Riffology: Iconic Rock Albums - Uncover the details behind the most iconic albums ever recorded.

L7’s Bricks Are Heavy: Heavy Riffs, Feminist Fury, and a Legacy Built to Last

L7’s Bricks Are Heavy: Heavy Riffs, Feminist Fury, and a Legacy Built to Last

Neil Johnson 23 November 2025

In April 1992, as grunge and alternative rock were exploding into the mainstream, Los Angeles quartet L7...

Sixteen Stone – Bush’s Post‑Grunge Breakout Album

Sixteen Stone – Bush’s Post‑Grunge Breakout Album

Neil Johnson 10 November 2025

Released at the tail end of 1994, Sixteen Stone marked the explosive debut of the British rock band Bush and became...

The Making of Live Through This by Hole

Neil Johnson 27 October 2025

Live Through This by Hole: The Story Behind a Grunge Classic Some albums don’t just arrive they...

A deep dive into Doolittle by Pixies

A deep dive into Doolittle by Pixies

Neil Johnson 27 October 2025

Why Doolittle Matters When Doolittle landed in April 1989, it didn’t just arrive — it detonated. The...

Para Bellum by Testament – album review

Para Bellum by Testament – album review

Neil Johnson 13 October 2025

Testament’s fourteenth album, Para Bellum, is a wild, urgent and fearless blast of thrash metal that proves,...

Undertow: Tool’s Breakthrough Album Unveiled

Undertow: Tool’s Breakthrough Album Unveiled

Neil Johnson 5 October 2025

Released on April 6, 1993, Tool's debut album, Undertow, epitomizes alternative metal's evolution. With themes of struggle...

Troubled Paradise by Tuk Smith & The Restless Hearts – album review

Tuk Smith & The Restless Hearts - Troubled Paradise - Artwork

Troubled Paradise by Tuk Smith & The Restless Hearts – album review

Neil Johnson 30 September 2025

Monster Shop Score: 90/100 There’s a certain thrill when an record grabs you by the collar and...

A Deep Dive into A Perfect Circle’s Mer de Noms

Mer De Noms - A Perfect Circle Album Art

A Deep Dive into A Perfect Circle’s Mer de Noms

Neil Johnson 29 September 2025

A Perfect Circle’s debut album, Mer de Noms, arrived in May 2000 as a poised, meticulously arranged...

White Pony by Deftones: why it still matters

Deftones - White Pony - Original Album Cover

White Pony by Deftones: why it still matters

Neil Johnson 14 September 2025

Released on 20 June 2000 by Maverick Records, Deftones’ third album White Pony arrived at the height...

Podcast Episodes

Riffology: Iconic Rock Albums Podcast

Remember when payday meant choosing which CD or vinyl you were blowing it on? Standing in HMV doing the mental maths, convincing yourself two albums was basically essential. Riffology is Neil and Chris chasing that feeling again, one classic record at a time.

This is a show about the albums that raised us —
Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Motley Crue, Def Leppard,
Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Pink Floyd, Radiohead,
Skunk Anansie, Gojira, Soulfly and the rest.
If it’s 25+ years old, loud and iconic, we’re in.

Each episode is two Gen X mates diving into studio sessions, producer chaos and band drama plus the joy of taped-over cassettes, dodgy car stereos and sitting on the floor with a record sleeve.

We nerd out when we should: Albini vs Vig, room-miked vs close-miked,
Neve consoles, dynamic-range disasters and those “how did this get approved?” moments.

If you grew up when albums were events, this is your place. Some weeks it’s an old favourite; other weeks it’s something you abandoned in ’94. Either way, Riffology’s here to talk rubbish, tell stories and remind you why these records mattered.

When Tuning Your Guitar Became Revolutionary

Hosts: Neil & Chris
Duration: ~80 minutes
Release: 24 November 2025

Episode Description

Neil and Chris tackle L7’s breakthrough 1992 album Bricks Are Heavy, the record that proved you could be authentically punk, unapologetically feminist, and radio-friendly all at once. Between discussions of Butch Vig’s game-changing production advice (tune your guitars, every take, every string) and the band’s refusal to make gender their defining characteristic, the hosts explore how this LA quartet carved out their own space in the grunge landscape without ever quite belonging to Seattle.

What emerges is a portrait of an album that’s aged remarkably well, a record that’s both raw and accessible, spiky and melodic. From the MTV-saturated success of “Pretend We’re Dead” to the infamous Reading Festival tampon incident, L7 lived loud and left an indelible mark on anyone who heard them. The hosts compare the album’s production to Hole’s evolution, discuss why it sits perfectly between live-through-this rawness and celebrity-skin polish, and celebrate how Butch Vig captured lightning in a bottle at Sound City studios.

What You’ll Hear:

The Butch Vig production story: how insisting the band tune their guitars before every take transformed their sound without losing the energy
Why this album works as a “gateway” record into heavier music, particularly for female listeners in the early 90s
L7’s approach to feminism: leading by example rather than making it the conversation, and why that mattered
The band’s connections to Nirvana, the grunge scene, and how they fit into (and apart from) the Seattle sound
Chart performance versus cultural impact: why 300,000 US sales doesn’t tell the whole story
Track breakdowns of “Pretend We’re Dead,” “Shitlist,” “One More Thing,” and the album’s dynamic range

Featured Tracks & Analysis:

The hosts dive deep into standout tracks like “One More Thing,” which Chris identifies as a slower, melancholic highlight that showcases the band’s range beyond their faster punk assault. “Shitlist” gets special attention, not as a single but as the song everyone knows from Natural Born Killers, while “Pretend We’re Dead” is examined as the MTV breakthrough that almost didn’t happen. Throughout, Neil and Chris emphasize how Butch Vig’s production sits in that sweet spot: in-tune, heavy, with drums that sound massive thanks to Sound City’s rooms, but never overpolished or losing the band’s essential rawness.

Tangential Gold:

Extended meditation on Frank Turner, Dave Hause (not Dave House), and the folk-hardcore crossover that somehow connects to L7
The tomato puree incident: a terrifying Sainsbury’s encounter involving a large man in motorcycle gear
Amiga gaming memories, Quake sessions at 4am, and IRC chat networks as the soundtrack to teenage life
The Brian Adams and Joe Elliott vocal comparison debate that will anger both fanbases
Bottom-free crowd surfing, Reading Festival bannings, and why the Dillinger Escape Plan are never going back

Why This Matters:

Bricks Are Heavy represents a pivotal moment when punk attitude met professional production and created something that still sounds vital three decades later. The album proved you didn’t need to choose between authenticity and accessibility, between rage and melody. L7’s influence echoes through every female-fronted rock band that followed, not because they made gender the issue, but because they simply showed up, played hard, and refused to compromise.

Perfect for: Anyone who grew up on 90s alternative rock but missed L7 the first time around, fans of Hole and the Pixies looking for the missing link, and listeners who appreciate albums that reward volume while remaining listenable at any level. Also essential for anyone interested in how Butch Vig’s production philosophy shaped an entire era of rock music.