Heavy Metal Philosophy
by Jon Barbas
Society & CultureE · Explicit
Latest episode
#295: How The California Desert Changed Rock and Metal Forever
#295: How The California Desert Changed Rock and Metal Forever
About this podcast
An exploration of philosophy with heavy metal themes. The intersection between the dark, powerful, and introspective. Tune in every Tuesday!
Episodes
The newest 50 of 298 episodes
- #295: How The California Desert Changed Rock and Metal Forever · 1 h 3 min · Episode 295In episode 295 of Heavy Metal Philosophy, Jon Barbas chats with Jason Georgiades, the filmmaker behind "Desert Age: A Rock and Roll Scene History". Jason is joined by Sophia…
- #294: I Photographed Arch Enemy's New Singer Live. How Does Lauren Hart Compare? · 14 min · Episode 294In episode 294 of Heavy Metal Philosophy, Jon Barbas shows photos he took from the photo pit during the Wrath Across America Tour with Arch Enemy, The Black Dahlia Murder…
- #293: The Most Unexpected Band Went Viral. Now What Are They Doing? · 52 min · Episode 293In episode 293 of Heavy Metal Philosophy, Jon Barbas chats with viral sensation Tunnels. They just went viral on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube with their recent "Songs In The…
- #292: No Hyperbole, Last Night Was One Of The Top 3 Best Concerts I've Seen! · 25 min · Episode 292In episode 292 of Heavy Metal Philosophy, Jon Barbas recounts with words and pictures one of the best concerts of his life. Live in Atlanta at the Masquerade, Igorrr brought down…
- #291: The Founders Are Dead. This Is Metal's New Era?! · 10 min · Episode 291In episode 291 of Heavy Metal Philosophy, Jon Barbas reflects on the passing of Cronos from Venom. Now with Lemmy, Ozzy, and Cronos gone, heavy metal is entering a new era…
- #290: What Castle Rat Got Right and Wrong at Their Live Show! · 18 min · Episode 290In episode 290 of Heavy Metal Philosophy, Jon Barbas shows the concert photography of the latest Castle Rat concert. One thing about this show was horrendously bad for the…
- #289: Blue Collar vs. White Collar Metalheads: What's the Difference? · 12 min · Episode 289In episode 289 of Heavy Metal Philosophy, Jon Barbas breaks down the differences and similarities between blue-collar and white-collar metalheads. Metal fans have a lot in…
- #288: This Band Has To Negotiate With The Government To Play Metal?! · 26 min · Episode 288In episode 288 of Heavy Metal Philosophy, Jon Barbas chats with Krimh from Septicflesh about the intricacies and logistics of playing a huge symphonic death metal band. From…
- #287: The Philosophy of Nailbomb: Is This the Perfect Time for a Comeback? · 25 min · Episode 287In episode 287 of Heavy Metal Philosophy, Jon Barbas sits down with Igor "Amadeus" Cavalera and asks what Nailbomb means and why now is the perfect time for this legendary…
- #286: The Philosophy of Prog Metal's Darkest Trilogy! · 1 h 9 min · Episode 286In episode 286 of Heavy Metal Philosophy, Jon Barbas does lyrical analysis of Green Carnation's "A Dark Poem" trilogy. This isn't just navel-gazing on my part, though; Stein…
- #285: MTV Killed The Rock/Metal VMA Category. Here's What It Really Means! · 12 min · Episode 285In episode 285 of Heavy Metal Philosophy, Jon Barbas analyzes what it means for rock and heavy metal that MTV has officially removed the Best Rock and Metal categories from the…
- #284: I Need To Warn You About 2 Things Before You See Down In Concert! · 13 min · Episode 284In episode 284 of Heavy Metal Philosophy, Jon Barbas warns metal concertgoers about 2 issues they might encounter on Down's current North American tour with Spirit In The Room…
- #283: Do We Still Need Journalists In Metal?! · 21 min · Episode 283In episode 283 of Heavy Metal Philosophy, Jon Barbas analyzes why metal media, and media more broadly, are contracting. Do we even still need print journalists now that we have…
- #282: AI Hasn't Ruined How Humanity Works, But It Has Ruined How Computers Do! · 14 min · Episode 282In episode 282 of Heavy Metal Philosophy, Jon Barbas explains how AI is ruining computers using a tape measure as an analogy. Personal Computers are one of the most important…
- #281: Ministry Announces Final Album | How Many Times Have We Heard This? · 9 min · Episode 281In episode 281 of Heavy Metal Philosophy, Jon Barbas analyzes the retirement of several legendary metal bands to see why they all keep coming back. From Ozzy, Slayer, Megadeth…
- #280: The Beautiful Death Of Ozzy Osbourne - How Metal Teaches Us to Live · 55 min · Episode 280In episode 280 of Heavy Metal Philosophy, Jon Barbas chats with Keith Kahn-Harris about his book, The Beautiful Death of Ozzy Osbourne - How Metal Teaches Us to Live. Ozzy wasn't…
- #279: Death Metal Legends Hired To Remake Transformers Movie Soundtrack! · 40 min · Episode 279In episode 279 of Heavy Metal Philosophy, Jon Barbas sits down with Gus Rios of Gruesome, Left To Die, and Cold Slither fame to talk about how Hasbro hired him to remake the 1986…
- #278: Fake AI Influencers and Industry Plants: We're So Cooked! · 19 min · Episode 278In episode 278 of Heavy Metal Philosophy, Jon Barbas tells four short stories that reveal the current state of our society. As if influencer culture wasn't bad enough, now we…
- #277: Ozzy Endorsed Yungblud But Others HATE Him!? · 15 min · Episode 277In episode 277 of Heavy Metal Philosophy, Jon Barbas analyzes criticisms of Yungblud coming from rock stars like Justin Hawkins of the Darkness, Machine Gun Kelly, and Ronnie…
- #276: I Went To The Most Boujee Venue To See Extreme Metal · 14 min · Episode 276In episode 276 of Heavy Metal Philosophy, Jon Barbas recounts the tale of going to one of the most affluent neighborhoods in Atlanta to see a modern metal show. Jon went to the…
- #275: Is This Peak Modern Death Doom? | Fires In The Distance Interview · 23 min · Episode 275In episode 275 of Heavy Metal Philosophy, Jon Barbas sits down with one half of Fires In The Distance to discuss the philosophy and choices behind their latest album, Circadian…
- #274: What Happens When Interviews Get Too DEEP? · 51 min · Episode 274In episode 274 of Heavy Metal Philosophy, Jon Barbas attempted to have a 10 minute interview with Ben Hutcherson of Khemmis about their upcoming self-titled album. Ben and Jon…
- #273: Jack Osbourne Claps Back At Metal YouTubers?! · 47 min · Episode 273Recently The Metal Meltdown YouTube channel aired a video criticizing the Osbourne family for investing in an Ozzy Osbourne Ai that will supposedly act like Ozzy and interact…
- #272: The BIG Names Behind King Ultramega's Chris Cornell Tribute! · 28 min · Episode 272In episode 272 of Heavy Metal Philosophy, Jon Barbas sits down with Mark Menghi (from Metal Allegiance) and Brann Dailor (from Mastadon) to chat about King Ultramega, the…
- #271: I Shot The Most Evil Metal Concert Ever & It Proved My Theory True! · 15 min · Episode 271In episode 271 of Heavy Metal Philosophy, Jon Barbas is recounting what happened at the Godless IV tour featuring Behemoth, Deicide, Rotting Christ, and Immolation. During…
- #270: Brutal Death Metal Bands Are Selling More Tickets Than Pop Stars?! · 16 min · Episode 270In episode 270 of Heavy Metal Philosophy, Jon Barbas is breaking down "Blue Dot Fever" and why it's plaguing pop stars like Meghan Trainor and Post Malone, but not death metal…
- #269: Ya'll Ask Me Insightful And Unhinged Questions! 5 Years of HMP! · 1 h 1 min · Episode 269In episode 269 of Heavy Metal Philosophy, Jon Barbas is celebrating the five year anniversary of Heavy Metal Philosophy! You all asked me a bunch of really insightful but also…
- #268: The Book Of Revelation Is Metal AF & the Biz Is Evil w Spirit Adrift · 44 min · Episode 268In episode 268 of Heavy Metal Philosophy, Jon Barbas chats with Nate Garrett of Spirit Adrift and Neon Nightmare. They talk about the band's final album, how metal The Book of…
- #267: It’s The UFC’s Fault That Concert Tickets Are Expensive! · 15 min · Episode 267In episode 267 of Heavy Metal Philosophy, Jon Barbas analyzes the business decisions of the UFC that have contributed to not only their own ticket prices rising, but also the…
- #266: When Should Your Favorite Bands Stop Making New Music? · 16 min · Episode 266In episode 266 of Heavy Metal Philosophy, Jon Barbas looks at examples of legendary bands who retired early like Bolt Thrower, Nirvana, and Spirit Adrift and wonders if other…
- #265: Three Reasons Hardcore Is Popular Now. It's Not Underground Anymore! · 10 min · Episode 265In episode 265 of Heavy Metal Philosophy, Jon Barbas breaks down three reasons why hardcore music has become so popular that it now is featured in pop festivals like Coachella…
- #264: The Philosophy of Corrosion of Conformity: Good God/Baad Man w Pepper · 29 min · Episode 264In episode 264 of Heavy Metal Philosophy, Jon Barbas is joined by Pepper Keenan of Corrosion of Conformity. We talk about their new double album 'Good God, Baad Man' and the…
- #263: French Expert Pairs Whiskey with Extreme Metal Albums! · 55 min · Episode 263In episode 263 of Heavy Metal Philosophy, Jon Barbas is joined by the host of Greg's Whiskey Guide. Greg has been visiting distilleries and tasting whiskeys for over two decades…
- #262: Live Nation Exposed In Court After Staff Joke About Prices · 16 min · Episode 262In episode 262 of Heavy Metal Philosophy, Jon Barbas breaks down the fallout of the Live Nation and DOJ court settlement. Concert ticket prices have gotten extremely unaffordable…
- #261: Wait... There's A Hardcore Scene In Alabama?! · 23 min · Episode 261In episode 261 of Heavy Metal Philosophy, Jon Barbas discovers the hardcore punk scene in Alabama. Where is it? Who plays there? Is it happening? Wielded Steel tells us all, plus…
- #260: Testament Tell Ozzy/Dio Stories & Debate Free Will · 29 min · Episode 260In episode 260 of Heavy Metal Philosophy, Jon Barbas is combining two separate interviews! Jon recently interviewed both Chuck Billy and Alex Skolnick of Testament and Metal…
- #259: The 4 Worst Types of Metal Fans · 11 min · Episode 259In episode 259 of Heavy Metal Philosophy, Jon Barbas shows his love for the metal community, but points out 4 places we could do better. These are things that could help the…
- #258: The Cheesiest and Most Cringe Bands In Every Metal Sub Genre! · 12 min · Episode 258In episode 257 of Heavy Metal Philosophy, Jon Barbas compares the things that make each sub-genre of metal cheesy and cringe. All of us have a genre of metal we look at as silly…
- #257: Is Cancel Culture Broken? The Rock Star vs Epstein Paradox · 15 min · Episode 257In episode 257 of Heavy Metal Philosophy, Jon Barbas compares the public's response to misconduct from rock stars versus people in the Epstein files. Both cases seem to be above…
- #256: The Five Best New Metal Albums of January 2026! · 13 min · Episode 256In episode 256 of Heavy Metal Philosophy, Jon Barbas is breaking down the best new metal albums that released in January 2026! From Black Metal, Progressive Death Metal, Post…
- #255: Megadeth's Final Album Is A Harbinger of The Decline of Heavy Metal · 13 min · Episode 255In episode 255 of Heavy Metal Philosophy, Jon Barbas explains how Megadeth's retirement is a sign of the decline of heavy metal. Who is next to retire? Judas Priest? Iron Maiden?…
- #254: The Real Reason Bandcamp BANNED AI Music But Spotify Doesn't · 20 min · Episode 254In episode 254 of Heavy Metal Philosophy, Jon Barbas breaks down the AI music policies of Bandcamp versus Spotify. We then analyze how payment incentives shape each company's…
- #253: The Core Kids Are Starting To Agree With Me!? · 17 min · Episode 253In episode 253 of Heavy Metal Philosophy, Jon Barbas reacts to "10 Modern Metal Trends That Need To Stop In 2026" by MetalBIRB. We made a lot of these same criticisms about…
- #252: The Five Best Oddball Albums of 2025! · 11 min · Episode 252In episode 252 of Heavy Metal Philosophy, Jon Barbas is counting down his five favorite metal albums that don't fit the normal criteria. This is the episode where we go outside…
- #251: The Five Best Progressive Metal Albums of 2025! · 14 min · Episode 251In episode 251 of Heavy Metal Philosophy, Jon Barbas is counting down his five favorite extreme progressive metal albums of 2025. This is an extreme metal show, and thus my…
- #250: Ten Best Death Metal Albums of 2025! · 1 h 2 min · Episode 250In episode 250 of Heavy Metal Philosophy, Jon Barbas is counting down his five favorite black metal albums of 2025, but the title says ten right? This week I am joined by a…
- #249: The Five Best Black Metal Albums of 2025! · 11 min · Episode 249In episode 249 of Heavy Metal Philosophy, Jon Barbas is counting down his five favorite black metal albums of 2025! For my tastes I prefer my black metal on the more artistic…
- #248: Top 5 Best Thrash Metal Albums of 2025! · 13 min · Episode 248In episode 248 of Heavy Metal Philosophy, Jon Barbas is counting down his five favorite thrash metal albums of 2025! The big guns brought their A game this year. We've got…
- #247: The Best Deathcore And Modern Metal Of 2025! · 23 min · Episode 247In episode 247 of Heavy Metal Philosophy, Jon Barbas votes in the 2025 Nik Nocturnal Awards. There are numerous categories spanning breakdowns, metalcore, deathcore, hardcore…
- #246: Is Metal Music REALLY Dying? · 20 min · Episode 246In episode 246 of Heavy Metal Philosophy, Jon Barbas breaks down Rick Beato's latest rant about Heavy Metal's declining popularity. What did Rick Beato get right? What did he get…
