Challenging The Gods With RYAN KIRBY From FIT FOR A KING

Interview by Kris PetersBeing an emerging band anywhere in the world in the modern age is a battle of attrition.Not only do you have to compete with the thousands of other bands releasing songs on a daily basis, but you also have to build a fan base while at the same time forging your own musical direction and finding your own musical identity.While many bands struggle with this, Perth outfit Primrose Path have managed to manage all of the above with aplomb and dignity in their short history, despite facing the added disadvantage of being from one of the furthest capital cities from the main music hub in Australia.With the recent release of the single Irrelevance, Primrose Path walked a heavier direction to their grassroots sound of dark progressive metal, incorporating elements as diverse as djent and black metal into a mixing pot that already includes grunge, melodic metal and death metal.And whats more, Primrose Path nailed the proverbial out of it, delivering a song that perfectly encapsulates their growth as a band while also retaining enough success to their known and loved sound to keep existing fans happy.HEAVY sat down for a chat with vocalist and lyricist Lindsay Rose earlier today to find out more."We recently released our song called Irrelevance," she began, "which is a really big step up from our previous releases. We tactically had a change of drummer - if I can put it that way - about six months ago, just with a view of being able to up the ante of what we were doing rhythmically. Previously our emphasis has always been on the melodic aspect of progressive writing, but we thought if we want to be competitive in this market and also play the things that we really get off on playing then we need to get a little bit heavier. Irrelevance, I think, is a bit of a taste of what's to come and is the first single off our debut album that we're releasing."In the full interview, Lindsay talks more about the musical direction of Irrelevance and why they chose that path, the film clip and how it ties in with the song, finding your musical identity, their mixture of genres and how they make it work, their upcoming album, live shows and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

9 Kesä 202314min

Interview by Kris PetersMusical growth and progression is something that can only come from within.Sure, you can have your influences and guidance from others, but at the end of the day that personable nature of music is inherent best when served from your own sonic palate.Emerging Australian artist prchr. (percher) has done just that with his latest double release Ghost/Chicago, embracing the heavier side of his nature as well as sharing more of himself with the tracks.prchr. joined HEAVY to discuss more, starting with the decision to release two songs at the same time."Just to try something new," he shrugged. "I've always been doing these singles by themselves and then it all leads up to a bigger release. I just thought I would try something different for once."With Ghost the focus track of the two released we ask prchr. to give us more insight into the song."I wanted to have it as an introduction track to who I am as an artist and person," he measured. "Just to express how I feel and how I feel about what people think about me in that sense. I just made it super heavy (laughs)."In the full interview, prchr. talks more about Ghost lyrically and musically, the heavier nature of the track, revealing more of himself through his music, if it was more difficult writing about something personal, the song Chicago and what it is about, upcoming new music, planned shows and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

9 Kesä 202312min

Interview by Kyra-Jade Coombs and Kris PetersSpring Loaded has come and gone for another year, and what a fun time it was!And how could it not be, with Spiderbait, Eskimo Joe, Frenzal Rhomb, Shihad, Magic Dirt, Ratcat, Bodyjar and Screamfeeder all on hand?This year HEAVY was granted exclusive backstage access to speak with the bands as their day progressed, and we would like to take this opportunity to thank all of those involved Empire Touring, On The Map PR, the bands, their management, and, of course, the team of Neville Pearce (Everblack Media), Kyra-Jade Coombs, Cory Stevenson and Sam Totman.It was a fantastic day and getting the chance to chat with the bands at their own leisure in their own environment provided many highlights, but none more so than our chat with MC and Frenzal Rhomb guitarist Lindsay McDougall who joined us to talk about everything from his role as MC to Frenzal's new album The Cup Of Pestilence, their current tour for the album, their set on the day, coming up with consistently quality new material, having fun in general, and just about anything else that came to mind.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

9 Kesä 202316min

Interview by Kris PetersWhile some bands out there proclaim and advocate freedom of speech and expression, every so often you come across a band that are more than that.A band that would literally bleed for their cause and their stance, and one which hides behind nothing - not even their music - when it comes to having their voice heard.One such band is Canberra outfit Glitoris who have made their name - and rightfully so - on the back of experimentation and confrontation, blending "genre-defying art rock musicianship with razor-sharp lyrics, sardonic wit, on-point politics, and theatrical badassery".Put simply, Glitoris not only walk the walk, they talk the talk as well with their many beliefs personiified and given substance through verse.With their new single Lickety Split out now and a recent tour with Regurgitator in the can, guitarist Andrew Glitoris joined HEAVY to discuss life and music in general."Glitoris is a four piece, protest, kind of feminine punk, rock, pop, metal, art band," she explained.We ask Andrew how the reception has been for Lickety Split, a song described as "a celebration of sex workers and sex positivity that defies norms with a soundscape more akin to a theatrical number"."Great," she enthused. "We've been really happy with it, particularly radio. Community radio have loved it, but, I mean, we chose to lead the album with a single that was directly aimed to the community that we're from rather than the mainstream music audience, if that makes sense? The band has emerged from... I guess what's safe to say is a kind of fringe and queer community. We have always had a very strong LGBT following and the song is about celebrating sex positivity, queer sex positivity. It's about celebrating sex workers and all the work that they do. We feature a lot of our friends and our community in the video, which I think has been quite racy for some. It's funny, because you don't really realise how conservative a lot of music or a lot of popular culture is until you do something like this and you release it. Obviously, our community love it. They've gone off and think it's great, but we've had some eyebrows raised in other areas and it's like wow, we really are in a very conservative time if people get a bit hot under the collar at th sight of a pole dancer. It's like, bloody Hell. There's no nudity in the video. We're just commentating on our community and celebrating it."In the full interview, Andrew talks more about Lickety Split, the fact it is the band's first single in three years, what they have been up to in that time, their upcoming self titled album which will be out on July 14, what to expect from it, the band's sound and how they make it work, if there's such as thing as going too far with genres, the tour with Regurgitator, their own upcoming tour and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

9 Kesä 202317min

Interview by Kris PetersExtreme are truly a band who need no introduction. Since their debut self titled album in 1989 Extreme have been on a rock and roll path to success which has continued unabated over the years, culminating in their new album Six which will be released today (June 9). Most people hear the name Extreme and immediately think of the song More Than Words, which, despite being a cracker of a tune, showcases only one side of Extreme's musical personality. Their DNA lie more in the rock side of things, with Six aiming to set the record straight on just how much of the bands blood is coated in rock. Guitarist Nuno Bettencourt joined HEAVY on the eve of the albums release to talk more, starting with how he is feeling with the album less than 24 hours away from being unleashed. "Terrible," he smiled. "I'm completely embarrassed by it (laughs). Look, if there's an album coming out or music coming out, then it's for a reason and it's usually a good reason for me. It actually means that we wrote something that I think is worth something to share." With Extreme being around since the late 1980s we ask if the anticipation for new music releases is still as exciting as ever. "Yeah," he nodded. "As I said, I don't think... there's a reason why we don't put out a lot of albums. It's because the excitement has to be there, you know? I told Gary (Cherone, vocals) at a very young age that I never want to put any music out for the sake of putting music out. It's probably not the smartest thing financially for a band to do that (laughs), because every time you put an album out you make money, you get advances and you tour the world but it has to be something that you're really proud of. What I mean by that is it has to be successful before it even comes out. Meaning that you're super proud of it, you're excited and you put your head on the pillow regardless of if everybody hates it or loves it. It doesn't mean anything to you. It's always a bonus that they love it, but at the end of the day there's nothing worse than people loving what you do if you didn't like what you did in the first place." In the full interview, Nuno talks more about the musical side of Six, what they were going for with the album, making music for yourself first and foremost, their use of electronics on two of the songs, producing the album himself and how difficult it is to separate yourself from the music, their upcoming tour with Living Colour and what to expect, why those two bands make good touring partners and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

8 Kesä 202316min

Interview by Kris PetersNine years is a long time in music, especially in the modern age where people's attention spans are diminishing almost by the hour.But that is precisely how long it has been between albums for Swedish metal pioneers Scar Symmetry, who return on June 9 with their stunning new album The Singularity Phase II Xenotaph.The album has been described as seeing Scar Symmetry "back with a massive new sound that will blow listeners away" and as "the most brutal record Scar Symmetry have ever made".It is the follow up to 2014s The Singularity Phase 1 Neohumanity and further explores the themes and ideologies expressed on that album.Make no mistake, this is a heavy album both conceptually and musically, and one which founding member and guitarist Per Nilsson is extremely proud of, as evident in the time he spent recently with HEAVY."It's feeling quite unreal," he spoke of the imminent release of the album. "The first single was released March 31st, so new music has been out now for two months but the feeling of putting that very first single out - which was on the day of the first show we did with Meshuggah on their arena tour here in Sweden - so we got to play a big show and premiere the song in front of a few thousand people. Even though the song dropped that day, there were people singing along to the chorus in the audience which was an amazing, sweet moment."We press Nilsson on the musical nature of the album. "This is part two of a trilogy that we're working on, and before we even wrote a single note of music we came up with a synopsis of what we wanted to do. It's about the technological singularity; the rise of artificial intelligence and what happens with that. Each phase deals with its own part of the storyline. Phase one deals with the rise of artificial intelligence, neo humans that are people who have augmented themselves with technology and what happens when the A.I turns malevolent. So, phase one has some upbeat moments musically when you can feel the promise of the new technology but then it turns really dark at A.I and the neo humans as they wage war upon the unmodified mankind - which is the majority of people. So the album starts in war and disaster. Phase two picks up where phase one left off with the technocalyptic cybergeddon. The very first song - which is the second single we released - starts in a similar fashion as Technocalyptic with some really intense blast beats and the song is very intense. In the mid section there is a melody in the riff that was occurring in Technocalyptic that is presented now in a different fashion. It kind of ties the two albums together, but then it goes off into this story of in this crazy, brutal war suddenly aliens show up..."To find out the rest of the storyline listen to the full interview, where Per also talks more about the musical side of the album, writing to a concept, what the band has been up to in the last nine years, the continuing concept, how difficult it is writing music to a themed storyline, if the band will continue to do that in the future, touring plans and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

8 Kesä 202315min

Interview by Kris PetersThere is no substitute for youthful exuberance and commitment, especially in the music industry.While some people tackle the perils of the music world from a young age with an air of arrogance and indifference at what the future may hold, it is the ones who approach music with an open mind and respectful heart that tend to be in it for the long haul.Take Melbourne metalcore act Nth Rd for example. These guys started out playing music as schoolmates in their garage, belting out Metallica covers to get their musical fix.From there the boys honed their craft and harnessed their skills so that by the time they were ready to unleash their debut EP Panic on the world they had already built a steady fan base and laid a solid platform from which to launch the future.Panic dealt with the different stages of a panic attack, and they continue that theme of self growth and understanding on new single River.River sets off on a journey to uncover where trauma stems from and how it can shape a person, dealing with topics considered taboo or too personal by many. But not so Nth Rd who not only write these songs to help with their own problems, but also commit them to verse in an attempt to guide and help others.Jordan Kellaway (vocals), Lucas Banim (bass) and John Mihaloudakis (drums) sat down with HEAVY recently to talk through the song."It's been really, really good," Kellaway enthused of the early reception afforded River. "think it's the best received song we've ever had in terms of how our audience is engaging with it. People are telling us their own takes on what the meaning of the song is and people really seem to resonate with it. That emotional resonance as a songwriter is something you really strive for so it's really good to see that reception."We ask the boys to dive into the musical nature of River."The interesting thing about the song is we probably started writing it well over a year and a half ago," Banim explained. "So it's gone through a lot of iterations, but I think coming out of the last EP... the first EP we did was Panic and then the single we released at the end of last year, Watch You Fade Away, we kind of just wanted to hone in on what our strengths were and just go 100% with it. So I think with this one we were trying to look at what worked in the past and how we can fine tune that to hone in on the best parts of our sound and push that as much as we could."In the full interview the boys talk more about the meaning behind River, their decision to focus on real human problems and emotions, how writing songs of this nature has helped them deal with adversity, new music and what it will sound like, their early days jamming in the garage, how they are finding the music industry and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

7 Kesä 202320min

Interview by Kris PetersThere are supergroups in this world, and then there are groups of musicians that have such a good pedigree even the term (which I incidentally hate) Supergroup is not enough.One such band is undoubtedly Elegant Weapons - comprised of guitarist Richie Faulkner (Judas Priest), vocalist Ronnie Romero (Rainbow), drummer Christopher Williams (Accept) and bass player Dave Rimmer (Uriah Heap) - who recently released their debut album Horns For A Halo.The album understandably combines the plethora of experience and influences inherent in all of these musicians, creating a homage to 1970s and 80s metal that can only come from the creative talents of those who lived through the era.When you throw in that Rex Brown (bass, Pantera) and Scott Travis (drums, Judas Priest) played their parts on the recording before giving way to Williams and Rimmer in the live arena, and it becomes clearly evident just how good Elegant Weapon are.Just by assembling a group of talented musicians a band isn't necessarily guaranteed success. It is the smaller things and nuances that bring a band together and create that magic, with Faulkner sitting down with HEAVY to discuss just that and the album in greater detail."It's melodic and heavy but somewhere between heavy metal and hard rock," he explained of the album. The album has enjoyed great early success - both critically and commercially - with Faulkner admitting that even with his sustained personal success in the industry it is always a little daunting putting out new material."You never know," he answered. "All you can do is do your best and give it 1000%, and then you release it onto the world. It's like your kids. You do your best and then let it do its thing. It could be well received, it might not be, but you've just got to put it out there. The best thing really you can ask for is that people listen to it, they give it their opinion - and there's so many things you can listen to these days. I feel honoured really that people give us the time of day. With the internet these days you can give your opinion - good or bad - and I think that's a beautiful thing and I'm honoured to be in that position."In the full interview, Richie talks more about the sound of Horns For A Halo, assembling the right members for the band, why he went with Brown and Travis on the album and Rimmer and Williams live, recreating a sound from the past with a modern flavour, why he chose to cover UFO's track Light's Out on the album, getting chemistry within the band and how long that took, his recent brush with death, future plans and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

7 Kesä 202312min