HEAVY Music Interviews

Interview by Angela Croudace Buster Bloodvessel, the iconic frontman of the legendary ska band Bad Manners, is about to bring the party to Australia with the band's greatest hits. As they prepare to perform for eager fans down under, Buster reflects on the band's incredible journey through the music scene and the ever-changing world of touring. From the early days of Bad Manners to their upcoming...

Interview by Kris Peters Melbourne rock outfit Shotgun Mistress have been riding the wave of their most recent album, Kings Of The Revolution ever since it was released last June. It was a strong, powerful and infectious collection of hard rock tunes that came as close as you could probably get to the exhilarating live experience of catching Shotgun Mistress on stage, opening the door for shows wi...

Interview by Kris Peters Sydney metal outfit Inertia announced themselves on the scene last year with the release of their debut album, Second Shadow. Blending the boundaries of the genre by bringing elements of dark pop and soul to the surface of a melting pot that traverses the darkest reaches of hard rock and metal, Second Shadow opened Inertia up to a generation of music lovers yearning for ac...

Interview by Kris Peters Rising from the fog with outstretched arms and haunting melodies are The Witching Hour, ready to embrace the uninitiated into the cult of the damned with their latest single Dead Inside. With their breakout single Sleep With The Stars reaching 1.4 million Spotify streams and being played on radio internationally, The Witching Hour has already made one hell of an impact, ev...

Interview by Kris Peters Michigan rock outfit Pop Evil - as their name suggests - have managed to find that elusive sweet point between hard rock and pop that many, including myself, thought was never possible. While the band's first two albums Lipstick On The Mirror and War Of Angels laid the platform for future success, it wasn't until 2013's Onyx that the rest of the world started to fully catc...

Interview by Kris Peters Music is a funny beast, especially when it comes to genre classification. It can make you listen to bands expecting a particular sound but getting something vastly different, or it could also put people off listening to bands based on personal taste. Take Santa Cruz outfit Scowl, who are readily labelled as a hardcore band, but in reality offer so much more. Sure, Scowl ha...

Interview by Kris Peters Season to Risk are a noise rock band that debuted surprisingly on Columbia Records after the early 90s indie-signing frenzy. Known as relentless road dogs, constantly on tour for years. With roots in the 80s hardcore scene, Season to Risk were hailed as “the next Soundgarden” after their almost radio-friendly first album was released. But they took their major label money...

Interview by Angela Croudace Celebrating two decades of making music, Mayday Parade frontman Derek Sanders recently opened up about the band’s journey, the impact of their classic album A Lesson in Romantics, and the excitement surrounding their 20th-anniversary celebrations. “It’s wild,” Sanders says of the milestone. Reflecting on how the band, formed in Tallahassee, Florida, had no idea where t...

Interview by Kris Peters In the little over a decade since Neck Deep formed in the Barlow brothers’ spare room in Wrexham, Wales, a lot has changed. From the scrappy, naively hopeful beginnings that define the starting of so many teenage bands, the pop-punks have gone on to be one of British Rock music’s most successful global exports in recent memory: top 5 records in both the US and UK, global t...

Interview by Kris Peters Since releasing their acclaimed debut album Tū (2018), New Zealand metal warriors Alien Weaponry have been lauded for their kinetic presence and sound, as well as their vital blend of culturally profound lyricism in both English and te reo Māori, the indigenous language of New Zealand. Still in their teens when that album took the world by storm and with the sudden burden...

Interview by Kris Peters English rock outfit Slung’s upcoming debut album is a collaborative combustion of its members’ experiences, circumstances and supreme musicianship. Their sonic universe - comprising the power of guitarist Ali Johnson’s incendiary riffs, vocalist Katie Oldham’s enviable dynamic and tonal range, bassist Vlad Matveikov’s undulating, yet grounding bass lines and drummer Ravi M...

Interview by Kris Peters The last 12 months has seen punk rock outfit the Wolsten Butchers share the stage with some iconic punk rock acts like The Decline, and international punk stalwarts Guttermouth and Belvedere, but none of those experiences could have prepared them for the unexpected and massive success of the single Live Dead Die Fast which catapulted the name Wolsten Butchers into corners...

Interview by Kris Peters Busting out of the musical walls of Brisbane in late 2022, five childhood friends united to create an infectious cocktail of catchy, heavy riffs, hard-hitting lyrics and purposeful melodies. Familiar, yet unique, the HISS sound is as diverse as the appearance and influences of the individual band members themselves. Their frenetic hook-laden energy - think Alice In Chains...

Interview by Angela Croudace In a recent interview, Chas Levi, the drummer of Justice For The Damned, shared his excitement about returning to the stage after a challenging period, as well as the band's highly anticipated new music and upcoming Australian tour. The band's journey has been anything but easy, but with their latest single, The Current, they have come out stronger and more determined...

Interview by Kris Peters Phil Cambpell was, and always will be, primarily known for being one-third of the legendary metal outfit Motorhead. For more than 30 years Campbell stood side by side on the biggest stages in the world alongside his brother Lemmy, recording 16 albums and having a major role in Motorhead classics like Orgasmatron, Killed by Death, Going to Brazil, Eat the Rich, Stone Deaf i...

Interview by Kris Peters After earning themselves an ARIA nomination with 2022's album Heroine, Melbourne metal titans Thornhill have pulled out all stops to ensure its successor further explores the sonic parameters in which their music falls. Bodies finds Thornhill elevating to spectacular new heights, offering an unbridled explosion of raw vulnerability fused with some of the band's heaviest mo...

Interview by Kris Peters American hard rock outfit Winger have been a mainstay in the global music scene for almost 40 years, with their triple-platinum, self-titled debut album spawning hits like Seventeen, Headed for a Heartbreak, and Madalaine.  Their sophomore album, In the Heart of the Young, solidified Winger's place in rock history, delivering anthems such as Miles Away and Can’t Get Enuff,...

Words by Angela Croudace After decades since their last show in Australia, Brad Roberts of Crash Test Dummies is excited to return. The Canadian band’s first Australian tour, back in the early 90s, was met with poor attendance as they were relatively unknown at the time. “When we played our first tour in Australia, we were promoting our very first record, Ghosts That Haunt Me. We had a hit in Cana...

Interview by Angela Croudace In an interview with Simone Simons, lead vocalist of the symphonic metal band Epica, we dive into the band’s upcoming album Aspiral—a powerful reflection of their growth, both musically and personally. Simone describes Aspiral as a fresh start, where the band’s continuous evolution is highlighted through their music and lyrics. The title of the album was inspired by a...

Interview by Kris Peters Within Destruction, Slovenia’s most awesomely audacious, genre-defying metal pioneers, have officially announced their next chapter with the reveal of their upcoming album Animetal set for release on April 11, 2025, via Sumerian Records. To mark the news, the band has dropped their electrifying new single Cybergirl, accompanied by an official music video that plunges liste...

Interview by Kris Peters With the modern world embracing technology like never before, it was only a matter of time before the metal scene and metal music became caught up in its web. Don't get me wrong, technology and the wonders of modern advancement have long been a part of the music industry - everywhere from live sound to studio tricks to programmed drums - but it is the concept of AI that ha...

Interview by Kris Peters Sydney hard rock/metal outfit Bare Bones are the gift that keep on giving musically. Over more than a decade in the Australian music scene, the band have never shied away from their beliefs, maintaining a DIY approach to life and music that has seen them win the respect of their peers as well as the adulation of a quickly growing fan base that pretty much doubles every tim...

Interview by Angela Croudace Cradle of Filth’s frontman, Dani Filth, sat down with HEAVY to discuss the band’s 14th studio album, The Screaming of the Valkyries, their evolution over the years, and the provocative themes they've explored in their music. Dani shared that the new album brings a modern sound while still nodding to Cradle of Filth’s roots, with a blend of fresh ideas and older influen...

Interview by Angela Croudace Letlive’s reunion isn’t just a return to the stage—it’s an emotional and spiritual journey for the band. After a seven-year break, the group, which originally formed in 2002, has reconnected, sharing stories of their lives and realising they were all in similar places. This realisation, combined with their shared love for music and each other, sparked the decision to h...

Interview by Kris Peters Adelaide thrash metal outfit Hidden Intent have never tried to hide their influences. In fact, they have always worn them more as a badge of honour, an unmistakable pointer to their roots past, present and future. Playing a brand of 80s-throwback thrash metal - a form of music that wholly embraces its American and European roots in the Bay Area, Scandinavian and Teutonic t...