HEAVY Music Interviews

Interview by Angela Croudace HEAVY sat down with PK, the passionate frontman of Japanese heavy metal band Prompts. His journey from Korea to Japan, fueled by a love for metal, has become an inspiring tale of perseverance and friendship. PK shared his experiences growing up in Korea, where the overwhelming popularity of K-Pop shaped the music landscape. “Most kids were into K-Pop, but my small grou...

The name John 5 is akin to God in the world of guitars. Over his career, John has played not only as part of bands, but also as a guest musician and gun for hire, to the extent that it would probably be easier to list the musicians he HASN'T played with before rather than the ones he has. But try this on for size. Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson, Rob Halford, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, David Lee Roth, Al...

Although having rock music hardwired to nearly every thread of his sonic DNA, Shihad frontman Jon Toogood is also compelled to expose himself through calmer means. For a man best known for songs like My Mind's Sedate, The General Electric and Sleepeater, Toogood's decision to release his first solo album as an acoustic body of work came as a surprise to most, but not those who follow the man not t...

Brisbane hard rock outfit PistonFist are capping off a stellar 2024 with the release of the first single in a new album cycle, Repent. After a year that has seen the Brisbane hard rocking outfit complete their first international tour as well as sign with rising Australian label XMusic, PistonFist invites you to Repent all of your sins and join them on the next leg of their musical journey, which...

Myles Kennedy is fast becoming a living legend of the rock scene. If not alone for the fact he sings for two of the world's most recognisable bands in Alter Bridge and Slash Ft Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators just add in his solo material which is a different beast entirely showcasing just how good a power trio can sound when in the studio. That trio is on the cusp of releasing their third al...

Heavy metal music is alive and well in Japan. For a country more recognised for being conservative and polite when it comes to social interactions, the amount of talented, unrecognised and socially unacceptable bands doing the rounds is almost unfathomable. Over six previous visits to Japan with different touring bands I have witnessed everything from jazz to metal to rock to acoustic, but if ther...

Musical evolution is a beautiful thing when allowed to flourish, cast free of modern constraints and expectations to let the metaphorical wings rise and sweep the band and their music into unchartered, exciting territory. So it is for Swiss/German metal outfit AD Infinitum as they prepare to unveil their new album, Abyss, on October 11. Since setting the tone with their debut album Chapter I: Mona...

Interview by Angela Croudace Gather your Viking drinking horns and war paint! Finnish folk-metal melodeath band Ensiferum is set to release their new album, Winter Storm, on October 18. Guitarist and vocalist Petri Lindroos spoke with HEAVY about the creative journey behind Winter Storm and even shared a Finnish saying with us. Having joined Ensiferum in 2004, Petri still thrives on the electrifyi...

As fans expectations for live performances grow, so do the elaborate stages and set pieces that bands are increasingly using in order to gain even the slightest of edges. While LED screens are the general go-to for bands, some - those with spare cash in the kitty - have been stepping out of that comfort zone, creating specific set designs and themes to go with the musical side of the performance....

With the world, and, more importantly, their attention spans, getting smaller almost by the day, it has become increasingly important for bands to maintain a high standard of productivity. Gone are the days where a band would put out an album, tour on the back of it for the next two years, spend 12 to 18 months writing and recording the next one before repeating the cycle. Most people - even hardc...

Few people in music command as much respect as Jerry Cantrell. Initially courtesy of his work with Alice In Chains through to his solo material, Cantrell has inspired generations of musicians and guitarists, being massively influential in shaping the very fabric of modern rock music. Over his career, he has released six studio albums with Alice in Chains, three solo full-lengths, had his music fea...

Living in regional areas puts you behind the eight-ball somewhat when it comes to promoting your music. For a start, the population is drastically less than the capital areas, which presents a plethora of associated problems starting with a target audience. It takes a combination of talent, persistence, planning and vision to just get your toes wet, which is exactly what Mackay metal outfit Same P...

English punk/metal hybrid Rolo Tomassi have arrived in Australia for their smash and run of shows as part of sleepmakeswaves' Love Of Cartography Tour, which also features Japanese math rock outfit Lite who make their debut Australian performances. Rolo Tomassi return after an absence of eight years, with the pandemic repeatedly putting paid to the band's efforts to make it back sooner. With the f...

Volume Dealer is a new venture started by Dan McDougall and his brother Ando - better known for their roles in Frankenbok and Dreadnaught respectively - which is an online show featuring live music and interviews with the best live bands Melbourne has to offer. While on the surface not an entirely new idea, it is the approach behind Volume Dealer, and, more importantly, the people behind Volume De...

Punk rock mainstays Unwritten Law should have been given Australian citizenship by now. Since first hitting our shores in 1996 the band have only toured the US more times, solidifying the love affair that has one so far as to Unwritten Law having one of their members live in this country full time. Best known and loved as part of the Warped Tour Festivals, Unwritten Law have struck the perfect ble...

Brisbane indie punk outfit Semantics have splashed their name across the national music scene in the space of seven short years, traversing the country with acts such as Luca Brasi, Violent Soho, Sly Withers and The Menzingers while managing to drop their debut LP Paint Me Blue in the midst of it all, garnering a loyal and passionate global fanbase to boot. To prove they are no flash in the pan, S...

There is a general vibe surrounding the upcoming fifth album from Frozen Crown, called War Hearts, that suggests the Italian power metal outfit are truly at ease with themselves and their music. Not only is War Hearts the band's first for Napalm Records, but it also ushers in 18-year-old guitar prodigy Alessia Lanzone and marks the first time Frozen Crown have released an album featuring all of th...

Interview by Angela Croudace Janne "JB" Christoffersson (guitar, lead vocals) from Grand Magus talks Vikings, Beowulf and the benefit of taking a long break before releasing the upcoming album, Sunraven - out October 18. The Swedish metal trio have been delivering metal for 25 years, renowned for their captivating guitar solos and Viking-inspired battle anthems. This three-piece band is truly impr...

Byron Bay music machines COG have never been a band to be dictated to. Whether it be for new material or live shows, the trio have never let external pressures dictate terms, instead adopting a more DIY, casual attitude that has been one of the cornerstones of their success. They don't make albums for the sake of it, nor head out on the road because they feel obligated or pressured to. Which is wh...

This deep dive podcast into the Godfather’s of death metal that are Abramelin is more than an boring old interview, it is a catch up chat between friends of years past reflecting on all things awesome both new and old in glorifying gore filled Aussie death metal supremacy. Discussing more than just a new album, but the inner workings of extreme artistic audio and visual creation. Matt (Wilcock - G...

Richie Kotzen is a musician who has tried his hand at most things when it comes to his craft, having played in bands like Mr. Big, Poison, The Winery Dogs and Smith/Kotzen over an illustrious career, but it is in the solo realm that he has done perhaps his best and most intimate work. Being a person who knows what he wants and how to achieve it, Kotzen is more suited to the solo side of music wher...

In today's modern, sanitised music world, far too many bands are reluctant to state their beliefs and opinions for the sole fact that they could possibly offend someone. It is a fair point in principle, but has been taken too far in most instances, forcing musicians to temper their thoughts somewhat in an attempt to appeal to as wide a potential market as they can. So it is refreshing that some ba...

Seldom does a band come along that can genuinely lay claim to being groundbreaking in terms of musical disparity. Sure, many are labelled as such, but how many have actually pushed their music to its limits and beyond and still emerged triumphant? Not many. While not claiming to be revolutionary themselves, Melbourne noise merchants Ocean Grove definitely qualify in terms of freedom of expression...

When Italian metal outfit Wind Rose swept onto the music world in 2009 it is fair to say that the landscape of metal changed forever. Playing a hybrid of power metal crossed with folk metal, it soon became apparent that Wind Rose weren't just another band looking to make a name for themselves. The wanted to be the one and only name on your lips and would use force if necessary! Their music was qui...

Metal bands seem to get better with age. There are, of course, exceptions, but as a whole it seems metal grows old disgracefully much better than any other genre of music. Facts are facts… So it is with Swedish progressive titans Opeth who stand on the cusp of releasing their 14th studio album The Last Will And Testament on October 11. Three decades in the masters of metal have - according to thos...