Nick Barker Returns to talk nearly losing his legs, 30 Years of VEMPIRE, memoirs & RUSH (July 2026)

Nick Barker’s GoFundMe page - https://gofund.me/458a87a7f The False Face Show 07 – The Return of Nick Barker– July 2026: presented in association with @MentalHealthForMetalheads and Barker's BlastFest (links below description) Nick Barker returns to the show this week to provide an excruciating account of his recent near-death experience with calciphylaxis and cellulitis and to provide an update on his health in general, and as you can see above I've linked to his GoFundMe campaign because Nick still needs our help until he can get back working. Send him a fiver, or the cost of a CD, or more if you can spare it. There's also a chat at the end of this video with the organisers of Barker's BlastFest, an all-day fundraiser for Nick's benefit - tickets for that can be ordered below, come join us and say hi! Nick and I also present for its 30th anniversary an EXCLUSIVE full-album commentary for Cradle of Filth's 1996 classic Vempire. Vempire is discussed in minute detail in real-time so listen along with us if you've got a copy - the official album stream from Darkness Shall Rise is linked here and the order link is at the bottom of this page -    • CRADLE OF FILTH - V Empire, Or Dark Faeryt...   00:00 - Episode Introduction 04:04 - Catch up with Nick 01:34:07 - Vempire Commentary Introdution 01:37:18 - "Ebony Dressed for Sunset" 01:40:08 - "The Forest Whispers My Name" 01:44:48 - "Queen of Winter, Throned" 01:55:15 - "Nocturnal Supremacy" 02:01:09 - "She Mourns a Lengthening Shadow" 02:04:51 - "The R*** and Ruin of Angels" 02:13:33 - Post-Commentary Thoughts 02:19:33 - Bonus Barker! 02:50:23 - Meet the organisers of Barker's Blastfest In what has replaced my previous conversation as Nick's new Longest Interview Ever, we cover a lot of other ground including his thoughts on the return of Rush and our worship of Neil Peart and fast-growing admiration of Anika Nilles, the highs and lows of meeting your heroes while inebriated, and what Cronos told him about why Tom Araya has a black eye on the Ultimate Revenge Combat Tour video. Nick also reflects on his friendships with Shane Embury, David Gray and the Ak boys and how he finally made contact with Iggor Cavalera during the pandemic. His account of jamming with Sepultura with pneumonia is not to be missed. Keep your eyes peeled too for a brief blast beat lesson from the master. We might get that instructional video one day but for now, make do! I've been pestering Nick to come back on the show to talk about Vempire for months (its anniversary was April of this year) and as with before, it was an unqualified pleasure talking with him. Upcoming shows with members of Akercocke, The Berserker, Fear Factory, At the Gates and more are coming, so get SUBSCRIBED my friends. Let's have a chat about VEMPIRE and Nick (and whatever else you’re into) in the comments, I keep an eye on all of that. It's a stone cold gas to have you – Paul FRIENDS OF THE SHOW AND LINKS Barker's BlastFest Tickets - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/barker... Mental Health for Metalheads - order at Cult Never Dies - https://cultneverdies.myshopify.com/p... John Cowan and Dede Booth’s Merröw (2026) – https://merrow-music.bandcamp.com/alb... Shane Embury’s Bridge to Resolution (2026) - https://www.cherryred.co.uk/catalogse... Mental Health for Metalheads Website - https://mentalhealthformetalheads.com/ Nick Barker’s GoFundMe page - https://gofund.me/458a87a7f Darkness Shall Rise Productions - Vempire - https://darknessshallrise.de/product/...