But metal fans don’t just casually listen to metal music - they live the metal lifestyle - and that extends to knowing everything there is to know about their favourite genre and artist. Only a metal fan will be able to tell you a random fact like Black Sabbath guitarist, Tony Iommi, having the tips of his fingers cut in a metal foundry in England’s Birmingham in the early 70s, which went on to influence his guitar sound. 

When your ears need a break from blast beats and shredding, numerous podcasts that unpack the world of metal and deliver fresh insights on both the history and current affairs in the hard rock and metal world, making sure you’re not left behind next time you’re talking metal with your buds. 

Here are - in no particular order - the best metal podcasts to tune in to in 2023!

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1. Battle of the Bands

Do you like Business Wars, or Disgraceland?

Battle of the Bands is a narrative podcast that looks at the biggest rivalries in heavy metal.

Season one explored Metallica v Megadeth, while season 2 took a trip across the Atlantic to take on Judas Priest v Iron Maiden.

Once you listen to a single episode, you're sure to binge the rest of the season.

Find Battle of the Bands wherever you listen to podcasts, or visit www.nofilter.media/battle

2. The Jasta Show

Musician, former television host, and podcaster Jamey Jasta (Hatebreed, Kingdom of Sorrow, Jasta and the former host of MTV’s Headbanger’s Ball) interviews your heroes every Tuesday and Friday.

Find the Jasta Show at gasdigitalnetwork.com/gdn-show-channels/the-jasta-show/

3. MetalSucks 

Each week, MetalSucks brings you a feature interview with a prominent metal musician as well as a discussion of the latest metal news headlines. Recent interviews include the likes of David Andersson from Soilwork, TesseracT’s James Monteith, and Motorhead’s Mikkey Dee! 

Find the MetalSucks podcast at https://www.metalsucks.net/category/podcast/ 

4. Metal Matters

Metal Matters, a Gimme Radio podcast, is a weekly podcast hosted by Mike Hill, front man of Metal Blade Recording Artist Tombs. If you love metal and extreme music, tune in every week for discussions about classic records, up-and-coming bands and interviews with your favorite artists. 

Find the Metal Matters podcast at https://shows.acast.com/metal-matters/about 

5. Metal Up Your Podcast

The longest running and most comprehensive Metallica podcast on the planet. Over 120 episodes about all things ‘Tallica. 

Find Metal Up Your Podcast at metalupyourpodcast.com 

6. Full Metal Hipster

Full Metal Hipster offers up the best music and interviews from bands you're not cool enough to have heard of yet. If you dig black metal, doom metal, thrash metal, power metal, death metal, or any other variety of extreme music, this is the podcast for you. The crew haven’t published a new episode since early 2019, but there are over 160 episodes in the back catalogue to explore - kind of like discovering Rush’s back catalogue for the first time.

Find Full Metal Hipster at fullmetalhipster.com

7. The Metal Hammer Podcast

All the biggest news and hottest topics from the world of metal from editors of one of the longest running and biggest metal magazines on the planet, Metal Hammer. Hosted by Merlin Alderslade and Eleanor Goodman.

Listen to the Metal Hammer podcast at play.acast.com/s/the-metal-hammer-podcast 

8. AndrewHaug.com

Not a podcast, per se, but a 24x7 metal radio station that you can tune in to from anywhere. Hosted by one of the most influential names in Australia’s hard rock and heavy metal community, and bringing you not only interviews with the biggest names in the business, but your daily dose of classic and new metal tracks. 

Listen to AndrewHaug.com at, you guessed it, genius, andrewhaug.com

9. The Eddie Trunk Podcast

Eddie Trunk, the most well-known name in hard rock and metal music, brings his insight, commentary, reviews, discussion and in-depth interviews to the podcast world! Join Eddie and his famous friends in rock and entertainment every week for a rollicking good time.

Find the Eddie Trunk podcast at www.acast.com/eddietrunkpodcast

10. The Rockpit

Launching new episodes every month, The Rockpit Podcast is hosted by the team at The Rockpit and features all new music and discussions from the world of hard rock, metal and blues along with interviews and exclusive segments throughout the show. Recent interviews include names from both extremes of the metal spectrum, from Trixter’s PJ Farley to former Sepultura mainman, Max Cavalera!

Find The Rockpit Podcast at therockpit.net 

11. Metal Injection Livecast

The team at Metal Injection have delivered almost 600 episodes of their livecast so with that kind of longevity, you know they must be doing something right by their audience! Recent guests include Orianthi, Jordan Uhl and Axl Rose(nberg). 

Find Metal Injection’s podcast, and their comprehensive metal news site, at metalinjection.net 

12. Sons of Metal

The Sons of Metal Podcast is a twice-monthly heavy metal discussion podcast hosted by C. Hagen Radick and Doug Austin. Every month, the pair discuss six heavy metal albums consisting of newer releases, indie/minor label bands, and one classic album. Their different ages, backgrounds, and tastes make for some interesting takes on a wide variety of metal. Plus they have what is without a doubt, the coolest logo in all of the metal podcast world.

Find Sons of Metal at sonsofmetalpodcast.com

13. That One Time On Tour Podcast

Hosted by Christopher Swinney, former member of The Ataris, Brazil, Undermined and The Widow Jenkins, this podcast offers a trip down memory lane as Swinney reminisces and/or commiserates about what it is like to be a road warrior and live your dream. 

Find That One Time on Tour at jabberjawmedia.com/podcasts/that-one-time-on-tour

14. The Art of Touring Podcast

Art Of Touring is a Podcast hosted by Australian-based musician, Dave Sirianni (aka Siz Dog), and he talks with mostly rock and metal musicians about life on the road.

Find Art of Touring at anchor.fm/artoftouring 

15. The Classic Metal Show

With a tagline that reads ‘Hail and Kill! Fuck You, Pal! Handjob!’, you know you’re in for nothin’ but a good time with these guys. Since 1996, the Classic Metal Show has been causing chaos throughout the world on the strength of their no holds barred, uncensored look at pop culture, sex, politics, religion, movies, tv and music... yes, that glorious classic hard rock that peaked in the mid '80s!

Find the Classic Metal Show at www.cmspn.com/theclassicmetalshow

16. Talking Metal

900 episodes and counting. Hosted by Mark Strigl, Talking Metal is one of the longest running and prominent shows in the metal world. Recent interviews include Joey Vera, Phil Campbell, and the one and only, Mr. Rob Halford. Enough said.

Find Talking Metal at talkingrock.net/talking-metal/ 

17. Decibel Geek Podcast

Decibel Geek is a hard rock and heavy metal discussion podcast designed to entertain folks with what they suggest is resplendent taste in respectable music. The team is over 430 episodes and almost 10 years in, so maybe it’s time to be fashionably late to the party!

Find Decibel Geek at decibelgeek.com 

18. Shockwave Skullsessions

Skullsessions includes interviews and discussions with some of the most notorious and knowledgeable heavy metal musicians, journalists, authors, label owners, music execs and more. Whether it’s 70’s proto metal, NWOBHM, or thrash, hardcore and doom, they’ve gone you covered.

Find ShockwavesSkullsessions at shockwavesradio.com 

19. Requiem Metal Podcast

Put simply, a podcast about the heaviest of metal. The crew have just launched a thrash extravaganza series that takes you behind the curtain with Vio-lence, Whiplash and Blind Illusion, so you know these guys are going deep into the weeds.

Find Requiem Metal at requiemmetal.com 

20. Are You Morbid?

Three friends discussing metal with varying degrees of seriousness. They’ve not published any new material for a couple of years, but with episode titles like War Metal (No Not That Kind), Weird International Death Metal Debuts, and The Weed Man Cometh, you just know this is worth a spin!

Find Are You Morbid at areyoumorbidpodcast.podbean.com

21. Focus on Metal

And we conclude our list with the monster that is the Focus on Metal podcast, now 484 episodes young. For 10 years, the team have been bringing us weekly episodes on all things metal, so with unwavering persistence like that, you can’t not check this out.

Find Focus on Metal at focusonmetal.com 

22. No Fuckin’ Regrets

Okay, so we lied. While we said 21 podcasts, we would be remiss not to mention the podcast hosted by none other than Machine Head’s Rob Flynn, No Fuckin’ Regrets. Listen every week as Robb brings you backstage while he tours the world bringing you deeper inside the makings of a hard-living touring musician, interviewing friends in bands, his die-hard Machine Head fans (affectionately called “Head Cases”), as well as the wacky cast of his road crew.

Find NFR at gasdigitalnetwork.com/gdn-show-channels/no-fuckin-regrets

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23. I Wanna Talk

Oh what the hell, we've already broken the rules, so here's another one. I Wanna Talk, hosted by the legendary Twister Sister frontman, Dee Snider, who famously stood up to the PMRC at US Congress in the 80s. You know the man can talk.

Find I Wanna Talk at https://gasdigitalnetwork.com/gdn-show-channels/i-wanna-talk/

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What else are you listening to? Let us know in the comments below!

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