On this episode, I chat to Yves Bradler, guitarist from up-and-coming traditional heavy metal band Amethyst. Amethyst made waves in 2023 with their excellent debut EP "Rock Knights". I chat to Yves about his early exposure to rock music from listening to his parents' record collections, starting to play guitar in his teens, feeling isolated at this time due to lack of likeminded friends, then meeting a new group of people in his 20s when he started attending metal festivals. We also discuss the upcoming Amethyst album, and upcoming festival appearances and gigs for this year. Amethyst are definitely one to watch.

On this episode, I join forces with my friend Melissa from the Metal Chat Podcast to delve into the discography of the original incarnation of Sortilège. We discuss how we discovered the band, rate them against their contemporaries, and examine each of the first three releases: Sortilège, Métamorphose, and Larmes de Héros, playing clips from some of our favourite songs along the way. An ideal introduction for the uninitiated.

This is the third and final part of my interview with DJ Neal Kay. Here, like in previous installments, we discuss many topics, including:

-Getting white labels from record companies (demos) -Suggestion about putting together a compilation of unsigned bands, which would become Metal For Muthas -His original vision for the album vs what was eventually released -His role/job in this -Which roles paid and which didn't -Being an on tour DJ with Iron Maiden -Star Trek convention -The Vietnam War -The Kennedy Assassination -Supporting Rush -Were Motörhead punk? -Do you believe in ghosts?

Buy Neal's book!

Contact Stjepan Juras at fanclub@maidencroatia.com

Clips featured in episode:

1. Iron Maiden - "Iron Maiden" - The Soundhouse Tapes (1979)