Show Notes
Nova and Dorian follow heavy metal's family tree from Black Sabbath through thrash, hair metal, nu metal, black metal, sludge, power metal, metalcore, and the genre debates of 2026. Heavy metal started with a handful of bands. More than 50 years later, it has become a sprawling family tree of genres, subgenres, and scenes that sometimes barely sound related. Nova Starwick and Dorian Prescott trace that evolution from Black Sabbath and Tony Iommi's foundational sound through the New Wave of British Heavy Metal and the Sunset Strip before diving into thrash and the Big Four of Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax. From there, things get increasingly complicated. They explore how the Judgment Night soundtrack helped establish rap metal, how Korn, Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park took nu metal mainstream, and how the Norwegian black metal scene became infamous for events far beyond the music. The tour continues through sludge, power metal, grindcore, metalcore, mathcore and post-metal, with bands including Melvins, Crowbar, Helloween, Sabaton, Napalm Death, Converge, Killswitch Engage, The Dillinger Escape Plan and Neurosis. Finally, Nova and Dorian arrive in 2026, and Sleep Token, whose mix of metal, pop, R&B, and electronic influences has reignited one of heavy metal's oldest arguments: what actually counts as metal? From Black Sabbath to Sleep Token, this tour traces more than five decades of metal constantly breaking its own rules and growing new branches.
More from Rockers to Doctors
What happens when rock and roll history meets the supernatural? In this special pre-Halloween episode of Rockers to Doctors, Nova Starwick and Dorian Prescott each share a story from rock history's eerie side. Nova begins with Concrete Blonde singer Johnette Napolitano's strange experience at Austin's historic Driskill Hotel in 1991. While touring with Sting, Johnette reportedly encountered unexplained lights, a troublesome room key, and a mysterious presence she believed was flirting with her. The experience eventually inspired Concrete Blonde's 1992 alternative rock hit "Ghost of a Texas Ladies' Man." Dorian then investigates the legendary Led Zeppelin curse, exploring Jimmy Page's fascination with Aleister Crowley, the occult history of Boleskine House, and filmmaker Kenneth Anger's claim that he placed a curse on Page. He also examines the tragic events that helped fuel speculation about supernatural forces surrounding the band. From haunted hotel rooms to alleged occult curses, these stories have fascinated rock fans for decades. Do you believe something supernatural happened, or are these legends the product of coincidence and rock mythology? Featured artists and figures: Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Bonham, Concrete Blonde, Johnette Napolitano, Sting, Aleister Crowley, Kenneth Anger, Jesse Driskill, and Eddie and the Hot Rods. Featured song: Concrete Blonde, "Ghost of a Texas Ladies' Man," from Walking in London (1992). Visit https://rockerstodoctors.com for more episodes, rock news, and music history. Rockers to Doctors: Headbanging with a hypothesis.
From a converted ambulance to MTV superstardom, Nova and Dorian explore Poison's rise, Slash's audition, the making of their biggest hits, and their feud with Guns N' Roses. Before Poison became one of the biggest bands of the 1980s, they were struggling musicians from Pennsylvania trying to make it on the Sunset Strip. They had almost no money, no record deal, and eventually no lead guitarist. Then Slash walked into an audition. In Part 1 of this two-part Rockers to Doctors deep dive, Nova Starwick and Dorian Prescott explore the extraordinary rise of Poison, from Bret Michaels and Rikki Rockett's earliest bands through the commercial explosion of Look What the Cat Dragged In and Open Up and Say... Ahh! The story begins in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, where a band called Paris developed the image and stage show that would eventually become Poison. After moving to Los Angeles, the group faced brutal competition, miserable living conditions, and constant rejection from record labels. When original guitarist Matt Smith left, Poison auditioned several replacements, including Slash. The band ultimately chose C.C. DeVille, partly because of a song that would become one of its biggest hits, "Talk Dirty to Me." Nova and Dorian examine the disputed origins of that song, Poison's unusual early record deal, and how a $23,000 album recorded in just 12 days became a multiplatinum success. Then came Open Up and Say... Ahh!, producer Tom Werman, and a string of enormous hits, including "Nothin' But a Good Time," "Fallen Angel," and the number-one single "Every Rose Has Its Thorn." But commercial success brought plenty of enemies. The episode also explores Poison's rivalry with Guns N' Roses, including Axl Rose's criticism of the band, the lingering tension surrounding Slash's audition, and an ugly backstage incident that resulted in a lawsuit. Through it all, Poison remained enormously popular with fans while attracting hostility from critics and rival musicians. This is Part 1 of our two-part Poison story. Part 2 continues with the band's later career, internal conflicts, personal struggles, and the events that followed its early success. Visit https://rockerstodoctors.com for more episodes and rock news. Rockers to Doctors: Headbanging with a hypothesis.
Nova and Dorian dig into five September stories involving Skid Row, Ozzfest, Ozzy and Black Sabbath, Van Halen and Slipknot. Description This month, Rockers to Doctors is doing the news freestyle a little differently. Instead of trying to squeeze every September headline into one episode, Nova Starwick and Dorian Prescott went back through the month's coverage and chose five stories that gave them something worth digging into. First, Skid Row's worldwide singer search continues. After hundreds of submissions, the process has moved into rehearsals. Nova and Dorian discuss what the band actually needs from its next singer and whether taking so long risks losing the excitement the search initially generated. Then, Ozzfest is officially returning in 2027, with events planned for the UK and United States. Who should headline the American return? Should established bands dominate the bill, or should Ozzfest use its platform to introduce a new generation of metal bands? Next comes Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath: Back to the Beginning. Ozzy's farewell performance at Villa Park is heading to theaters, but the concert means something very different now. What was planned as Ozzy's final stage appearance became his actual final performance just 17 days before his death. The Van Halen feud also has another chapter. Sammy Hagar has responded to Alex Van Halen's criticism and questioned the way Alex is handling the band's legacy. Nova and Dorian debate the larger question behind the argument: do the David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar years both belong at the center of Van Halen's story? Finally, Slipknot spent September dropping clues before revealing a huge 2027 stadium tour. That announcement leads to another question facing many long-running bands: how many members can change before fans stop considering it the same band? Five stories became nearly an hour of conversation, debate and a few unexpected detours. What was your biggest rock story of September? What should have made our list?
From "Signs" and Five Man Acoustical Jam to a $5 million payout, addiction, the "No Yoko" clause, and a feud that still hasn't completely died. Tesla emerged from Sacramento at the height of hair metal. They appeared on MTV, toured arenas, and sold millions of records. But Tesla never really sounded or looked like the bands they were constantly grouped with. Nova Starwick and Dorian Prescott trace Tesla's story from Brian Wheat and teenage guitarist Frank Hannon through the arrival of Jeff Keith, Tommy Skeoch and Troy Luccketta. A three-month gig at a U.S. Army base in Guam helped forge the band, and a recommendation from Great White singer Jack Russell eventually put them in front of Geffen Records talent scout Tom Zutaut. After Mechanical Resonance and The Great Radio Controversy established Tesla nationally, an almost accidental acoustic experiment changed everything. With two nights off while opening for Mötley Crüe, Tesla decided to play an acoustic show. The resulting Five Man Acoustical Jam sold more than a million copies, while their cover of "Signs" became the biggest single of their career. Then grunge arrived. Despite Tesla's blues-rock roots, jeans-and-T-shirts image and lack of glam theatrics, the industry had already placed them in the hair metal category. When that genre fell out of favor, Tesla went with it. The story gets even stranger from there: a reported $5 million payout from Geffen, cocaine, alcohol, marriages affecting band business, and an actual "No Yoko" clause written into Tesla's contracts. Nova and Dorian also dig into the firing of Tommy Skeoch, the bitter feud with Brian Wheat, the band's 2000 reunion, and Tesla's surprisingly productive second act. In 2026, Tesla released the covers album Homage and returned to the road with Mötley Crüe and Extreme, with Jeff Keith, Frank Hannon, and Brian Wheat still carrying the band forward. Tesla survived success, addiction, grunge, a breakup, and decades of being put in the wrong musical box. Maybe being underestimated helped keep them going.
From thousands of Long Island bar gigs and Dee Snider's legendary Senate testimony to breakups, political battles and Sebastian Bach taking the microphone in 2026. Twisted Sister's history is considerably stranger than "We're Not Gonna Take It" and "I Wanna Rock." Nova Starwick and Dorian Prescott go back to 1972 and trace the band's journey from a New York-area glam cover band through a decade-long grind on the tri-state club circuit. By the time Twisted Sister finally landed a record deal, they had already played more than 2,000 shows. Along the way came an equipment truck destroyed by fire, extraordinary club stories, constant lineup changes, record-label rejection and the arrival of Dee Snider. Then Stay Hungry changed everything. "We're Not Gonna Take It" and "I Wanna Rock" turned Twisted Sister into MTV stars, but their success also put them directly in the path of the Parents Music Resource Center. In 1985, Dee Snider joined Frank Zappa and John Denver before the Senate Commerce Committee and delivered testimony that became one of rock's most famous confrontations with censorship. Nova and Dorian also explore the internal tensions that eventually destroyed the band, the disappointing Love Is for Suckers era, their reunion, the death of drummer A.J. Pero, and the seemingly endless battles over politicians adopting "We're Not Gonna Take It." Finally, the story reaches 2026. Dee Snider stepped away as Twisted Sister prepared for its 50th Anniversary return, and former Skid Row singer Sebastian Bach stepped in with Snider's blessing. On August 28, Bach played his first show fronting Twisted Sister in New Jersey. After more than five decades, Twisted Sister is still finding something to fight for.