Making Up For Lost Time With BEAU BUECHELL From SAOSIN

Interview by Kris PetersAfter a long period of member changes - including around 40 in the first two years of the band - Berlin progressive metal outfit The Ocean have finally had a settled lineup for a prolonged period of time and the results are clearly evident in the consistently high quality of releases enjoyed by the band in recent times. Following the universal success of the Phanerozoic double release of albums, which was meant to close the conceptual trilogy started on 2007's Precambrian, guitarist and surviving original member Robin Staps found his mind wandering back to that franchise during the writing process for their latest album Holocene, and as such the trilogy was extended by one to make it a four part concept.Holocene sees the band add a closing chapter to their paleontology-inspired album series, presenting a gear shift towards the electronic world while reaching new depths of heaviness at the same time.Staps sat down with HEAVY to bring us the latest."It has a bit of a different emphasis than previous ones," he began talking about Holocene, "more electronic but still heavy."With the album coming out back on May 19 we ask Stap how the early reception to Holocene has been."It's been quite overwhelming," he smiled. "There's nothing but Holocene in the feed for a week now, and I think people are very enthusiastic about the record. We weren't sure - we're never sure - because each one of our records takes a bit of a different direction while staying true to the essence I hope. We like to challenge ourselves and our listeners and not just repeat the same formula each and every time. You never really know how people will react, so it's always interesting. This one has been exceptionally well and we can't wait to actually play it live."In the full interview Robin explains the electronic element more and why they have gone down that path, the conclusion of the paleontology inspired album series and what might come next, getting atmospherics in your music and how difficult that is to do, the pressures of a successful album, their upcoming live shows and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

28 Touko 202317min

Interview by Kris PetersIn just six short years UK glam metal outfit Midnite City have forced themselves to the top rung of hair metal bands in the world.They have released three critically acclaimed albums - with the fourth, In At The Deep End set for release on June 23 - with their second album There Goes The Neighbourhood being voted one of the best albums in the 35 year history of Burrn magazine in Japan.Through relentless global touring and an infectiously buoyant approach to music, Midnite City are a band only now starting to realise their full potential.Which is pretty scary considering the success they have already had.Frontman Rob Wylde joined HEAVY to discuss the album and Midnite City's growing stature."We're so excited, mate," he enthused talking about the impending album release. "We put a lot of work into this album - we spent about three months recording it - and to us it's definitely our best album. It's almost like a throwback to our earlier stuff, a lot of people are picking up on the fact it has a similar feel to our second album There Goes The Neighbourhood. It's the ultimate feel good, happy, hair metal album, which is so exciting. For once we're absolutely 100% happy with it so that's a good feeling."We ask Wylde to outline the musical aspect of the album in more detail."In terms of the musical direction, like I said I think it's a little bit back to our earlier sound," he measured. "I think on the last album Itch You Can't Scratch, which came out two years ago, there was still a lot of fun party rock songs on there but there was also some heavier songs. It was a little bit darker, a little bit heavier and edgier and I think that all had a lot to do with the fact that album was written and recorded during the whole COVID thing. Obviously now we're out of COVID everyone is in a much better mood, I think. People can go out and go to shows and hang out with friends and we also switched our drummer on this album. We parted company with our old drummer and the new one has brought a new musical life to the band. So he's one of those guys who is such a positive person to be around and he has given the band a new lease of life. It's almost like we're starting out again, really. There's just a good feeling in the band and we're really optimistic about the album and the future, and you can hear that on the album. Like I said, it's the ultimate feel good hair metal album."In the full interview Rob talks us through the singles released and how they represent the album, developing their sound and finding their musical identity, adding an intro track to the album and why, the focus more on keyboards on this album, their upcoming UK tour, coming back to Australia and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

28 Touko 202324min

Interview by Kris PetersBrisbane indie guitar pop outfit Screamfeeder are another band from the 1990s that is still commanding attention on the national touring circuit.The band has released a total of seven albums - the most recent of which was Five Rooms last May - and are one of the few remaining bands from that era that are still producing regular content as well as playing live.They will form but one cog in next weekends Spring Loaded 2023 Festival at Brisbane's Sandstone Point Hotel, reuniting with fellow 90s classmates Spiderbait, Frenzal Rhomb, Magic Dirt, Ratcat, Bodyjar, Shihad and Eskimo Joe for a trip down memory lane and also one which proves the timeless nature of good Australian music.Bassist Kellie Lloyd joined HEAVY to discuss the show and revisit old memories."We've actually tried to broaden our set list a little bit for this show," she offered, "because Spring Loaded in particular is all about the 90s, so we tend to play songs that the audience will know. Not like stuff from our newer albums - because we've been continuing to put out albums - we brought out one last year, so we're not playing new stuff. We're playing all older stuff. We wanna make sure that we're appealing to the audience and what they are after."We mention the line-up and the old school nature of the bands, pointing out it's almost like a family reunion of sorts."We've played gigs with all of those bands," she nodded. "In the 90s we toured with Spiderbait and Magic Dirt and we've played with Shihad and Bodyjar and Ratcat. All of those bands we're all friends, so yeah, it is like a... it's not like a family reunion, it's more like a reconnection of people who are doing what they love. The audience is there to relive that part of their lives, and a lot of people might bring their kids along who are now teenagers or twenty - something's who grew up listening to this music. I call it a Nostalgia Fest because that's exactly what it is. It's really nostalgic, but it's also completely relevant. It's not like harking back to the past. All this music stands today and is still as vital as it was."In the full interview, Kellie discusses the importance of all Aussie festivals, runs through her best memories of each band on the bill, tells us what we can expect from their set, the early days of Screamfeeder and where they fit in, maintaining a musical presence and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

28 Touko 202320min

Interview by Erin EddyIf ever there was a time to be in Queensland, it’s right now. In parts of the country where theweather has taken a chilly turn, the Sunshine Coast is a welcome reprieve. But the favourableweather isn’t the only drawcard this week.On Saturday June 3, the Sandstone Point Hotel is hosting Spring Loaded Festival.A delicious throw back for those of us who were big into the Triple J scene of the late 90’s and early 2000’s, Spring Loaded is serving up one mighty cocktail of Aussie music.HEAVY spoke with Tom Read of Bodyjar, one sliver of the Spring Loaded pie. He expressed his enthusiasm for the upcoming event proclaiming, “Get me up to Queensland fast!”The festival line up is exciting for the Bodyjar congregation due to being among so many friends. A sentiment that is likely shared across all the bands attending, which is only going to make for huge vibes on the day.“I have no excuse but to go hard,” said Tom, who will be taking the opportunity to stick around in Queensland for a holiday with his family after the festival, “I can’t not get in the pit for Shihad.”Bodyjar and Shihad are joined by Magic Dirt, Spiderbait, Frenzal Rhomb, Eskimo Joe, Ratcat and Screamfeeder. An epic assemblage of bands, right?Tickets are still available and can be purchased via Ticketmaster.Tune in to the really fun chat we had with Tom, talking about Spring Loaded, nostalgia, what Bodyjar are up to next and Tom’s date with hypothermia post-interview!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

28 Touko 202323min

Interview by Kris PetersThe seeds for Oceanlords debut album Kingdom Cold were sewn before the world was forced into isolation in 2019.Starting when bass-player Jason Ker joined guitarist and singer Peter Willmott for a serious drink to ponder work, family, mortality, and the hellscape of corporate existence the conversation soon turned to music and with the later addition of Jon May on drums the sludge heavy riffs began to gestate and swell, with the COVID enforced layoff actually benefitting the fledgling band when Willmott built a home studio to pass the time and found himself tracking songs for what would eventually become Kingdom Cold.With an assortment of thematic influences centering on the writings of New England author Howard Phillips Lovecraft, Oceanlord set about plotting for the albums release with a firm eye on what direction and shape they wanted the future to hold.With Kingdom Cold being unleashed on the world on May 26 all three band members joined HEAVY to tell us more."It's unbelievable," Ker smiled at the thought of having the album out for public consumption. "If you'd told me ten years, five years ago that we would be doing this today I would have laughed. We put in a lot of hard work and Pete has been pulling out riffs and lyrics left right and centre, moulding this stuff together. We've been working really hard and it's amazing to be able to have someone like Esben Willems do our mixing and mastering and then having Magnetic Eye pick us up is brilliant. I had a series of goals that I wanted to achieve with this band and I think we surpassed that a long time ago."We press the band on the musical aspect of Kingdom Cold."We've got a few musical aims that we're looking to achieve," Willmott measured. "One of them was massive, doomy, wall of sound riffs. That's something we all love, so we really wanted to capture that. There's something about three piece doom that's sparse but massive at the same time. It's not massively intricate but it's thick. With that we really wanted to capture more melodic... a contrast of beauty and heaviness so that was the goal throughout writing songs and making the album. We kept coming back to those two points. How can we make this heavier? How can we make this more beautiful? And then how do we keep those two in balance."In the full interview the boys talk us through Kingdom Cold in greater detail, talk about the thought process going into a debut album, their doom based sound and how it came together, their thematic inspirations and how they translate to the music, their early band vision and how it has changed,tracking the album from Pete's home studio, upcoming shows and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

25 Touko 202320min

Interview by Kris PetersAdelaide rock outfit Bad Dreems have taken themselves on somewhat of a musical journey over the course of their four albums.While all firmly entrenched in rock, Bad Dreems have experimented within the confines of the genre, testing their own musical tastes along the way in the elusive search for musical gratification.While each album has maintained the rock DNA that is the backbone of Bad Dreems' music, fans, critics, and the band themselves are unanimous in their appraisal of the recently released Hoo Ha!, universally in agreeance that Bad Dreems have finally found their niche.Vocalist Ben Marwe and guitarist Alex Cameron sat down with HEAVY to go over the album."It's been really good," Cameron smiled at the early reception for Hoo Ha!. "The last album was 2019, so it's been quit a while but people like this album and the reception has been good. I think people get where we're coming from with the music and the songs. It's been pretty satisfying."We ask the pair to explain Hoo Ha! from a musical point of view."We were going for what we feel comes naturally to us," Cameron measured, "which is Australian rock and roll. We had gone a little bit away from that perhaps over time and we just wanted to... because we hadn't been able to play together that much during Covid we just wanted to get together and play the kind of music that we first started playing, which is rock and roll, not complex, driving, energetic and raw. It came together really quickly because of that and I think now we've been together ten years and we know what the band does well. We just wanted to stick to that."In the full interview Ben and Alex talk about the more direct nature of this album, the singles release and how they sonically cover the whole album, how Bad Dreems have changed musically from their debut album to now, being invited by Midnight Oil to play two shows in England in 2019, their own upcoming national tour and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

25 Touko 202313min

Interview by Kris PetersMagic Dirt have been a mainstay on the Australian music scene since their formation in 1991.They quickly became regulars on the touring circuit, appearing at festivals such as Big Day Out, Livid and Homebake, in the process earning a solid reputation as an energetic and formidable live unit, led by the charismatic and highly talented Adalita Srsen on vocals.Age has not wearied Magic Dirt, who are one of the main drawcards at Spring Loaded at the Sandstone Point Hotel on June 3 which features a host of iconic Australian bands including Spiderbait, Ratcat, Shihad, Frenzal Rhomb, Screamfeeder, Bodyjar and Eskimo Joe.HEAVY caught up with Adalita recently to celebrate the enduring goodness of Aussie rock bands."I can't wait!", she enthused. "Playing with all our mates and playing up in Brissie is always good for us Melbournites. We love going up there. We've done the festival a few times now and it's such a great feel. All our mates are all together - we used to play a lot back in the day. We used to do the Big Day Out's and Livid's and Homebake all together, all the time. This lineup is literally the Big Day Out lineup, the Aussie version. So it's like the Little Day out, but Ratcat are playing as well, who we are all so excited to see. They were the kind of Godfathers of pre-grunge and all that sort of stuff and they influenced a lot of the bands so we are all super fanning out to see Ratcat (laughs). It's gonna be huge. We haven't done Queensland in a while, so there's so many reasons to be looking forward to this show."In the full interview Adalita runs through the other bands on the bill and her best memories of playing with them, the importance of all Australian festivals like Spring Loaded, what we can expect from Magic Dirt on the day, the longevity of Aussie bands and why they are still relevant, upcoming plans and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

24 Touko 202315min

Interview by Kris PetersMetal Blade Records has been at the forefront of heavy metal bands and music since its inception by Brian Slagel in 1982.Slagel, at the time a record store employee, had a vision to help nurture and promote the local metal scene and before long had released the compilation album Metal Massacre through the label, which included Metallica, Ratt, and Black 'n Blue. Metal Blade Records quickly grew in both stature and popularity, recognised as an honest and loyal label with a genuine desire to see bands succeed.Over the years Metal Blade has been home to bands like Goo Goo Dolls, Amon Amarth, Trouble, As I Lay Dying, Behemoth, the Black Dahlia Murder, Cannibal Corpse, Fates Warning, Lizzy Borden, Anvil, Gwar, King Diamond, Job for a Cowboy, Whitechapel, Armored Saint, The Red Chord, Unearth, Between the Buried and Me, Dirty Rotten Imbeciles, Corrosion of Conformity and Cattle Decapitation to name but a few, with Slagel remaining a hands on and active leader of the scene.After the success of his 2017 book For the Sake of Heaviness, which delivered a compelling inside look at how a metal-obsessed California teen built Metal Blade Records into the pre-eminent international home of heavy music, Slagel has succumbed to public demand with the recently released Swing Of The Blade, More Stories From Metal Blade Records.Swing of the Blade offers clear-eyed and entertaining insights about the very beginning of the Los Angeles metal world of the 1980s, a local scene that Slagel helped shape ... and break internationally. Metal would go on to explode on MTV and in arenas, the movement featuring many Metal Blade acts, along with the likes of Guns 'N' Roses and Tool, bands Slagel also scouted in their earliest days.Both books are compelling reading for anyone with even the slightest interest in heavy metal bands and music, with each offering their own special tales and stories.Slagel joined HEAVY earlier today to talk more about Swing Of The Blade."I did a first book about six years ago now called For The Sake Of Heaviness, The History Of Metal Blade Records," he began. "It was kind of a history of Metal Blade. I never intended to write any books but we kind of felt - it was our 35th anniversary at the time - and people were asking about a book so I thought I am still coherent and remembering things so I should probably write it (a book). So, I did, and surprisingly enough to me it got a really great reaction and people wanted to hear more stories about some of the bands; deeper dives and they wanted to hear more about some of the obscure bands and why some bands didn't make it when they should so here we are with book number two now."We ask Slagel if Swing Of The Blade is more of a continuation of the first book or a separate look at things."It's a continuation but it's a little bit different in that the first book was basically just a chronological story about Metal Blade from the beginning up to 2016, and this is more in depth stuff from the history of the label," he explained. "There's a chapter about my dealings with Metallica. There's a chapter on my dealings with Slayer and Amon Amarth and Armoured Saint and King Diamond and Merciful Fate and all that sort of stuff. There's some music business nonsense and a lot of stuff about some of the more obscure bands, because that was honestly the one thing that people asked me about the most from the first book saying hey we wanna hear more about these smaller bands that we like that never made it, and why weren't they bigger."In the full interview Brian talks more about the contents of the book, why he felt it was important to write it, how honest he was with full stories, reflecting on the time period the book spans, what 40 years in the industry has taught him, his favourite chapter in the book, how heavy metal has changed over forty years, the current state of metal and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

24 Touko 202317min