Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago

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Nik Nocturnal talks with AJ REBOLLO of ISSUES and @BADWOLVESBand about how the band was fusing R&B and metal into "Heavy R&B" years before Sleep Token existed — and how theory, arguments, and a lot of trial and error shaped it all

🎙️ Nik Nocturnal Podcast — Episode #93
Stream on Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/7hStFs0dDA6LChP73rGUhd
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Support AJ Rebollo

instagram.com/ajbends
youtube.com/@BADWOLVESBand
open.spotify.com/intl-pt/artist/0eI3X5rAzHRZVe5FPk4MN1?si=xDbZFjBRRnSln0v_z4yfMA
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Support Nik Nocturnal Podcast🙏
• Merch: corekid.ca
• Instagram: instagram.com/niknocturnalpodcast
• TikTok tiktok.com/@niknocturnalpodcast

CHAPTERS:

00:00 - How AJ's Guitar Work Shaped ISSUES' Sound
00:30 - Growing Up on Jackson 5 & Craig David
01:04 - "The Realist": The Song That Changed Everything
02:04 - Why AJ Doesn't Know Music Theory
03:25 - The Periphery Comparison
03:56 - "Theory Kind of Ruined How I Write"
05:14 - Making Heavy R&B Actually Cohesive
06:15 - The Argument With Tyler
07:06 - The Sleep Token Comparison
07:53 - Never Expecting to Inspire Other Bands

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#NikNocturnalPodcast #MetalPodcast #Issues #sleeptoken