Radical Research Podcast

Rarely can a rock or metal band be described in terms of open-heartedness, nostalgia, or compassion. But the subject of Radical Research’s 92nd episode defies convention in nearly every way. Madison, Wisconsin’s Last Crack was a band that seemed on the brink of breakout success but, ultimately, condemned to wander the corridors of obscurity. They recorded their second album at Eldorado Studios in Hollywood, and released the results via Roadracer/Roadrunner in 1991. To our ears, Burning Time is a masterpiece of left-field hard rock/metal. A mesh of razor-sharp guitars, a deft rhythm section, and the magisterial wailings of the group’s master of ceremony, Buddo, Burning Time embraces the listener and brings us into its enchanted Midwestern fantasia.Note I:Our apologies to Last Crack: ”Mini Toboggan” deserves so much better than some kind of crass comparison to a ridiculously-titled Cannibal Corpse song. We were feeling plucky on this night. But seriously, we do so love this song to the utter ends of our lives,