Raw, Real & Gritty With LUKE GRUNTS From CLEOPATRICK

No matter the existing strength, quality or back catalogue of a band - and regardless of their past successess - there is ALWAYS a defining moment in their career that makes what may or may not have come before seem trivial and insignificant. While that moment may come in a number of different forms, it is generally a groundbreaking performance or an album so good it defies even internal expectations.That moment is here and now for US metal tyrants Nothing More, who celebrate the release of their latest - and quite possibly greatest - album yet with Carnal thIs Friday, June 28.It is an album featuring not only a musical underbelly that highlights all the strengths and none of the weaknesses of Nothing More, but also features guest performances from a veritable who's who of metal royalty including David Draiman (Disturbed) and Eric V (I Prevail) and a production team that have overseen bands such as Motionless In White, A Day To Remember, Limp Bizkit and Bring Me The Horizon.Carnal is and will be that defining moment for Nothing More, with frontman Jonny Hawkins recently sitting down with HEAVY to tell us more, discussing the musicality of Carnal, the guest artists and why they were chosen, the temptation to rehash the winning formula of their previous album, collaborating with David Draiman, how Carnal came together, diversifying their music without separating themselves from their fanbase, the musical growth of the band and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

28 Kesä 202424min

Interview by Kris PetersFifty years of service to any industry is a remarkable effort, but when that industry happens to be the cut-throat one of music, then that achievement takes on ever greater credence.The Angels have long been an institution on the Australian music scene, with their high-energy brand of rock transcending generations of music lovers across this country and beyond. The band have literally been there and done that in a landscape not designed for longevity, bouncing back from tragedy, critical upheaval and anything else the world of music and life has thrown their way.Better known with Doc Neeson out the front, The Angels also welcomed The Screaming Jets' Dave Gleeson to the family for an extended stay, but now, as they enter their second half-century as a band, the baton has been passed on to former drummer, now focal point, Nick Norton.To celebrate this wonderful milestone, The Angels are releasing their 14th studio album - and first in over a decade - on June 28. Simply titled Ninety Nine, the album marks Norton's first release as vocalist but promises all of the hard-edged rock and roll swagger made famous by The Angels over so many years.The band has also announced their 50 Not Out national tour, starting in June as well, with Norton putting some time aside recently to tell HEAVY about all of the new adventures in store for The Angels."We're stoked about the album," he beamed. "I actually haven't been this excited about a new album since I was… at least ten-plus years. It's always good to be on recordings, and it's an exciting thing, but this one I have repeatedly said to the band and I think I keep surprising the guys about how excited I am about it (laughs). I'm satisfied with the way the tracks have gone down, the way we made sure that everything has been done to a T and exactly how we wanted it. Even from a vocal perspective, this is the most time I have ever taken to really nail parts and layer up all of these interesting harmonies and got it exactly as I was hearing it. Some of these tracks we recorded the rhythm section stuff for four years ago, and we've been laying guitars over since. It was not long before Christmas last year we went on this whole kind of extra thing to get the album finished, and we did a couple of big sessions down in Melbourne at Light Hill Studios to get the album all finished up for the 50th year. Suddenly it's gone from 'we'll get around to finishing the album' to we actually have something here, let's do this."In the full interview, Nick talks more about Ninety Nine and how it sounds, what they were going for with the overall sound and how The Angels' DNA is spread throughout it, lead single Ninety Nine and why it was chosen to represent the album, delivering what is expected of you while still coming up with something fresh, taking over from Dave Gleeson, fan reaction to his role as frontman, his history with the angels, writing with the Brewster Brothers, their upcoming tour and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

27 Kesä 202419min

Interview by Kris PetersTwenty years in any position is worthy of long service reward, but when you manage to do that in the cut-throat and often thankless place called the music industry, then long service leave just doesn't cut the mustard.It is an industry that taxes the majority and rewards the few, but it is also one of the few things in the world that could loosely come under the term job that by and large brings satisfaction, relief, and extreme pleasure to all of those fortunate enough to embrace it.Sydney hard rock/metal outfit Temtris have recently earned their place in the 20 years and counting music club and are celebrating by doing the one thing they do best.Releasing music and touring. But that's two things, I hear you scream.Not when you are in a working band, my friends. Writing, recording and touring go hand in hand. You can't succeed in one without embracing the other, which is one of the major reasons why Temtris have emerged triumphant from the minefield that engulfed the world just a few short years ago. Not only have they come out the other side still as a band with an itch to scratch, but Temtris have come out with renewed zest and vigour, taking their music to an international audience while still satisfying those closer to home.And what's the best way to celebrate such milestones with the people who helped perpetuate your longevity?By releasing a Best Of album that captures your band and music every step of the way, from your tentative first steps to your current day sprint. Because at the end of the day music is as much about your fans as it is yourself, otherwise you would be left singing into the empty shampoo bottle in the shower while mentally standing in front of an adoring crowd.On June 28 this year, Temtris unveil their gift to the fans in the form of Rewinding Time, a comprehensive recounting of the band's music from debut album Threshold in 2003 up to last year's dynamic Khaos Divine. It is a compilation of musical highlights as originally recorded that not only highlights the growth and strengths of Temtris, but also their frailties and humanity.Guitarist Fox and vocalist Genevieve joined HEAVY to chat more about the album and the band's upcoming European return.One of the questions we ask them is how the experience of putting together a Best Of album felt."Over a 20-year career, it was interesting going back to the early stuff and re-listening to things," Fox replied. "You have that feel of gee, it was a bit rough back then (laughs). You can hear the improvement over the years, as you would hope, as both the technology and our own skills in production has improved. You'd go back and listen to the early songs, and it was still difficult thinking which songs we would include. You think things like the production may not be the most amazing compared to modern standards, but the music itself still stands up quite well."Larger bands like Slipknot, Metallica etc would find assembling a Best Of album an easy task. Just start at the pile of number ones and work your way backwards. But for bands not on the same platform it would be more of a personal experience, listening to their old music and recalling which ones resonated with not only themselves, but with their fans and audiences over the years. We ask the band if that's how they came up with the chosen few, or if there was a more delicate method."I literally went online and asked the fans what they wanted," Genevieve answered. "I had some interesting responses. It was hard for us… we put The Lies Become The Truth off the last album, even though it wasn't a major single with a major film clip, just because that song, literally every time we play live, goes off. It was like, this is one of the most loved tracks off that album, so we put it on. That's how we did that with a lot of the tracks we chose.""There's definitely an element of connection to it," Fox continued. "All the songs that are on this best of compilation we've had a strong connection with live. They are songs the fans have responded to and requested again and again and again and still come to shows now and say when are you putting this song back in the set? That speaks to us and builds our connection with those particular songs as well. All of the songs that have gone onto the album have that connection. There's songs where we feel we have connected very strongly with the fanbase through this music and this song."In the full interview, we ask Fox and Genevieve how connected they still felt as they were going through the older tracks, how they could hear their own musical progression from the early songs to more recent, the album artwork and how it reflects 20 years of Temtris, releasing Rewinding Time in physical form and the importance of maintaining actual CD's as opposed to going full digital, the new line of merch to coincide with Rewinding Time, last year's European tour and how overseas fans related to their music, their upcoming return visit throughout Europe, future plans and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

25 Kesä 202420min

Interview by Kris PetersGrunge fans rejoice as the raw energy of Nirvana returns to Australia!Direct from the UK, the world’s number one tribute to the Seattle legends, Nirvana Tribute, are making their way back to Aussie shores for their fourth visit, and for the first time will be hitting New Zealand as well to pay homage to, and celebrate the life of Kurt Cobain.Tribute bands are a dime-a-dozen these days, and quality versions are rarer than hens teeth, especially in the case of Nirvana tribute acts. It seems every country has more than a handful of bands claiming to pay homage to the original artist and their music, but in reality turn out to be nothing more than semi-adequate wanna-be's who are just in it for the quick buck.Sound harsh? Well I should know, having worked with one of the best and most popular tribute bands ever, ACCADACCA.There's only one other band that I have ever seen manage to capture the raw intensity and musical brilliance of the band they are paying tribute to, and that is Nirvana Tribute. Especially frontman Jon O'Conner, who is that similar in looks, presence and voice to Kurt Cobain himself that you could close your eyes at their gig at the local pub and easily be transported back to The Duchess Of York Hotel in Leeds back in 1989, standing in front of the actual Nirvana in a smoke-stained, overcrowded and sweaty club.Nirvana Tribute has been hailed as worthy successors the world over, with countless tours and new territory conquered on a yearly basis and even more that unfortunately miss out.HEAVY caught up with frontman Jon O'Conner recently to talk more about Nirvana Tribute plus the man and legacy honoured each and every time the band gets on stage."The people seem to like us there," he shrugged when we mention the band must be doing something right to be invited back for a fourth tour of Australia, "so we'll always go back. We love it as well. I think on my first visit to Australia, I was completely blown away. Just the hospitality and the people there… you can't beat it."We point out the fact that Australians are known for their honest nature in general, but even more so when it comes to music, so if Nirvana Tribute have managed to win us over things are looking pretty good."I think we would have known if they weren't happy," he laughed. "They made us feel right at home on that very first trip, so I'm sure the fourth one will be just the same."As mentioned earlier, there are an uncomfortably large number of tribute bands doing the rounds, with Nirvana being right up there as the most popular band to attempt. We ask O'Conner how he feels about such bands who ultimately only serve to denigrate the efforts of others like Nirvana Tribute who actually take pride in their work."At the moment there is an almost oversaturation of the market," he agreed. "There's some substandard Nirvana tribute bands, but this is the one to come and see. If you wanna see a genuine Nirvana performance and go home feeling like you'd been at a Nirvana show, this is the one that you need to see. Plus we bring a little bit of chaos with us as well (laughs)."In the full interview, Jon talks more about what fans can expect from the show, headlining the Louder Than Love run of shows while here, the resurgence of grunge music and how far he thinks it will go, recreating the magic of Nirvana and what things Nirvana Tribute do to make that happen, separating himself from the stigma that comes with portraying Kurt Cobain, his thoughts on the enduring legacy of the great man, what attracts him to Nirvana's music, what people find so special about it, living up to fan expectation and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

25 Kesä 202414min

nterview by Kris PetersWhat do you get when you cross a pro wrestler, a metal head and a penchant for cross-dressing? If you answered Ladybeard then you are 1000% correct. For there is only one.Because one walking ray of sunshine is all the world needs.Since blowing up the Japanese internet in 2014 and then taking on the world with his first single Nippon Manju the following year, Adelaide-born Ladybeard has quickly become - and, most importantly, remained - an exuberant spark of life in an otherwise bleak musical landscape. His vision first of creating and then of embracing the persona that is Ladybeard has seen him traverse the globe as a solo artist but even the best of us get lonely sometimes and thus Ladybeard sought companionship in the form Japanese idols SUZU and MAHRI to form his current group Babybeard in 2020.Combining colourful Japanese pop culture and relentlessly cute pigtails with heavy metal, pro-wrestling and choreographed dancing, Babybeard’s uniquely high-energy performances have captured the hearts and ears of all ages no matter what part of the world they have blessed, but now it's Australia's turn when Babybeard arrive in this country in the coming days for their Adorable Assault On Australia Tour, kicking off in Adelaide this Friday.It promises to be an entertaining, family-suited string of shows and is a fitting homecoming for a man and his band. But don't let us convince you of the above, listen to the words of Ladybeard himself, and you will find it impossible to refute."We are here to tell you dear, beautiful Australians that Ladybeard is coming on tour to Australia with his group Babybeard this June and July," he declared. "So we all need to get a bit excited Australia. We need to raise the tempo because we're not here for siesta time. We're here to SCREAM with a man in pigtails and two Japanese females. It's me, with two adorable Japanese ladies next to me, and we're all dancing. The girls are singing, I'm SCREAMING. It's like BabyMetal but with a giant, bearded, cross-dressing Aussie in the middle. That's exactly what it's like. The group is called Babybeard - so it's Ladybeard plus babies equals Babybeard, it's very straightforward - and we're coming for you. We've been trying to make this Australia tour happen for a long time. We put this group together in 2020, and we all know what happened then that made touring somewhat difficult, but we had a plan to tour in 2020. Nope, not happening. Tour 2021? Nah, not happening. 2022? Nah, 2023? Nah. Finally, 2024 is the Year Of The Beard. Actually, they changed it to the Chinese zodiac, so it is officially The Year Of The Beard for Australians only!"In the full interview, Ladybeard tells us how an assault on our country could possibly be perceived as adorable, starting the tour in his hometown of Adelaide and if he is nervous about kicking things off in front of friends and family he hasn't seen for a while, gives a brief account of how he went from Adelaide wrestler to international superstar, combining J Pop with metal without being overly offensive, what to expect from the shows, the growth of J Pop as a music and culture and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

25 Kesä 202415min

Interview by Kris PetersLast year's The World Is A Vampire festival might have been promoted as an internationally led concert event headlined by The Smashing Pumpkins, but for me, it will forever be remembered as the first time I saw or heard a Sydney band called Battlesnake. After a continual chorus of praise for the band from one of my friends there, I reluctantly peeled myself off the comfy interview lounge and trudged to the main stage under duress from not getting my own way.But by the time I got halfway there and heard the rumblings of deep, throbbing metal notes coupled with possibly a naughty word or two for effect, I suddenly had something else to focus on rather than my own petulance.With a raw-sounding mix of huge Black Sabbath drenched riffs and the toughness and fortitude of Judas Priest in their prime, Battlesnake were systematically winning the crowd over one set of ears at a time. It was a brutal and welcome initiation to a band and music I hadn't even known existed just 12 hours earlier and I have followed the rise and rise of the band ever since.So when the opportunity came knocking to have a chat with Samuel, Elliott and Dan preceding the release of their new album The Rise and Demise of the Motorsteeple I strapped myself in and prepared for war.Battlesnake style."We've been sitting on it for a while, and we can't wait to share it with the world," Dan enthused when we ask him how they are feeling with the album so close to birth."There's so much going on," Elliott picked up. "I almost forgot we had the album coming out!""Same," echoed Dan and Sam."We're in the middle of organising the next Europe tour, and we've got all these launch events happening. It's really exciting, but yeah, I kinda almost forgot (laughs)."Unable to hold our tongue any longer, HEAVY asks what the hell the name of the album actually means."It's pretty obvious," Sam deadpanned. "The Motorsteeple is this gigantic, colossal church on tank tracks that drives the waste eternally, and it has no brakes. The album is about the rise and demise of the motorsteeple. Pretty bleeding obvious…"Seeing we got no sense out of any of them regarding the title, we try our luck asking about the album musically."I guess an expansion of the sound that we've been working on for a while," Elliott measured, "and some new, exciting flavours to come."There's a few surprises that you will hear," Dan teased."We kind of branched a bit more out into the electronic thing," Elliott continued. "We've got an old-school dub chorus in one of the songs. I feel like we got super weird with it. Every time in the studio we thought no, it's too weird we probably shouldn't do that, we'd come back the next day and say nah that's fucken sick, we have to keep that. I think it's just proof that we need to keep getting weirder (laughs)."In the full interview, the boys discuss how The Rise and Demise of the Motorsteeple differs musically to their self-titled debut album, their breakthrough success because of The World Is A Vampire tour, how they capitalised on that momentum moving forward, the challenges of writing the second album with more attention and expectation on them as a band, their musical inspirations, how and where to draw the line between imitation and inspiration, their recent European tour and plans to go back, how overseas crowds reacted to their live shows and sense of humour, the upcoming Australian tour and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

20 Kesä 202421min

Interview by Kris PetersMy first introduction to Apocalyptica was in 2007 through the song I'm Not Jesus, which featured Slipknot vocalist Corey Taylor in an even more powerfully destructive performance than usual.And that's saying something.And that, in a nutshell, is the best thing about artists collaborating with different bands, often outside of their comfort zone. It allows music listeners a free pass, if you will, to be open to and listen to music they would normally discount all because another musician they love and respect is singing or playing on a song with them.And so it was with Apocalyptica, who over the years have collaborated with Lacey Mosley (Flyleaf), Brent Smith (Shinedown), Dave Lombardo (Slayer) and Ville Valo (HIM) to name a few.A three-piece instrumental cello band, Apocalyptica started life as a Metallica covers band, so it was only fitting that their 1996 debut album, Plays Metallica By Four Cellos, featured their own versions of Metallica songs.Cello metal, if you will.Since then Apocalyptica have released another nine studio albums, some cello versions of other band's music and others a mixture of covers and originals and some also solely original music, but it was their connection with - or more so their commanding performance of - Metallica songs that has connected Apocalyptica with much of their global fanbase.Some are drawn to the reworkings of heavy metal classics because of the novelty value, some out of curiosity, and most by the fact that their versions and takes on a genre far removed from their own are breathtaking in their sonic beauty and suffocating in their musical density.And so it is that Apocalyptica have returned to where they started for their tenth album, Apocalypotica Plays Metallica Vol 2, which came out on June 7. Featuring cello-driven versions of previously untouchable tracks like The Four Horsemen, Ride The Lightning and Blackened, the biggest - and possibly best - surprise on the album is the use of the actual bassline laid down by Cliff Burton on the original recording of The Call Of Ktulu.HEAVY settled in for a chat with Apocalyptica's bandleader Eicca Toppinen to find out the story behind how that came to be and more."With all of Metallica's involvement in this album, we didn't think about it when we started working on it," he began. "All those ideas started to come up when we were working on the music, for example, The Call Of Ktulu is one of my favourite songs of all time from Metallica because the colours and the vibe of the song has something super powerful. Some years ago I realised that a lot of those sound elements in the song that I always loved and was always fascinated about, I realised they were actually made by bass. Then came the idea wouldn't it be so cool to get that bassline? Last spring I sent a message to Lars Ulrich and I said we're working on this album and I would like to have a call with you because there are a couple of ideas that are rising from the process. I talked to Lars and said, this is probably pretty crazy, but I was thinking we are working on The Call Of Ktulu, and it would be amazing if we could get that, and Lars said 'this is such a great idea. I love that you always have these out-of-the-box ideas, but I have no idea how to make it work' (laughs). Even he was like, that might be difficult. James needs to approve, then Cliff Burton's family needs to approve then we need to figure out what kind of contractual things there are, because the album was released in 1984 and the record company from that time might have some rights on the actual recording and stuff. Then things happened smoothly. I went to Sweden to see Metallica last Summer and was hanging out there all weekend and what happened was really cool. I was invited after the first show into this very casual dinner, and I'm sitting there with my girlfriend and Rob Trujillo is coming in, and he said hey and sat one of the women at our table, and I was sitting with her talking, and it came along super well. Maybe after an hour, hour and a half we were talking about the album and I said about this idea, and it turned out that she was the step-sister of Cliff Burton! And the person who was actually taking care of Cliff Burton's legacy. She loved the idea but said you'll have to ask Lars, and I said I already spoke with Lars, and she said then you have to ask Tony the manager of Metallica and everybody was so excited. Then I talked with everybody and the manager said I need to call a couple of lawyers and figure out the legal side of it and everything just worked out. It was just crazy with all these things. I think the reason why things worked out is we were never going to Metallica and saying we want something off you. We were not asking can we do this, or can you do this? It was more like I was presenting the ideas and saying this would be great if we could do things like James talking and all that stuff, and they just said wow, yeah, this is cool. So I think that was the reason that Metallica got equally excited about what we were doing as we were."In the full interview, Eicca talks about how they chose which singles to release and why, the term cello metal and how it suits what Apocalyptica do, having James Hetfield and Rob Trujillo guest on the album, the 28-year gap between their two Metallica tribute albums and why, making the songs their own, if the new era of Metallica songs are easier to translate than the music from the band's early days, deconstructing a metal track and restructuring it in their own image, the correlation between heavy metal and the cello, why he thinks people gravitate to Apocalyptica's versions of known songs, the fact they are not harshly judged for presenting the songs in a different light, future plans and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

19 Kesä 202434min

Interview by Kris PetersGolden Robot Global Entertainment is a worldwide brand that prides itself on being home to some of the most legendary bands and up-and-coming artists in the world. Starting with just one band in 2015, the company has expanded quickly to meet demand and spans a multitude of genres and styles. They are a truly global network, with bands such as Filter, Orgy, The Answer, Shepherd's Reign, Rose Tattoo and countless more on their successful roster.But there is much more to Golden Robot Records than meets the eye, with Mark Alexander, Golden Robot Global Entertainment Manager, joining HEAVY to tell us about some exciting new developments that will benefit musicians and artists of all levels of experience and stature."Golden Robot Records started nearly ten years ago now," he began. "It basically started because my son was on Australia's Got Talent - he was about nine at the time, he's 21 now - and he nearly won the show. Coming out of the show, we thought, we don't want him to be a novelty. We want him to have some sort of legacy. So we put him together with a couple of great guys and fantastic musicians - Steve Balbi was one of them - and they made this great album. They called it Orbiter and the band was called Moon. When I shopped that around, nobody was interested, nobody gave a shit. So I thought, you know what? I'm gonna do this myself. I'd given everybody a little present to thank them, a little golden robot, and when it was time to name the company we named it Golden Robot Records. We started off hard. We were signing some great bands in the States and Europe. I was working with Derek Shulman, who was the ex-president of Roadrunner Records, and him and I went along and got involved in quite a lot of things from about 2015, and we just kept growing. (but) this is a different year for us. We've had the hits and misses over the years. We've had some things that have gone to number one. We've had some things that have been a disaster, but that's the business. The good thing about being an Aussie and working in the global world is if you make a mistake, you can apologise and fix it and get on with it. If you're doing something well, we'll celebrate it with you. It served its purpose, and it served us well, and we've worked with some great bands. We've got global distribution through physical and digital - and we've just changed recently to an even better set up - great PR, great marketing people. My team today is the best it's ever been. We've had a few changes over the last six months, and I've got a really good team that just gets on with it. We're just in it for the music and to get the word out about Aussie music across the world. It's exciting."In the full interview, Mark tells us about the new developments at Golden Robot Records including Robot Distro, how to best get your music out there for mass consumption, what sorts of things a band should have done as a unit before seeking representation, how to successfully negotiate the music industry, how this all helps Australian bands and music, their new singing with rock band ORGY, future developments and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

19 Kesä 202415min