Episodes

Ben and John return from hiatus to celebrate The Greatest Thing You've Never Heard's 100th episode and they've brought along a bevy of special guests and contributors.  The 100th episode consists of three sections woven together through the...

Ben and John close out the year with the show's 99th episode by talking to Atavismo drummer Sandri Pow (also Hibrido, Mondo Infiel, ex-Mind!, etc.) about the band's 2017 sophomore album Inerte and its place in the Spain's burgeoning heavy psychedelic scene. Pow also discusses feeling the pain that music brings, the influence of flamenco, and the importance of passion and chemistry among band members. The Greatest Thing You've Never Heard is a like a book club for your next favorite record. Eac...

In this episode, Ben and John delve deep into Spain's fertile psychedelic scene by exploring Andalusian band Atavismo and their sophomore outing, 2017's Inerte. Featuring members of Viaje a 800 and Mind!, Atavismo incorporate traditional Spanish and North African elements into heavy psych and prog to create a unique and diverse sound. The Greatest Thing You've Never Heard is a like a book club for your next favorite record. Each episode is an in-depth examination of a single album that's wort...

Ben and John interview west coast stoner rock band Snail about their 2009 sophomore and comeback album, Blood, and the 15+ years between the album and its self-titled predecessor. Along the way, the band recount the stories and experiences, including playing with Sleep and befriending Fu Manchu, that influenced their sound and style. The Greatest Thing You've Never Heard is a like a book club for your next favorite record. Each episode is an in-depth examination of a single album that's worthy...

Ben and John sit down with Solace founder and guitarist, Tommy Southard, to discuss the band's 2003 sophomore outing, the (literally and figuratively) doomed 13 (previously featured on the show, here ). With over four decades in heavy rock, Southard's played in genre defining bands in both hardcore and doom metal in addition to touring with the likes of Black Sabbath and Cathedral. Here, he discusses the patchwork recording process for 13 and how it led to the creation of the band's accidental ...

On this episode of The Greatest Thing You've Never Heard, Ben and John sit down with JJ Koczan of theobelisk.net for the third installment of the show's Guest Lecturer series wherein friends of the show will bring in albums with which neither host is familiar. The Obelisk is an absolute trove of album reviews, music news, and interviews covering everything under and adjacent to the big umbrella of stoner rock, doom metal and heavy psychedelia. Regular listeners will no doubt recall that Ben an...

John and Ben sit down with Mike Scalzi (guitar/vocals) and Adrian Maestas (bass) of long running true metal stalwarts, Slough Feg, for a wide ranging interview focusing on the band's 2009 album, Ape Uprising, but also touching on the band's formation and early years, playing on The Grateful Dead's Equipment and the proliferation of ape-accompanied trucker movies in the 70s. The Greatest Thing You've Never Heard is a like a book club for your next favorite record. Each episode is an in-depth exa...

John and Ben discuss the show's 50th(!!!!) record, Solace's 2003 doom/stoner/hardcore freight train of righteous heaviness, 13. Originally released on Meteor City, 13 breaks away from the monolithic nature of the band's debut album, Further, and presents a more eclectic and arguably more effective showcase for Solace's unique and powerful brand of heavy. Throughout, the group uses distortion and seething aggression to create a level of emotional resonance and catharsis seldom found in any of t...

On this episode of The Greatest Thing You've Never Heard, John and Ben tackle the show's 49th album: Slough Feg's 2009 shred-heavy opus, Ape Uprising! Released on Cruz Del Sur with vinyl from Iron Kodex, Ape Uprising! basks in traditional metal glory while never taking itself so seriously that forgets to entertain. By grounding itself with a mindset that's as much punk as it is metal, Ape Uprising! puts songwriting first and makes its fretboard wizardry all the more memorable as a result. The ...

On this episode of The Greatest Thing You'd Never Heard, Ben and John return to Beastmilk's 2013 album, Climax, interviewing vocalist Mat McNerney (aka Kvohst) and bassist Valtteri Arino about the band's formation and their experience recording with Converge's Kurt Ballou at GodCity Studios. The pair recount the unorthodox recording techniques used to get create Climax's unique atmosphere and McNerney expounds on his lyrical philosophy and desire to create emotional resonance by not shying away...

John and.Ben sit down with Grails guitarist Alex Hall to discuss the Portland band's 2003 album, The Burden of Hope. Hall divulges some of the band's unexpected influences such as Hungarian violinist Felix Lajko and explains Grails' experimental approach to songwriting on its early records. Though the band, and The Burden of Hope in particular, is often described as post rock, Hall explains that the group were more inspired by slowcore than by many of the acts to whom they were commonly compar...

Ben and John return to Serpent Thone's 2013 album, Brother Lucifer, to interview guitarist Don Argott about the album's themes, recording, and inspirations. Argott discusses the history of the band and the intersection of the band's music with his (and fellow guitarist Demian Fenton's) career as a documentary filmmaker as well as the importance of the album as a format and the joy of music discovery. The Greatest Thing You've Never Heard is a like a book club for your next favorite record. Eac...

Ben and John bring the instrumental summer to a close and return to lyrical records by covering Beastmilk's lone album, 2013's Climax. Steeped in the traditions of post punk with an edge of apocalyptic garage goth, the album proves to be perhaps the catchiest that the show has covered to date. Already sharing personnel with Hexvessel and Code, members of Beastmilk would continue the band's legacy with Grave Pleasures. The Greatest Thing You've Never Heard is a like a book club for your next fa...

Ben and John discuss the sixth and final album of the show's Instrumental Summer: Grails' 2003 debut, The Burden of Hope. Released on Neurot Records, The Burden of Hope showcases the Portland band's layered and experimental approach that would likely please fans of, but is significantly different from, post rock and post metal. The Greatest Thing You've Never Heard is a like a book club for your next favorite record. Each episode is an in-depth examination of a single album that's worthy of g...

Ben and John return from their bye week to continue the show's Instrumental Summer by discussing My Sleeping Karma's 2015 album, Moksha. Filled with Indian and eastern themes, the German group presents their best and most fully realized record to date with complex arrangements, varied instrumentation, and a meditative catchiness that belie's the album's compositional nature. The Greatest Thing You've Never Heard is a like a book club for your next favorite record. Each episode is an in-depth e...

Ben and John continue the show's instrumental summer by marveling at Serpent Throne's 2013 cinematic masterpiece, Brother Lucifer. Draped in guitar harmonies and loaded with an emotional poignency not often found in instrumental heavy rock, Brother Lucifer elevates the form and delivers the doom rush of happiness. The Greatest Thing You've Never Heard is a like a book club for your next favorite record. Each episode is an in-depth examination of a single album that's worthy of greater recognit...

The show's Instrumental Summer continues as Ben and John return to Triptonus' 2015, self-titled album by interviewing four members of the Viennese collective: Fabian (guitar), Clemens (guitar), Max (djembe, didjeridoo), and Vanya (wave drum, samples). The quartet discuss their writing process and diverse influences as they detail the unconventional studio in which they recorded the album. In addition, the band's new album, Soundless Voice, is available Friday, 07/30 at the Bandcamp link below. ...

As the show's Instrumental Summer continues, Ben and John return to Monobrow's 2014 album, Big Sky, Black Horse, by interviewing guitarist Paul Slater (ex-Sir Hedgehog) and bassist Sam Beydoun. The pair discuss the evolution of the band's instrumental sound and layered song craft as they bridge old school stoner rock, doom, and classic heavy metal. The Greatest Thing You've Never Heard is a like a book club for your next favorite record. Each episode is an in-depth examination of a single albu...

The Greatest Thing You've Never Heard's Instrumental Summer continues as Ben and John delve into Monobrow's 2014 riffsterpiece, Big Sky, Black Horse. Chock full of stonerrock goodness and dexterous playing, the album displays impressive heft as is its expertly crafted songs continually surprise with musical twists and turns. The Greatest Thing You've Never Heard is a like a book club for your next favorite record. Each episode is an in-depth examination of a single album that's worthy of great...

Ben and John continue their Instrumental Summer with the self-titled, 2015 sophomore effort from Viennese psychedelic metallers Triptonus. Reveling in diverse song structures and instrumentation, Triptonus defy classification while developing a style that is unique, engrossing, and thoroughly impressive. The Greatest Thing You've Never Heard is a like a book club for your next favorite record. Each episode is an in-depth examination of a single album that's worthy of greater recognition. Our ...

The Greatest Thing You've Never Heard is a like a book club for your next favorite record. Each episode is an in-depth examination of a single album that's worthy of greater recognition. Our co-hosts, Ben and John, spend a full episode discussing an album and then often use a follow-up episode to interview the band that recorded it. Ben and John kick off the show's Instrumental Summer by discussing the Karma to Burn's 2014 album, Arch Stanton. The band's 6th and ultimately final full-length a...

The Greatest Thing You've Never Heard is a like a book club for your next favorite record. Each episode is an in-depth examination of a single album that's worthy of greater recognition. Our co-hosts, Ben and John, spend a full episode discussing an album and then often use a follow-up episode to interview the band that recorded it. On this episode of The Greatest Thing You've Never Heard, John and Ben discuss Cop Shoot Cop's 4th and final album, 1994's Release. Coming out on a major label, R...

The Greatest Thing You've Never Heard is a like a book club for your next favorite record. Each episode is an in-depth examination of a single album that's worthy of greater recognition. Our co-hosts, Ben and John, spend a full episode discussing an album and then often use a follow-up episode to interview the band that recorded it. On this episode of The Greatest Thing You've Never Heard, Ben and John return to the 36th album covered by the show (the lone, 1971 self-titled album by Britsh pro...

The Greatest Thing You've Never Heard is a like a book club for your next favorite record. Each episode is an in depth examination of a single album that's worthy of greater recognition. Our co-hosts, Ben and John, spend a full episode discussing an album and then often use a follow-up episode to interview the band that recorded it. On this episode, Ben and John return to Sacri Monti's 2015 self-titled debut album to talk with guitarist/vocalist Brenden Dellar and drummer Thomas DiBenedetto. ...