HEAVY Music Interviews

Wheezing new life and enjoyment into the current Australian heavy music climate, the arthritic riddled retirees known as GOPHER have released their astonishing, must hear debut album Tunnel Buddies. Featuring the forever young looking and current world mahjong champion Ernie Bingo on vocals, and perpetually complimented by the effervescent ladies man Ned Smelly on guitars, they prove without a dou...

Interview by Kris Peters HZED is a powerhouse riff-driven rock band hailing from Melbourne, Australia, known for their high-octane energy and authentic, rock drenched sound. The band’s current lineup features vocalist Tenaye, guitarist Spruce, drummer Sam, and members Hannah and Piddo. Musically, HZED is defined by raw, "in-your-face" rock anthems. Their songwriting process often begins with a rif...

THE WATERBOYS make their long-awaited return to Australia and New Zealand in May 2026 their first tour in over a decade. Led by the incomparable Mike Scott and critically acclaimed as one of the best live bands on the planet, the 2025 band also features double keyboard players Brother Paul from Memphis and James Hallawell from Cornwall and is grounded by killer Irish rhythm section Aongus Ralston...

Interview by Kris Peters Crispy Danger isn’t just another new band. Formed in Birmingham in 2025 at the Back to the Beginning Festival, and residing in Melbourne, Crispy Danger’s soul comes from a heavy metal heritage, yet their music combines riff driven rock with catchy pop sensibilities and hard hitting lyrics, carving out a genre unique to themselves. Fronted by brother/sister duo of David Rex...

Interview by Kris Peters BLACK FLAG, the American band formed in 1976 in Hermosa Beach, California, has turned a new page and begun a bold new chapter with the addition of three new members: Max Zanelly (vocals), David Rodriguez (bass), and Bryce Weston (drums), joining founding guitarist Greg Ginn. With a fresh lineup - and their first ever female vocalist - and renewed creative energy, BLACK FLA...

Interview by Kris Peters Sydney's genre-defying rock titans, HELLIONS, are celebrating the 10th anniversary of their ARIA-nominated, career-defining album, Opera Oblivia, with a massive Australian tour in May 2026. Full details below. Opera Oblivia is the album that smashed expectations, redefined the boundaries of Australian heavy music, and delivered a phenomenal #4 debut on the ARIA Charts. Dec...

Interview by Kris Peters THE NARRATOR were founded in 2017 in Essen, Germany and have since established themselves in the German metalcore scene with energetic songwriting and electrifying live performances. After successful tours and festival appearances, THE NARRATOR released their highly anticipated debut album, Lore, in September 2024, which has now accumulated over 11 million streams, and led...

Interview by Kris Peters REXORIA returns with their signature Royal Metal sound on the brand‑new album Fallen Dimension - out May 8 via Black Lodge - delivering towering choruses, vivid storytelling, emotional depth, and raw, commanding vocals. Formed in 2016 in Småland, Sweden, REXORIA quickly evolved into something distinct within the metal landscape, embarking on their first European tour only...

One of Australia's newest music labels isn't so new any more, with Sydney based label XMusic this year celebrating their fifth year of providing support to Australian bands and musicians, with a venture into the overseas market last year increasing the reach of XMusic to a global scale. Started in 2020 by by former Sony Music executive and current Australian representative for Better Noise Music,...

Interview by Kris Peters “Each Armored Saint record, to me, is like a new skin for the band, a different chapter. I don't think we've ever repeated ourselves,” stated bassist Joey Vera. “Every album has been pretty different from the previous one, a snapshot in time. In 2026, Emotion Factory Reset is where our heads are at.” Emotion Factory Reset, Armored Saint's ninth full-length studio album sin...

Words and interview by: Kyra Jade Coming up very soon in May, Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls will be joining long time buddies Bowling For Soup on their Bowl Your Bones Australian Tour. Frank Turner graciously jumped on to chat with HEAVY MAG before making the long journey to our shores! Luckily this isn’t Frank’s first time visiting us, he's played some great shows and festivals in Austral...

Interview by Ali Williams HOKKA are not easing their way into their new release. They are kicking the door off the hinges, draping the room in red capes and dark mythology, then having the nerve to make it all look effortless.  Speaking with HEAVY, Joel Hokka comes across as the kind of frontman who has already lived enough band life to know exactly what matters and exactly what doesn’t. There is...

Interview by Ali Williams Clawfinger's Bård Torstensen stopped in for a chat with HEAVY Magzine's Ali Williams to fill in the gaps after their long standing hiatus on new releases. After nineteen years between albums, Clawfinger could have returned with something painfully self-important, full of mythology and creative suffering. Instead, Bård talks about it with the kind of dry honesty that makes...

Interview by Angela Croudace Photo credit Diana Seifert For George Marios, influence isn’t something he carefully maps out, it happens instinctively. Drawing from artists like Alter Bridge and Dream Theater, he describes his sound as a kind of “musical osmosis,” where ideas naturally collide and evolve. Even unexpected touchpoints, like the atmospheric pull of Jeff Buckley, can surface in his work...

Interview by Kris Peters Waiting for something you truly desire can be pure agony and loyal fans of Norwegian extreme metal royalty Dimmu Borgir know that feeling better than most. Ever since guitarist Sven “Silenoz” Kopperud and vocalist Stian “Shagrath” Thoresen formed the band amid Norway’s shadowed forestlands in 1993 - at the height of second-wave black metal’s triumphant aeons - rushing the...

Words and interview by: Kyra Jade Even if you chose the hermit crab life, you’ve still most likely heard the name Sepultura. They aren’t strangers around here and have been showing us how it’s done for over 40 years. Their fanbase are notoriously passionate and loyal to the band often stating they are not only pioneers, they are one of the most influential metal bands in history. You'll only need...

Interview by Kris Peters After triumphantly casting off the shackles of claustrophobic dissonance on 2020's lauded Stare Into Death and Be Still, New Zealand unorthodox death metal legends ULCERATE up the ante even further with mind-bending 7th album Cutting the Throat of God.  An acknowledgement that the band's most powerful and affecting material leans to the melodic side, this refined and hook-...

Interview by Kris Peters Wacken Open Air is one of the most recognisable names in heavy music anywhere on the planet. Now in its 35th year, the legendary German festival has become a global meeting point for metal fans, bands and industry alike. A place where the underground and the established stand shoulder to shoulder. On April 18, the spirit of Wacken lands in Sydney. As part of a worldwide ce...

Interview by Angela Croudace From Ashes to New are entering a new era with Reflections, a record shaped by honesty, pressure, and a refusal to settle. Speaking on the band’s latest single Die For You, frontman Danny Case explained how the track grew from deeply personal experiences, capturing the exhaustion of giving everything in a relationship and finally drawing a line. That emotional weight dr...

Interview by Kris Peters Australia, get set to be bowled over in 2026, with beloved UK folk punk act FRANK TURNER & THE SLEEPING SOULS joining forces with Texan pop punk mainstays BOWLING FOR SOUP for a monumental co-headline Australian tour next month. When a band can make it feel like a summer party anywhere they go, you know you're in for a good time. And with over three decades in their wa...

Interview by Kris Peters Phoenix Arizona legends BLESSTHEFALL are headed our way with Memphis May Fire later this month, for their first Australian shows in over a decade. Following a hiatus after their 2018 album Hard Feelings, BLESSTHEFALL returned, teasing new music in 2025 and embracing their "mallcore" roots. Formed in the early 2000s, they are considered veterans of the post-hardcore/metalco...

Interview by Angela Croudace Returning to Australia after a three-year absence, nothing, nowhere. is set to reconnect with a fanbase he clearly holds close. Speaking ahead of the tour, the man behind nothing, nowhere, Joe Mulherin reflects on the long gap between visits, admitting it feels like he “just” played here, only to realise how much time has passed. That distance has only heightened his a...

Interview by Kris Peters Australia, prepare to set your fazers to stun this September, with Welsh ragga metal legends SKINDRED primed to return to our shores for their biggest ever Australian headline tour! Opening proceedings on Tuesday 1 September in Perth, SKINDRED will head through Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney, and close out on Sunday 6 September in Brisbane. Wielding a formidable (and deser...

If there's one topic sure to divide opinion in the world of music it's tribute bands and the rapid growth of such bands around the globe. Those who support tribute bands argue points such as providing accessible, affordable entertainment, keeping classical music alive and preserving musical history while those opposed argue tribute bands impact artist authenticity by oversaturating venues and redu...

Interview by Ali Williams Hot Mulligan’s latest chat with HEAVY finds the band exactly where good bands tend to be after years of grinding away: confident, funny, slightly unhinged in the best way, and still refreshingly free of self-important rubbish. Speaking with Ali Williams ahead of their April return to Australia, the group as a band, have earned its growing reputation. These guys roll on in...