Radioactive w/Mike Z

Radioactive w/Mike Z is a metal interview show with a working-radio feel. It is less about grand statements and more about getting musicians to talk through the useful stuff. A typical conversation starts with a record, a tour date, or a local show, then quickly lands on the choices behind the music. Guests explain songs that were rewritten, vocals that needed more focus, mixes that took too long, and set lists shaped around anniversaries or new material. The tone is relaxed. The questions are direct. The pace stays brisk, but the interviews leave enough room for guests to tell a story properly. Danny Case discusses From Ashes To New writing a stronger batch of songs after rejecting earlier material. Josh Middleton describes Sylosis songs as projects in different stages, then talks about mixing, drum sounds, and vocal growth. Vin Dombroski revisits Sponge’s Wax Ecstatic era, old radio connections, Fontana show plans, and a Terminator 2 cameo. Rich Nguyen’s episode centers on Breaking In A Sequence, a single-release show, and the surrounding local bill. Will Putney looks back at early industry work, calling radio stations, and pushing records by bands he actually liked. Zack Breen talks through The Hara’s name, visual ideas for “Psycho,” call-and-response vocals, and patience as a player. Heidi Shepherd connects Butcher Babies songs to therapy, divorce, gratitude, and the balance between melodic tracks and heavy ones. Recurring closers often circle back to Metallica, which gives the show a familiar ritual without making it feel scripted. The appeal is in the specificity: song titles, venues, riffs, vocal choices, club stories, and practical touring talk. It suits fans who like hearing musicians think out loud rather than recite polished promo lines. It also has a Southern California spine, with Riverside, Fontana, Anaheim, the Glass House, Stage Red, and the Whiskey sitting naturally in the conversation. The show feels like a knowledgeable fan with radio access keeping the room moving.