Recaps Of Episodes #5 & 6 Of Metal Morpheus On The Borderline!!

Happy Labour Day, everyone! Let's take a deep dive into two recent episodes of Metal Morpheus, the weekly metal-centric series on local internet radio station The Borderline, starting with episode #5 from August 1st, which is all about the New Wave of British Heavy Metal! Running for just under an hour, the episode begins with host Josh Amendola explaining how the genre/movement came into being in the late 1970s, before introducing Motorhead, giving lots of historical context for their early years and formation. Their played song is "Stone Dead Forever" (0:45), but not the studio copy, rather the bonus live recording from a later re-issue of "Bomber". Next up, Josh showcases the legendary Iron Maiden via their Di'Anno-era classic "Phantom of the Opera" (10:05), before moving on to Saxon, from whom he plays their song "747 (Strangers In The Night)" (17:55), and Savage, who barely get an intro for their song "Ain't No Fit Place" (23:00).

The first half of the episode closes with the more obscure but theatrical band Cloven Hoof, courtesy of their eponymous song (28:40). Josh next spotlights Tygers of Pan Tang via their classic song "Insanity" (36:20), before looking at another contemporary band with a self-titled song to play on air, namely Angel Witch (43:00). We get into more extreme territory next via black metal pioneers Venom, who get a little more talking up than some preceding bands, with their song played here being "Don't Burn The Witch" (46:35). The last British band on offer is Satan (yes, that was their name), and after discussing the band & the misconceptions about witches over their intro track "Into The Fire", Josh plays their song "Trial By Fire" (51:15). The episode closes with it's weekly local band, and they are.... Destroilet? Josh plays their song "Bamberg Witch Prison" (56:35) from 2015's "Fed Up!" split.

Josh links Destroilet (a hardcore punk band) into NWOBHM based on their "quick sound", but to me, that's a bit of a stretch, as fun and intense as they are. Granted, local bands that are purely inspired by/sound like NWOBHM acts aren't plentiful (unless you want to dip into hair metal-influenced bands like Late & Loud or Amethyst), but if they have to be an act with a studio album, maybe something from Tym Morrison's "Solo Project" CD? If you expanded out to bands with just live videos, Project 421 and/or their successors Re:Born would be ideal. Still a solid throwback episode with Josh's on-air personality and energy always increasing, and though the context on some bands was lacking, this gave a good spotlight on lesser known acts!

While we're here, let's also look at episode #6 of Metal Morpheus from August 8th, where Josh spotlighted death metal! A little longer than the previous week, he begins by playing "Jewel Throne" by pioneering extreme metal legends Celtic Frost (00:45), before playing Possessed's song "The Exorcist"  (5:55), inspired by the movie of the same name. Next, Josh looks at the legendary Death, with their on-air track being "Scream Bloody Gore" (11:10), with some good context about what the late Chuck Schuldiner had to do to get the band off the ground. Three more Florida-based bands are next, including Atheist, from whom we hear "Mother Man" (17:00), and just for casual listeners, note that Atheist are largely not on Spotify. They are followed by Morbid Angel, via their song "Immortal Rites" (22:15), with the first half closing via Deicide and their song "Carnage In The Temple Of The Damned" (26:55).

Josh next introduces the highest selling death metal band of all time, Cannibal Corpse, from whom he plays their classic song "Hammer Smashed Face" (31:05). Afterwards, we get Obituary's fittingly named "Slowly We Rot" (35:30), followed by Cynic' jazz fusion-influenced song "Textures" (40:15). This episode's local content follows next, courtesy of dormant local death metal favourites The Bear Hunters, whose song played on-air is the title track of their sophomore album from last year, "The Dead Testament" (44:45). We do get some information on the band & album afterwards, but it is odd that Josh only credits the guys by their first names. The episode closes with two of Josh's favourite death metal bands, including Autopsy playing "Severed Survival" (52:05) and Suffocation playing "Effigy of the Forgotten" (56:30). Another solid episode, helped by Josh's love of death metal being plainly obvious!

While Josh didn't wax poetic as much as he did for Motorhead in episode #5, you get a sense that Josh really liked all the bands he was talking about this time, and again, his jumps in emotion and intensity when hyping up bands/songs is always welcomed! Click here & here or visit the above links to hear both of these episodes, and as of this writing, Metal Morpheus is ten episodes strong, with episode #11 scheduled to air live on The Borderline this Sunday at 9:00 PM before being posted for on demand listening. I hope to recap episode #7 on the site shortly, but check out back episodes of Metal Morpheus above, and stay tuned for a new news post soon! Thanks everyone!