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SATYRICON frontman Satyr Wongraven returns to No-Prize From God. The Norwegian black metal musician talks about the spiritual and creative connections between nature, music, and visual arts, anchored specifically around the Satyricon & Munch - Munchmuseet exhibition, which ran for several months in 2022. Handpicked works of Norway's most famous artist, Edvard Munch, inspired new Satyricon music drawing on existential themes, rhythms, and waves. (Read more about the exhibition here.) Follow No-Prize From God, Ryan J. Downey, and check out Downey's other podcasts: PopCurse (Musicians Talking Movies) and Speak N' Destroy (Interviews About Metallica). Listen to No-Prize From God: Playlist For the Podcast. 

WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM drummer Aaron Weaver talks about the deep-rooted spirituality of the American black metal band he co-founded with his brother, Nathan. WITTR make iconoclastic (even for black metal) and often ritualistic music meant to evoke the forests and mountains around them in the Pacific Northwest. In this in-depth conversation, Aaron speaks candidly about his personal experiences and the evolution of his ideas. Listen to No-Prize From God: Playlist For the Podcast. Follow No-Prize From God, Ryan J. Downey, and check out Downey's other podcasts: PopCurse (Musicians Talking Movies) and Speak N' Destroy (Interviews About Metallica).

BOTANIST is a post-black metal band from San Francisco founded on the principle of "worship of the Natural world." A distorted hammered dulcimer stands in for guitars in Botanist, with drums free from editing in order to capture Otrebor at the "edge" of his ability. Otrebor channels an alter-ego with a romantic vision of a world overtaken by plant life, free from human interference. In a 2011 profile, NPR wrote, "You'd think... creepy, hammered-dulcimer black metal would get stale, but [Botanist] is surprisingly dynamic and hypnotic. The hammered dulcimer rings out and cuts like a blast-beated piano pounding paradiddles in some kind of black-metal drumline." Check out BOTANIST here. Listen to No-Prize From God: Playlist For the Podcast on Spotify. Follow No-Prize From God, Ryan J. Downey, and check out Downey's other podcasts: PopCurse (Musicians Talking Movies) and Speak N' Destroy (Interviews About Metallica).

Author and public theologian Brian D. McLaren is a former college English teacher whose newest book is Faith After Doubt (January 2021), and his next release, Do I Stay Christian? will be available Spring 2022. In 2004, he was awarded a Doctor of Divinity Degree (honoris causa) from Carey Theological Seminary in Vancouver, BC, Canada, and in 2010, he received a second honorary doctorate from Virginia Theological Seminary (Episcopal). Listen to No-Prize From God: Playlist For the Podcast on Spotify. Follow No-Prize From God, Ryan J. Downey, and check out Downey's other podcasts: PopCurse (Musicians Talking Movies) and Speak N' Destroy (Interviews About Metallica).

You Have Permission podcast host Dan Koch is a doctoral student in counseling psychology, the former co-host of the Reconstruct and Depolarize! podcasts, and member of the band Sherwood. Listen to No-Prize From God: Playlist For the Podcast on Spotify. Follow No-Prize From God on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Follow Ryan J. Downey on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Check out other PopCurse network podcasts: PopCurse, Speak N' Destroy, and Hoosier Illusion.

For They Know Not What They Do filmmaker Daniel G. Karslake deals with the intersection of religion, sexuality, gender identity, and social justice in his work. Every Three Seconds (2014), which he began as a visiting scholar at Stanford University, amplified practical solutions to global poverty and hunger. For the Bible Tells Me So (2007) premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was shortlisted for a 2008 Academy Award. Karslake talks about his upbringing, his faith, and his documentary films, including For They Know Not What They Do, which was released in 2019. Listen to No-Prize From God: Playlist For the Podcast on Spotify. Follow No-Prize From God on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Follow Ryan J. Downey on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Check out other PopCurse network podcasts: PopCurse, Speak N' Destroy, and Hoosier Illusion.

THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN bassist Liam Wilson is a warm-hearted, thoughtful, and fascinating individual. A longtime yoga practitioner, animal advocate, and freethinker, he's the consummate "seeker," with a firm moral compass and spiritual grounding. Liam made several groundbreaking albums with Dillinger Escape Plan. In more recent years, he's played live with Norwegian black metal band Myrkur and Canadian musician/producer Devin Townsend. He's part of the supergroup Azura (with members of Extol) and the mastermind behind John Frum, a psychedelic progressive death metal band built around themes rooted in history and spirituality. Listen to No-Prize From God: Playlist For the Podcast on Spotify. Follow No-Prize From God on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Follow Ryan J. Downey on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Check out other PopCurse network podcasts: PopCurse, Speak N' Destroy, and Hoosier Illusion.

American Messiahs author Adam Morris joins No-Prize From God to talk about the book NPR called "sharp and entertaining." American Messiahs: False Prophets of a Damned Nation argues that, far from aberrant blips on the historical radar, false prophets and saviors are an essential part of the American story. The book joins together stories of cult leaders like Thomas Lake Harris, Father Divine, Jim Jones, and Jemima Wilkinson; people who led movements that ended in spectacular flameouts, yet were often propelled by at least some progressive ideas that later gained wide acceptance. Adam is a recipient of the Susan Sontag Foundation Prize in literary translation, a Northern California Book Award in prose translation, and a PhD in literature from Stanford University. Listen to No-Prize From God: Playlist For the Podcast on Spotify. Follow No-Prize From God on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Follow Ryan J. Downey on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Check out other PopCurse network podcasts: PopCurse, Speak N' Destroy, and Hoosier Illusion.

Filmmaker Darren Lynn Bousman (Saw II, III, IV) is the first writer/director to come on No-Prize From God. The wide-ranging discussion includes: strange occurrences on the set of 2011’s 11-11-11; the quasi-religious story of 2012’s The Devil’s Carnival; his fascination with “the strange,” the occult, and secret societies; Will Storr vs. The Supernatural; the religious and (possibly) supernatural themes throughout his latest film, Death of Me, which stars Maggie Q, Alex Essoe, and Luke Hemsworth; and the next installment in the Saw franchise, 2021's Spiral, starring Chris Rock and Samuel L. Jackson. Listen to No-Prize From God: Playlist For the Podcast on Spotify. Follow No-Prize From God on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Follow Ryan J. Downey on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Check out other PopCurse network podcasts: PopCurse, Speak N' Destroy, and Hoosier Illusion.

ANBERLIN frontman Stephen Christian talks about his formative years with music and faith; moving from city to city as a kid; and gives a fascinating run-down of the arc of Anberlin's career. It's an excellent guide that should be required listening for anyone in any professional band. Stephen serves as a pastor and worship leader in Florida. He released his fourth album with his solo project, Anchor & Braille, in Spring 2020. Listen to No-Prize From God: Playlist For the Podcast on Spotify. Follow No-Prize From God on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Follow Ryan J. Downey on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Check out other PopCurse network podcasts: PopCurse, Speak N' Destroy, and Hoosier Illusion.

UNDEROATH vocalist Spencer Chamberlain goes deep, with topics including: his religious upbringing; the challenges and pressures of fronting one of the most successful Christian hard rock/metal bands ever; the responsibility of the artist to the audience; struggling with addiction in the public eye; his evolving beliefs and the position of the band; whether we can separate the artist from the art; performance in the pandemic; and so much more. Watch the Disc Dive with Ryan J. Downey episode with Spencer Chamberlain at Knotfest.com. Listen to No-Prize From God: Playlist For the Podcast on Spotify. Follow No-Prize From God on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Follow Ryan J. Downey on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Check out other PopCurse network podcasts: PopCurse, Speak N' Destroy, and Hoosier Illusion.

DEMON HUNTER frontman and Grammy Award-nominated designer Ryan Clark returns. Panic attacks, health scares, weight loss; cold showers; the breathing and cold therapy exercises of the Wim Hof Method; an examination of the phrase "the Fear of God"; reverence; iconography; symbolism; reflecting on the sheer volume of album artwork he's created; and more. Check out several of Ryan's album covers from over the years at RyanClarkRecordCovers.com.  Keep up with Demon Hunter and Invisible Creature. Follow No-Prize From God on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Follow Ryan J. Downey on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Check out other PopCurse network podcasts: PopCurse, Speak N' Destroy, and Hoosier Illusion.

BACKWORDZ. Reason Magazine described Eric July as “America’s top black Christian anarcho-capitalist rap-metal artist.” Eric has been on right-leaning media outlets like Fox News and The Blaze, but he doesn’t "cape" for any political party or elected official; he’s not even an official member of the Libertarian Party. As he told the Dallas Observer, his beliefs don’t boil down to wanting “to smoke weed, conspiracy theories, and inside jobs.” A self-described Voluntaryist, Christian Anarchist, and commentator, Eric is a former member of the band Fire From The Gods and has detailed many of his beliefs in BackWordz songs like “Self Ownership,” “Elitist,” and “Statheist.”  The Black Libertarian economists Eric mentions in the episode are Thomas Sowell and Walter E. Williams.  Learn more about Eric at EricDJuly.com.  Follow No-Prize From God on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Follow Ryan J. Downey on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Check out other PopCurse network podcasts: PopCurse, Speak N' Destroy, and Hoosier Illusion.

THRICE frontman Dustin Kensrue on his journey with life's big questions; his personal evolution; the relationship (or lack thereof) between Thrice and the so-called Christian Music genre; how toxic mismanagement caused the dissolution of the church where he served as worship leader; inerrancy in scripture; theologian Peter Enns, Alfred North Whitehead and process theology; transitioning from interviewee to interviewer; and his podcast, Carry The Fire. Keep up with Dustin on Twitter and check out his podcast, Carry The Fire. For background on the Mars Hill Church controversy we touch on in this episode, here's an in-depth piece in the Seattle Times.  Follow No-Prize From God on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Follow Ryan J. Downey on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Check out other PopCurse network podcasts: PopCurse, Speak N' Destroy, and Hoosier Illusion.

LIFE OF AGONY. Singer Mina Caputo, whose band is responsible for the metallic hardcore classic River Runs Red, talks about culture, spirit, human history, religion, transgender issues, connectivity, social media, psychedelics, and the inspiration she's drawn from writers, thinkers, and mystics like Terence McKenna, Alan Watts, Graham Hancock, Ram Dass, and Florence Scovel Shinn.  Follow No-Prize From God on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Follow Ryan J. Downey on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Check out other PopCurse network podcasts: PopCurse, Speak N' Destroy, and Hoosier Illusion.

W.A.S.P. Heavy metal frontman and target of the PMRC, Blackie Lawless talks about witnessing the birth of KISS; his Baptist upbringing; heavy metal’s obsession with faith, the devil, and God; how the church flourished under persecution; retracing Paul’s steps in ancient cities;  predestination; Calvinism; spiritual warfare; why he won’t perform certain songs anymore; and indoctrination vs. thinking for yourself. Follow No-Prize From God on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Follow Ryan J. Downey on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Check out other PopCurse network podcasts: PopCurse, Speak N' Destroy, and Hoosier Illusion.

BEHEMOTH. Adam Darski talks about the religious atmosphere of his upbringing; discovering radical spiritual ideas; black metal music; legally changing his middle name to Nergal; formally leaving the Catholic Church; the onstage performance and more recent Instagram post that led to a charges of blasphemy in the Polish courts; whether or not his battle with leukemia altered his views toward the bigger picture; and more.

BEYOND EX-GAY. Playwright, Bible scholar, and activist Peterson Toscano on his personal experience with so-called "conversion therapy"; what Scripture says about gender identity; climate change; comedy and social issues; changing hearts and minds within the church and without; and much more.  Follow No-Prize From God on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Follow Ryan J. Downey on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.  Check out other PopCurse network podcasts: PopCurse, Speak N' Destroy, and Hoosier Illusion.

SLEEPING WITH SIRENS. Kellin Quinn talks about his early childhood experiences with the church; getting into bands like Showbread and Underoath; his issues with certain practices and failures of organized religion; life's big questions and prayer with his own children; overbearing musical missionaries on the road; and where he's at in his personal journey today.  Follow No-Prize From God on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Follow Ryan J. Downey on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Check out other PopCurse network podcasts: PopCurse, Speak N' Destroy, and Hoosier Illusion.

EMPEROR is almost without equal in the black metal music scene. As frontman for the legendary Norwegian band and an accomplished solo artist, Ihsahn is uniquely qualified to speak with authority about the subculture. He talks about the evolution of his personal philosophy; the importance of meaning, purpose, and confrontation in art; Friedrich Nietzche; and much more.  Follow No-Prize From God on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Follow Ryan J. Downey on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Check out other PopCurse network podcasts: PopCurse, Speak N' Destroy, and Hoosier Illusion.