#364 DOWN & Helmet — Strap It Down Tour Pre-Game: Atlanta 2026

“It’s been a while since we’ve been to a show together…”

The STRAP IT DOWN Summer Tour kicks off on Saturday, August 15, 2026, at The Eastern in Atlanta, Georgia, featuring DOWN, HELMET, & SPIRIT IN THE ROOM, so naturally, we decided to engage in a little PRE-GAME preparation to get in the right headspace for the show.

As you may recall, we last traveled to The Eastern back in 2024 when we saw King Diamond and Overkill, and the sound and layout of the venue made for one of the best concert experiences we’ve had in quite some time. Having said that, we are equally excited to get to see DOWN & HELMET on the first date of this tour at this venue as this show (and tour) promises to be one of the most crushing metal events of the summer.

Always remember that when you’re buying tour shirts to “get ‘em big, because when you do laundry, things shrink”. Find out who’s getting the “hog slap” and discover which podcast makes “laying face down more enjoyable” when you JOIN US for the PRE-GAME show as we kick things off in preparation for the STRAP IT DOWN Summer Tour featuring DOWN & HELMET.

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Show Notes & Time Stamps

(00:01): “Yeah, that is some salty jerky. Why do they call it ‘jerky’?”/

“Ohhh…it got on my face…” / #markthetime /

“So and so said that so and so was on drugs last night…um, duh!” /

“That was the best blooper I’ve ever seen…”/ #BravesVsMarlins /

***WARNING: #listenerdiscretionisadvised *** / “I’m gonna feng shui this…”/

***WELCOME BACK TO THE METAL NERDERY PODCAST IN THE BUNKERPOON CENTER FOR METAL EXCELLENCE!!!***

“It’s been a while since we’ve been to a show together…” / “You get a hog slap…” /

“Metallica was June of 2025…the King (Diamond) was November 2024…”/

“Actually, no, you DO get the hog slap…”

(05:01): “How about them Patreon folks?”/

***PATREON US at www.patreon.com/metalnerderypodcast *** /

“Get ‘em big, because when you do laundry, things shrink…”/ #fatclothes /

“Were you bigger when you were married?”/ “I mean, I was married, so…that’s part of it…”/

#infidelity / “It’s not like I’m banging some hooker…it’s Wristina, you’ve known her…”/

“Actually, he just switched…he’s a switch hitter…”/

“There was a massive rainbow yesterday after that big storm we had…”/

“Perhaps Dark Side of the Moon might be Ronnie James Dio’s favorite Pink Floyd album…”/

“Dude, you need to start cupping those…there’s gonna be a burp super mix…”

(09:46): ***SOCIAL MEDIA US AT #metalnerderypodcast on #YouTube #Facebook #Instagram #TikTok ***EMAIL US at metalnerdery@gmail.com *** /

“We’ll have to do it together, so it gets burned into your brain…”/ #markthetime /

#GrimReaper / “Hold on, the email is from The Drunken Irishman…”/

“They make laying face down more enjoyable…”/ “What is your opinion of the British heavy metal band Grim Reaper?” / “They did a lot of stuff in Hell…”/

“I’m sorry we’re talking about you like you’re in the other room…”/

#GrimReaper SEE YOU IN HELL (See You In Hell – 1983 (1984 in the USA)) /

“The next one’s gonna be bigger…”/ “That sounds like 1983…”/ #NightRanger /

“Remember the arcade game Moon Patrol?” / “Boon Duggy…”/ #arcadegames /

“I feel like we do ‘go-fish’ whenever we do this…”/

***GIVE US A CALL AND VOICEMAIL US AT 980-666-8182!!!***

#MartyFuckingMoose / #Melvins /

“Fun fact…the last time that I saw DOWN, Melvins opened for them…at Center Stage I think…” / “They’ve got like 30 albums I think…oh boy, let’s count ‘em…29!”/

“Let’s fuck before we eat, that’s a better idea…”

(21:11): “Did you see the new Tony Iommi track (short film)?”/

#TonyIommi WORLD ALONE (From The Dark – 10/23/2026) / “What is he, 78?”

(26:02): “How about some ‘Ask The Metalhead’?” / #AskTheMetalhead /

“Who’s the best guitarist in metal EVER!?” /

“Which underrated band deserves WAY more recognition?” / “Alright, let’s do one more…”/

“What album would you delete from a great band’s catalog…other than Metallica?” /

“Alright, last one…Which decade had the best metal: 80’s, 90’s or 2000’s?” /

“One day we’re gonna do a Dream Theater episode…”/

“Next time we do a Chronicles, we’re doing that…we’ve gotta do it…” / #LickItUp /

“And then after that, we’ll do The Power Ballads…”

(36:40): #TheDocket METAL NERDERY PODCAST PRESENTS: THE STRAP IT DOWN TOUR (featuring DOWN, HELMET, & SPIRIT IN THE ROOM) PRE-GAME SHOW /

#Alanna / #markthetime / “You know what, I think to kick things off…” /

#DOWN THE SEED (DOWN II – A Bustle In Your Hedgerow – 2002) / “Larry Gitis…”

(41:54): “I got another one here…” / WITCHTRIPPER (DOWN IV – Part I – 2012) /

“That’s got a Sabbath vibe to it…”/ “They were supposed to do 4 different EP’s for Down IV…”/ “Got another Hog Slap on the way, pal…”

(45:30): GHOSTS ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI (DOWN II – A Bustle In Your Hedgerow – 2002) / “You can smell the moss on it…”/ WHERE I’M GOING /

(NOTE: Check out the Loyola University interview with Phil Anselmo from 2009) /

“Just a dark night in the swamp…it’s just got a dark, haunting quality to it…”/

“Sometimes going through Hell makes beautiful art…”/ #GarzaPodcast #SmokingJesus

(52:42): “How about some Helmet?” / #Helmet MILQUETOAST (Betty – 1994) /

“I like those ringy chords…”/ “Here’s a Helmet question for you, Billiam: which album do you prefer - Meantime or Betty?”

(56:27): #Helmet SEE YOU DEAD (Size Matters – 2004) / “Okay, Betty or Aftertaste?”/

#markthetime / DRIVING NOWHERE (Aftertaste – 1997)

(1:00:03): “I’m not familiar with this one at all…”/ BAD NEWS (Dead To The World – 2016) / DEAD TO THE WORLD / #CartmanASMR / “It’s kinda got an Ozzy quality to it…”/

“Wanna check out the last album, LEFT?”/ HOLIDAY (Left – 2023) / “And we’re back…”/

“Angry Helmet is better…” / “This one just popped in my head, so I wanna hear it…”/

#Helmet #HouseOfPain JUST ANOTHER VICTIM (Judgment Night Soundtrack – 1993) /

NOTE: (Helmet) were briefly a 3 piece during Aftertaste

(1:07:17): “Wanna do one more DOWN to round it out?”/

#DOWN EYES OF THE SOUTH (Nola – 1995) / THANK YOU FOR JOINING US!!! /

“We’ll have a report when we come back from the show…I think we might be the first date on this next leg…” / NOTE: The Strap It Down Summer Tour starts in Atlanta, Georgia on August 15, 2026, at The Eastern /

#DOWN #Helmet #SpiritInTheRoom / #untilthenext #outroreel