We are joined by Damon Tate, guitarist and founder of the Michigan-based metalcore band Of Virtue. The band has been gaining significant attention recently, and with their new album "Omen" receiving positive recognition, Damon shares the major personal and professional strides he has taken. Each step has led to significant improvements, fueled by h…

Time for some Canadian Power Metal. Juno Award-winning heavy metal band Unleash The Archers returns with their sixth studio album, "Phantoma," continuing the momentum from their 2020 release. We recently had the pleasure of welcoming back the band's prolific frontwoman, Brittney Slayes, to the podcast to discuss the past four eventful years for thi…

Vocab for games, application documents & personal pronouns in the dative: mir, dir, ihm. Paul is bowling with his parents and talks about his career plans. His lie that he knew what job he wanted all along goes undetected. Tim writes that he doesn't have any news about Fritz either, but he believes lakes don't have real beaches. So Paul has to look…

Make a decision based on simple job descriptions & sum-up: all dative and accusative prepositions and their contractions. Paul discovers for himself that he wants to be an author. So today he plans to write 20 applications and tell his mother about it. But the chances to become an author are slim, because he doesn't have a degree in German Studies …

Understand an article in a tabloid newspaper & fusion of prepositions and articles: am, beim, im, vom, zum, zur, ins. Paul checks the Whatsapp group to learn about Fritz. He thinks Meili might find something on Fritz' Facebook. He reads on a news app about an accident at the Oktoberfest. A lot of police are needed there. Laura explains that that's …

Career planning, interest-based words & question word: welch-. Paul thinks about which job he wants and finds help in the job book he got from Anna. It was her present for Pauls birthday which she had angrily slammed on the table at the buffet in Berlin. He wants to do "something with writing, texts and words". He starts enthusiastically, but quick…

Talk about social problem areas and career choices, tip the waitress & subordinate clause with accusative (der Mann, den ich sehe). Paul is out with Laura when she tells him that Fritz always dreamed of owning a holiday home by the beach, maybe on the North Sea or Baltic Sea. Laura asks about Paul's job. Since he's jobless, he lies, saying he's a l…

Transience – the fleeting nature of existence, lasting only for a short time. For the German-based post-metal band Venues, this concept has profound meaning. Their latest album is a testament to their seamless transition into new chapters of their lives, both individually and collectively, a journey that is evident in their music. I had the pleasur…

Compare things, talk about the past & comparative and superlative. Paul sets up the date with Laura. Grandpa is still going on about former times. He starts talking about books that were banned in the GDR, former East Germany. That's when he remembers THE book. Paul lies again: he says the book is at home. He had lied to his mother about his job ch…

Nestled in central Massachusetts, the post-hardcore band Wind Walkers has carved out a niche in the scene with their blend of heavy, intricate guitar work, melodic hooks, and poignant lyrics. While these elements may echo those of other bands in the genre, Wind Walkers have managed to carve out their own identity since forming in 2017, quickly sett…

Over the span of a decade, time can seem interminable, especially for music acts attempting to resume their careers after a long hiatus. However, fan-favorite death metal band Job For A Cowboy has managed to make a seamless transition back into the spotlight. Joining us in this episode is bassist Nick Schendzielos, who discusses the band's decade-l…

Today, we are delighted to have frontwoman Britta Görtz from the German-based metal band Hiraes joining us. Britta, known for her work with other music acts like Chaos Rising and Critical Mess, founded Hiraes in the challenging year of 2020. Despite the difficulties, the chemistry she developed with her bandmates was immediate and profound. Followi…

“Cult Classic” has become a classic. The newest EP from LA-based duo Holy Wars showcases unique genre blending in the elements of hard rock and heavy metal, and they do it well. We welcome that duo, Kat Leon and Nick Perez on today's podcast to talk about this new album and what the future holds as they continue to trend upward on their musical jou…

Brooklyn's finest have never looked better. We are of course, talking about rising metalcore group VRSTY (pronounced Varsity). We are joined by the uniquely talented frontman Joey Tyler. Joey is a Puerto Rican singer raised on R&B, pop, and Spanish music, which makes it that much more impressive due to him taking the route to heavy metal. Equally i…

The amazing Sharon den Adel has made her long-awaited return, and not just on IUF, but with a brand new album from Within Temptation, titled “Bleed Out.” We last spoke with Sharon during the early days of the pandemic, and boy oh boy, times have changed since then. 3 years have gone by in a blink, and it's been a breath of fresh air getting the cha…

We recently welcomed back seasoned veteran guitarist Travis Miguel onto the podcast. It's been a couple of years traversing through the pandemic, and now with the world wide open again, Travis gets us caught up with everything he's been working on. Whether it's touring with metalcore giants Atreyu, or building the foundation with his side project, …

Explain economics and politics in very simple words & temporal prepositions: ab; von ... bis; zwischen. Everyone thinks that the sticker on Fritz's garage door opener is in the shape of a lake. Therefore, Paul looks for it on the internet. But he cannot find such a lake in all of Germany. He thinks there is little hope because Fritz is certainly ab…

Siblings, artists, and talented chemistry. Anastasia and Max Haunt have all the tools to put together one of the rising bands in the contemporary alt-pop scene. We were recently joined by this duo to talk about their short yet successful journey in the last 8 years. The Haunt, who have been receiving widespread critical acclaim from their 2021 EP, …

Welcome to Rose City. Metalcore music of the modern era has been on the rise, and at a breakneck pace too, thanks to Portland, Oregon-based group Dying Wish pushing the movement forward. We were recently joined by the viciously talented frontwoman Emma Boster to talk about her beginnings with the band that kicked off in 2018. Five years into the gi…

Taking the sound of death metal back to its roots; We are joined by drummer Morten Hansen from danish-based band Asinhell. Morten, alongside bandmates from other heavy metal acts, Michael Poulsen (Volbeat), and Marc Grewe (Morgoth), didn't take long for their chemistry to develop into a full-fledged three piece. We talk to Morten about his relation…

Black metal. But make it western. We welcome frontman Shane McCarthy from Colorado-based black metal outfit, Wayfarer. In this episode of IUF, Shane talks about the 11-plus-year journey for the band, leading up to their fifth studio album, titled “American Gothic.” Powerful riffing, bleak melodic sensibilities and visceral songwriting have cemented…

Deathcore will never die. We welcome back a seasoned frontman from one of the genre's finest, Scott Lewis of Carnifex. Now reaching 18 years of brutality, the San Diego-based outfit continues to raise the bar with their upcoming 9th album, “Necromanteum.” Scott sits with us today to talk about the band's journey and bringing that level of consisten…

Tell a story about the past, make conclusions & temporal prepositions: vor, nach, seit. Paul's mom feels guilty because he got fired and so she transferred € 500 to his account. He pretends to know what kind of job he wants and says he'll tell her next time. So he is spared from having to tell his friends that they have to pay themselves, even thou…

The French are coming. Lyon's post-metal outfit Resolve have returned with their highly-anticipated sophomore effort, “Human.” We talk to bassist Robin Mariat about the formation of the band and the years leading up to their debut album “Between Me And The Machine” in 2021. Not only was that album a solid effort, but it was a product of work that p…

“The Weight Of The Mask,” the newest album from post-hardcore outfit Svalbard, shows the evolution of not only the genre, but the band itself. Transcending over a decade through the sounds of heavy metal and blackgaze, and with a twist of melodic death, this UK-based quartet are now finally receiving the recognition they deserve. We are joined by t…

One of the more innovative progressive metal acts is back with their highly-anticipated 5th studio album, “War Of Being” from UK-based band Tesseract. We welcome back bassist Amos Williams onto IUF, and he talks about the writing process behind one of this year's top contending albums. While this record is aiming to be the band's best offering, Amo…

Emphasize the negative aspects of a person, make a friendly suggestion & Substituite forms for the imperative: Nicht so viel trinken! / Lass uns das nehmen! Paul writes his mother that he wants to borrow 500 € from her. He lies and says it’s for new clothes for a job interview - not for treating his friends to the Oktoberfest directly after a shopp…

When it comes to the theatrics, heavy metal lore, humor, medieval themes, and fantasy, German folk-metal giants Feuerschwanz deliver. We are joined by founder and frontman of the band, Hauptmann Feuerschwanz to talk about the band's 11th studio album “Fegefeuer.” Nearly 2 decades of insane battlecry-filled up-tempo tunes, and taking the biggest sta…

“A puzzle, a painting, a work of art in the making.” Frontman Lucas Woodland from Wales-based post metal outfit Holding Absence recently joined the IUF podcast. It's been an insanely good and well-deserved journey for Lucas in the last eight years. In today's podcast, he talks about the early days of the band while establishing themselves as one of…

Make suggestions and give commands & Imperative with Sie: kommen Sie / suggestion with wir: gehen wir. Paul is buying new clothes to be prepared in case he is invited to a job interview. He doesn't have a lot of money, so he doesn't want to buy much. But he gets too excited and ends up on a shopping frenzy. Meili is happy because her problems are g…

“My biggest competition is myself.” We welcome back seasoned musician Nicole Papastavrou from rising bi-coastal progressive metal outfit, Kallias. On the cusp of unleashing their first LP, Nicole sits with us today to talk about the hard-grinding journey leading up to “First Ascent.” From the signing with Jackson Guitars to her passion of being a r…

Evolution. If there's one word out there to describe deathcore mainstays Signs Of The Swarm, there you have it. We are joined by prolific drummer Bobby Crow to talk about one of the most creative deathcore albums in recent memory, titled “Amongst The Low & Empty.” In the last 10 years, the sound of deathcore has evolved, and while other notable act…

Welcome to season 16! Our returning guest today is established music producer and guitarist JF Dagenais from heavy metal titans Kataklysm. Now back with their 15th studio album, appropriately titled “Goliath,” JF talks about his experience on producing the band's work over the years and how the convenience of being at the helm of production provide…

Lots of bands can tell you horror stories about paying dues on their way to the top. But on the finale of our fifteenth season, the guys from Return to Dust tell a different kind of tale. By a string of fortunate events, combined with formidable talent and unmatched dedication, Return to Dust are ready to truly hit the ground running with their deb…

Ask for a favor, express uncertainty, evade questions & imperative with ihr: geht / seid. Paul's parents are in the dance club. They talk to their friend, the head of the university and ask him to help Meili. He says he might be able to help her. Meanwhile, Paul texts Laura: He writes he doesn't like Fritz either. But then he playfully bypasses her…

Welcome to the Age Of The Offended. We welcome back a veteran frontman from the Norwegian underground metal scene, Anders Odden from extreme metal act, Cadaver. We last spoke to him in the pandemic-ridden 2020. 35 years in on setting the foundation for underground music, Anders and Cadaver are back and refined the new album, “The Age Of The Offende…

Over the last couple of years, Tyler Harper of the Louisiana-based hardcore outfit Capra has become a good pal to us here at IUF. We absolutely relish every opportunity we get to sit down and chat with him. Besides being lucky enough to call ourselves friends of Tyler's, we are also undeniably huge fans of Capra's music. In this special episode wit…

Give commands and instructions & imperative with du: sei / iss / sag / antworte / öffne / fahr / geh. Paul writes Anna to ask her for some clothing store recommendations and learns about Meili's problems. Then he visits his parents for coffee and cake. Now they are very friendly to him because they have a guilty conscience: Paul has lost his job wh…

“It's always about the music, that's the whole point of being in a band.” We are joined by frontman Matthew Flood of Caskets. The metalcore quintet from Leeds, UK are back with their sophomore effort, “Reflections,” and have more than lived up to the hype. After dropping their debut record in 2021, Caskets have earned all the well-deserved recognit…

Bloodsuckers forever. Saint Agnes forever. Across the pond we go, and enter the new age of punk music, a passion unmatched from the quartet called Saint Agnes. We are joined by frontwoman Kitty Austen and guitarist Jon Tufnell in today's edition of IUF. Almost a decade into the frey of existence, Kitty and Jon talk about the early days of the band,…

We welcome one hell of a talented Swede from one of heavy metal's latest comebacks: Multi-instrumentalist Per Nilsson of Scar Symmetry. Nearly 10 years since the bands last album, Per takes a moment to look back on the groups early days that lead up to an unforeseen hiatus. Now back and better than ever, Scar Symmetry's newest epic, “The Singularit…

Joke about a singing performance, talk about TV and university & dative and prepositions: zu der Frau / zum Glück / von der Hose / vom Mann. Anna and Meili are watching a talent show. Anna needs to break it to Meili that she missed a deadline at the university. She obviously had no clue and is devastated. It means that she can no longer take course…

Rising New York City based singer-songwriter, and poet, Stella Rose Gahan is an exceptional talent, and one to keep an eye on going forward. Stella joins the IUF series as we dive into her upstart music career, filled with exciting storylines and a bright future. Mixing together sounds of folk, lo-fi rock, industrial, and indie elements, Stella has…

Analyze your social circle, express solutions for problems & dative and prepositions: mit dem Garagenöffner / nach dem Fußballspiel and n-declension in the dative. Anna and Tim aren't mad at Paul anymore. But Meili still is. And Fritz is gone. Paul has to get Meili to forgive him. Only then can he invite all of his friends to the Oktoberfest, resto…

Stoner rock outfit, Gozu, are back with their 5th full-length album “Remedy.” Like many, the pandemic was an obstacle they needed to overcome to have this record see the light of day, which also saw a lineup change during that time frame. Lead frontman and founder of the band, Marc Gaffney, is our guest today as he takes us through a journey that b…

In our 10th edition of Deep Cuts, we are proud to welcome DC-born, Mexico-based award winning author John Wray on the podcast. An author, a husband, and a metalhead. John is an example of each and every one of us in this ever-growing community. We get the chance to talk to him about his highly-anticipated 6th novel “Gone To The Wolves,” and the sto…

Symphonic power metal has a new face in the mix. Angus McSix has now entered the fray filled with all the immense storylines and fantasies alongside powerful music compositions. We are joined by the prolific guitarist Thalìa Bellazecca, to talk about the band's debut album, “Angus McSix And The Sword Of Power”. Thalia talks to us about her personal…

Frontman Knox Colby from Richmond-based metal outfit Enforced, joins us today to talk about their new album, “War Remains.” It's been 7 years into the band's existence, and they have finally found their signature sound with this highly-anticipated 3rd record. We talk to Knox about the band's early days in Virginia, and the opportunity of making a n…

Talk about football (soccer), make arrangements & dative and prepositions: aus der Ecke / bei dem Foul. Paul and Tim were at a football (soccer) game - Paul had invited him and paid for the tickets. As a thank you, Tim calls Fritz's landlord and pretends to be Fritz: He wants to get him to arrange for the garage door to be repaired, so that Paul ca…

There are bands few and far between who have gone through what Project 86 has seen over the years, and we had the chance to invite frontman Andrew Schwab on the podcast to talk all about it. Andrew dives into “Omni Part 1,” the newest creation from the OC-based metalcore outfit. Project 86 has dropped 11 albums in a near three decade span, and this…