The Complete Package With DAN McDOUGALL From VOLUME DEALER

Interview by Kris PetersSwedish metal heavyweights Katatonia are on the cusp of their first headlining tour of Australia in nearly a decade, which kicks off in Sydney on February 9.Over the course of thirty years and eleven studio albums, Katatonia have proved groundbreaking in their approach, constantly restructuring their sound to match their own personal music growth.Drummer Daniel Moilanen recently joined HEAVY to discuss the tour in greater detail."Pretty much," he replied when asked if the band were packed and ready to go. "We just came back from the first show of this year. We did Turkey, so I'm taking a day off or two and then getting back into it."We ask how he prepares mentally and physically for a run of dates like this so far from home."The first thing is loading up on sleep," he offered. "I know it doesn't really work like that, but getting sleep and rest and getting your vitamins in and your supplements. Even leaving home for a run of dates for a couple of weeks, even if you're not able to do your workouts or do your stretches on the road, you're going to have pretty crappy sleep all throughout. If you can prepare with all that at home, you'll be fine. I think that's what we all try to do, just unwind, prepare physically and mentally, and while we're out there the lack of sleep; the lack of healthy food doesn't really affect us as much. If we would live at home like we did on tour, I don't think we would survive because we are getting too old (laughs)."In the full interview, Daniel talks more about the tour and what to expect, what has changed with the band since their last Australian tour in 2016, his memories of that tour being the 'new guy', growing into his role, if he was a fan of the band before joining, last year's album Void Of Stars and how it has been received, how much of that they will be playing live, what's next for Katatonia and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

1 Helmi 202410min

Interview by Erin EddyThe last few years have been tough on the world at large, with people of all walks of life forced to find their own coping mechanisms to safely navigate increasingly treacherous waters.Musicians, long thought to be able to handle anything the world threw at them and turn it into cathartic verse, were amongst the hardest hit, with many bands failing to emerge intact.But others embraced their changing environment as best they could, harnessing their anger and frustration into their music - often the only thing they had left.Australian progressive rock outfit Caligula's Horse were one such band.Borne from the heartache and suffering of a world teetering on the verge of collapse, Caligula's Horse's sixth studio album Charcoal Grace is a sonic reminder of the frailties of mankind as well as the endurance in the face of adversity that often comes with despair.The music contained within Charcoal Grace is as diverse and eclectic as the circumstances that inspired it, combining raw rock power with immense and intense emotional fortitude.HEAVY caught up with Jim, Josh and Dale to find out more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

28 Tammi 202413min

Interview by Kris PetersAustralian metal outfit Dream On Dreamer were an international sensation in the early part of this decade, playing, amongst other things, 24 different countries and sharing the stage with bands such as Avenged Sevenfold, Pierce The Veil, Memphis May Fire, A Day To Remember and plenty more.With four chart-topping albums to their name, including the highly successful Loveless (2013), it seemed the world was there for Dream On Dreamer's taking.Until, seemingly out of the blue, the band announced that they would be parting ways after eleven years together in February 2020, citing the need to focus on their personal lives. It came as a shock to their fans far and wide, with the April 2020 album What If I Told You It Doesn't Get Better threatening to be the last we would hear of this promising band.In June 2023 fans received the news they had been hoping for when Dream On Dreamer announced they would be reforming for a national headlining tour which dutifully sold tickets by the bucketful and ensured Dream On Dreamer now had a reason to remain.That decision was vindicated later that year when Dream On Dreamer were announced - along with Sienna Skies - as national supports for Of Mice & Men on their 2024 Australian tour, reportedly hand-picked by the band themselves for the honour.Now, with only weeks remaining before the first show kicks off in Adelaide on February 23, HEAVY managed to track down guitarist Zach Britt to find out how the band is feeling about the upcoming tour and what they have planned for the near future."We're pretty pumped," he enthused about the tour. "It's been a while since we had a run on the field. We've been on the bench a little while and we're really excited. We're excited to get out there and stretch our legs again. It's always fun just hanging out, especially as we've gotten older and not toured non-stop all the time. It's really nice when we get to do it now, and we appreciate every time. Of Mice & Men are such heavy hitters… it's a privilege when you get to play with bands like that. I think the more we've grown up now, the more we appreciate these tours. There was a lot of tours that we didn't really take stock while we were there, and now I think back to a lot of them and think 'oh my God, I wish I was a little more present minded' (laughs). I think now we're just excited to make the most of it and get out there."In the full interview, Zach talks more about the tour and what is expected of Dream On Dreamer as a band, being personally selected for the Of Mice & Men shows and how that feels, having two Australian bands as supports and the flow on effects for Australian music, how he controls the nerves leading into shows of this magnitude, the band's fresh approach to playing and touring and how he thinks it will benefit them in the future, announcing the comeback last year and what changed to make the band try again, how it felt to be welcomed back with open arms by the fans, proving a point to themselves and others, new music, future plans and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

27 Tammi 202417min

Interview by Kris PetersAussie rock outfit Shotgun Mistress exploded out of the blocks with their debut self-titled album in 2021, showcasing an old-school approach to songwriting that saw them instantly branded amongst rising bands to keep an ear out for.Spawning a string of chart-topping singles such as No Friend Of Mine, Save Me From Myself, Glorious Machine, Collide and Bleed Me Out, it seemed Australian rock had finally found a fresh talent to proudly call their own.Following a highly successful 2023 which saw Shotgun Mistress complete sold-out national tours with Electric Mary and Palace Of The King, the boys decided to take stock and capitalise on their continued momentum with album number two, always considered the making or breaking of any band.With the new album Kings Of The Revolution in the can and planned for a June release, Shotgun Mistress have unveiled the first taste of what to expect with the hard-hitting single Jude Judas, just ahead of their national tour as part of GlamFest 2024 which also features Slaughter, Lynch Mob, H.E.A.T, Janet Gardner and plenty more.HEAVY sat down with frontman Glenn Patrick to dive deeper into Shotgun Mistress' new music and their exciting next few months."The track is the best single from the second album," Patrick declared about Jude Judas. "The first album is always going to test the waters and see what it's like and how we all work together as a band family and democracy, so the second album was a good chance to spread our wings knowing how everyone works. The recording process was ten times easier, and we all had a good time working together. It only took almost 40 years to find a band I actually get along with (laughs). The song itself is typical, the word Judas obviously biblical in the fact you've got a friend who took advantage of you in a situation. It pays homage to a mate of mine who has gone through a bit of shit, but he's on the up and up, so this goes out to him."We press Patrick as to why the band chose Jude Judas as the first single and representation of the new album."It was tough," he conceded. "There's a couple of really good standout ones. The second single, I absolutely love, which is going to be coming out shortly after this one. And even the third one is an amazing song, which we actually got Rusty from Electric Mary in to do some vocals. That's a really, really good track, and that one is called Mary Jane. It's a fitting name as well (laughs)."In the full interview, Glenn talks more about Jude Judas, the remainder of the album and what to expect, their goals going into the recording process and if they were achieved, the upcoming Glamfest tour and their part in it, the high number of Australian bands on the bill and how important that is for Australian music, Shotgun Mistress' live show and what to expect, what sorts of things they learned as a band touring with Aussie heavyweights like Electric Mary, their own headline tour later this year and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

27 Tammi 202417min

Interview by Kris PetersFollowing the release of last year's album Dreams And Lies, LA-based rock singer/songwriter John Demena found his career on an upward trajectory.With his music now circulating in the right circles - including album opener and single I The People making Loudwire's Weekly Wire Playlist as one of the Best 50 Rock & Metal Songs of the week it was released - Demena attacked his craft with renewed vigour.Opportunities began to open up, one of which was the chance to play at the legendary Viper Room in West Hollywood. And what better way to celebrate that landmark than recording your whole set? And what better than that?Re-releasing the album's successful single as a live cut.Which is exactly what Demena is doing on January 27 when the live version of I The People - recorded during that show at the Viper Room - is released.HEAVY spoke with Demena about the track and asked him to tell us a bit more about himself."I'm a rock artist out of Los Angeles," he explained. "I grew up in Spain, then moved here in 2008 around the recession and all that. I was playing in bands and doing sessions for other musicians and many different things. Then I started my recent project as a solo artist five years ago. The debut album came out last year. It's a full and diverse sonicsphere, all over the spectrum of rock. It goes in the hard rock sound, but sometimes it goes a little heavier, sometimes it can be a little more spacial and progressive."In the full interview John talks more about the project, the live version of I The People, what it was like playing and recording at the Viper Room, his previous release which was a cover of The Doors People Are Strange, putting his own spin on a classic song, future plans and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

23 Tammi 202413min

Interview by Kris PetersEvery city anywhere in the world has bands that are considered legendary within their geographical area, but might not be so recognised much further than the next border crossing.For Brisbane that band is Boondall Boys, a band featuring a gentleman that goes by the name of Macka who also happens to be in a universally legendary band, the Cosmic Psychos.The story of the Boondall Boys initial album pressing - if not a national legend it should be - is piss funny and punk as fuck (listen to the interview if you want to know more), which in a roundabout way brings us full circle to why we are even talking about Boondall Boys in the first place!Australian label Bargain Bin Records, created by Aussie band The Chats, recently re-released that 2007 album Hard Rubbish and to thank the band as well as celebrate the label's fifth birthday, Boondall Boys are hitting the road for selected dates with The Chats for a run of select shows this February.To find out more about everything, HEAVY tracked Macka down while he was resting in bed. We start by asking if it feels like he is cheating on the Cosmic Psychos by getting back into bed with his mistress."No, not at all," he smiled. "The record came about a long, long time ago and we just re-released it. It goes back to about 2006 I think when we wrote the songs. Then I joined the Psychos at about that time, from memory. I think it was recorded… you would go back 15 years sort of thing."In the full interview Macka gives us a history on Boondall Boys, recalls making Hard Rubbish and what sound they were going for, forming the band and what drove him back then, what to expect from their live shows, what happened with the initial pressing of 100 copies, potential new music and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

20 Tammi 20247min

Interview by Kris PetersCanadian metal outfit Striker are a band not known for taking the safe approach to music.While old school fans bemoan the fact they refuse to continually churn out albums of pure thrash metal, Striker understand the importance of allowing their musical growth to be reflected with each fresh body of work.This is never more evident than their upcoming studio album Ultrapower - out February 2 -, an assortment of influences and genres ranging from speed metal to hardcore to hair metal to deathcore to Steely Dan. It would have been understandable - possibly even expected - that Striker would rehash the winning formula that saw previous album Play To Win earn them a Juno Award, but rather than stick to what they knew would work, the band elected to instead allow the music to dictate its own course.The result is an eclectic but still unashamedly metal album, being touted in the press as "Striker's triumphant return to reality".HEAVY caught up with vocalist Dan Cleary earlier this week to find out more."I'm super pumped," he enthused. "I'm really excited to get it out. We recorded it… - I guess it was early last year, so February, March -. You sit on the album for a long time, and it's always nice to get it out and see how people are liking it. I still really like it. There's been albums that we've recorded and by the time it comes out you're sick of it, but I'm still digging this one. I think there's a lot of different types of songs, so it's never too boring."Sitting on an album for 12 months waiting to release it is a long time. Musical tastes and trends change significantly over the course of one year, so we ask Cleary if there were ever any stages where the band started to second guess the finished product or think they should make changes certain bits of it."You kind of always do that stuff, but I feel like after doing it seven times we know what to expect," he replied. "I think the first couple we did, we looked back and thought 'oh God, we should have gone and recorded in this studio' or 'we shouldn't have recorded that song' or that kind of thing. Even on this album, there's still grumbling from some people saying we should have put that more brutal song on there and that kind of thing, but that's always gonna happen."In the full interview, Dan talks more about the musical side of Ultrapower, anything they paid specific attention to on this album cycle, following on from Play To Win and if the success of that album caused extra pressure, the temptation to repeat the successful formula for this album, the singles released and how they represent Ultrapower, the different influences that went into the songs, pleasing fans with new material, if the band ever thought maybe they had too much variety on the album, future plans and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

20 Tammi 202416min

Interview by Kris PetersThe Butterfly Effect are possibly one of the greatest rock outfits to emerge from this country.Since releasing their self-titled EP in 2001 which led to their superb debut album Begins Here two years later, The Butterfly Effect have epitomised the Aussie battler in musical terms, often punching above their weight but invariably taking the points on a TKO every time.As with most bands, The Butterfly Effect have had their share of ups and downs but have always emerged triumphant with their integrity intact.Now, 20 years after the release of Begins Here - an album that spawned the singles One Second Of Insanity, Crave, Always and Beautiful Mine - the boys from Brisbane have decided to relive those early days of struggle and uncertainty by taking to the road to celebrate that groundbreaking album by playing it in full.What started as only a handful of shows soon swelled to double digits, with almost half sold out already - still two weeks out from the first show.HEAVY tracked down frontman Clint Boge earlier this week to discuss the tour and the album that started it all."They said we'd never make it mate, and we're here," he smiled. "Australian heavy music is alive and well and still going. You've got all of the bands that paved the way - trail blazed - back in the day, and can I just say I am super stoked to be a part of it 20 years on. I'm probably a little bit heavier, a little bit wiser with a few more grey hairs, but I'm still here."We mention the tour and press Boge on how excited the band is to hit the road and journey back to their musical roots every night."We're nervous. There's a sense of anxiousness around the group at the moment, and we're nervous," he admitted, "because we want it to be great. We haven't played some of these songs for 20 years. I think we played Without Wings in its demo format at the Hard Rock Cafe on the Gold Coast in 2001/2002 and that was the last time that thing got played. Overwhelmed got played in I think 2004 - that was the last time it got played - so we've had to relearn, rejig and duck, weave and dodge because the brain isn't as malleable as it was 20 years ago. The excitement is palpable around the group at the moment. Glen is coming up this evening, and I'm going in the studio tomorrow to do some touch ups for vocal stuff. We're doing a full band practice, it's all systems go. We're firing on all cylinders, which is great."In the full interview, Clint talks more about the tour, the fantastic response from fans, what we can expect from the gigs, playing Begins Here in full and any difficulties it presented, the planning stages for the album and what was discussed, his memories of making it, his initial thoughts on how good the material was, his personal favourite tracks on the album, if he thinks the songs have stood the test of time, how The Butterfly Effect have changed as a band since it was recorded, their latest album IV and how the fans reacted to it, future plans and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

18 Tammi 202423min