Swinging The Axe With BRIAN SLAGEL From METAL BLADE RECORDS

Interview by Kris PetersWhen it comes to drummers they don't come more top shelf than Carmine Appice.After leaving Ozzy Osbourne in the early 1980s, Appice decided he was done with working for other musicians and decided instead to forge his own path, with his own band.That band became King Kobra who burst onto the music scene in 1985 with their debut album Ready To Strike.With a sound that nestled somewhere between heavy metal and glam metal, King Kobra have undergone several line-up changes over the years, as well as taking more than one gestation periods off, but one thing has remained constant throughout.Carmine Appice.Now, with a renewed line-up featuring Quiet Riot guitarist Carlos Cavazo and former Dio member Rowan Robertson, King Kobra are back with their seventh and arguably best album to date titled We Are Warriors. It is a typically hard hitting album from the band and one which Appice promises will be the start of another fresh era of metal from one of the greats.HEAVY sat down with Appice to find out more."I've always tried to stay within the limits of whatever band's I'm working with," he began. "We Are Warriors started out with me and Paul (Shortino, vocals) and sometimes Rowan and sometimes Carlos putting some ideas down because we all have studios. The whole album was done by everyone in their home studio, because the kind of budgets you get today and everybody lives in different places... it doesn't pay to fly everybody in and get hotels and sit around and write songs and then go into a studio. You might as well throw your money out the window that you're getting. Me and Paul probably made 5c an hour making that album because we spent a lot of time on it. A lot of time writing the songs. But we did it all by the internet. As you can see I have my studio behind me and I engineer my own drums. We did everything that way."In the full interview Carmine goes deeper into the writing and recording process, what he was going for musically with We Are Warriors, what the new members bring to the sound, how much King Kobra's sound has changed from their debut album to this one, working with Ozzy Osbourne and being sacked by Sharon, changing with the times and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

30 Elo 202327min

Interview by Kris PetersGood Things 2023 is only months away, and with a line-up including Fall Out Boy, Limp Bizkit, Corey Taylor, Sepultura and Behemoth it is easy to get lost in the big names and the hype.But there are a plethora of bands that will potentially make up the next generation of music. Bands that might not be on your radar now but if you allow yourself to venture outside of your comfort zone and check them out, could well rise to the top of your personal playlist based on just one listen.One of those bands is Magnolia Park, a band known for their unique blend of hip-hop, hard rock, pop-punk and alt-pop and also one whose star is very much on the rise.Earlier this month the band dropped two EP's simultaneously in MoonEater and SoulEater, each showcasing differing sides to the band's musical psyche.HEAVY caught up with frontman Joshua Roberts to find out more."It's so exciting," he enthused about Good Things. "Just to see the line-up and be a part of this legendary festival is amazing."We ask Joshua to introduce us to Magnolia Park."Magnolia Park is a... I like to call us a hybrid pop/punk style of band," he measured, "because we put so much fusion and different cultures and sounds in our music. We are very energetic. Most of our songs are about mental health problems and being broke on a Tuesday (laughs), so it definitely has a little bit of everything and I think that people will like it if they give it a chance."In the full interview Joshua discusses the Good Things line-up, who he is most looking forward to playing with, preparing for your first tour of a new country, what he is expecting, what we should expect from them, the blending of styles in Magnolia Park's music and how they make it work, dropping two EP's at the same time and why, how they each showcase different sides of Magnolia Park, how they differ from last years debut album Baku's Revenge and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

30 Elo 202312min

Interview by Kris PetersSouth Australian groove metal/hardcore act Suffer The Evenue return with their pulsating new single Sick Crnt this Friday, September 1.The track is lifted from the band's upcoming EP Vol 1 Superdead, which is set to drop on September 15.HEAVY caught up with vocalist Nick and guitarist Dom to find out more, plus we are also privy to an exclusive sneak peek of the song just days out from release..."I recently entered this band about 14 or 15 months ago," Nick explained, "and they came to me with a few skeletons of songs, and this is one of the ones we worked on straight off the bat. We all fell in love with each other in a bro kind of way with this track (laughs).""It was good to… as we were on the search for a new singer have a couple of songs to just throw out to someone and say 'here, listen to this and see what you can come back with'," Dom added. "But also when we wrote this song it just fell together. We brought in a new singer who grabbed it, and that fell together, and it's just one of our favourite, as a whole."In the full interview the boys talk more about Sick Crnt from a musical point of view, their blending of genres and how it works, the video clip and what it is about, their 4 track EP, a bit more about each song on the EP, covering Primer 55 and why they chose that particular song, future plans and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

30 Elo 202313min

Interview by Kyra-Jade Coombs Magic Dirt released Young and Full of the Devil 25 years ago and has celebrated with a double LP re-release.This era of Magic Dirt is a special time for the band with Raul stepping in as their new guitarist, that would turn into a lifetime of friendship and shows together. HEAVY caught up with frontwoman Adalita to reflect on the past and delve into the future. As well as releasing a wild purple-colored vinyl, they decided to hit the road on a monster tour to play their album in full. If you haven’t had the chance to watch Magic Dirt live, they have this amazing and wild energy that they’ve carried on as a trademark since their early days.“We’re animals. Love playing loud and love the riffs”. I really wanted to reflect and take Adalita back to the ‘golden age’ of Aussie rock/punk music, the 90s and 00s. If anyone has cool stories, it’s got to be these guys, right?We talked about being on the road, the Big Day Out festival days, the Channel [V] era and what it was like to be right in the guts of it all.“So many lost brain cells in and blur of awesomeness”.Living in a time when you could fully immerse yourself in a world without social media certainly had its rewards and perks.“We used to drive around and guess where the venues were. Living life actually and not virtually”.Can’t sit here and say I’m not envious of the lifestyle having grown in the internet world… At one point I asked if Adalita still resonates with Young and Full of the Devil’s lyrics and content and what it’s like to play the songs today. In response, she explains that she understands and knows exactly who that person was and where the emotion and lyrics came from, and it’s amazing to be able to play these songs again and re-live those memories and experience the songs through who she is today with all the life lessons she’s learnt along the way. Which I personally think is a beautiful thing to have.Imagine having a record with all your angst from the 20s as your living diary.I wondered if she had any advice she would give her younger self to which she said she would actually rather receive the advice. A cool thought to have. This weekend Magic Dirt are heading to Byron Bay on their tour for the first time since the 2000s, promising to rip it up and have a hell of a time! You can find the full tour guide on their website, grab some merch and a copy of Young and Full of the Devil for yourself. Do it!!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

29 Elo 202324min

Interview by Kris Peters Confidence goes a long way in music.Not just in yourselves and your music, but also in terms of your ideas. In a musical climate becoming increasingly saturated new bands often need something special to get people's attention.Put simply just having good music sometimes isn't enough. Emerging Sydney outfit Shu-Nagua have displayed an ability to think outside the box and follow their instinct from the outset, establishing their own musical conceptual universe from which to launch their sonic assault. It is an idea so grandiose it should actually work, and one which has seen the band added to the upcoming Simo's Maiden Voyage music cruise, which sets sail on September 24. Lead singer Lachlan Boon sat down with HEAVY to tell us more. "It sounds like a good time to me," he enthused. "We were lucky enough to be put on the first line-up. I think they are looking at doing a monthly thing, doing heavy music around Sydney Harbour." We ask Boon to tell us a bit more about the band. "Shu-Nagua musically is very diverse," he explained. "It's kind of… the way it's been written… it bends genres a lot. We'll go from something that's very bluesy and jazzy to something that delves more into prog-rock metal and everything in between. That's kind of where we sit. We have some of those heavier elements, but because of the concept we tend to shift the mood and genre to fit in with that overarching narrative. It gives us lots to explore." In the full interview Lachlan talks more about the concept behind the band and music, how they plan to create a continual series of releases based on this concept, translating the story into the live arena, writing to a concept and how that changes things, their live mascot and how he fits in with things, future plans and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

25 Elo 202315min

Interview by Kris PetersIn a world obsessed with technology and the quick fix band aid mentality it is refreshing to see bands that still adhere primarily to the old school formulas.When an album cycle meant getting out on the road and taking your music far and wide, engaging with old fans and connecting with new.The simplistic approach made possible in the modern age can often lessen the appeal and/or viability of such public displays of affection but I, for one, still love that vibe put off by a band who just wants to get down and dirty with their fans.Brisbane rock machine Gutterfire! have been touring relentlessly since the release of their debut album Chill some two years ago, traversing the East Coast of this great land on countless occasions and often more or less forcing people to give their music a listen.Not that that is such a bad thing because Gutterfire! are damn fine at what they do.With only a handful of shows left before the band settles in to complete their hotly anticipated follow up effort, Gutterfire! guitarist Az Stonely and frontman Photon Jon sat down with HEAVY to discuss their final few shows of the album cycle and what they have planned next.We start off by talking about their upcoming gig as part of Rock Beats Depression at the Mansfield Tavern on September 16."We've done it every year since very early on," Jon offered. "We love Caity, the organiser, and it's for a good cause. Everyone who plays the show really gets behind it for that reason."We ask what Gutterfire! get personally out of playing shows such as this."Personally, I'm autistic and ADHD," Jon revealed. "So it's close to my heart and I work in that field as well. Mental health in general... it's really cool how since I was a kid I've seen the conversation change and become more open. I remember when I was a kid people were questioning whether or not depression even existed, so seeing a nice big festival like that and raising money towards awareness is pretty awesome. Very different from when I was a kid."In the full interview, Az and Jon discuss the importance of festivals supporting depression and mental health issues, the fact these things can affect anyone, any time, the other bands on the line-up and who they are looking forward to playing with, next weekend's shows with Cairns outfit Forest, the High Kicks Forever Cancer Research Fundraiser they are playing on September 30, supporting charities, how it feels to be nearly finished a long and successful tour, new material and what direction it is heading and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

25 Elo 202319min

The Campaign For Musical Destruction tour title could not be more fitting for Napalm Death considering their perfect adaption of visuals and sonic chaos to everything that they create and stanbd for! For forty years Shane, Barney, Danny and John have done little else than ensure that we are willingly and graciously sonically accousted by being in the presence of Napalm Death; whether that be via our stereos or witnessing their entertaining and exhaustive live shows. The imminent return of Napalm with special guests Wormrot is about to hit Australian and New Zealand shors in a few shorts weeks, so frontman Barney thankfully gave us here at the HEAVY offices a few moments of his time to discuss all thing extreme including how aging has affected and changed his approached to writing and performing, plus he graciously spent his time with Metal V talking about somes of his favorite songs in Napalm's extensive back catalogue and why he chose them for us.Make sure you listen to the full podcast for another insight into the mind of one of extreme music's most poignant, prolific and humble legends.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

25 Elo 202337min

Interview by Kris PetersAsking Alexandria have always traversed the sonic tightrope between rock and metal, refusing to be stereotyped or labelled in the process.Over the course of seven previous albums the band has had moments of pure aggression offset by lashings of beauty, creating their own musical boundaries with a contempt for convention rarely sustained by bands with a global fanbase.Frontman Danny Worsnop has been behind many of the sonic disparities released by Asking Alexandria, his voice capable of shredding with the best of them but also becoming a source of emotional and sorrow at will.They are a band who are divisive in some quarters but have only ever proclaimed to be serving themselves as master with others more than welcome to board or alight the train at any time.With Asking Alexandria's eighth album, the ominously titled Where Do We Go From Here? due out on August 25 it seems the band have taken personal stock of their career to date and committed to disk a collection of songs that serve as a culmination of their career to date.HEAVY caught up with Worsnop as he sat in the tattoo chair recently to talk more about the album."It always sounds bad to say, and I don't mean it in a bad way, but I don't care about releases," he answered when asked if nerves were still a factor before an album drop. "This has been our album for the last year and as of three days from now it's not our album any more. It's everyone elses album. A lot of people look at the release date as the start of the album, but for me it's the end. Come Friday, that's when I get to start the next one."Where Do We Go From Here? is being promoted as a culmination of Asking Alexandria's historical body of work, so we ask Worsnop how much of a tightly wrapped package it is."We very much didn't want to try anything new," he offered. "We didn't want to re-invent the wheel. We didn't want it to be anything exploring or adventurous. It was supposed to be a look back on the last 15 years and a snapshot of everything thus far, sonically touching on everything we've done prior to thematically going back to subjects that have resonated with people from those albums. Instead of it being a personal record for us it's definitely for them."The title Where Do We Go From Here? could serve as both a statement or a question, but Worsnop argues the way it was written was slanted more towards the latter."It's a question, and one I ask myself a lot," he answered. "And one I think everyone should be asking themself all the time. I'm very goal motivated and orientated, so in my life that's the question I ask the most because regardless of the success or failure or win or loss that's the first question because you've gotta figure out what the next step is. When things are bad that's the only question we can really ask ourselves."In the full interview, Danny talks more about the subject matter on Where Do We Go From Here?, how it encapsulates the last 15 years of Asking Alexandria's life, closing certain chapters of music, the one minute banger Kill It With Fire and its surprising origin, the title and closing track and how it ties in with the album theme, his personal line of tequila and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

24 Elo 202316min