HEAVY Music Interviews

Explosive Ukrainian metalcore force SPACE OF VARIATIONS returns with their new album, Poisoned Art, out now via Napalm Records. Blending furious brutality with heartfelt emotion, the four-piece band sheds their skin and continues to push the boundaries of modern metal, their new record showing a new facet of their ever-evolving sound—a new era. Bold as ever, Poisoned Art explores the boundaries of...

In recent years, California deathcore juggernauts Spite have risen to the forefront of modern heavy music, building a reputation as one of the most formidable forces in the genre. They've drawn comparisons to Thy Art Is Murder, The Acacia Strain and Suicide Silence, and have consistently pushed and pulled at the boundaries of metalcore, nu metal and deathcore.  Their rise has been fast and impossi...

Brisbane rock outfit Sound Affliction are proud to release their debut album, Behind The Walls, available now via Australia's only independent rock music label XMusic. The band comment "Behind The Walls is a cumulation of several years of hard work, writing, recording and performing songs we love. It features a diverse range of songs but sticks to the band’s core theme of hard rock with emotive ly...

Mighty Swedish Modern Melodic Metallers, BATTLE BEAST head here for the first time EVER in March and the first shows with NEW singer Marina La Torraca. And not only will the shows be their first Down Under, but the opening performance in Perth will also mark the debut show with La Torraca out the front! Marina La Torraca is a Brazilian vocalist from São Paulo, best known as the powerhouse frontwom...

Failsafe are proof that age has nothing to do with impact. The Sydney trio are only 18, yet they carry themselves with the confidence, humility and purpose of a band far beyond their years (oh yeah and they have a whopping three releases under their belt already!). Formed while still in school, Failsafe began as three friends jamming in a bedroom in Sydney’s Inner West, chasing connection and cath...

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to survive 30 years in an Australian band without a punch-up, a lawsuit, or at least a few costume changes, Quan Yeomans of Regurgitator is here to tell you—it’s mostly sweat, setlist amnesia, and just the right amount of “naive courage” to dive headfirst into the circle pit of life. Ali Williams catches up with Quan mid-tour, somewhere between a billion-degr...

Italian metal icons Lacuna Coil are set to return to Australia for their first full headline tour in nearly a decade, and according to bassist Andrea Ferro, the timing couldn’t feel more right. Following a standout appearance at Good Things Festival 2022, the band are eager to reconnect with their dedicated Australian fanbase while showcasing material from their latest record .While Andrea only le...

For Thrice drummer Riley Breckenridge, returning to Australia is never just another tour stop, it’s a highlight etched deep into the band’s history. From their earliest visits alongside Hot Water Music and Alkaline Trio to their most recent run in 2023, Australian audiences have consistently left a lasting impression. “The crowd response blew our minds,” Breckenridge recalls, noting that no matter...

Set to bring their monstrous headline show to Australian shores next month, Michigan metalcore titans We Came As Romans return to Australia in support of their new album All is Beautiful.. Because We're Doomed, joined by very special guests Caskets (UK) and Headwreck. They will also be performing at Life’s A Beach, the first-ever curated summer event by Polaris will take place at the Riviera Beach...

Melbourne’s high energy rockers, XCalibre release their brand new album, X, today! Born from grit, fire, and raw emotion, XCalibre are a powerhouse rock trio from Melbourne, Australia, blending hard-hitting riffs with cinematic energy and heartfelt storytelling. XCalibre channel life’s chaos, resilience, and redemption into every note, crafting songs that hit as hard emotionally as they do sonical...

COPPERHEAD are a three-piece heavy rock/metal band from North-West Tasmania, delivering a powerful no-nonsense sound that punches well beyond their years. Fronted by Charlie Wicks (15) on guitar and vocals, alongside Nate Starkey (16) on bass and Charlie Williams (19) on drums, Copperhead already show the chemistry and focus of a band built for bigger stages. Despite their young age, their sound i...

Words and Interview by Kyra Jade This is NOT a drill. Karnivool has gifted us a new album - In Verses - after a cool 13 years carefully curating each song. Spoiler alert, it’s every bit as magical as you are imaging!  Just like Karnivool I’m from Perth myself and have always carried this sense of pride and connection to the band through their music. Sometimes it feels like you are isolated away fr...

Live Nation are bringing iconic Canadian band The Tea Party back to Australia next month (February), bringing a unique live experience to our shores with the Elements Tour, celebrating the 35th anniversary of the band. Performing five shows in Australia, The Tea Party explore a new live musical theme around Elements, with Symphony shows in Melbourne and Sydney aligned to wind, and rock shows in Th...

Interview by Simon Russell-White Videography and editing by Rashid AlKamraikhi Metallic hardcore punk band Better Lovers are currently in the country for their Aussie live debut tour, joined by special guests Split Chain and Blind Girls. After tearing it up around the world for the last two years, and dropping the absolutely killer 2024 album Highly Irresponsible, the legends are finally hitting A...

Interview by Simon Russell-White Videography and editing by Rashid AlKamraikhi There’s a phrase you’ll hear repeatedly when in the company of Split Chain: “The Chain does what it wants”. As mantras go, it’s used by the Bristol, UK quintet as a means of encapsulating the broad-minded, unconstrained creative freedom with which they approach their art, as well as a means through which to try to make...

Hailing from the city of Bergen, Norway, Slomosa channel the sprawl of their surroundings through a sweeping signature hybrid of revved-up stoner rock riffage, grungy hooks, and a concentrated punk wallop. As if holding up a sonic mirror image to the landscape, an avalanche of distortion tumbles into valleys of massive melody, teeming with tectonic force. Dubbed Tundra Rock, Slomosa love the term...

Gold Coast hard rock outfit Hammers have always been a band who put themselves and their music first, even to the point of possible self harm. They have steadfastly refused to follow convention or fall into the mass-produced assembly line of artists currently making up the fringes of major record labels, instead lurking further back in the shadows and biding their time. The release of their debut...

Rock stars in their homeland of Finland since their first album, Peep, went Gold when they were just 16 years old, The Rasmus have built a legacy that stretches across 11 albums. Their music and engaging approach to life have won them legions of fans the world over, but it was with last years chart topping release, Weirdo, that things came full circle for the band. Weirdo was a blast back to the r...

THE FUNERAL PORTRAIT has jumped headlong into 2026 with the January 16 release of their first-ever live album, LIVE FROM SUFFOCATE CITY via Better Noise Music. To coincide with the album, the band is bringing the track Stay Weird to cinematic life as well. “‘Stay Weird’ has always been our love letter to the beautifully strange souls who’ve supported this band from day one,” declares frontman Lee...

Kansas City atmospheric prog-rock band A Light Within returned late last year with their haunting new single Dying Clock, marking their first new single since 2024’s Identity and the next step in their slow-burning creative evolution. Known for their dark, atmospheric soundscapes and cinematic songwriting, the band remains a must-listen for fans of Porcupine Tree, Failure, Katatonia, Tool, and Pin...

Melbourne-based rockers Sisters Doll have always been a band who value their support base. From driving 30 hours to play a handful of shows in Far North Queensland to playing on the open waters of America as part of the Monsters Of Rock Cruise, Sisters Doll have never lost sight of who they are and where they come from. Which is why it came as a bit of a surprise to hear the band have not toured h...

Archspire vocalist Oliver “Oli” Alleron is clearly excited about returning to Australia, with the band set to tour in January. From his love of Australian crowds to his unexpected obsession with The Block, Oliver speaks warmly about the country, its food, and its famously outgoing fans.  He recalls being blown away by the sheer number of shoeys happening on stage during their last visit, and hints...

With the worldwide excitement around the recently completed European tour, GRAMMY®-winning, progressive music titans Dream Theater have announced their 40th Anniversary Tour 2026 leg for Australia. The tour will be An Evening With Dream Theater and will be the first tour of Australia since drummer Mike Portnoy’s return to the lineup, joining vocalist James LaBrie, bassist John Myung, guitarist Joh...

Interview by Ali Williams If there were a Frequent Flyer program for alternative rock bands visiting Australia, Anberlin would have Platinum for life. In this sun-drenched, laugh-out-loud podcast throwdown, HEAVY's Ali Williams checks in with Anberlin’s resident rhythm wizard, Nate Young—straight from muggy Florida to the Gold Coast—about their upcoming Aussie invasion, a band that keeps dodging r...

Interview by Ali Williams If you think the wildest part of touring is the fans, you’ve clearly never tried to drive a truck through an American winter. HEAVY caught up with Matty Mullins—frontman, ice-road survivor, and Memphis May Fire’s resident optimist—while he was holed up in Salt Lake City after some “eventful” /white-knuckle drives that would’ve had most people praying to whatever rock gods...