A couple weeks ago I got the chance to talk with the band Heavy Halo. Their album, Damaged Dream, came out earlier in 2025 and has not left my rotation. I’ve been really intrigued by this band. Their mix of industrial/electronic music along with 90’s alternative is infectious and gets your blood pumping. Heavy Halo will be on tour next year with My Life With The Thrill Kill Cult. Definitely go check them out!
What a great year 2025 has been for music. So many great albums, tours, songs, you name it. And now the time has come for…
The 2025 Audioeclectica End Of The Year Lists begin with the list for Best Bassist. As always the stipulation for this is that an Album or EP had to be released in 2025.
Vote for your favorite in the comments section. At the end of the month, I will release the results of the readers poll.
This list is also in NO PARTICULAR ORDER!!!
01) Hunter Burgan- AFI 02) Matt Bellinger- Nine Necks 03) Jim Baglino- Deadguy 04) Sunny Faris- Blackwater Holylight 05) Sacha Dunable- Guiltless 06) Justin Forrest- SOM 07) Sydney Moore- The Anti Groupies 08) Jordan Olds- Blood Vulture 09) Kemble Walters- Chevelle 10) Zach Cooper- Coheed And Cambria
Hi! I’m very excited to bring you episode three of The Audioeclectica Interview Series. On this episode we are joined by Andy Knapp the new singer of Snot as well as the singer of the band Stronger Than Machines. This is Andy’s first interview since becoming the singer for Snot and I couldn’t be happier to present this to you all. Listen to the interview below and be sure to check out Snot and Stronger Than Machines!
I will be at the Snot show at the Glass House on December 5th! Hope You Are Too!
The Audioeclectica Interviews Episode 003: Andy Knapp (Snot/Stronger Than Machines):
AFI has long been a band that evolves a bit more with each album. For many albums now, AFI have been adding more and more goth elements to the music and on this new album (studio album number 12), Silver Bleed The Black Sun, they have just gone full on with it and the end result is absolutely splendid. This album leans all the way into the post-punk influences of bands like The Cure, Joy Division, Sisters Of Mercy, Bauhaus and more.
While the album is short in time with ten songs and clocking in at 35 minutes, there isn’t one ounce of filler or out of place anything on Silver Bleeds The Black Sun. What you have is one of their most cohesive albums since Burials (which is one hell of a great album). Each song evokes a certain mood and vibe making this a grand listening experience. From the way the album opens with the haunting “The Bird Of Prey” all the way through the very punk “NOONEUNDERGROUND,” it’s a non stop ride. The twists and turns found throughout make it chock full of ear candy and sweet surprises. There’s a really fun 80’s vibe throughout the album too that tinges on new wave without taking away the darkness. While the lyrics are of a contemplative and dark nature as they would be courtesy of Davey Havok, musically Jade Puget, Hunter Burgan and Adam Carson have pushed past any preconceived notions of what they’ve done before and brought a very invigorating sound that is vibrant and alive while at the same time eerie and full of bite.
I could have gone track by track but I truly believe that takes away from the listening experience. Instead, put this album on and let it just take you where it needs to go. A band like AFI is quite interesting in that they never want to stay in one place for too long and get complacent. One of the things I’ve genuinely loved about this band is their willingness to take chances and explore all that they enjoy. I’ve said to people many times over the years that AFI is one of those bands that you should give a chance to even if it isn’t your normal cup of tea. Silver Bleeds The Black Sun is one of the best albums of 2025.
Overall Rating: 9/10
Stand Out Tracks: Blasphemy & Excess, Spear Of Truth, A World Unmade, NOONEUNDERGROUND
I’ve spent the past week trying to put into words about how truly amazing and stunning the two nights of Nine Inch Nails were at The Forum. Those two nights were beyond magical and therapeutic for me as well as being the 20th and 21st times I’ve seen my all time favorite band. It’s astounding to me that songs written over 30 years ago can sound so fresh and invigorating. Almost to the point of taking on a whole new meaning. What Trent Reznor has been able to do with constantly being able to captivate an audience and make a show an entire experience is otherworldly.
The stage set up for this whole tour was something else too. Staring out on a small stage in the middle of the floor, Trent appears alone, at a piano, and begins playing the most absolutely beautiful stripped down version of “Right Where It Belongs.” This is one of those songs in the Nine Inch Nails catalog that will make tears start flowing and choke you up. Just when you thought it was over though, Trent pulls out my another stripped down song in “Somewhat Damaged.” Now this is my all time favorite Nine Inch Nails song and when I say this was emotional, I truly mean it. So much so that in the first 5 minutes of the show both nights, the tears were definitely filling up my eyes. From there another stripped down song in “Ruiner,” followed by the “Nothing Can Stop Me Now” remix of “Piggy” which can be found don the Further Down The Spiral remix album. I always love when Trent pulls out these versions live. It adds so much more of an extra dimension to the songs and live show.
At this point, the crowd was in the palm of Trent’s hands and then a full on onslaught of heaviness in the form of “Wish,” “March Of The Pigs,” “Reptile,” Heresy,” “Copy Of A” and “Gave Up.” It doesn’t matter how many times in my life I’ve heard those songs be it on album or live, I always seem to go apeshit. And at these 2 shows, oh did I. The way this part started with “Wish” and ended with “Gave Up” put it this way, if you still had a voice after these songs, you weren’t loud enough. By the end of “Reptile” on night one and by the end of “Wish” on night two, my voice was gone!
Then after that part of the set, Trent and Atticus moved back to the middle stage where they were joined by Boyz Noize for a set of songs that were remixed in a very awesome way. The highlight of this part was when they played “Vessel” from the very underrated and unsung masterpiece that is Year Zero. This had the crowd in a dancing frenzy. The crowd of course went nuts for “Closer” but the audience pop during the new song “As Alive As I Need You To Be” was something else. Closing out that portion was a really great remix version of “Came Back Haunted.” If you haven’t ever really given Hesitation Marks a listen, you should.
As the band headed back to the main stage after that awesome remix set, Trent and company unleashed more awesomeness with even more intensity as the band blasted “Mr. Self Destruct,” “Less Than, and “The Perfect Drug” into the stratosphere. Having Josh Freese back on the drums in Nine Inch Nails is like having him back home. Josh’s ferocious performance of “The Perfect Drug” is one of those that should be studied and watched a zillion times. It’s that good. Rounding out the set was the always fun “I’m Afraid Of American’s” which is quite the relevant song in the days we live in. As well as the staples of “The Hand That Feeds,” “Head Like A Hole,” and “Hurt.”
I’d be remiss if I didn’t talk about the production of the tour. The lights, visuals, performances, and energy of the whole thing was unlike anything I’ve been to all year. You could tell that this tour was meaningful in a myriad of different ways. Trent even said, he wasn’t going to do a tour unless it was something that was substantial. And oh boy was it. As I mentioned these were my 20th and 21st times seeing Nine Inch Nails and I can honestly say this tour is in my top five NIN shows of all time! Thank you Trent, Atticus, Robin, Josh and Alessandro for two nights of absolute gold! I can’t wait till the next time!
Overall Rating: A
Review and Photos By: Brian Lacy
Set List (Same For Both Nights): 01) Right Where It Belongs (with Somewhat Damaged) 02) Ruiner 03) Piggy (Nothing Can Stop Me Now Remix) 04) Wish 05) March Of The Pigs 06) Reptile 07) Heresy 08) Copy Of A 09) Gave Up 10) Vessel (Remix) 11) Closer (Remix) 12) As Alive As You Need Me To Be 13) Came Back Haunted (Remix) 14) Mr. Self Destruct 15) Less Than 16) The Perfect Drug 17) I’m Afraid Of Americans (David Bowie Cover) 18) The Hand That Feeds 19) Head Like A Hole 20) Hurt
Welcome to episode 10 of The Audioeclectica Podcast! It’s been quite fun to be doing this. Myself and Justin thank you all for taking the time to listen and laugh! On this episode, we get into some really fun topics including why every band needs a Lars Ulrich, annoying people at concerts, as well as a favorite topic of ours, Dave Mustaine of Megadeth!
Be sure to check out our Top 5 Albums Of The Episode:
Brian’s Picks: 01) Nine Necks- Ritual/Demise 02) Institute- Distort Yourself 03) Baroness- Stone 04) Interpol- Turn On The Bright Lights 05) Filth Is Eternal- Find Out
Part of the fun of doing Audioeclectica as well as putting together shows with The Cobalt Presents (aka The Cobalt Cafe), is finding a ton of younger bands to showcase their music. For the past few years I’ve been a part of putting together some pretty amazing shows featuring young bands. One band in particular that we’ve had the pleasure of working with has released their debut single from their upcoming debut album, and that band is called XCOMM. It’s really great to hear young kids that get and understand the music they are playing.
XCOMM is a hardcore punk band that evokes pure raw emotion into their songs and performance. Their upcoming album was produced by the legendary Ross Robinson. “Reasons” is the first single from their record and it’s a righteous slab of hardcore that harks back to the golden era of it in the 80’s. The video for “Reasons” was also directed by one of my favorite video directors/photographers, Dean Karr. XCOMM might be kids but, if they keep this going, they are going to grow up quick and become a force to be reckoned with. I’m looking forward to what’s to come!
Episode 8 of The Audioeclectica Podcast is here for your listening pleasure! The past 7 episodes have covered a lot of different topics and a slew of great bands to check out. We hope you are checking them out! On this episodes we thought it would be great to showcase the ladies and the bands they are in. Brian and Justin start back in the 1960’s and go through each decade till now, pointing out the most rockin females. This is definitely an episode to check out who we chat about especially the current bands!
So grab your favorite beverage, flip it on in the car, sit back and have some fun with Audioeclectica!
Our “In Rotation” Album Picks:
Brian: Nine Inch Nails- The Fragile Greg Puciato- Mirrorcell PJ Harvey- Dry Sex Pistols- Never Mind The Bollocks Bush- Razorblade Suitcase
Justin: Exodus- The Atrocity Exhibition…Exhibit A Down- NOLA Sugar Ray- Lemonade And Brownies Incubus- SCIENCE The Crown- Death Race King
Episode 7 of The Audioeclectica Podcast has arrived! On this episode Brian and Justin delve into cover songs, supergroups covering their old bands songs, the “Rock Schools” and the way they teach kids or lack there of and so much more! So take a few moments out of your day and click your favorite link below and enjoy!
It’s time for another fun episode of The Audioeclectica Podcast. We are now up to episode 6 and this one is all about the concerts we’ve been to since the start of the year. So far this year we’ve seen Snot, Kerry King, Helmet, Slomosa, Jerry Cantrell, Filter, Deftones, The Mars Volta, Danzig, Down, Abbath, Poison The Well, Glassjaw, Better Lovers, Meshuggah, Cannibal Corpse, Spiritbox, Obituary, Napalm Death, The Melvins, Six Feet Under and Nile. Take a listen as we recap the best parts of these show and the not so best parts!
Be sure to also check out the 10 bands/albums we mention. There’s always something good to listen to be it an older album or newer.
AUDIOECLECTICA 