Ducking out the Bullets and Octane rehearsal studio to guest host this episode, Gene Louis spills his passion for drumming with Modern Drummer founder and CEO, David Frangioni.

https://pipemanradio.com/

Michael joins ToB to talk about his time at Roadrunner Records as Head of Sales.

In this episode, Mike Gitter and I shoot the breeze, and celebrate the 15th birthday of a formative music landmark for myself, Dragonforce's 'Inhuman Rampage'.

Mike is a music industry veteran, with a career spanning over 30 years in music journalism and A&R. Given he spent 12 years at Roadrunner Records, and is directly responsible for kickstarting the careers of some of my favourite bands - we're likely to be speaking again in 2021!

Check out the previous interviews in the series on your podcast feed, as well as written interviews at https://www.templeofbleh.com/

This week I have some actual metal news to rattle on about. I've sacked off Metal Tat because there's just simply too much Anthrax stuff, and I go into the story of Ian Gillan's tenure with Black Sabbath!

On the Sabbath bit - I do nab a bit of audio from the below YouTube video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppR838nSNX8

In this episode I'm lucky enough to be talking to the legendary Bob Gruen. Bob was John Lennon and Yoko Ono's photographer throughout the 70's, and that is just one of the many many accolades to his name.

Bob was also the photographer for The Great Kat, who was a Roadrunner artist in the late 80's-early 90's.

We talk about Bob's new book, Right Time, Right Place, as well as his time with the Kat.

You can get Right Time, Right Place pretty much anywhere, but I think we should drive traffic to his own website.

[http://www.bobgruen.com/right-place-right-time-the-life-of-a-rock-roll-photographer-available-october-20-2020/]

No normal episode this week as I've been working on this :).

I say it in the intro, but this is effectively a proof of concept before I go into the proper "History of" episodes in earnest. I just thought The Great Kat was worth shining a light on in the meantime, as she's an incredibly compelling musician and person.

Thanks to everyone who contributed to this one, and check out The Great Kat on all the socials and https://www.greatkat.com. Also check out my written interview with her at templeofbleh.com.

In this episode I speak with Wally van Middendorp, who had two runs with Roadrunner Records - firstly in the mid-80's, and secondly in the mid-2000's up until 2012 as the Senior VP of International.

This conversation was a sheer pleasure on my part, Wally hit the ground running on all the interesting tidbits and landscapes that I wanted to find out about how the label operated on the day-to-day - and I'm extremely grateful for Wally's time on that.

Check out Wally's current engagement, In De Goot Entertainment, who manage acts such as Black Stone Cherry, Gwar, and Theory of a Deadman!

https://www.indegoot.com/

[WARNING - pretty naff audio on my side. Turns out my mic wasn't calibrated properly. It's still hearable, but bearable? YOU DECIDE]

In this episode I speak with Kurt Shore, who produced The Great Kat's debut album Worship Me Or Die! Kurt was extremely courteous with his time, and guided me through his memories of his producing days, as well as his time with Kat.

Fast forwarding to the modern day, Kurt is also a singer-songwriter and features his music regularly on his Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/KurtShoreOfficial

In addition, the apples don't fall far from the tree - you can check out Kurt's son, Kory's music here - http://www.koryshore.com/

This week in news, old men come out to do new things, Metal tat officially overtakes actual news in volume and substance, and I dive into two of the dumbest instances of a new-ish phenomenon, Dimebag Darrell death conspiracies.

Today I'm joined by The Pump Room's very own Cress and Ali to start a new once-a-month series - in which we determine which band has the best brew.

In this episode we just shoot the shit and draw beers for the first 4 rounds of the tournament - more details (including the tournament bracket) can be found on our respective socials;

Temple of Bleh - https://www.facebook.com/TempleOfBlehPod

The Pump Room Bar - https://www.facebook.com/thepumproom.bar/

----

Match 1 - 14/01/2021

Behemoth [Sacrum] v ACDC [Premium Beer]

Match 2 - 11/02/2021

Motorhead [Bastard Lager] v Behemoth [Profanum]

Match 3 - 11/03/2021

Motorhead [Road Crew] v Mastodon [Black Tongue]

Match 4 - 08/04/2021

Iron Maiden [Trooper] v Cradle of Filth [Countess Beer]

Today's another light news day, sadly - but there's new music from Scour, Electric Hydra and Horse the Band that I had a bash at listening to! Also plenty of metal tat just in time for Christmas!

Tom and I dive into the dirty world of Twitter diplomacy, as well as brand dialogue and tactics that creators use to drive traffic!

Today I'm joined by Heathen's very own David White, as part of our History of Roadrunner Records series. Heathen had only one record on Roadrunner - Victims of Deception, released in 1991.

We talk a lot about Heathen's new record, Empire of the Blind, the interactions with Roadrunner in the late 80's/early 90's - then David absolutely overdelivers on the question "have you ever seen a ghost?". You may want to consult the YouTube upload of this interview for more context there...

Jump on it! https://heathenthrash.bandcamp.com/album/empire-of-the-blind

http://www.escapethefate.com/

Rob takes a pew to discuss ETF's newest album - Out of the Shadows. Check it out now!

This week I'm catching up with Aardshok's Metal Mike again, but this time with a slightly less business-oriented approach to the Roadrunner story.

Mike's depth of knowledge and experience in the metal world is truly something to behold and appreciate, so please check out Aardschok at the links below. If it's available to you, subscribe to the mag, if it's not - support any way you can in these crazy times.

http://www.aardschok.com/

https://www.facebook.com/officialaardschok/

Raw is out galivanting in the Andes so I'm on my tod again this week. Luckily there's a little more news to go on - and Jim's Friend Tom (JFT) stops by for an assist.

Since I've pumped out a load of interviews the past few weeks to support the ongoing History of Roadrunner Records [HORR] series, we've had a bunch of new subs and listeners - which I'm extremely grateful for. As such this episode is more of a laid back chat with some housekeeping on the Temple's goings on as we approach Xmas and a few 'life events'.

In this entry to the History of Roadrunner Records I speak with Rob Beaton, producer of early 90's Roadrunner thrash bands Heathen, Exhorder and Defiance.

Rob's an incredibly interesting dude and I was extremely privileged to speak with him about matters pertaining to the 'loudness wars', mixing the trailer to my favourite Star War, as well as Roadrunner's place in the music business lexicon.

Check in with Rob at - https://meetbeaton.com/

The legendary Metal Mike joins me for a chat about Roadrunner Records today. If you're watching on the video part of this - you'll understand when I say my entire face is aching from grinning all the way through this talk!

Now this one has a bit of cringe in it from my side, as I keep pushing Roadrunner business questions but Mike, as he correctly says, is the music guy - he was placed in the 'logistics' part of getting bands in and through Europe, as you're about to learn. Regardless I still learned a f*ck ton from Mike in this episode, and I'm glad to say that we'll be doing it again soon, but next time I'll be focusing more on the bands and the stories. as opposed to the business structure.

You all need to check out Aardschok at the links below. If it's available to you, subscribe to the mag, if it's not - support any way you can in these crazy times.

http://www.aardschok.com/

https://www.facebook.com/officialaardschok/

Tonight I had the distinct pleasure of speaking with Andrew Field of APF Records. APF is a UK independent label dealing with the more heavy side of music, specifically Stoner/Doom metal, with a little Thrash and Grindcore thrown in for good measure.

In addition to discussing some of the bands that reside on APF Records, Andrew and I speak about the mechanics of running a small independent label in the UK, as well as nerding out over certain mastering and production techniques!

Do yourself a favour and head over to https://apfrecords.co.uk/ to find out more. Or even quicker - head to https://apfrecords.bandcamp.com/album/volume-8 to here a compilation of APF artists recordings from 2020.

In October I was joined by author, A&R exec and music nerd extraordinaire Howie Abrams. Howie was Director of A&R and Product Management at Roadrunner for the best part of 5 years in the early-mid 90's.

We cover all sorts in this chat, from Type O Negative, to most accessible hardcore bands, and even football (UK). Howie is an exceptionally articulate and smart guy, and I'm super privileged to have had the opportunity to chat with him.

See Howie's book publishing company, Lesser Gods, here - https://www.facebook.com/lessergodsbooks/

Also, buy Howie's books here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Howie-Abrams/e/B00CGMRWCE

In this episode I speak with Gary Levermore of Third Mind Records. Third Mind was a UK Electronic/Industrial label that pushed some of the staple artists of the genres, such as Front Line Assembly, In the Nursery and Controlled Bleeding.

Gary tells the story of how Third Mind partnered up with Roadrunner Records in the early 90's, in that somewhat confusing time in the narrative when the label started to tread the waters, away from Thrash/Death metal.

This conversation was captured over 2 sessions, so there's a fade out followed by a fade in, about an hour in - that's just to create a break between the sessions.

In this episode, I speak with Andy Saunders. Andy headed up the alt-rock arm of Roadrunner (Emergo) in the UK from 1989-1992 before moving on to Creation Records then forming his own company in 2000.

Andy and I discuss some of the challenges of working under the Roadrunner model as he attempted to expand the label's alt-rock roster in the early 90's. There's some great insight as to how the business operated between its respective satellite offices, which were situated around the globe at this point.

Andy also makes some cracking recommendations for those looking for new music, towards the end of the episode.

Check out Velocity Communications here - https://www.velocitypr.co.uk/

Raw is out fellwalking or something today, so Jim's Friend Tom stepped in for the feature section - in which we discuss Magic the Gathering, and the Illuminati of Consumer Expectation. Spiderman is the paperweight holding all this barely-releasable tinfoil together.

Additionally Jim gets audibly upset that Dave Grohl turned up to work on his bi-annual 'wholesome content' cycle, and a bunch of companies sidestepping the daunting task of telling the world that there won't be any gigs until 2022, and artists don't deserve a dime.

In this episode I speak with guitarist Garry Pepperd of NWOBHM legends Jaguar. Jaguar had only one record with Roadrunner, This Time, released in 1984.

Garry tells me the story of Jaguar and their relationship with Roadrunner Records, ensuing activities including the resurrection of Neat Records in the late 90's, as well as reflecting on the metal scene in general.

I'm very grateful to Garry for offering his time, and would like to direct everyone to their YouTube channel - as Garry describes, this has been cultivated as the centralised hub for all things Jaguar - https://www.youtube.com/user/jaguarnwobhm

In which I also spill beer on my keyboard, like a dick.

This entry into the History of Roadrunner Records [HORR (I'm sticking with it)] is with Kyle Thomas of Exhorder and Floodgate. Kyle is an example of the Roadrunner 'Double Dip' meaning he was signed to the label with two acts - an incredibly rare occurrence.

Kyle has three albums on Roadrunner Records, Exhorder's Slaughter in the Vatican and The Law, and Floodgate's Penalty. This conversation is actually a pretty comprehensive guide to the first decade of Kyle's career in the metal industry.

Check out the new Exhorder album, Mourn the Southern Skies here (possibly the ballsiest album of 2019) - https://exhorder.bandcamp.com/album/mourn-the-southern-skies

Also... check out Kyle's album with Alabama Thunderpussy, Open Fire, here (it's an underrated gem) - https://alabamathunderpussyband.bandcamp.com/album/open-fire

Another one for the History of Roadrunner Records series - this episode I chat with Steev Ricardo! Steev was pivotal for creating the Roadrunner you know and love today, in that he opened the first US office for the label in 1986, along with Holly Lane.

We talk about Steev's hectic tenure with the label, The Great Kat, and the Unsung Hero (Holly Lane).

Check out Steev's podcast, Blowin' Smoke with Twisted Rico here - https://open.spotify.com/show/1yqrttd2p3xQA4MfDcijPG?si=jxDPsG12S622DXwMBnZZ5w

This week I'm joined by Defiance's Mike Kaufmann. Defiance had 3 LP's with Roadrunner Records and are generally revered as one of the key progressive-thrash bands to emerge from the Bay Area.

Mike was super accommodating with his time, and we discussed some of the finer details of working with a label like Roadrunner in the late 80's/early 90's - including producer preferences, competing scenes/sounds, and embracing the early 90's rock upheaval.

Listen to Defiance here - https://candlelightrecordsuk.bandcamp...

Listen to Mike's other project, Monster God, here - https://monstergod1.bandcamp.com/

This week there was barely any proper news, just mostly people popping their heads out the woodwork to endorse something or other - so we generally focused on the sub-par interesting news items this week.

Having said that we've got a new logo drawn by the extremely awesome 'terbangtinggi' on fiverr - which makes us feel legit.

Raw also suggests that the longer a band name is - the worse that band is...

--- I swap my mic out at about 19 minutes into this one, just in case anyone finds the sound unbearable----

Today (30th October 2020) marks 30 years of Realm's second and final album for Roadrunner Records, Suiciety. Realm are a highly regarded prog-thrash band from Wisconsin, and a very important part of the ToB History of Roadrunner Records [HORR] series.

Takis patiently endures Jim's lack of professionalism and microphone issues [for about 15 minutes, sorry] before launching into what it was like to be Monte Conner's first signing for Roadrunner Records. We also discuss the band's association with Beatallica, their recent induction into the Wisconsin Area Music Industry Hall of Fame, and some of the more intricate aspects of the artist/label relationship.

Aside from my terrible mic issues - I'm dead happy with this one, so please join me in celebrating this kick arse band.

RIP Paul Laganowski

1963-2017

Jonny Bakes from Uber Rock joins us this week to recommend music he's actually listened to, as well as proposing a theory for the upsurge in 60's/70's nostalgia acts.

Visit Uber Rock at https://uber-rock.co.uk/

--- Some audio dropouts on this one, I personally blame Skype ---

In a break from interviewing Roadrunner Records alumni, Jim speaks to James McBain of one-man 'Black 'n Roll' band Hellripper, who recently released 'The Affair of the Poisons' on Peaceville Records.

We chat production, label relationships and album cycles. We also take a quick dive into the Secret Channel 4 Metalhead.

[Album cover] © Peaceville Records Ltd

Jim talks to Cyclone's very own Guido Gevels as part of the History of Roadrunner Records [HORR] series.

Cyclone are an infamous part of the Belgian thrash scene, as highlighted in the Red Bull documentary "Hooked on Belgian Metal" (link below).

Cyclone have reformed, and are remastering and rereleasing their first two albums on Zeal records very soon, so please follow the below socials to make sure you catch them upon release.

Hooked on Belgian Metal - https://www.redbull.com/be-nl/projects/hooked-on-belgian-metal?fbclid=IwAR1QFQ374JPNXzeRelD3N9FOsoZFEGGHrUMVM50GU2ypKngyc-Q50MGUg_I

Cyclone's Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cyclone-official-bandpage/213896838668303

Recorded 24/10/2020

This week, Raw takes the bold step of recommending music he's not bothered to listen to. We also talk about new music from Chris Adler's new band Firstborne, and a new signing to Roadrunner Records (Mess of Wires). Then we dive into the most Metal video games out there, with some pretty heavy lusting over Frontpunk...

Heavy news week this week - we dive into general housekeeping for the podcast, the 'rare vinyl' market, Raw's war against Warbringer and Five Finger Death Punch, and loads of other daft nonsense!

Matt and Joel join ToB to discuss the possible resurgence of Nu-Metal, and their own experiences of the movement.

RIP EVH

This week we define exactly what Metal 'tat' is, chat about Hawkeye leaving Fear Factory to a slightly heavier extent than I did last week, and we run each other's gym playlist past each other.

@TempleOfBleh

Shorter, with lower energy and more physical/mental/emotional strain episode today - Raw is crusading through the British Isles and I'm on my lonesome.

Today I talk about new Ozzy, Hawkeye sodding off from Fear Factory and take a side step from the Roadrunner story to talk about Hawker Records.

John Bello interview, for which most of the Hawker section was sourced - https://www.noecho.net/interviews/hawker-records-history-interview

For An Answer 'Free for All' set can be found here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ag8i-qa6bsc

Similarly - Rest in Pieces can be found here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDuV_q8u9Tw

This week we dive into the latest in the Secret Channel 4 Metalhead and Rod Smallwood pint updates, as well as the most cutting edge metal news. Jim's mate Eric keeps popping up as well.

We also go into length about bands we've never actually parted with money to see - and Raw lays down a challenge to Warbringer singer, John Kevill.

Today we talk about Hawkeye leaving Fear Factory, why Rammstein is worth Jim's time, then Raw spends about 90 minutes being lectured at by Jim about the History of Roadrunner Records. Part One of a series of amateur deep dives into the history of one of the most famous brands in metal music.

Companion screencast - TBC

Companion write up - TBC

This week we take a look at the Hatebreed gourmet range, catch up on some of this week's metal events, get a quick update on the Hunt for the Secret Metalhead - and Raw summons Winston Churchill from beyond the grave, to get his thoughts on Five Finger Death Punch.

'Now I Take Everything From You' by Dean Anderson used with respect to Section 30a of the Copyrights, Designs and Patents Act 1988. No infringement intended. But by all means check his music out - it kicks arse.

We finally dive into what's been bothering us for 12+ years, the Secret Channel 4 Metalhead....

Additionally we pitch a Metallica Bingo card to see us through the next album cycle, and talk over other bits of metal news from this week,

Today we talk about the economy of post-pandemic live events, our particular metal related bucket lists - and invite Rod Smallwood out for a pint.

Please see the below playlist to listen to the bands we've mentioned in the show.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0NpjFks3InUqtzc8WimIHk?si=Gitc0t5SQu2ijy7u6eLUUA

In this episode we take a look at the rescheduled Bloodstock Open Air festival, welcome local legends Evile back into the fold, and explore the nuances of "the Triple" - bands that are named after the song, after the album, after the band, after the song, after the album, after the band.....

Weekly news roundup for week commencing 10th August 2020 - followed by a graceless swan dive into what the podcast is about, what a 'bleh' is, and what makes a good tribute band

​ @alltheprettythingsofficial 

Logan drops in to discuss the upcoming alltheprettythings record, starting a band in your 30s, and the various triumphs and challenges within!

https://www.thunderflix.com/

Thunderflix is the home of on-demand streaming content dedicated entirely to metal.

In this chat we discuss the journey of Samuel's career from working at Sony to launching his own streaming service.

Check out Thunderflix now at the link above!

@ingested

@the_slam_king

@sean-ingested

Jay and Sean from Manchester's Ingested talk the business of being a band, post-pandemic and post-Brexit touring, and their past lives in the workforce.

https://petrolbastard.bandcamp.com/music

https://www.templeofbleh.com/

This episode we're back to off-piste, non-project specific conversations. This time with me good ol' mates Petrol Bastard. I've known these two for nearly 20 years, so it was good to finally have a proper catchup.

https://www.templeofbleh.com/ https://anchor.fm/blowingsmoketr https://www.patreon.com/twistedrico This time around, Steev and I talk about everything NON-Roadrunner!