Challenging The Gods With RYAN KIRBY From FIT FOR A KING

Interview by Kris PetersNot many bands get to celebrate the release of their EP by sharing the stage with two of the biggest bands in the world, but that's exactly what awaits Melbourne metal outfit XCalibre this weekend when they open The World Is A Vampire Festival in front of their home crowd and headlined by The Smashing Pumpkins and Jane's Addiction.With EP1 seeing the light of day just last week, XCalibre are already riding the crest of a musical wave and were more than happy to sit down with HEAVY to discuss this Saturday's performance."We're pretty stoked to be on the bill with these dudes," Dan smiled. "We've grown up with them and had their posters on our wall so we're stoked to be a part of it.""They're iconic bands," added Vinnie. "I know we're just opening up, but shit, it's not being on that bill (laughs)."In the full interview the boys explain what something like this means to them as a band, which of the two headliners they are bigger fans of, the Australian bands on the bill and getting to play with them, having so many local bands on an international festival, use their song titles to create a wrestler and his moves, the response to EP1, what it contains musically, what fans can expect from their set this weekend and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

20 Apr 20237min

Interview by Kris PetersSeldom does a band come along and deliver a debut album as good as Melancolia have done with HissThroughRottenTeeth.It is an album that captures elements of a plethora of metal genres, with the label winning out being blackened deathcore.But this is so much more.Equal parts sonic density coupled with an overwhelming blanket of heaviness, Melancolia have crafted something that elevates their music beyond the sonic realm and into one which conveys mood, passion and horror.The general sense of foreboding that enshrouds you after listening to HissThroughRottenTeeth is either a masterstroke on the part of the band or the work of something altogether more sinister, but whatever the source the outcome is still the same.Complete musical annihilation.Traversing the different stages of a deity's miserable existence, HissThroughRottenTeeth paints an aural landscape throughout, setting a mood and unnerving calm that almost dares you to turn away.Vocalist and songwriter Alex Hill sat down with HEAVY to unravel the darkness."Essentially I guess you would call it some kind of mutation of the deathcore genre," Hill explained of Melancolia's sound. "Musically it's fairly influenced by early Whitechapel, particularly the A New Era Of Corruption era - that's gotta be a top 10 album for me. We were going for that melodic... I don't wanna say blackened - there's definitely some influence of that in there - but it's definitely more like if melodic death metal was deathcore instead. Think more Black Dahlia Murder with breakdowns and some spooky synth sections."When it comes to HissThroughRottenTeeth Hill is much more definitive."I always write in concepts," he offered. "I never write random songs and the idea for me is to always write a story start to finish. And then it basically incorporates those thoughts and feelings and events that have happened in my life within that. Essentially what we've got is the story of a deity that's sort of been cast from the heavenly realm or whatever the afterlife is - or another universe - and he has been cast as punishment into the human realm and has been birthed as a human while still retaining all of its information and knowledge of being a God. Basically, it's forced to live as this all powerful being with no use of its power, stuck in this mortal vessel and has to go through life as a human while knowing all this stuff and being stripped of its power."In the full interview, Alex goes deeper into the storyline behind the album, the musical side of things, what message can be taken out of the narrative, the cover image and what it signifies, daring to experiment on their debut album, how much thought and planning went into each stage of the album process, using visuals to enhance their music, a typical Melancolia live show and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

19 Apr 202318min

Interview by Kris PetersBrisbane metal outfit Trinatyde enjoyed a frenetic period of activity during the mid 2010s.After forming in 2010 and releasing the album Rising Tide two years later, Trinatyde embarked on a relentless touring and gigging schedule that saw them play as far North as Cairns and down the East Coast of Australia.Their music was second only to their thunderous live shows and it didn't take long for the band to establish themselves amongst the nations elite.Their single Deathplunge in 2014 promised even greater things to come, which Trinatyde delivered in the form of 2018's EP The Murderous Ones.With the metal world seemingly at their feet Trinatyde vanished from our stages around the turn of the decade, with seldom more than a whisper giving any indication as to when and if the band would resurface.HEAVY is pleased to announce that day will come sooner than expected with Trinatyde back in the rehearsal rooms with an injection of fresh blood set to carry the band straight back to their former glory and potentially usher in a new era of metal for Queensland and Australia."We're gonna be writing some new songs," original vocalist Daniel Robinson revealed, "but we're trying to do the back catalogue at the moment. The reason why we went on hiatus was obviously COVID as well, and Rob had a baby back then as well.""We had lots of gigs booked," added drummer Rob, "about five for 2020 and then COVID kicked in and we cancelled all the gigs. By late 2020 my wife gave birth to a beautiful daughter so from then on there was no time anyway. We thought from there it might kick in with some gigs but unfortunately nothing happened. Everything was cancelled and then there was nothing else. Everything slowed down a little bit and then Dan joined another band, so he was good. Our other guitarist wasn't keen to play any more so he sold his gear and his guitar and that was it for a while."We pose the question of whether it was always planned as a hiatus or if there was ever the risk the band would not get back together."There was a risk," bass player Jay Kleinschmidt nodded. "I didn't think we were going to get back together.""But we never split up officially," Rob added. "It was more a pause for a while. Jamming became a duty and it wasn't like we were patient any more. We would jam every week and work out our songs, but we weren't really there in our head. I think two years of a break was quite good. Eventually last year I spoke to Dan and made some jokes about getting back together and we contacted Matty, our old guitarist, and he didn't want to. There was writing back and forth and eventually we said let's do it. Let's get some new talented guys who bring a new spirit on board and a new style. Originally we just wanted to look for one guitarist. It was just a coincidence that it turned out we got two."In the full interview, the boys talk more about the reasons for going on hiatus and what changed to make them come back, introduce the new guys and what they bring to Trinatyde, how they will do things differently this time, rejuvenating old songs, writing new ones, future plans and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

19 Apr 202318min

Interview by Neville Pearce & Kris PetersThe World Is A Vampire Festival - featuring The Smashing Pumpkins, Jane's Addiction, RedHook, Battlesnake and Amyl & The Sniffers - kicked off last weekend in Brisbane with shows at Eaton's Hill Hotel and Sandstone Point Hotel in Bribie Island.HEAVY celebrated this momentous occasion by joining forces with Neville Pearce from Everblack Podcast to conduct backstage interviews, with this chat with Billy Corgan from The Smashing Pumpkins and his World Champion wrestler Carrie Morton a feature of the day.We start by talking about Corgan's goal in bringing a festival like The World Is A Vampire to life."We did it in Mexico City recently and had about 30,000 people in Mexico City," he smiled. "On the wrestling side it was the NWA versus AAA - AAA are the biggest Mexican based wrestling promotion - so it was a real honour to work with them. And then of course we had 30,000 fans coming out to see an incredible line-up of bands. The idea is to try and bring back a true alternative festival. As we've seen with many of the major festivals that were once alternative and they have gone very pop - that's their business so all good - but I came of age with Lollapalooza in the 1990s when it was a travelling festival - and it was very important for us and a generation of fans to see a truly alternative lineup. And think of that lineup. Beastie boys, George Clinton, Green Day, Urge Overkill, The Breeders, it was an incredible lineup and to this day people still stop me and say I was there. So you've gotta make memories but it's important to turnover that alternative culture."Neville elaborates on that by pointing out how important such festivals are to the younger generation who are being brought up more on computer games and the internet and may not have had the opportunity to be swept up in the world of such a festival."In many ways I grew up somewhat dispossessed by the world and I think it's even harder for young people today with the internet and social pressures, identity being a huge issue," Corgan measured. "Who are you? I think it's important that young people, if they feel alienated by society - and many do. Not everybody, but many do. They can come to a festival like The World Is A Vampire and find like minded people and to celebrate like minded artists. People always say, how does wrestling fit into that? Well wrestling really is one of the true last counter-culture things in the world. Just the fact that anybody even asks the question why wrestling? That just shows you that it still remains outside of the mainstream. That's the whole point. We want to present an alternative culture, and it doesn't stop with wrestling. It's fashion and lots of other things."In the full interview, Corgan talks more about the festival, future plans for it, the wrestling side of the entertainment, Carrie's history as a wrestler and putting it all on the line as champ, interviewing Eddie Van Halen, The Smashing Pumpkins new album Atum and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

19 Apr 202321min

Interview by Erin EddySydney alternative rock quartet 51 st Avenue are turning heads with their latest single Remnant.The song, which features Inertia vocalist Julian Latouche, shines light on the struggles of watching a loved one succumb to addiction.“The song explores how the excessive use of drugs and alcohol can drastically change a person,” explains vocalist Aly Zizza, “The core of the person only remains through your memories; everything about them has changed, and it’s hard to see this happen to them.”Remnant is the band’s first release of 2023, with a string of material set to follow throughout theremainder of the year.HEAVY took the opportunity to speak with Aly and guitarist Ash about the new release, what’supcoming for them, how they gel as a band and how they’ve amassed quite a loyal following onTwitch. Listen to the interview to learn more about this charismatic band.Remnant is out now on all streaming platforms.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

19 Apr 202329min

Interview by Kris PetersPeople tend to forget sometimes that musicians need us as a means of creativity just as much as we need them for a sonic escape.This notion was put to the test with almost catastrophic consequences during the recent closure of the world when British outfit Enter Shikari - like so many others - found themselves shut off from their fans and live audiences and faced the repercussions of art without inspiration perhaps more so than many others.The band members quickly found themselves feeling isolated, lost, and alone - from each other and their massive fanbase - and, unable to focus on what would normally be the simple task at hand of creating music, the band instead found themselves suddenly rudderless and without a way out of the darkness.Prolific songwriter and frontman Rou Reynolds strangely found himself struggling to put pen to paper and as the days turned into months the very real possibility that Enter Shikari might not resurface from the other side began to seem more like a foregone conclusion.Thankfully, as the world began to open up and opportunities came flooding back in the impending veil of darkness gradually lifted, culminating in the band electing to relocate to quieter surroundings to write, plan and record their new album.That album became A Kiss For The Whole World which will be unleashed on April 21, with Reynolds spending some time with HEAVY to run us through the dark times leading to the light."It's quite surreal that you finish an album, have to wait a few months for the manufacturing and everything to get sorted and then it finally comes out," he enthused. "I'm absolutely buzzing. I didn't listen to the album for about two months and then last week we were in Japan and I was very sleep deprived and jet-lagged and took a late night walk across Tokyo - which is always magical anyway - but I started to listen through the album again and it just got me so pumped. Very excited.""Basically, I stopped writing music over the pandemic time. I think retrospectively I realised that it happened for a few reasons, but one of the big reasons was that we weren't playing shows, and without that sense of human connection, without that sense of purpose, without feeling that energy it was like my brain shut off and just said if you can't share music with people what's the point in writing it? And that was quite a disorientating and strange time, really. When we started playing shows again I consequently felt like I could write music again and the sense of relief, the sense of gratitude, the sense of excitement was absolutely palpable. It kind of felt like a bit of a rebirth of the band, so the music on this album is all very high energy and really quite positive and hopefully empowering."In the full interview, Rou runs through the new album more from a musical point of view, the bands ever evolving sound and the extra pressure that creates with each release, relocating for the album process and what effect it had on the album, surviving without being able to perform, how close he came to walking away from music, what gave him his passion and inspiration back, how A Kiss For The Whole World is the beginning of Enter Shikari's second act, what's next for the band and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

19 Apr 202318min

Interview by Kris PetersUK rock outfit Empyre know full well the ethos of you get back what you put in.Since unleashing their debut album Self Aware in 2019 Empyre have toured relentlessly, putting their music in front of as many people as possible. Often finding themselves on the festival circuit and playing with bands of vastly different sonic calibre, Empyre soon learnt that a touch of humility can get you through potentially hazardous situations and as such began a sustained effort of self-deprecating humour that turned the tables back on themselves so to speak.By looking inwards to project outwards, Empyre reversed the confusion and growing apathy from sections of the crowds and encouraged them to boo and throw things between songs - so much so that in some areas the crowd lovingly boos the band between songs.And the band couldn't be happier.Empyre continued their upward trajectory late last month with the release of their new album Relentless, another bold step forward in the rock landscape that gathers increasing momentum with each passing track.HEAVY caught up with frontman Henrik Steenholdt to find out more, starting with how fans have reacted to the new album."Quite strong really," he smiled. "We've been really pleased with what we've seen in terms of a lot of the reviews that have come out so far. I haven't seen anything that's negative so far, but I'm sure I will at some point (laughs). So far most of it has been in the higher range of the market out of ten."Although essentially a rock band, Empyre allow enough strands of DNA from outside sources to creep into their music as it sees fit."There's no overall concept to the album," he said. "It's a collection of songs that we wrote over the course primarily of the last three years. Although some of the songs started earlier - songs like Relentless itself. We started writing that around the time our first album Self Aware came out in 2019 and, at least, I had the idea for the riff and the chorus. They were the main parts of the song that I'd written back then and it was only during the course of the pandemic in the first year of that that we started to put together the songs where they turned into what they are now. The same as Road To Nowhere. We covered a reasonable amount of ground in terms of style on this album. Relentless itself starts out with an acoustic intro into a hard rock song. It's pretty straight forward in what it does, then the next song Waking Light we take things a little more commercial and a little bit more in the direction of Killers or Muse with atmospherics and bits that are slightly indie. Then Parasite, the third track, starts out dark and angelic and then goes about as metal as we've ever been and then we've got other songs like Hit & Run which has an 80s vibe to it, Forget Me which is a big ballad, Quiet Commotion which is a big ballad, and then Your Whole Life Slows which is a little more experimental."In the full interview, Henrik discusses what they set out to achieve musically on Relentless, how their sound has grown since their debut album, the varying genres and if it is an actual focus of the band, finding the balance between genres and making it work into their style of playing, taking the piss out of themselves and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

14 Apr 202319min

Interview by Kris PetersThe name Dave Lombardo is synonymous with thrash metal.Since co-founding legendary thrash outfit Slayer in 1981, Lombardo has been the barometer for metal drumming.He has been named by Rolling Stone in their list of 100 Greatest Drummers Of All Time, been dubbed The Godfather of double bass by Drummerworld, proclaimed The King by Modern Drummer... the list goes on.He has appeared on more than 100 studio albums/recordings, including live stints with Grip Inc., Fantômas, Suicidal Tendencies, Dead Cross, Mr. Bungle, The Misfits, DJ Spooky, John Zorn, Testament, and most recently creating the soulful duo Venamoris, with his wife Paula. His resume is unrivalled in the world of music as a whole, let alone his chosen profession as drummer.But despite the metal undertones and notoriety within his chosen genre, Lombardo is a true student of the arts, finding comfort in a plethora of genres and styles that transcend the perceived heart of metal.This passion is now laid bare for the world to see with the impending release of his solo album Rites Of Percussion, a self produced release featuring a large concert bass drum, a timpani, a grand piano, and a flock of shakers, maracas, Chinese and symphonic gongs, Native American drums, congas, timbales, bongos, batás, wood blocks, djembes, ibos, darbukas, octobans, cajóns, and cymbals. It is an album created to satiate his own musical desires and one which sees Lombardo exposed like never before.HEAVY had the pleasure of spending some time with the legendary drummer to dive deeper into his musical psyche."It feels a little surreal," he measured, "because I've wanted to release something like this for years and it finally came to fruition. I'm very proud and beyond happy at how well it's been received. I expected the typical metalheads complaining about one thing or another and I was already ready to answer those comments by saying 'well just wait five minutes, I'll be coming up with a new metal album real soon.' Or if you want to revert to Mr. Bungle or Dead Cross, those are a couple of bands that we've just released albums with. It's awesome, man. I love it. Maybe we'll do another one it's been such a great experience."Making an album where he himself is the only constant and where the quality and success of the material falls squarely on his shoulders is something Lombardo has experienced little of in his time as a musician. With Rites Of Percussion every note, every nuance is birthed by his own volition, meaning more thought and emphasis was required for every painstaking stage of the process."The music took the direction on its own," he offered. "I started creating the rhythms, then starting to layer sounds - because I worked by myself - and it started taking a life of its own. As the songs were developing I started seeing the vision a little clearer and it started becoming an actual entity. A body of work. It didn't sound to me... it wasn't developing like alien bits and pieces from different sessions. It became a cohesive body of work. It was really interesting and I had many moments during the recording process - many moments - that were like 'aha' moments, or epiphanies where it was like oh God, where did this come from? It was really cool and it set me up, I feel at this moment as I look back, it set me up to hopefully pursue number two and create a second Rites Of Percussion but it wouldn't sound the same. It would sound totally different because now from different elements - drums, sound designing - it was a really good learning experience to say the least."In the full interview, Dave talks more about the musical composition of Rites Of Passage, making it an album of just his work without guest appearances, how Mike Patton set the wheels in motion for this album 25 years ago, his album mantra of drums had to be drums and what it means, the different instruments and soundscapes on the album, his love of different genres of music, appeasing fans and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

14 Apr 202316min