Classic Metal Class Sessions

Scott Tarulli and I discuss topics in classic metal in the depth they deserve!

Two years ago, my friend and fellow metalhead, Scott Tarulli and I started a new type of more-or-less-monthly online event, called “Classic Metal Class”. Each session, we pick a topic pertaining to heavy metal bands, music, history, or lifestyle, and engage in discussion about it with whoever shows up to participate. The matters we delve into range from eras of music history, technology and gear, lyrical themes, the sociology of the heavy metal movement, to philosophical fields such as metaphysics, ethics, aesthetics.

Scott and I both grew up with the classic heavy metal of the 1970s and 1980s, and carried on our engagement and enjoyment of that musical genre up to the present. He went on to master the guitar, make albums, lead bands and gig with some major artists, play as a session musician, and become a professor of guitar at Berkelee School of Music. And me, among other things I became a philosopher, a content producer, and a professor of philosophy. We bring our experience, knowledge, talent, and passion into each of the show sessions.

If you’d like to join us, we typically hold the sessions — schedules permitting — Noon Central Time, the third Saturday of each month. You can always check the ReasonIO Events calendar to see when the sessions have been scheduled, and what topics we are planning to tackle.

Classic Metal Class

We video-record each of the sessions, so if you’d like to see any of the previous ones, you can click on any of the links below

• Session 1 — Early Heavy Metal (1970–1974)
• Session 2 — The Black Sabbath — Deep Purple Nexus
• Session 3 — Metaphysical Identity of Bands in Changes
• Session 4 — Mimesis, Metal Music, and Tribute Bands
• Session 5 — Mid-Late 1970s Heavy Metal In The British Scene
• Session 6 — The Ethics of Post-Farewell Tours
• Session 7 — The New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM)
• Session 8 — American Metal in the 1970s
• Session 9 — The Sunset Strip and the L.A. Connection
• Session 10 — Heavy Metal In Germany in the 1970s to Mid-1980s
• Session 11 — What Makes “Best Albums” The Best?
• Session 12 — Classic Metal and Cover Songs
• Session 13 — Heavy Metal Video Pre-MTV
• Session 14 — Meta-Metal Songs and Metal Identity
• Session 15 — Metal Covers of Non-Metal Songs
• Session 16 — Judas Priest & KK’s Priest — Ethical Issues
• Session 17 — Spinal Tap to Steel Panther: Parody in Heavy Metal
• Session 18 — Heavy Metal Power Ballads
• Session 19 — Recent Albums By Classic Metal Bands
• Session 20 — Who Count As “Original” Band Members?
• Session 21 — Rebellion as a Theme in Heavy Metal
• Session 22 — What Do Bands Owe Fans: Setlists and Live Performances?
• Session 23 — What Makes Guitar Solos In Metal Songs Great?
• Session 24 — Interview With Cenydd Blackwell About The New Wave Of Heavy Metal
• Session 25 — Heavy Metal In Japan In the 1970s-1980s
• Session 26 — Reviews Of Recent Albums by NWOBHM Bands

I’m Greg Sadler, the Heavy Metal Philosopher. You can join me and my co-host Scott Tarulli each month for a new session of Classic Metal Class.

I’m also the president of ReasonIO, a speaker, writer, and a producer of highly popular YouTube videos on classic and contemporary philosophy. I teach at Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, and offer classes to the wider public in my Study With Sadler online academy. I also produce the Sadler’s Lectures podcast and co-host the Wisdom for Life radio show