The Smashing Skull Sessions

Hosted by Letty Sharp & Produced by Richie Duhig
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Music Interviews
  • Updated Biweekly

The Smashing Skull Sessions is a podcast, interview and review website, set up to showcase and support the underground rock and metal scenes. Our goal is to promote artists and bands from right across the globe, giving them another voice and another forum in which to get their music out to a greater audience. The podcast is hosted by me, Letty Sharp, and I hope to offer my guests a different style of interview which is relaxed, unscripted and fun!, The show is entertaining, informative and well worth a listen! However, none of this is possible without the support of you music lovers. We are eternally grateful to every person who subscribes, shares, likes and listens to the shows and reads the reviews. To the bands, be sure to hit us up and let us help in promoting your art, whether through interview or review. Thanks to you all! The Smashing Skull Sessions - Always Supporting The Scene

  1. 2d ago

    Burner Interview with Harry (Vocals) and Nathan (Guitars)

    Since their live debut in early 2022, Burner have rapidly ascended in the UK underground scene. Their impressive performance history includes a full UK tour supporting Employed To Serve in Spring 2022, multiple headline tours across the UK and Ireland, and notable festival appearances at Bloodstock, ArcTanGent, 2000Trees, Mystic and Incineration. They also supported UK metal heavyweights Sylosis during their April 2024 UK & Ireland tour, along with slots supporting Deicide & Suffocation, underscoring the significant impact Burner has made within the heavy music community. The band's debut LP, 'It All Returns to Nothing', released in June 2023 via Church Road Records, receiving critical acclaim. The album was featured in Metal Hammer's "50 Best Albums of 2023" and "10 Best Death Metal Albums of 2023," and appeared on several other year-end lists, solidifying Burner's reputation for crafting crushing extreme music. On the 25th of September 2026 the band release, 'No One Is Coming To Save Us', their 11 track new album. I got to sit down with Harry (vocals) and Nathan (guitars) where they talked about playing with Earthone9 in Ireland, the recording process for their new album and going on tour with Worn Out and Beyond Extinction for their UK tour. Avalible on all streaming platforms. Check out Burner here: https://www.instagram.com/burnermetal/?hl=en Track Played, Sunrise, Parabellum (feat. Matthew K. Heafy)', ©️ all rights reserved Burner Edited by Richie Duhig of The Metal Cell Podcast. Like, subscribe and always support the scene. Horns up and stay safe 🤘🤘 The Smashing Skull Sessions: https://www.instagram.com/thesmashingskullsessions/

    Burner Interview with Harry (Vocals) and Nathan (Guitars)

  2. Sep 11

    EVERY HELL Interview with Will (Saxophone & Vocals) and Andrew (Bass & Vocals)

    Every Hell are a Brighton/Bristol-based five-piece blending crushing riffs, melodic urgency, and fearless experimentation into something entirely their own. Fronted by vocalist and saxophonist Will Gardner, with Toby Stewart (guitar/vocals), Andrew Gosden (bass/vocals), Mark Roberts (drums/production), and Jules Maas-Palmer (guitars and synth) the band’s sound draws from their shared history in acclaimed UK acts like Black Peaks, Broker, Memory of Elephants, and Skin Failure — but pushes even further into uncharted territory. Their debut EP Vertebrate (Oct 2024) was recorded live to tape, capturing the pure chemistry of a band playing with intent and instinct. The result is a raw, genre-defying storm — a collision of stoner metal, indie-punk, and art-rock, driven by distorted sax lines and emotionally charged vocals. I got to sit down with band members Will (Saxophone & Vocals) and Andrew (Bass & Vocals) where we talked about the recording of their EP, 'The Peoples Republic of Hell', how Will started playing the saxophone and what the music scene was like in Brighton. With great stories, chats and banter this is not one to be missed. Avalible on all streaming platforms. Check out EVERY HELL here: https://www.instagram.com/weareeveryhell/?hl=en Track Played, 'Ironclad', ©️ all rights reserved Every Hell Edited by Richie Duhig of The Metal Cell Podcast. Like, subscribe and always support the scene. Horns up and stay safe 🤘🤘 The Smashing Skull Sessions: https://www.instagram.com/thesmashingskullsessions/

    EVERY HELL Interview with Will (Saxophone & Vocals) and Andrew (Bass & Vocals)

  3. Aug 28

    Voivod Interview with Michel 'Away' Langevin (Drums)

    Very few bands survive for four decades. Even fewer are those that continue to reach new creative heights, long after legendary status has been achieved. Voïvod were never like other bands: even as the thrash metal scene exploded in the early ‘80s, the Jonquière, Québec crew stood apart, both as unique visionaries and as proud subverters of the metallic norm. From early prog-thrash classics like Killing Technology and Dimension Hatröss through to the psychedelic explorations of The Outer Limits, Voïvod have been standard bearers for individuality and creative freedom for nearly 44 years. By 2014, bassist Dominic “Rocky” Laroche had replaced Thériault, and a new incarnation of this indestructible band crossed their compositional beams to forge yet more mind-bending, psychedelic post-thrash wizardry. Released in 2018, The Wake was almost universally hailed as the finest Voïvod album since the band’s late ‘80s heyday. One of the band’s most successful albums yet, The Wake scored chart entries in Germany (#26), Switzerland (#51), Belgium (Wallonia) (#94) and the USA (New Artist: #8/Overall: #148): confirmation that the band’s return to peak form had struck a chord with fans old and new. Not surprisingly, Voïvod hit the road to reaffirm their status as one of metal’s most unique and powerful live acts. Now in 2026 with the release of 'Symphonique', working with the Orchestre Symphonique de Québec to produce an amazing live album. I got to sit down with drummer Michel, 'Away', Langevin where we talked about working with the orchestra for the album, working with Jason Newstead and touring with Midnight and Cryptosis across the UK and Ireland. With great stories, chats and banter this is not one to be missed. Avalible on all streaming platforms. Check out Voivod here: https://www.instagram.com/voivodofficial/?hl=en Edited by Richie Duhig of The Metal Cell Podcast. Like, subscribe and always support the scene. Horns up and stay safe 🤘🤘 The Smashing Skull Sessions: https://www.instagram.com/thesmashingskullsessions/

    Voivod Interview with Michel 'Away' Langevin (Drums)

  4. Aug 14

    Obeyer Interview with Carl (Vocals) and Jamie (Guitars)

    A band is only as strong as the bond between its members… An unbreakable brotherhood, shared personal history, and proven creative chemistry fortify the bond at the heart of OBEYER. Leveraging the strength of their union to maximum effect, the Northampton, UK quartet—Carl Brown [vocals], Jamie Steadman [guitar], David Bartlett [bass], and Lewis Niven [drums]—pummel with unmatched power, fusing bone-rattling metallic grooves with intricate, yet infectious musicality, subtle melody, piercing screams, and pure pit-ready intensity. This future-facing signature sound surges to life on their 2024 full-length debut, 'Chemical Well' [3DOT RECORDINGS], and more to come. “First and foremost, OBEYER is a collective of friends who like making music together,” says Carl. “We’ll always have our friendship. No matter what happens, nothing will stop us from hanging out and creating. We want to push this as far as we can.” The band cultivated their chemistry and friendship over two decades. The guys connected through the scene in the Midlands. Initially, they congregated under the name LAY SIEGE during 2010. Fan favorite releases followed, including Obolus EP [2012] and hopeisnowhere [2015]. They laid waste to stages and garnered acclaim from the likes of The Guardian and more. Even as the members started families and held down day jobs, they religiously adhered to a weekly jamming schedule, getting together every Sunday. “When we released our first album, there were no kids, but there are six kids between us today,” laughs Jamie. “There are mortgages and jobs too, but we never stopped talking and playing.” In early 2020, the musicians planned to make their second full-length LP. However, the pandemic derailed their designs. When the world opened up, the boys felt a shift as they wrote. They had traded six-string guitars for seven-string guitars, widened the palette, and expanded their vision. Simultaneously, they nodded to influences as diverse as Meshuggah, The Acacia Strain, The Mire and Deftones. They also opted to embrace a new moniker and become OBEYER. I got to sit down with Carl and Jamie before they played the 3Olympia in Dublin with Profiler and Periphery. We talked about the recording for their new EP, 'Pallor', how the tour with Peripherey and Profiler had been so far and pizza! With great stories, chats and banter this is not one to be missed. Avalible on all streaming platforms. Check out Obeyer here: https://www.instagram.com/obeyerband/?hl=en Track Played, 'Nothing Exists Beyond Me', ©️ all rights reserved Obeyer Edited by Richie Duhig of The Metal Cell Podcast. Like, subscribe and always support the scene. Horns up and stay safe 🤘🤘 The Smashing Skull Sessions: https://www.instagram.com/thesmashingskullsessions/

  5. Jul 31

    One Day In Pain Interview with Nicke Olsson (Drums)

    Swedish Death Metal force, One Day In Pain have announced the release of their fourth studio album, Devouring The Gods, set for release via Awakening Records on June 19th, 2026. Forged from the cold, uncompromising foundations of classic Scandinavian Death Metal and sharpened with a heavier, more technically ambitious edge, Devouring The Gods marks a significant step forward for the Stockholm-based band. The first single from the album, ‘Let It Bleed’, will be released on June 1st. Since emerging in 2020 as a studio project founded by drummer and songwriter Nicke Olsson, One Day In Pain have steadily evolved into a fully realised recording and touring outfit, earning attention for their relentless work ethic and dedication to releasing new material with almost machine-like consistency. What began with the independently driven debut Imperial Fires has now developed into a band operating with greater confidence, identity and purpose than ever before. Speaking about the new album, the band explain: “Musically on this album Nicke wanted to make a heavier and more massive album than before, with more technical elements. Drums and bass were recorded live at Studio Fluff in Västerås where we recorded everything in about five hours. Nicke and Andreas have played together for many years so they are very tight together. Nicke wanted the songs to be more open and that there would be more focus on the bass playing on this album. You will notice that. When we were going to do the guitar overdubs, it took a while. The album was finished and we had a hard time deciding who would mix it, but in the end we chose Jimmy Lundberg from Studio Catacombs in Stockholm. Jimmy plays guitar in Nicke’s other band Leprosy. We were very pleased with the result of this album, both song-wise and sound-wise. It feels like we have stepped up a little more and found what is the purpose of ODIP. Heavy, massive, bone-breaking music with a bit of Doom Death Metal spirit.” I got to sit down with Nicke where we talked about how the band started, the recording process for their new album, 'Devouring The Gods', and Death. With great stories, chats and banter this is not one to be missed. Avalible on all streaming platforms. Check out One Day In Pain here: https://www.instagram.com/onedayinpain/ Track Played, 'Let It Bleed', ©️ all rights reserved One Day In Pain Edited by Richie Duhig of The Metal Cell Podcast. Like, subscribe and always support the scene. Horns up and stay safe 🤘🤘 The Smashing Skull Sessions: https://www.instagram.com/thesmashingskullsessions/

  6. Jul 17

    Shane Embury Interview

    Driven by a relentless hunger for creating new and mind-blowing sounds, Shane Embury is the metal underground’s premiere prolific polymath. With a career stretching back to the mid-’80s, he is best known as bassist with UK grindcore legends Napalm Death: a band he joined way back in 1987. But over the last three decades, Shane has demonstrated an unwavering enthusiasm for exploring every possible musical avenue and pushing boundaries for the sheer, unadulterated joy of it. With multiple ongoing projects and many more planned for the future, he continues to live out the creative dreams that began in early childhood. "I was always into movies from a very early age, and I used to record the theme tunes off the television," he recalls. "My mates thought I was insane. They’d be chuffed with the Bee Gees and I’d be like, ‘Yeah, but listen to the theme from The Saint!’ They really thought I was a nutcase. But it all just evolved from there. I’ve always been chuffed with rock and metal, but I knew there was something more." As the longest standing member of Napalm Death, Shane has been relentlessly involved in the building of that band’s glorious legacy. Widely revered by fans of metal, punk, noise and many other genres, the band have been a remorseless touring machine, while also releasing a startling number of acclaimed albums along the way. As the band’s most prolific songwriter, Shane has been instrumental in sustaining Napalm Death’s unassailable reputation as one of heavy music’s most inventive and exciting bands. Meanwhile, Shane has forged his own artistic path via countless left-field and extreme projects, including the alt-metal experiments of the recently-resurrected Blood From The Soul, blistering deathgrind with Lock Up, warped hardcore punk with Venomous Concept, and bombastic classic metal with Absolute Power, amongst many others. An instinctive co-creator, Shane has made music with a vast array of cult heroes and maverick talents, ranging from jazz renegade John Zorn and Melvins’ Buzz Osborne to Megadeth’s Dirk Verbeuren and Faith No More’s Billy Gould. As Shane explains, working with other people has been a constant source of inspiration. I got to sit down with Shane where we talked about the recording for his solo album, 'Bridge To Resolution', video games and the bands visits to Ireland over the years. With great stories, chats and banter this is not one to be missed. Avalible on all streaming platforms. Check out Shane here: https://www.instagram.com/shanenapalm/?hl=en Track Played, 'Prayer Spasm', ©️ all rights reserved Shane Embury Edited by Richie Duhig of The Metal Cell Podcast. Like, subscribe and always support the scene. Horns up and stay safe 🤘🤘 The Smashing Skull Sessions: https://www.instagram.com/thesmashingskullsessions/

  7. Jul 3

    Hammok Interview with Ole Benjamin (Bass) and Tobias (Guitars and Vocals)

    Hammok is the trio of vocalist/guitarist Tobias Osland, drummer Ferdinand Aasheim, and bassist Ole Benjamin Thomassen. 'When Does This Place Become Our Scene' is driven by their idiosyncratic blend of pop production and the vivacious energy of hardcore. Throughout, experimental textures fully blossom, placing them on the vanguard of forward-thinking punk. It ranges from tongue-in-cheek ragers to tracks that blend caustic tones with their love for emo and indie. “Blast Off (Blast Off) Blast Off” is an album standout, and was the first skeleton key that Tobias Osland wrote by accident. It seemed to arrive out of nowhere, and within a few hours he had a complete demo, driven by a new approach to his guitar-playing — a lacerating lead part that sounds like computers sputtering to life. A strange, alien sound, you could be forgiven for mistaking it for a synth instead of a guitar. I got to sit down with members Ole Benjamin (bass) and Tobias (Guitars and Vocals) where we talked about the recording process for the bands new album, 'When Does This Place Become Our Scene', the filming for the bands music video, 'The Scene', and what the music scene is like in Norway. With great stories, chats and banter this is not one to be missed. Avalible on all streaming platforms. Check out Hammok here: https://www.instagram.com/hammokband/?hl=en Track Played, 'Blast Off', ©️ all rights reserved Hammok Edited by Richie Duhig of The Metal Cell Podcast. Like, subscribe and always support the scene. Horns up and stay safe 🤘🤘 The Smashing Skull Sessions: https://www.instagram.com/thesmashingskullsessions/

  8. Jun 17

    Chuck Billy (Testament) Interview

    NASHVILLE, TN — He screamed his way into metal history. Then cancer tried to silence him for good. Now, for the first time, Chuck Billy—the iconic frontman of Bay Area thrash legends Testament—tells the whole truth in his unflinching memoir, Holding My Breath: The Two Testaments of Chuck Billy, publishing November 10, 2026, from Permuted Press. This is not your typical rock memoir. Structured as two interlocking testaments, the book traces the full arc of a life lived at maximum volume—and then something louder than any riff: the fight to stay alive. The Old Testament plunges readers into the explosive birth of Bay Area thrash metal, the formation of Testament, the rivalries, the brotherhood, and the reckless, glorious chaos of becoming one of the genre's most powerful voices. The New Testament is something rarer and more raw—a frontman at 38, blindsided by a devastating cancer diagnosis, drawing on his Native American and Mexican-American heritage, spiritual healers, visions, and the fierce love of a metal community. At the center of that community: the legendary Thrash of the Titans benefit concert—one of the most galvanizing moments in heavy metal history—which rallied old rivals into brothers and helped ignite a genre revival while keeping Chuck Billy in the fight. Co-written with Dave Erickson, Holding My Breath delivers the unfiltered insider story of thrash metal's rise alongside a deeply human account of mortality, miraculous recovery, cultural identity, and chosen family. It is, equally, a gift to lifelong Testament fans and to anyone who has ever faced the unthinkable—and refused to let go. I got to sit down with Chuck Billy where we talked about the memoir, the recording for Testaments new album, 'Para Bellum', and so much more! With great stories, chats and banter this is not one to be missed. Avalible on all streaming platforms. Check out Chuck Billy here: https://www.instagram.com/growthnoise/ Track Played, 'Remember Me As Fire', ©️ all rights reserved Growth. Edited by Richie Duhig of The Metal Cell Podcast. Like, subscribe and always support the scene. Horns up and stay safe 🤘🤘 The Smashing Skull Sessions: https://www.instagram.com/thesmashingskullsessions/

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About

The Smashing Skull Sessions is a podcast, interview and review website, set up to showcase and support the underground rock and metal scenes. Our goal is to promote artists and bands from right across the globe, giving them another voice and another forum in which to get their music out to a greater audience. The podcast is hosted by me, Letty Sharp, and I hope to offer my guests a different style of interview which is relaxed, unscripted and fun!, The show is entertaining, informative and well worth a listen! However, none of this is possible without the support of you music lovers. We are eternally grateful to every person who subscribes, shares, likes and listens to the shows and reads the reviews. To the bands, be sure to hit us up and let us help in promoting your art, whether through interview or review. Thanks to you all! The Smashing Skull Sessions - Always Supporting The Scene

Information

  • Creator
    Hosted by Letty Sharp & Produced by Richie Duhig
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    132
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Richard Duhig
  • Show Website
    The Smashing Skull Sessions