The P.O.D. Kast

Latest Episodes:

Episode 76: The Prodigy's "The Fat of the Land", or Light Shoulders, Light Pelvis Dec 04, 2025

Show notes

Bryan goes all the way back to 1997 and relives a lot of his friends and himself grappling with the fact that this dance music was hitting very hard but at the end of the day, was still dance music. John, on the other hand, only knew The Prodigy as a band with 100% bangers and a premium place on the absolutely iconic Canadian compilation album, "Big Shiny Tunes 2". It's a lot to unpack for what is ultimately one of the biggest albums we've ever covered that sold multiple millions of copies, went to #1 in an absurd number of countries, and sent two songs to the top of the UK Singles Charts. It was a moment in time, and The Prodigy captured it perfectly, and we try to capture that all here. Plus, we dive in on the 2026 Sonic Temple lineup and poster.

If you want to capture more of our content perfectly, why not support the show on Patreon? Head on over to patreon.com/thepodkast, where $4/month gets you access to THREE brand-new bonus episodes every month. Last month, our good friend Kevin Banner joined us to discuss the very strange album from Swedish proto-Nu band Clawfinger, their 1992 debut "Deaf Dumb Blind". It was WILD, to say the least. Plus, you'll get immediate access to our entire back catalogue, our Discord, and much, much more. Join today!

Episode 75: Hoobastank's "The Reason", or When We Learned Hoobastank Might Be Canadian Nov 06, 2025

Show notes

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?

Episode 74: Dope's "Felons and Revolutionaries", or A Band Who Are Neither of Those Oct 07, 2025

Show notes

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!

Episode 73: (hed)pe's "(hed)pe", or Are You Sure About That? Sep 05, 2025

Show notes

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!

Episode 72: 30 Seconds To Mars' "30 Seconds To Mars", or How To Say a Lot Without Saying Anything At All Aug 05, 2025

Show notes

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!

Episode 71: Slipknot's "Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses)", or Stories=Bulls**t Jul 07, 2025

Show notes

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!

Episode 70: Rage Against the Machine's "The Battle of Los Angeles", or Rage's Last Stand Jun 05, 2025

Show notes

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!

Episode 69: Brian "Head" Welch's "Save Me From Myself", or How Korn Gave Head to Christ lol May 05, 2025

Show notes

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!

Episode 68: Coal Chamber's "Chamber Music", or the Nu-Sophomore Slump Apr 10, 2025

Show notes

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!

Episode 67: Deftones' "Adrenaline", or Bryan's Favorite Mar 06, 2025

Show notes

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!

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