With the LGBTQ+ community badly needing some good news, on their latest episode "#85 – Hell Bent For The Horizon", Hell Bent For Metal is very happy to be talking about how one of metal's biggest names are doing something grand for queer people who need it. Because Oli Sykes and Mat Nicholls from their fellow Brits Bring Me The Horizon are doing a charity triathlon for Ukrainian LGBTQ+ charity Ukraine Pride, a charity that supports LGBTQ+ community in Ukraine.
The thrust of the chat is why this is such a good thing to do, but also that it shows what Mat and Oli stand for when it comes to LGBTQ+ rights more than most gestures. Reasons include the vulnerability of the community they're supporting (both because of the war, and because of the way the regime seeking to occupy Ukraine treats queer people), the strenuous nature of a triathlon, the fact they're doing something practical to help not just speaking, and the profile of the band involved.
Plus naturally, there's the usual whirlwind run through the hosts' takes on the band's very varied musical output, and the different styles they've run through over the years.
Katatonia provide the Camp Classic this week, with "Liberation", taken from the 2009 album 'Night Is The New Day', the latest work of metal that spoke to the hosts as queers being explained. And while Matt has something he sees in it and Tom has something even more specific he's heard, it's Charlie whose interpretation is the one discussed in most depth.
Of the three separate queer interpretations, it's this, very specifically trans interpretation that is agreed on the most. As well as explaining this very trans interpretation, Charlie also talks about the very personal relationship he has with the song that is similarly queer-specific, and why this song is likely to stick with him for quite some time as a result.
This leads on to a discussion about a very common form of casual transphobia, and how the interpretation of "Liberation" is one that can counter it, while also being strongly empowering in its own right.
And naturally, there's plenty of gushing from Charlie and Tom about exactly why they think the Swedish gloomsters are so completely wonderful.
This week's visit to the Hate Crew Gaybar has three new releases the hosts are nuts about for the jukebox. First up, Charlie picks 'The Ruination Of Imperialism', the death metal split EP from thunderous Little Rock, Arkansas band Terminal Nation, and ferocious Japanese band Kruelty. Second, Matt goes for 'An Endless Static', the debut album by aircraft-carrier-heavy Sheffield, UK post-metal Gozer. Finally, and in news no one who heard the Roadburn episode of the show will be shocked about, Tom puts forward the self-titled debut album from Final Light, the collaboration between Johannes Persson from Swedish post-metallers Cult Of Luna, and James Kent, better known as synthwave revival star Perturbator.
Listen to Hell Bent For Metal on Spotify here, listen on iTunes here, or choose one of the other ways to listen here.
