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Riffology: Iconic Rock Albums

Uncover the details behind the most iconic albums ever recorded.

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The Impact of Napalm Death’s Harmony Corruption napalm_death-harmony_corruption
7 min read
  • Album Deep Dive

The Impact of Napalm Death’s Harmony Corruption

Neil Johnson 23 August 2024
Introduction Few albums have had the seismic impact of Napalm Death’s Harmony Corruption. Released on 1 July...
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Inside British Steel: Judas Priest’s Metal Revolution judas_priest-british_steel
12 min read
  • Album Deep Dive

Inside British Steel: Judas Priest’s Metal Revolution

Neil Johnson 22 August 2024
Judas Priest’s “British Steel” is a landmark album that reshaped the landscape of heavy metal. Released in...
Read More Read more about Inside British Steel: Judas Priest’s Metal Revolution
The Making of Mutter – Rammstein’s Defining Album rammstein-mutter
7 min read
  • Album Deep Dive

The Making of Mutter – Rammstein’s Defining Album

Neil Johnson 22 August 2024
Introduction Released on 2 April 2001, Rammstein’s Mutter stands as a monumental work in the industrial metal...
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Inside Dr. Feelgood: Mรถtley Crรผe’s Game-Changer motley_crue-dr._feelgood
8 min read
  • Album Deep Dive

Inside Dr. Feelgood: Mรถtley Crรผe’s Game-Changer

Neil Johnson 21 August 2024
Introduction In the late summer of 1989, the world of rock music was electrified by the release...
Read More Read more about Inside Dr. Feelgood: Mรถtley Crรผe’s Game-Changer
The Making of Persistence Of Time – Anthrax’s Thrash Evolution anthrax-persistence_of_time_(30th_anniversary_remaster)
18 min read
  • Album Deep Dive
  • Podcasts

The Making of Persistence Of Time – Anthrax’s Thrash Evolution

Neil Johnson 21 August 2024
Anthrax's Persistence Of Time, released on August 21, 1990, signifies a pivotal moment in thrash metal with...
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Lateralus: Tool’s Masterpiece of Progressive Metal tool-lateralus
7 min read
  • Album Deep Dive

Lateralus: Tool’s Masterpiece of Progressive Metal

Neil Johnson 20 August 2024
Introduction Tool’s “Lateralus” is a landmark in progressive metal, showcasing the band’s intricate musicianship and philosophical lyricism....
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Blizzard of Ozz: Ozzy’s Solo Revolution ozzy_osbourne-blizzard_of_ozz_(40th_anniversary_expanded_edition)
9 min read
  • Album Deep Dive

Blizzard of Ozz: Ozzy’s Solo Revolution

Neil Johnson 15 August 2024
Introduction In the realm of heavy metal, few albums have had as profound an impact as Blizzard...
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Brothers In Arms by Dire Straits: Behind the Classic dire_straits-brothers_in_arms_(remastered_1996)
14 min read
  • Album Deep Dive

Brothers In Arms by Dire Straits: Behind the Classic

Neil Johnson 14 August 2024
Introduction Few albums have left a mark on popular music quite like Brothers In Arms by Dire...
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Exploring the Creation of Def Leppard’s Hysteria def_leppard-hysteria
14 min read
  • Album Deep Dive

Exploring the Creation of Def Leppard’s Hysteria

Neil Johnson 14 August 2024
Released on 3 August 1987, "Hysteria" by Def Leppard is a landmark rock album that shaped the...
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Podcast Episodes

Riffology: Iconic Rock Albums Podcast
Riffology: Iconic Rock Albums Podcast

Welcome to Riffology, where a GenX and a Millennial talk about the albums from their youth. Itโ€™s more fun than it soundsโ€ฆ

RIFF068 – Hole – Live Through This
byRiffology

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Hole โ€” Live Through This (1994)

Noise made human: sharp guitars, cracked-glass vocals, and songs that refuse to sand down the splinters. In this episode we unpack how Live Through This became both a blistering rock record and a time capsule of messy, real-life urgency.

The big picture

  • Why this album still feels dangerous: melody with teeth, beauty with bite.
  • Olympia-to-LA-to-Marietta roots and attitudes โ€” riot grrrl tension meets major-label machinery.
  • Courtney Loveโ€™s performance as intent, not accident: keep the cracks in.

What we cover

  • Recording sprint: tracked in 23 days at Triclops Sound Studios (Marietta, GA), with a live-to-tape energy.
  • Vocals with scars: a dozen-plus passes per song, but the imperfections stay โ€” including the famous voice break in โ€œDoll Parts.โ€
  • Cobainโ€™s cameo: backing vocals on โ€œAsking for Itโ€ and โ€œSofter, Softest,โ€ and why that detail got louder after his death.
  • Cover art, on purpose: Ellen von Unwerthโ€™s prom-queen shot (model Leilani Bishop) โ€” conceived and driven by Love.
  • DGC vs Geffen: what the indie-adjacent major imprint meant in the 90s (think Nirvana, Sonic Youth, Weezer, Beck, Counting Crows).
  • โ€œRock Starโ€ vs โ€œOlympiaโ€: the notorious DAT swap that left the track list and the audio mismatched โ€” and how the band treated the actual โ€œRock Starโ€ live.
  • Kristen Pfaff: her locked-in bass feel on the record, the tragedy that followed its release, and the pause before the band returned.

Why it still matters

  • Precision without polish: performances that breathe and bruise.
  • Hooks under pressure: pop instincts framed by claustrophobic mix choices that reward volume.
  • Cultural afterlife: songs that kept turning up in film and TV, proof the edges cut through.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 โ€” Cold open & why this album still stings
  • 02:54 โ€” โ€œRock Starโ€ vs โ€œOlympiaโ€ โ€” the title/track mix-up
  • 05:20 โ€” DGC vs Geffen โ€” who was on the roster and why it mattered
  • 48:58 โ€” 23 days at Triclops Sound โ€” capturing the fast, live feel
  • 49:33 โ€” Dozen-take vocals & keeping the cracks
  • 49:53 โ€” Geffen wanted the โ€œDoll Partsโ€ voice break smoothed โ€” it stayed
  • 50:05 โ€” Cobain drops by: โ€œAsking for Itโ€ & โ€œSofter, Softestโ€
  • 50:36 โ€” Ellen von Unwerthโ€™s prom-queen cover (Leilani Bishop)
  • 53:41 โ€” โ€œRock Starโ€ listed, โ€œOlympiaโ€ on disc โ€” the DAT snafu
  • 54:33 โ€” Kristen Pfaff โ€” playing, loss, and the bandโ€™s pause

Turn it up โ€” this one rewards volume.

You can find us here:

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RIFF068 – Hole – Live Through This
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RIFF068 – Hole – Live Through This
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RIFF067 – Tool – Undertow
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RIFF066 – A Perfect Circle – Mer De Noms
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RIFF065 – Deftones – White Pony
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RIFF064 – Anthrax – Sound of White Noise
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RIFF063 – Anthrax – Persistence of Time
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RIFF062 – Soulfly – Soulfly
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RIFF061 – Sepultura – Beneath the Remains
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RIFF060 – Foo Fighters – Foo Fighters
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RIFF059 – Stereophonics – Performance and Cocktails
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