100 Songs that Define Heavy Metal

Brian Slagel

English Music Music Commentary Music History Explicit

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Episodes 84

Avg. Duration 50m

Activity Highly Active

Apple Rating ★ 4.8 (38)

Since Nov 2024

Latest Episode Jun 2026

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Open to Sponsors Features Guests

Publishing Details

Schedule

Weekly

Format

Episodic

Consistency

99%

Hosting

feeds.megaphone.fm

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About This Podcast

100 Songs that Define Heavy Metal is the ultimate journey into the heart of heavy music, hosted by Metal Blade Records’ founder, Brian Slagel. Each week, Brian dives into one of his personally curated tracks from his list of the heaviest songs in metal and hard rock, exploring the music that shaped a genre. With special guest musicians—some who wrote and recorded these iconic songs and others who found inspiration in them—the show unearths the stories behind each track. Whether you’re a lifelong metalhead or a new fan, this podcast brings you closer to the music and the legends who define it. Joining Brian are music journalist and critic Martin Popoff, offering deep historical context for each song, and acclaimed producer Jay Ruston, who provides technical insights into how these heavy anthems were crafted. Together, they bring an all-encompassing look at the hits that set the stage for metal and continue to inspire. Subscribe to 100 Songs that Define Heavy Metal and discover the unforgettable songs that live at the core of heavy music, one groundbreaking track at a time. Proud part of Pantheon Podcasts.

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Recent Episodes

Iron Maiden - "Number of the Beast"

Jun 08, 2026 50m

Iron Maiden - "Number of the Beast" from the album of the same name Released March 22, 1982 Metal Blade Records CEO Brian Slagel talks to Queensryche lead singer Todd La Torre about Iron Maiden's…

Metallica - "Creeping Death"

Jun 01, 2026 54m

Metallica - "Creeping Death" From the album "Ride the Lightning" Released November 23, 1984 In this episode, Metal Blade Records CEO Brian Slagel is joined by Mike Hamer of the Violent Gentlemen…

Queensryche - "Roads To Madness"

May 25, 2026 54m

Queensryche - "Roads to Madness" RELEASED September 7, 1984 on the album "The Warning" Metal Blade Records CEO Brian Slagel discusses the final track on Queensryche's full-length debut, The Warning:…

Jimi Hendrix - "All Along The Watchtower"

May 18, 2026 54m

Jimi Hendrix - "All Along The Watchtover" First released as a single September 21, 1968 and was later featured on the Electric Ladyland album, released in October 16, 1968. (Originally recorded by…

Black Sabbath - "Into The Void"

May 11, 2026 49m

Black Sabbath - "Into The Void" Release Date July 21, 1971 Metal Blade Records CEO Brian Slagel talks about the importance of the Black Sabbath song "Into The Void" with singer John Corabi (who has…

Fates Warning - "A Pleasant Shade of Gray"

May 04, 2026 56m

Fates Warning - "A Pleasant Shade of Gray" Released April 22, 1997 Metal Blade Records CEO Brian Slagel talks to Fates Warning singer Ray Alder about their 1997 album "A Pleasant Shade of Gray": an…

Kiss - "Love Gun"

Apr 27, 2026 58m

Kiss - "Love Gun" Released June 30, 1977 Metal Blade Records CEO Brian Slagel discussed the title track from the 1977 Kiss album "Love Gun". First up, he hears from author Martin Popoff about the…

UFO - "Let It Roll"

Apr 20, 2026 56m

UFO - "Let It Roll" The original studio version of UFO's "Let It Roll" was released on the album Force It on July 1, 1975. The popular live version from the album Strangers in the Night was released…

Aerosmith - "Make It"

Apr 13, 2026 53m

Aerosmith - "Make It" Released January 5, 1973 Metal Blade Records CEO Brian Slagel is joined by his Metal Blade colleague Mike Faley to talk about discusses "Make It" from the debut Aerosmith…

Slipknot - "Surfacing"

Apr 06, 2026 1h 1m

Metal Blade Records CEO Brian Slagel discusses Slipknot's "Surfacing" from their debut record with the producer of that album, Ross Robinson, and Zach Johnson from the band The Ghost Inside. As…

Back Sabbath "N.I.B."

Mar 30, 2026 49m

SONG -Black Sabbath : "N.I.B" Released Friday February 13, 1970 Metal Blade Records CEO Brian Slagel discusses Black Sabbath's "N.I.B." with the bands longtime manager, and wife of Geezer Butler.…

Mercyful Fate - "The Oath"

Mar 23, 2026 49m

SONG - Mercyful Fate : "The Oath" Released September 7, 1984 Metal Blade Records CEO Brian Slagel discusses the Mercyful Fate song "The Oath", the quasi-title track from 1984's "Don't Break The…

Coheed and Cambria - "Welcome Home"

Mar 16, 2026 52m

SONG - Coheed and Cambria "Welcome Home" Release Date - September 20, 2005 Metal Blade Records CEO Brian Slagel talks to Claudio Sanchez of Coheed and Cambria about their song "Welcome Home", his…

Ozzy Osbourne - "Bark at the Moon"

Mar 09, 2026 50m

Ozzy Osbourne - "Bark at the Moon" Released November 15, 1983 Metal Blade Records CEO Brian Slagel discusses his favorite Ozzy Osbourne song, "Bark at the Moon" with Adam Rank from the NFL Network…

Dio - "Holy Diver"

Mar 02, 2026 45m

Dio - "Holy Diver" Released May 25, 1983 Metal Blade Records CEO Brian Slagel talks about the life and legacy of Ronnie James Dio and the song "Holy Diver" with Ronnie's wife and manager, Wendy Dio.…

Deep Purple - "Highway Star"

Feb 23, 2026 49m

Deep Purple - "Highway Star" Released March 30, 1972 on the album "Machine Head" Metal Blade Records CEO Brian Slagel is joined by the former host of MTV's Headbanger's Ball Riki Rachtman to discuss…

Slayer - "Chemical Warfare"

Feb 16, 2026 50m

Slayer - "Chemical Warfare" Released August 4, 1984 on the EP Haunting the Chapel Metal Blade Records CEO Brian Slagel is joined by the man known on Tik Tok as Metal Horror Madman, who has built a…

Cirith Ungol - "King of the Dead"

Feb 09, 2026 48m

In this episode, Metal Blade Records CEO Brian Slagel is joined by the Executive Producer and Co-Creator of "Dark Side of the Ring" and the recent series of heavy metal documentaries, "Into the Void"…

Accept - "Fast As A Shark"

Feb 02, 2026 54m

Accept - "Fast As A Shark" Released in November of 1982, on their album "Restless and Wild" Metal Blade Records CEO Brian Slagel is reunited with his former co-host for the "Metal Misconduct"…

Ministry - "Just One Fix"

Jan 26, 2026 1h

Ministry - "Just One Fix" Released on June 14, 1992 on their album commonly known as "Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs" In this episode, Metal Blade Records CEO talks about the…

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does 100 Songs that Define Heavy Metal have?

100 Songs that Define Heavy Metal has published 84 episodes since November 2024, covering topics in Music, Music Commentary.

Is 100 Songs that Define Heavy Metal still active?

100 Songs that Define Heavy Metal is currently highly active with new episodes weekly. Average episode length is 50m.

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