Discover your next favorite band on this week’s episode as I’m joined by Patreon Mixtaper Chad Lamasa to shine a light on 10 underrated artists who deserve way more attention. We’re digging into the kind of bands you stumble across and immediately start telling friends about — the ones flying just under the mainstream radar but making music that resonates as much, if not more, than artists that are already household names.

Together, we discuss what makes these groups underrated, why they should already be on your radar, and how word of mouth still plays a huge role in discovering great new music.

If you’re searching for emerging artists and bandsbefore everyone else catches on, and don’t want to rely on a streaming algorithm, this episode is built for you.

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What's your goto post-black album Metallica track? Fans love to debate the band’s evolution, but one thing’s for sure: the post–Black Album era is packed with powerful, creative, and unfairly overlooked tunes.

In this week’s episode, Zack Derby of The Neatcast joins me to dig deep into Metallica’s modern catalog—everything from the Load era through today—to spotlight 10 tracks that prove the band never stopped pushing forward.

No covers. No live versions of old favorites. Just a curated set of original Metallica songs that highlight the riffs, grooves, songwriting, experimentation, and heavy energy that defined the band long after their classic thrash years.

If you've ever heard someone say “Metallica hasn’t had a good song since the thrash era,” this mix is here to challenge that myth—10 times over. Tune in and explore the evolution of Metallica beyond the Black Album, one track at a time.

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This week, I’m joined by Dryden Mitchell of Alien Ant Farm to trace the band’s journey: from the early $100 EP and Love Songs recordings—when tracks like “S.S. Recognize” and “Wishing” were still finding their final form—to the tongue-in-cheek Greatest Hits release that arrived before the band had even broken nationally.

From there, we dig into the era that launched the band worldwide: ANThology, which celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2026. Dryden reflects on the explosion of the band’s cover of “Smooth Criminal” (originally by Michael Jackson), the momentum behind songs like “Movies” & “Attitude,” and how hidden tracks like “Orange Appeal” managed to survive the jump from Cassette & CD era hidden-track Easter eggs to modern streaming.

Along the way we talk about what it was like working with Dean DeLeo and Robert DeLeo of Stone Temple Pilots on TruANT, and dig into some deeper catalog moments: from the cult-favorite 3rd Draft tour CD release that became Up In the Attic, to the band’s evolving approach to album titles, long gaps between releases, and how those breaks shaped later records like Always & Forever and Mantras.

And of course, we talk about what’s happening now: the upcoming ANThology anniversary vinyl release and the brand-new single “Reasons,” written by Rome Ramirez of Sublime with Rome—plus what fans can expect from the band’s next chapter.

If you’ve been spinning Alien Ant Farm since the early-2000s radio days—or you’re just discovering the band—this one goes deep into the catalog, the stories, and the moments that shaped the band over the last 30 years!

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🎵 Hear the Playlists / Browse the Catalog:⁠ https://myweeklymixtape.com⁠

💬 Join the Mixtaper Community (Patreon):⁠ https://patreon.com/myweeklymixtape⁠

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