os radio opened its doors in 1996 and began to spread its independent radio program in the region around Osnabrück in Northern Germany. Two of the first shows ever aired were produced by long time members of the Osnabrück metal scene. Those were “What’s Metal” with Kiwi Gejas and Ralf Niehenke and “Hart an der Grenze” with Friso Gentsch and Markus Rehm. To streamline the radio station’s profile we decided to merge both shows, keeping the name “What’s Metal Radioshow”. We sent out recordings of the first shows to record labels, contacted the German metal media, designed our first homepage, spread tons of flyers and posters and of course invited our fave bands to join us in the studio. Within a few weeks the word spread, the “What’s Metal Radioshow” became well known in the region and got the necessary support from both labels and the local metal scene. A few months later also obscure small underground labels and bands from all over the planet sent their recordings, encouraged by the unorthodox playlists of the show. Due to family reasons Kiwi Gejas had to leave us in 2000, still being at hand as a stand-in in times of trouble. Markus Rehm was forced to relocate due to employment reasons in 2003, first to Frankfurt/Germany and then to Dublin/Ireland. But he still is contributing a vast amount of interviews and some selected gems of underground metal. To strengthen the organisational backbone of the show and to manage selecting the good from the bad records an enthusiastic metal head named Oliver Rickwärtz was taken on board. Also due to employment reasons he had to leave from the frontline in early 2006 and was replaced by our old fellow André Danowsky (Embedded-Guitarshredder). As an active musician he raised the level of the show by evaluating the theoretical and technical aspects of music. Together with Ralf Niehenke he now presents the show live from the studio; as always on Thursdays from 10-12 PM. Friso Gentsch (Rock Hard–Photographer) has retired from the production duties end of 2006, but is still member of the crew as he is managing the online tasks. A big THANK YOU goes out to all bands, listeners and labels that supported us throughout the years. Thumbs up! Following an annual summary of interviews we did and festivals we reported from:

2007:
Interviews: Paradise Lost, Cro Mags, Sardonic, Queensryche, Rage, Rose Tattoo, For Ruin, Brutal Truth, Jochen Fopp (Mirror of Deception & Doom Shall Rise Festival Organisator), Moonsorrow, Vital Remains, Twisted Tower Dire, Amon Amarth, Immolation, Negura Bunget, Volbeat, Hütte Rockt e.V. Organisator, Warhead, Martin Walkyer (ex-Skyclad), Poverty's No Crime, Blitzkrieg, Era Vulgaris, Rose Tattoo, Mael Mordha, Mass Extinction, Massacre
Festival Reports: Fuck The Commerce Festival, Rock Hard Festival, Bang Your Head Festival, With Full Force Festival, Wacken Open Air Festival, Party San Festival, Metalcamp, Day Of Darkness Festival/IE

2006:
Interviews: Dan Swanö, Slipknot, Vital Remains, Alice Cooper, Necrophagist, Exodus, Obtest, Cryptopsy, Axel Kruse (Mad Max/Jaded Heart), Old Season, "Into The Pit" Festival-Organisers, Dismember, Caliban, Dew-Scented, Hypocrisy, Cannibal Corpse, In Flames, Saxon, Wolfhelm-Producers, Reverend Bizarre, Krisiun, Sadus, Anata, Opeth, Chuck Schuldiner (Death), Jon Nödtveidt (Dissection), Blind Guardian, Rotten Sound, Skinless, Slayer, Textures, Mael Mordha, Enslaved, God Dethroned, Branded Skin, Sudden Death, Paradise Lost, Cro Mags, Sardonic, Queensryche, Rage, Rose Tattoo
Festival Reports: Fuck The Commerce Festival, Rock Hard Festival, Bang Your Head Festival, With Full Force Festival, Masters Of Rock Festival/CZ, Wacken Open Air Festival, Party San Festival, Summer Breeze Festival, Day Of Darkness Festival/IE, 10 Years What's Metal Party

2005:
Interviews: Behemoth, Krisiun, Blaze Bailey, Incantation, God Dethroned, Primordial, Kreator, Pungent Stench, Enslaved, Dark Tranquillity, Cradle Of Filth, Dying Fetus, The Haunted, Kamelot, Moonspell, Brocas Helm, Nile, Embedded, Devin Townsend, Masterplan, Anthrax, DAD-Festival Organisator, Circle II Circle, Mourning Beloveth, Demons & Wizards, Vigilante, Yngwie Malmsteen, Green Carnation, Obituary, Sentenced, Desaster, Rotting Christ, Nevermore, Moonsorrow, Spirit Corpse, Marduk, Soulfly, Tuatha De Dannan, Morgana Lefay, Boozed, Gorefest, Dragonforce, Decapitated, Soul Demise, Hidden In The Fog, Machine Men, Bruce Dickinson
Festival Reports: Rock Hard Festival, Bang Your Head, With Full Force, Day Of Darkness/IE, Wacken Open Air, Party San, Summer Breeze

2004:
Interviews: Seven Witches, Machine Head, Death Angel, Dew Scented, Desaster, Delicious Bowels Booking Agency, Black Destiny, Soulfly, Gorerotted, Primordial, Entombed, Celtic Legacy, Fuck the Commerce Organisers, Fleshcrawl, Cannibal Corpse, Kataklysm, Monstrosity, Cruachan, Ancient Rites, Dismember, Anthrax, Branded Skin, Duncan Patterson (Antimatter/Ex Anathema), Grave, Unleashed, Mayhem, Chris Caffery, Heaven Shall Burn, Oliver (Burning Stage Promoter), Mourning Beloveth, Golem, The Lord Weird Slough Feg, Fallen Saints, Final Breath, Emerald Promotions, Suffocation, Motörhead
Festival Reports: Wacken Open Air, Bang Your Head Open Air, With Full Force Open Air, Party San Open Air, Summer Breeze Open Air, Rock Hard Open Air, Osfest, Day of Darkness/IE

2003:
Interviews: Fuck the Commerce Organisers, Death by Dawn, Exodus, Grave, Burden of Grief, Fearer, Opeth, Madder Mortem, Devin Townsend, Corporation 187, Cradle of Filth, Testament, Satyricon, The Haunted, Children of Bodom, Soilwork, Mastic Scum, Lehavoth, Rotten Sound, Necrophobic, Dave Culross, Cephalic Carnage, Ingrowing, Osfest Organisers, Oliver (Burning Stage Promoter), Nevermore, Fallen Saints, Inhume, Poverty's No Crime, Rage, Disbelief, Overkill
Festival Reports: Wacken Open Air, Bang Your Head Open Air, With Full Force Open Air, Fuck The Commerce Open Air, Party San Open Air, Rock Hard Open Air, Summer Breeze Open Air, Osfest

2002:
Interviews: Slayer, Poverty's No Crime, Gamma Ray, Cannibal Corpse, Marduk, Saxon, Anathema, Vomitory, Bolt Thrower, Mourning Caress, Malevolent Creation, Fleshcrawl, Benediction, Profanation, Necrophagist, Maledictive Pigs, Fallen Saints, Obscenity, Immortal, Kadath, Beheaded, Impure, Gallery Of Darkness, Powergod, Draconis Sanguis, Iron Saviour, Disinter, Unholy Terror Magazine, Aird Righ, Tears of Decay, Branded Skin, Osfest Organisers, Vandenplas, Xiron, Illdisposed, Dew Scented, Kai Hansen, Black Destiny, Perverse
Festival Reports: Wacken Open Air, Bang Your Head Open Air, With Full Force Open Air, Fuck The Commerce Open Air, Party San Open Air, Osfest

2001:
Interviews: Stormwind, Avalon, Motörhead, Cradle of Filth, Speedealer, Macabre, In Extremo, Molly Hatchet, Xiron, Brett Pit, Virgin Steele, Freedom Call, Dimmu Borgir, Nevermore, Sinister, Bal Sagoth, God Dethroned, Amon Amarth, Tankard, Sepultura, Cryptopsy, Skinless, Groinchurn, Profanity, Kamelot, W.A.S.P., Martin Walkyer, Carnal Forge, Osfest Organisers, Krisiun, Megadeth, Opeth, Jag Panzer, Dormitory, Vader, Catastrophic, Supreme Majesty, Embedded
Festival Reports: Wacken Open Air, Bang Your Head Open Air, With Full Force Open Air, Fuck The Commerce Open Air, Osfest

2000:
Interviews: Burden of Grief, Dark Tranquillity, Kadath, Distream, God Dethroned, Pandämonium, Warhead, Amon Amarth, Satyricon, Behemoth, Rebaelliun, Kreator, Fleshcrawl, Act of Fate, Running Wild, Axxis, Raven, Therion, Pink Cream 69, Horst Odermatt (BYH Organiser), Impure, Re-Vison, Deterrent, Viu Drakh, 7Zuma7, Convent, Wolfgang (FTC Organiser), Black Destiny, Symphorce, Asphyx, Bound for Tomb, Monstrosity, Napalm Death, Osfest Organisers, Squealer, Desperados, Primordial, Cannibal Corpse, Eye Sea, In Flames, Metal Club „Chaos“ – Bielefeld, Eminence
Festival Reports: Dynamo Open Air, Wacken Open Air, Bang Your Head Open Air, With Full Force Open Air, Fuck The Commerce Open Air, Osfest

1999:
Interviews: Borknagar, Brett Pit, Sanity´s Dawn, Temple of the Absurd, Primal Fear, Castigate, Bolt Thrower, Xiron, Nocturnal Rites, Lefay, Pro Pain, Nevermore, Night in Gales, Subway to Sally, Warhead, Harmony Dies, Tommy Sandmann (Ex- Destruction), Secret Discovery, Grip Inc., Starseed, The Crown, Anathema, Enola Gay, Mob Rules, Limbonic Art, Karsten Rzehak (Underground Parties), Mystic Circle, Tankard, Freedom Call, Crematory, Megadeth, Metalium, Rage, Axel Rudi Pell, Morbus, Arch Enemy, Metal Church, Sodom, Decay, Rhapsody/Luca Turilli
Festival Reports: Dynamo Open Air, Wacken Open Air, Bang Your Head Open Air, With Full Force Open Air

1998:
Interviews: Rage & Lingua Mortis Orchestra, Kreator, Krisiun, Rough Silk, Black Destiny, Defleshed, Richthofen, Dark Tranquillity, Vader, Haggard, Graveworm, Paranoid, Holger Hübner (Wacken Open Air), Morbid Angel, Atrocity, Skyclad, Benediction, Cannibal Corpse, Children of Bodom, Hypocrisy, Edguy, Blind Guardian, Helloween, Dew Scented, Death, Dormitory, Overkill, Naglfar, Amon Amarth, Grave Digger, Cathedral, Doro, Morbus, Sudden Death, Sentenced, Raise Hell, Infernal Mäjesty, Crack Up, Kataklysm, Morgenroth, Venus Garden, Monstrosity, Wasteland, Obscure Disaster, Napalm Death
Festival Reports: Dynamo Open Air, Wacken Open Air, Bang Your Head Open Air, With Full Force Open Air

1997:
Interviews: Atrocity, In Flames, Lingua Mortis Orchestra, Rage, Enola Gay, Frozen Sun, D–Age, Bal Sagoth, Ungod, Sentenced, Marduk, Merciful Fate, Therion, Secret Discovery, Embedded, Crowbar, Warhead, Dimmu Borgir, Velvet Green, Götz Kühnemund, Solitude Aeturnus, My Dying Bride, Xaja, Entombed, Obituary, Mind Masque, Napalm Death, Alfred Diehl (Bock Tours), Malevolent Creation, Sinner, Subway to Sally, Graveworm, Krabathor, U.D.O., Hammerfall, Motörhead, High Jacker, Unrest, God Dethroned, Thorn, Gamma Ray, Flotsam & Jetsam, Dismember
Festival Reports: Dynamo Open Air, Wacken Open Air, Bang Your Head Open Air

1996:
Interviews: Morbus, Stahlhammer, Opeth, Cradle of Filth, Dormitory