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AGITATORS ANONYMOUS the Alan Averill Podcast

Everyone's a critic, instagram ready stage shows and an AI occult metal band with merch!

·39 min·3 clips
A critic blames Alan Averill's guest vocals for sinking Winterfelleth's entire album in a review so absurd he shares it.
In episode 225 of Agitators Anonymous, host Alan Averill opens by addressing listener feedback about turning off YouTube comments for interviews, arguing it avoids distractions and online fights. He then delves into the main topic: dealing with criticism, reading a scathing review from The Whispering Darkness that humorously blames his guest vocals for ruining Winterfelleth's new album. Alan advises bands to own bad reviews with humor and avoid engaging in forum debates. The discussion shifts to modern metal trends, noting that headline festival slots now require elaborate stage shows, as seen with bands like Batushka, which create Instagram-ready experiences to drive online sharing and FOMO. Alan mentions how this contrasts with simpler setups like hardcore shows. He then introduces Hail Darkness, an AI-generated occult metal band with an album, merch, and fabricated member backstories, which has over 1,500 Spotify listeners. Alan reads from the band's Substack explanation, which frames it as an art project exploring AI's role in music and reality. He critiques the project, arguing that AI music creation differs from using plugins because it removes human performance, and questions whether listeners care about artificial origins. The episode touches on related themes like the popularity of bands with gaming aesthetics, such as Heilung, and declining vinyl sales. Alan concludes by promoting next week's interview with John Barba and reflecting on the rambling nature of the show, joking about AI potentially replacing him.

As heard by us

A grounded heavy-metal review of criticism, stagecraft, and the pressure to deliver an Instagram-ready show.

Heavy metal's fight to hold attention comes through here as a question of presentation: what happens when a band is expected to offer an Instagram-ready stage experience just to help get people into the room?

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Why you'd press play

Press play when you want heavy-metal realism, stage-show pressure, and a little controversy-for-promo suspicion.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →
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