The esteemed panel of Knotfest.com contributors in Cori Westbrook, Daniel DeKay, Ryan J. Downey and Alicia Atout convened for their weekly exchange that touches on the latest and greatest in the world of heavy culture - thus, Heavy Conversation.

For the most recent roundtable, the crew had plenty to breakdown within the world of Knotfest. With the arrival of another preview from Slipknot's forthcoming album The End, So Far with the epic single "Yen" plus the very first in-person Pulse of the Maggots Festival descending on the birthplace of heavy metal in Birmingham, the talking heads had plenty of fodder.

Diving into the third cut from Slipknot, the general consensus all seemed floored that the masked nine seemed to descending further into the darkest spaces of their creativity. Intensity and instrumentation aside, the thematic weight of the track all resonated with the panel with lyrics like, As the knife goes in, cut across my skin // When my death begins // I wanna know that I was dying for you // I died for you driving home the idea that the 'Knot bask in the bleak.

The second portion of the weekly meeting was an especially proud moment for the panel. Championing the notion of discovery, the Pulse of the Maggots series that held it's first-ever in person showcase in the birthplace of metal - Birmingham, UK.

Evolving from a streaming performance showcase that intended to highlight emerging talent during the darkest times of the pandemic, the brand has since grown to become a tastemaker in the space, serving as a platform for artists considered next on deck with heavy culture. With personal involvement in the series and a sincere passion for young talent within the community, everyone was beaming with pride in just how significant the first in-person showcase was and to have it such an important destination only underscored just how much the brand as developed.

Wrapping with a back-and-forth detailing the new music everyone is listening to, Dekay was quick to hail praise on Sumerlands, the shred-tastic project from mega producer Arthur Rizk. Downey chimed in and spoke with the utmost reverence for Max Cavalera, acknowledging that we don't celebrate our living legends enough before highly recommending his latest with Soulfly in "Filth Upon Filth".

Stream the full episode of Heavy Conversation below.