Revitalised Spirit With KAT O From KTV

Interview by Kris PetersThe Stranglers are part of the final frontier of the true genesis of the punk era.Not that the band can be called punk in the purest public sense of the word, but when it comes to attitude, swagger, and defiance there is no compromise.Since forming in 1974 The Stranglers have epitomised the working class ethos and fuck you persona that many mimic or attempt to harness. But there's is the real deal. No posing. No pretensions. No faking.From the beginning if you didn't like them or their music then The Stranglers quite simply couldn't care less.With a career that has spawned such hits as Golden Brown, Always The Sun, No More Heroes, Strange Little Girl and Peaches, The Stranglers still carry the torch for punk and roll in all of its magnificent glory, and are set to bring those songs and more to Australia with a five date run of shows this April.Guitarist Baz Warne sat down with HEAVY recently to discuss the tour and what life in the inner circle of The Stranglers is really like."The main thing that people are gonna notice immediately is that we've got a new keyboard player," he began. "Unfortunately. we lost the original keyboard player Dave Greenfield - who was in the band from 1975 to COVID in May 2020, which was a huge blow. But we managed to unbelievably find someone who was a student of Dave's - not literally - but somebody who loved The Stranglers and loved Dave's keyboard playing. We were lucky enough to find a guy called Toby Hounsham who plays with us now. He's been with us for two years, so we're looking forward to coming down and showing him off to everyone. We'll just be firing and rocking like we always are. It's such a blast to come to Australia. It always is and always has been."In the full interview baz talks more about the tour and what to expect, coming up with a set list to please everybody, the effects age can have on touring and playing live, his early days in the band, bringing his own swagger to The Stranglers, the longevity of the band, his three commandments of punk and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

24 Jan 202320min

Gold Coast based noise merchants Snake Mountain have been a little quiet for the last couple of years.Or to be more precise, since the band's last single The Hunted back in 2019.While there are many (valid) excuses for the time elapsed between releases, all that people need to know is Snake Mountain are back, and, if possible, even more brutal than they were when they left us.Touting a new, heavier direction, Snake Mountain unleash the proof of that claim at 7pm AEST January 25 via HEAVY with their latest offering Veins. True to form, Veins is an absolute beast of a track that channels the darkness inherent in The Black Knight with enough ferocity and venomous intent to ward evil-doers off for good.Vocalist Neville Pearce sat down with HEAVY recently to run us through the new track and other happenings with Snake Mountain."It is definitely heavier," he affirmed. "It's heavier than what we have done before and that's due to the members that joined during the... Apocolypse that happened. We had a bit of a change in lineup where Kristian (Rousell, drums) and Jaymes (Jackson, guitar) joined us, and they just brought a new energy and a new style that I guess we have been chasing for a long time. Jaymes, in particular, is an incredible song writer. He loves his tech-death, as you can probably hear in the song, and he's just really brought some new energy and life to Snake Mountain that we've needed for a while. Jackson Price, as well, who has recently joined us has a tonne of ideas he is bringing to the band as well and it's been amazing working with him and of course Jared (Day, bass) who has been with the band for a long time. I feel like we're a really good unit and friends."The press release calls Veins a demonstration of the new, heavier direction of Snake Mountain, a claim I pose to Pearce as being a little ambitious given their music is already heavier than a blow to the temple with a sledge hammer."The band started off many, many years ago with a totally different vibe," he measured. "When we started it had more of a Mastodon type vibe to it and it just got heavier over time, depending on the guitarists that jumped on board (laughs). But I'm into that sort of heavier tech stuff, so it's kind of more up my alley as well. I don't know. I don't know if there is heavier... I guess we could, and it's a challenge. I saw Werewolves the other night and they melted my face off, so maybe I will have to write a song called We Stole This From Werewolves (laughs)."In the full interview, Neville dives deeper into Veins, the heavier direction, the subject matter and inspiration for the song, tying it in to the Batman franchise, upcoming shows, future new music plans and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

24 Jan 202315min

Interview by Erin EddyThey don’t come much more legendary than the likes of Geoff Tate.Frontman for the revered Queensryche, he will be back in Australia playing a small selection ofshows between February 8 th – 10 th .Playing two albums in their entirety, Rage For Order and Empire, this is an experience fans won’twant to miss.With the Covid years behind him, and feeling fitter than ever after open heart surgery, Geoff says hehas missed travelling and touring. With 2023 almost completely filled with touring, he’s eager to getback to what he loves and told HEAVY “This year I think I might have four days at home, if I’m lucky!”Have a listen to our interview with Geoff, discussing his Aussie tour and his thoughts on AItechnology, amongst other things!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

24 Jan 202324min

Interview by Kris PetersBrisbane funk metallers Osaka Punch have been strangely quiet of late.Not quiet in the sense they have done nothing, but more so quiet in terms of their usual prolific output and touring schedule.Towards the back end of last year the band made their first trek outside of their home state since 2019 with a run of shows supporting Sunk Loto on their reunion tour, but aside from that fans were left lamenting the lack of fresh material from a band who promised so much with the release of Drones and Hall Of Shame that same year.With The Other Festival returning next weekend at its new home at The Tivoli in Brisbane, Osaka Punch once more reunite with headliners COG and a string of rising local stars for a one day celebration of everything that is musically good in this country.Guitarist Chrispy sat down with HEAVY recently to face the music on what has been happening with the band and their appearance at The Other Festival."First and foremost we're all massive fans of COG and have been for years and years," he offered. "We're always humbled when we get invited to play. I think we did a tour with them in 2019 which was great and that was our first experience being able to support them and it went really well. Obviously they were happy to have us along for the first Other Festival."Osaka Punch have always prided themselves on their relationship with their fans, especially in the live arena, which must have made the last couple of years where they have been stuck in QLD that much harder to bear."It definitely...," he measured. "Prior to everything leading up to 2019 we did quite a few interstate shows and we always tried to make it a priority. We're really trying to build a fan base outside of Queensland and it was starting to take shape, which was nice. Luckily quite a few fans from other states have connected with us still and we are always getting requests to make our way back down to Adelaide and Melbourne and Sydney again. We're planning to do that this year very soon."In the full interview, Chrispy talks more about The Other Festival and what fans can expect from their set, the tour with Sunk Loto, new music and when we can expect, what to expect from the new tracks, what has changed in the band since their last appearance at The Other Festival in 2021, his stint as a DJ at the festival and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

22 Jan 202313min

Interview by Kris PetersMost bands tend to slow down as they near two decades of service to the music industry. Some by design and others due to the inevitable reach of Father time pulling tighter on the reins, but not so Sydney hard rock/metal outfit Temtris who plan to ring in that milestone with possibly their biggest and most ambitious album yet.The conceptually based Khaos Divine will be released on March 17, with the band only drip feeding morsels of information about the genesis of the story.What we do know is the first single from the album, also titled Khaos Divine, will be premiered via HEAVY at 9 am AEST on January 25 and is an absolute cracker of a track that accentuates the vocal talents of vocalist Genevieve Rodda and explores a more modern approach to music that promises to further highlight Temtris' sonic capabilities.Rodda and guitarist Anthony Fox sat down with HEAVY to discuss the new song and impending release."The track is the second song off the album Khaos Divine," Fox explained. "The first track is an instrumental opening because the entire album is a concept album. We chose Khaos Divine as the first single because that's when the lyrics kick in and the story starts to be told. Being a concept album, musically Khaos Divine introduces a lot of the musical motifs that crop up throughout the rest of the album and some of the signature lines that represent the different characteristics and different characters within the concept story. It's a very busy track and introduces Khaos Divine the city and the other components of the city, which is also Khaos Divine which is the A.I that controls the entire city scope."In the full interview, Genevieve and Fox discuss Khaos Divine in greater detail, delve more into the musical nature of the song, the concept story line that drives the album, bringing a modern approach to their new music, how the sound has changed since the band's last album Ritual Warfare in 2021, the album launch tour which covers most of the country, this weekends Melbourne show, celebrating 20 years as a band and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

22 Jan 202321min

Interview by Kris PetersMinds End have always been a fan favourite amongst anyone that has been a part of their musical journey over the last five years or so.They are the quintessential Australian underdog, toughing it out from a more remote region of New South Wales and making an almighty splash every time they have ventured into the larger areas to ply their trade.With a new member, new single and upcoming appearance at The Other Festival on January 28, drummer Simon Benham sat down with HEAVY to bring us up to speed."To be on the list again is a real honour," he smiled. "We're proud to get that spot so we won't be taking any short cuts with it."Once again headlined by COG and Osaka Punch, The Other Festival also features a collection of current and rising stars in the local scene including The Wrath, The Stranger, Mass Sky Raid and more. We press Benham on which acts he is most looking forward to sharing the stage with and his response was typical of the working ethos of Minds End."All of them," he enthused. "In my opinion in the line-up everyone has the potential to be a headlining act. Rhino we have played with before. They're a great bunch of lads and there's some new bands we will be playing with that we're looking forward to meeting and seeing how well it all mixes together."In the full interview, Simon discusses what something like this means to Minds End, what they take out of the experience, what to expect from their set, their upcoming new song, future music plans, their new guitarist, entering a new phase of music and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

19 Jan 20238min

Interview by Kris PetersGold Coast rock/punk outfit The Wrath have been on a rollercoaster ride since the release of their track Wrong Side in August of last year.The band completed a residency late last year at Movie World World Fright Nights, opening their music up to a whole new fan base, and were then announced on the bill for The Other Festival which is set for The Tivoli in Brisbane on January 28.The Other Festival is headlined by COG and Osaka Punch, with a host of local bands including The Wrath, Minds End, Rhino, The Stranger, Mass Sky Raid and plenty more ready to blow the roof off one of Brisbane's most iconic music venues.HEAVY caught up with vocalist Tommy Creeper to chat about the show and more."It's a bit of a mixed bill with all sorts of different things on there," he pointed out, "so we're looking forward to it."With a line-up consisting of progressive metal through to all out aggression, The Other Festival definitely caters to a large cross section of music lovers, with Creeper nodding in agreement."I always believe a mixed bill is for the better," he agreed. "It just makes for a better day, a better gig, and brings more people out."When asked what playing at a festival like this means to The Wrath the smile on Creepers face widens."It means that... it's great to be playing with some of those bands," he beamed. "I guess it makes us feel like we're doing the right thing and doing well to have people ask us to play alongside bands like that. We've never played at The Tivoli before after all these years and we're pretty excited about that."In the full interview, Tommy talks about the response to Wrong Side, if it's part of a bigger album picture, the band's 20th anniversary this year, the early days of The Wrath and their initial vision, changing with the times and trends of music, the many genres that go into The Wrath's music and how they come together, the residency at Movie World and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

19 Jan 202314min

Interview by Kris PetersGlam Fest 2023 is less than seven sleeps away.The festival, making its Australian debut, features some of the best and most influential glam/rock/hard rock bands of the last three decades and is spearheaded by Faster Pussycat, Wednesday 13, Enuff Z Nuff, Eclipse, Pretty Boy Floyd and Tuff.Originating in 1985, Tuff are one of the original Sunset Strip bands out of L.A, playing in and around the same time as legends of the Strip including Motley Crue and Guns N Roses.Despite not reaching quite the same heights as those two bands the importance of Tuff on the metal scene cannot be understated, with frontman Stevie Rachelle joining HEAVY recently to chat about the band and their appearance at Glam Fest 2023."It will be my second time coming to Australia," he offered. "I previously played Melbourne and Sydney but are thrilled to add Brisbane and Adelaide to the itinerary. Soon we will be landing in Brisbane and then it's off to the races for all of us."Talk turns to the diversity of the lineup, with Rachelle admitting to having toured and played with most of the bands in the past."I've known Steve from Pretty Boy Floyd and his band since day one," he smiled, "since before their first gig we were all hanging out on the Sunset Strip. Same applies for Taime and Faster Pussycat. I moved to L.A in June of 1987 and joined Tuff a couple of weeks later. Faster Pussycat was already a band and had been signed, but I don't think their record had come out yet and then Enuff Z Nuff came out in 1989 and when they were on tour and played Southern California Tuff did open up for them a couple of times during their debut tour. I have known Chip since the beginning, or at least until their record came out."In the full interview, Stevie talks more about the run of shows, what to expect from Tuff, the tour schedule which sees each band play four shows in four days, the original Sunset Strip and some of his memories of it, the early days of Tuff, his joining of the band after two years and what he brought to the existing sound, the changing world of music and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

19 Jan 202324min