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PODCAST

Riffology: Iconic Rock Albums Podcast

Remember when payday meant choosing which CD or vinyl you were blowing it on? Standing in HMV doing the mental maths, convincing yourself two albums was basically essential. Riffology is Neil and Chris chasing that feeling again, one classic record at a time. This is a show about the albums that raised us — Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Motley Crue, Def Leppard, Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Pink Floyd, Radiohead, Skunk Anansie, Gojira, Soulfly and the rest. If it’s 25+ years old, loud and iconic, we’re

music music history

All Episodes

100:37

RIFF076 - Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here

Riffology: Iconic Rock Albums Podcast ·

2026/01/12

When a black shrink wrap hides the most emotional record in the rack Hosts: Neil & Chris Duration: ~101 minutes Release: 12 January 2026 Episode Description Neil and Chris dive into Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here, a record that feels less like a set of songs and more like a single long thought, drifting through absence, grief, cynicism, and that hollow “where did you go?” ache. They start with...

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89:19

RIFF075 - The Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream

Riffology: Iconic Rock Albums Podcast ·

2026/01/05

When a guitar tone becomes a time machine Hosts: Neil & Chris Duration: ~89 minutes Release: 05 January 2026 Episode Description Neil and Chris finally tackle The Smashing Pumpkins’ Siamese Dream, an album that hits like a personal memory as much as a rock record. For Chris, it is a private-room, headphones-on relationship, the kind where the opening of “Cherub Rock” can still trigger a lump in...

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95:44

RIFF074 - Static-X - Wisconsin Death Trip

Riffology: Iconic Rock Albums Podcast ·

2025/12/28

When Evil Disco Becomes a Genre Hosts: Neil & Chris Duration: ~96 minutes Release: 3 January 2025 Episode Description Static-X's 1999 debut Wisconsin Death Trip marked a pivotal moment in industrial metal, blending crushing riffs with techno grooves to create what Wayne Static called "evil disco." Neil dives deep into his personal connection with this record, recounting a hilarious tale of gett...

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97:35

RIFF073 - Prong - Cleansing

Riffology: Iconic Rock Albums Podcast ·

2025/12/15

When the Sound Guy Becomes the Sound Hosts: Neil & Chris Duration: ~98 minutes Release: 15 December 2025 Episode Description Before Tommy Victor was crafting some of the heaviest riffs in industrial metal, he was the guy behind the mixing desk at CBGB's, watching the entire New York hardcore scene unfold in front of him. That perspective, that immersion in raw, uncompromising music, would event...

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84:21

RIFF072 - Suicidal Tendencies - Lights, Camera,...

Riffology: Iconic Rock Albums Podcast ·

2025/12/01

Where Skate Punk Grew Up and Got a Grammy Nod Episode 72 | Suicidal Tendencies, Lights, Camera, Revolution (1990) | Duration: ~84 minutes | Release: 8 December 2025 Episode Description Neil and Chris dive into one of Neil's all-time decorating records, a 1990 album that transformed LA's banned skate punk outcasts into Grammy nominees. Suicidal Tendencies' fourth studio album represents a pivota...

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81:18

RIFF071 - L7 - Bricks Are Heavy

Riffology: Iconic Rock Albums Podcast ·

2025/11/24

When Tuning Your Guitar Became Revolutionary Hosts: Neil & Chris Duration: ~80 minutes Release: 24 November 2025 Episode Description Neil and Chris tackle L7's breakthrough 1992 album Bricks Are Heavy, the record that proved you could be authentically punk, unapologetically feminist, and radio-friendly all at once. Between discussions of Butch Vig's game-changing production advice (tune your gu...

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92:24

RIFF070 - Bush - Sixteen Stone

Riffology: Iconic Rock Albums Podcast ·

2025/11/17

When everyone said no, radio said yes Hosts: Neil & Chris Duration: ~92 minutes Release: 17 November 2025 Episode Description Bush's Sixteen Stone shouldn't exist. Dropped by their first label for having "no singles and no album tracks," Gavin Rossdale went back to painting dentists' offices while his debut sat in limbo. Then a tiny record label called Trauma took a chance, American rock radio ...

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79:30

RIFF069 - Pixies - Doolittle

Riffology: Iconic Rock Albums Podcast ·

2025/11/03

Pixies — Doolittle (1994) Hosts: Neil & Chris Duration: ~79 minutes Release: November 2025 Episode Description Welcome to another episode of Riffology - the podcast where two mates dissect the albums that shaped music history. This week, Neil and Chris tackle the Pixies' seminal 1989 masterpiece "Doolittle", an album that bridged the gap between underground rock and the grunge explosion that wo...

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80:28

RIFF068 - Hole - Live Through This

Riffology: Iconic Rock Albums Podcast ·

2025/10/27

Hole — Live Through This (1994)Noise made human: sharp guitars, cracked-glass vocals, and songs that refuse to sand down the splinters. In this episode we unpack how Live Through This became both a blistering rock record and a time capsule of messy, real-life urgency. The big picture Why this album still feels dangerous: melody with teeth, beauty with bite. Olympia-to-LA-to-Marietta roots and attitudes — riot grrrl tension meets major-label machinery. Courtney Love’s performance as intent,

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93:12

RIFF067 - Tool - Undertow

Riffology: Iconic Rock Albums Podcast ·

2025/10/06

Two nerds, a laminator, and an extremely long “warm worm” somehow lead to a deep dive into one of the darkest, driest, and most hypnotic debut albums of the ‘90s. Undertow wasn’t just Tool’s arrival — it was a statement: no gloss, no funk, no flannel. Just tight, menacing precision and the kind of sonic control that made everything else in ’93 sound like it was recorded in a gym hall.Neil and Chris get into Sylvia Massy’s production magic, the infamous piano-and-shotgun session that birthed

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76:25

RIFF066 - A Perfect Circle - Mer De Noms

Riffology: Iconic Rock Albums Podcast ·

2025/09/29

Riffology — A Perfect Circle: Mer de NomsMaynard James Keenan takes a detour from Tool, rents a room to guitar wizard Billy Howerdel, and they accidentally build the most elegant “super-group” debut of the millennium. Neil and Chris dig into the Mer de Noms mythos: how a guitar tech’s home demos became a platinum record the secret names and symbols hidden in the artwork Josh Freese’s drums that sound like they were recorded in a cathedral label execs wondering where the hits were It’s part

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75:08

RIFF065 - Deftones - White Pony

Riffology: Iconic Rock Albums Podcast ·

2025/09/22

Riffology — Deftones: White Pony (2000)TL;DR: Deftones dodged the nu-metal pigeonhole and built a shimmering, heavy, cinematic classic. We get into label shenanigans (hi, Maverick/Madonna), the Back to School (Mini Maggit) detour, Terry Date’s drum-forward production, the Maynard cameo on “Passenger,” and why “Change” became the gateway track. What you’ll hear Not-your-average “nu-metal”: Shoegaze, trip-hop and The Cure vibes layered over drop-tuned heft; more atmosphere than

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79:33

RIFF064 - Anthrax - Sound of White Noise

Riffology: Iconic Rock Albums Podcast ·

2025/09/08

Anthrax pivot hard into the ’90s on Sound of White Noise—first with John Bush, last with Dan Spitz—and somehow make it feel inevitable rather than mid-life crisis. We dig into why the songs land (drier drums, thicker guitars) and how a label switch put a new sheen on the chaos. Along the way: Dan Spitz’s surprise second act as a master watchmaker and a brief “It’s-a-me Mario” detour while trying to say “Badalamenti” like adults.Timestamps 00:00:00 — Cold open: the “journey into sound”

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94:29

RIFF063 - Anthrax - Persistence of Time

Riffology: Iconic Rock Albums Podcast ·

2025/09/01

Anthrax get serious. We dig into Persistence of Time (1990)—the darker, tighter, grown-up pivot where Joey Belladonna’s vocals cut through a heavier mix, the grooves slow just enough to hit harder, and the Joe Jackson cover somehow makes perfect sense. Along the way: a supply-chain crisis (Coke Zero + red/black Fruit Pastilles), a self-own “burglary” story involving several PDAs, and the glorious chaos of Married… with Children: My Dinner with Anthrax. Serious album; unserious hosts. It

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102:09

RIFF062 - Soulfly - Soulfly

Riffology: Iconic Rock Albums Podcast ·

2025/08/25

Soulfly’s debut gets the dry-ice treatment: Max channelled grief into groove and built a new tribe from scratch. We dig into Ross Robinson’s Indigo Ranch crunch (’97–’98), Andy Wallace’s mix, George Marino’s finishing pass, and why the record sits between thrash, hardcore and late-90s “heavy with swing.” Guests roll through—Burton C. Bell & Dino Cazares, Chino Moreno, Benji Webbe, Fred Durst & DJ Lethal, Eric Bobo, Christian Olde Wolbers—while Brazilian percussion (yes, the berimbau)

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99:00

RIFF030 - Sepultura - Beneath the Remains

Riffology: Iconic Rock Albums Podcast ·

2025/08/18

Sepultura’s Beneath the Remains gets the full Riffology treatment: the leap from Schizophrenia to something lean, hostile and oddly elegant. We dig into why the first half feels near-bulletproof (“Beneath the Remains,” “Inner Self,” “Stronger Than Hate,” “Mass Hypnosis”), how those nocturnal sessions at Nas Nuvens bled into the record’s raw edge, and where Scott Burns helped sharpen the attack. It’s the grim middle ground between thrash and death—menace over flash, breakdowns that earn their keep,

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91:54

RIFF058 - Carcass - Heartwork

Riffology: Iconic Rock Albums Podcast ·

2025/07/21

This week, we sharpen our scalpels and wade into Heartwork by Carcass. Expect a forensic examination of melodic death metal’s most clinical album: guitars get dissected, solos catalogued, and lyrics scrutinised under a microscope. We probe the transition from grind to groove, speculate on the true pH of Liverpool water, and ponder if this is the only metal album fit for display in the Tate Modern.No medical degrees required, but a strong stomach is advised. Leave your meat metaphors at the door and

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76:15

RIFF054 - Feeder - Polythene

Riffology: Iconic Rock Albums Podcast ·

2025/06/24

This week, we attempt to remember how podcasts actually start and then promptly forget what we were talking about. Join us as we take a meandering, moderately reverent stroll through Feeder’s debut album Polythene—the record that had us singing “High,” even if no one else asked for it (or knew what it was).We chat about setlists that audiences never wanted, the confusing popularity of “Mr. Brightside” at every acoustic night, and what it’s like to fall in love with an album about two decades after

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104:08

RIFF052 - Ash - 1977

Riffology: Iconic Rock Albums Podcast ·

2025/06/09

It’s another barely-controlled episode as we tackle Ash’s 1977: part Britpop nostalgia, part forensic Wikipedia investigation. We discuss what melisma is (with a Beyoncé impression you won’t soon forget), why half the world has never heard of The Wildhearts, and the challenges of figuring out exactly what’s on an album when even the band can’t be bothered to send a proper tracklist.There’s music theory, sort of. There’s podcast admin, if you’re into that. And there’s a group laugh breakdown that

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93:34

RIFF051 - The Wildhearts - Earth Versus The Wildhearts

Riffology: Iconic Rock Albums Podcast ·

2025/06/02

On this episode of Riffology, Neil and Chris dive into The Wildhearts and the lasting legacy of 90s alternative rock. Expect stories about band t-shirts as badges of honour, the curious truth behind Loughborough’s Left Legged Pineapple, and a healthy amount of nostalgia for the days when discovering a band felt like joining a secret club. Along the way, there’s plenty of debate, music memories, and the occasional detour into other classic albums. If The Wildhearts have ever found their way onto your

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