In this powerful and heartfelt episode of the Metal Maniacs Podcast, we sit down with a truly special guest and longtime friend of the show—Chantal Roeske, returning for the 4th time to talk all things Heart on Your Sleeve Fest 3 (HOYSF 3) and the continued evolution of her impact on the heavy music community.

Chantal is the founder of Heart on Your Sleeve Fest, the vocalist and guitarist of Tonguecutter, a multi-instrumentalist, photographer, and one of the most passionate scene advocates out there. This conversation goes far beyond a standard fest recap—we dig deep into community, growth, passion, leadership, and legacy.

What We Cover in This Episode:🔥 The Evolution of Heart on Your Sleeve FestWe talk about how HOYSF has grown and matured over the years—emotionally and logistically. Chantal opens up about lessons learned, the behind-the-scenes realities of running a fest, and how her definition of “success” has shifted beyond numbers and attendance.🎤 Leadership, Vision & Scene-BuildingWhat does it really take to run a festival from inside the scene? Chantal breaks down the invisible work fans never see, the responsibility that comes with curating spaces for artists, and how supporting bands goes far beyond just putting them on a bill.🔮 Looking ForwardWe close by looking ahead: the long-term vision for Heart on Your Sleeve Fest, what Chantal hopes people feel when they attend, and her thoughts on the future of heavy music communities.

As always, this episode is packed with honesty, insight, and love for the scene. Huge thanks to Chantal, the volunteers, bands, and fans who continue to make HOYSF something truly special.

👉 Follow, support, and stay connected with Chantal Roeske, Tonguecutter, -https://tonguecutter.com/

and Get tickets now- https://heartonyoursleevefest.com/ to Heart on Your Sleeve Fest.

👉 Like, subscribe, and share to help support the Metal Maniacs Podcast and the heavy music community.Metal lives. Community matters. 🤘

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On Episode 138 of The Metal Maniacs Podcast, hosts Jay Ingersoll and Modd welcome back returning guest Alex Eilers to talk about the upcoming Funeral Language record Thank You For The Dead Body, out January 20th, 2026.

This episode is a deep dive into a record that feels sharper, leaner, and more direct than anything Funeral Language has released before. Jay gives his honest first impressions of the album — a sound that’s fully honed in, familiar but unmistakably its own. More punk rock in spirit, zero fluff, and just 22 minutes of pure chaos, with nearly half the songs launching straight into vocals. We unpack how this approach is almost the opposite of what was discussed around the last record — and why that shift felt necessary.

Alex breaks down the songwriting mindset, the aggression, the grooves, and the intentional choices that shaped the album, plus the creation of the visual and content pieces surrounding the release.

Track-by-track discussion includes:

Imhumane (1:25)

Groove-heavy opener with added low vocals, a menacing feel, and the perfect ending touch with the Addison voicemail.

Deathwish Complex (2:45)

Catchy, chaotic energy with a Lowist feature, “come on come on” hooks, early punk-era Marilyn Manson vibes, and a killer sliding groove.

Bailey Ruban (3:03)

Layered vocals, call-out sections, discordant rhythms, Vision of Disorder–style singing, cymbal ring-outs, and ideas worth pushing even further.

A Rope 2 Ways (2:52)

Nonstop energy, extended screams, borderline Sam Kinison madness, vocal overload, and a hard-grooving warning section.

Dead Meat (3:10)

Immediate nonsense vocals, aggressive riffs, discordant slides, a nasty 2:08 groove, and perfectly timed vocal pullbacks.

Whiskey Foxtrot (3:06)

Descending hammer-on riffs, triplet grooves, Dillinger-style grindy chaos, cowbell and woodblock accents, and a bluesy punk rock ending.

Thank You For The Dead Body (2:44)

More cowbell, Every Time I Die energy, VOD-inspired vocals, and a crushing final riff with discordant guitar interplay.

Rain Check (3:13)

Grindy noise sections, descending melodies, ringing cymbals, and one of the most chaotic moments on the record.

We also talk about:

Why this record cuts straight to the point

Vocals-first songwriting and immediate impact

Punk influences vs metal roots

Creating visual and content pieces for the album

What’s next for Funeral Language

If you’re into hardcore, punk-infused metal, chaotic grooves, and honest creative evolution, this episode is a must-listen.

🔥 Funeral Language – Thank You For The Dead Body

📅 Out January 20th, 2026

Subscribe, rate, and share — and as always, support heavy music that takes risks. 🤘

Follow Funeral Language-https://funerallanguage.bandcamp.com/album/cirque

Follow Us-https://linktr.ee/metalmaniacsmi

Episode 134 – The Metal Maniacs Podcast w/ Jay Ingersoll & Modd

This week, we sit down with one of the most unique, prolific, and genuinely unstoppable forces in underground metal: Justin Lawnchair, the mastermind behind The Biscuit Merchant — Ann Arbor’s proggy, death-tinged, genre-melting metal project. With 26 full albums (each 45–55 minutes) in the works, recorded entirely by Justin, and no generative AI used at any stage, this project is a testament to pure determination, creativity, and DIY musicianship.

The Biscuit Merchant is all about “melting pot metal,” a blend of death metal, thrash, prog, folk, power metal, blues, groove, and whatever else Justin feels like throwing into the cauldron. Nothing is off the table. Nothing is predictable. And that’s what makes it magic.

We deep dive into the vision, the process, and the absolute madness of building a 26-album alphabetical saga known as Alpha — a project planned since 2009 and still evolving with every riff, rhythm, and solo.

🔥 What We Dig Into This Episode

🌋 The Inception of The Biscuit Merchant

How the idea started, Justin’s early influences (Maiden, BTBAM, Opeth, Devin Townsend), and how the “one-man band” concept turned into something massive.

🎸 The Live Lineup

Justin’s studio prowess meets a killer live lineup:

Justin Lawnchair – Guitar, Bass, Drums, Vocals

Anton Filyayev – Drums

Dan Hunter – Bass

Dhruv Talekar – Guitar

📀 A Walk Through the Releases

We talk about the evolution from Knucklewalker, Nature Rejoices, and Ongaku into the wildly creative arcs of:

Journey to Arrhythmia

When the Heart and Mind Collide

Unexplained Wounds

Momento Mori

Phobia

Visible Scars

Tempora (June 13, 2025)

We break down the tone changes, the leap in songwriting confidence, the wild genre swings, the heavier turns, and the massive solos that define each era.

🎼 Writing & Creative Process

How Justin builds riffs, arranges patterns, adds solos, chooses styles, switches genres mid-song, and approaches production with collaborators Spencer Maxfield (mixing) and Nelson T. Gast (mastering).

We dig into:

How songs start

How he decides when a part needs melody vs brutality

How folk, blues, prog, and death metal all coexist

Why every album has to stand on its own

🥁 Tone, Gear & Production

We get into guitars, tunings, cabs, bass tone, drum approaches, and how he builds such massive arrangements as one person. Justin breaks down the evolution of his sound — raw, polished, experimental, heavy, and always pushing forward.

🔥 Favorite Songs, Solos & Albums

We highlight some of the standout tracks across the discography — the folky moments, the techy riffs, the brutal sections, the solos that feel endless, and the songs that show the most growth.

🎤 Life in Metal & Justin’s Story

What got him into metal, especially extreme metal?

What keeps him going?

What does music give him that nothing else does?

🎶 Shows, Touring & Live Experiences

Recent shows, upcoming gigs, best experiences, worst disasters, and the wild moments that shaped the live version of The Biscuit Merchant.

➡️ What’s Next?

We talk about the future of the Alpha project, upcoming releases, live plans, creative goals, and the continued evolution of a project unlike anything else in the Michigan metal scene.

This episode is packed with riffs, stories, creativity, and pure independent metal energy from one of the most hardworking musicians we’ve ever had on the show.

#MetalManiacsPodcast #TheBiscuitMerchant #MichiganMetal #ProgressiveMetal #DeathMetal #OneManBand #JayIngersoll #Modd #IndependentMetal #AlphaProject #Tempora

Follow TBM-https://thebiscuitmerchant.bandcamp.com/

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