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Ray chats with Dan Nahum, the organiser of Essence Festival in Canberra, set to be held October 3-5 at The Baso. We discuss what went well last year, what will be different this year, and what some of the highlights might be for the 2025 iteration. There is also a brief guest appearance from Dan from Irreparable who wandered by while we recorded in The Tote beer garden.
Essence:
In the traditions of Canberra's Metal for the Brain and SoundOut, as well as Dark Mofo, Essence is a diverse underground music festival, taking in various metal subgenres (death, black, doom, sludge, and more) as well as other genres: noise, post-punk and post-rock, experimental, industrial, ambient, improvised, and even dark and contemporary takes on traditional music. The bill is from across the Australia and features a mix of impressive live stalwarts, cult artists that perform only rarely, and new and exciting acts. Many have never performed in Canberra before. This year Essence is co-presented by NSW/Qld label Gutter Prince Cabal, and has also added an explicitly visual element in the form of NSW visual artist Greallach.
Links:
Tickets
https://tickets.oztix.com.au/outlet/event/8e1e8ce6-2061-4037-8f12-285520dc45f4
https://www.instagram.com/essence_festival
Playlist
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6AiuxATeB2UGdNkk16cL6g?si=2ed3ac3ba03847b1
Full band list
Life Cult
Pod People
Diploid
Contaminated
Convulsing
Tir
Growth
Teeth Dreams
Golgothan Remains
Mammon’s Throne
raven
ZCluster
Nontinuum
Bacchus Harsh
Burden Man
Živa
Shay Doe and Jack Napier
Josh Shipton
Oar
Lithik
Bruxist
Knife
Marlēné Claudine Radice
Fukno
Canary Bones
Atavus Infectum
External Organ
Futility
Essentia Vermis Friday night pre-fest:
Destruktor
Aglo
Hebephrenique
Grotesque Bliss
Leaker
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Phil and Ray sit down with Ed from Aardvark to talk about what Aardvark have been up to and also discuss three classic albums important to Ed
Aardvark's coming Sydney show with Bengal Tigers
https://www.factorytheatre.com.au/event/bengal-tigers/
and Flitcraft with Bengal Tigers in Melbourne
No playlist for this episode but be sure to listen to
Accept - Metal Heart
Thin Lizzy - Chinatown
Judas Priest - Screaming for Vengeance
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Phil and Ray tackle one of their favourite song types - the heavy metal Epic. Whether it be 7 minutes, or 8 minutes as the cut off, there is nothing small and or lacking in these songs
Episode Playlist
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1DBN0O41gq1MbpAnjZvhvM?si=d72c992502f94ed3
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Phil and Ray are back after a bit of a break with even more Secrets of Steel. Finally actually creating a part 2 episode to go along with all those part 1s from last year. Strap yourself in for some classic heavy metal ingredients and be sure to let us know about any excellent examples we missed, because we always want more!
The gigs Ray mentioned are:
Spectral Wounds, with Pestilential Shadows and Golgothan Remains June 13 at Metro Social in Sydney tickets here
The Veil, Lithik, Irreparable, Futility at The Tote July 26 in Melbourne tickets here
Episode playlist here
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Phil and Ray discuss a wide range of bands that either maybe should have stopped, or they are grateful only had a brief period of being productive and grapple with the question, does not wanting more of a band you like make any sense? No, of course not. But we aren't always rational beings.
Upcoming gigs that were mentioned
Hobart March 8 Pestilential Shadows, Permafog, Midnight Odyssey, Portcullis https://tickets.oztix.com.au/outlet/event/a3feb1c4-9aec-4f6c-a347-6c63fa52042c
Melbourne Dethfest March 9 https://tickets.cornerhotel.com/outlet/event/3db93de4-eab1-4c18-84fc-6f7821922a84
Sydney April 12 Destruktor, Pestilential Shadows, AftermatH, Petrol https://allevents.in/marrickville/destruktor-%7C-factory-floor-sydney/200027790152024#
Black Sabbath tickets on sale Feb 14 https://www.livenation.co.uk/show/1561056/back-to-the-beginning/birmingham/2025-07-05
Lots of other things mentioned, I'll try and get a playlist done when I can, but there is a lot covered in this one!
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Phil and Ray are back in 2025 chatting with Stu from Silent Knight, while they are in town as the national support on Hammerfall's Australian tour. Stu was crashing on Ray's floor while he was in town, so we thought we might as well record an episode. This episode did require significant editing as Ray and Stu are brothers, and apparently like to bicker at each other, which is no fun to listen to - just ask Phil.
We cover Iron Saviour, Atlantean Kodex, Dragonland and more. Playlist for the episode is here https://open.spotify.com/playlist/02yzXsb4c2M6DMSnG04WbD?si=b8e2b0d14fe24c81
Check out Silent Knight https://silentknightband.bandcamp.com/
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We cover a lot of things in this one. And it is quite a long episode. It has been a while between episodes and a fair bit has happened in between with Nicko's retirement, Paul Dianno's passing, Solstafir, Opeth and Tribulation all with new albums that have elicited a range of opinions.
Ray mentions that Tarot are playing more shows as part of the album launch tour, but it appears that he may well have made that up. Follow Tarot on socials to stay in the loop though https://www.instagram.com/tarottasmania/
Episode playlist https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1WgRLFi1JQDGefBRW5fKWA?si=cbe4d31705434916
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Its Halloween next week so we thought we'd celebrate with some Helloween and Keep of the Seven Keys Part 1 and Part 2, as the first installment in what is becoming a series of first installments. This one we are calling Jewels of the Crown. Excellent heavy metal albums, that are probably appropriately rated, but we'll talk about them anyway because we love them.
Also discussed:
Austere - Beneath the Threshold and their upcoming Aus tour with Harakiri For the Sky courtesy of Your Mate Bookings https://www.yourmatebookings.com/uncategorized/3318/
Blood Incantation - Absolute Elsewhere https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6N4rLtjPzH0
Grand Magus - Sunraven
Halford - Resurrection
Ray's experience at Essence Festival
Phil talks Glenn Hughes and Black Jesus (separate gigs)
The playlist of things we've been listening to continues to grow and become more and more eclectic, so enjoy that here
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Steel Assassins is almost upon us again. The yearly heavy metal festival held in Sydney by Dave Balfour at Metal Evilution. Get your tickets and be there in Nov 8 and 9 at The Bridge in Sydney
Episode playlist https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2HK4ImHg24QMEXbE1bbnTI?si=N3dYpGBcR7uROs-9ZBCs7g&pi=a-KvScuGkCT6On
Also discussed
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Phil and Ray are back and talking about albums they like that they think other people maybe don't like quite enough... or at least don't seem to talk about. Are we wrong? Are people always talking about them and we just live in a bubble that. Or are they terrible albums that people don't talk about for a damn good reason?
Black Sabbath - Dehumanizer
Mercyful Fate - Dead Again
Dissection - Reinkaos
Type O Negative - Dead Again
Also discussed
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Phil and Ray go and see Iron Maiden in Melbourne on The Future Past Tour. Some nostalgic chat about Iron Maiden before we headed out and then some initial responses directly after the show - audio quality while we are outside the stadium is a bit rough, as I'm sure you'd expect
Also, as a point of correction Nicko McBrain is actually 72 years old.
The Wickerman radio edit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dfDkxHtT9I
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Ray has a chat with Dan Nahum about the upcoming Essence Festival taking place in Canberra September 27 and 28. Recorded at the Espy just before Dan went on stage with Altars so there is a bit noise from trams, traffic, punters nearby, an acoustic artist playing, Pete from Whitehorse joining us briefly... you know how it goes.
Tickets: https://tickets.oztix.com.au/outlet/event/cd26dd51-5ece-45d3-83de-56023e28e2d0
Festival Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7shu6UxUMoYz3fnh5oviRP?si=f9efd7a9840c41cf
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Phil and Ray talk about the bands that they feel like they should probably like more or just don't quite get. It turns out that they don't like each others favourite bands. Will this spell the end of the podcast and Phil and Ray's friendship? Doesn't seem like it.
Have a listen to some of the things we've been listening to over the last few months https://open.spotify.com/playlist/51HX07ZcHeIsBpNy9vUJiw?si=db576ccee10c40de
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Foot Stompers, Bangers, Epics and Ballads. The four types of songs. In this episode Phil and Ray talk about the curious beast that is the heavy metal ballad. Why does such a thing exist when it seems like it is perhaps the antithesis of heavy metal? The answer, because sometimes they are quite good.
Also talked about:
New single from Tribulation, Queen as one of the top 10 non metal bands that heavy metal owes a great deal, and reporting in on a few gigs attended in Melbourne over the previous couple of weeks.
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Phil and Ray discuss when the best time to be a heavy metal fan has been throughout history. More is more, or more not more? It is hard to know.
Also talked about
Bands:
Satan, Rotting Christ, Alcest, Death, Iron Maiden (always), Tarot
Gigs:
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Phil and Ray talk about why we like albums so much and playlists less, but there is a time and place for everything
Albums we mention that we've been listening to lately
Phil:
Ray:
A whole bunch of other albums get talked about throughout the episode, given it is album focused. They should all be easy to find if you don't know them already. This is the clip of Rob Halford being the coolest guy on Earth that is mentioned though https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMVV_HsHcX0
And some really long playlists for your next long drive if you like exactly the same music as Ray does:
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Episode 1 of the Metal Minutiae Podcast where we talk the myth of the debut album being the best album from bands. There were a couple of teething issues on the audio recording, i.e. Ray messed up. Apologies.
Some key things from the episode for your reference:
Cirith Ungol show
Upcoming Shows
Metal Archives for the reviews stats Ray used
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