HEAVY Music Interviews

Interview by Kris Peters Known for their raw and stripped-back sound, Death From Above 1979 have been described as everything from noise punk to dance punk, embodying a DIY ethos that Rolling Stone described as “noisy hardcore, gritty synths, and earnest screams.” The duo’s relentless beats, searing guitars, and ferocious energy practically summon you to the dance floor. Death From Above 1979 retu...

Interview by Kris Peters The Superjesus have been a mainstay on the Australian rock scene for more than three decades. Their infectious music coupled with arguably one of the best live shows in the country have endeared the band to generations of music lovers since their inception in the late 1990s, with the band's debut album Sumo in 1998 spawning fan favourites such as Down Again, Saturation and...

Interview by Angela Croudace Barry Johnson, vocalist and guitarist from Joyce Manor, sat down with HEAVY for a conversation about the band's upcoming Australian tour with The Wonder Years, their creative process, and life on the road. The Californian punk rockers are gearing up for a return to Australia, a place they’ve always enjoyed performing and connecting with passionate fans. With a long-sta...

Interview by Kris Peters New York trio SANHEDRIN released their long-awaited new full-length, Heat Lightning, last Friday via Metal Blade Records. SANHEDRIN has spent the last decade at the forefront of the American heavy metal scene blending traditional metal and hard rock sounds with a fresh modern energy and perspective. With 2022’s critically lauded Lights On full-length, the band had created...

Interview by Kris Peters When The Dillinger Escape Plan bid their fans farewell at the end of 2017 the resulting ripples in the live community could be felt around the world. Despite leaving at the top of their game, DEP still left more than a few fans with an overwhelming sense of loss, especially those who had heard about the band's legendary, aggressive and all encapsulating live performances,...

Interview by Kris Peters Indian heavy outfit Zygnema have spent the past 18 years honing and refining their sounds from their home base of Mumbai, releasing two full length albums, one EP and a handful of singles. The band won the Rolling Stone Metal Awards in 2011, 2014 and 2016 and have performed at Wacken Open Air, Inferno Metal Festival, Osna Metal Fest as well as a few independent shows/tours...

For the past 40 years, the venerated Thrash Metal outfit HEATHEN have abided by their never-say-die attitude. Formed in 1984 in San Francisco’s Bay Area—home to EXODUS, METALLICA, TESTAMENT, and DEATH ANGEL HEATHEN quickly separated themselves from the pack by expertly fusing David White’s distinctive vocals with a melody-driven and forward-thinking musical style. The band’s first two albums, Brea...

Interview by Angela Croudace Travis Stever, guitarist for both Coheed and Cambria and L.S. Dunes, is a musician who thrives on creative challenges. In an interview with HEAVY, Stever reflects on the evolution of Coheed’s sound, the ongoing exploration of new musical landscapes, and the balance between his two distinct musical worlds. When asked about Coheed and Cambria’s latest release, The Father...

Interview by Kris Peters When Adrian Smith (Iron Maiden) and Richie Kotzen (The Winery Dogs) first joined forces for their debut self-titled album in 2021 it was as though the music Gods had finally listened to our prayers. Here were two of possibly the greatest guitarists of the modern era in their preferred genres, forming a sonically unlikely union that most feared would be a one-time merging o...

Interview by Angela Croudace HEAVY had a chat with Austin Mileto, lead guitarist of Sisters Doll; the band's journey and their latest album Scars were explored in detail. From their glam rock beginnings to their evolution as a band, Sisters Doll's unique sound and captivating stage presence have resonated with audiences worldwide. The name, Sisters Doll, was inspired by the glam rock aesthetic the...

Interview by Kris Peters Driven by a desire to rise beyond their surroundings in the picturesque yet isolated region of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, vocalist Courtney Laplante and guitarist Mike Stringer combined to form Spiritbox in 2017. Little did they know their musical trajectory from there would be swift and monumental, cementing themselves as a household name in the Summer of 2020 wi...

Interview by Kris Peters Renowned doom metal merchants PALLBEARER make their return to Australia in March 2025 for an electrifying tour, promising to deliver their signature blend of haunting melodies and crushing riffs. Joining them on all dates will be special guests UK doom metal titans CONAN. The 2024 release of Mind Burns Alive finds Pallbearer navigating the space between disquiet and sereni...

Interview by Kris Peters Feeder delivered two monster albums in a row, 2001's Echo Park and 2002’s Comfort In Sound, establishing themselves as one of the UK’s biggest and most loved rock acts. But that was merely the beginning. While most of their peers faded away, Feeder cemented their place as one of the most enduring acts in modern rock with over 20 million albums sold, multiple number 1 album...

Interview by Kris Peters Bursting onto the scene in 2005 with a rap/metal hybrid sound that had, by then, all but vanished from the scene, Hollywood Undead almost made it a personal mission to revive the sound. By the time they released their 2008 debut album Swan Songs that mission had already been conquered and Hollywood Undead have been waging - and winning - countless battles ever since. Fans...

Interview by Kris Peters Fans all over the world worship DESTRUCTION as one of the biggest names in thrash metal with a 40+ year career. As part of the legendary Teutonic 4 alongside German thrash icons Sodom, Tankard and Kreator, DESTRUCTION have forged a legacy that will cement their place in metal history long after many of the bands of today have flown the coop. One of the most undisputedly im...

Interview by Angela Croudace In a recent chat with Nils Molin from the Swedish metal band Dynazty, we delved into the creative process behind their latest album, Game of Faces, exploring the album’s thematic depth, the challenges of creating music during post-pandemic times, and the band’s future plans. The album title reflects the duality Nils felt when writing the title track. He explained that...

Interview by Kris Peters Often life imitates art, but seldom in the way it has with melodic death metal band Dethklok who were literally given life via an animated television series when their popularity transcended the medium for which it was created, resulting in the forming of an actual band of the same name to continue the legacy that was growing rapidly before them. Basically, Dethklok is a f...

Interview by Angela Croudace It's not every day you get to chat with a band while they're deep in the chaos of tour preparations, but that's exactly what happened during my interview with ERRA's JT and Jesse Cash. The scene? Jesse roaming the aisles of a Walmart sorting out some last-minute tour merch. As Jesse explained, “Our merch guy is burning the midnight oil, and I had to run and get some th...

Interview by Kris Peters Australian music icon Diesel kick-started his Bootleg Melancholy Album Tour in December with explosive shows in Avoca Beach and Kiama, where fans got to experience the special musical language he has developed with his band of stalwarts, Richie Vez on bass and Lee Moloney on drums. Presented by New World Artists, Diesel, alongside Vez and Moloney, will resume the Bootleg M...

Interview by Kris Peters Sunshine Coast’s own punk rock force, Citizen Rat, has kicked off 2025 with their explosive new single, Shut My Mouth. After a over a year of refining their sound, they’re back — bright, bold, and louder than ever. With blistering riffs, raw emotion, and electrifying energy, Shut My Mouth is a fierce statement from a band carving out their own lane in the punk rock scene....

Interview by Kris Peters Knoxville deathcore outfit Whitechapel have spent too long locked down allowing the creative juices to flow and are set to explode with the release of their ninth studio album Hymns In Dissonance via Metal Blade on March 7. While Hymns In Dissonance follows 2021’s Kin chronologically, the new album is somewhat of a sequel to This Is Exile thematically, the three-word title...

Interview by Kyra-Jade Coombs and Angela Croudace Knotfest Australia 2025 swept through Brisbane and Melbourne last weekend, and has just one show remaining in Sydney before returning home for another 12 months. As expected, it was a bumper day filled with too many highlights to mention right now, but rest assured HEAVY made sure you get the story of the experience from the mouths of this behind t...

Interview by Kyra-Jade Coombs and Kris Peters Knotfest Australia 2025 swept through Brisbane and Melbourne last weekend, and has just one show remaining in Sydney before returning home for another 12 months. As expected, it was a bumper day filled with too many highlights to mention right now, but rest assured HEAVY made sure you get the story of the experience from the mouths of this behind the s...

Interview by Kyra-Jade Coombs and Angela Croudace Knotfest Australia 2025 swept through Brisbane and Melbourne last weekend, and has just one show remaining before returning home for another 12 months. As expected, it was a bumper day filled with too many highlights to mention right now, but rest assured HEAVY made sure you get the story of the experience from the mouths of this behind the scenes...

Interview by Jimmy Glinster and Angela Croudace Knotfest Australia 2025 swept through Brisbane and Melbourne last weekend, and has just one show remaining before returning home for another 12 months. As expected, it was a bumper day filled with too many highlights to mention right now, but rest assured HEAVY made sure you get the story of the experience from the mouths of this behind the scenes ma...