Making Up For Lost Time With BEAU BUECHELL From SAOSIN

Interview by Kris PetersSeldom do instrumental bands have either the longevity of success that Washington heavy outfit Animals As Leaders have managed.While many instrumental bands start off with a bang their fans generally drift in and out of the fold with many finding it increasingly difficult to fully relate to a band without a vocalist.Despite the obvious musical talent and precision needed to sustain a career in this field the simple fact remains that everyone secretly wants to be a lead singer and once they are denied that opportunity to live vicariously through whoever their chosen one becomes, then the interest wanes at an almost rapid pace.Animals As Leaders have bucked that trend, recently celebrating their fifth studio album Parrhesia without even a hint of falling from the publics grace.Their enthusiasm and musical excellence has been enough to carry the burden (according to some) of being without one main focal point on stage, and, if anything, have thrived because of it.With the band also announcing an Australian run of dates to support the album, HEAVY decided it was time to pick the brains of guitarist Javier Reyes and find out what they have in store for Aussie fans and how they prepare mentally for a run of dates so far away from home."It's just phone keys and wallet," he laughed, tapping his pockets one at a time as he ran through the checklist. "And passport, that's about it. Make sure you have enough strings and enough guitars and hope the turbulence isn't too bad."Providing the turbulence doesn't have a lingering effect on their health, we press Javier on what we can expect from the live shows."There's a bunch of new music that we'll be playing," he offered. "That will probably be the highlight. Other than that we just look older (smiles). I probably have more white hair than the last time I was there. It's not like we have any pyrotechnics, unfortunately, so the highlight will be the new material. Maybe we'll head bang a little harder..."In the full interview, Javier talks about the response to Parrhesia, the constantly evolving sonic landscape with each album, structuring a cohesive setlist with so experimental tracks, pushing the boundaries of music and how they know where to draw their line, their broad appeal across many genres and personalities and how that is achieved, creating emotion through music and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

8 Apr 202310min

Interview by Kris PetersIf there's one thing predicatable about the music industry is usually when an album drops there will inevitably be a tour to promote it.Not that that's a bad thing. As if you need an excuse to tour anyway?Melbourne alternative metal outfit GhostSeeker have done just that, recently announcing their Initium Novum tour for the EP of the same name, starting in Brisbane on May 13 before hitting Melbourne and Sydney before the end of the month.Initium Novum has been well received in the music community, with GhostSeeker fully capitalising on the vocal disparity between twin vocal towers Celeste Dudeson and Daniel Gay. It is an exciting dynamic that explores all extremities of the musical spectrum and one on which GhostSeeker nail as much as, if not more than, many others within the genre.HEAVY sat down with Daniel and guitarist Tim Campey to find out more."As the name would lead you to believe, you will be able to hear the EP in its full being played," Daniel promised about the run of shows. "Plus the same old high energy GhostSeeker show plus we also have Aurateque who are coming along who are bloody fantastic. It's gonna be a good night in each town."Touring an album is always fun, but when the fans are also loving the new material it makes things even sweeter for the band on the road."The reception has been pretty good," Tim smiled. "We've gotten the videos on a really good platform in Dreambound and then we've been picked up by a couple of cool Spotify playlists as well. The overall reception from the fans has been fantastic. We never expected for it to go as well as it has, but it did (laughs) and we're absolutely loving it."In the full interview the boys talk about what to expect from their set, playing all of the new tracks live, the thought process behind song selection going into your first album, the musical direction of the EP, the vocal dynamics between Daniel and Celeste and how important that was in the planning of the EP, creating an immersive experience with their music, touring with Auroteque, future plans and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

8 Apr 202312min

In this hour-long HEAVY Magazine Emperor special and coinciding with their upcoming Australia / New Zealand "In The Nightside Eclipse" tour, frontman Ihsahn gives us an in depth and personal reflection of his musical career. Delving into Emperor’s past and subsequent demise due to musical divergences pertaining to both his and Samoth’s drifting down separate artistic paths. But also how they reinvigorated one another's passion to bring Emperor back to life! Included within is a selection of essential Emperor songs from their back catalogue which would lead us to the obvious billion dollar question asking if we would ever hear new Emperor and record together again as well as how Ihsahn deals with hearing people refer to his status as being a visionary and godfather of extreme metal. Much much more is to be discovered that is absolutely essential listening if you have ever wanted to delve into the mind of one so attuned to musical brilliance.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

8 Apr 20231h

Interview by Kris PetersAussie blackened sludge purveyors of metal Lo!have today released their fourth studio album The Gleaners, an album which looks set to further solidify the band's growing reputation following the critically acclaimed 2017 album Vestigial.A sonic blast of intensity dispersed over nine visceral anthems, The Gleaning captures Lo! at their breathtaking best and details a further descent into the unknown that is guided by the forces of nature.Vocalist Sam Dillon sat down with HEAVY this week to discuss the new album and the process of bringing it to life."This is a proud moment for us," he acknowledged on the release of The Gleaners. "A lot of work and research has gone into this album following up from 2017s Vestigial. We've had Pelagic Records back in our team looking after us and it's been a dream. This is probably some of the most experimental and expansive work that we've ever done."Experimental and expansive are both cool words when it comes to music, so we push Dillon to go into more detail."We wanted to be able to be cinematic, theatrical and have those anthemic choruses that we're known for amongst the sludge genre," he explained, "but we also wanted to push and stimulate things that are important to us. We didn't want to just release another album that was the same as its predecessor. We wanted to be able to keep the same groove but expand and make it interesting for ourselves. As long as we're being genuine to ourselves and what we enjoy about creating extreme music, then we know that we've done our best and hopefully fans will get on board as well."In the full interview, Sam talks more about the musical side of The Gleaning, the musical and lyrical theme that runs through it, experimenting with cinematic landscapes, how Lo! have grown over the course of four albums, blending hardcore, black metal and sludge metal together and getting the balance right, live shows and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

7 Apr 202313min

Interview by Kris PetersFrenzal Rhomb are an Australian musical institution.Brash, outspoken, confident, flippant, but most of all entertaining, Frenzal Rhomb have been plying their brand of punk rock since the early 1990s and throughout their whole existence have not given one solitary fuck about convention and/or conformity.In fact quite the opposite.The band have made almost as many enemies as they have friends along the way, but the fact the Sydney upstarts have just released their 10th studio album The Cup Of Pestilence is all the musical vindication Frenzal Rhomb needs.Not that they would give two shits about vindication. Or acceptance. Or adulation.Frenzal Rhomb are simply happy being Frenzal Rhomb and for that they must be saluted.Even the fact that it has been six years since their last album Hi Vis High Tea proclaimed the eternal rebirth of the band doesn't seem to faze the quartet who have never been known - or expected for that matter - to fall into company line.Has it been worth the wait?My oath it has, and even more worth it was the chance to sit down for a bit of banter with the irrepressible vocalist for Frenzal Rhomb, Jason Whalley."It took a bit too long but we've finally made it," he offered, without a hint of apology.Six years for any band is a long time between drinks so we ask Whalley what Frenzal Rhomb have learned about themselves and their music since their last public musical venture."I've learned that I'm not very patient," he laughed. "We were ready to go in 2020, we were booked to go back over to Colorado with Phil Stevenson and record it but it turns out that the world had other ideas and so we couldn't go. We rebooked it for the next year and then the next and then finally we got to do it."Ever the type to push buttons we ask why the band had to wait and go to America to record the new album rather than complete the process at home."That's what everyone says," he sighed, "but it wouldn't have sounded as good. Sorry Australia... Nah, I'm sure we could have done that but after doing the last two records over there we just felt the production was so good and when we did that Smoko record in 2011 - which is the first time that we went to The Blasting Room - it was a bit of a step up for us production wise. We thought man, is it going to be something that's almost as good, but not quite as good? The guys over there, for them it's their kind of music, the fast melodic punk stuff, so it was sort of a no-brainer. And we thought no-ones really screaming down the phone at us going 'when's the next Frenzal Rhomb record?' We don't have the record company breathing down our necks or anything, so we thought we would wait. In a way it's a different record to what it would have been because we ended up keeping on writing and demoing between then and now and I think it turned out pretty good. We ended up demoing close to 60 songs in the end, and most of them were terrible but there was alot, whereas if we recorded it two years ago then we might have only had 40 songs."In the full interview Jason talks more about the recording process, how the band settled on the final album tracks, the musical direction of The Cup Of Pestilence, their love of the C word and the increasing negativity towards the word, the meaning behind a few of the songs, the upcoming tour, Frenzal Rhomb's longevity, his three commandments of punk and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

6 Apr 202318min

Interview by Erin EddyThe acclaimed Melbourne Ska Orchestra is celebrating a milestone this year, and taking theirinfectious and energetic show on the road, as well as releasing a ‘Best Of’ to mark the occasion.20 Years Young may sound like a cliché choice for a title, however, captain of the helm Nicky Bomba says he felt it was the perfect choice.“Some of the team thought it was a bit cliché,” Nicky admits, “but this isn’t cliché, this is real. We are 20 years, and we are still chomping at the bit, you know, so I celebrated that and I flew the flag for that title.”A new single, Something Strong, has been released and is a reflection on the past 20 years.“We’ve looked back at what we’ve done and how the band started, and it was all out of the love and good, beautiful energy of the music,” Nicky reflects, “That’s why we had our first gig, we were celebrating the genre, and it’s great that after all this time it’s still as exciting.”“We were putting out the vinyl and we realised we should do a single for the tour,” continues Nicky, “and it’s a great feeling, being able to celebrate and write a song about your own band and your own adventures, and the fact that it’s not actually the end of something, it’s still very much a valid, creative energy; it was great to write it and great to have that feeling.”HEAVY spoke with Nicky about the past 20 years, the upcoming tour and vinyl release and you can listen the interview in full now!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

6 Apr 202325min

By Kris PetersWith the sudden influx of international touring artists currently setting their sights on Australia, the concert going public are understandably selective when it comes to venturing out.But one travelling musical spectacle that is impossible to resist is The World Is A Vampire Festival - led by The Smashing Pumpkins and Jane's Addiction - which kicks off on April 15 in Brisbane before taking in Bribie Island, Sydney, Melbourne, Ballarat, Adelaide and Newcastle before finishing up on the Gold Coast on April 30.Not only will fans be treated to two of the biggest and most successful bands of the last four decades, they will also have the chance to witness world wrestling live and like never before as Billy Corgan's troupe lines up against their Australian counterparts in a display of controlled hostility unlike anything witnessed on these shores before.Throw in Australian bands like Amyl & The Sniffers, RedHook and Battlesnake as well as select local supports and you have the makings of one of the biggest and best festivals to hit Down Under since forever.On the eve of their long journey to Australia, HEAVY had the privilege of sitting down for a chat with Jane's Addiction members Perry Farrell (vocals), Eric Avery (bass) and Stephen Perkins (drums) for an entertaining insight into what to expect."I'm just starting to pull out the boots," Farrell laughed when asked if the band had started packing yet. ""It was great to hear the list of shows said by an Australian," Perkins added, "because we've been looking at that list for the last two weeks and now I know where we're playing (laughs). We just got back from South America, so I didn't really unpack but I did wash everything and changed some ideas, but we're ready!"It's a long run of shows for all of the bands involved, so we press the boys on how they prepare mentally for a tour like this."We know Eric does his homework last," Farrell smiled. "For me, I start to imagine the stage. I start to imagine the people in the place and then I start to imagine what I would wear and like I say, I start with my feet because you don't wanna get up there with bad shoes (laughs). It will just bum your night out.""I play barefoot on the drumset," Perkins chimed in. "No gloves, no shoes or socks, but luckily I've got a room with a drum set here at the house so I've been playing every day and taking care of the mental side and keeping stimulated creatively. That's real important. Because the physical thing, I always keep tuned up. My stamina and endurance is always number one importance and always trying to stay with that creative juice so I can get up there and just hit the stage running."In the full interview the boys tell us what to expect from the shows, the wrestling side of things and the possibility of the bands getting involved, their previous manager, Australian Ted Gardner and some fun stories of him, their knowledge of the Australian bands playing including Perry taking his daughter to see Amyl & The Sniffers, the bands longevity and why plus more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

6 Apr 202315min

By Kris PetersAdriatic have long been considered by many - myself included - to be one of Brisbane's best kept musical secrets.Their blending of technical and intricate metal with Bulgarian influences has endeared them to all who have heard and witnessed their live performance and it now seems the band are ready to capitalise on that groundswell with the release of their new single A Lighthouse in the Desert and album Krile.HEAVY sat down with enigmatic frontman Ctorh Sharks (Stoyan) to dig deeper."There's been some good, positive comments so far," he smiled. "We've got a lot of support and I'm really excited. We've got a few personal messages from people saying how much they love the song. That's always a great thing to see ad hear. Knowing how I normally follow new music when it comes out, it takes a few days for people to actually properly listen to the song so I'm not holding my breath. I'm gonna wait a few more days for people to properly listen to it and give us some feedback."Playing it smart, Adriatic released the audio to the track earlier this week with the video to be premiered this Thursday at 4.30 pm via HEAVY."That specifically relates to what I said earlier about people not necessarily listening to the song right away," Stoyan explained. "We felt that giving them a few days to potentially check out the audio on the streams - because people forget about things with attention spans being two minutes long nowdays - maybe they get reminded to check it out once again when the video comes out. It's hopefully going to give people a second chance to go out and explore the song."In the full interview Stoyan discusses the new single in greater detail, delves into the cryptic title and what it means, the special guest female vocalist and what she brings to the track, the new album and what to expect, some interesting musical surprises on the album, exploring within their music while still retaining the Adriatic DNA, where Adriatic have been hiding the last 5 months, this weekends two shows with King Parrot, the limited edition vinyl and why you need to get your hands on one and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

4 Apr 202326min