This Band Has To Negotiate With The Government To Play Metal?!

1. 

   @YodaMan-420

   September 18, 2026 at 6:18 am

   given how things are in america currently im surprised bands like this are even allowed to play in america.

2. 

   @ThrownIntoExile

   September 18, 2026 at 6:18 am

   Dude! Will we see you at any shows on the Arch Enemy, TBDM, Septic, Crypta TIE tour?!

3. 

   @GregorGregor-st9by

   September 18, 2026 at 6:18 am

   Hey John, I don't reach out often these days, but know that listening to your shows is always a pleasure. It's a bit of a shame that you and Metal Digest are a thing of the past now, but the music press is going through a crisis today, and it hurts to even think about analyzing the anatomy of that collapse. On the other hand, spending days and months listening to some of the Polish music podcasts tied to the magazines left in my local market… proves to me that (at least in my country) there’s nothing left to cry over.
   More on that in a moment, though. First, let me congratulate you on the interview. Greece should be proud to have such powerful exports as Septicflesh and Rotting Christ. Do you know what I’d give to see Septicflesh perform with a live orchestra in Bulgaria? A lot, but I can't. All that’s left for me is to wish them a great show and fire up my limited-edition Blu-ray of the Greek giants' symphonic concert. Septicflesh is also one of my favorite (if not the favorite) bands combining death metal with symphonic elements. I really value their dynamics, musical concepts, lyrics, compositional maturity, and harmonic proficiency.
   Septicflesh, much like Poland's Behemoth (two bands we both hold in immensely high regard, by the way), was a band that matured over time, evolving to the point where their most valuable works came in the second half of their careers. That connects Septic and Behe to an immeasurable degree… alongside a certain theatricality on stage and sheer ferocity.

   At the start of this post, I promised I’d return to the topic of the music press. So, returning enthusiastically, I can tell you that we currently have two major metal/rock magazines in Poland: TERAZ ROCK and NOISE MAGAZINE (until the end of 2025, the Polish edition of METAL HAMMER was also published here). The former can be found at any newsstand and is purely commercial, while the latter is available in select book-and-magazine shops and relies partly on patron support.
   THE LATTER recently released a 2.5+ hour podcast about the output of Cradle of Filth (nomen omen, another symphonic entity), where they supposedly set out to analyze the band's entire discography in detail. Two Noise journalists, along with one guest musician, demonstrated (and not just in this episode) horrendous gatekeeping and blatant mockery toward everything in metal post-2000 (some of the editors openly admit they completely fail to understand the phenomena of nu-metal, metalcore, or deathcore).
   So it was easy to predict that Cradle’s output would be meticulously covered up to the Midian era (which devoured over 90 minutes of the podcast) along with EPs like "From Cradle to Enslave" and "V Empire"…, while the rest of their discography (skipping other EPs like "Bitter Suites to Succubi" with all almost new material and live albums entirely) was brushed off in two dismissive segments. There, they mocked the band’s commercial success and claimed that it all sounded like—and I quote—"Harry Potter and the Chamber of Average Riffs Stolen from the First Three Albums."
   Zero substance, zero detailed analysis, but plenty of nostalgic trips back to high school memories. Seeing such blatant, deep methodological inconsistency and journalistic unprofessionalism, I substantively pointed out their lack of consistency in material selection, their superficiality, and total lack of proper journalistic craft.
   Furthermore, I dared to point out that their offhand assertion that Cradle's newer material is derivative garbage is simply untrue. After all, with the departure of Paul Allender (who imposed simpler, groove-heavy riffing on the band from 2002 to 2012) and the arrival of guitar duo Ashok (Marek Šmerda) and Richard Shaw, the songwriting style underwent a complete overhaul. Layered guitar harmonies in the vein of NWOBHM/Mercyful Fate emerged, along with advanced solos and counterpoints that simply didn't exist on the 2004–2012 albums. I am setting aside the obvious fact that Cradle (as a band) had defienietly weaker—though not hopeless—moments. I am also leaving out the controversies surrounding low pay within the band; I was focusing solely on the music, the musicianship, and the lyrics themselves.
   I also added that the entire discussion completely overlooked the massive amount of research Dani does when writing lyrics for certain Cradle albums. What's more, Filth's lyrics stand out for their archaic syntax and frequent, overt, deep references to Romantic poetry. They are unique enough to be cited in university lectures. They also ignored Dani’s vocal range and the fact that both his technique and Cradle’s overall style had a massive impact on emo culture, modern metalcore, and extreme vocals as a whole.
   None of this is a matter of personal taste—it's about the journalistic integrity that ought to be present in breakdowns like these. The editorial team brushed me off with a jokey Polish "olabogaXD" (means: "O! Mother of God!") and a comment saying they had no desire to read erudite treatises on a Sunday evening. In doing so, they capitulated and showed a total lack of respect—not just for me, but for their own listeners and readers.
   You, John, possess that respect, and that’s why I value you. Music magazines and journalists often forget that beyond personal preferences, there is an ethos to being a guide through the world of culture. Only that kind of cultural journalism truly makes sense. I'm glad that YOU don't forget it.

4. 

   @briankessler3501

   September 18, 2026 at 6:18 am

   Thank you Jon and Krimh. Great interview as one (of many) thing that sucks about living in fly over part of country, missing cool shows like these.

5. 

   @pyramidhead3109

   September 18, 2026 at 6:18 am

   Hoping for a new record next year. It's about time.

6. 

   @TheAnimaAnimal

   September 18, 2026 at 6:18 am

   Wonderful interview, and a wonderful show of commitment from the band to work for those historical places to play.

   Very excited for the show in Plovdiv!

7. 

   @DrunkenWerewolves

   September 18, 2026 at 6:18 am

   Man, I've never really thought of how much effort it takes behind the scenes. As in, I always understood how much skill and effort it takes to play the instruments on stage, but never really thought about all the paperwork and what you have to go through to perform.
   Thank you so much for inviting the drummer, I really appreciate his insight!

8. 

   @StoyanDyulgerov-o6u6h

   September 18, 2026 at 6:18 am

   Omg can't believe you brought up the show in Bulgaria, I'm seeing that in 2 days and can't wait!

9. 

   @ophidianmind333

   September 18, 2026 at 6:18 am

   This was an awesome interview. It was interesting to hear how the setup works when a band plays with an orchestra live.

10. 

    @varckk

    September 18, 2026 at 6:18 am

    So honored to have Septic Flesh play with an orchestra in my home city of Plovdiv 🥹

11. 

    @FoOtFoOt542

    September 18, 2026 at 6:18 am

    Excellent interview

12. 

    @Explosivelobster

    September 18, 2026 at 6:18 am

    Was so stoked to see an SF video! Fuck yeah man

13. 

    @Matt_Ds

    September 18, 2026 at 6:18 am

    My favorite band since 1998.
    Thank you, sir.

14. 

    @jeremysanders8766

    September 18, 2026 at 6:18 am

    Wish I had vacation time to take off for the Atlanta show. Definitely a stacked lineup🤘

15. 

    @AnimetalViking

    September 18, 2026 at 6:18 am

    Septicflesh are my favourite band of all time. I remember discovering them shortly before they dropped Codex Omega and was pissed that I missed their one and only show they ever played here in South Africa. They will probably never come here again since the metal scene in South Africa is small and practically non-existent now post-COVID, but I hope one day I get to see them live if I get to travel abroad someday.

16. 

    @ouuchyies

    September 18, 2026 at 6:18 am

    I'm still kicking myself that I can't go see em in Bulgaria on the 19th ;( but I already used my days off to see Judas Priest this Sept (plus I couldn't persuade my friends to do two trips in one month – they are losers). Super stoked for this interview!

17. 

    @brendanhoffmann8402

    September 18, 2026 at 6:18 am

    "Hey victim! Should I black your eyes again? Hey victim! You were the one who put the stick in my hand!"

18. 

    @BenjaminDurr-b5c

    September 18, 2026 at 6:18 am

    I absolutely love this band, I've been listening to them for a good chunk, and i hope i can see them in November!

    New SF album 2027 let's goooooo! 😀

19. 

    @Cr0wsMurd3r

    September 18, 2026 at 6:18 am

    Would love to go to Greece for a show at an ancient place with a full orchestra.

    Never even been to mainland Greece yet. 🤔

    Time to save money… just in case 😂🤘.

20. 

    @BrandonM.N

    September 18, 2026 at 6:18 am

    I adore this band! They are always so humble and kind. Always willing to sign merch and shoot the shit after shows. Hail SF!! Cool interview 🤘

21. 

    @WalkerGamble-m1m

    September 18, 2026 at 6:18 am

    Good interview, the screen/filter he was using was a little distracting, but otherwise great info

22. 

    @TheHeavyMetalOccultist

    September 18, 2026 at 6:18 am

    YES I'm going to that show next month in Raleigh, I am so fucking excited!

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