State of the Studio #42: April '13

Season 5 of the Collective Brain podcast began on February 25 and is scheduled to play for twelve episodes, ending on May 13.  A fall season has been discussed but nothing has been finalized as of now.

Rumors of recent music activity at the studio have not been confirmed nor denied.  A file called "Song 1" was recently seen on the Metal XOR intranet which has led some to believe that work has begun on a new song.  If we get any other information we'll be sure to post it here.

Check back in three months to see what's happening this summer at Metal XOR Studio.

State of the Studio #41: January '13

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

The studio is on vacation at the moment... and it sure feels good. 

Season 4 of The Collective Brain podcast wrapped up on December 13, 2012.  Season 5 has a tentative start date in late February.

Following the end of season 4 came the 2012 Christmas Special, a live recording the guys made during a Christmas pizza party at work.  They also recorded a Christmas Special episode of The Aftertaste Report that same night.

Bonus episodes of the Collective Brain will air from time to time between the two seasons.  The first of those was released last week. 

And finally, a new video series started last month with episode 1 of The Squatchy Adventures.  The audio was taken from Brain Theatre segments of their podcast and animated.  Episode 2 is in production now.

And what can we expect from the studio in 2013?  Another CD, this time featuring all the Brain Theatre segments from season 3 of the podcast.  Hopefully seasons 5 and 6 of The Collective Brain.  Possibly new seasons of The Aftertaste Report and Space & Beyond.  And maybe even a new podcast altogether. 

What about a new Mune Mud album?  Prolly not.  These reports will now be quarterly instead of every two months, so see you on April 1!!!

State of the Studio #40: November '12

Fall is here.  Finally.  And the studio continues to crank out content.

Season 2 of The Aftertaste Report podcast is nearing its finale.  This season, hosts Jay, Ken and Harry have been sampling a different drink each episode and providing their reviews.  Plus there have been some great guests on the show.  Check the Collective Brain website every Monday morning for a new episode.  The season finale will air on November 26. 

And season 4 of The Collective Brain podcast has reached its halfway point with episode 50!  A new episode of the show posts every Thursday morning.  If you haven't checked it out yet, the current episode is a great place to start.  The season finale is scheduled to release on December 13.

The studio will be quiet for the next update.  All podcasts will be on hiatus.  There will probably be no new music to report on.  But come back because there are rumors of other projects for the new year.  See youon January 1...

State of the Studio #39: September '12

The studio's about to get busy with podcasting once again.  Season 4 of The Collective Brain podcast is set to start later this month.  An official announcement is expected soon at the website.

And a fan favorite is coming back to the Brain Network... the Aftertaste Report.  Season 2 is in production now with a slightly different format.  The host line-up has changed and instead of reviewing two beverages each episode they will be reviewing just one.  This allows for a short, yet entertaining, format that doesn't take  much time to listen to.  An official announcement is expected soon at the Collective Brain website.

It's going to be a busy fall at the studio in the field of broadcast.  And maybe someday recording music will once again be an active project.  See you in two months!

Studio News: *** NEW ALBUM RELEASE ***

Metal XOR Fallout is proud to announce

The Brain Theatre Volume 1

With the success of The Collective Brain podcast, a CD release was inevitable.  And this is it.  One of the segments that appeared on every episode during the first season was The Brain Theatre, their interpretation of a scene from a Hollywood movie.  There are twenty tracks on the CD.

Both the CD and downloadable digital version are available at the Collective Brain Storefront.  You can get your copy of either version by clicking here.

State of the Studio #38: July '12

In the heat of the summer, there is nothing new on the music front at the studio.  Song ideas and possible titles are still being added to lists.  Some new melodies have been written on the piano, but nothing has been recorded.

Yet on the podcast side things are busy.  Season 3 of the Collective Brain ended in May.  Since then there has been a bonus episode (called season 3.5) released every other Thursday.  Preliminary talks are in the works for season 4, but that won't begin before September.

The newest podcast, Space and Beyond, had a successful launch in May.  Its first season will be ending at the end of July.  If you're looking to learn a thing or two, check it out.

And watch for a possible new project coming soon.  Nothing official has been announced but all signs point to "yes".

Come back in two months for another update.

State of the Studio #37: May '12

The studio has been busy with podcast producing for the last few months.  The Collective Brain is winding down its third season.  But don't worry, there will be some bonus episodes released over the summer while we wait for season 4 to begin.

A new podcast will begin on May 14.  It will be hosted by Harry and Jason and it's called Space and Beyond.  One part space, one part topic of mystery, this new show will fill the summer void created by the Collective Brain's hiatus.

More in two months...

State of the Studio #36: March '12

Things were going good on the new Mune Mud album... until the studio's hard drive crashed at the end of January.  It took several days to get the computer back online and thankfully all the data was saved.

Shortly after the crash, season 3 of the Collective Brain podcast started, so there's been no time to continue the Mune Mud work.  The podcast is scheduled to run through mid-May, so we'll see if work on the Mune Mud album resumes this summer.

Studio News: The Collective Brain season 3

* ALERT * ALERT * ALERT *

Season 3 of The Collective Brain podcast has started!!!

Click here to be magically transported to the website...

State of the Studio #35: January '12

The second season of The Collective Brain podcast wrapped up in November, followed by their 2011 Christmas Special last month.  The show is currently undergoing tweaks and changes, preparing for season 3 to start in early 2012.

But the big news from the studio is the fact that music is once again being recorded!  It's the next Mune Mud album.  The only information as to the release of the album was a passing comment by Jason, "...by the end of 2012."  Currently five songs have been started, two of them being covers and three originals.  Word has it that other musicians are also involved with the project.  The fictional magazine Eclectic Musician has already contacted the studio asking for an interview with Jason on the new project but no decisions have been made yet. 

Come back in two months for an update on the podcast, the new album and anything else that pops up between now and then!

State of the Studio #34: November '11

The past two months have been about podcasts here at the Studio.  The Aftertaste Report wrapped up its first season on October 23 with episode 12.  And The Collective Brain is nearing the end of its second season.  Season 3 is slated to begin in early 2012.

A new music video was released on October 28.  It was a Trashman and the Blood Baker song called "Tormented."  The footage came from a Halloween trunk-or-treat event held earlier that evening. 

Many ideas for new music in 2012 have been discussed.  But nothing definite has been decided at this point. 

So December looks to be a quiet month in the Studio.  It will be a true vacation for the employees.  The next update will be on the first day of 2012.  See you then...

Video File #15: Trashman and the Blood Baker "Tormented"

Today is the release of a new music video from Trashman and the Blood Baker.

The song is called "Tormented" and uses footage shot at a 2011 Trunk or Treat event.

State of the Studio #33: September '11

There's no new music here.  In fact, the only thing that's been going on at Metal XOR for the past several months is podcasting. 

As summer winds down, The Collective Brain podcast will soon return from its hiatus.  Season 2 episode 1 (aka episode 21) is scheduled to be released on September 7.  Check it out.

A second podcast began on August 7 called The Aftertaste Report.  It will run for a full 12-episode season.  Its hosts, Jason and Nikki, explore the world of beverages by reviewing two new drinks each episode. 

When will the music return?  Will the Collective Brain Network continue to grow?  Check back in two months for the answers to these questions and more.

State of the Studio #32: July '11

The focus for the Studio in 2011 so far has been The Collective Brain podcast.  It began in February and has delivered a new episode every week.  This week will be episode 20.  If you haven't checked it out yet, head on over to see what you think.  Although it's not music, it is a Metal XOR Studio production and delivers the same high-quality entertainment that the Studio's music does.

Come back in two months for more Studio news...

State of the Studio #31: May '11

Although no new music has been recorded at the studio for a while, the last two months were busy with the release of two albums.

The first was a bootleg recording of Isthmus during a 1996 jam session titled Gemini Jay.  The press release can be read here.

The second album released was Mune Mud's Beyond the Star King, somewhat of a re-release of last year's Zodiac Road album.  The press release for this album can be read here.

As work continues on The Collective Brain podcast at the studio, new music has taken a back seat.  Come back in two months for an update on studio projects.

Studio News: ***NEW ALBUM RELEASE ***

Metal XOR Fallout is proud to announce

Beyond the Star King

Last year's Mune Mud album, The Zodiac Road, was an international success by all standards.  But the final album was drastically different from its original concept.  By replacing a few tracks with some unused tracks, reordering the play list and adding new cover art, the reimagined album has become Beyond the Star King.

Studio News: ***NEW ALBUM RELEASE***

Metal XOR Fallout is proud to announce

Gemini Jay
 

This bootleg recording was made on January 12, 1996, of the band Isthmus, about a year after their Electric Field Donut session and eight months before the recording of their second album, Lambskin Temple. 

The recording recently resurfaced and has been made public through this CD, Isthmus' 8th album release.

State of the Studio #30: March '11

The music staff are still on vacation following the release of December's latest Mune Mud album, The Zodiac Road.  But that doesn't mean the Studio's been quiet.

The Metal XOR Wiki is under construction.  It will have an official announcement in the upcoming weeks.

Although music hasn't been the priority, a new podcast called The Collective Brain has been the main focus in the last month.  An official announcement of this is also forthcoming.  But for now, you can check out the official website here.

With spring usually comes creativity!  We'll see what the Studio has in store for us in two months.  See you then...

State of the Studio #29: January '11

The year 2010 closed on a high note with the release of the new Mune Mud album The Zodiac Road.  That consumed most of the Studio's resources during the last six months.  But now that it has been released, the slate is clean.  The Studio can go in any direction it wants to. 

The year 2011 is the 20th anniversary of the first Mune Mud album, Olympus.  There are talks of a new edition of that album.  There are also talks of another brand new Mune Mud album.  Will this be the year that NueroMorgue or NueroMud are revisited and their albums finally released on CD?  Or will a brand new project emerge?

As you can see, the options are many.  Keep checking here to see which road is taken...

Listen Online!

2010 Christmas Single

 

"A Christmas Situation"

Today is the release of Metal XOR Fallout's first Christmas Single, "A Christmas Situation."  It is a re-imagining of the song "This Is the Situation", the second track of the recent Mune Mud album The Zodiac Road.  The song was recorded during the Zodiac recording sessions to begin a new studio tradition.  Return to this blog each Christmas for a new holiday treat.

Click here to listen to "A Christmas Situation"