Last time we covered a Hoobastank album, we learned of the conspiracy theory that they might be the feds. This time, we're wondering if they're Canadian because they seem like very nice, normal, well-adjusted guys, and the lead singer's name is "Doug Robb", which is possibly the most Canadian name of all-time. Regardless, we find ourselves bowing down to the power that is the song "The Reason", one of the all-time great nu-metal-adjacent ballads, and the rest of the album actually isn't half-bad either. We also do our annual peek at the Sick New World lineup which is expanded to two shows this year, and we pay our respects to the departed Sam Rivers. If you want to expand your POD Kast consumption, you can do so by supporting the show at patreon.com/thepodkast, where $4/month gets you access to THREE bonus episodes every single month. Last month, we had our friend Jarrett Campbell on to review the "Underworld: Rise of the Lycans" soundtrack, and it was an absolute blast. You also get immediate access to our entire back catalogue (over 200 episodes!) and access to our Discord. Why wait?

Dope has titled this album "Felons and Revolutionaries" because they really want you to be invested in the idea they sold drugs to fund the making of it. And I guess because they think they have revolutionary ideas about politics, most of which boil down to "America is bad" and "society is bad and/or crazy". Whether or not they actually sold drugs is up for debate, but we dig into their debut that borrows a lot from Marilyn Manson and would ride the wave of industrial-tinged nu-metal that bands like Static-X, Powerman 5000 and Fear Factory would also surf on. The album isn't bad but the lyrics certainly are as we try to make sense of where they fit then and where they fit now in the overall history of nu-metal. Plus, John finally sees Korn for the first time as Bryan preps to take his co-host of Guys, Chris, to do the same. If you want to donate to the show for the first time, it's very easy! Just head on over to patreon.com/thepodkast and for just $4/month, you'll get access to THREE BRAND NEW bonus episodes every month, plus our entire back catalogue, PLUS access to our Discord, PLUS merch discounts. How neat! Last month, Bryan and John rode solo as we covered Bring Me the Horizon for the first time and we both enjoyed it. Don't miss it!

It's the debut album that leads us to asking the question "are you sure about that?" perhaps more than any other, as we tackle (hed)pe's first record, where they insist they were influenced by G-funk (you sure about that?), use the N-word in their lyrics (you sure about that?), use rampant misogyny in their lyrics to inflame the public because they didn't grow up in the hood (you sure about that?), and Bryan tells us just how often he was having sex to this album back in the day (you sure about that?). That said, we both enjoy this album that finds its way to a nu-metal sound in a way that others don't: by being heavily influenced by skate punk and Sublime. Sure, the lyrics are highly questionable and yes, the production heavily rips off Korn, but it's a true nu-metal artifact in a way that not a lot of albums we cover on this show are. And it's our longest episode ever as we deal with a crazy news month: Aaron Lewis finally learns what "Born in the USA" is about, we do a mini-review of the new Deftones album "Private Music", and a guy jacks off at a Korn show. If you wanna jack off to more nu-metal content (weird segue but honestly we can't stop you), head on over to our Patreon and support the show! It's just $4/month at patreon.com/thepodkast and you'll get THREE bonus episodes every single month! Last month, we had our friend Libby Watson on to review a mix of $UICIDEBOY$ songs that left us shaking our heads for many different reasons. You'll also get access to our entire back catalogue of over 200 episodes and access to our Discord, which is a ton of fun. Join today!

As we know, nu-metal is not exactly a genre filled with smart guys. But as far as dumb guys in the scene go, Jared Leto might take the cake. A man who sure has a lot of ideas about space, life, and the human struggle, this debut album has potentially the most insane lyrics we've ever heard and the interviews back up all the insanity. We aren't sure if Jared Leto has ever had a cohesive thought in his life, but he sure believes he has, and ultimately, that's what counts. The music surprises us by being not that terrible, but that was probably inevitable given it was produced by Bob Ezrin and given a ton of major label backing. But don't worry, the guys in the band actually started this whole thing with slow and steady growth, and it's the only reason they got popular. Their movie star lead singer had no impact on their first tour being in arenas. Nope, not at all. It's an album tailor-made for the show. We cover a lot of other albums tailor-made for the show too over on our Patreon at patreon.com/thepodkast, where $4/month gets you access to THREE bonus episodes every single month. Last month, we had our friend Riviera from the Nu-Metal Agenda on to discuss 12 Stones' debut album "12 Stones", which is a Christian Rock album that absolutely sounds like a Christian Rock album. It's a lot of fun. You also get instant access to our entire back catalogue of over 200 episodes, and access to our Discord. So help support the show and join today!

There may not be a band on earth that is more invested in their own myth-making and Slipknot truly slide over the edge on this, their third record, as they clearly try to make something designed to make a little pop turn and capitalize on the success of Stone Sour, and all that comes with it. We've got constant talk of the bands' in-fighting, their inability to get the record done on time, their various battles with substance abuse, and they simultaneously love and hate Rick Rubin at the same time. Plus, Corey Taylor nearly gets arrested for kicking down a window, Clown is once again trying to dominate the entire situation, and we get our usual cavalcade of gross stories that absolutely did not happen. But hey, the music is pretty good and the album houses two of their absolute monster singles, so it is what it is. If you want more of our monster singles, you can donate to the show at patreon.com/thepodkast, where $4/month will get you THREE bonus episodes every damn month. Last month, Bryan and John flew solo to discuss David Draiman's side project "Device", and all the insanity that comes with that, including Draiman breaking down each song in detail in a video series that has to be seen and heard to be believed. Plus, you'll get immediate access to our entire back catalogue of over 170 episodes, access to our Discord, and more. Donate today!

Whether or not you think Rage Against the Machine is nu-metal, we can all agree on one thing: they definitely did not like each other while making this record, which stands as their last–to date–of original material. Some bands thrive on the conflict though, and this album has bangers upon bangers that stand the test of time and while "Evil Empire" and their self-titled debut may get more of the plaudits, this is a worthy ender to the RATM trilogy. We also get deep into the Zach de la Rocha mythos, how the band managed their conflicts and potentially differing politics at the time, and this record informs why they perhaps haven't gotten back together to make anything new ever since. Plus, Bryan gives us his comprehensive review of the Sonic Temple Music Festival. If you want more reviews of many more things, you can donate to our Patreon! For just $4/month at patreon.com/thepodkast, you'll get access to THREE bonuses every single month, including last month, where we had our buddy and White Stripes podcaster Ryan Schaap on to discuss Loathe's great "I Let It In and It Took Everything". You also get immediate access to our entire back catalogue, our discord, merch discounts, and you can tell us what to cover for a bonus episode. Join in the fun!

It's a rare album on the P.O.D. Kast that has us eschewing the normal preamble because we know there'll be so much to talk about with the album, but not only is that the case here, it's our longest main episode ever, as we go insanely deep on this insane album that Korn's "Head" was convinced to make after leaving the band and becoming a born-again Christian back in the late 00s. And boy do we dig into everything here, from the insane lyrics to the potentially more insane articles (did Head join a cult? How did he lose all of his money? Why did he bring his 5 year-old daughter on the road with Korn? And more!) to the fact that the music is way better than it has any right to be. It's an album that seems like it shouldn't exist, but we are very glad it does. Speaking of albums that shouldn't exist, check out our Patreon at patreon.com/thepodkast, where $4/month gets you access to THREE bonus episodes every month, including last month, where we reviewed Hed(pe)'s covers album "70s Hits From the Pit" with Billboard writer Jason Lipshutz. It's also an insane album and we dig into all of that, plus your donation gets you our entire back catalogue of bonus episodes, access to our Discord, merch discounts, and MORE! So check it out!

We really, really liked Coal Chamber's self-titled debut. We really, really do not like this. One of nu-metal's most famous cases of a sophomore slump, the band runs away from the silliness and giant riffs that made them popular on their first record in favor of something more serious, more professional, and less nu-metal. It turns out they are not very good at that. Bryan takes us back to hearing this album for the first time in 1999 and hating it instantly, giving us insight into being a Coal Chamber fan in the moment and not just now, in 2025. Unfortunately, it also sucks now, and the articles don't help the band either, as it's a wild collection of quotes about not wanting to be compared to Korn, writing "happy" music, and showcasing a band that was clearly at odds with each other over their sound. We are happy to announce the first-ever P.O.D. Kontest! We are giving away two sets of 2 General Admission passes for all 4 days of the Sonic Temple Music Festival! Head on over to patreon.com/thepodkast for all the details. While you're there, you can check out all of our bonus content, including last month, where we welcomed the CEO of Nu-Metal himself, HolidayKirk, to break down Serj Tankian's also-misguided attempt at seriousness, "Elect the Dead Symphony". You'll get immediate access to our entire back catalogue of over 150 bonus episodes, access to our Discord, and MORE! Join today!

After a few months in a row of investigating the silly side of nu-metal, we get back to business here with one of the absolute pillars of the genre, it's Deftones' debut "Adrenaline". It's a fascinating conversation because it was one of the first albums that got Bryan into nu-metal, hearing it almost in real-time before Deftones had any other work out, and for John, it was a case of going back and hearing Deftones' fundamental text after getting into them through White Pony and their self-titled. But make no mistake...this thing rips, and Bryan determines after a few re-listens to it for the podcast that it is his favorite album of all-time. It still holds up despite the sketchy vocal production, some primitive riffing, and the band not quite figuring out what their sound was going to be yet. The band also hadn't figured out how they wanted to present themselves in the media yet either, so the articles prove to be a lot more interesting than they would get in the years to come. If you want more interesting content, head on over to our Patreon and support the show! At patreon.com/thepodkast, just $4/month gets you 3 bonus episodes every month, plus immediate access to our Discord and our entire back catalogue of over 150 episodes. And last month was a special one as we did TWO full-length bonuses, covering a female-fronted nu-metal gem in "5:30 Saturday Morning" by Lennon with our friend Adam Christie, and then we ranked the last FIFTY singles we've covered with our pal Lorin from Roach Koach. Not only that, but if you donate at a higher tier, you can tell us what to cover on a bonus episode. It's magic!

Truly one of the most heinous and terrible albums we've ever listened to for an episode, we go wildly deep on this monstrosity that Bryan thought was funny in 1996 and realizes today that it's not funny now and it definitely wasn't funny then, either. A lazy album full of hack rhymes and jokes with even lazier production and musicianship, neither of us enjoy it, but it does lead to a classic "P.O.D. Kast Moment" as we reckon with our 90s selves and how this kind of stuff reflected the straight white guy culture of the time. Plus, we read some interviews with lead singer Jimmy Pop, who is easily in the top 3 most detestable characters we've ever had to learn about. It's a fun one! We've got plenty more fun ones over on our Patreon, where $4/month gets you access to THREE bonuses every damn month at patreon.com/thepodkast. Last month, our pal Will Weldon joined us to discuss the Black Sabbath tribute album "Nativity in Black II", and it was a lot of fun, as it was surprisingly good and had one of the worst songs we've ever covered on it, so it's perfect for our show. You also get immediate access to our entire back catalogue of over 150 bonus episodes, access to our Discord, and more, so help support the show and enjoy some bonus content now!

For the first time in the show's history, there is no preamble, there is no nu-metal news, there is no lead-up into discussion of the album. No, this 1999 album is nu-metal's richest text, and we needed the full length of the episode to unpack it all. Tommy Lee, feeling unmoored creatively in Motley Crue and after the leak of his sex tape with wife Pamela Anderson, decides there is only one option: make a nu-metal album. And what a bizarre album it is. With songs attempting to capitalize on the newfound fame from the sex tape to songs actively deriding the release of said sex tape, songs about the police, songs about being a father, and two songs that are literally just Crystal Method songs by the guy from Crystal Method (for some reason), this album truly has it all. It's the pinnacle of the genre and maybe of this show. Speaking of pinnacles of the show, last month, we released a bonus episode with comedian and actor Tegan Verheul reviewing the "Music as a Weapon II" live album that many are saying is our best bonus episode ever. If you've been on the fence about supporting the show, now is the perfect time to jump in at patreon.com/thepodkast. $4/month gets you THREE bonus episodes every damn month, plus access to our entire back catalogue of over 150 episodes, access to our Discord, merch discounts, and more. Don't delay!

It's one of the most highly-anticipated episodes in POD Kast history, as Bryan finally gets a chance to delve into his long and complicated history with Insane Clown Posse, as we also review the long and complicated history they've had with themselves. John essentially only knew ICP as wrestlers, and so perhaps for the first time in the show's history, Bryan plays the role of teacher, revealing a lot about this band and what they've meant to his life. And what a backstory it is, filled with Bryan lore, a lot of confusion, and lots and lots of carnival noises. Plus, we discuss the news that Sick New World has been cancelled and do a capsule review of Linkin Park's new album, "From Zero". If you want a lot more reviews (capsule and otherwise), why not donate to the show at patreon.com/thepodkast, where $4/month gets you THREE bonus episodes every single month. Last month, our good pal Tony Boswell from Minion Death Cult joined us to discuss the chaotic soundtrack to the video game "ATV Offroad Fury 2", and we had a great time doing it. You also get access to our entire back catalogue of over 150 episodes, AND Patreon now offers gift subscriptions. Why not give a loved one the gift of nu-metal this holiday season?

We love covering a nu-metal-adjacent album, and perhaps no rapper was toeing that line more than DMX in 1998, as his debut album came out equal parts vicious and solemn, and we cover it all here. You know that John was scared by DMX (but still liked him) and Bryan was out of his hip-hop phase at the time but we find an awful lot to like here. DMX is both a very arresting character and rapper, and this album is as assured as a debut album gets. It's not often we get the unholy triumvirate of a Rolling Stone, Spin, and Vibe profile on an artist, but it means there's tons to discuss with the articles and it gets a little insane. We also take a look at the recently announced lineups for both the Sonic Temple and Sick New World festivals. If you want to hear us discuss even more interesting characters, head on over to patreon.com/thepodkast, where $4/month gets you access to THREE bonus episodes every single month. Last month, our good friend Howell Dawdy joined us to discuss the wildly strange debut Christian hip-hop/nu-metal album from D.C. Talk's TobyMac, an episode which covered some of the strangest lyrics we've ever encountered and it was a blast. With your donation you also get access to our entire bonus back catalogue, access to our Discord, merch discounts, and MORE! Check it out!

We finally get around to covering Mudvayne on a main (hey, that rhymes), and it catches Bryan by surprise, as he ends up liking the album a lot more than he figured he would. We both do, as it really hits the sweet spot of nu-metal while claiming to be "math metal" that's really not all that mathy. They also seem like sweet and smart guys, so really the antithesis of a nu-metal band from that perspective. Maybe it's because they always let the drummer talk. And good lord, that bass tone. It's everywhere you want it to be, all the time. We discuss whether or not they should have been bigger and how they really showed other masked and painted bands how to get along with Slipknot. If you want to hear us discuss a bunch of masked and painted bands, head on over to our Patreon at patreon.com/thepodkast, where $4/month gets you access to THREE bonus episodes every single month! Last month, our full-length bonus episode was a classic, Family Values Tour 98, and we had our good friend Michael Hale on to discuss it with us. We also have merch discounts, an exclusive Discord, and the POD Kast Lottery upcoming. Plus, if you donate enough to the show, you can tell us what to cover for an episode! Join now!

One of the most expensive albums in history–#9 to be exact–Korn's fifth album that reportedly cost $4m to make was a sign of the changing times in nu-metal, a sounding of the death rattle for the genre. And given how much money Korn spent on this record, the death rattle actually sounds really, really good. Impeccably produced and with way more good songs on it than we remember, this is one of the rare nu-metal albums that actually improves its standing with a re-listen in 2024, unencumbered by the eminent collapse of nu-metal that turned many fans off back in 2002. And of course, Korn says a lot of stupid stuff around the time of its release, as a full-length Kerrang! piece makes the huge mistake of allowing the 4 non-Jonathan Davis members of Korn equal interview time to Jonathan Davis, and we learn more than we should. It's also time for our annual appraisal of the Miss Rocklahoma pageant and we talk about Andrew W.K. for some reason. If you want to hear us talk about a lot more stuff for no reason, head on over to our Patreon and donate to help support your fine hosts of the POD Kast. It's our fifth anniversary! No better time to donate. For just $4/month at patreon.com/thepodkast, you'll get access to our entire back catalogue of bonuses (over 140!) plus THREE new bonus episodes every month. Last month, Bryn Nieboer from the great band Stay Inside joined us to discuss Sleep's "Holy Mountain", a stoner-metal classic, and we have lots of other fun stuff like the POD Kast Lotto, an exclusive Discord, and more! You can even tell us what to review for an episode! Check it out.

Aaron Lewis really, really likes fishing. While there's lots of interesting stuff to unpack with Staind's major label debut, from the probably made up story about Fred Durst discovering the band immediately after decrying their apparent Satanism to "Outside" breaking this thing to 2x platinum to the clear blueprint for "Break the Cycle" and what would ultimately become a very successful career, Aaron Lewis mostly really wants you to know that he loves fishing. He doesn't have to fish too hard for compliments from Bryan, who flirts with a Perfecto rating, and John wonders why he never really checked out this album in full despite loving "Mudshovel" at the time. In any case, it's a great album that both hints at Staind's future and makes us wish that they maybe stayed a little bit more in the past. If you want to revisit more of the past with us, head on over to patreon.com/thepodkast to support the show and get a slew of bonus content. For just $4, you'll get THREE bonus episodes every single month. Last month, Sam Burns joined us to revisit a truly B-tier band in Memento, as we reviewed their album "Beginnings". Your donation also gets you access to our entire back catalogue, which is nearly 150 episodes, plus you can donate to have us listen to songs and albums of your choosing. Don't sleep!

An album that was seminal for John and one he had tried to get on the show forever, we take a long look at N.E.R.D.'s debut album "In Search Of...", an album that is as horny as it is confusing. The Neptunes were on an insane run in this time period, and so stepping away from that to make a nu-metal-adjacent rap-rock album with a high school friend who was originally known as just a guy who danced at their shows was certainly a choice. And there's a lot of strange choices here, from choosing a Minneapolis rock/soul band called Spymob as their backing band (who Pharrell found by hearing a demo and immediately declared they were the best band in the world) to an appearance by a guy named "Lee Harvey" who never appears on any recorded thing again ever and no one knows who he is to the deeply, deeply, sleazy horniness of the lyrics, it's a wild ride and an album that couldn't have existed in any other time period. Plus, you know the Pharrell quotes are insane. It's a fun one. If you want some more fun ones, head on over to our Patreon, where $4/month gets you access to THREE bonus episodes every month. Last month, our pal Jesse Farrar from YKS and GoK joined us to dissect the infamous Korn South Park episode, which came out almost 30 years ago and is also a very wild ride that couldn't have existed in any other time period. We also have an exclusive Discord that's a lot of fun, merch discounts, and you can donate and have us listen to a song or album of your choosing. Check it out!

It took over 4 years, but we are finally reviewing System of a Down again on this program and doing what a lot of people did after hearing "Toxicity": looking backwards at this odd album that follows SOAD's usual formula of a few clear hits and a lot of strange, strange songs. Toxicity having the success it did was strange, but this album going double platinum is even stranger, as it introduced the world to System of a Down with a much more experimental style, blending a lot of world music influences and heavy riffs together with a lot of nonsensical–and some political–lyrics. We dig into all that here, as well as grappling with this album at the time, the dumb stuff Daron was already saying when it came out, and where it stands in System of a Down's (and nu-metal's) history. If you want more of our podcast's history, a reminder that we have a LOT of content behind a paywall (over 130 episodes!) and you can get it all RIGHT NOW by heading to patreon.com/thepodkast, where $4/month gets you access to our entire back catalogue PLUS three new bonus episodes every month. Last month, comedian Myles Anderson joined us to listen to his first-ever nu-metal album, Kim Dracula's "A Gradual Decline in Morale" which...is an insane first nu-metal album to listen to. You can also tell us what to review if there's something you're dying for us to cover, so head on over there and check it out!

It was always going to come down to this. A band that got absolutely massive off of their early single "Headstrong" and has since begun a long, downward spiral into being a band that plays 100-cap venues in towns you've never heard of and exclusively advertises tours on Truth Social, Trapt is here on the POD Kast for the first time. We go over the music, which seems inspired by Linkin Park's route to success without even a whiff of LP's heaviness or ingenuity and is heard mostly at minor league baseball games. We go over the band, which consists of a bunch of gated-community jocks who never seemed too smart to begin with and now their lead singer has to fend off defamatory accusations and picks fights with Kim Kardashian in Facebook comments. And above it all, John has to reckon with actually quite liking this band when he was a teenager. If you want to reckon with some more POD Kast content, why not support the show you listen to and love and be rewarded with 3 bonus episodes a month? Head on over to patreon.com/thepodkast, where $4/month gets you the aforementioned bonuses plus access to our entire back catalogue (over 125 episodes), merch discounts, access to our Discord, and more. Last month, Defector Media's main man David J. Roth joined us for a thorough investigation of "Godzilla: The Album", and it was a ton of fun. Check it out!

It's one of our longest episodes ever, but we simply had to do it, as there's too much here to process, even with a 2-hour running time. A complicated departure from their work in Slipknot, Corey Taylor and Jim Root set out to have their own thing that doesn't sound all that different from Slipknot and we still aren't quite sure why it happened. But they do try to explain it, from Corey and Clown not talking to each other for seven months to "Bother" launching them into Gold status to what really boils down to Corey's ultimate desire to unmask and be a famous guy. Plus, we get a little "Guys" snapshot as we find 2002 Blabbermouth comments sections that still exist and Chad Kroeger of Nickelback absolutely bodies Corey Taylor. Oh, and the album ends with a slam poem. Like I said...there's a lot to process. If you want to process even more of our show, head on over to patreon.com/thepodkast, where $4/month gets you THREE bonus episodes every month, AND you immediately get access to our entire back catalog, which now totals over 130 episodes. Last month, Z from the Nu-Metal Agenda joined us to discuss Godflesh's "Pure", and it was wonderful. We also have an exclusive Discord, merch discounts, and if you want, you can hit a donor tier that allows you to tell us what to do for an episode. It's cool. Check it out.