Breaking Into Prison With DANIEL KONRAOSSON From ABORTED

Interview by Kris PetersWhat happens when you get two seasoned audio engineers come together to form a band?In short, the answer is Brisbane duo Upsetter, but in reality you get a whole lot more.Upsetter today unleash their debut EP Doomgaze on the world, with Emily Hopley and Jasper Webb sitting down with HEAVY recently to delve into the intricacies of the project."We play guitar, sob rock music," Webb smiled. "It's all a little sad and emo, but it's all very sincere and shoegazey and all of the nice little crunchy tones that we like to hear in music.""We're definitely loving the bass duo vibe that we've got going on," Hopley added. "To back Jasper up on that one with the emo feels, it's been really fun."In the full interview, Emily and Jasper run us through the EP and what expect, the themes that run through the EP, what they discussed going into their first release, how their roles as audio engineers led to forming Upsetter, separating yourself from your work, future plans and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

11 Elo 202317min

Interview by Kris PetersKevin Borich - guitar wizard, singer-songwriter, founder of the Party Boys, The La De Das, and the Kevin Borich Express - has been entertaining audiences worldwide since 1969.His vocal prowess and extraordinary guitar playing skills have captivated generations of music followers, with countless albums bearing the trademark Borich musical timestamp still on high rotation today.After releasing his greatest hits album Legacy in 2022, Borich went off in search of another musical milestone, and one which had been gradually taking shape over a number of years.That record is the recently released Duets, which features artists of the caliber of Russell Morris, Leo Sayer, Suze DeMarchi (Baby Animals), Joe Walsh (Eagles), Ian Moss (Cold Chisel), Tim Rogers (You Am I), Ella Hooper (Killing Heidi), Angry Anderson (Rose Tattoo), Joe Camilleri (Black Sorrows), Ross Wilson (Daddy Cool/Mondo Rock), Angela Fabian and John Swan (Swanee/Party Boys).It is a labour of love that saw Borich writing, demoing and recording everywhere from in the tour bus to hotel rooms, to green rooms to professional studios and also saw him collaborate with a widely eclectic assortment of fellow musicians that has come together beautifully for what could well be the defining moment of a long and illustrious career.Borich sat down with HEAVY earlier in the week to talk Duets and plenty more."It's been amazing," he stressed about the early reception for Duets. "It actually has charted too, which is something I haven't really had since 1979 (laughs). It got to #1 on the ARIA Blues and Jazz charts and the word is out so the reviews we are having and feedback is pretty amazing. There's so many diverse styles on the album. It's a smorgasboard of fuel for you to eat up and your brain to wonder how the hell that happened (laughs). There's a bit of jazz in there that I wrote about Amy Winehouse because I thought she was going off the rails and left us with blues. She took all her colours and died."In the full interview, Kevin talks about some of the songs on Duets and what they are about, the writing and recording process, the guest artists and how they were chosen, where the idea came from for the album, who dared to say no, his personal feelings on the album, if he would do it again in the future and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

11 Elo 202321min

Interview by Kris PetersPolynesian music warriors Shepherd's Reign have crafted their own sub genre of music, combining traditional Samoan and Polynesian music and culture with hard rock and heavy metal to create something truly their own.It is an aggressive, yet respectful pollination of styles and genres that is as infectious as it is brutally beautiful.With their new album Ala Mai scheduled for release on August 25, HEAVY sat down with vocalist Filiva’a and guitarist Oliver to delve deeper into their tribal lure of music."We're very excited," Filiva’a beamed. "It's probably one of the biggest steps we've taken with this band. We've had an album come out before but this second one is more of a deeper meaning than the first one. On the first one we just wrote songs and tracked them and released them but with this one we thought about every single song and tried to tie them all into one subject - Ala Mai - which is awakening in English. It is meant to help us on this new journey we are about to take. Every single one of us."We ask the boys to tell us more about the album musically."It was really... we made the songs together," Filiva’a continued. "One of us would come up with an idea and we would all come in and try to make it into a bigger idea. Every song was made with different members of the band with different emotions running through their head at the time, going through different stages of their life. So it was really a mixture. It wasn't one main musical idea we had to show the world, but I guess one of the most powerful things is we tried to do it as heavy as we can to show the Shepherd's Reign style. From the tone to the arrangement of our ideas."In the full interview Filiva’a and Oliver talk more about what to expect from Ala Mai, the connection between their history and music, the singles released and how they represent the album, the beautiful traditional Samoan song that opens the album and its meaning, the album cover and what significance it has, getting the balance right in their music, what playing with Shepherd's Reign has taught them about their culture, their upcoming tour and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

10 Elo 202323min

Interview by Kris PetersAfter capturing the markets across the United States, Japan, United Kingdom and Mexico, Game Changer Wrestling (GCW) has now set their sights on Australia.Following the successful integration of Billy Corgan's wrestlers into The World Is A Vampire shows earlier this year, GCW is flying out their best to take on our very own Renegades Of Wrestling (ROW) over three epic encounters later this month.Boasting wrestlers such as El Hijo Del Vikingo, Maki Itoh, Joey Janela, Effy, Allie Katch, Gringo Loco, Charli Evans, Rat Daddy, Aysha, Gore and Lochy Hendricks, GCW isn't taking things lightly and are hitting our shores with the expectation of not only dominating their local counterparts but also cornering this corner of the globe from a competitive angle.HEAVY sat down for an entertaining one on one with 'Bad Boy' Joey Janela to find out more."We're bringing our crazy brand of wrestling to Australia, finally," he said. "A lot of fans have been waiting for it. We've been waiting to bring it over for a long while now and the fans want us to come over, so we're doing it and we're gonna see lots of things flow and maybe we can make this a yearly stop on the GCW tour.""I'm expecting a lot of energy," he continued. "I'm expecting not a lot of sleep and I'm expecting a lot of great professional wrestling. I've been to Australia a few times and it's always one of the highlights of my year. It's one of my favourite places to visit with some of the best fans, the best bars and the best women. Three of my favourite things, and great professional wrestling. There's great wrestlers over there."In the full interview, Joey tells us more about what we can expect from GCW, what they are expecting from our wrestlers, preparing mentally and physically for a run of three consecutive matches, how this is going to compare to Corgan's wrestlers, preparing for matches, how they are going to corner the Australian market, his personal wrestling style and signature moves, wrestling and heavy metal music, the enduring legacy of wrestling and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

10 Elo 202311min

Interview by Kris PetersFor more than 30 years now Cleveland extreme metal/hardcore legends Ringworm have been decimating the hearts and minds the world over.Their aggressive, uncompromising approach to both music and life has seen them deliver a consistently high number of unrelenting albums, with the band now set to expand that repertoire with their ninth album Seeing Through Fire, out August 18 through Nuclear Blast Records.HEAVY tracked down frontman James 'Human Furnace' Bulloch to find out more, starting with whether the band still gets nervous or anxious about new albums."No, never," he smiled. "We get excited, but I wouldn't say nervous. We've done this before, and like a lot of bands, this record was done a long time ago. The record had been done well over a year ago. It takes a while these days to get a record out, so we've been sitting on it a while. If anything, it will be a relief. Finally, this record is out! We're pretty psyched for it. It all worked out. Sometimes when you're patient... because we were originally going to put this record out ourselves, because we went into the studio and recorded it and we were intent on putting it out ourselves. Then we were patient with it a little bit, and because of that we were able to connect with Nuclear Blast and they were all about putting it out and doing it for us, so we were very excited about that."In the full interview James talks more about what to expect musically from Seeing Through Fire, the singles released and how they represent the album, their music videos and how much thought goes into them, the different approach the band took on this album and how it affected the finished product, how this is a new era for Ringworm, the early days of the band, future plans and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

9 Elo 202314min

Interview by Kris PetersRiding high on the back of their recent album HISS, Singapore extreme metal outfit Wormrot have been announced as main support to Napalm Death on their September Australian tour.Guitarist Rasyid sat down with HEAVY to bring us up to speed."It will be fun," he enthused. "It's not the first time we toured there. The last time was with Obituary and then I had another tour with my other band there also, but that was a short one also. Yeah, I'm back!"We ask Rasyid what fans can expect from the Wormrot set."Oh man, I'm not sure," he laughed. "We're gonna try to catch up with everybody and go as hard as possible and as fast as possible. We will see how you guys react."In the full interview, Rasyid talks about what has changed with Wormrot since their last visit Down Under, touring with Napalm Death and what that means to the band, how much thought and planning goes into their live shows, their latest album HISS and why it is the band's best yet, receiving universal acclaim and the pressures that come with it, the early days of the band and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

9 Elo 20238min

Interview by Kris PetersThrashville has quickly become one of the must attend music festivals on the Australian calendar.Not only is it situated miles away from any form of civilised life - meaning noise restrictions and the like are non-existent - but it is also a damn good festival featuring a splattering of the best in Australian music from major headliners through to up and comers.With this years line-up - set down over September 8 and 9 at Dashville in the Hunter Valley - comprising a host of talent including CIVIC, Shady Nasty, Crocodylus, Bloody Hell, Downgirl, Wildheart, Operation Ibis, Deadshowws and more, it is the reuniting of two of this countries heavyweight acts that is generating most interest.Progressive rock outfit COG and funk/rock/metal masters Mammal headline over both nights, continuing their successful partnership at the top of concert goers wish lists.Since returning from self imposed exile six years ago, Mammal have taken a more steady path to salvation, initially releasing the singles Community and Dead before retreating for a couple of years and emerging with two powerful tracks in Crime Scene and The War. With their follow up album to The Majority nearing completion and Thrashville less than a month away, enigmatic frontman Ezekiel Ox sat down with HEAVY to talk about all things Mammal and hitting the stage once more."I think the line up is sensational," he offered, referring to Thrashville. "We can't wait to get back on the same bill as our old touring buddies COG - of course I narrated their documentary, I performed The River Song with them live, we've toured countless times on their headline tours and seen them on festivals - so how good is it gonna be? Mammal and COG in the same space. It's about time, I would say."We steer the topic of conversation around to the fact Thrashville is an all Australian affair, showcasing the talent on offer in our own backyard."I think it's great," Ox affirmed. "Losing Homebake, I was always super disappointed with that. Mammal was lucky enough to play on the 2008 Homebake with the Divinyls, Parkway Drive, Crowded House - because it was always New Zealand bands as well - but I think that was a huge loss, so to see festivals like Thrashville is a chance for us to flex our muscles and show what we're capable of down here. We've got the best bands in the world. Of course we do. You don't have to spend so much and you don't have to go far from home to see the best in the business."Mammals live reputation is the stuff of legends, but Ox seems genuinely excited at the chance to play in an isolated environment amongst friends, without fear of being shut down or regulated by over zealous pen pushers."It's such a great opportunity. I'm lucky enough to have played Thrashville before with another one of my projects, and it is such a good festival. It's just got the vibe. They've got tattooists there and so much else going on. It's worth getting a tent out. It's worth coming to camp for two days and it's a family operated festival. All of those things you said about it being almost off the grid, I think it's pretty cool. Come and get loose."In the full interview, Zeke talks about what fans can expect from their show, their long running association with COG, keeping politics out of personal life, Mammals steady path to the new album, what it will sound like, some of the topics covered lyrically, how far off it could be, standing up for your beliefs, where his strong views come from, future plans and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

4 Elo 202326min

Interview by Kris PetersDepression and mental health are becoming an increasingly prevalent condition, especially in the modern age where sometimes just living can become a struggle.They are real problems with no definitive answer. Problems that could affect any one of us at any time.As much as money always helps in any situation, perhaps more importantly in these cases the vital factor is more awareness.Awareness that it can and does happen. Awareness that it is not your fault or something you should go through alone and awareness of the fact that sometimes it’s okay to not be okay and the most important first step to helping yourself is communication and putting your troubles out there for the world to see, hear and help.One way to do this is by staging events – of any nature – but when music is your life and passion the default mechanism generally switches to live events. And, as we all know, musicians do it better than most.On September 16 the Mansfield Tavern in Brisbane will host Rock Beats Depression, featuring an eclectic assortment of local and interstate bands uniting for one common cause. Brisbane metal warriors Dreamkillers head the bill, with Black Whisky, Goatzilla, Gutterfire, Tailor Made Rejects, Krave and more coming together for a common cause.The day will raise not only awareness, but also funding for The Black Dog Institute, Beyond Blue and Headspace.Each week HEAVY will be speaking with bands on the line-up about what being a part of Rock Beats Depression means to them. Today we catch up with Luke Karolak, guitarist/vocalist for Sunshine Coast rock trio Ruination."Rock Beats Depression was actually something that we were asked to do last year," he offered. "We were fortunate enough to get a foot in the door, and to be asked back is a big thing. We love what it stands for and Caity is amazing. There's so many awesome bands on it again this year, so it's gonna be great."In the full interview, Luke talks more about the meaning behind Rock Beats Depression, what message he hopes people will take out of it, supporting each other and speaking up about your problems, the cathartic nature of music, Ruination's next EP and what it will sound like and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

3 Elo 202312min