Arterial Spray With BILL STEER From CARCASS

Interview by Kris PetersGrinspoon have flown the flag for Australian rock since bursting onto the scene after winning the Triple J Unearthed contest with the song Sickfest in 1995. They released their debut, self-titled EP that same year which included that song plus More Than You Are before unleashing their second EP Licker Bottle Cozy the following year, featuring Champion.In September 1997 Grinspoon released their debut album Guide To Better Living which became the staple sonic diet for disenfranchised youth everywhere with its punchy, aggressive punk/rock hybrid that was catchy as fuck and even more addictive.The band went from strength to strength from there, releasing a succession of successful albums such as Easy, New Detention and Thrills Kills & Sunday Pills, but it was on the live circuit that Grinspoon basked in glory. Their wild, unpredictable and entertaining live shows helped Grinspoon become a regular on pretty much every Australian music festival since 1995, with demand continuing to this day despite the fact their last album called Black Rabbits was released over a decade ago.But 2024 is set to become the Year Of Grinspoon following the release of their first new single in twelve years, Unknown Pretenders. The song is a direct throw back to the band's earlier stuff and has fans both old and new salivating at the prospect of their new album Whatever, Whatever which is slated for an August 9 release.But that's not all.Grinspoon have also announced an extensive 45-date national tour starting in September and finishing in December that will see the band hit capital cities and regional venues, including more than 20 all-ages shows.Guitarist Pat Davern joined HEAVY to talk about the exciting new developments in the Grinspoon camp, starting with the reception for Unknown Pretenders."I think it's been pretty good. Well, my Mum and Dad love it," he joked. "To be honest with you, things seem to be going really well. The tour went on sale and tickets are selling really fast, and in this climate, with the amount of bands out there that are touring, we're very happy about that. It was the first cab off the rank. We've probably got a couple more singles to go before we release the album, and I think it's been a great… return to form is a good way to describe Unknown Pretenders."Unknown Pretenders saw a relatively low-key release with little advance promotion. It was a simple, yet effective way of releasing the new single, but we question Davern as to why the band chose to release the track without a massive social media campaign."You're right. We didn't do any social media or any big build up to it," he agreed. "I think when we recorded the album, we weren't sure how it was all gonna play out. We wanted to do something that we're really proud of, and it had been twelve years since we recorded an album, and we didn't want it to be shit. And if it was shit, then we weren't gonna release it (laughs). So we thought it would be best to keep it on the quiet until we were really happy with the results. We got there, and we are really happy with the results. The fanfare starts now, on HEAVY mag!"Unknown Pretenders is definitely a return to form for Grinspoon, more closely resembling their early material than anything that has come since. We ask if that song was chosen as the first single to make a statement of sorts."It definitely was," Davern nodded. "It was kind of… for us to put out music after such a long time, we wanted it to be a statement. We wanted our old fans, and, I guess, our new fans - because we're almost a generational band now. A lot of people's kids are into it, where their parents were into the band when we first started. We wanted it to be something we could hang our hat on and say we're back."In the full interview, Pat discusses Unknown Pretenders in more detail, how the single kicks off a new era for Grinspoon, the upcoming album whatever, whatever and what to expect sonically, the writing process and how the final tracks were selected and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

18 Jun 202415min

Interview by Kris PetersIt has been a well deserved breakthrough 18-month period for Brisbane rock outfit PistonFist that saw the band not only deliver their debut album RedLine, but also power through support slots with Jane's Addiction, The Smashing Pumpkins, Cancer Bats, The Poor and Alice Cooper.Despite setbacks that threatened to blow their motor, PistonFist time and time again regrouped and embraced the change to emerge triumphant and in more demand than ever before. But, as a wise man once said, a band's true character can only surface in times of extreme hardship or adversity. Or he would have if the wise man knew anything about the music industry as a whole.What started as the logical next step in the evolution of PistonFist when invited to tour Europe with original Slipknot vocalist Anders Colsefni quickly turned into a maelstrom of unwanted disaster when Colsefni pulled the pin on the run of shows not long after PistonFist had finished paying the bulk of the tours expenses. It was a pivotal moment in the future and career of the band, who not only had to weigh up the potential destruction of heading out on the tour of a lifetime, but also the very real prospect of more or less throwing a small fortune down the proverbial drain.After a pow-wow with the other two bands scheduled to be part of the tour - Sin Soto and Kaosis - the bands collectively decided to push forward and try to salvage at least something from the rapidly darkening dream. The first point of order was to secure the venues to play at, the second was coming up with a band high enough in stature to join the tour that would draw a crowd and make the tour an enticing proposition for venues and countries that would likely have never heard of any of the three bands other than the fact they may have briefly seen their name on a tour poster that was now null and void.Their solution? Piece together two tribute bands featuring the existing cast of musicians that would put bums on seats and also not demand more money than they were worth. Thus, the Prodigy and Slipknot tribute bands were born, and the tour was back on!PistonFist frontman Geoff O'Leary joined HEAVY recently for a chat about the tour and what has been a whirlwind period for the band, starting with the boys finally getting recognised by the powers that be and given the opportunity to shine on the big stage."It's an interesting one," he measured. "We've definitely busted our bums. We did the Australian and New Zealand tour last year with Anders and Waylon (Reavis, Mushroomhead), two really, really good guys, and we had a fat time. Smashing Pumpkins was great, but the one for me that's a bit of a standout was Alice Cooper. It was amazing. We've never been looked after so well at a show. We're fortunate, no doubt, but at the same time we worked hard. We've worked on all the things, too - and this is one for the young bands that are listening. The social media, the consistent rehearsals, just busting your balls is well worth it. I think the thing is we love it. We're not making money - it's costing us money, no doubt - but we love it. That's where it's at. And I think if you don't love it, don't waste your time."In the full interview, Geoff talks more about the European tour, how it was salvaged and how close it came to being abandoned, the rise of PistonFist, lessons learnt from playing with bands like Cancer Bats, touring overseas for the first time and what he expecting, the value of honesty and trust in the music industry, having to relearn and play drums for the first five shows of the tour, anticipated problems, their upcoming new single and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

17 Jun 202424min

Interview by Kris PetersThey say absence makes the heart grow fonder, and if that is true, then crushing extreme metal outfit Goatwhore will be earning themselves plenty of hugs when they return to Australia this July as part of the Turn Troubled Tables Tour with Eyehategod.Goatwhore have been absent from our shores for almost a decade, last venturing over to this side of world for a brutal run of shows with Psycroptic in 2015. Now, two albums and a shit tonne of shows later, the masters of all they survey are preparing for another assault on our senses, with guitarist Sammy Duet telling HEAVY in a recent chat that the band have some unfinished business with Australian fans."We've put out a couple of records (since the 2015 tour)," he affirmed. "Not much else. I've got a lot more grey in my beard now since the last time I was in Australia (laughs)."We ask Sammy what we can expect from their shows."Lots of loud, Satanic heavy metal," he promised. We pushed him further on the live shows by asking what the band expects in return from their crowds."I like them to do whatever they feel like doing," he shrugged. "If they feel like getting wild and getting crazy, get wild and crazy. If you feel like sitting back and watching and observing, that's cool too. Whatever Satan takes hold of your soul and makes you wanna do, do it."In the full interview, Sammy tells us where the name Goatwhore came from, talks about the early days of the band and where they fit in, describes the musical climate that gave birth to Goatwhore, their brutal combination of genres and how they blend together to make the Goatwhore sound, his reaction to people who label the band controversial, how far advanced their next album is and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

17 Jun 20249min

Interview by Kris PetersU.S metalcore outfit The Devil Wears Prada have had a golden run when it comes to touring this country.When they last came out with Polaris in 2017 demand for tickets was so high that the Sold Out sign was up far more than it was down, and within one week of announcing August's Half Living Things Tour with Alpha Wolf, The Devil Wears Prada, Invent Animate and thrown organisers were left in the same conundrum. Which is a healthy position to be in given the sudden influx of international touring bands to this side of the world.After releasing their last album Color Decay in 2022, The Devil Wears Prada spent much of their time on the promotional trail, returning this year with fresh music in the form of Ritual and a new version of Reasons. The two tracks hint at a new era for the band, which is reinforced by guitarist/singer Jeremy DePoyster when we spoke with him earlier in the week."I feel like we've been rejuvenated a little bit," he measured. "We just did our biggest headline tour ever in the States. We did two legs of it because the first one was so nuts. Then we just got off tour with LANDMVRKS in Europe, and those were the biggest shows we've played in Europe. We just feel a youthful energy, like back when we were on the Warped Tour. There's just a fire under our butts for some reason, so it feels like a new era for us right now, and we're trying to storm the castle a little bit and see what's going on in there."In the full interview, Jeremy talks about his preparation for the run of shows, the history between The Devil Wears Prada and Alpha Wolf, having Invent Animate and thrown on the bill and what they bring to the dynamics, selling out consecutive tours, what has changed with the band since they were last out here, the two singles released this year and how they represent the future of The Devil Wears Prada, other plans and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

16 Jun 202413min

Interview by Kris PetersMelbourne rock outfit Shotgun Mistress arrived on the scene with a bullet following the 2021 release of their self-titled debut album that reinforced all known conceptions about the band, based purely on the high-octane suggestiveness of the name alone.Here was a band that bled rock and roll rather than one jumping on the back of an institution that oozes charm, strength and charisma. In the world of rock and hard rock such pretenders are generally found wanting before a round of shots can be fired in anger, but on the rare occasions that a band not only matches the sonic intensity of their album on the live arena but rather elevates the bar infinitely higher… well, you just know.Not that there were many doubters out there, but with Shotgun Mistress facing the prospect of following up a banger of an album with an even bigger banger - not an easy thing to do on a sophomore release - the lads from South of the border just rolled their sleeves up and did what they do best.Knock that shit right the fuck out of the park.Released just last Friday, album number two, Kings Of The Revolution is not merely just more of the same from Shotgun Mistress. It is a statement of intent laced with an air of almost arrogance that pushes the doors open even wider for what can only be an even more exciting future for the band.HEAVY sat down with frontman Glenn Patrick and drummer 'Diamond' Dave Lee direct from the freezing cold of Melbourne and on the night of release to gauge their enthusiasm."We're stoked," Glenn started to reply."We're fucken stoked," Dave corrected."It's been a long time coming," Glenn continued, "and we've had this album in our back pocket for a long time. Half the album was already written before the first one was even released. So it's definitely been a while, but it's good to finally…""Release it to the world," Dave finished.We ask the boys if Kings Of The Revolution is what fans would expect musically from the band."I'd like to think so," Glenn measured. "I'd like to think it's something that's pretty similar to what people would relate to. It's definitely a step-up for us as far as the writing ability. The first album was a bit of a tester to see how we worked together, so this one is something that came a lot easier.""A lot quicker," Dave added."The actual production of the tracks is good and there's definitely a lot of different… influences from this album compared to the first one," Glenn chimed in. "Things like early day Aerosmith and ZZ Top. There's a lot more variety in this one.""It sort of suits everybody, instead of just writing to the one content," Dave concluded.In the full interview the boys talk about the three singles released and how they represent the whole album, translating the live energy to recordings, the bold statement proclaimed by the album title, what songs to listen to by way as an introduction to Shotgun Mistress, their upcoming tour of Japan, hometown shows and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

15 Jun 202417min

Interview by Kris PetersThe inaugural Necrosonic Festival to be held at Brisbane's Mansfield Tavern on August 31 is not your typical metal festival. This is a festival put together by people who have a genuine love of and interest in heavy metal music, not just a promotor out to exploit the scene in favour of a quick buck.As such, Necrosonic features a number of bands thought to be dead and buried, along with some heavyweights of the scene to celebrate metal the way it should be.Loud and proud.With a line-up of 30 bands including Crypt, Psycroptic, Lo!. Astrodeath, Bulletbelt, Mortality and more, HEAVY felt it only appropriate to interview a selection of these bands in the lead-up to Necrosonic, with our first chat with Aaron Tuck from black metal warriors Lumen Ad Mortem.We mention that it must be an honour of sorts being invited to play at the debut performance of what promises to be a long-running music festival."Yeah, definitely," he enthused. "There's a few bands there I haven't heard of before and when I checked them out they blew me away. One of them is Spire, really looking forward to seeing them, and of course Crypt, Psycroptic, Misery… It's an awesome line-up. It will definitely give our necks a workout watching the other bands."For the benefit of those who might not have seen Lumen Ad Mortem live before, we ask Tuck what to expect."We're playing mid-paced black metal," he measured, "with a lot of blast beats. Our music has orchestral sections, and then we've got a projection show we put behind us. Our singer Greg is a tall person who likes to scream in people's faces (laughs). He's got a lot of character. We just get up there and play the tunes as best we can and try to create an atmosphere of dark, gloom and evil."In the full interview, Aaron talks more about Necrosonic and what he is expecting, the state of metal festivals in Australia, the early days of the band and where they came from, their debut album Upon The Edge Of Darkness, future plans and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

14 Jun 202411min

Interview by Kris PetersUS metal outfit Fire From The Gods consolidated their growing stature in October 2022 with the release of their third album, Soul Revolution.Featuring the singles SOS, Thousand Lifetimes, World So Cold and Soul Revolution, the album quickly became a fan favourite and propelled the band into a fresh legion of fans and supporters.Fans quickly demanded more, so Fire From The Gods have provided with Soul Revolution Deluxe - The Collabs, an extension of the original album featuring the tracks found on the first recording, plus four of the songs re-recorded with collaborations from Yung Mosh, Nate Vickers, Corey Glover and Jayden Panesso as well as a cover of Guerilla Radio by Rage Against The Machine.It portrays the four reworked songs in a different light with the use of guest artists and showcases a different musical side of the band.Vocalist AJ Channer joined HEAVY to dive deeper into the new album which will be released on June 14, starting with if he still feels the same excitement releasing a deluxe version of an album."You know what, I'm happy about this one because as I have told everyone it's about the family with this one," he explained. "It's about the homies and some really solid, close individuals for Fire From The Gods, so I'm really excited about this one. I am excited about the release. Typically, Fire From The Gods will release a record, then we'll do some reimagined version of it. We've done it since our first record, Narrative, and people are really excited about hearing the different version of the solo or a different take or reimagining of the record. But with this one, it's collabs. It's people that specifically are close to our hearts as brothers, as bands, as musicians. We hand-picked those that we wanted for this. I didn't wanna blow it up and get a massive name on it and spend a tonne of money going after Jonathan Davis or some big name to try and boost sales or anything. We really wanted to do it as some homies that we wanted to show love and some people that we know really respect our band and respect what we've got going on."In the full interview, AJ talks more about how fans embraced the original album version, how he measures success in the modern age, runs through each of the collaborations individually and offers more about the songs and why each person was asked to collaborate on it, the Rage Against The Machine cover and why it was chosen, the selection process for which songs appeared on the Deluxe version, touring plans and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

14 Jun 202418min

Interview by Kris PetersReward for effort is not a phrase generally used in the music industry, with countless bands and musicians paying their dues thousands of times over and still not finding that elusive pathway to the next level. But occasionally you see the music Gods smiling down on one of their own by rewarding them with a more universal platform, in the process opening that band/artist up to a whole world of possibilities they may never have known existed.Melbourne rock/pop artist Karly Jewell has recently found herself in this welcome situation after years of pouring her heart and soul into music when she signed with emerging label XMusic. It's not so much the signing to a label that is significant here, it's more a case that someone in a position of influence in the music industry finally believes. Believes in her. Believes in her music. Believes in the future of Karly Jewell and her self-titled band.With a number of new songs already written and recorded, Jewell attracted the attention of XMusic with her upcoming single, Sad Girl, which will premiere via HEAVY this Friday, June 14. It is a catchy tune, with meaty hooks in the right places, and dripping with enough attitude to have disenfranchised teens come running in the direction of musical salvation.Jewell sat down with HEAVY to discuss the signing and new single."I am so excited," she beamed, "because I have been sitting on this song for months now. Since last year, I believe. Just knowing how it turned out was exciting, but being able to share it after waiting and waiting… I'm excited now I have a label behind me and heaps of cool stuff coming up - which we'll talk about later. Now's the right time to get this song out. I'm pleased I held onto it. And it's a cool song (laughs)."In the full interview, Karly talks more about Sad Girl musically and what it's about, the slightly different sonic direction to her previous releases, where it stands in the scheme of a possible future album release, signing to XMusic, what things that opens up to her and her band, new bass player Mick Jones and what he brings, their upcoming tour of Japan, future plans and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

13 Jun 202412min