As The Story Grows

September 2026 Recap

Today we have clips from interviews with Arve Isdal of Audrey Horne, Darkest Prince of Devil Master, Aamir Syed of The Unknown, Alva Sandström and Bjorn Johansson from Arctis, Jake Luhrs of August Burns Red, Christophe Voisin-Boisvient of Skáld, Robin Staps of The Ocean, Joshua O’Donnell of Banks Arcade, and Ann-Sofie Hoyles and John Hoyles of Spiders!

September Sponsor - Philip K Discs https://philipkdiscs.bandcamp.com

Discord

Patreon

Substack

Email: asthestorygrows@gmail.com

Music:

Audrey Horne - "Achi...

Chapter 760 - "We've Never Had This Much Fun Before" ...as read by Ann-Sofie Hoyles and John Hoyles of Spiders

Today welcome Ann-Sofie and John Hoyles from Swedish rock band Spiders to the podcast! Spiders released their new album, Crystal Eyes, this past Friday on Sound Pollution Records. Ann and John discuss why Sweden has such a robust music scene, the musical influences that have inspired Spider’s sound, creating lyrics to be proud of, being able to keep the band at the scale they want, and more.

https://soundpollution.se/artist/spiders/

September Sp...

Chapter 759 - "What I've Been Chasing" ...as read by Joshua O’Donnell of Banks Arcade 

Today welcome Banks Arcade frontman Joshua O’Donnell to the podcast! The new Banks Arcade record, Second Place Superstar, is out today on Arising Empire Records. Josh talks about Banks Arcade finding their place in the Australian and New Zealand music scenes, how the band’s sound has shifted and evolved into something more focused, the themes on Second Place Superstar, figuring out the touring the landscape for the future, and more.

https://www.banksarcade.com/

September Sponsor - Phili...

Chapter 758 - "My Imagination Could Imagine This Next Chapter" ...as read by Robin Staps of The Ocean 

Today we welcome back to the podcast Robin Staps from The Ocean! The Ocean will release Solaris this Friday on Pelagic Records! Robin talks about starting and running Pelagic Records, deciding to keep The Ocean going after the major line-up shake-up, the unique process of working with two vocalists on Solaris, the thematic direction of the album, and more.

https://theocean.bandcamp.com/album/solaris

https://pelagic.indiemerch.com/collections/the-ocean

September Sponsor - P...

Chapter 757 - "A Large Cohort Of Metal Fans" ... as read by Christophe Voisin-Boisvient of Skáld

Today we welcome Skáld founder Christophe Voisin-Boisvient to the podcast! Skáld will release their Napalm Records debut, Ørlǫg, next Friday, September 25th! Christophe talks about his interest in Norse Mythology and poetry, how Skáld has found fans amongst the metal community, his process for working on themes for each album, the band’s upcoming tour with The HU, and more.

Translator - Claire Taitai

https://skaldmusic.com

https://napalmrecords.us/collections/skald

Chapter 756 - "What We Create Is A Reflection Of Who We Are" ...as read by Jake Luhrs of August Burns Red

Today we welcome August Burns Red frontman Jake Luhrs to the podcast! August Burns Red released their 11th full-length album, Season Of Surrender, early this year with Fearless Records. Jake talks about his headspace when he first joined ABR and being in the band almost 20 years later, revisiting old albums and his thoughts on his lyrics aging, the impact of Christmas Burns Red, connecting with fan’s nostalgia, and more.

https://augustburnsred.com

Chapter 755 - "A Mixed Bag Of Goodies" ...as read by Alva Sandström and Bjorn Johansson from Arctis

Today we welcome Alva Sandström and Bjorn Johansson from Arctis to the podcast! We discuss the musical background and formation of the band, the musical shift between the band’s debut and second record, taking time to give each song a chance to bloom and make an impact, finding their fans, and more.

https://arctisofficial.com

https://napalmrecords.us/collections/arctis

September Sponsor - Philip K Discs https://philipkdiscs.bandcamp.com

D...

Chapter 754 - "Deep Diving Into Something New" ...as read by Aamir Syed of The Unknown

Today we welcome Aamir Syed, guitarist for The Unknown to the podcast! The Unknown released their new record, Graveyard Of Empires, last Friday! Aamir talks about his love of Iron Maiden and deep diving into metal and the music that inspired the genre, finally starting a band with The Unknown, the themes on Graveyard Of Empires, the struggles of playing shows and touring as an independent band, and more. Graveyard of Empires is a super fun record and I highly recommend checking...

Chapter 753 - "Exactly What You Get From Us" ...as read by Darkest Prince of Devil Master

Today we welcome Darkest Prince from Devil Master to the podcast! The new Devil Master album, Bloody Dreams, is out today on Relapse Records! We discuss the love of Japanese Hardcore Punk that led to the formation of Devil Master, the importance of the Relapse Records store, the imagery behind Bloody Dreams, the impact of Christian Nationalism on the band, and more.

https://devilmaster.bandcamp.com/music

https://www.relapse.com/collections/devil-master

September Sponsor...

Chapter 752 - "Extremely Busy" ...as read by Arve Isdal of Audrey Horne and Enslaved

Today we welcome Audrey Horne and Enslaved guitarist Arve, Ice Dale, Isdal to the podcast! Audrey Horne will release their new record, Achilles, this Friday on Napalm Records! Arve talks about the genesis of Audrey Horne, balancing being in two full time bands, the themes on Achilles, finding an audience as a rock band in a metal landscape, and more.

https://napalmrecords.us/collections/audrey-horne

https://shop.nuclearblast.com/collections/enslaved

September Sponsor - Philip K Discs...

August Recap

Today you'll hear clips from interviews with Marco Heubaum of Xandria, Franz Stefanik of Dead Tired, Ali Tabatabaee and Adrian Estrella from Zebrahead, Sven Polizuk of Rising Insane, Eric Stenmen of The Barbarians Of California, Jon Cattivera from Time Spent Driving, Felipe Mendes Hervoso Martins of AXTY, Ionei Heckenberg of Ocean Sleeper, Eric “AK” Knutson of Flotsam and Jetsam, Angi and Mazvis from Black Spikes, and Thomas Youngblood of Kamelot!

Discord

Patreon

Substack

Email: asthestorygrows@gmail.com

Music:

Xandria - "Eclipse"

Dead...

Chapter 751 - "It's Important To Focus On The New Album" ...as read by Thomas Youngblood of Kamelot

Today we welcome Thomas Youngblood, guitarist for Kamelot to the podcast! The new Kamelot record, Dark Asylum, is out today on Napalm Records. Thomas talks about his early days playing guitar, his approach to writing new music, choosing artists to collaborate with, touring in the States vs Europe, and a lot more.

https://kamelot.com

https://napalmrecords.us/collections/kamelot

Discord

Patreon

Substack

Email: asthestorygrows@gmail.com
<...

Chapter 750 - "Something That Makes Us More Unique" ...as read by Black Spikes

Today we welcome Angi and Mazvis from Lithuanian metal band Black Spikes to the podcast. The new Black Spikes record, Ydos, is out this Friday on Napalm Records! The bands talk about the metal scene in Lithuania, the inspiration for Black Spikes, creating a visual framework for the band, writing songs in the native tongue, and more.

https://blackspikes.lt

https://napalmrecords.us/collections/black-spikes

Discord

Patreon

Substack

Email: asthestorygrows@gmail.com<...

Chapter 749 - "Don't Put Out An Album That's Worse Then The Last One" ...as read by Eric “AK” Knutson of Flotsam and Jetsam

Today we welcome Flotsam and Jetsam frontman Eric “AK” Knutson to the podcast. Flotsam and Jetsam will release their 16th full length, and Napalm Records debut, Rats In The Temple, this Friday! Eric talks about his early vocal inspiration, how his approach to lyrics has remain similar, staying motivated after 40 years of the band, wanting to introduce fans to new bands, and more.

https://www.flotstildeath.com

https://napalmrecords.us/collecti...

Chapter 748 - "Hearing A Breakdown For The First Time" ...as read by Ionei Heckenberg of Ocean Sleeper

Today we welcome Ocean Sleeper guitarist Ionei Heckenberg to the podcast! The new Ocean Sleeper album, Peace When I’m Dead, is out today on Rise Records! Ionei talks about choosing music over a more typical lifestyle, the shifting nature of metalcore as a genre and sound, the joy of touring in the United States, and more.

https://riserecords.com/collections/ocean-sleeper

Discord

Patreon

Substack

Email: asthestorygrows@gmail.com

Chapter 747 - "That Changed The Way We Were Enjoying Breakdowns" ...as read Felipe Mendes Hervoso Martins of AXTY

Today we welcome AXTY frontman Felipe Mendes Hervoso Martins to the podcast! AXTY will release their Napalm Records debut, The Pain Made Me Who I Am, this Friday! Felipe talks about influence of guitar here on his musical journey, switching from guitarist to frontman, the band’s musical evolution to add more death core to their sound, being vulnerable on the new album, and more.

https://axtyofficial.com

https://napalmrecords.us/collections/axty

Di...

Chapter 746 - "Could It Mean Multiple Things" ...as read by Jon Cattivera of Time Spent Driving

Today we welcome to the show Jon Cattivera, frontman for emo band Time Spent Driving! Time Spent Driving Will release their new album Lost Leaves, this Friday, August 21st, on Thirty Something Records! Jon talks about what drew him to guitar and the leaning to play the instrument, why the initial run of Time Spent Driving was so short, comparing his lyrical output on the band’s debut album with the new record, wanting to finally play shows, and a lot mo...

Chapter 745 - "Find A Way To Make It Happen" ...as read by Eric Stenman of The Barbarians Of California

Today we welcome back to the show The Barbarians Of California guitarist Eric Stenman. The new Barbarians Of California record, MEGATONS, is out next Friday August 21st. Eric talks about the whirlwind the band has been on since the debut album dropped, how the writing process for the new record varied from the first album, being open to all possibilities as a band, and more.

https://www.thebarbariansofcalifornia.com

https://asthestorygrows.com/episodes/eric-stenman<...

Chapter 744 - "At Least Try To Say Something" ...as read by Sven Polizuk of Rising Insane

Today we welcome to the podcast Sven Polizuk, guitarist for German metalcore band Rising Insane. Rising Insane will release their new album Death Race next Friday, August 21st, with Long Branch Records. Sven talks about getting into guitar and his journey discovering metal, how friendships led to him joining Rising Insane, the band deciding to get more political on Death Race, his take on the current metal scene in Germany, and more.

https://risinginsane.de

https://risinginsane...

Chapter 743 - "I Don't Take It For Granted" ...as read by Ali Tabatabaee and Adrian Estrella of Zebrahead

Today we welcome Ali Tabatabaee and Adrian Estrella from Zebrahead to the podcast. The new Zebrahead ep, 0, is out this Wednesday, August 12th! The guys discuss their early musical influences, how Adrian ended up joining the band, the reason behind focusing on ep's, why most of their touring is in Europe, celebrating 30 years, and more.

https://zebrahead.com

Discord

Patreon

Substack

Email: asthestorygrows@gmail.com

Chapter 743 Music:<...

Chapter 742 - "It's Nice To Take Your Time" ...as read by Franz Stefanik of Dead Tired

Today we welcome back Dead Tired guitarist Franz Stefanik to the podcast! Dead Tired will release Hornets To Fall next Friday, August 14th, on New Damage Records! Franz talks about why it took 4 years for Dead Tired to release new music, how the band dynamics changed the sonic landscape of Dead Tired’s sound, stepping away from being the band’s visual creator on this album, and more.

https://zdeadtiredz.bandcamp.com/album/hornets-of-fall

https://newdamagerecords.com/arti...

Chapter 741 - "The Freedom To Do All Of It" ...as read by Marco Heubaum of Xandria

Today we welcome Xandria guitarist and founder Marco Heubaum to the podcast! Xandria will release Eclipse this Friday, August 7th, on Napalm Records! Marco talks about the struggle to form bands in a small town, the band’s early musical influences, keeping a band going through many line-up changes and having to be reinvigorated to keep creating, becoming more outspoken about political and social issues as a lyricist, and more.

https://www.xandria.de

https://napalmrecords.us/co...

July 2026 Recap

Today you'll hear clips from every interview that aired in the month of July including conversations with Felix Heldt from Dominum, Nick Vicario of Smirk, Joe, Kyler, and Nick from A Static Lullaby, Derrick Ryan of Minute After Midnight, Joseph Grillo of Her Head's On Fire, Bear McCreary, Jaya of The HU, and Maria Lessing of Future Palace.

Discord

Patreon

Substack

Email: asthestorygrows@gmail.com

Music:

Dominum - "The Circus Is In Town"

Smirk - "Victimry"

A Static Lullaby...

Chapter 740 - "You Kind Of Lose Yourself" ...as read by Maria Lessing of Future Palace 

Today we welcome back to the podcast Future Palace front woman Maria Lessing. Future Palace will release Resurgence on Friday July 31st with Century Media Records, the band’s label debut! We talk about Maria’s experience touring in America for the first time, how working with a vocal coach shifted her perspective as a singer and screamer, the difficulties of being in a band for so long and how that led to the themes on Resurgence, having a bigger budget to make...

Chapter 739 - "A Reward In Making A Positive Impact" ...as read by Jaya of The HU

Today we welcome Jaya from The HU to the podcast! The HU will release their new album, Hun, This Friday on Better Noise Music! Jaya talks about picking up the family mantle in being a musician, how The HU came together and the band’s commitment to their sound, the theme behind Hun, representing Mongolia, and more.

Thanks to Solongo Batbold for being the translator for this conversation!

https://www.thehuofficial.com

Discord

Pa...

Chapter 738 - "We Can Put Meshuggah In Lord Of The Rings" ...as read by Bear McCreary

Today we welcome composer Bear McCreary to the podcast! Bear is best known for his work on Battlestar Galactica, The Walking Dead, and Lord of the Rings: Rings Of Power. Bear will release is second solo rock record, The Singularity: Eklepsis, on Friday July 31st! Bear talks about the impact movie scores had on him as a child and the lifelong pursuit of making that his career, the creative push and pull of collaborating on scores, his thoughts on AI and...

Chapter 737 - "The Full Idea Of Success" ...as read by Joseph Grillo of Her Head's On Fire

Today we welcome back to the podcast Joseph Grillo, frontman for Her Head’s On Fire. Her Head’s On Fire will release Am I Not Your Girl this Friday on Iodine Recordings. Joseph talks bout the unlikelihood of new music from Garrison, the writing machine that is Her Head’s On Fire, wanting music to be someone’s soundtrack, the title and art inspiration, and more.

https://herheadsonfire.bandcamp.com

https://deathwishinc.com/collections/iodine-recordings/products...

Chapter 736 - "Warped Tour Is A Genre" ...as read by Derrick Ryan of Minute After Midnight

Today we welcome Derrick Ryan from Minute After Midnight to the podcast. Minute After Midnight is a new artist on Fearless Records that’s slowly been releasing singles, including their latest, Unleash The Beast. Derrick talks about discovering metalcore and the life changing impact it had on him, the history of Minute After Midnight and how the project has evolved, how Machine Gun Kelly shifted the band’s sound and direction, learning to scream, the plans for the future and more!
<...

Chapter 735 - "My Band Is My Favorite Band" ...as read by A Static Lullaby

Today we welcome Joe, Kyler, and Nick from A Static Lullaby to the podcast! A Static Lullaby recently released a new live re-recording of And Don’t Forget To Breathe on Smart Punk Records. We discuss the band reuniting and how Kyler and Nick joined the band, the reason behind re-recording And Don’t Forget To Breathe, and the nostalgic response to the album, what new music looks like for A Static Lullaby, and more.

https://astaticlullaby.net

Discord
<...

Chapter 734 - "It's Not Who I Was" ...as read by Nick Vicario of Smirk

Today we welcome Smirk frontman Nick Vicario to the podcast. The new Smirk record, Speculative Fiction, is out today on Smoking Room Records. Nick talks about getting national coverage at the age of 12, his lifelong pursuit of creating music, moving across the country, wanting to create a more mature Smirks record, and more.

https://smirk1.bandcamp.com

Discord

Patreon

Substack

Email: asthestorygrows@gmail.com

Chapter 734 Music:

Smirk - "Victimry"<...

Chapter 733 - "Disguise It In A Zombie Way"... as read by Felix Heldt from Dominum

Today we welcome Felix Heldt aka Dr Dead from Dominum to the podcast! Dominum’s new album, Night Is Calling, is out this Friday on Napalm Records! Felix talks about falling in love with Slipknot and the appeal and downsides of being a masked band, letting their influences drive their sound more than any specific genre, the writing approach the band took on Night Is Calling and the balance between writing on theme and being relatable, and more.

https://dominumofficial.co...

Today I have clips from every interview that aired in the month of June, including conversations with Jakob Hemstrom of Oh Hiroshima, Rikard Zander of Evergrey, Yegor Savonin of Fires In The Distance, Travis Shettel of Piebald, Danny Stillman of Drop Dead Gorgeous, Dimitri and JC of Lost In Kyiv, Ryan Begley of There Were Wires, Nicole Willerton of Amberian Dawn, Lynsey Ward and Matt Harrison from Exploring Birdsong, and Mirza Radonjica of Siamese!

Discord

Patreon

Substack

Email: asthestorygrows@gmail.com

Music:

Oh Hiroshima - "Servant Of...

Chapter 732 - "We Became More Of A Band" ...as read by Mirza Radonjica of Siamese

Today we welcome Siamese frontman Mirza Radonjica to the podcast. The new Siamese album, dissolution, is out today on Long Branch Records! Mirza talks about his singing background and the journey he took getting into heavy music, Siamese making a musical and name shift at the same time, the lyrical direction of dissolution, and more.

https://siamese.dk

https://siamese.bandcamp.com/album/dissolution

Discord

Patreon

Substack

Email: asthestorygrows@gmail...

Chapter 731 - "That Feels Right" ...as read by Exploring Birdsong

Today we welcome Lynsey Ward and Matt Harrison from Exploring Birdsong to the podcast! Exploring Birdsong’s debut full-length, Every House We Built, is out this Friday on Long Branch Records! We discuss the band meeting at school and the musical moments that sent them towards music as a profession, the themes and metaphors contained within Every House We Built, wanting the live show to be special, and more.

https://exploringbirdsong.com

https://exploringbirdsong.bandcamp.com/album/every-house-we-built

Discord

Pa...

Chapter 730 - "A Complete Rebirth" ...as read by Nicole Willerton of Amberian Dawn

Today we welcome new Amberian Dawn front woman Nicole Willerton to the podcast! The new Amberian Dawn record, Temptation's Gates, is out this Friday on Napalm Records. Nicole talks about her love for all genres of metal, how cover songs led her to Amberian Dawn, bringing harsh vocals to the band’s sound, the lyrical themes on Temptation's Gates, and more.

https://amberiandawn.com

https://napalmrecords.us/collections/amberian-dawn

Discord

Patreon

Substack

Em...

Chapter 729 - "Almost Like A Children's Book" ...as read by Ryan Begley of There Were Wires

To we welcome There Were Wires drummer Ryan Begley to the podcast! The new There Were Wires record, Vessel, will be out next Friday, June 26th, on Iodine Recordings. Ryan talks about getting started in his career as a tattoo artist, discovering hardcore and the impact it had on him, the band’s relationship with Iodine, the details on the artwork for Vessel, and a lot more!

https://therewerewires.bandcamp.com

https://deathwishinc.com/collections/iodine-recordings/products/th...

Chapter 728 - "Warped Tour DC 2026" ...as read by Bryan Patton

Today I have a recap of my time at Warped Tour in DC, including interviews with Cory Brandan of Norma Jean and Kelly Ogden and Luis Cabezas of The Dollyrots!

Discord

Patreon

Substack

Email: asthestorygrows@gmail.com

Chapter 728 Music:

Thrice - "Gnash"

Norma Jean - "I The Planet"

The Dollyrots - "Hot Mom With The Skinny Pants On"

Initiate - "Waste Your Life"
 

Chapter 727 - "Something We Always Wanted To Do" ...as read by Dimitri and JC of Lost In Kyiv

Today we welcome Dimitri Denat and JC Condette from Lost In Kyiv to the podcast! Lost In Kyiv will release their new album, We’re All Going To Be Fine, this Friday on Pelagic Records!. The guys discuss the post rock scene in France, the prophetic nature of Persona and the rise of AI, creating a heavier album with We’re All Going To Be Fine, recording live, and more.

https://lostinkyiv.bandcamp.com

Discord
<...

Chapter 726 - "Adapt And Pivot" ...as read by Danny Stillman of Drop Dead Gorgeous

Today we welcome Drop Dead Gorgeous frontman Danny Stillman to the podcast! Drop Dead Gorgeous signed with The Artery Foundation not that long ago and have released 3 new singles, all of which you’ll hear clips from in this episode. Danny talks about getting into heavy music later in life and finding his place in the metalcore scene, what brought the band back to life, the impact losing Kyle Browning had on the band, the plan for new music, and more.

ht...

Chapter 725 - "Doing Something With Our Anger" ...as read by Travis Shettel of Piebald

Today we welcome Piebald frontman Travis Shettel to the podcast. Piebald will release their first new album in almost 20 years, Tales For the Rages, this Friday on Iodine Recordings! Travis talks about the band reuniting and what led to them writing new music, how he’s evolved as a lyricist, the band’s relationship with Iodine Recordings, American Hearts becoming a meme, and more.

https://www.piebald.com

https://iodinerecordings.bandcamp.com/album/tales-for-the-rages

https://deathwishinc.com/coll...