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The Barbarians Of California - MEGATONS - Album Review
The Barbarians of California just dropped a record that refuses to sit still. Megatons is heavy enough to flatten you, catchy enough to live in your head for days and accessible enough to win over people who don’t even think they like metal. Derek and John break down why this album feels less like a genre exercise and more like a fully formed world of its own.
What makes Megatons so compelling is the way it pulls from hardcore, groove and alt-metal but doesn't sound like a patchwork of influences. From the opener “Back to the Valley” to the bruising one-two punch of “Earthquake” and “I Am the Submarine,” the guys dig into the riffs, the production, and the swagger that makes every track hit. “Vanilla Latte” is a sharp little shot at corporate culture, “Bomb to a Knife Fight” lands so hard, “Modern Fashion” and “Shark Out Of Water” show just how much range the band actually has. They also get into the album’s more esoteric touches like the short segues and the little sonic details that make this record feel bigger than a straight-ahead metal/hardcore release.
In addition to the crushing riffs, Aaron Bruno’s vocals might be the secret weapon here: unhinged, melodic, fearless, and impossible to copy. The band’s genre-crossing appeal illustrates how Megatons reaches listeners across the metal spectrum without losing the Barbarians’ identity. Over the entire review John and Derek unpack how the band manages to sound crushing, funny, and joyful all at once.
If you want an album that feels serious without taking itself too seriously, this is essential listening. Megatons might already be one of the year’s most memorable heavy records - and after hearing this conversation, you’ll understand why The Barbarians Of California are your new favorite band too.
Key Takeaways
- The Barbarians Of California deliver a genre-bending masterpiece with their album Megatons, seamlessly blending hardcore, groove, and alt-metal.
- Tracks like 'Back to the Valley,' 'Earthquake,' and 'I Am the Submarine' showcase crushing riffs, impeccable production, and undeniable swagger.
- Aaron Bruno's vocals serve as the band's secret weapon, offering an unhinged, melodic, and fearless delivery that elevates every track.
- The album balances heavy, aggressive moments with sharp humor and joyful energy, proving that serious heavy music doesn't have to take itself too seriously.
- Esoteric touches, short segues, and unique sonic details give Megatons a massive, fully formed world of its own that easily transcends standard metal releases.
Born from the underground California hardcore scene of the 1990s, The Barbarians of California are a modern hardcore powerhouse that completely shattered expectations with their 2024 debut album, And Now I'm Just Gnashing My Teeth. But just when the scene thought they had peaked, the band dropped their sophomore album, Megatons, in August 2026—an explosive follow-up that lives up to its name by delivering a million tons of audio TNT straight to your eardrums.
While the lineup is stacked with AWOLNATION alumni, this project is far from an alt-rock extension—it is a brutal, thrashy return to the members' punk and metal roots. Spearheaded by veteran producer/engineer Eric Stenman and vocalist Aaron Bruno—who first worked together in the late '90s on Bruno's early hardcore band Insurgence—the band was formed when Bruno convinced Stenman to unlock a vault of heavy, unreleased riffs he had been secretly sitting on.
The result is a relentlessly energetic sound featuring frantic, unhinged vocals, pristine thrash guitar work, and a heavy rhythmic heartbeat. By fusing an '80s SoCal hardcore attitude with massive '90s metal grooves and their signature tongue-in-cheek humor, The Barbarians of California perfectly capture the angst of their teenage years with the precision of seasoned industry veterans, making them an essential feature for the Shit Talk Reviews rotation.
Current Band Members
Aaron Bruno: Vocals (also known for AWOLNATION and Under the Influence of Giants).
Eric Stenman: Guitar (longtime producer and engineer).
Zach Irons: Guitar (also of Irontom).
Linden Reed: Drums.
David Amezcua: Bass (also of Under the Influence of Giants)
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Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of music does The Barbarians Of California play on Megatons?
Megatons combines elements of hardcore punk, groove metal, and alternative metal into a cohesive, genre-crossing sound that appeals to a wide variety of heavy music fans.
Who is the vocalist for The Barbarians Of California?
The band features vocals by Aaron Bruno, whose fearless, melodic, and unhinged style acts as a major standout on the Megatons album.
What are some of the standout tracks on The Barbarians Of California Megatons album?
Key tracks highlighted in the review include 'Back to the Valley,' 'Earthquake,' 'I Am the Submarine,' 'Vanilla Latte,' and 'Bomb to a Knife Fight.'
So, the Barbarians gave us Megatons on August 21st uh of this year. We're a little late to the party, but who gives a [ __ ] We're here now, and it's the Barbarians. Let's talk about it.
21 seconds
away.25 seconds
It's34 seconds
[music]35 seconds
really bad. Really, really bad.40 seconds
[music]46 seconds
Yeah.49 seconds
Operator operator. Got you [music] by some of fire behind.1 minute, 2 seconds
[music]1 minute, 5 seconds
The skipper is watching all my men.1 minute, 10 seconds
[music]1 minute, 11 seconds
He looks like an angel broken.1 minute, 25 seconds
[music]1 minute, 26 seconds
Yeah. So, megat tons is a megat ton of cinder blocks square to the teeth, knock your teeth in, make you eat them um in1 minute, 35 seconds
the best way possible. I I absolutely think that um you know, it's funny. I've seen the term West Coast hardcore, you1 minute, 43 seconds
know, to describe it and I'm like, nah, not really. I would say that Megatons is an album that stands on its own. It is1 minute, 51 seconds
incredibly uh unique and I'm sure we will talk about why here in the uh next 20 minutes. Every track on it is a banger. It's just such a strong record.2 minutes, 2 seconds
The first album and now I'm just nashing my teeth. It was only two years ago. I would have loved this record two months2 minutes, 10 seconds
after the first record came out. I love the first one. I love this one. These guys have just found a formula that works. Maybe not for everybody, but2 minutes, 20 seconds
certainly for me and I everyone I I have played Barbarians for may not have become a super fan, but has agreed that2 minutes, 28 seconds
it is just strong material. It's just good. It's fun. It's heavy. I would go out on a limb and say I think this2 minutes, 35 seconds
record maybe it's in the production style is is a little heavier than the first one. It's a badass record, but so full of fun and snark. It's it's a2 minutes, 44 seconds
perfect record. Well, I wanted to say this right up front. The I think there's a commonality here that Eric Stenman,2 minutes, 51 seconds
the rest of the guys in the band are, you know, their roots are in hardcore.2 minutes, 55 seconds
You know, Strife, they mentioned several times. Um, but they didn't write just a hardcore record because I think that3 minutes, 2 seconds
when you listen to Megatons, the kids who like the deaf tones can find commonality with this, right? the the3 minutes, 9 seconds
kids who like Rage Against the Machine can find commonality with this. The kids who like Max Cavalera's old sepura stuff3 minutes, 18 seconds
and the Soulfly and the Cavalera Conspiracy stuff can find a commonality with this. And even some of the really3 minutes, 25 seconds
heavy riffs that are in here. Even the death metal kids are probably going to kind of nash their teeth on it, you3 minutes, 32 seconds
know, and kind of bob their head. I think it sits across all genres of metal. And when we talked to Aaron, we talked about, you know, is this gnarly3 minutes, 41 seconds
core. Um, yeah, it's a core that works across all the cores in metal.3 minutes, 46 seconds
It really does have a little something for everyone, and there isn't a song that you can't bang your head or at3 minutes, 53 seconds
least bob your head to by design or just because it happened that way. It just works. Every track on here works. I love4 minutes
the little electronic break. Uh, I love that they they they threw their Metallica Black Moment song on here with4 minutes, 8 seconds
Shark Out of Water. They're all cool songs. Shark Out of Water stands on its own as a cool cool track. Zach's guitar4 minutes, 17 seconds
work in it is really nice. It's really pretty. It feels classic, like the classic metal acoustic work, but very4 minutes, 24 seconds
very modern. It's a It's different enough. It's got its own flavor to it which works perfectly with the rest of the uh the rest of the album.4 minutes, 32 seconds
Yeah. And then you can go uh berserk on other tracks. And um you know this is shreddical is absolutely one of those4 minutes, 40 seconds
songs that when I first heard it I go this is this is one of the best songs of the year. It is one of the coolest songs4 minutes, 47 seconds
I've heard. And then you know you talk about heavy I am the submarine.4 minutes, 52 seconds
Yeah. My god, is that a locomotion of just pure adrenaline just a banger. I4 minutes, 59 seconds
mean, I could see stadiums honestly head banging to that and going absolutely berserk, you know. So, the heavy parts on this earthquake is another one.5 minutes, 9 seconds
Love it.5 minutes, 9 seconds
There there is so much to hear here. And again, hardcore metal, death metal, core, hardcore, whatever you want to5 minutes, 17 seconds
call it and whatever you're into, is going to find this record to be appealing in some capacity. And you5 minutes, 24 seconds
know, my hope is is that um you know, Aaron gets his awards that he has not gotten in the past from AWOL Nation5 minutes, 32 seconds
because the record certainly deserves it and it certainly is one of the most unique pieces of art that we've listened to and we've reviewed on this this5 minutes, 41 seconds
podcast. I uh I I think this is pretty telling and I'm sure I've told you this.5 minutes, 46 seconds
The the uh benchmark, you know, the bar to hit, I think, for heavy music is if my wife wants to hear it at all, much much less more than once.5 minutes, 57 seconds
And she I asked her, I told her we were doing this review and and said, "Do you got any input?" And she said, "I love6 minutes, 5 seconds
the band." And this is coming from somebody and I mentioned this to Aaron when we chatted that her, you know, her bar is Van Morrison and she loves the6 minutes, 13 seconds
band. She loves the lyrics. She loves Aaron's voice. And I I say all this stuff just to illustrate that people who6 minutes, 20 seconds
are not necessarily into heavy stuff like this record too. You know, it really I think it's a really accessible6 minutes, 28 seconds
record, particularly for being a heavy record. And Aaron's vocals. We talk about this every time the band comes up.6 minutes, 35 seconds
He's got that unhinged, you know, distorted vocal thing going that is so cool and so unique and very6 minutes, 42 seconds
much different from a lot of the other really aggressive singers. Not to say that he can't go smooth, he can. And the6 minutes, 49 seconds
way they lay it, uh, and props to Eric on his production, the way they lay Aaron's voice over these really thick,6 minutes, 57 seconds
super fat produced, great riffs and and musical beds is it's just so good and so easy to listen to, even for heavy music.7 minutes, 5 seconds
Um, which again is a testament to the band and how they're putting putting their stuff together.7 minutes, 10 seconds
Yeah, the groove on it is fantastic. But I think that the the word that comes to mind with Aaron is swagger. And yeah,7 minutes, 18 seconds
I think if when you think about new bands, not everybody is going to have the swagger, the hutba, if you will, to7 minutes, 27 seconds
do almost like a Super Mario 64, Mario, you know, woohoo. Um, and and for you7 minutes, 34 seconds
gamers out there that played N64 back in the day, you know what I'm talking about with Mario. He has some Wahoos in there,7 minutes, 41 seconds
but they work. He does some falsetto stuff, but it works. He he has the ability to do virtually anything. And he7 minutes, 50 seconds
has the swagger to pull it off. And I think a lot of bands don't necessarily have a lead singer that is not scared to7 minutes, 59 seconds
try new things. And he is the difference. I think I think if you put any other singer on this band, it'd8 minutes, 7 seconds
still be a great record, but it's another level up because he's not afraid to take chances and he's not afraid.8 minutes, 14 seconds
There's nothing that's off the table with him vocally.8 minutes, 16 seconds
Yeah. And and watching the live footage and and I have not had an opportunity to see them live in person yet. Um8 minutes, 25 seconds
which is why I hope they just keep touring more and more and more and get over to this side of the country. But yeah, Aaron watching the live stuff like8 minutes, 32 seconds
Aaron is a frontman. His talent as a singer and a musician is is there. It's known. But watching him on stage,8 minutes, 41 seconds
especially in front of barbarians, is incredible. He is a phenomenal frontman.8 minutes, 46 seconds
Like you said, he's got swagger and confidence and it shows and it makes for a great show. The Cardboard Sessions came out a month or two ago and those8 minutes, 55 seconds
tracks are so cool, too. I don't know. I said it I said it to him and to Eric, I am a a fanboy and so far they can do no9 minutes, 3 seconds
wrong. I mean, this record is it's just got so much heavy to it. but contrasted with some of the the abjectly silly9 minutes, 11 seconds
lyrics on it that are delivered in a really serious and aggressive fashion is so cool and just fun. It's just [ __ ]9 minutes, 20 seconds
fun. And that the heavy genre I think hasn't had and again I don't listen to everything. I don't listen to half a9 minutes, 28 seconds
percent of everything. So, I'm sure there's other stuff out there, but the stuff that's in my arena, there has not been a band like Barbarians that make9 minutes, 36 seconds
heavy music this fun. Like, since for me, again, just for me, like Anthrax in the 80s or early 90s, they they didn't9 minutes, 43 seconds
take themselves too seriously. They had a lot of fun. Yeah. I'm the man.9 minutes, 48 seconds
Yeah. I mean, they're just, you know, metal is a serious genre, and Aaron spoke to this, too. I think Eric did when we chatted with him. It's a serious9 minutes, 55 seconds
genre and you want to be badass and you want to be tough and you know the all that stuff and that's fine, but Barbarians has cracked the code on how10 minutes, 2 seconds
to be very serious and bring crushing heavy badass riffs and have a lot of fun that's only thinly veiled by the way10 minutes, 11 seconds
that Aaron sings, you know? I don't know if that makes sense.10 minutes, 15 seconds
No, absolutely. I mean, when talking about this record, I mean, we've already mentioned Death Tones, we've talked about Rage Against the Machine, you10 minutes, 23 seconds
know, Gojira, I heard elements of Gojira in there, Every Time I Die, Converge.10 minutes, 29 seconds
It's pretty amazing how far they stretch the limits, the genres, while still10 minutes, 36 seconds
being uniquely themselves. And again, a lot of times when you do what we do, which is listen to records all the time10 minutes, 45 seconds
and you interview bands, you have to tiptoe around the fact that a it's pretty obvious who your influences are.10 minutes, 50 seconds
You, you know, you definitely tried to sound like typo negative and you sound tried to sound like, you know, Testament10 minutes, 58 seconds
here. There is not that. We know that they love Strife and they love old Sepultura, but you wouldn't know it11 minutes, 5 seconds
based on their music and what they're putting out there. There's subtleties of all these bands that they're really into in there, but it's uniquely theirs.11 minutes, 15 seconds
Uh, well said. Well said. Yeah, you can pick out there's little things here and there where I go, "Oh, that sounds a little bit, you know, uh, you know, one11 minutes, 22 seconds
of Zach's dive bombie leads or whatever." Like, oh, there's the Slayer influence right there, which is awesome.11 minutes, 27 seconds
Let's track by track it real quick and just run through the stuff that you dig if there's uh, standout stuff uh, in the tracks. Back to the valley right at the11 minutes, 35 seconds
top. starts off, you get some of that Lynden Lynden Reed double kick stuff, uh, with those gallops, um, and those11 minutes, 43 seconds
giant pitchbends in there. They bring me so so much joy. It's just so [ __ ]11 minutes, 50 seconds
cool, man. It's a it's an absolute banger of an intro. Um, and I was thrilled because usually intro tracks on a metal record need to be a banger and11 minutes, 59 seconds
this did not disappoint and I was concerned because they had some bangers coming out as singles prior to that. So, you know, it's a it's pretty great.12 minutes, 8 seconds
Yeah. Uh, gnarly core class. The first thing I mean, musically, I love it. It's a great great track. But the first thing12 minutes, 14 seconds
that poked out to me on first listen was the line, I'm the president of Loving Your Mom. And I was just like, that's fantastically Aaron and the Barbarians.12 minutes, 25 seconds
Swagger. Swagger. Yeah. Yeah.12 minutes, 28 seconds
Yeah. The swagger. Yeah. Uh, moving on to Vanilla Latte. I what I liked about this track was uh lyrically it's a very12 minutes, 34 seconds
tongue andcheek uh poke at corporate uh America the suits and everything else.12 minutes, 41 seconds
Um and as a person that's lived in corporate America in my career um you know there's there's things I love about12 minutes, 49 seconds
it and there's things I hate about it and I really appreciate that he um kind of poked the holes uh at at some of12 minutes, 57 seconds
corporate uh culture and and the suits, if you will. uh really great and it's a great track too. Very aggressive. Um13 minutes, 6 seconds
and uh what I also loved about this track is that you're never going to see a metal band ever again probably put out a song called Vanilla Latte.13 minutes, 15 seconds
Yeah. Well, Kombucha is for snitches and digging ditches. Yes.13 minutes, 20 seconds
You know, it's just so good. And it's again musically all these tracks musically are so cool and so they all have their own style of13 minutes, 29 seconds
I I just find that I have a stank face through the entire record every time I hear it front to back. Bomb to a knife13 minutes, 36 seconds
fight. Incredible song. It's just got such a good feel. Again, the fact that you can bang your head or bob your head13 minutes, 43 seconds
to every track on this record absolutely does it for me. I what I I love the track. Uh, it makes me think of when13 minutes, 50 seconds
Indiana Jones is um being chased and all of a sudden a dude gets out and starts swinging his swords around everywhere and he just pulls out his gun and shoots13 minutes, 59 seconds
him and he's like that's it. It's like that's the equivalent of a a bomb to a knife fight. Um,14 minutes, 6 seconds
and the track just sits perfectly into the record and it's aggressive, it's gnarly, it's everything that you would14 minutes, 13 seconds
want. Um, and once again that word swagger, it takes, you know, Aaron Bruno to make this track work.14 minutes, 21 seconds
Uh, really, really rad. The uh, the I'm the judge and executioner break in that that that14 minutes, 29 seconds
the riffs in there are so so badass. And I love that, you know, I don't know who wrote that specifically, Eric or Eric14 minutes, 38 seconds
and Zach or the whole band or whatever, but like the choices that they made throughout this record, but here specifically in that section, the I'm14 minutes, 46 seconds
the judge and executioner, the space that they left that that whole section has so much air14 minutes, 53 seconds
in it, but it it's just perfect. And again, that's something as somebody who tries to write music every once in a struggle with that, too. Like sometimes15 minutes, 1 second
silence it nothing is the most powerful effect you can have for a section or a part or a song and they just absolutely15 minutes, 9 seconds
nailed it in that uh middle break. So nice.15 minutes, 12 seconds
Yeah, I love the the chorus on this is so catchy. It's it it's been in my head for weeks. Um I actually tried to get my kids to get15 minutes, 20 seconds
that earworm the really really rad piece in in their heads in the car and uh I I annoyed them. And that's that's that's15 minutes, 27 seconds
that's pretty rad that I annoyed a 14-year-old and a 12-year-old with really really rad. Um, but it is an earworm that's catchy as all hell. When15 minutes, 35 seconds
when I I was trying to sing along to him in the car alone and I you know how you sing along, you go, "Wow, I actually sound pretty good." You probably don't.15 minutes, 45 seconds
You really don't. So, just don't try.15 minutes, 48 seconds
Just shut up and don't do it. Just sing yourself in the car.15 minutes, 50 seconds
You can't duplicate that. that aggro style of his is so unique, you know, like I I was talking with my wife about15 minutes, 58 seconds
this. Uh like Aaron's voice, if you put it through, and I might see if I can do this, like put Aaron's voice through I16 minutes, 6 seconds
don't know what they're called, a spectrum analyzer where you can actually see a readout of all the frequencies. If you were to put his voice through an16 minutes, 14 seconds
analyzer, I expect that you would see peaks on the lows, the mids, and the highs. But you put most other heavy16 minutes, 22 seconds
aggressive singers through that same one and you'd probably have a much smaller graphic display of what's happening tonally with their voice.16 minutes, 31 seconds
Again, his voice is just so wild. You can't duplicate that. I've never heard anybody sing like that. Not the aggro stuff.16 minutes, 38 seconds
I I would say that this the the closest it maybe Chino Marino, but not really. I16 minutes, 45 seconds
it, you know, Chino did has done some stuff that's higher pitches, lower pitches, screo, very soothing,16 minutes, 54 seconds
um, sing along, uh, uh, melodies, but not to this degree. No, Aaron just takes all the governors off when he gets17 minutes, 3 seconds
aggro, and it's great. Uh, moving on to the the Megatons seg. Love it. I'm pretty sure that's Eric reading the the17 minutes, 10 seconds
facts. I love it. I love the way it's mixed. I love the party next door style.17 minutes, 15 seconds
You know, it sounds like it's coming through two walls and that the the the narration over the top, be it Eric or whomever. Pretty sure it's Eric though, is still discernable enough that you can17 minutes, 24 seconds
hear it and understand what what he's saying. It's just a cool little thing.17 minutes, 27 seconds
Very much reminded me of Failure's Fantastic Planet, which, you know, is one of my all-time favorites. I love these little segs.17 minutes, 35 seconds
Very cool.17 minutes, 35 seconds
Yeah, it's funny. I'm usually not a big Segue guy. like Typo Negative did a ton of those and I'd always be like skip, don't want to hear people snorting17 minutes, 43 seconds
cocaine or whatever they're doing and the segways. Um, this was fairly interesting for me. Um, but I again I'm17 minutes, 51 seconds
I'm like a meat and potatoes guy. Uh, I'm very much like Darth Vader when it comes to Segways. You can dispense with the pleasantries commander [laughter]17 minutes, 58 seconds
and just move on. But they did keep me interested and I don't skip over them.18 minutes, 3 seconds
Um, this is Megatons is certainly a record that you just put it on and you leave it. listen to it, experience it, and enjoy it. Um, even Segways at all.18 minutes, 13 seconds
And it's it's a short record. I think it's only I want to say 27 minutes. I could be wrong about that, but it's pretty short. So, yeah, you're uh you're not going to get18 minutes, 22 seconds
trapped in it. The both the segs are pretty short. Megatons is looks like a minute. And uh hide all your records is also a minute. But yeah, moving on. Earthquake, one of my favorites, man. That track just hits.18 minutes, 33 seconds
It's killer. It's huge. Uh again, Lyndon with the double kicks. super super tasty. It's just it's another it's another [ __ ] banging barbarian song.18 minutes, 44 seconds
Musically it's very uh felt gojira to me. Gojiraesque. Um but obviously still18 minutes, 52 seconds
the Barbarians of California. And interestingly I think I actually like the second half of Megatons better than18 minutes, 59 seconds
the first half which is rare. And also it kind of says a lot about the power of this record, how it is, you know, truly19 minutes, 7 seconds
an experience worth listening to because generally a lot of bands just put their best stuff at the front of their albums.19 minutes, 13 seconds
Um, I think that their best material on this record is on the back side of it.19 minutes, 18 seconds
But I don't know. I mean, Back to the Valley, huge banging song. Gnarly Core, the same. Vanilla Latte, the same. Bomb19 minutes, 25 seconds
to an I fight. I mean, they're all they all just hit really hard. Again, I think I think some of that you've got the the19 minutes, 32 seconds
the songwriting, the performance of all the parts in the studio, of course, then you've got the production side of it,19 minutes, 40 seconds
which can vastly change the way an album reads. And I and I don't want to say Eric leveled up, but the production on this is just I think it's just a little19 minutes, 49 seconds
bit fatter and thicker and nastier, uh, but still super clean and easy on the ears. So, could you flip this though and19 minutes, 58 seconds
lead with Earthquake? and then in into this is shreddical and then hide all your record segue then modern fashion20 minutes, 6 seconds
shark out of water I am the submarine and then put the first half of the record after that I think you could I don't20 minutes, 13 seconds
think there is a there's not a bad song on this [ __ ] album that's yeah so maybe I would argue your point that the20 minutes, 20 seconds
second half is better than the first but um yeah so earthquake is huge I love it this is shreddical we talked about that one already there's something about the guitar tone in that.20 minutes, 32 seconds
And uh I love to talk to uh to to those guys and find out exactly what they did there because it reminds me of something20 minutes, 39 seconds
that I used to hear Urge Overkill do back in the in the '9s with like it's like a weird pitched harmonic20 minutes, 47 seconds
kind of patch. Um so I don't know. It's just me being a nerd, but I love the guitar tone in Shreddical. And I think,20 minutes, 55 seconds
and tell me, do you think there's a tempo change anywhere in that song? If so, where?21 minutes
Um, I'm sure there is. You have the the producer ear. I do not. So, where is it?21 minutes, 7 seconds
I think it's right after the first section. It feels like it picks up just a couple of beats a minute. Really? It's It's subtle, but it feels like it speeds21 minutes, 15 seconds
up just a little bit. And I wondered if I was crazy or if uh you picked up on that, but you didn't. So maybe Yeah, you you I I will go listen to it.21 minutes, 24 seconds
I got to go in the go drive around and do [ __ ] Um so I'll give it a listen really really loud. Um and let you know.21 minutes, 32 seconds
Yeah. Tap your foot along with it and then see if it speeds up based on on you tapping your foot. Uh um hide all your21 minutes, 40 seconds
records. The second sag, [clears throat] it's [ __ ] weird and I don't know what it's about and again I think it's great. Yep.21 minutes, 48 seconds
Uh modern fashion. I loved um it the the just screaming modern fashion during the the the the during the chorus part is21 minutes, 56 seconds
great. It's funny because I I don't know if you're familiar with a band called 18 Visions, but I had images of that ever22 minutes, 3 seconds
so slightly of 18 Visions, but again, the Barbarians of California do hardcore metal better than most.22 minutes, 12 seconds
Yeah. Yeah. I'm not familiar with them, so I don't know the comparison, but yeah, Modern Fashion, I think, was the first single from this record, and I22 minutes, 21 seconds
thought it was absolutely amazing when I heard it then, and I still think it is.22 minutes, 25 seconds
I think it fits perfectly in the context of uh of the record. I love that slow like halftime feel to it.22 minutes, 33 seconds
Uh I love what they do live with it. You know, they extend out the back. Aaron's doing waves around arenas and [ __ ] I've noticed they do that with a couple22 minutes, 41 seconds
of their tracks. extend extend it for a little short jam at the end which is badass. Yeah, that's that's one of the top ones on the record for me too. And22 minutes, 49 seconds
then one of I guess you'd say the biggest surprise on the on the record, Shark Out of Water.22 minutes, 54 seconds
Yeah, it's a sensible track that's got Awall Nation touches to it, which would stand to reason. And you know, who23 minutes, 3 seconds
knows? Maybe parts of that could have been on the cutting floor of Awall Nation, but it really felt like that, but yet still stayed within the confines23 minutes, 12 seconds
of a metal and hardcore record. Um, love it. And I'm usually, again, I'm one of the guys that's kind of like, ah, if no23 minutes, 20 seconds
metal record. Yeah. And I don't I I there's not anything that I skip past.23 minutes, 27 seconds
And this has largely been on repeat for weeks while you and I were living life, summer, family, all of that stuff. And23 minutes, 34 seconds
we've been remiss on [ __ ] talk. Um, but fear not, we were listening to the Barbarians of California pretty much23 minutes, 42 seconds
non-stop, which is which is great.23 minutes, 44 seconds
That's true. That's true. Um, and then The Closer, which is per what Aaron told us sort of a part two to23 minutes, 52 seconds
Shark Out of Water, I am the submarine, which as you said is just a big track.23 minutes, 55 seconds
It's a very metal track. I don't know the guitar line that comes right after the uh torpedoes have a way of falling in love line. I don't know. It's some24 minutes, 3 seconds
like like little half step down thing that just oh it just hits so hard and that the little two beats or four beats24 minutes, 12 seconds
of an 808 drum line at the very end of the song which don't really just like no context with it but it's still cool as [ __ ] Kind of like the five piano notes24 minutes, 20 seconds
at the end of um Back to the Valley. Yeah. God, just [ __ ] great track.24 minutes, 26 seconds
Uh, this track to me is a jock jam. So, Aaron, jock jam.24 minutes, 30 seconds
If if if and when you watch this, I could see um Genty running the ball in with the Raiders and this song playing24 minutes, 39 seconds
as a touchdown celebration. I'm a Bruins fan. I whenever they score and the announcer goes, "Woo!"24 minutes, 47 seconds
This song should be playing, you know, when they score. Um, it is such a great24 minutes, 53 seconds
song for um, metal arenas and also sports arenas. I I think that um, it's a catchy, heavy as hell, badass track.25 minutes, 3 seconds
It's my favorite on on the record and I look forward to it ascending and hopefully we'll hear it in both stadiums25 minutes, 11 seconds
for metal shows as well as we'll be hearing it at some sporting events.25 minutes, 15 seconds
Well, yeah. When Aaron gets into the front office with the Raiders, he'll have maybe a little more pull to get that, you know, the guy hit that button up in the booth.25 minutes, 23 seconds
Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely.25 minutes, 24 seconds
Well, this has been one I we've both been dying to talk about this record since it came out. And as you said, life got in the way. So, you know, it is what25 minutes, 32 seconds
it is. But the upside is that I've just had it on repeat since the 21st. And I expect this is one that will continue to25 minutes, 40 seconds
be played a lot along with the first album that comes up all the time. My wife, again, I keep bringing her up because not that I'm shocked that she25 minutes, 49 seconds
likes heavy music. She's not particularly heavy music fan, but there's a lot going on. She loves this record for all the reasons she loves it.25 minutes, 57 seconds
And it turns out she's got a little man crush on on Aaron. So, I have to deal with my wife loving uh you know, the the26 minutes, 4 seconds
lead singer of my new favorite band. But the upside is that it's cool. Like I have barbarians going in the house all the time now as a result. So it's a it's ultimately a win for me.26 minutes, 14 seconds
Well, there's no crushes here. My kids were annoyed with listening to Aaron. Um but I [laughter] think it was in the best way possible. It was more the26 minutes, 22 seconds
repetitious of it, the repetitious nature of it, not necessarily him and Eric. But yeah, it's a great record and26 minutes, 31 seconds
it made it into my top records of 2026 already. I'm sure we'll be talking about it at the end of the year and we'll see26 minutes, 39 seconds
if it's our album of the year, but it's it should be I'll call it for me right now.26 minutes, 44 seconds
So far, without a doubt, it's the album of the year. That's one man's opinion.26 minutes, 49 seconds
Well, then you've got 50% of the opinion on this podcast. So, [laughter] we're probably going to even if I put it into my top five, it's still going to26 minutes, 57 seconds
end up being the number one spot. So, um you know, we'll bet on it. You know, if you're betting if if if what is the what is the app where you can go and bet27 minutes, 6 seconds
on random [ __ ] Calshi or something like that. Someone's got some strange name. I don't know.27 minutes, 12 seconds
Whatever. I'm not a gambler other than buying Powerball tickets. But um yeah, somebody should go and put a gamble on27 minutes, 19 seconds
whether or not the Megatons is going to be our album of the year. Um they'll probably, you know, they'll probably win.27 minutes, 28 seconds
It will. Yeah. Well, excellent record and uh let's let's see if we can get the rest of the guys back on for a chat because I have so many questions that I27 minutes, 36 seconds
would like [music] to ask about this album. So, we'll see if we can rope rope the rest of the guys on for a conversation, too.27 minutes, 42 seconds
Sounds like a plan. All right, good to see you. Sorry that life got in the way and glad that we're back in the saddle.27 minutes, 49 seconds
It happens. All right, take it easy, man. I'll see you. All right, see you.
