Challenging The Gods With RYAN KIRBY From FIT FOR A KING

Interview by Kris PetersSydney based merchants of death metal Anoxia are about to unleash their debut EP, a crushing four track metal journey called Languish In Suffering.Still a band in their infancy, Anoxia have been swiftly making a name for themselves, scoring a number of high profile supports and festival slots based solely on the strength of their 2020 demo Torturous Degradation and uncompromisingly confronting live performances.Gathering old school death metal influences and presenting them with a fresh, modern sensibility, Anoxia sound like a band ready to unleash fury, starting with a slot at this weekend's Canberra Metal Festival alongside Psycroptic, Misery, Black Rheno and more.HEAVY caught up with drummer Marco Alvarez and guitarist Elias Niahos to find out more."We're pretty pumped, it's been a long time coming," Niahos smiled when asked how the boys were feeling only a couple of days out from the release of their debut EP. "We recorded and tracked a couple of years ago now but there were a few issues and it's been a long time coming so it's actually a bit of a weight off our shoulders to get it out there. We're excited for people to hear it. It's just us having fun and trying to make it as heavy and catchy as we can. Putting in effort with no corners cut, plus we have some cool artwork in there from Italy by Paolo, and we had some mates work on it with Matt Clarke who produced it and our mate Tom from Carnal Viscera who did the graphics. It's cool to get friends involved in the process as well.""It's a fortunate thing that we have actually been in the recording process and not released anything," Alvarez added. "Not as Anoxia, but this is the first release that we've been able to do that has gone public, so it's really exciting that we actually have this roaring and ready to go. I'm excited about how far things will get and just the fact that we're doing something that is a labour of love."In the full interview, the boys talk more about the EP and its sound, run us through each of the four songs and explain their origin and meaning, paying homage to the past while keeping an ear on the future, upcoming shows, future plans and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

15 Feb 202322min

Interview by Kris PetersSeldom does a band undergo such a sonic metamorphisis so early in their career as Brisbane doom riff machine Dark Moon Society.Starting life in 2017 as more of a punk influenced band - as evident by their debut single Night Demon - Dark Moon Society recently released their second track The Reaper, a more sludge driven, guitar fuelled number that is about as far removed from Night Demon as they could get.Not that the band are already having an identity crisis of sorts. Far from it.They are just young enough, fresh enough, and, more importantly confident enough to realise a persons musical tastes grow and develop over time. Rather than fight that notion, Dark Moon Society have plunged directly into a fresh sonic realm with vocalist Alex Pierce happy to chat with HEAVY about the new track and musical direction."The band started in 2017 and we had a bunch of songs and we recorded a bunch of them and then kind of moved on from them," he explained. "We started this new genre - for us anyway - and this was one of the first songs that was a part of that. It's kind of inspired from a bunch of different genres. It's hard for us to tell people what genre we are because it's taken from a few things. I think this song took a lot of inspiration from bands like Soundgarden. We're writing some stuff now that's heading more towards Sabbath and The Sword and stuff like that. Still that grungy, doom, stoner rock type thing but this was one of the first songs that started that era for us."In the full interview, Alex talks more about The Reaper, it's musical direction, future music plans, the musical journey planned by Dark Moon Society, the formation of the band, their recent East Coast tour, shows planned for the rest of 2023 and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

15 Feb 202316min

Interview by Kris PetersMelbourne stoner/sludge/groove/doom band Goat Sharman are making the trip to the nations capital this weekend for the Canberra Metal Festival featuring Misery, Psycroptic, Abramalin, Werewolves, Alarum, Black Rheno and more.The band have steadily gone about building a loyal, solid fan base since their inception in 2018 and released their debut self titled EP early in 2021. They are currently working on the follow up album, but drummer Max still found time to sit down with HEAVY for a chat about their upcoming shows and more."You can expect some heavy riffage," he replied when quizzed on what punters can expect from their live show. "A bit of shennanigans, some loud noises and we'll just be having a good time grooving."The style of music played by Goat Sharman is dominated by a handful of major bands, and as such the scope for drawing influence from the genre pool may not be as great as bands from, say, the thrash side of things. We ask Max how difficult it is for a band to take those influences and put their own spin on proceedings."There's elements of things that they do that we really enjoy," he measured. "We love playing around with polyrhythms and metric modulations and lots of crazy time signatures and such that we like to incorporate into our music and keep it interesting."In the full interview, Max talks more about this weekends show, which bands he is looking forward to sharing a stage with, the early days of the band, how they came up with their sound, new music, future shows and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

15 Feb 202310min

Interview by Kris PetersAs far as tours go this one is a ripper.Not only do Australian fans get My Chemical Romance for a run of shows this March, but they also get the added bonus of Jimmy Eat World as part of the package.After being only days away from touring just as the world shut down because of COVID - so close that the band's gear was actually en-route to Australia - Jimmy Eat World return for the first time in 6 years with a whole bunch of new material and a renewed vigour.Lead vocalist and guitarist Jim Adkins joined HEAVY to discuss the tour."We were three days away from coming to Australia right before COVID shut everything down," he smiled. "So, our gear got a round trip ticket to Australia and back, but we never made it (laughs). We were particularly sad about that because we were really looking forward to playing. Australia's one of my favourite places to go, it's one of my favourite places to play and on top of everything else that happened that was hard. To be so close to coming over and playing... Then you know what happened after that! There's a lot of pent up energy we've got to get rid of and fulfil our two year mission finally."Jimmy Eat World were hand picked for this tour by My Chemical Romance, which poses the question of just what Adkins and the band have over the headliners."If I told you then they could kick us off and put on someone that they really wanted to have," he laughed. "It wouldn't work if I told you what we have on them..."In the full interview, Jim talks more about being invited on tour, what to expect, what has changed with the band and their live show since they were here last, maintaining your fan base, finding inspiration during the COVID period, the birth of Jimmy Eat World, his early vision for the band and how it has changed since, growing as a band and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

14 Feb 202313min

Interview by Kris PetersFor years people thought the most formidable things to come out of Scotland were William Wallace and the Loch Ness Monster, but James McBain and his project Hellripper are quickly changing that perception.Essentially a one man battering ram, Hellripper started the descent into darkness with 2017s Coagulating Darkness before solidifying their intentions with The Affair Of The Poisons in 2020.By bringing to life an electrifying brand of blackened thrash metal laced with scintillating solos and themes normally considered taboo, McBain has crafted a sound uniquely his own which is at times mesmerizing, others terrifying but always fast, frenetic and brutal.With Hellripper's third album Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags ready to be unleashed on February 17, McBain set aside some time to sit down with HEAVY to talk about creating the perfect sonic landscape. One of the topics we discussed was the lyrical inspiration for the album which was measured from the landscapes and legends of the Scottish Highlands."I moved to the Highlands about four years ago," he began, "near the end of the writing process for the last album. And I'm not usually inspired or influenced by my environment, but being in the Highlands and surrounded by these landscapes it was hard not to be inspired. It made me wanna look into some Scottish folklore and some Scottish history and stuff, kind of the darker side. I didn't want... I wasn't looking to speak about William Wallace and that kind of stuff. I wanted it to be stuff that would suit Hellripper's aesthetic, like the Devil in Scotland and Sea Serpents and all this evil stuff. I thought originally I would get one or two songs out of it for the new album, but after reading more into the Scottish folklore I realised there was so much to write about and eventually thought let's make the whole album centred around the theme of Scotland. I've never done an album with a theme or concept before and I thought this would be interesting. It's also something a bit different to what the usual black speed, black thrash lyrical themes are. I knew a bit about these folklores beforehand, most of the stuff I'd heard of but didn't know the details. So looking into that you've got stuff like The Nuckelavee which is a giant, grotesque, skinless horse-like demon that has the torso of a rider attached to its back and it's got poisonous breath that can wilt crops and cause plagues. So it's perfect for the Hellripper aesthetic."In the full interview, James discusses Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags in greater detail, the personal nature of the album, creating such a broad sound as a solo project, more of the inspiration for the music, recording and mixing your own music, future shows and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

14 Feb 202327min

Interview by Erin EddyNewcastle hardcore kings Honest Crooks have just dropped a metric ton of ‘heavy AF’ (which is surely a legitimate unit of measurement by now, right?) with their latest album The Sounds Of Hell.HEAVY sat down to speak with vocalist, Brodie, about the release and the tour the band is about to embark on.Brodie explained the relief in finally being able to release this record, since there were quite a few snags along the way, and he felt like the process had been very drawn out.“With this record, everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong,” Brodie explains, “so I’m just speaking for myself, but I just want to get it out. I’m almost sitting here going like, ‘what the fuck else is going to happen?’”At the time of recording, The Sounds Of Hell was on the cusp of release. It is now available and so here's hoping Brodie is breathing a nice big sigh of relief that the album that Honest Crooks sat on for almost three years has now made its way out into the world.You can catch Honest Crooks touring around the country on the following dates:February 16 – Vinnie’s Dive Bar, Gold CoastFebruary 17 – The Tomcat, BrisbaneFebruary 18 – Newcastle Hotel, NewcastleFebruary 19 – Factory Floor, SydneyFebruary 20 – The Basement, CanberraFebruary 24 – The Worker’s Club, MelbourneFebruary 25 – Crown & Anchor, AdelaideCheck out our interview for a deeper dive into what Brodie had to say about The Sounds Of Hell, switching from guitarist to vocalist, taking responsibility for Japan’s Kruelty on their first ever visit to Australia, plus more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

14 Feb 202317min

Interview by Kris PetersThey say music is in the blood, a point which has been proven time and time over the years and through the annuls of music history.But despite the long history - which includes famous musical relatives Tim and Jeff Buckley, John and Jason Bonham, Max and Jay Weinberg - seldom, if ever, has musical heritage been passed from father to son in quite the same fashion as Australian musicians Adrian and Steven Campell.Adrian fronted Aussie rock outfit Avalanche in the 1970s, a band who are well known for one of their hit tracks Sweet Baby Brown Eyes. Now, over four decades later, Adrian's son Steven has released a cover of his fathers song in his new rock outfit called... Avalanche.Sound confusing? Well it is until you hear the whole story which is one of the topics Steven (lead vocals, bass) and his partner Veronica (lead guitar) spoke about when they sat down for a chat with HEAVY earlier this week."It's a cover of a song my father actually wrote back in the 70s for a band of the same name," Steven smiled. "It's a bit of an amped up version of it, it's not a complete straight cover. So we do add a bit more of a rock heavy vibe to it, but it is relatively the same. It's an old school rock vibe - almost 12 bar blues but not quite - but we amped that up a little bit even more. So the verses, the choruses, there's more amped up and elongated sections, but it's just a classic, fun rock and roll song. Something you would have definitely heard in the pubs in that 70's circuit. It's a great callback for someone that taught me how to sing and really pushed my interest in music."In the full interview, Steven and Veronica talk more about Sweet Baby Brown Eyes, taking Steven's fathers old band name, fusing old style rock sensibilities with modern rock, how this song is the band's most ambitious yet, forming during the COVID period and how they got the band off the ground, their upcoming run of shows, the special treat they have in store for fans at the Sydney and Melbourne shows and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

9 Feb 202315min

Interview by Kris PetersAustralian rock outfit Kingswood are set for a massive 2023.Not only are the band releasing their latest album Home on February 24, they are also embarking on a tour around the country which will see the boys perform over 100 shows and take them from the outback to the ocean in a mission that will take up more than half of the year.After making a name for themselves based on pure rock sensibilities, Kingswood have allowed themselves to further explore the complexities of this genre on Home, introducing more acoustic guitar to complement additional vocal harmonies.The result is nothing short of mesmerizing, with Kingswood displaying an alterior side to their musical personalities without straying too far from the sound that has made them a household name in their home country.The tour is understandably the band's biggest, most ambitious run of shows yet, and will see Kingswood drive practically the whole way in a custom built touring bus built, as one would expect, by the band to suit individual touring needs.Guitarist Alexander Laska sat down for a chat with HEAVY earlier this week, nestled comfortably in the second lounge section of what will be the band's home for more than six months."I cannot be more excited, to be honest," Laska beamed when asked about the upcoming album. "It's an album that's been in the works for the last three years - we've actually got a bunch of albums ready to go. We were very diligent in the COVID situation. All of this was done at the base of Mount Tamborine and we finished a little bit off in Nashville this last year when we were there for AmericanaFest. It's a big rock and roll album, it's an alt-country album, it's got lots of guitars. Everyone says that we've gone country, but we played Tamworth and everyone was like what's this rock and roll band doing here (laughs). We sort of stride the line between the two, but I would say it's a pretty guitar heavy album, to be honest. Put it this way, there's the most guitar solos we've ever had on this album and a lot of them are harmonised guitar solos, so what does that tell ya?"To date Kingswood have released the single Burning Holes, with Laska shaking his head when asked if that song is a good sonic representation of what to expect from Home."Definitely not," he smiled. "Not at all. Burning Holes is probably the most tender moment and we released it because it was the oldest written and we wanted to come out... we like pulling left field moves, so in a cruel twist of fate we decided to release our acoustic ballad as our first single and then drop a rock and roll album in the follow up. Just to fuck with people, because we're sadistic or something. I don't know what's wrong with us (laughs). It's also a really good song, and we believed in the song so we thought why not."In the full interview Alexander talks more about the song selection on Home, opening the album with an acoustic feel and why, having the album mixed in Nashville, the new musical journey of the band as outlined in the press release, their recent tour of Europe and the U.S.A, the upcoming Home Towns Tour and how they plan to survive, what to expect from the shows, slumming it in the tour bus and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

9 Feb 202315min