Coming To Get Some Down Under With JOHN FAHNESTOCK From SNOT

Interview by Kris PetersSydney metalcore outfit Weightless have gone even heavier on their new single Perspectives.The song further accentuates the versatility of Weightless, dialing everything beyond the red following on from their previous two singles Counterfeit and Sabotage.Lyrically, Perspectives delves deep into the emotional complexities of Bipolar disorder, painting a vivid musical picture of the constant struggle between highs and lows the condition can bring. Also taking aim at society and its growing judgemental nature, Perspectives portrays a more introspective and dark side to the band's musical personality and direction.With plans to unleash more sonic fury in the coming months, Weightless guitarists Riley and Brenton sat down with HEAVY to spread the word."To be honest this is probably our best performing track so far," Brenton offered. "We pretty early on got the All New Metal Playlist from Spotify, so that was a big push for us as well with Homegrown Heavy and that sort of stuff. Not to be super metric, but the numbers are performing a lot better than we expected and compared to the others it's doing a lot better a lot faster."Given the step-up in intensity on Perspectives, we ask the boys to talk through the musical side of the song in greater detail."Perspectives is probably one of the heavier tracks we've ever written," Brenton continued. "Both lyrically and musically. As a band we have a lot of interest in electronic music with Pendulum and stuff like that, that we really wanted to implement into our music with the heavier side. So we did a lot of delving deep into the synths and things of that nature on this song. Lyrically we dived pretty deep into the topic of bipolar disorder and as a subject matter it is dark and heavy, so we figured it matched sonically to the song as much as possible and that was the best route to explore. We know it's a big thing internally for the band with that topic, so we just wanted to do it justice as well."In the full interview the boys run us through the music video, explain the world of the Cybersphere involved, where Perspectives stands in terms of an album cycle, how this new music differs to earlier material, upcoming shows and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

13 Loka 202312min

Interview by Coco Le Sex BombOsaka Punch are justifiably riding the crest of a musical wave at present.Their long-awaited album Mixed Ape has come out to rave reviews and the tour by the same name kicked off recently in Brisbane to a packed house at The Triffid.If you aren't familiar with Osaka Punch then no words could prepare you for the sonic beauty that awaits, but if you have already been converted by these lovable larrikins then you know exactly why we had Coco Le Sex Bomb nail down guitarist Chrispy Town to chat all these weird, wonderful and wacky.After having the chance to see the band kick off their new tour Coco gets to have a chat with resident Osaka Punch shredder, love machine and all-round awesome dude Chrispy. We talk about the new album and how well it has been received, the writing process and how new drummer Blair brings his own twist to the entire situation. We also cover their film clip prowess and how they come up with the ideas behind every classic belly laugh that is an Osaka Punch music video.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

12 Loka 202329min

Interview by Kris PetersYou just have to read the description of Coffin Carousel's music in their press release to know their world is bound to be completely different to any other you would have likely stumbled upon in the past."Coffin Carousel is your haunted chainsaw ride to an uncompromised dark metal horror textured musical experience."See? Now tell me you aren't even a little intrigued?With opening spots with bands such as the Misfits and Wednesday 13 already adorning the resume of Coffin Carousel it is perhaps surprising that this band have yet to make a national splash, but if self-belief, talent and dedication are parameters of any measure of success then that recognition isn't too far away.Originally started in 2012 as a side project for David Howell (Howsie), Coffin Carousel quickly took on a life of its own and morphed into a full band some three years later, much to the ghoulish delight of a niche group of music lovers who thrive in the macabre.The band will release their fourth, self-titled album appropriately on Friday, October 13, as well as premiering their new track War Of Roses via HEAVY that same day.HEAVY entered the vividly surreal musical realm of Coffin Carousel earlier this week when we sat down with Howsie for a chat about the new album and more."I'm feeling excited," he smiled when asked about the album release. "Every album I have released has been on Friday 13th. I'm most excited for this album because the band has taken a massive leap. I guess the sound originally started in the horror/punk realm with a bit of sludge metal, but it really digs into the metal spectrum for this album. The sound has progressed. It's gone more elite. I pushed my vocals on this one. I have previously done all the melodic Misfits kind of choruses. I've still got melody on this album, but my vocals are more harsh and aggressive. Over the last couple of years I've learned a few tricks delivering that metal growl, but I have put my flavour to it. I'm really excited for people to hear it."In the full interview, Howsie talks more about the album and what to expect, his deliberate efforts to distance the music from that on the previous albums, how much thought goes into the musical direction of each album and how much is dictated by the music, why he felt this was the right album to lend the band name to, the new single War Of Roses and what it's about, the devilishly wicked music video that comes with it, touring plans and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

12 Loka 202319min

Interview by Kris PetersWhile the lure of the tropical lifestyle of the Whitsundays is something few people can resist, there is a potential downside to living in the tropics.Especially if you play in an original band with aspirations of taking your music to the masses.Case in point is Mackay rock outfit Systematic Machine who are on the cusp of dropping their new single Sunburn.Heavily influenced by grunge and alternative stylings, Systematic Machine are a band who has been on HEAVY's radar for a number of years but have yet to be fully seduced by the bright lights and opportunities offered by the bigger cities.Content to reside in their piece of paradise, Systematic Machine are highly active in the local region scene, working closely with bands like InEffigy to try to bring bands and music to them, not just the other way around.With two upcoming shows - in Bundaberg on October 21 and Mackay on October 27 - as well as a recent supporting slot to Everclear in Townsville, Systematic Machine are highly proactive in their quest for an even playing field and one senses it is only a matter of when, not if, the music industry comes knocking more firmly.HEAVY caught up with rhythm guitarist/vocals Matt Oliver to find out how the boys plan to conquer geography by getting their music heard, starting with their new track Sunburn."For this one we're really trying to hit that… we've been getting our sound in over the last couple of years," he measured, "and we settled on this grunge/alternative aesthetic reminiscent of Incubus, Smashing Pumpkins and a little bit of Deftones thrown in there. Sunburn was probably the first full band collaborative effort. I've pretty much written most of the songs up to this point, so it was good to get input from everyone else in the band and their influences. It culminated in this really great song that stands on its own merits and is fun to listen to."When the song is premiered on October 13 via HEAVY, it will do so with only a lyric video for the time being following the late cancellation of the proposed video shoot."We were filming," Oliver laughed. "We got the first third of it filmed, and there's another section with some skateboarding and some other things. The day before I was meant to do that I sprained my ankle, so I was unfortunately unable to do any sort of activities. It's coming good now, so we're gonna be filming that next week and hopefully the music video should be out by the end of the month. In the meantime I have thrown together this sketchy as fuck lyric video (laughs)."In the full interview, Matt talks more about what to expect from Sunburn, how it differs to previous single Billy, whether those two songs are part of a bigger musical picture or stand-alone releases, the plan to release up to two more singles before the end of the year, challenges faced by original bands outside of the capital cities, their two upcoming shows, supporting Everclear and more.SUNBURN PREMIERES VIA HEAVY AT 8am, October 13Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

12 Loka 202311min

Interview by Kris PetersSpringfield rock outfit Staind are universally recognised for their 2001 smash hit balled It's Been A While.Unfortunately, many people in the hard rock and metal world wrote the band off because of the global success of that song, failing to care or acknowledge the fact that Staind came from much heavier pastures.Their early shows consisted of a sprinkling of originals plus covers of Korn, Rage Against the Machine, Pearl Jam, Tool, and Alice in Chains, among others.These bands had more of an influence on the emerging rockers, who, despite the universal acclaim sent their way because of their success with a rock ballad continued plying their hard rock/alternative trade over consecutive albums.After a five-year hiatus where frontman Aaron Lewis concentrated on his growing country career, Staind reformed in 2019, hitting the touring circuit with renewed vigor and falling in love all over again with the world of music.Last month, after 12 years between studio albums, Staind released Confessions Of The Fallen, reaffirming their status among their peers and casting doubt on all those who had written them off.HEAVY sat down earlier today with guitarist and founding member Mike Mushok to find out more."I'm pretty excited," he enthused when asked about the new album. "We worked pretty hard on this. It's been so long since we put out new music it just feels great to be working again. I'm really proud of the way the record came out."We press Mushok to take us deeper into the musical side of Confessions Of The Fallen."We got together… we hadn't played together in a while, and we got together around 2018 and did some shows in 2019 and signed a record deal then," he explained. "Then COVID happened, and it put all of our plans on hold, but we were able to go on a tour in 2021 with KORN, and Aaron has a successful country music career in the States, so he's always out playing. He doesn't stop (laughs). On that tour with KORN it was a great opportunity - because we were all together - to get him in a room and play him some of the ideas that I had and get his feedback of what he liked and what he didn't. With a lot of those notes I was able to go back and start making changes and follow what his guidance was or what he was into. We actually wrote a lot of the record on that tour. When we finished we chose Eric as the producer and it was funny. COVID was still a thing and him and I were supposed to get together at the beginning of last year and he got COVID, so we ended up doing a lot of stuff through zoom. We tried for a song a day. One week we did five songs, and he put his twist on it because one of the things Aaron wanted to do was introduce more of an electronic element that we'd never really experimented with. I feel like Eric did a great job, because I remember saying to Aaron I play guitar, I don't wanna play any of those electronic elements (laughs). Really what it was is there might be a verse or a riff that I wrote on guitar that ended up getting played on a synthesiser. Eric added in some loops and that type of thing in certain areas and I felt he had a great grasp of adding some of that but not too much, you know what I mean? So it still maintained who we were, yet kind of a little more modern sounding. At the end of the day I think he did a great job in going back and listening to it. I'm happy with the little production things that he added as well."In the full interview, Mike talks about the singles released, why they chose Lowest In Me to be the lead single and first song on the album, how Staind have changed as a band since their last album 12 years ago, the early days of the band and the musical climate that gave birth to them, how Break The Cycle in 2001 changed things for Staind, resisting the urge to recycle the successful formula of It's Been A While, how Staind has adapted to the changing musical landscape and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

12 Loka 202321min

Interview by Kris PetersJust like Santa Claus, Gold Coast rock outfit Veal only come once a year.But it's highly unlikely they would fit down your chimney…After debuting at Wallapalooza in 2014 and making such a huge impact they have been invited back every year since, Veal have shunned the conventional path of music and stuck to their guns in staying faithful to their pledge to play only sporadically - partly for effect and partly because they simply could not be fucked.You might think that a band that dusts the cobwebs off only once every twelve months could be a little shaky when it comes to taking the stage, and usually you would be right, but for these four prime-cut-eating musicians that one night of live release is the culmination of the entire 364 days that preceded it.While the majority of Veal play in other local, well-known bands, when the annual meat-digesting call to arms beckons then it is all systems go. Veal matures from a young, tender cut of beef to a battle-hardened, seasoned side of goodness who take no prisoners and give no quarter.Their EP titles are, as expected, strongly based in the fine art of butchery with The Meating coming out in 2019 and Pleased To Meat You being unleashed in 2021. Veal's lyrics and song titles are planted tongue firmly in cheek, with tracks like Peach, I Could Eat A Peach For Hours and One Of Britney's Mums Pubic Hairs as funny as they are entertaining, accentuating the feel good vibe each tasty morsel of Veal comes served with.This Saturday, October 14, Veal are hosting Vealstock: Veal's 10 Year Anniversary at Vinnies Dive Bar in Southport with special guests including Gutterfire!, Dad Fight, The Green Whistle, Dogshot, Beefed Up and more. It is an eclectic line-up of bands in keeping with the eclectic nature of Veal's music and personality and promises to once again be one of the (literal) gigs of the year.Vocalist/guitarist Dan joined HEAVY to tell us more."It kind of hit me this morning that it's sneaking up," he said sheepishly. "Vealstock in general has been an idea we've had for about three years, and it only hit me this morning that it's only a few days out. I'm not nervous to do it, it's more the nerves of 'fuck, the shows coming'."A tenth-anniversary show - even though it also signifies only the tenth actual gig for Veal - is still a big deal, so we press Dan on what sorts of things we can expect to get us into party mode."The plan is we plan to play every song that we've got, every song we have written," he measured. "We wanted to make the most of it. For those who don't know Veal is a once a year band. We only play one show a year. Long story short, we played the first year and with me and Chris being busy by the time we played another show it was a year later and that kept happening so after three years we made it a one-year thing. To put it in context, our first show was 2014, so this might not be our tenth year, but it's our tenth show. Does that make sense? It's hard to say what we're gonna bring, because we have always - without sounding cliché - we always try and bring our most to it because we only play the once each year. For me, I'm not in any other band, so I only play one show a year, so this really is my one chance to get on stage and just let loose and be as much of a 'rock star' as I can. (We will bring) as much energy as we can, and every song we've ever written we are gonna play, so it's a long set."In the full interview, Dan talks more about the other bands playing and why they were hand-chosen, The Green Whistle coming out of hiding to play, Veal's EP releases, putting in the hard yards for this show, what to expect, the infamous rehearsal room lolly jar and a possible surprise appearance on Saturday night, the importance of Vinnies Dive Bar to the Gold Coast music scene, why Veal play only once a year, the possibility of new material this weekend, what the band plans to do after Vealstock and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

11 Loka 202316min

Interview by Kris PetersWhat better way to celebrate forty years of blood, sweat and beers in the music industry than to announce your final ever tour?While some may brush it off as a clever marketing strategy, those who have followed punk stalwarts NOFX for the duration of their career will know and understand the gravity of the situation, because when Fat Mike says something, you can pretty much put your best pair of Doc Martins on it!Known affectionately by their fans and revered by others as one of the world’s most controversial and significant punk bands of their time, NOFX simply don't, nor have they ever, given a shit.They are punk to the core and have never failed to wear their music on their sleeves, surviving four decades at the forefront of a genre that refuses to cater to trends and smells out imposters quicker than you can pogo.They are, in all aspects of the word, a punk rock institution, spawning classic tracks such as The Longest Line, Cokie The Clown, Soul Doubt, Seeing Double At The Triple Rock and Linoleum to name but a few.But all good things invariably come to an end, and NOFX are planning to go out in style, playing two consecutive nights over three capital cities as part of the NOFX Final Tour 40 Years, 40 Cities, 40 Songs Per Night Tour which hits Australia in January 2024.The final tour will see the band perform songs from their classic releases, Wolves In Wolves’ Clothing, Punk In Drublic, The War On Errorism, White Trash Two Heebs And A Bean, So Long And Thanks For All The Shoes and The Decline over two nights in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, offering fans two completely different shows back to back.Bassist/vocalist Fat Mike sat down with HEAVY to talk all things NOFX."We're very excited to do our final tour in Australia," he beamed back at us. "I mean, who wouldn't be? We will be there in January."We mention the challenging effort of playing three different albums over two nights and what a herculean task the band have set for themselves."It's way too much work," he smiled, "but, you've gotta work hard once with 40 years of being in a band, it might as well be now. We're not doing Punk In Drublic, we already did that last year. That was a mistake so don't count on that."We ask Fat Mike if it is difficult playing full albums considering when they were written the thought of playing them in full one day would not have been on the playing field."Some of the songs are very difficult," he nodded, "which is why we don't do full albums. Fuck that shit. It's not because the songs are difficult. We're doing a lot of hard ones, but it's more it becomes kind of boring. I don't wanna be bored. So we're playing most of those albums."In the full interview, Fat Mike talks more about what to expect from the shows, if they plan on having any guest artists join them on stage, how emotional playing these shows will be, if he will miss touring, their reputation as being a controversial band, the most significant changes in punk music over the last 40 years, how he thinks punk music will change in the future, whether he will stay involved in music and in what capacity, a message to Australian fans and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

11 Loka 20239min

Over my decades as a metal / heavy music “journalist”, I think to myself that there is pretty much nothing else for me to cover or interview people about. But with every new year brings another first for me. And 2023 has been no exception! A lot of books on heavy / extreme music have been written and published over the years, of which I have many. But…I have never spoken to any of those books’ author’s until a month or so ago when I had the pleasure of talking to Mr. Shane Embury in Melbourne as part of Napalm Death’s recent Australian tour.As this chat between Shane and I wasn’t really focussed on an upcoming tour or album release, there was this magnificent freedom to just banter and follow tangents that would necessarily lend themselves to a “normal” interview that am I used to doing, so across our journey into Shane Embury’s life and projects we cover a lot of different territories that are interesting and intriguing you'll have to listen to my (near) exclusive chat with the legend himself as he also chooses Napalm tracks that he enjoys and tells us why he picked them.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

10 Loka 202334min