History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff
Hosted by Martin Popoff · Pantheon Media
4.7from 245 ratings
- 380
- Episodes
- 116
- Transcribed
- 245
- Ratings
- Daily
- Cadence
- 2019
- First episode
- 5M
- YouTube views
About History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff
History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff is the show that aims to make grand and often oddball hard rock and heavy metal points through a narrative built upon the tiny idea of a quintet of songs. Buttressed with illustrative clips, Martin argues quickly and succinctly why these songs - and the specific sections of these tracks - support his mad professor premise, from the wobbly invention of an “American” heavy metal, to the influence of Led Zeppelin in hair metal or to more succinct topics like tapping and twin leads. The songs serve as bricks, but Martin slathers plenty of mortar. At the end, hopefully he has a sturdy house in which this week’s theory can reside unbothered by the elements. At approximately 7000, Martin has had published in books more record reviews than anybody in the history of music writing across all genres. Additionally, Martin has penned approximately 85 books on hard rock, heavy metal, classic rock and record collecting. Proud part of Pantheon - the podcast network for music lovers.
- Publisher
- Pantheon Media
- Category
- music
- Language
- en
- Explicit
- No
- First episode
- 29 Jun 2019
- Latest episode
- 6 Oct 2026
Latest episodes
116 of 380 episodes have a transcript.
6 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT
History in Five Songs Episode 380: Modest Metal Wins of the ‘90s
29 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT
History in Five Songs Episode 379: Improbable Certifications
22 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT
History in Five Songs Episode 378: Falsetto
Inside a recent episode
History in Five Songs Episode 380: Modest Metal Wins of the ‘90s
Published 6 Oct 2026 · Transcript excerpt
[…] But the one that went gold is Lights, Camera, Revolution. So seeing them do well, you know, in 1994 is pretty crazy because their songwriting wasn't exactly the best. They're kind of like a thrashy, shouty, hardcorey band, but with some cool personality out of Mike Muir there. And then another one that we loved seeing happen was Helmet with Meantime. Going Gold, August 4th, 1993, Certified Gold. Kind of like droney, non-melodic, grungy, math rock. Kind of cool band. But this is happening before we get the magazine going. But I remember there being a lot of push on for Betty. And the subsequent albums, they're on a major label at this point. […]
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Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
- YouTube views
- 5,331,250
- Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
- Apple Podcasts (US)
- 4.6 / 5
- 109 ratings
- Spotify
- 4.8 / 5
- 136 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 85 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
- Quality
- 95
- Social presence
- 0
- YouTube
- 93
- Engagement
- 96
Contact History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff
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- Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
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Questions about History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff
Who hosts History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff?
Martin Popoff host the show. Published by Pantheon Media.
How often do new episodes come out?
The show publishes daily, based on its RSS feed.
Does History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff take guests?
Yes. Guests have been identified in episode analyses.
Where can I read transcripts?
116 of 380 episodes have a transcript on Pod Engine. Full transcripts are available with a Pod Engine plan.
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