HEAVY Music Interviews

Interview by Kris Peters After laying a solid platform last year with their debut EP Vol 1: Superdead metal outfit Suffer The Evenue have spent the last 12 months planning and refining the follow-up to best showcase their musical prowess. By harvesting the essence from their first release, Suffer The Evenue felt more comfortable following their creative instincts on this one, which in turn allowed...

Interview by Kris Peters It’s been almost 20 years since Bruce Dickinson released his last solo album Tyranny Of Souls back in 2005, but the wait is almost over with the release of The Mandrake Project on March 1. Much has happened with Dickinson both professionally and personally between albums, and he pours the bulk of it out on this, his seventh solo album, which is once again completed with th...

Interview by Kris Peters Greek metal masters of mayhem Suicidal Angels tomorrow release their eighth studio album Profane Prayer, reaffirming their growing stature as one of the leaders of the next phase of metal evolution. Since forming Suicidal Angels at just 16 years of age back in 2001, Nick Melissourgos (vocals, guitars) has overseen a changing of the guard of sorts, kicking things off with t...

Interview by Kris Peters Manchester death metal outfit Ingested are the gift that keeps on giving. Since their 2020 album Where Only God May Tread, the three-piece masters of metal have released roughly one album per year, culminating in The Tide Of Death And Fractured Dreams which will be unleashed via Metal Blade Records on April 5. Following the bleak firestorm that was Ashes Lie Still, Ingeste...

Interview by Kris Peters Pioneers of Electronic Industrial Music, The Crystal Method, return to Australia from March 1 via Auckland on February 29 for a string of showstopping performances. Despite only 14 months elapsing since their last trip out here, such has been the demand for The Crystal Method to bring their music back that these new shows are all close to selling out. Recognised as a pione...

Interview by Kris Peters Knotfest Australia 2024 is fast approaching, with less than one month before the traveling music extravaganza hits Melbourne for the first show on March 21. Headlined by Pantera, Disturbed and Lamb Of God, it would be easy to overlook some of the other bands on the bill out of pure excitement for the headliners, but do so at your own peril. One of the best things about fes...

Interview by Kris Peters Dragonforce are undoubtedly one of the biggest bands in the world - or at least the most recognisable. Allowing their track Through The Fire And Flames to be used on Guitar Hero 3 proved a masterstroke for the band after the global success of that game - not to mention the fact how addictive it was - propelled Dragonforce into the lounge rooms and stereos of gamers and bud...

Interview by Kris Peters UK reggae/metal/funk/rock outfit Skindred have successfully managed to combine a plethora of sounds, influences and genres together to create a completely fresh and vibrant sonic wave of destruction that on paper should not work but somehow does. Over eight albums the band has defied scrutiny, backlash and, at times, disdain for daring to be different, but you get the impr...

Interview by Kris Peters One of the most enduring qualities of music - or punk music more specifically - is that as a listener or musician you don't feel the obligation to grow up. Ever. It's actually expected of you that your morals and beliefs will differ from the rest of society, and your outlook on life and sense of humour practically remain the same thing. So why fight it? That would be more...

Interview by Kris Peters Sydney's chameleons of rock, RedHook have been pretty quiet since the release of their debut album Postcards From A Living Hell in April last year. And who could blame them? 2023 was the year RedHook broke through from a band on the fringes of success to a bona fide international standard touring band, following high-profile shows with The Smashing Pumpkins and Janes Addic...

Interview by Simon Russell-White To be honest I thought The Vinyl Tour was a play on words, I thought to myself “Surely this isn’t the final tour for the almighty Cog?!’. Such thoughts are not only bad for oneself but more importantly for the reader/listener of this interview! But I can assure you, it’s time to relax and enjoy…… Kicking off my conversation with Luke Gower (bass/ backing vocals) it...

Interview by Kris Peters Despite their relative youth, New Zealand alternate rock outfit Voodoo Bloo are no amateurs when it comes to music. Don't let their baby faces or innocent looks fool you. When it comes to making the tough decisions that could ultimately make or break your career, these lads will invariably make the right one. Be it youthful exuberance, diligent studying or just plain luck,...

Interview by Kris Peters English punk/folk singer/songwriter Frank Turner is a man at peace with himself and his music. Not that he has had a sudden epiphany that washed over the daily trials and tribulations of everyday life, but more a peace borne out of contentment. Following his first UK#1 album FTHC in 2022, Turner made the bold decision to step away from the major label world of music and th...

Interview by Kris Peters Sometimes I feel Japanese bands don't get the recognition they deserve. Sure, you could mount that same argument the world over, but after having toured Japan on close to ten occasions with different bands and seeing around 100 of the country's emerging artists on the same line-ups I feel I am qualified to highlight Japanese music in this instance. Take Boris for example,...

Interview by Kris Peters After sixteen albums and rising, you would think Bruce Soord from The Pineapple Thief would know pretty well what he is doing with himself and the band musically. Essentially a rock outfit, The Pineapple Thief have released a consistently steady stream of albums, amassing a staunch, loyal and growing fan base with each one. Their place in rock history is assured, but despi...

Interview by Kris Peters Music is a dish best served fermented. Too many bands these days - possibly because of the ease of recording in the modern era - throw music around with too much regularity, losing in substance what they gain in output. But it's the smarter bands who sit back and master their craft before releasing music, and even more so when that band is new on the scene and therefore ma...

Interview by Kris Peters Melbourne rock outfit Sordid Ordeal are the epitomical Aussie music act, if there ever was such a thing. Fronted by Laurence Hewson - who some might know by his stage name The Voice Of Flinders - Sordid Ordeal have been through the proverbial ringer and back but survived to tell the tale and then some! Starting out in Melbourne in 2010 and formed by a group of mates freshl...

Interview by Kris Peters Moldovian metal hybrid Infected Rain are currently riding the wave of global acceptance that has been 16 years in the making. Since debuting in 2008, Infected Rain have often been undervalued in an industry that too often rewards mediocrity, finding themselves caught in musical purgatory on many levels simply because they are a band almost impossible to pigeonhole or genre...

Interview by Kris Peters In the modern age of music, it is important - almost vital - to maintain a steady output of music and engagement with your fans. People's increasingly shorter attention spans, coupled with the sheer volume of new bands and music being released daily, combine to ensure bands that aren't active, don't survive. Pure and simple. But try telling that to experimental death metal...

Interview by Kris Peters Hailing from the deserts of Arizona, US death metal outfit Gatecreeper has set the heavy music world alight in their ten years as a band, combining old-school Swedish sounds with American hardcore sensibilities to create a fusion easily identifiable as their own. With a new album set for release this year, Gatecreeper have also signified their intent to colonise Australia,...

Interview by Kris Peters Janet Gardner is a name most hard rockers and metallers have etched into their black hearts. Since fronting legendary outfit Vixen, Gardner has epitomised the spirit of metal with her distinctive vocals, influencing generation after generation of music listeners and performers while always maintaining an approachable and down to Earth attitude. Since going solo in more rec...

Interview by Kris Peters It's hard to imagine that a band in its 35th year have never toured Australia. Especially when that band is in the ilk of legendary rockers Slaughter! But that's precisely the case, with forces conspiring against the band over three and a half decades to keep them out of earshot. But all that changes this weekend when Slaughter touch down in this country as part of Glamfes...

Interview by Kris Peters Australian metal outfit Sienna Skies are set to finally shake the lingering shadows of COVID once and for all when they hit the road in the next two weeks for a run of four dates with US heavyweight act Of Mice & Men and their long-time mates and touring companions Dream On Dreamer. After a prolonged absence from the stage, Sienna Skies are setting themselves for an al...

Interview by Kris Peters If there's one thing that shits me more than the constant need for music to be labeled and/or categorised, it's when people feel a weird and unnecessary compulsion to try and classify music even further by bringing religion into it. I can almost hear you screaming 'that's what you just did' back at me, but I have a reason. To stop anyone else from getting in first, so let'...

Interview by Kyra-Jade Coombs **Apologies in advance, the audio gets a little scratchy going in and out of reception** Atreyu, where do I start here? I assume everyone loves them as much as I do, but for those of you who aren’t familiar with these legends they’ve been around fast approaching 30 years and have well and truly carved their spot in the metalcore space. In 2023 alone, they released two...