Full Metal Racket

"Full Metal Racket" (formerly "3 Hours of Power") is an Australian heavy metal radio show airing on alternative youth broadcaster Triple J. It is hosted (and has been since 2001) by Andrew Haug, who is also the drummer for Melbourne metal band Contrive. The show currently airs on Tuesday nights at 10pm on Triple J.

The name is an obvious allusion to the popular Kubrick war film "Full Metal Jacket".

A notable, now former segment of the program is the 'Corpse Classic' - 3 songs played throughout the show off a pre-1987 heavy metal vinyl. Bands featured on this segment have been: Bathory, Suicidal Tendencies, Mötley Crüe and Spinal Tap, Iron Maiden among others. The 'Corpse Classic' was replaced with the similarly themed 'Heavy Metal Troopers' in 2008 because of 'running out of vinyl'.

Heavy Metal Troopers involves playing songs by a band that has put out 6 or more albums, regardless of their activity. Artists to be featured so far include Deicide, Death and Australian figureheads Alchemist.

Other regular segments on the show are "Metal Gods" and "Living After Midnight - Priest Salute". Metal Gods (named after the song by Judas Priest and using the chorus from the song as its intro) is a trivia segment, where callers must correctly answer three questions to be crowned "Metal God". Living After Midnight, also named after Judas Priest, occurs as the name suggests around midnight each week, and simply involves a Judas Priest track played. It replaced the similarly-themed "2 Minutes to Midnight" (an Iron Maiden salute) in mid-2008.

The program broadcasts pre recorded interviews by Andrew Haug with members of leading international bands. Major interviews aired on the show are:

Arch Enemy - Mike Amott (13/10/2006)
Blind Guardian - Hansi Kürsch (05/09/2006)
Black Label Society - Zakk Wylde (21/09/2006)
Celtic Frost - Tom G Fischer (02/07/2007)
Cannibal Corpse - Alex Webster (13/10/2006)
Dark Tranquillity - Mikael Stanne (21/09/2006 & 10/05/2007)
Fear Factory - Raymond Herrera (21/09/2006)
Killswitch Engage - Adam Dutkiewicz (24/10/2006)
Lamb of God - Randy Blythe (24/10/2006)
Megadeth - Dave Mustaine (24/10/2006)
Nevermore - Jeff Loomis (24/10/2006)
Nightwish - Tuomas Holopainen (22/03/2005)
Psycroptic - Dave Haley (28/03/2007)
Slayer - Dave Lombardo (13/10/2006) & Kerry King (24/04/2007)
Sebastian Bach - Sebastian Bach (05/09/2006)
Satyricon - Frost (13/12/2006)
The Haunted - Anders Bjorler (24/11/2006)
Testament - Chuck Billy (13/02/2007)
Virgin Black - Rowan London (25/07/2007)
Within Temptation - Sharon Den Adel (25/05/2007)

External links

* [http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/racket/default.htm Triple J - "Full Metal Racket" site]
* [http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/people/andrew_haug.htm Triple J - Andrew Haug's Profile]