Hell Bent For Metal

The LGBTQ+ heavy metal podcast welcomes Tom's friend (and former guest) Benjamin into the co-host chair for one week only, to discuss how George from Deafheaven and Johannes from Cult Of Luna helped provide the male role models they didn't see elsewhere, and how that helped them come to terms with their gender identity.Also, there's a brief discussion about how a Fever Ray show made Benjamin see some trans parallels (and also what Fever Ray has to do with the metal crowd), and digressions for potato waffles and an infuriating trend amongst hipster hairstyles.Plus there's the usual visit to the Hate Crew Gaybar, where Chrysalis by Finnish heavy psychedelists Polymoon, and A Violent Truth by Kentish shouty/smashy metallers Allfather, both go into the jukebox.

Hell Bent For Metal favourites Amon Amarth are back under discussion again, this time explaining why breakthrough song 'The Pursuit Of Vikings' makes them think about coming-out experiences, something gay men are surprisingly comfortable discussing that most folks aren't, and, er, Destiny's Child.It's a surprisingly well behaved Camp Classic (by HBFM standards, anyway), but maybe it's because it's the summer and the cricket season in Britain, but Matt and Tom are in surprisingly thirsty form. And not just for Pimm's.This week's visit to HCGBs sees Matt put Plagueboys by Finnish post-punks Grave Pleasures into the jukebox, while Tom's plumped for Saturnian Bloodstorm by Lamp Of Murmuur… although you could be forgiven for thinking it's by someone else, according to the guy picking it.

Hell Bent For Metal speculated in episode #99 that Hellish Form's new album Deathless may be heavily talking about LGBTQ+  – and, especially, trans – themes. And when HBFM asked Willow Ryan from the band about this, the confirmation naturally demanded that they invite Willow back to talk about this.This week, Tom sits down with Willow to talk the surprisingly hopeful (well, by funeral doom standards, anyway!) message behind Deathless. Perhaps inevitably, the conversation takes in trans persecution, the toxic media narratives on both sides of the Pond surrounding the trans community and trans healthcare, and the involvement of ultra-conservative Christianity in both.While there are some heavy,  less than optimistic elements to the discussion, and while politics is an unfortunately necessary topic for part of it, there is also plenty of love and hope found within it all.

Hell Bent For Metal seldom needs much reason to see something metal as hella gay, actually, but even by those standards, singalong stoner anthem 'St Peter' by British band Black Spiders is an easy target.Tom and Matt manage to find multiple ways it sits firmly in their areas of experience, and none of them are subtle or difficult to deduce. Who takes which interpretation, however, is not what you might expect.This week's visit to the Hate Crew Gaybar sees two albums for the jukebox. First up, Matt picks The Loss Of Beauty by Italian purveyors of melodic blackened misery Shores Of Null. And in a radical yet predictable change of pace, Tom plumps for The Awakening by prog-power masters Kamelot.And it's 100 shows not out for HBFM.

Hell Bent For Metal host Tom has been back to Roadburn to host another panel about queerness in heavy music, and reports back on how the festival's efforts to make themselves a welcoming, inclusive place have clearly, visibly paid off.The show's been on hiatus due to a bereavement, with Roadburn being the one bright light in the dark. And while the panel (which featured Body Void, Pupil Slicer, Backxwash, and OvO) was a great moment for queerness in heavy music – and Tom personally – it wasn't the only reason that was the case, as the hosts discuss.There's also a rundown of the musical side of a unique festival, including unexpected joy found in Sangre de Muérdago and Oiseaux-Tempête (spelling FAO Matt), and the more expected highlights of the four days in Tilburg.Plus this episode's visit to the Hate Crew Gaybar sees Heimdal by Enslaved and Deathless by Hellish Form added to the jukebox.

The vast expanse and crushing weight of 'Stillness' by post-metal/everything band Inter Arma seems an unlikely Camp Classic, but Hell Bent For Metal have somehow found a way to see not one but two entirely separate ways in which that song speaks to their gay sides. Brace yourself.This show's visit to the Hate Crew Gaybar sees Suffocating Hallucination by Primitive Man/Full Of Hell, IX by Host, and Voices In The Sky by Brymir added to the jukebox.Plus rambling digressions on conservative Republican politicians with amusing names, new euphemisms for intimate waxing, and why there are so many words for "river" in England. Y'know, the usual.

Hell Bent For Metal give 'Carbon Based Anatomy' by queer metal royalty Cynic the Camp Classic treatment, and explains why that song speaks to their queer sides. And no, it has nothing to do with the sexualities of the band members.This week's visit to the Hate Crew Gaybar sees Matt put Den Tapte Krigen by Bizarrekult in the jukebox, before Tom goes full meme, and puts in At The Gates Of Dusk by Ultar, Anthronomicon by Ulthar, and All That Has Never Been True by Ultha. And if you can follow which one is which, well done.Plus Matt tells us about going to see Leprous and getting a little emotional, and there's a promise about something important the show will do as soon as it can.

Hell Bent For Metal returns from a health-imposed break, and begins by explaining what they've been up to in the interim, starting with a trip to see an unusual Clutch show in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.The Camp Classic this week is 'Split My Tongue' by evil-sounding Swiss black metallers Schammasch, from their 2014 album Contradiction. And while Matt's initially not got a clue what Tom's on about (standard), he quickly gets on board with how lyrics seemingly about Satan might relate to the queer experience.Plus this week's visit to the Hate Crew Gaybar sees Woe by An Abstract Illusion, The Coral Tombs by Ahab, and Sky Void Of Stars by Katatonia go into the jukebox. With a little help from Phil Collins. Yes, that one.

When two-thirds of Mountain Caller were on the Hell Bent For Metal, Tom described them as a majority queer band. Max Maxwell, the band's drummer, is on the show this week to explain why the "majority" bit of that statement wasn't precisely true. It's an extended chat that also takes in the imposter syndrome that comes with being newly out and trying to talk about your queerness.Plus Emma Wilkes (of Kerrang! and other places) joins Tom to put four very different albums in the the Hate Crew Gaybar's jukebox. They are Celebrity Therapist by The Callous Daoboys, Morbidity Triumphant by Autopsy, Love, Death And Decay by Stake, and Pagans Rising by Hexed.

The gayest straight man in metal, Abhi Ahluwahlia, returns to Hell Bent For Metal. Matt's unwell (get well soon), so the music journalist turned broadsheet journalist is back for a show heavily focused on two of his favourite things: nu metal and deathcore.First up, Abhi and Tom remember 'All In The Family' by Korn, the alcohol-induced rap battle between Jonathan Davis and Fred Durst (of Limp Bizkit) that includes more homophobia than your average English football match. It's a moment that was not helpful to at least one gay kid who heard it at a fairly delicate stage of development – and one that Korn themselves have since disowned.This week's Camp Classic is 'The Past Shall Haunt Us Both' by All Shall Perish, the now-defunct deathcore band who once had the world at their feet. And while it's a fairly small section of the song that Tom's honed in on as being relevant to queer experiences, that doesn't stop a fairly long, sensible (yes, really) conversation happening about it.Plus this week's additions to the Hate Crew Gaybar jukebox are Patient Number 9 by Ozzy Osbourne, Data Renaissance by The Algorithm, and Dedication to Flesh by Spite.

In a perhaps unlikely #yeshomo, HBFM this week explain how Ivan Moody of Five Finger Death Punch (and possibly Germany's football team, apparently) erroneously appeared on their gaydars. And no, this isn't some meta irony. They're quite serious.Gojira's last album may have been divisive among Tom and Matt, but the song 'Into The Storm' from it was instantly nominated by both as a Camp Classic – one that's up for discussion this week. And there isn't a speck of disagreement over why in sight.Plus this week's sojourn in the gaudy lighting of the Hate Crew Gaybar sees Gold by Unprocessed, Sunrise On Slaughter Beach by Clutch, and Divine Council by Psycroptic all go into the jukebox.

Hell Bent For Metal never needs much persuasion to talk about things phallic, but even their interest may be stretched to breaking point this week, as 'Jawbreaker' by Judas Priest is analysed for all the euphemisms for something to do with members. Because, oh my, are there a lot. And somehow there's a connection to daft attempts at censorship from the 1980s.Technical brutal death metal band Nile write incredibly crushing, virtuoso songs about ancient Egypt, and its mythology. So they're perhaps an unlikely candidate for a Camp Classic, but nonetheless, their song 'Evil To Cast Out Evil' is this week's nomination. And it turns out to be an uncontroversial one, as its metaphors are immediately and obviously relevant to the experiences of many queer folk.Plus there are three albums for the jukebox in the Hate Crew Gaybar this week, with Heroine by Thornhill, Survival Of The Sickest by Bloodbath, and BlackBraid I by BlackBraid all going in.

Hell Bent For Metal has been hinting at what they think about Sex Education, the LGBTQ+-friendly comedy drama smash hit, for months now. Now they dive deep into the show, and explain how their view on it has been affected by being metalheads.The Camp Classic this week comes from Czech metalcore band Skywalker, and their song 'Justify Me', and it's an unusual one, as the queer relevance is so explicit there is no room for misunderstanding, so the discussion focuses more on the insight shown than differing interpretations.Plus this week's visit to the Hate Crew Gaybar sees Narrative by 156/Silence, and Heavy Pendulum by Cave In added to the jukebox.

Hell Bent For Metal digs into why 'Death To All But Metal' by hair metal parody troupe Steel Panther really isn't a helpful set of lyrics to the LGBTQ+ community within metal, whatever the intention behind it is.This week's Camp Classic comes from Asira, a criminally under appreciated British black metal band with no respect for genre boundaries. 'This Hollow Affliction' somehow contrives to lead both hosts to the same conclusion through totally different routes.Plus there are three albums for the Hate Crew Gaybar jukebox this week, with Metempiric by Knoll, Vol I: A Frith Befouled by Aeir, and Gnosis by Russian Circles.

Hell Bent For Metal joins forces for the second time with Riot Act, the alternative music podcast, as their host Steve Hill joins Tom and the returning Matt Rushton to present you with the LGBTQ+ metalhead guide to the Eurovision Song Contest. The annual celebration of kitsch, camp, and occasionally, a good song or two, has long had a huge queer following, and it's even flirted with metal from time to time.The hosts (the ones who like Eurovision, anyway) present their favourite ever performances, and also pick out some of their most hated. And there's obviously chat about the biggest metal moment in the competition's history, a huge queer pioneer winner, some "interesting" UK entries, and the biggest act ever to come out of the contest – themselves a massive gay icon.There's also a round up of a couple of news items from Riot Act's world, plus the Hate Crew Gaybar is open once again, with albums from Muse (at Riot Act's suggestion), Ether Coven and Soilwork going in.It's an epic show, but for a 66-year-old competition that's iconic for the queer communities of entire continent, it's comparatively restrained.

Hell Bent For Metal finally gets around to talking about Napalm Death, as the grindcore gods' song 'Suffer The Children' turns out to be super relatable to the LGBTQ+ metal fan, as Tom, Matt D and Charlie all confirm. Plus there's a full rundown of the myriad weird ways Tom's seen Napalm Death, and an explanation as to exactly why he describes the band a very specific way.Plus there's an amusing if rambling explanation as to why the wardrobe choices of stoner metal legend and all-round rifflord  Matt Pike (Sleep, High On Fire) wardrobe choices, in context, has occasionally confused the hell out of some gay onlookers' gaydars.There's no HCGBs this week due to a twink-related incident explained in the show, but there is news on something cool coming from HBFM on Friday.

Hell Bent For Metal takes a look at Brooklyn Nine-Nine, the US sitcom based in the 99th precinct of the New York Police Department, to analyse how the show handles queer representation and LGBTQ+ issues, and also discusses how being a metal fan can affect the way someone could view it – including how metal is represented in the show itself. Plus there's an origin story for one of HBFM's [stolen] running gags.This week's Camp Classic is 'And Then There Was Silence', the epic song about the fall of Troy by legendary German power metallers Blind Guardian. And while there's the entirely predictable chat about how the song's camp as tits (which you already guessed), there's some rather more deep-and-meaningful reasons it's relatable to from a queer perspective.Plus the Hate Crew Gaybar has no less than five albums for the jukebox this week, as They Fear Us by Ithaca, Body Prophecy by Black Magnet, Roman Candle by Funeral Chic, God's Country by Chat Pile, and Born Into Chaos by Yatra all going in. It's a bumper crop, but a more streamlined way of discussing them to go with it.All in all, it's a far more cheerful show than #86.

Hell Bent For Metal is back after a break due to illness, and kicks it off by inviting Connie Sgarbossa from SeeYouSpaceCowboy to talk about being out in the scene, as well as breaking down stigmas about mental illness and addiction.This episode's Camp Classic is the shred-tastic 'Blood On Your Hands' by Arch Enemy. And perhaps understandably, given what's happening in LGBTQ+ news right now, this one's far from cheerful, and leads to a long discussion about the worrying state of affairs happening around us.Plus this week's visit to the Hate Crew Gaybar sees Darwin by Red Sun Atacama, From Without by Zetra, and Páthos by Conjurer go into the jukebox.(CW: descriptions of anti LGBTQ+ hate)

Hell Bent For Metal chats about how Bring Me The Horizon's Oli Sykes and Mat Nicholls are doing a charity triathlon for Ukrainian LGBTQ+ charity Ukraine Pride. Which you can donate to here: https://justgiving.com/crowdfunding/ukraineprideKatatonia provide the Camp Classic this week, with 'Liberation' being shown to have three separate queer interpretations. But it's the massively trans interpretation that gets the main focus.Plus this week's visit to the Hate Crew Gaybar has three releases for the jukebox, with The Ruination Of Imperialism, the split EP from Terminal Nation and Kruelty, An Endless Static by Gozer, and the self-titled debut album from Final Light all going in.

Tom explains why the Oslo terrorist attack is so terrifying to the LGBTQ+ community, both in terms metal fans will understand, and in the wider context for anti-LGBTQ+ hate crime.

Hell Bent For Metal welcomes London feminist queercore band Shooting Daggers to the podcast, to talk about the contrasting natures of the metal and hardcore scenes when it comes to how welcoming they are to queer women.The Camp Classic this week comes from Ghost, whose new album Impera went into HCGBs earlier this year and was promised to contain multiple Camp Classics, the first of which to be discussed is the incredibly positive 'Call Me Little Sunshine'. Yet despite the positive interpretation all 3 hosts find, it still manages to finish on something of a bum note.Plus there's a bumper crop of entries for the Hate Crew Gaybar jukebox, with Hate Über Alles by Kreator, It's Time… To Rise From The Grave by Undeath, and The Hybrid Suns by Exocrine going in from the hosts actually in the bar, plus Matt Rushton manages to cross time and space to be incredibly predictable and put False Light by White Ward in with them.

Hell Bent For Metal, being a mature, serious podcast, reads the lyrics to 'Raise Your Horns' by Amon Amarth, and finds the phallic euphemisms are so close to the surface, they're basically poking through it. With Matt Rushton away, Tom is joined by Charlie Howard and Matt Dawson to chortle at a song about Vikings being thirsty for a drink from a nice big horn.In shocking news, Tom's found a Slayer song he thinks is a Camp Classic, as 'Altar Of Sacrifice' apparently has some queer relevance. Even more shockingly, both Matt and Charlie find some too.Plus this week's releases being added to the Hate Crew Gaybar jukebox are Unslayable by Tyrannus, Crusaders Of Joy by bigLOVE, and Liminal Rite by Kardashev.

Hell Bent For Metal talk through their (many, many) opinions on Heartstopper, the Netflix teenage same-sex romance hit that's proved a breakout hit. The hosts also explain why being metalheads has significantly affected the way they view the show.The epic 'Sons Of Winter And Stars' by Wintersun is this week's Camp Classic, as Tom and Matt reveal why they see so much gay relevance in it, and find possibly more than they bargained for.Plus this week's visit to the Hate Crew Gaybar sees Atlas by Besvärjelsen, and Nova by Sylvaine added to the jukebox.

Having  put it off for weeks because of various unforeseen circumstances, Hell Bent For Metal finally explain why 'Untouchable Part 1' by goth metal legends-turned-life-affirming prog band Anathema is a particular type of gay heartbreak  viewed from years later, in this week's Camp Classic.It's then followed up with a second Camp Classic, as the other side of the same coin is also explored, as 'Untouchable Part 2' is shown as a view on that heartbreak from much closer to the time – that time when you can't get it out of your mind.Plus this week's visit to the Hate Crew Gaybar sees Consume/Deny/Repent by No/Más, and Modern Primitive by Septicflesh added to the jukebox.

Hell Bent For Metal's Camp Classic this week is 'What A Horrible Night To Have A Curse' by The Black Dahlia Murder, and it's a case of a cishet band accidentally writing a song that can reflect an aspect of queer life perfectly – in this case, the joyful side of being LGBTQ+ – and in doing so, discuss how the world was better with Trevor Strnad being in the world.To lighten the mood after a few darker weeks on the pod, the phallic euphemisms contained within 'Thrust The Dagger Deep' by Falconer are pulled forth and made to stand proud for all to see. And there's even some more serious points to go with the smutty jokes.Plus this week's visit to the Hate Crew Gaybar sees My Father's Son by Jani Liimatainen, and Pirates by Visions Of Atlantis entered into the jukebox.

Hell Bent For Metal addresses two recent examples of heavy metal's problem with tacitly endorsing homophobia.First, Faust plays with Emperor again, this time at a festival in London, and some self-declared allies use social media to say how great the show was without mentioning Faust's hate crime. Tom and Matt explain why this is worse than when they spoke about this before – and why performative allies are so harmful.In the wake of the anniversary of his death, there have also been a number of articles published remembering the Type O Negative frontman, Peter Steele. Some, as the hosts are quick to point out, were fine. Some others, on the other hand, wax lyrical at length about Steele without mentioning his history of homophobic comments. The hosts run through why this is a not OK.Plus they still find time to pop to the Hate Crew Gaybar  to update the jukebox with The Blazing Sun, A Fiery Dawn by Slowbleed, and Ash In Realms Of Stone Icons by Tómarúm.CW: discussion of homophobic language and violence

HBFM welcome Michael Stancel from pod favourites Allegaeon to the show, who explains how this is a good time to be a gay man in a touring death metal band, and that people care more about his music than his sexuality.Having put it off for 78 episodes, Hell Bent For Metal finally discuss 'Hell Bent For Leather', the Judas Priest song that gave the podcast its name, and explain why it's hella gay, and this week's Camp Classic. And they are not short of reasons.Plus this week's additions to the Hate Crew Gaybar jukebox are Heriot's debut EP Profound Morality, and Martaiden Mailta by Marrasmieli. 

Hell Bent For Metal goes to Roadburn Festival, where being queer was celebrated. Whether through visibly queer artists celebrating themselves in their performance, or through a panel discussion about this very topic, the 4-day festival in Tilburg, Netherlands, the LGBTQ+ community were able to proudly be themselves while playing or listening to the music they love.Tom spoke to some of the queer Roadburners about why the festival is special, what they have done to make queer folk feel welcome, and what other festivals could learn from them.Tom and Matt also chat about the same topics amongst themselves, and gossip about the music on display.

Hell Bent For Metal talks to Rich Lowe, the editor of overtly political, progressive multiplatform media outlet Astral Noize, about his experiences as an out but discreet queer man in metal.He talks about being recently fully out in metal and his journey to this point, taking in viciously homophobic experiences in childhood and as a young adult, how that relates to feeling somewhat out of place in metal, and being saved by the 2007 thrash revival.There's a bumper crop for the Hate Crew Gaybar jukebox this week, with The  Buried Storm by Darkher, Ynglingaättens öde by Månegarm, and Antichrist Reborn by The Troops Of Doom all going in. 

Hell Bent For Metal talk to possibly the gayest covers band in the world, GayC/DC, the AC/DC tribute act you do not want to go watch with your dad. But as well as all the fun stuff, there's a serious side to the chat, as the members talk about being gay in rock and metal at a time when being out could end your music career – literally.This week's Camp Classic is 'UruR' by Norwegian dark ambient neofolk troupe Wardruna. And if that elevator pitch and lyrics about the runes of the Elder Futhark have you wondering where on earth the Tom is going with this, Matt is right there with you – only to come round as soon as Tom explains it.Plus this week's visit to the Hate Crew Gaybar sees two albums go in the jukebox: Fishing For An Apparition by Iomair, and In One Of These, I Am Your Enemy by Terzij de Horde. (And yes, of course they mangle that band name.)

It's a double Camp Classic show, where two proggy Nordic tunes both get analysed from a queer perspective. First up, 'Silver Bride' by Finnish death/doom-turned-folk/prog crooners Amorphis gets a multi-angled view. hen 'Voices' by Norwegian prog black metallers Borknagar sees Tom and Matt take the same starting point, and then run off in literal opposite directions.Plus this week's visit to the Hate Crew Gaybar starts with a good natter about the Unto Others show both hosts went to in Leeds (and somehow both survived), before the jukebox gets two new additions. First is Pennyfold Haberdashery & Abattoir Deluxe  by Uncle Woe, and second is Striving Toward Oblivion  by Vorga.

Hell Bent For Metal talks to Ethereal Shroud mainman Joseph Hawker about being out as a gay man in black metal circles. In an in-depth chat, Joseph tells Tom about how his experiences of growing up as queer in a homophobic, racist environment inform what he wants to express in his music, and how dramatically things have changed for gay men in metal in the last decade. They also chat about how it's really impossible to separate the art from the artist, and how complacent metal has been about the dark corners of its subgenres.There's two picks for the Hate Crew Gaybar jukebox this week, with Matt picking Caged In Gold by Helpless, and Tom being utterly predictable in picking Dread Reaver by Abbath.Plus there's news of something very, very special Tom's doing at Roadburn Festival.

Hell Bent For Metal returns to one of their favourite topics, Ghost, to discuss how the band did something amazing for the trans community with a Metallica cover.Speaking of Metallica covers, the seminal NWOBHM classic 'Am I Evil?' by Diamond Head is this week's Camp Classic, with that was a huge influence on the biggest metal band of the lot proving fertile grounds for HBFM's trademark digressions.Plus this week's visit to HCGBs sees Love And Hatred by Grey Moth, and War Of The Worlds, Pt.2 by Michael Romeo go into the jukebox.

Yasmine Summan, the music journalist, social media guru, and TikTok star, most famous for their work at Altpress and as one-third of On Wednesdays We Wear Black, guests. They talk about being out as non-binary in metal, about racism and sexism in metal and alternative music (and also the music industry), the weight of expectations, and the foibles of social media platforms.This week's visit to HCGBs see Close  by Messa and Vexier by E-L-R go into the jukebox as promised, plus there's the inevitable inclusion of Impera, the new album from metal's most gay friendly Satanic pop-tastic band, Ghost.(Oh, and WE'RE UP FOR AN HMA!!!)

Hell Bent For Metal highlights a simple show of solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community – and the bi community in particular – shown by Ireland's foremost thrash metallers Gama Bomb. Because sometimes simple gestures mean a huge amount.Swedish pop metallers Amaranthe provide this week's Camp Classic, as 'Drop Dead Cynical' is up for discussion. And it's a conversation that starts off with comparisons to pop goddesses, and somehow moves rapidly into NSFW territory. As you probably expect.Plus there are two new additions to the Hate Crew Gaybar jukebox, with Let There Be Witchery by Midnight and The War To End All Wars by Sabaton (quelle surprise) going in.

Hell Bent For Metal welcome Sabaton frontman Joakim Brodén to the show, who's on to chat about how Tom thinks his band look really gay – and why Joakim agrees, and says so on stage.Triptykon's 'Goetia' is the Camp Classic this week, with Tom G Warrior's imploration to Satan somehow connecting on a queer level with Tom… even if he is scared Matt will think he's crazy.Plus this week's entries for the Hate Crew Gaybar jukebox are Ein Abbild Der Leere by Kluizenaer, and Damnum by Allegaeon.(And yes, we know which number episode this is. Help yourselves.)

Hell Bent For Metal hears from its LGBTQ+ audience about their experiences of trying to date as a metalhead, and whether that's a barrier to their romantic lives as queer folk – with a predictably wide range of views getting in touch.'Broken Cross' by Architects is this weeks' Camp Classic, and it's amazing both how easily the hosts each hear the same thing, and how strongly they both interpret that as being directly relevant to the queer members of the bands' audience.Plus this week's releases for the Hate Crew Gaybar jukebox are Death Panacea by A Pale December, and Acts Of God by Immolation.

With Hell Bent For Metal finally able to do an in person interview, Tom goes to Durham to meet singer, drummer, and trans pioneer in the metal scene, the metal as hell Kat Shevil Gillham. They discuss what playing heavy metal means to Kat, how the scene has changed, and how she is quite happy to piss off people who need it.The ferocious 'All Hail The New Flesh' by Strapping Young Lad is this week's Camp Classic, which gives the hosts a chance to reminisce about a great band, and also explain why this song reminds them of that guy who just wants everything in him.Plus the mops are on standby in the Hate Crew Gaybar, as froth is expected about Zeal & Ardor's self-titled album, Metanoia by Persefone, and The Long Road North by Cult Of Luna.

Hell Bent For Metal asks whether being a metalhead is a barrier to queer dating life, and the hosts discuss their experiences of this.They ask if the metal look, metal culture, and not being part of the more stereotypical gay scene, are additional sources of difficulty to queer romantic life. They also invite audience input and will follow this up, so that other parts of the LGBTQ+ community can offer their experiences in a future show.Plus it's a bumper visit to the Hate Crew Gaybar, with Səni Uzaq Kainatlarda Axtarıram by Violet Cold, Where Myth Becomes Memory by Rolo Tomassi, and Born Of Obsidian by Kurokuma all going into the jukebox.

Hell Bent For Metal returns to one of their favourite topics this week, as Rammstein are up for discussion again. (And not just Tom's appreciation of Richard Kruspe's arms… although that does come up…) This time, the hosts explore the band's varying relationship with homoeroticism – which hasn't always been as deliberate as you might expect.This week's Camp Classic is 'Silver Tongue' by Light Bearer. And if you're wondering how a 20-minute post-metal epic by a defunct underground band that was part of a planned concept tetralogy of albums speaks to either hosts' queer side, then you're in good company. Because Matt is too.Plus the Hate Crew Gaybar is open for business once more, with the mournful pairing of The Withering by In Loving Memory, and Flames Of Perdition by Dawn Of Solace going into the jukebox.

Hell Bent For Metal once more seeks out heavy metal's finest phallic euphemisms, this time setting their sights on the riff-tastic 'Snakes For The Divine' by High On Fire. And what could possibly be making the hosts giggle about a song with a title like that?This week's Camp Classic is a long look at the danceable death metal of Dyscarnate's song 'The Promethean'. And as well as explaining why this song makes them believe when you say you want it that way, there are discussions both about how you need to be extremely skilled musicians to make people want to dance to death metal, and also about why there's such a strong link between pop music and gay men.(HCGBs is closed this week, due to industrial action. Full explanation in the show.)

Hell Bent For Metal recounts the story of how Sebastian Bach, when he was still in Skid Row, was at the centre of one of heavy metal's most upsetting incidents of homophobia involving a t-shirt with an offensive slogan – and how Seb's actions since are a brilliant example of how people can grow and change.This week's Camp Classic is 'I Wish I Had An Angel' by Nightwish, which leads to a lengthy discussion of, amongst all things, the awfulness of trawling through Grindr. After some sass about their outfits in the video, obviously.Plus this week's visit to the Hate Crew Gaybar sees jukebox additions in the shape of Shadow And Flames by Riverwood, and Light Bends by Pridelands.[CW for homophobic language, obviously]

Viktor Palak, host of Modeláři, a radio show in the Czech Republic that specialises in metal (and related genres), chats to Hell Bent For Metal about his experience of being out in metal, how metal has more points of affirmation than we might acknowledge, and how he views queer life in his home country.This week's Camp Classic is 'Seven Hills' by While She Sleeps. And while the song's meanings might be immediately and specifically clear, that doesn't stop there being plenty of room to identify queer relevance in Loz Taylor's lyrics – particularly in the areas of solidarity and finding mental resilience within yourself.And this week's visit to the Hate Crew Gaybar sees the jukebox get new entries in the shape of Modern Escapism by Blanket (which is one Matt's still spinning from last year), and Epigone by Wilderun (which is Tom's first 2022 entry into the jukebox).Warning: This episode includes (very, very) bad Yorkshire accents.

Hell Bent For Metal moves into 2022 by taking on a major, pressing question: Which subgenre is the gayer, black metal or power metal?This week's Camp Classic is 'Destroyer Of Senses' by Shadows Fall, from their 2002 album The Art Of Balance. And as well as being a metalcore classic, it also has clear queer relevance to both hosts.Plus there are new entries for the Hate Crew Gaybar jukebox additions, as the hosts correct errors by putting albums they missed in 2021 into the jukebox, with Noktvrn by Der Weg Einer Freiheit, and To Overtake | To Overcome by Voidsphere being added.

Hell Bent For Metal aim to present a high standard of podcast to you all… and these are the moments that absolutely did not qualify, but that you may still find funny.This is a compilation of all the blunders, bungles and bodily noises that Hell Bent For Metal had to leave on the cutting room floor in 2021.  Happy New Year, and we hope to see you in 2022.

Hell Bent For Metal recall a time when Guitar Hero was a global phenomenon, and it made a London power metal band one of the best known bands in the world – and that the song that did it, DragonForce's turbocharged 'Through The Fire And Flames', had a video that looks a tad more gay than the band may have intended.The Camp Classic this week is suitably NYE-friendly, as Whitesnake's 'Here I Go Again' (the 1987 version – the metal one) spawns digressions about queer dating and the brilliantness of camp. But with so many lyrics relevant to queer life, how could it not?Plus the visit to the Hate Crew Gaybar sees the jukebox receive albums to ring in 2022 in party mode, with Spineshank's Self-Destructive Pattern and Unleash The Archers' Abyss picked.

In the Christmas episode, Hell Bent For Metal unintentionally cause James and Dan from the A Gay And A Non-Gay podcast to have a surprisingly passionate discussion about stereotypes around metalheads and metal bands, in the second part of the chat between the two pods.This week's Camp Classic is the apparently unlikely 'Leave No Cross Unturned' by Darkthrone. And while the 2013 epic from the Norwegian black-metal-turned-crust-turned-speed-metal legends might sound a stretch, its joyful gay relevance is one Tom's convinced about – but will Matt agree?Plus there are two "seasonal" entries for the Hate Crew Gaybar jukebox, as the hosts pick albums to get them through Christmas. Matt goes for the winter wonderland of Pariah's Child by Sonata Arctica, and Tom goes for the Mesopotamian fire of Enki by Melechesh.

This week, Hell Bent For Metal celebrates the time Dillinger Escape Plan marked same-sex marriage becoming legal in the USA by releasing a shirt for The Trevor Project, which is a charity that aims to prevent suicide amongst LGBTQ youth.This week's Camp Classic comes from one of the hosts' top 20 albums of the year, which means it's time for Powerwolf's 'Alive Or Undead' to be looked at from a queer angle. Or, more accurately, several of many potential queer angles.Plus this week's visit to the Hate Crew Gaybar sees the hosts run concisely through their top 20 albums of the year, then enter one album each from those top 20s to the jukebox. Those albums are Empire Of Love by pod favourite Violet Cold, and Tales Of Othertime by Stormkeep.

Hell Bent For Metal are joined by Dan Hudson and James Barr from the UK's biggest LGBT+ podcast, A Gay And A Non-Gay. They discuss their new documentary 'Sashay To Hell', about the Non-Gay (Dan, who loves metal), taking the Gay (James, who very, very doesn't) to Bloodstock.This week's Camp Classic is the perhaps rather surprising choice of 'In The Grip Of Winter' by death metal legends Autopsy. From which, much to even his surprise, Matt manages to find exactly the same thing to identify with as Tom.Plus there are three entries for the final regular visit of the year to the Hate Crew Gaybar, as Servant Of The Mind by Volbeat, None But A Pure Heart Can Sing by So Hideous, and The Holocene Termination by Demonstealer all go in the jukebox.And the hosts discuss their very first gig together, which was Leprous' last-minute show in Leeds.

Hell Bent For Metal casts a queer eye back over the varied and plentiful looks of Daron Malakian, the inspired guitarist of System Of A Down. In the return of the #YesHomo feature, Tom and Matt explain why some of these appearances erroneously set off the gaydar of both hosts.This week's Camp Classic is 'Leave Me Here' by Cult Of Luna, from the Swedish post-metallers' 2004 album Salvation. And while there's one very superficial reason CoL speak to the hosts' queer sides, there's a rather deeper reason that's the focus.Plus this week sees two releases going into the Hate Crew Gaybar jukebox, with the Carcass' Torn Arteries and Rhapsody Of Fire's Glory For Salvation being added.

Hell Bent For Metal talks to Adam Gregory, one of Bloodstock's directors, about the aftermath of transphobic social media posts by Vicky Hungerford (booker and director for the festival).In an in-depth discussion, Tom and Matt talk to Adam about what the festival's done to educate themselves about why Vicky's comments were offensive, what they've done to improve their inclusivity towards the LGBT+ community,  what Bloodstock stands for, and forgiveness.Plus there's just enough time to pop into HCGB's to add Gonemage's new album Sudden Deluge, and Khemmis' fourth album Deceiver to the jukebox.