The LGBTQ+ heavy metal podcast welcomes Tom's friend (and former guest) Benjamin into the co-host chair for one week only, to discuss how George from Deafheaven and Johannes from Cult Of Luna helped provide the male role models they didn't see

#102 – In Hot Pursuit Of Vikings

Jun 6th, 2023 1h 2m

Hell Bent For Metal favourites Amon Amarth are back under discussion again, this time explaining why breakthrough song 'The Pursuit Of Vikings' makes them think about coming-out experiences, something gay men are surprisingly comfortable discus

#101 – Hellish Form: "They want trans and gay people to be dead"

May 30th, 2023 48m 14s

Hell Bent For Metal speculated in episode #99 that Hellish Form's new album Deathless may be heavily talking about LGBTQ+ – and, especially, trans – themes. And when HBFM asked Willow Ryan from the band about this, the confirmation naturally d

#100 – St. Peter Won't You Let Me In (Your Bum)

May 23rd, 2023 53m 40s

Hell Bent For Metal seldom needs much reason to see something metal as hella gay, actually, but even by those standards, singalong stoner anthem 'St Peter' by British band Black Spiders is an easy target.Tom and Matt manage to find multiple way

#99 – On The Road(burn) Again

May 9th, 2023 1h 7m

Hell Bent For Metal host Tom has been back to Roadburn to host another panel about queerness in heavy music, and reports back on how the festival's efforts to make themselves a welcoming, inclusive place have clearly, visibly paid off.The show'

#98 – Inter Arma's Randy Bumgardner

Mar 7th, 2023 54m 49s

The vast expanse and crushing weight of 'Stillness' by post-metal/everything band Inter Arma seems an unlikely Camp Classic, but Hell Bent For Metal have somehow found a way to see not one but two entirely separate ways in which that song speak

#97 – Carbon Based

Feb 21st, 2023 52m 27s

Hell Bent For Metal give 'Carbon Based Anatomy' by queer metal royalty Cynic the Camp Classic treatment, and explains why that song speaks to their queer sides. And no, it has nothing to do with the sexualities of the band members.This week's v

#96 – Split Bi Tongue

Feb 7th, 2023 52m 25s

Hell Bent For Metal returns from a health-imposed break, and begins by explaining what they've been up to in the interim, starting with a trip to see an unusual Clutch show in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.The Camp Classic this week is 'Split My Tongue'

#95 – Known To Sample The Occasional Rosé

Oct 20th, 2022 1h 5m

When two-thirds of Mountain Caller were on the Hell Bent For Metal, Tom described them as a majority queer band. Max Maxwell, the band's drummer, is on the show this week to explain why the "majority" bit of that statement wasn't precisely true

#94 – All In The Family Shall Perish

Sep 29th, 2022 1h 20m

The gayest straight man in metal, Abhi Ahluwahlia, returns to Hell Bent For Metal. Matt's unwell (get well soon), so the music journalist turned broadsheet journalist is back for a show heavily focused on two of his favourite things: nu metal a

#93 –The Jock And The Whale

Sep 22nd, 2022 1h

In a perhaps unlikely #yeshomo, HBFM this week explain how Ivan Moody of Five Finger Death Punch (and possibly Germany's football team, apparently) erroneously appeared on their gaydars. And no, this isn't some meta irony. They're quite serious

#92 – Breaking The Jaw

Sep 13th, 2022 1h 2m

Hell Bent For Metal never needs much persuasion to talk about things phallic, but even their interest may be stretched to breaking point this week, as 'Jawbreaker' by Judas Priest is analysed for all the euphemisms for something to do with memb

#91 – Let's Taake 'Bout Sex (Education)

Sep 8th, 2022 1h 11m

Hell Bent For Metal has been hinting at what they think about Sex Education, the LGBTQ+-friendly comedy drama smash hit, for months now. Now they dive deep into the show, and explain how their view on it has been affected by being metalheads.Th

#90 – Cack Panther

Sep 1st, 2022 1h 1m

Hell Bent For Metal digs into why 'Death To All But Metal' by hair metal parody troupe Steel Panther really isn't a helpful set of lyrics to the LGBTQ+ community within metal, whatever the intention behind it is.This week's Camp Classic comes f

#89 – Hell Bent For Riot Act 2: The LGBTQ+ Metalhead Guide To Eurovision

Aug 26th, 2022 3h 27m

Hell Bent For Metal joins forces for the second time with Riot Act, the alternative music podcast, as their host Steve Hill joins Tom and the returning Matt Rushton to present you with the LGBTQ+ metalhead guide to the Eurovision Song Contest.

#88 – Gods Of Grind(r)core

Aug 22nd, 2022 55m 49s

Hell Bent For Metal finally gets around to talking about Napalm Death, as the grindcore gods' song 'Suffer The Children' turns out to be super relatable to the LGBTQ+ metal fan, as Tom, Matt D and Charlie all confirm. Plus there's a full rundow

#87 – The Queer Metalhead Guide To Brookyn Nine-Nine

Aug 17th, 2022 1h 18m

Hell Bent For Metal takes a look at Brooklyn Nine-Nine, the US sitcom based in the 99th precinct of the New York Police Department, to analyse how the show handles queer representation and LGBTQ+ issues, and also discusses how being a metal fan

#86 – The Return Of The SeeYouSpaceCowboy

Jul 31st, 2022 1h 22m

Hell Bent For Metal is back after a break due to illness, and kicks it off by inviting Connie Sgarbossa from SeeYouSpaceCowboy to talk about being out in the scene, as well as breaking down stigmas about mental illness and addiction.This episod

#85 – Hell Bent For The Horizon

Jun 28th, 2022 58m 14s

Hell Bent For Metal chats about how Bring Me The Horizon's Oli Sykes and Mat Nicholls are doing a charity triathlon for Ukrainian LGBTQ+ charity Ukraine Pride. Which you can donate to here: https://justgiving.com/crowdfunding/ukraineprideKatato

Bonus

The Oslo Terrorist Attack

Jun 25th, 2022 11m 39s

Tom explains why the Oslo terrorist attack is so terrifying to the LGBTQ+ community, both in terms metal fans will understand, and in the wider context for anti-LGBTQ+ hate crime.

#84 – A Feminist Queercore View On Metal

Jun 21st, 2022 1h 14m

Hell Bent For Metal welcomes London feminist queercore band Shooting Daggers to the podcast, to talk about the contrasting natures of the metal and hardcore scenes when it comes to how welcoming they are to queer women.The Camp Classic this wee

#83 – Viking Horn

Jun 16th, 2022 1h 8m

Hell Bent For Metal, being a mature, serious podcast, reads the lyrics to 'Raise Your Horns' by Amon Amarth, and finds the phallic euphemisms are so close to the surface, they're basically poking through it. With Matt Rushton away, Tom is joine

#82 – Kickstart My Heartstopper

Jun 1st, 2022 1h 10m

Hell Bent For Metal talk through their (many, many) opinions on Heartstopper, the Netflix teenage same-sex romance hit that's proved a breakout hit. The hosts also explain why being metalheads has significantly affected the way they view the sh

#81 – Anathema's Perfect Gay Heartbreak Songs

May 24th, 2022 1h

Having put it off for weeks because of various unforeseen circumstances, Hell Bent For Metal finally explain why 'Untouchable Part 1' by goth metal legends-turned-life-affirming prog band Anathema is a particular type of gay heartbreak viewed

#80 – The Black Dahlia Murder's Accidental Ode To Queer Joy

May 17th, 2022 50m 11s

Hell Bent For Metal's Camp Classic this week is 'What A Horrible Night To Have A Curse' by The Black Dahlia Murder, and it's a case of a cishet band accidentally writing a song that can reflect an aspect of queer life perfectly – in this case,