The P.O.D. Kast

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!

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!

Truly one of the most heinous and terrible albums we've ever listened to for an episode, we go wildly deep on this monstrosity that Bryan thought was funny in 1996 and realizes today that it's not funny now and it definitely wasn't funny then, either. A lazy album full of hack rhymes and jokes with even lazier production and musicianship, neither of us enjoy it, but it does lead to a classic "P.O.D. Kast Moment" as we reckon with our 90s selves and how this kind of stuff reflected the straight white guy culture of the time. Plus, we read some interviews with lead singer Jimmy Pop, who is easily in the top 3 most detestable characters we've ever had to learn about. It's a fun one! We've got plenty more fun ones over on our Patreon, where $4/month gets you access to THREE bonuses every damn month at patreon.com/thepodkast. Last month, our pal Will Weldon joined us to discuss the Black Sabbath tribute album "Nativity in Black II", and it was a lot of fun, as it was surprisingly good and had one of the worst songs we've ever covered on it, so it's perfect for our show. You also get immediate access to our entire back catalogue of over 150 bonus episodes, access to our Discord, and more, so help support the show and enjoy some bonus content now!

For the first time in the show's history, there is no preamble, there is no nu-metal news, there is no lead-up into discussion of the album. No, this 1999 album is nu-metal's richest text, and we needed the full length of the episode to unpack it all. Tommy Lee, feeling unmoored creatively in Motley Crue and after the leak of his sex tape with wife Pamela Anderson, decides there is only one option: make a nu-metal album. And what a bizarre album it is. With songs attempting to capitalize on the newfound fame from the sex tape to songs actively deriding the release of said sex tape, songs about the police, songs about being a father, and two songs that are literally just Crystal Method songs by the guy from Crystal Method (for some reason), this album truly has it all. It's the pinnacle of the genre and maybe of this show. Speaking of pinnacles of the show, last month, we released a bonus episode with comedian and actor Tegan Verheul reviewing the "Music as a Weapon II" live album that many are saying is our best bonus episode ever. If you've been on the fence about supporting the show, now is the perfect time to jump in at patreon.com/thepodkast. $4/month gets you THREE bonus episodes every damn month, plus access to our entire back catalogue of over 150 episodes, access to our Discord, merch discounts, and more. Don't delay!

It's one of the most highly-anticipated episodes in POD Kast history, as Bryan finally gets a chance to delve into his long and complicated history with Insane Clown Posse, as we also review the long and complicated history they've had with themselves. John essentially only knew ICP as wrestlers, and so perhaps for the first time in the show's history, Bryan plays the role of teacher, revealing a lot about this band and what they've meant to his life. And what a backstory it is, filled with Bryan lore, a lot of confusion, and lots and lots of carnival noises. Plus, we discuss the news that Sick New World has been cancelled and do a capsule review of Linkin Park's new album, "From Zero". If you want a lot more reviews (capsule and otherwise), why not donate to the show at patreon.com/thepodkast, where $4/month gets you THREE bonus episodes every single month. Last month, our good pal Tony Boswell from Minion Death Cult joined us to discuss the chaotic soundtrack to the video game "ATV Offroad Fury 2", and we had a great time doing it. You also get access to our entire back catalogue of over 150 episodes, AND Patreon now offers gift subscriptions. Why not give a loved one the gift of nu-metal this holiday season?

We love covering a nu-metal-adjacent album, and perhaps no rapper was toeing that line more than DMX in 1998, as his debut album came out equal parts vicious and solemn, and we cover it all here. You know that John was scared by DMX (but still liked him) and Bryan was out of his hip-hop phase at the time but we find an awful lot to like here. DMX is both a very arresting character and rapper, and this album is as assured as a debut album gets. It's not often we get the unholy triumvirate of a Rolling Stone, Spin, and Vibe profile on an artist, but it means there's tons to discuss with the articles and it gets a little insane. We also take a look at the recently announced lineups for both the Sonic Temple and Sick New World festivals. If you want to hear us discuss even more interesting characters, head on over to patreon.com/thepodkast, where $4/month gets you access to THREE bonus episodes every single month. Last month, our good friend Howell Dawdy joined us to discuss the wildly strange debut Christian hip-hop/nu-metal album from D.C. Talk's TobyMac, an episode which covered some of the strangest lyrics we've ever encountered and it was a blast. With your donation you also get access to our entire bonus back catalogue, access to our Discord, merch discounts, and MORE! Check it out!

We finally get around to covering Mudvayne on a main (hey, that rhymes), and it catches Bryan by surprise, as he ends up liking the album a lot more than he figured he would. We both do, as it really hits the sweet spot of nu-metal while claiming to be "math metal" that's really not all that mathy. They also seem like sweet and smart guys, so really the antithesis of a nu-metal band from that perspective. Maybe it's because they always let the drummer talk. And good lord, that bass tone. It's everywhere you want it to be, all the time. We discuss whether or not they should have been bigger and how they really showed other masked and painted bands how to get along with Slipknot. If you want to hear us discuss a bunch of masked and painted bands, head on over to our Patreon at patreon.com/thepodkast, where $4/month gets you access to THREE bonus episodes every single month! Last month, our full-length bonus episode was a classic, Family Values Tour 98, and we had our good friend Michael Hale on to discuss it with us. We also have merch discounts, an exclusive Discord, and the POD Kast Lottery upcoming. Plus, if you donate enough to the show, you can tell us what to cover for an episode! Join now!

One of the most expensive albums in history–#9 to be exact–Korn's fifth album that reportedly cost $4m to make was a sign of the changing times in nu-metal, a sounding of the death rattle for the genre. And given how much money Korn spent on this record, the death rattle actually sounds really, really good. Impeccably produced and with way more good songs on it than we remember, this is one of the rare nu-metal albums that actually improves its standing with a re-listen in 2024, unencumbered by the eminent collapse of nu-metal that turned many fans off back in 2002. And of course, Korn says a lot of stupid stuff around the time of its release, as a full-length Kerrang! piece makes the huge mistake of allowing the 4 non-Jonathan Davis members of Korn equal interview time to Jonathan Davis, and we learn more than we should. It's also time for our annual appraisal of the Miss Rocklahoma pageant and we talk about Andrew W.K. for some reason. If you want to hear us talk about a lot more stuff for no reason, head on over to our Patreon and donate to help support your fine hosts of the POD Kast. It's our fifth anniversary! No better time to donate. For just $4/month at patreon.com/thepodkast, you'll get access to our entire back catalogue of bonuses (over 140!) plus THREE new bonus episodes every month. Last month, Bryn Nieboer from the great band Stay Inside joined us to discuss Sleep's "Holy Mountain", a stoner-metal classic, and we have lots of other fun stuff like the POD Kast Lotto, an exclusive Discord, and more! You can even tell us what to review for an episode! Check it out.

Aaron Lewis really, really likes fishing. While there's lots of interesting stuff to unpack with Staind's major label debut, from the probably made up story about Fred Durst discovering the band immediately after decrying their apparent Satanism to "Outside" breaking this thing to 2x platinum to the clear blueprint for "Break the Cycle" and what would ultimately become a very successful career, Aaron Lewis mostly really wants you to know that he loves fishing. He doesn't have to fish too hard for compliments from Bryan, who flirts with a Perfecto rating, and John wonders why he never really checked out this album in full despite loving "Mudshovel" at the time. In any case, it's a great album that both hints at Staind's future and makes us wish that they maybe stayed a little bit more in the past. If you want to revisit more of the past with us, head on over to patreon.com/thepodkast to support the show and get a slew of bonus content. For just $4, you'll get THREE bonus episodes every single month. Last month, Sam Burns joined us to revisit a truly B-tier band in Memento, as we reviewed their album "Beginnings". Your donation also gets you access to our entire back catalogue, which is nearly 150 episodes, plus you can donate to have us listen to songs and albums of your choosing. Don't sleep!

An album that was seminal for John and one he had tried to get on the show forever, we take a long look at N.E.R.D.'s debut album "In Search Of...", an album that is as horny as it is confusing. The Neptunes were on an insane run in this time period, and so stepping away from that to make a nu-metal-adjacent rap-rock album with a high school friend who was originally known as just a guy who danced at their shows was certainly a choice. And there's a lot of strange choices here, from choosing a Minneapolis rock/soul band called Spymob as their backing band (who Pharrell found by hearing a demo and immediately declared they were the best band in the world) to an appearance by a guy named "Lee Harvey" who never appears on any recorded thing again ever and no one knows who he is to the deeply, deeply, sleazy horniness of the lyrics, it's a wild ride and an album that couldn't have existed in any other time period. Plus, you know the Pharrell quotes are insane. It's a fun one. If you want some more fun ones, head on over to our Patreon, where $4/month gets you access to THREE bonus episodes every month. Last month, our pal Jesse Farrar from YKS and GoK joined us to dissect the infamous Korn South Park episode, which came out almost 30 years ago and is also a very wild ride that couldn't have existed in any other time period. We also have an exclusive Discord that's a lot of fun, merch discounts, and you can donate and have us listen to a song or album of your choosing. Check it out!

It took over 4 years, but we are finally reviewing System of a Down again on this program and doing what a lot of people did after hearing "Toxicity": looking backwards at this odd album that follows SOAD's usual formula of a few clear hits and a lot of strange, strange songs. Toxicity having the success it did was strange, but this album going double platinum is even stranger, as it introduced the world to System of a Down with a much more experimental style, blending a lot of world music influences and heavy riffs together with a lot of nonsensical–and some political–lyrics. We dig into all that here, as well as grappling with this album at the time, the dumb stuff Daron was already saying when it came out, and where it stands in System of a Down's (and nu-metal's) history. If you want more of our podcast's history, a reminder that we have a LOT of content behind a paywall (over 130 episodes!) and you can get it all RIGHT NOW by heading to patreon.com/thepodkast, where $4/month gets you access to our entire back catalogue PLUS three new bonus episodes every month. Last month, comedian Myles Anderson joined us to listen to his first-ever nu-metal album, Kim Dracula's "A Gradual Decline in Morale" which...is an insane first nu-metal album to listen to. You can also tell us what to review if there's something you're dying for us to cover, so head on over there and check it out!

It was always going to come down to this. A band that got absolutely massive off of their early single "Headstrong" and has since begun a long, downward spiral into being a band that plays 100-cap venues in towns you've never heard of and exclusively advertises tours on Truth Social, Trapt is here on the POD Kast for the first time. We go over the music, which seems inspired by Linkin Park's route to success without even a whiff of LP's heaviness or ingenuity and is heard mostly at minor league baseball games. We go over the band, which consists of a bunch of gated-community jocks who never seemed too smart to begin with and now their lead singer has to fend off defamatory accusations and picks fights with Kim Kardashian in Facebook comments. And above it all, John has to reckon with actually quite liking this band when he was a teenager. If you want to reckon with some more POD Kast content, why not support the show you listen to and love and be rewarded with 3 bonus episodes a month? Head on over to patreon.com/thepodkast, where $4/month gets you the aforementioned bonuses plus access to our entire back catalogue (over 125 episodes), merch discounts, access to our Discord, and more. Last month, Defector Media's main man David J. Roth joined us for a thorough investigation of "Godzilla: The Album", and it was a ton of fun. Check it out!

It's one of our longest episodes ever, but we simply had to do it, as there's too much here to process, even with a 2-hour running time. A complicated departure from their work in Slipknot, Corey Taylor and Jim Root set out to have their own thing that doesn't sound all that different from Slipknot and we still aren't quite sure why it happened. But they do try to explain it, from Corey and Clown not talking to each other for seven months to "Bother" launching them into Gold status to what really boils down to Corey's ultimate desire to unmask and be a famous guy. Plus, we get a little "Guys" snapshot as we find 2002 Blabbermouth comments sections that still exist and Chad Kroeger of Nickelback absolutely bodies Corey Taylor. Oh, and the album ends with a slam poem. Like I said...there's a lot to process. If you want to process even more of our show, head on over to patreon.com/thepodkast, where $4/month gets you THREE bonus episodes every month, AND you immediately get access to our entire back catalog, which now totals over 130 episodes. Last month, Z from the Nu-Metal Agenda joined us to discuss Godflesh's "Pure", and it was wonderful. We also have an exclusive Discord, merch discounts, and if you want, you can hit a donor tier that allows you to tell us what to do for an episode. It's cool. Check it out.

After being in SEVEN Polls, Soulfly finally get their day in the sun, and not a moment too soon as we dig into their weird and wonderful history, with Max desperately trying to duck Yoko Ono allegations about his wife's involvement with Sepultura. It's an album that meant a lot to Bryan and we go over in detail what the split from Sepultura meant in 1998 and what it continues to mean now, as both bands are still active and Max and his brother have reunited. It's a heavy album with a bunch of nu-metal guest spots that borrows a lot from late-era Sepultura, and we speculate just how much Max wanted the band to mirror his old one, from the name to the sound. We also read one of the more thorough interviews with a nu-metal lead singer we've ever read, get the full Sepultura break-up story from Max 20 years later, and read one of the most vicious quotes from a fellow band member we've ever read on the show. If you want some more vicious quotes from us, you can head on over to patreon.com/thepodkast, where $4/month gets you access to THREE bonus episodes every single month. Last month, Alex Goldman (Western Kabuki, Reply All) joined us to discuss Element Eighty's self-titled record, and it was a real blast. Plus, YOU can tell us what to cover for an episode. So head on over there and support your beloved boys!

It took exactly FIFTY episodes, but Linkin Park is back on the show and we are talking about their legendary, 16 million copy-selling, sophomore album "Meteora". It's an album that is the last effort of Linkin Park's that could be considered nu-metal and finds John and Bryan at two totally different places in their life upon its release: an album so big it's the first that 17 year-old John can remember buying on its release day, and an album by a band that 24 year-old Bryan was so checked out on he didn't even know it came out. John brings that "I skipped school for the only time ever to buy this and blast it in my parents' 2000 Chevy Venture" energy to the show, and for the second time in POD Kast history, tries to get Bryan to love Linkin Park. And once again, it almost works. We also get multiple Rolling Stone profiles, a SPIN cover story, and we learn an awful lot about how this band hated partying. It's probably why John loved them so much. A massive album whose cultural legacy is completely cemented and we get into all of it here. If you want even more of our show's legacy, head on over to patreon.com/thepodkast, where $4/month gets you access to THREE bonus episodes every single month. Last month, Bryan and John reviewed Ho99o9's debut album, "United States of Horror", and it was a doozy. You also get access to our entire back catalogue, access to our Discord, and you can also tell us what to cover for a bonus episode! Support the boys and you won't miss out on a single time we're talking Nu!