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Riffology: Iconic Rock Albums

Uncover the details behind the most iconic albums ever recorded.

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The Making of Among the Living – Anthrax’s Iconic Album anthrax-among_the_living
13 min read
  • Album Deep Dive

The Making of Among the Living – Anthrax’s Iconic Album

Neil Johnson 13 August 2024
Released on March 16, 1987, Anthrax's "Among the Living" is a pivotal thrash metal album, cementing their...
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Ace Of Spades: The Album That Redefined Metal motรถrhead-ace_of_spades
9 min read
  • Album Deep Dive

Ace Of Spades: The Album That Redefined Metal

Neil Johnson 12 August 2024
Introduction In the annals of heavy metal history, few albums have left as indelible a mark as...
Read More Read more about Ace Of Spades: The Album That Redefined Metal
Iron Maiden’s The Number of the Beast: A Metal Landmark iron_maiden-the_number_of_the_beast_(2015_remaster)
14 min read
  • Album Deep Dive

Iron Maiden’s The Number of the Beast: A Metal Landmark

Neil Johnson 11 August 2024
Introduction In March 1982, Iron Maiden unleashed an album that would transform the face of heavy metal....
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Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness: Smashing Pumpkins’ Ambitious Masterpiece the_smashing_pumpkins-mellon_collie_and_the_infinite_sadness_(remastered)
14 min read
  • Album Deep Dive

Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness: Smashing Pumpkins’ Ambitious Masterpiece

Neil Johnson 11 August 2024
Introduction On a chilly October day in 1995, The Smashing Pumpkins released an album that would shape...
Read More Read more about Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness: Smashing Pumpkins’ Ambitious Masterpiece
Rust In Peace: Megadeth’s Defining Thrash Legacy megadeth-rust_in_peace
13 min read
  • Album Deep Dive

Rust In Peace: Megadeth’s Defining Thrash Legacy

Neil Johnson 11 August 2024
Introduction Every so often, an album emerges that reshapes the boundaries of its genre. In 1990, Rust...
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Reign In Blood: Slayer’s Game-Changing Album Explored slayer-reign_in_blood
14 min read
  • Album Deep Dive

Reign In Blood: Slayer’s Game-Changing Album Explored

Neil Johnson 11 August 2024
Introduction Every so often, an album comes along that doesnโ€™t just push boundaries but rips them apart....
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Master of Puppets: Unraveling Metallica’s Pivotal Album metallica-master_of_puppets_(remastered)
15 min read
  • Album Deep Dive

Master of Puppets: Unraveling Metallica’s Pivotal Album

Neil Johnson 10 August 2024
Released on March 3, 1986, Metallica's Master of Puppets is a seminal thrash metal album recognized for...
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Unveiling Megadeth’s Peace Sells: A Thrash Metal Revolution megadeth-peace_sells...but_who's_buying?_(expanded_edition_-_remastered)
8 min read
  • Album Deep Dive

Unveiling Megadeth’s Peace Sells: A Thrash Metal Revolution

Neil Johnson 10 August 2024
Megadeth's "Peace Sells...But Who's Buying?", released on September 25, 1986, is a landmark thrash metal album that...
Read More Read more about Unveiling Megadeth’s Peace Sells: A Thrash Metal Revolution
The Evolution of Slipknot: We Are Not Your Kind slipknot-we_are_not_your_kind
14 min read
  • Album Deep Dive

The Evolution of Slipknot: We Are Not Your Kind

Neil Johnson 9 August 2024
Introduction Few albums in the twenty-first century have shaken heavy music quite like Slipknotโ€™s “We Are Not...
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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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