The Meltdown - CKCU 93.1 FM

01/01/2026

This week on Meltdown, I played some of the bands whose 2025 albums made meaningful impressions on me.

Note: There's been a TON of incredible metal/rock released by local bands in 2025. If you listen to Meltdown or are even remotely connected to the metal community in the NCR, you already know this. Fitting so much great music into a one-hour show is impossible, so this week's focus was non-local metal.

- Sacrifice (hard to believe it's almost been 1 year since the legendary Canadian thrashers released Volume VI)
- Testament (another killer album from veteran thrashers with Para Bellum)
- Hedonist (death metal from Victoria, and knocking it out of the park with their debut full-length, Scapulimancy)
- Coroner (Swiss thrashers reemerge with a killer comeback album, Dissonance Theory)
- Ancient Death (old school death metal from Massachusetts for today's listening pleasure in their debut full-length Ego Dissolution)
- Yellow Eyes (black metal from New York - Confusion Gate is just over an hour long, but you won't notice it, and many will spin it again and again)
- Defacement (European blackened death metalers have a new full-length, Doomed, that you'll want to spin)
- Axis of Light (raw black metal from Northern England, with a lot of atmospheric touches - To the Great Unbearing North rounds out this week's show)

Listen here (and remember to remove the parentheses in the link): https://cod.ckcufm[.]com/programs/56/73535.html

Reminder to send us your new metal mp3s for airplay: [email protected]

Hope you're all doing well, and happy new year!

19/12/2025

A lot of great tunes this week on Meltdown, including:

- Metallica (track off of their first full-length!)
- Pythonic (thrash/groove metal from Saskatoon - track off of their upcoming EP!)
- Deadwood (thrash metal from Philadelphia - track off of their upcoming EP!)
- Cepheidae Variable (prog metal from Kelowna - track off of their new full-length!)
- Darren Boyd (local metal - track off of his upcoming full-length!)
- Alestorm (epic Scottish pirate metal - track off of this year's full-length!)
- Sunset Hate (local thrash metal - single from 2023!)
- Maou Mindu (local deathgrind - 2023's single!)
- The Sword (stoner/doom metal from Austin - track from 2008's full-length!)
- Cryptopsy (Montreal death metal - track from this year's full-length!)

Listen here (and remember to remove the parentheses in the link!):
https://cod.ckcufm[.]com/programs/56/73339.html

Reminder to send us your new metal mp3s for airplay! [email protected]

Hope you're all doing well!

12/12/2025

Is anyone interested in seeing the Cancer Bats show tonight at 27 Club? DM Markus von Boltenstern and we'll get it to you

12/12/2025

Some southern heat to beat back the grim cold this week on Meltdown, spinning out:

- Megadeth
- Kreator
- Fright (Philly crossover/thrash - new album out tomorrow!)
- Motörhead
- Deathraiser (Brazilian thrash - track off of their upcoming full-length!)
- ATTOMICA (Brazilian thrash - track off of their 1991 release!)
- Explicit Hate (Brazilian thrash - track off of their 2018 release!)
- Hypnosia (Swedish thrash - track off of their 2000 release!)
- Ripper (Chilean death/thrash - track off of their 2019 release!)
- Saxon

Listen here: https://cod.ckcufm[.]com/programs/56/73243.html (****remember to remove the parentheses from the link****)

Reminder to send us your new metal mp3s for airplay! [email protected]

Hope you're all doing well!

05/12/2025

ICYMI, this week on Meltdown Markus had a great chat with Sam Fortin from Discovery Through Torment about the band's new (tomorrow!) EP "Telesynthetic Rebirth" while also finding some time to squeeze in a little Iron Maiden and Gland!

Listen to it all here (and remember to remove the parentheses in the link!): https://cod.ckcufm[.]com/programs/56/73133.html

Huge thanks to Sam for sharing his time, and to Jon Asher from Asher Media Relations for hooking it all up!

Reminder to send us your new metal mp3s for airplay: [email protected]

Hope you're all doing well!

28/11/2025

Another week of mostly new tunes on Meltdown, spinning:

- Iron Maiden
- Gate Theory (heavy metal from Victoria - new single!)
- Whitechapel (track off of this year's full-length!)
- Kreator (track off of next year's full-length!)
- Pythonic (thrash/groove metal from Saskatchewan - track off of next month's EP!)
- Brutal Diabeetus (death metal from the U.S. - new single!)
- Born Divided (melodic death metal from QC - track off of last month's full-length!)
- Stabbing (death metal from Texas - track off next year's full-length!)
- Rivers of Nihil (technical death metal - track off of this year's full-length!)
- Raven (NWOBHM - Metallica cover!)

Listen here (****and remember to remove the parentheses to listen****): https://cod.ckcufm[.]com/programs/56/73048.html

Reminder to send us your new metal mp3s for airplay! [email protected]

Hope you're all doing well!

21/11/2025

Mostly new metal this week on Meltdown, spinning...

- Razor (track off of their last full-length!)
- Discovery Through Torment (brutal deathcore from Quebec - track off of next month's EP!)
- Narcotic Wasteland (death metal from South Carolina - track off of their last full-length!)
- DUST BOLT (Germanic thrash metal - this month's single!)
- Sond3r (local prog metal - brand new single!)
- Death Angel (brand new single!)
- Coroner (track from last month's full-length!)
- Soulfly (track from last month's full-length!)
- Testament (track from last month's full-length!)

Listen here (****and remember to remove the parentheses from the link****): https://cod.ckcufm[.]com/programs/56/72939.html

Reminder to send us your new metal mp3s for airplay! [email protected]

Hope you're all doing well!

13/11/2025

Churning out these great bands this week on Meltdown:

- Obituary
- Zero Tolerance (thrash metal from Hamilton - track from their upcoming full-length!)
- Ghoul (Official) (deathgrind from Oakland - track from last year's EP!)
- Vomitory (track from their last full-length!)
- Monstrosity (track from their last full-length!)
- Necrophagia (title track from Cannibal Holocaust!)
- THEY GRIEVE (killer local post-metal - track from their 2023 full-length!)
- Death (Official)
- TANKARD
- Insect Warfare (grindcore from Houston - track off of their only full-length!)

Listen to it all here (****remember to remove the parentheses in the link****): https://cod.ckcufm[.]com/programs/56/72846.html

Also, huge thanks to everyone who has helped keep the pedal to the METAL by donating to CKCU this Funding Drive, particularly those that have tagged Meltdown as a show to support.

If you haven't done so yet, you can do it securely here: https://www.canadahelps.org/me/6v49QSqc

Charitable tax receipts are issued for donations over $10. For those $25+, you are automatically entered into a draw, courtesy of House of TARG, of:
- 1 House of TARG t-shirt;
- 2 tickets to a 2025 TARG FREE-Play Sunday After Dark event.

And, of course, a massive thank you to all who have already donated and supported!

Hope you are all doing well!

Meltdown is Canada's longest-running heavy metal radio program. We play all genres of heavy metal and have interviewed countless guests in our many years hosting the show. A successful Funding Drive, both by Meltdown supporters and those that value com...

13/11/2025

Fifty years between your ears!

https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/city-of-ottawa-proclaims-nov-15-as-ckcu-93-1-fm-day-in-honour-of-the-station-s-50th-anniversary-813788731.html?fbclid=IwdGRjcAOCtHdleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeQPYvp3RT4j3C646ZTUhamutEHkAzGaQC9k3UhmgLaQO0t2FCLWl3mUh3dIA_aem_6v6zXR5LpEINZo2D7zp-GQ

/CNW/ - The City of Ottawa has officially proclaimed November 15, 2025 as "CKCU 93.1 FM Day", recognizing the 50th anniversary of one of Canada's most enduring...

07/11/2025

Meltdown hosted its second CKCU Funding Drive show this week, spinning these great bands:

- Iron Maiden (a classic off of Piece of Mind!)
- Norilsk (local doom/post-metal - a couple tracks off of tomorrow's live album!)
- Skinless (death metal from NY - track off of their second album!)
- Deadwood.band (deathcore from Montreal - track off of next year's EP!)
- Phaeton (progressive metal from BC - track off of their just-released instrumental album!)
- Intrepid (Estonian death metal - track from this year's full-length!)

Listen here (****and remember to remove the parentheses in the link!****): https://cod.ckcufm[.]com/programs/56/72740.html

Big thanks to Jon Asher from Asher Media Relations for sending us some of the above!

AND: if you haven't yet donated to CKCU's Funding Drive, please consider doing so. Independent media matters more than ever now. CKCU fills an important need in our local community by providing programming (various music genres, spoken word, and cultural) you won't find on mainstream commercial media.

Heavy metal has had a home on CKCU for over 40 years and we'd like to continue that streak. If you dig Meltdown, consider donating to CKCU as part of our Funding Drive total. You can do so here, and tax receipts are issued:

https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/CKCU/p2p/fundingdrive2025/page/meltdowns-funding-drive-page

Donations of $25+ are automatically entered, courtesy of House of TARG, into a draw for:
- 1 House of TARG t-shirt
- 2 tickets to a 2025 TARG FREE-Play Sunday After Dark event.

Huge thanks to all who have already donated!

Hope you're all doing well!

Meltdown is Canada's longest-running heavy metal radio program. We play all genres of heavy metal and have interviewed countless guests in our many years hosting the show. A successful Funding Drive, both by Meltdown supporters and those that value com...

04/11/2025

In about an hour, we'll be hosting our second Funding Drive show on Meltdown.

We have made substantial progress towards our show's goal, but can still use your support to take us the rest of the way - and beyond!

To recap, CKCU fills an essential local need of providing independent media that's focused on our immediate community. For 50 years now, the station has provided a valuable service to the area by way of various spoken word shows, cultural programming, and a wide range of musical genres that you don't typically find on mainstream commercial media.

Meltdown has been extremely fortunate to have a home with CKCU for over 40 years now. The station has consistently, year after year, been both boots in when it comes to heavy metal. This has been great to see, as it has provided another outlet for local bands and promoters to get the word out on all the great metal that the NCR has created.

If you're in a position to help, consider donating to Meltdown's Funding Drive total, all of which goes towards CKCU's operating budget. You can make your secure donation here:
https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/CKCU/p2p/fundingdrive2025/page/meltdowns-funding-drive-page

AND - EVERY donation of $25+ is automatically entered into a draw, courtesy of House of TARG, for a prize pack of:
- 1 TARG classic t-shirt; AND,
- 2 tickets to any 2025 FREE-Play Sunday After Dark event

A huge thanks to our friends at House of Targ for their continued generous support towards CKCU.

Thank you to all of you who have already donated. Your support is tremendous and we're truly grateful for it.

Meltdown is Canada's longest-running heavy metal radio program. We play all genres of heavy metal and have interviewed countless guests in our many years hosting the show. A successful Funding Drive, both by Meltdown supporters and those that value com...

31/10/2025

We kicked off our first Funding Drive show this week on Meltdown with these fine folks...

- Anvil (a classic off of their second album!)
- Ancient Thrones (blackened death from Halifax - track off of their recently-released full-length!)
- Discovery Through Torment (deathcore from Quebec - track off of their upcoming EP!)
- Born Divided (progressive/melodic death - track off of their just-released full-length!)
- Solipsis (David Berardi's new darkwave project - track off of the just-released split with Intrafear!)
- Metallica (fan favourite off of their third album!)

Listen here: https://cod.ckcufm[.]com/programs/56/72650.html
(****remember to remove the parentheses in the link****)

Reminder to send us your new metal mp3s for airplay: [email protected]

AND - please consider donating to help keep CKCU alive and running for another year! Having independent media matters more than ever these days, and CKCU has provided a home for a wide range of programming for FIFTY years!

If you like Meltdown's place on CKCU, you can donate securely here: https://www.canadahelps.org/me/6v49QSqc

Thanks to everyone who has already donated, and hope you're all doing well!

Meltdown is Canada's longest-running heavy metal radio program. We play all genres of heavy metal and have interviewed countless guests in our many years hosting the show. A successful Funding Drive, both by Meltdown supporters and those that value com...