered The First Six…”/

“Was it as good as The First Six? No. 

Does it need to be part of the Sabbath canon? Yes, absolutely.”/ #alsohottake #SideTwoVsSideOne

“I wonder, if in a weird way…I think, starting off with side 2…in that order, the whole thing makes way more sense…” / “That sounds like a really good relaxer album…”

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US!!! / “No backsies…” / #untilthenext #outroreel

A lot can happen in a decade…

 

If you go back to 2016 and mention the terms “TikTok” or “AI Slop” in casual conversation, nobody will have any idea what you’re talking about, mainly because TikTok had just launched and the AI Slop that we’ve all come to know and loathe was still a few years away from becoming a nightmarish reality.

 

Released September 18, 2026, CURSUM PERFICIO, the 12th studio album by New York thrash veterans ANTHRAX, represents the band’s first new music since 2016’s For All Kings and a return to the world of metal with easily the most unusual album title and bizarre album artwork of their entire catalog.

 

To be fair, one shan’t judge an album by its name or its artwork alone. CURSUM PERFICIO has a nice variety of old school “ThrashThrax” moments mixed in with darker, heavier tracks that would sound right at home on Persistence of Time or Among The Living. And just to make your brain numb with wonder, there’s one track with such complex time signature changes that it literally sounds as mind boggling as imagining “if math was a color”. 

 

Overall, it’s a grower, and while it does contain elements from their entire back catalog in terms of sound, there is a unique sonic quality present that properly defines ANTHRAX here and now, in the mid 2020’s. The songs have a deceptively streamlined flow to them that are lean on riffs yet potent in their arrangement and delivery. Basically, if you’re an Anthrax fan, you’re going to enjoy this album. And if CURSUM PERFICIO is your very first Anthrax experience, then you have a long, enjoyable journey ahead of you to go back through their entire discography to see how everything fits into the content and context of this album.

 

Hear one of the most appreciated listener appreciation voicemails we’ve ever received, discover our pick for “album of the decade”, find out how “gray haired loads” can instantly transform any casual conversation into something altogether disgusting, discover our new “Patreon After Dark” that’s exclusively available “in the middle of the night”, and just know that Mike Tyson’s pronunciation of this album is the proper way to say it when you JOIN US in the Bunkerpoon Center For Metal Excellence as we give a listen to CURSUM PERFICIO.

Visit www.metalnerdery.com/podcast for more on this episode

Help Support Metal Nerdery https://www.patreon.com/metalnerderypodcast

Leave us a Voicemail to be played on a future episode: 980-666-8182

Metal Nerdery Tees and Hoodies – metalnerdery.com/merch
and kindly leave us a review and/or rating on your favorite Podcast app

Follow us on the Socials:

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Email: metalnerdery@gmail.com

Can’t be LOUD Enough Playlist on Spotify

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Show Notes & Time Stamps:

(00:01): “I’ll try one more Elvis…” / 

“Why does my side always look…like I’ve pee’d in formation?” / “It’s like fingerpainting…”/

***WARNING: #listenerdiscretionisadvised ***

This Episode’s Clinky of the Episode, brought to us by Elvis Midnight Snack: peanut, banana, bacon flavored whiskey 

***PATREON US at www.patreon.com/metalnerderypodcast ***

“That’s extra…that’s the Patreon After Dark…that’s $20 a month AND a happy ending…”

“For $20 a month I meet even show my butthole…in the middle of the night…”/

“We’ve gotten so much mileage out of that…”/ “There will be a button next time…”

 

(04:11): ***EMAIL US at metalnerdery@gmail.com ***

***SOCIAL MEDIA US at #metalnerderypodcast on #YouTube #Facebook #Instagram #TikTok ***

***CALL US & VOICEMAIL US at 980-666-8182!!!***

#AppreciationCall #ThankYou #BlessYou #CanadianJason / “To be fair…”/

“This is why the Bunkerpoon Center for Metal Excellence is the place to be…it lifts the spirits…”

“He lives right in the middle of Letterkennyville…are the women THAT hot!? Is that real or is that fabricated?” / #StrangeBrew #SCTV #TakeOff

NOTE: Hoser means “a foolish or uncultivated person”

 

(11:30): METAL NERDERY PODCAST PRESENTS: ANTHRAX – CURSUM PERFICIO

Latin for “I complete the course” or “I finish the journey”

“That’s old timey morn right there…” / “(#MarilynMonroe) was a WOMAN, dude…”/ 

“Isn’t “Persistence of Memory” a Salvador Dali painting?” (NOTE: It is, in fact, a Salvador Dali painting)

“It’s kinda reminiscent of Persistence of Time…”

 

(15:00): PERSISTENCE OF MEMORY / THE LONG GOODBYE

“Very classic metal…I’m getting like an Iron Maiden vibe…”

“That’s a cool opener…somehow (The Long Goodbye) has more Track 2 energy…”

“You think (Mike) spells (his last name) with a ‘TH’?”

 

(19:12): IT’S FOR THE KIDS

“See, THAT should have been the opener, right? It’s got more of an opening vibe to it…”

“On the last (song) and this one, I was getting the Among The Living sound…”

 

(21:18): EVERYBODY’S GOT A PLAN

“That’s almost like Queen (the guitar solo), with the layered guitars back there…”

“So, it’s gonna be THAT the whole episode?” / “We’ll thee…for fuckth thake…”

 

(24:03): THE EDGE OF PERFECTION

“I like how they put some proggy elements into their later stuff…”

“You hear the clean guitars back there?” / #victorymetal / #usethoseheadphones

“I feel like listening to it now with you guys down here…is a much better experience than listening to it solo…”

“You know when you’re already in the mode for something? I knew this was coming out, but I haven’t been listening to Anthrax lately…”

 

(29:04): INFECTIOUS

“Dancing Days…A heavier Dancing Days…Moshing Days…”

“Now it’s a #KISS song…KISS? I didn’t hear no mention of no street hustlers…”

“Did you see Bill’s face light up when you said that?”

“That’s #STP …that sound…maybe that’s why it reminded me of Dancing Days…”

“It doesn’t sound thrashy at all…it’s metal, for sure…” / 

“To be fair, these guys are in their 60’s…they’re still making albums…”

“You know what, dude…they were in their 20’s then…they’re all grandfathers…now they shoot grey haired loads and stuff…”

 

(35:10): NYC 93

“Never forget, btw…that was when they had the bomb in the (WTC) basement…”

“Yeah, that could have been on State of Euphoria…the vibe of it.”

“This almost sounds like it could have been on Among The Living even…”

“It ain’t worth doing unless you do it to death…” /

“That’s my motto when it comes to…poon…I’ll do it…til I shoot gray haired loads…”

 

(38:07): CURSUM PERFICIO

“That just sounds like a very slowed down Anthrax song…like from the 80’s…”

“That (chorus riff) sounds like the John Bush stuff right there…”

“I know what it is…with the solo stuff…” #hottake

“For some weird reason, the (guitar) solo stuff sounds like it would work better in King Diamond…” / “He’s been with them since ’14, so he was on the last album, wasn’t he?”

NOTE: Yes, Jonathan Donais was on For All Kings

“It’s definitely a heavier Anthrax…it’s a heavier, more progressive, and more melodic Anthrax…the songs are pretty streamlined…”

“In fairness, that was 10 years ago…that was a whole other era…decade…genre…”

 

(43:34): T.O.M.B.

“The burp was silent…it’s silent when it’s pronunced…it was spelled silently…”/

“There you go…some meaty bass…it’s the best kind of bass.”

“Okay, I already like it better on 2nd listen…”

“The melody does kill Bill, in fairness…that’s Kill Bill 3 from Quentin Tarantino: The Melody Chronicles…”

“Some stuff just connects and some doesn’t…it’s the connection factor.”/

(A brief discussion of singers and/or albums that just don’t connect with some of us…)

“When (Anthrax) came out, they were the only thrash band with a real singer…”

“You know, the whole singer thing…that affects people across the board…”

“The funny thing about melody…to me, melodic singers just sound like a melodic singer…you connect with some better than others…it’s the (same) way it is with people.”/ 

“The next one…as soon as I saw that title…I immediately thought of the Pantera 3: Watch It Go home video…” (3 Vulgar Videos From Hell)

(52:44): WATCH IT GO

“Count this…that’s in 9 I think… (the verse riff)” / “(the chorus riff is in…)7!”

Two different Pantera references… (Primal Concrete Sledge & Goddamn Electric) / 

“When I popped that on last night…all I was seeing was shapes and letters turning into colors and math…I don’t know how math works, but I think if you add a shape plus a letter and divide it by some squiggly line, you get a color that nobody’s ever seen before…”

#markthetime / “It’s literally ‘shape + letter = color’…”

 

(57:11): MY VICTORY

“It definitely does have a Persistence of Time heaviness to it…”

“I do like it better upon the 2nd listen…” / “I still dug the synth pop ZZ Top…”

“I gotta tell you guys real quick…at one point I got on a ZZ Top thing…” / #Deguello / 

“Dude, ZZ STOP!” / “Man, it’s not getting any funnier the more you talk about it…” / 

“Check out the new ThrashThrax…” / “What’s your final verdict?”

“Is it better than the new #Exodus or the newest #Coroner?”

“I don’t think anything is gonna be better than the newest Coroner…I’m sorry, I think Coroner gets Album of the Decade…”

NOTE: New Coroner EP: Ex Nucleo - The Remastered Extraction

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US!!!

#untilthenext #outroreel