More Greetings & Salutations With AZZA & HUTCHY From FRANKENBOK

Interview by Kris Peters
Playtime is over. Now shit gets real.
Much has been made of Frankenbok welcoming back original vocalist Hutchy to launch their next foray into the world of metal, but as fun as the honeymoon period has been it's now time to let their music do the talking.
Following the frenetic Demon Tantrum, the tongue in cheek cover of (You Spin Me) Right Round and the most recent track Dopamine, Frankenbok are preparing to throw all their cards on the table today, January 31, with the release of the first EP under the current regime in the form of Irrepressible.
Not that anyone who has been a part of Australian metal at any stage over the last quarter of a century would - or could - have any doubts, but it almost feels like Frankenbok have got a point to prove. The band have had an ever-evolving sound, mainly due to a merry-go-round of vocalists over the years, but from all reports Irrepressible is a large step back to the early days of the band where pretty much anything went and the focus was, first and foremost, on enjoying playing music.
HEAVY sat down for a chat with guitarist Azza Bok and vocalist Hutchy to get the lowdown in a chat that got so involved we had to split the video into two parts for easier digestion.
"It was a real cathartic moment for me personally as well," Hutchy explained when talk turned to him rejoining the band. "I turned up to Cherry Bar and someone said Frankenbok was playing, and I thought I'm not in the mood for any bullshit and Aaron walked straight up to me, looked me dead in the eye, extended his hand and said some really nice words and defused the situation. It felt like a whole weight had lifted off my shoulders. I made my peace many years ago, but we obviously hadn't spoken for a while. It started that next step for the things that came to follow."
So the big question is what can we expect from the new music?
"It's a homage to all the Frankenbok over the years," Hutchy measured. "When I approached it vocally and lyrically I went back and listened to all the albums and stuff and got inspired by everybody. I've got this reputation as being a bit of a Mike Patton try-hard, so I went back, and I tried to be inspired by Frankenbok, and make a Frankenbok record. It's got all the great elements of Frankenbok, but hopefully something new as well. I think it's a very refined, mature Frankenbok as well. I'm really proud of it. I never thought it was going to turn out like this."
"And I know people always say this about their latest album, but I will legitimately say it's my favourite one to date," Azza chimed in. "I went through years of writing it and listening to it over and over and over and getting it done, but now when I listen to it, I legitimately really, really enjoy it. I love the sound of it. I love what everybody did to it. There was no… I said to everybody, you do whatever the fuck you wanna do, just do it the best you can."
In the full interview we cover more ground on how Hutchy came back to the Frankenbok camp, lessons learnt musically by both of them over the last two decades, writing new material and settling into a groove, more on what to expect from the new music, we analyse each of the five tracks in more detail, discuss future live shows and more.


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