HEAVY Music Interviews

Interview by Kris Peters Thirty years after the tragic loss of frontman Bradley Nowell, California’s premier ska-punk icons Sublime have defied the impossible. The band has returned with their new album Until the Sun Explodes (June 15), their first full-length studio album of entirely original material since 1996. Arriving via Atlantic Records, this highly anticipated 21-track LP is a monumental g...

Interview by Kris Peters Let’s be honest for a second. When you hear that Karnivool is touring, your ears instantly prick up. They are the undisputed kings of Australian progressive rock, a band that makes complexity sound like second nature. But when the tour announcement dropped, the words Car Bomb and TesseracT were slapped on the bill alongside them, things suddenly took an even bigger turn fo...

Interview by Kris Peters Australia's hardest working rock outfit Airbourne are the official supporting act for Guns N' Roses across the Australia and New Zealand leg of their World Tour. This high-voltage stadium tour pairs two generations of fierce rock icons. Hailing from Warrnambool, Victoria, Airbourne was formed by brothers Joel and Ryan O'Keeffe and are a seamless fit for the legendary Los A...

Interview by Kris Peters Seattle’s favourite bald, bearded, heavy metal comedian, Luke Severeid, is returning Down Under this September for his highly anticipated headline stand-up tour, aptly titled Here To F#@k Spiders. Presented by premier music and entertainment promoter Destroy All Lines, this national run cements Severeid's status as one of the most explosive, must-see comedy acts in the glo...

Poison The Well is touring Australia in June 2026, marking their highly anticipated return to the region for the first time since 2009. This massive headlining run celebrates a monumental new era for the Florida metalcore heavyweights following the release of Peace In Place, their first studio album in 16 years. For local fans who have spent nearly two decades missing the band's visceral energy, t...

Australian rock legends The Superjesus are celebrating the 25th anniversary of their landmark sophomore album, Jet Age, with a national tour that kicks off in Brisbane tonight, June 5. Released in October 2000 through EastWest Records, Jet Age marked a massive creative and commercial evolution for the Adelaide-formed band. Following the gritty, raw, grunge-fuelled success of their 1998 debut album...

Interview by Kris Peters Drowning Pool's multi-platinum debut album, Sinner, celebrates its 25th anniversary with a special reissue via Craft Recordings, marking its release date on June 5.  First unleashed in 2001, Sinner remains a towering monument of the nu metal era. It quickly rocketed the Dallas-based heavy metal band into global stardom, debuting at No. 14 on the Billboard 200 and achieving...

Words by Ali Williams Ben Kweller is excited to be heading back to Australia in July with his Cover The Mirrors tour. It has been a while between visits. Kweller says he has not toured Australia since before the pandemic, making this run something of a proper return after the world decided to collectively lose the plot for a few years.  “I’m so excited,” he says. “I love Australia. I haven’t been...

Interview by Angela Croudace For more than three decades, Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale has weathered the highs and lows of the music industry, but the band's current resurgence feels less like a comeback and more like the reward for years of persistence. Speaking ahead of Bush's Australian tour this September alongside Shinedown, Rossdale reflects on the band's renewed popularity, comparing succes...

Interview by Ali Williams Spiderbait stands as one of Australia’s most enduring alternative rock bands. Formed in 1989 in the small town of Finley, New South Wales, the trio comprises Janet English on bass and vocals, Whitt (Damian Whitty) on guitar, andKram (Mark Maher) on drums and vocals. The childhood friends began playing in a local tractor shed, forging a unique, high-energy sound that blend...

Interview by Kris Peters This August, Tasmania's finest export, extreme metal pioneers, Psycroptic join like-minded-and-saxophone-wielding US progressive death wizards Rivers of Nihil for a co-headline tour that brings together two elite bands operating at the highest tier of modern death metal. For Psycroptic, the timing couldn’t be stronger. Off the back of relentless global touring alongside th...

Interview by Ali Williams Some bands age quietly into legacy status, then there is The Living End, who appear to have treated the passing of time as a personal dare. After decades of twisting punk, rockabilly, sharp-suited swagger and full-throttle Australian rock into something entirely their own, the band are now being welcomed into the ARIA Hall of Fame. For bass player Scott Owen, speaking wit...

Interview by Angela Croudace After more than two decades as one of metalcore’s most respected bands, August Burns Red are finally heading back to Australia this September, and drummer Matt Greiner says the excitement from fans has been overwhelming. Speaking ahead of the tour, Greiner revealed Australia will be the first country to experience a full headline run celebrating the band’s upcoming alb...

Interview by Kris Peters This week the global rock underground is shifting its focus Down Under as Norwegian stoner rock prodigies Slomosa touch down for their first-ever Australian headline tour. Armed with their critically acclaimed album Tundra Rock, the Bergen-based quartet is prepared to bring a sonic avalanche to local music venues. Dubbed the "New Kings of the Stone Age" by critics, Slomosa...

Interview by Ali Williams Metal legends Andy La Rocque (King Diamond) and Nils K Rue (Pagans Mind) hooked up with HEAVY Mag's Ali Williams to chat about their new project Lex Legion and their new album.  Joining La Rocque and Rue are Pete Blakk (King Diamond), Mikkey Dee (King Diamond, Scorpions, Mötorhead) and Hal Patino (King Diamond). Lex Legion’s debut album is set for release on June 12, and...

Interview by Kris Peters Gargoyle of the Garden State, the highly anticipated debut solo album from Skid Row co-founder and bassist Rachel Bolan, releases on 12 June 2026 via earMUSIC.  Stepping into the spotlight under the moniker BOLAN, this record marks a monumental milestone in the musician's four-decade career. Driven by a desire to craft something entirely his own, Bolan handles the vast maj...

Interview by Kris Peters For over two decades now, Escape The Fate have been one of the most recognisable names in modern hard rock, building an incredible catalogue packed with stadium-wrecking hooks, ferocious riffs and the kind of jackhammer heaviness that has kept fans coming back since their breakthrough record, 2008’s This War Is Ours. The bands latest release, 2025’s Redefined, once again s...

Interview by Kris Peters Australia’s own Rose Carleo Band returns with a bold, soul-stirring new album, 42 Days, out now. A deeply personal and sonically rich collection, this release captures the very essence of resilience, transformation, and raw human emotion. Fronted by acclaimed vocalist, songwriter, and next Queen of Rock Rose Carleo, the band has carved out a reputation for blending blues,...

Interview by Kris Peters Rising rock force Bailey Spinn is casting a spell with her hypnotic new single, “Voodoo,” out Friday, May 15. Dark, addictive, and laced with attitude, the track leans into a moody rock soundscape built on pulsing production, gritty guitars, and Bailey’s signature bite.  Co-written and produced by Jon Lundin (FEVER 333, State Champs, Senses Fail), “voodoo” captures the int...

Interview by Cecilia Pattison-Levi Since launching her solo career, Tarja has consistently charted internationally and built one of the most loyal fanbases in the genre, willing to follow her in every new adventure. Across more than two decades, Tarja has released a highly successful catalogue, reaching the Top 10 of multiple European album charts and establishing herself as an artist of rare cons...

Interview by Kris Peters Known for redefining genre boundaries, Prompts have built a reputation for masterfully fusing elements of nü-metal, mathcore, djent and deathcore, crafting a sound that is entirely unique to them that feels both experimental and refined. With members hailing from both Japan and South Korea, the band’s dual heritage continues to shape their distinctive sound - a melding of...

Interview by Scarlett Myors (12 years old) Music and musical tastes are very much an individual and personal thing, with heavy metal and hard rock being more of an acquired taste for the younger generation rather than a natural progression. Put simply, it's not easy to steer the youth of today down a path to harder edged music, especially when competing with things like K-Pop and the likes. But mu...

Interview by Ali Williams If there’s one thing metal fans adore, it’s passion — and talking to Yoth Iria’s Nikolas and Jim (the legendary Jim Mutilator, no less) proves the Greeks have it in spades. Despite what might be the most lag-ridden Zoom call in human history, we all the patience of monks and the enthusiasm of headbangers at their first gig. And managed to have a conversation bursting with...

Australian filmmaker Chris Sun has spent over 15 years building a reputation in the horror world crafting brutal, unforgettable films like Daddy’s Little Girl, Charlie’s Farm and BOAR. Now, he’s turning that same cinematic intensity toward a new frontier: music videos. With the launch of Sun Entertainment, Chris is stepping into the global music scene with one clear mission — to give artists bold,...

Interview by Angela Croudace One can’t overstate the size of the FEAR FACTORY boot print on the neck of heavy metal. Unleashing influential albums with devastating anthems for 35 years now, they are widely recognized as both crucial and innovative in extreme metal circles.  FEAR FACTORY manufactured, demanufactured, and remanufactured a sound that reverberates across several subgenres. They perfec...