HEAVY Music Interviews

Interview by Kris Peters There is so much music being released on an hourly basis in the modern age that sometimes it is necessary to hedge your bets and look into outside interests that could possibly align with your own in an attempt to combine forces. This is much easier said than done, especially considering that something like that would usually involve having to work with other people thus r...

Interview by Kris Peters What started as more of a way to fill in time during COVID before expanding its reach across three albums, the Leviathan trilogy set in motion in 2021 by Swedish symphonic metal legends Therion finally draws to a close on December 15 with the release of Leviathan III. It has been a spectacular sonic journey from the band, with each album exploring different musical territo...

Interview by Kris Peters Australian extreme metal outfit The Amenta recently released a brutal album called Plague Of Locus, boasting an assortment of cover songs that have inspired the band and their music. The selection of bands paid homage to has a number of surprises amongst some expected tributes, ranging from local black metal bands like Nazxul and Lord Kaos to alternative acts such as Alice...

Interview by Kris Peters The modern age of music is far more demanding than it was even ten years ago. To be able to give your band the best chance of success, often band members multitask with other roles within the music industry, trying to give themselves and their bandmates the best opportunities. One such way is to put on your own shows, not only to give your band gigs and exposure, but also...

Interview by Kris Peters The beauty of being a solo artist is the complete freedom of total creativity. While the burden can weigh too heavily on some performers, not so New Zealand-born and Melbourne-based multi-instrumentalist Rachel Trainor, who releases her debut album The Way Back Down under the name Nighteyes on November 10. A sonic tapestry combining dark rock, folk and electronica, The Way...

Interview by Kris Peters Since bursting onto the local metal scene in 2021 with their debut track Forever Know My Name, Blue Mountains based metalcore outfit Naugrim have wasted little in asserting their music, already sharing the stage with international acts such as Unearth and Darkest Hour as well as making a name for themselves at local festivals Canberra Metal fest, Winter Magic Revival Festi...

Interview by Kris Peters Generally when the festive season rolls around and talk turns to Christmas albums the general chill that runs down most metalheads spines would rival that of the North Pole. Far too often a purely commercial venture by smiling sonic assassins out to further enhance their global acceptability, the Christmas album tale has long been fraught with fear and contempt. The year 2...

Interview by Kris Peters The common perception with iconic bands is that their musical output understandably slows the longer their careers go on. This could be for a variety of factors that are too many to mention, but no matter how many excuses there are, try telling legendary Californian death metal outfit Autopsy that they should be slowing down. Coming just 12 months after the release of Morb...

Interview by Kris Peters Music has a way of providing comfort in a wide variety of ways. To the general music consumer, that comfort is a more personal enjoyment of the music, the lyrics, and the message, but the cathartic nature of music also extends to those making it. When Fuming Mouth vocalist Mark Whelan was diagnosed with life-threatening Acute Myeloid Leukemia he could have accepted and rea...

Interview by Kris Peters Devin Townsend is one of the few musicians who globally needs no introduction. Whether it be for his work with Strapping Young Lad or the Devin Townsend Project or anywhere in between, the man is an enigma. A legend. And a true gentleman of the metal scene. Known for his boundless energy and creativity, Townsend touches down in Australia this month for a run of four shows...

Interview by Erin Eddy Verona Lights are out of Melbourne, Victoria, and have recently released their newest album, titled Minos. This is the second album vocalist Brendan Davine has appeared on, after joining the band to replace the original vocalist, but the first album Brendan feels like he has been able to flex full musical creativity. “On Adrestia, the last album, I didn’t write any of the mu...

Interview by Kris Peters Harnessing the intensity and intent of a debut album can be difficult. Public expectations are noticeably higher for your second release and your existing fan base has likely also grown significantly. Many bands attempt to replicate the things that went right the first time around and end up forcing themselves into a sonic box of expectation, but not so Australian metal ou...

Interview by Kris Peters Bad Wolves hit the jackpot with their 2021 album Dear Monsters, satisfying existing fans of the band with their output, while also drawing a new breed of followers to their music. It was a success in every way, which made their follow-up album Die About It - out now - all the more significant. Die About It came with all of the usual fanfare, declaring it "pushes the bounda...

Interview by Kris Peters It's hard to believe that after 13 years Brisbane two-piece Environmental Nu Thrash outfit F.U.C (or, as they are known in the Andes, Forests Under Construction) are finally set to bust their cherry at Wallapalooza 2023. After hosting some of the finest bands this country has to offer from humble beginnings at the Wallaby Hotel in Mudgeeraba, festival organisers have someh...

Interview by Kris Peters After starting her career back in 1996, multilingual singer-songwriter Nur NH quickly set her sights on a global audience, signing with US label World Media Alliance in 2011 and enjoying success with her EP Real Story. She found herself on the cusp of something special, but then suddenly vanished from music in 2013, not re-emerging for a decade. In a tale too unnerving to...

Interview by Kris Peters What better way to celebrate your 13th birthday than to return to your spiritual home; the place where it all began? Which is exactly what Wallapalooza are doing this year when the festival returns to its birthplace at The Wallaby Hotel on November 4 for a music extravaganza unlike any seen on the local circuit for some time. Spearheaded by COG, Wallapalooza 2023 also feat...

Interview by Kris Peters Australian thrash outfit Deprivation have had a year to remember. Earlier this year the band edged out a strong heat of finalists to win the Australian Wacken Battle Of The Bands competition which had as its first place the opportunity to grace the stage at the prestigious Wacken 2023 in Germany. It was the crowning achievement for a band with over 15 years of servitude to...

Interview by Kris Peters Mudvayne are one of the most influential bands when it comes to the genre of music they helped to pioneer. When they dropped their debut album L.D 50 in the year 2000 it is fair to say the entire sonic landscape of heavy metal shifted irreversibly and the nu-metal movement that had until then just been threatening to take flight now had a tough-as-nails pilot who was unafr...

Interview by Kris Peters After blind-siding the whole country last week with the announcement of Machine Head and Fear Factory heading Down Under early next year for a dream double header, Nuclear Blast Records have done it again, this time throwing In Flames and Kreator into the ring as a touring duo. Dubbed Klash Of The Titans, these two heavyweights will unite for a co-headlining tour in Februa...

Interview by Kris Peters The annual Lagerfest traveling musical sideshow is legendary in this country for its combination of music and mayhem, with Lagerfest 2023 promising to continue that tradition. Joining hosts Lagerstein will be The Halo Effect, Beyond The Black and Devilskin, making this year's run a truly international affair. With Devilskin having been away from our shores for a couple of...

Interview by Kris Peters It's not like they have ever needed an excuse for a party, but you can be rest assured when a legitimate reason rears its festive head that the Cosmic Psychos won't fall over themselves complaining. After four decades of delivering their own brand of brutally honest punk rock humour, Cosmic Psychos have dared to allow themselves time for reflection with three massive shows...

Interview by Kris Peters In just over a week's time Australia will fall victim to musical mayhem seldom witnessed in the modern sanitised age. With the wonders of technology taking much of the mystery and mystique out of the rock and roll lifestyle, fans are becoming increasingly receptive to fleeting brushes with fame and adulation and finally the music is taking credence over the image. But that...

Interview by Kris Peters Melbourne punk upstarts Clowns have epitomised the fun and frivolous side of Australian music since their inception in 2009. Their attitude towards music, coupled with almost legendary live performances, has seen Clowns rise quickly to prominence and notoriety, with their honest and raw appraisal of life through music connecting on a global scale. After receiving an ARIA n...

Interview by Kris Peters Instrumental Brisbane progressive metal band Dr. Parallax certainly can't ever be accused of rushing things when it comes to releasing music. I remember seeing the band in Cairns more than 20 years ago, so imagine my surprise when their debut EP Stick and String came across my desk last week. It is a release more than two decades in the making, and one which Dr. Parallax f...

Interview by Kris Peters Few punk bands around the world have had the same impact as legendary California outfit Lagwagon. Since 1989 the brash upstarts have released nine studio albums through Fat Wreck Chords and toured relentlessly all over the globe, each time stepping further out from the underground band status they have been tagged with. Such is the success afforded Lagwagon they had one of...