The Re-Evolution Of DEVILSKIN With PAUL MARTIN

Interview by Kris PetersLet's face it, coming up with something fresh and unique when it comes to music and the music world is almost impossible these days. With more music at our disposal than ever before meaning a multitude of new bands and artists all clamouring to find their share of the market, it takes something truly special to give you that edge.And sometimes that edge is the difference between success and failure.Sydney punk rockers The Great Awake struck that elusive gold recently with their promotional idea for new single Shitty Midlife Crisis proving a master stroke. After unleashing their new album QUIT onto the public, vocalist/guitarist Matt O'Keefe and his bandmates had the idea of creating a completely new platform for their next single, one which would engage both their music and people's minds and sense of adventure.Thus, The Great Awake playable video game was born, crafted and put together by O'Keefe with a basic, yet effective premise of skating and avoiding obstacles - but of course, dripping with laconic wit and gnarly graphics to match the band's sense of humour. The two releases could easily survive as stand-alone entities, but when put together offer an outlet for youthful exuberance with a soundtrack that takes you back to the days of Tony Hawk.HEAVY caught up with O'Keefe to find out more.We discussed their new single Shitty Midlife Crisis and the accompanying playable video game, which was a year-long process for Matt to develop. He emphasized the importance of incorporating fun and nostalgia into their approach and injecting humor and lightheartedness into their interactions. We also discussed the positive reception of Quit and the band's efforts to improve their live shows, plus more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

11 Maalis 202412min

Interview by Kris PetersRising from the ashes of the grunge era, Melbourne rock outfit Cicadastone have spent just over ten years refining their sound amid a musical revolution that saw their style of music shunned from mainstream darlings to backseat troublemakers.Following their 2016 debut Chance Collide, Cicadastone found strength in the fact that although grunge-infused rock was generally on the outer, people started gravitating towards their version of it. With more than a passing nod to some of the heavyweights of that musical movement, Cicadastone quickly set about sprinkling their own DNA into the mix and by 2020's Cold Chamber their efforts in bringing together music from all corners of the rock spectrum were beginning to be noticed.For their third, and most decisive album to date, Cicadastone have signed with new label XMusic and are obviously enjoying the freedom to allow their natural creativity to dictate the sonic balance of their music.The result is Future Echoes - out May 31 -, an album that draws from both previous albums, but also shows Cicadastone's musical growth and diversity like never before.The band last week dropped lead single In The Crossfire, a meaty slab of rock goodness that offers a glimpse inside Future Echoes while only scratching at the surface.HEAVY sat down with vocalist Mat Robins to find out more, starting with In The Crossfire."It's just one of these riffs that I had lying around for a long time and I couldn't do anything with it," he began. "And then one day it all happened in half an hour. I bashed the song together and jotted down the lyrics and found my focus. It all came together really fast, and we demoed the song, and it was the last song that we wrote for the record. But it's probably the most radio-friendly rock single we've got, so it worked out pretty good."We ask why the band chose In The Crossfire as the first single."I just think it's the most obvious, forthright song," he shrugged. "It's got the pace - we're predominantly a band that doesn't push pace. We love our sludgy, slow riffs (laughs). The label were eager to push the faster songs, so it was an obvious choice."In the full interview, Mat talks more about In The Crossfire, Future Echoes as a whole, what they were going for musically with it, the press release claims that it is Cicadastone's biggest statement yet, how it is a new chapter in the band's history, signing to XMusic and what it means for the band moving forward, how Cicadastone have grown musically over the three albums, their upcoming Stay Gold gig with The Midnight Devils and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

11 Maalis 202416min

Interview by Kris PetersLA based alternative artist Lil Lotus recently unleashed his second album Nosebleeder via Epitaph Records, building on the promise shown on his debut effort ERRØR BØY.Nosebleeder sees Lotus collaborating across the sphere of alternative music, including Mod Sun, Sophie Powers, Alexis Munroe and kennedyxoxo. Determined not to be restricted by any one genre or subgenre, Lil Lotus has expressed a desire to work with as many different artists as possible, an aim which has led to him being invited by Ocean Sleeper to join them this April and May for their Lonely Love Australian Tour.HEAVY caught up with Lil Lotus earlier this month."I've never been (to Australia)," he revealed excitedly, "so shout out to Ocean Sleeper and Deficit for having us out there. I think it will hit me when I'm on that 20-hour flight (laughs). I've always wanted to go to Australia. We've always talked about it. It's really weird, because Australia was always up there on my top places of people listening, and this opportunity came up, and it was like fuck yeah, let's do it."In the full interview, Lil Lotus expressed excitement and apprehension about his upcoming first tour of Australia, particularly regarding the wildlife. We discussed the comprehensive nature of the tour, covering various cities in Australia, sharing funny stories about Australian wildlife.Lotus discussed the evolution of his music, highlighting the shift towards a more band-heavy sound and the positive reception of his latest album, Nosebleed. He also reflected on his diverse musical career and emphasized the importance of experimenting with music while staying true to his artistic identity.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

11 Maalis 202411min

Interview by Kris PetersHalestorm took the world by storm towards the end of 2022 with the release of their fifth studio album, Back From The Dead.A rock album in every sense of the word, Back From The Dead drew a fresh generation of fans to Halestorm's side with its harder edge and attitude-stained delivery. That album saw Halestorm tour relentlessly, hitting Australia in early 2023 before dominating their home and surrounding countries.Such is their popularity Down Under that Halestorm have been invited back as part of Knotfest 2024, with guitarist Joe Hottinger joining HEAVY to talk about a massive last 18 months. We ask first if he is packed and ready to go, or if he is more of a last-minute type of traveller."I'm usually a last-minute guy," he laughed, "but I have gotten 90% of my pack together. I have some things I'm struggling with. I've got the clothes all together, but I'm a photographer too, so it's like 'what camera do I bring'? I don't wanna bring another suitcase, so I'm trying to shove in as much shit as I can without overdoing it, and I'm struggling in that department right now (laughs). I don't know what lenses to bring… I'm struggling."Halestorm were here last just over 12 months ago, so we ask Joe what has changed with the band in that time."Man, I feel like we're… I feel like we're a new band," he measured. "We did those shows last January and after that we went and did some US military base things and got home from that whole run of touring and kind of like, had a powwow. Like, what are we doing? We re-thought our whole purpose, like went through a playlist of the music we were listening to when the four of us first started playing together back in 2003, 2004. We were listening to that and looking at old set lists from back 20 years ago and asked why was it that people started coming out to our shows? Why did we get signed? Trying to get back into this headspace, and I think we did. We spent two or three months before the June European festival run - that was our next real tour - and we were working on new music, but we also spent the majority of the time restructuring our live set and our goals. I say this word way too much, but it really came down to moments. That's why we love what we do. That's why we love what we do. That's why we love music. You sit there and create these moments together, and it makes the crowd go 'woo'. That's the currency is the woo. We just kinda rewrote how we looked at some songs, kind of wove some together, and were trying to be more dynamic. We don't use computers or click tracks or anything, so it's just the four of us making noise up there, and what you hear is what you get. Mistakes and all."In the full interview Joe talks more about how Halestorm have worked on their live set, returning for Knotfest and what fans can expect, the Australian bands on the line-up, what sorts of things crowds can do to Halestorm put on the best show possible, his personal preference between festivals and headlining shows, their headline shows with Skindred, Back From The Dead and how it was received, how much of that album is still in the set list, changing things up live, new music and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

10 Maalis 202414min

Interview by Kris PetersIn the modern age of short attention spans, it is refreshing to see some bands still operating by the tried and true laws of yesteryear when it comes to releasing music.With EP's and singles all the rage, Perth metal outfit All This Filth elected to take their time with their recently released album Tomorrow Will Be Better?, dropping the first single Still Bleeds My Heart in late 2022 and drip-feeding more tunes until the album saw the light of day on February 9 this year.To simply class All This Filth as metal would be short-changing them significantly. Drawing on everything from Groove Metal, Thrash, Hardcore, Death Metal, Industrial Metal and even hints of Sludge and Nu-Metal, the Perth outfit deftly wind them all together to produce a sound fresh, vibrant and heavy as Hell.Released on the band's new US label Brutal Records, Tomorrow Will Be Better? is a coming of age of sorts for All This Filth, cementing them amongst the next wave of Australian metal bands and opening up a plethora of new opportunities for the band.HEAVY caught up with vocalist Brendan Preston and bass/keyboardist Benny Bones to find out more, starting with the album's reception."It's going well so far," Preston smiled. "We've had a lot of good feedback, like the reviews have been generally positive and all the fans I've spoken to and all the messages I've got from the band's social media have been good so far. All the media that we've been speaking to have seemed to enjoy the songs as well. I was on Andrew Haug on Monday night, and he was saying it's a definite step-up for us and that he was proud of us, which was really cool praise. So far, so good. The feedback has been unanimously good."We ask the boys to tell us more about the album musically."Musically, we just really wanted to step it up from the last album, Misery Season," Preston began. "Sort of just expand the boundaries of what we were doing. We wanted to be more aggressive, more fast, more groovy, add more keys and synths - which is more Benny's department - and really just test ourselves and push ourselves and see what we could do musically."In the full interview, Brendan and Benny talk more about Tomorrow Will Be Better?, how it picks up thematically from last album Misery Season, how they pushed the boundaries, the overall message of the album, the new members and what they bring to the band's sound, signing with Brutal Records and what that opens up for the band, how their sound has grown over the course of their releases, finding the balance between so many genres and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

10 Maalis 202422min

Interview by Nev Pearce from the Everblack PodcastFor over three decades the name Carcass has been synonymous with death metal.The band - who are credited for inventing gore/grind and creating the template for melodic death metal - have not ventured to this side of the world for a number of years but are about to make up for lost time when they hit Australia and New Zealand with The Black Dahlia Murder for a run of show this March.Nev Pearce from the Everblack Podcast caught up with guitarist Bill Steer to find out more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

10 Maalis 202418min

Interview by Erin EddyFinnish gothic rock legend Ville Valo is gearing up for an electrifying return to the Australian and New Zealand stages after a decade-long hiatus. With his debut solo album Neon Noir still reverberating through the music scene, Valo took some time to chat with HEAVY Mag about his latest ventures and the eagerly awaited tour.Valo delved into the creative process behind Neon Noir and how it feels to step into the spotlight as a solo artist. From the haunting melodies to the introspective lyrics, the album is a testament to Valo's musical evolution and his ability to captivate audiences with his distinctive style.Valo's upcoming tour marks his first visit to Australia in a decade, promising fans an unforgettable live experience. From Auckland to Brisbane, Valo will be enchanting audiences with a mix of solo tracks and beloved HIM classics, showcasing his unparalleled vocal range and magnetic stage presence.But before hitting the road, HEAVY Mag put Valo to the test, challenging him to decipher some Aussie slang. From "servo" to "esky", Valo's reactions were as entertaining as they were endearing, proving that even a Finnish rock god can appreciate the charm of Down Under.So, whether you're a die-hard fan or simply curious to witness Valo's magic first hand, be sure to grab your tickets now for what promises to be an unforgettable tour. Don't miss out on the chance to experience the dark allure of Ville Valo live in concert!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

8 Maalis 202438min

Interview by Kris PetersMaking any kind of a splash in the ferociously brilliant wading pool that is Finnish metal is an arduous task, made even more so by the pedigree of bands gone before and the talent of those emerging.The metal scene has always been strong in that part of the world, and although there are a large number of Finnish bands recognised on the international scene (Amorphis, Lordi, Children Of Bodom, Sonata Arctica to name a few) there are also many more going about their daily lives living, breathing, and weaponising heavy metal.These musicians on the fringe of the market are all clambering for their time to shine, experimenting and practicing their music, often with little or no recognition. And here is where you will find the next breed of musicians, toiling away for the love of art and harnessing the determination and passion of those who came before them.One such talent is Tomi Perrakoski who has several different projects in development, mostly of his own volition, where he is master of his own domain. Preferring to create and record music within the confines of his own workspace, Perrakoski has recently released his new album Lord Of Chaos from solo project Magnadur.It is an album that caresses the lines between metal genres and musical mysticism, exploring sound textures and brutality in a sonic realm bound by no rules.HEAVY recently sat down with Perrakoski to find out more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

5 Maalis 202413min