Where Legends Are Born With JOAKIM BRODEN From SABATON

Interview by Kris PetersMumbai-based extreme metal band Gutslit are renowned as India’s leading force in brutal death metal and grindcore. Formed in 2007, the quartet—comprising Gurdip Singh Narang (bass), Aaron Pinto (drums), Kaushal LS (vocals), and Prateek Rajagopal (guitar)—is celebrated for their relentless intensity, precise musicianship, and savage songwriting. Their music blends grinding riffs, pummelling blast beats, vicious bass grooves, and chilling guttural vocals, establishing them as a critically acclaimed act in the global extreme metal scene. With a career spanning 18 years, Gutslit has toured extensively, performing in 25 countries, a record for Indian metal bands, including regular European festival runs and a recent Japan tour supporting Nile in October 2024.Now, it's Australia's turn. Gutslit are set to embark on their first-ever Australian tour - titled the Party Down Under '25 tour - this August, marking a significant milestone as they bring their explosive live performances to six cities. Organized by Grindhead Productions, the tour kicks off on August 22, 2025, at The Back Room in Brisbane, featuring support from Australian brutal death metal band Gosika (Wollongong, NSW) and, for the Brisbane show, additional acts Snake Mountain and Nembutolik.HEAVY caught up with Narang and Pinto to find out what we can expect."I formed the band 18 years ago," Narang began, giving us some incite into Gutslit, "with the whole idea of just playing music that we love the most. Back then we started off with brutal death metal and grind, and now we are slowly progressing into thicker versions of death metal and brutal death metal coming together.""When Gutslit started, there was no band who was doing music like what we are doing." Pinto added. "So Gurdip and the previous iteration of Gutslit were the pioneers of brutal death metal and brutal death grind in India."We mention Gutslit's reputation for their intense live shows and ask what we can expect."You have to come down and just throw it out there," Narang replied. "It's all about enjoying the music; it's all about enjoying the multiples. If you're into death metal or brutal death grind or brutal death metal or slam, you're going to get it all."In the full interview, Gurdip and Aaron provided an overview of Gutslit's history, highlighting their influence in the brutal death metal scene in India since 2007 and their connection to Australia dating back to 2012. They detailed the tour's structure, which will feature a mix of songs from previous albums and potential covers, with an emphasis on creating an engaging atmosphere for fans.The band expressed excitement about the local support acts in Brisbane and other cities, and the inclusion of Gosika as the national support act. We talk about touring a country for the first time and how much homework they do before coming, their difficulties in gaining global traction coming from India, new material and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

29 Jul 10min

Interview by Kris PetersAmerican progressive metalcore band Born of Osiris are well known for their technical precision. While essentially complex music, Born Of Osiris blend a plethora of styles and influences to devastating effect.Their sound has evolved from post-hardcore/metalcore roots to a signature blend of technical deathcore and progressive elements marked by intricate guitar work, heavy synths, and a mix of guttural and clean vocals. The band has released seven studio albums, with notable works including A Higher Place (2009), The Discovery (2011), and Angel or Alien (2021).Earlier this month, the band released Through Shadows, their seventh studio album and the first as a trio following the departure of longtime guitarist Lee McKinney and keyboardist Joe Buras. The 13-track album, featuring previously released singles like “Torchbearer” (2023), “A Mind Short Circuiting,” “Elevate,” “In Desolation,” and the title track, blends the band’s technical metalcore roots with a cinematic, sci-fi aesthetic and a return to their heavier, deathcore-adjacent sound.HEAVY sat down with vocalist Ronnie Canizaro to dive deeper, at one point asking how the newer songs were going over live."When we started playing Elevate, that song just popped off live," he smiled. "You just saw people bouncing and enjoying it, and that's one of my favourite songs to play live right now. It's my first time ever doing cleans on a Born of Osiris album, so I was kind of like, are people going to like this? But at the same time, I just wanted to do it because that's what I wanted to do. And I want to try new things. And yeah, those songs go over great live. Songs like A Mind Short Circuiting, that's just a very brutal, technical song and people are headbanging to every song so far. I feel when we play the newer stuff you can hear a difference compared to the older stuff. You can tell we're getting better at our craft."In the full interview, Ronnie talked about the early reception for Through Shadows, the prolonged release schedule and if it was planned that way and whether it gets easier or harder to come up with fresh material the more you write.We discussed their evolving sound and how they have changed musically over the years, the musical climate that gave birth to the band, how much growth they have left in them as a band and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

29 Jul 12min

Interview by Kris PetersSingapore grindcore band Wormrot, known for their intense, fast-paced, and boundary-pushing music, are headed our way for a ferocious double touring bill which also includes Pig Destroyer. Formed in 2007 after the members completed their mandatory national service, Wormrot have released four studio albums and several EPs, touring extensively through Europe and the United States, in the process becoming the first Singaporean act to play at the Glastonbury Festival.Following the recent reuniting of the original line-up, the band have spent the first part of 2025 touring the UK and Europe and after a couple of months to refresh hit Australia in September.Guitarist Rasyid joined HEAVY to talk about the tour. We ask about their pairing with Pig Destroyer and the relationship between the two bands."We have played before together," he nodded. "It was on the Napalm Death campaign for the Musical Destruction Tour. Before that I was acquainted with Adam Jarvis through Misery Index so then we started talking, and we took the Pig Destroyer on the tour bus. It was fun. Nice guys and we are quite excited to see them again."We ask what Aussie fans can expect from Wormrot live."We just play hard and fast," Rasyid grinned. "I don't know what else to say, we just play hard and fast. We try to do a curated set with less talk in between and just more attack, so we'll see (laughs)."In the full interview, Rasyid spoke about the upcoming tour and what to expect, the reuniting of himself with the other two original band members and Wormrot's recent live album TNT, noting that the setlist for the Australian shows will differ from that. He also discussed the current music scene in Singapore, highlighting the decline of metal culture since the band's inception in 2007, while punk and hardcore shows remain popular. Rasyid acknowledged the challenges of establishing a global presence without local peers and mentioned that their increasing recognition in Europe and the US is beginning to resonate back home. The band is currently focused on touring and plans to start writing new music in early 2024.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

28 Jul 9min

Interview by Kris PetersTransvision Vamp were the buzz band of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Fronted by the raunchy, attitude laden Wendy James and backed by a catchy assembly of songs, Transvision Vamp cornered every section of the market. Their pop/punk rebelliousness outlined through songs such as Baby I Don't Care, I Want Your Love and The Only One resonated through disenfranchised youth everywhere, while their music videos dominated RAGE and other music programs thanks to their colourful and suggestive content.Put simply, they were a breath of fresh air on an otherwise stagnating music scene and culture. Women everywhere wanted to be Wendy James and men everywhere just wanted her. It was the perfect chemical reaction to fit in with the times and that momentum carried Transvision Vamp through two successful albums and worldwide tours. By the mid to late 1990s Transvision Vamp had parted ways but their legacy has endured.Now, 27 years after their last visit, Transvision Vamp are headed back Down Under for a headline run of shows next February, with Brisbane already sold out. HEAVY recently had the pleasure of spending time with Wendy James to talk about the tour and anything else we threw at her."I think it's because we were a raunchy rock and roll pop band," she replied when we ask why crowds in Australia loved Transvision Vamp so much. "We had the tunes, but we also had a quite upfront attitude. Everyone loves the scream of Baby I Don't Care and the melodies and everything, but I think they also really loved the attitude that we came with."We ask what fans can expect from the shows, given there has been almost 30 years since Transvision Vamp last played here."I'm bringing the goods with me," James affirmed. "Fully locked and loaded, real hardcore. And when I say hardcore, I mean incredible musicians. Not just people that can hold down a 4-4 beat and play three chords. These are... they're monsters. They're killers. So I expect that we should be able to walk on stage and by the time you leave you'll be hot, sweaty, exhausted and jubilant."In the full interview, Wendy spoke more about the tour and what to expect, the set list and what could be in it, whether this is just a one off reunion tour or if the possibility of Transvision Vamp returning for an album is on the cards, the ealy days of the band and where they fit in, how they got signed to EMI Records, their look and how natural that was, their early success and how it affected the band, her solo career and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

28 Jul 18min

Interview by Kris Peters Alice Cooper was set loose on the world in the mid to late 1960s, and it is fair to say the music world has never been the same since. Blending rock music with ghoulish tales of the macabre backed up by a live show that pushed every conceivable boundary of the time, Alice Cooper soon became the man (band) people hated to love. His elaborate set pieces, including the infamous guillotine beheading cornerstone of his live show, gave birth to legend, and it is a testament to the enduring legacy of the great man that he continues unabated to this day. While Alice Cooper will always be the one in the public eye, much of his early success was largely due to the band he assembled around him - lead guitarist Glen Buxton, rhythm guitarist Michael Bruce, bassist Dennis Dunaway, and drummer Neal Smith - who recorded with Cooper for the first seven albums, including School's Out and Billion Dollar Babies. While their departure after Muscle Of Love in 1973 didn't affect Cooper's career trajectory, it still marked the end of an era, one which is still held fondly by earlier fans of the band. After half a century without officially fully reuniting, the Alice Cooper Band returned earlier this year with the announcement of a new album, The Revenge Of Alice Cooper, and a return to the sound that paved the way for generations of budding rock stars the world over. In a truly special moment, the album features a posthumous appearance by Glen Buxton, the band's original guitarist who passed away in 1997, through an unreleased recording that seamlessly blends the past with the present on What Happened To You, featuring his original guitar part. Alice, Neal, Michael, and Dennis reunited with their producer Bob Ezrin in an old-school recording studio in Connecticut, rekindling the magic from the 70s. This album is a celebration of friendship, nostalgia, and the timeless sound that solidified Alice Cooper as a rock icon. Fans can expect a powerful and nostalgic experience that bridges the gap between the band's storied past and their vibrant present. HEAVY was fortunate enough to spend time chatting with all three returning members in a riotous and informative 20-odd-minute interview that felt like it was only five. We ask if this reunion was something that they always thought would happen one day, or if it came as a surprise. "No, we didn't know it was gonna happen," Dunaway smiled. "We thought it was gonna happen a couple of times over the decades, and then it didn't. So this was kind of like another one of those. We weren't popping any champagne until we actually were in the studio recording." "And even when we were in the studio recording, the mixes didn't happen until about a year later," Smith interjected. "So… We were more like, I wanna see the album cover in my hands before I believe it, which I have now (laughs)." In the full interview the band talks more about The Revenge Of Alice Cooper and getting the original band back together, if they had all been in contact over the years, the musical side of the album and how it harks back to the early days of the band, how easy they slipped back into the groove and jamming out to the first song back. We also spoke of the loss of Glen Buxton and how they managed to include his work on this album, the glory days of the band, what they think the band's musical legacy will be, working with Alice and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

24 Jul 30min

Interview by Kris PetersAfter conquering the rest of the world on the back of their smash hit album Ghost Code in 2023, Swedish rock outfit Smash Into Pieces are turning their sights to Australia, announcing their first-ever trip to our shores next month.A band renowned for their spectacular live performances, Smash Into Pieces are bringing their new-look, latest production ArmaHeaven Prophecy here for three select shows starting in Melbourne on August 22 – a high-intensity experience of music and stunning visuals that embodies their motto: “don’t let anything stand between you and your dreams… if it does, smash it into pieces”."In the world of ArmaHeaven, a new reality is born through AI – only to be threatened by the very force that created it," so the story goes. "The prophecy has been written… but it can still be altered. This is more than a concert. It’s a message. A warning. A choice … The ninth chapter begins now. Join the movement. Alter the prophecy."With a new album in the can and the band primed for their debut Down Under performances, frontman Chris Adam sat down with HEAVY, where we grilled him from the start, demanding to know why the band have neglected Australia for 17 years."I guess we… I mean, it's a good question," he replied. "Ever since the start with Smash Into Pieces, the analytics have shown that you are in the top 10 countries for us. I guess when we were kinda new as a band, we couldn't really afford to get there, and we didn't really sell tickets. So it's a mix between those two. The interest has always been there to go there, but, as I said, that's the reasons why we couldn't get there before. But now it's time. We own our music. We own everything in the company, so now we can afford certain things. It's time. It's definitely time to go there."The ArmaHeaven Prophecy is a conceptually based production centring on AI and the threats it poses to the human race, leading us to ask if the whole show - inclusive of visuals and lyrics - is part of the concept."We have had this storytelling from the beginning," Adam measured, "and ever since we started doing the new album. So it's definitely in the lyrics, but we're also tweaking it so it's not too much singing about a computer. It's more flirting with the concept and the ideas we have. We always try, with our lyrics, to be not taken too far, so people can resonate with their own thing to it."In the full interview, Chris talks more about the upcoming tour and what to expect, how the music fits in with the conceptual idea, how it represents a "bold new era of storytelling and sound" and elaborates further on the conceptual story. He runs us through the music that makes up the live show and if it is all new or a mixture across their catalogue, the new album and what to expect, the temptation to rehash the successful formula of Ghost Code and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

22 Jul 23min

Interview by Angela CroudaceSwedish rock juggernauts The Hives are currently storming stages across Australia, kicking off a tour that feels like both a celebration of their legacy and a fiery new beginning. Speaking from his hotel in Perth with a view of “rivers and mountains,” guitarist Niklas Arson exuded gratitude and excitement about being back down under.“This tour kind of feels like we’re both starting the new record and finishing the last one,” Arson explained. The band’s latest release, The Hives Forever Forever The Hives, is packed with high-energy tracks—most brand new, with just a few songs like Paint a Picture having existed in live form before. “We don’t just throw songs together—we make albums,” he said, revealing their meticulous approach to sequencing and flow."Despite over 30 years as a band, The Hives show no signs of slowing down. “It feels more like a beginning,” Arson insisted. “We like doing The Hives more than not doing The Hives.” That passion remains their driving force—and it shows. Each show is performed with full-throttle intensity, something Arson says is crucial: “Touring at 70% capacity would suck. You have to pour everything into it.”Australia holds a special place in the band’s heart, from mangoes and surfboards to the rock-loving fans (after some confusion on whether Sweden had mangoes, Nik kindly let me know they do in fact have mangoes there, but not the trees!). “It's a country where there’s rockers,” Arson said with a grin. The band’s first Aussie visit in 2001 left such a mark that they continue returning with enthusiasm.Collaborations on the new record include industry heavyweights like Mike D (Beastie Boys) and Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age), both of whom brought unique energy to the studio. Yet, Arson emphasises that the sound remains purely The Hives—tight, explosive, and always crowd-focused.As they gear up to support My Chemical Romance in South America next year, The Hives are proving they’re not just survivors of the rock ‘n’ roll era—they’re lifers. And right now, Australia is getting the full force of their never-ending sonic assault.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

22 Jul 18min

Interview by Kris PetersGerman dark rock outfit Lord Of The Lost struck gold with their 2022 album Blood & Glitter carrying the band into the 2023 ESC finals and into the hearts and ears of a more mainstream market. It was a fitting reward for the band who had toiled hard without overwhelming success over six previous albums, emphatically announcing Lord Of The Lost to a wider market that grew to connect with the band on a deeper level.Rather than rehash what was obviously a winning formula, Lord Of The Lost have returned to their darker, atmospheric roots for their upcoming album OPVS NOIR Vol. 1, which is out on August 8. They have also played it far from safe by declaring it the first of a trilogy concept series of albums that promise to explore opposing sides of their musical psyche over the journey.HEAVY sat down with vocalist Chris Harms to find out more, at one point asking Harms if it was tempting to stick to what had already worked for the band."Yeah, of course," he answered honestly. "All the experts in the industry said this was the most successful album and was the number one record, and it broke all our records, so just keep going that way. Just stay in the lane. Some even saidthat  after so many years of searching for something new, and always trying something new, finally, it was the most successful in the mainstream. And we were like, okay, do you think that we always changed because we were searching for the one recipe? And now we found it, and we stay like that? They were like, yeah, of course, otherwise, why would you change all the time? And we said because that's what artists do. Some people really think that we always tried something new because we were looking for some kind of recipe. Look at David Bowie. Do you think he did all genres that exist in the world because he was looking for success? Or do you think he did that because he just wanted to explore the space? He followed his heart, and this is what we do."In the full interview, Chris provided an overview of Lord of the Lost's upcoming album, Opus Noir, Vol. 1, set for release on August 8. He described the album as an emotional journey that explores themes of darkness and beauty, incorporating orchestral elements and film score influences to create a rich sound. The singles My Sanctuary and I Will Die In It were highlighted as representative of the album's diverse emotional landscape, with My Sanctuary serving as an entry point and I Will Die In It embodying the core emotional essence. Chris also discussed the song Ghosts, featuring cellist Tina Guo, emphasizing her contribution to the emotional depth of the music and its alignment with the overall essence of OPVS Noir.The discussion further delved into the trilogy concept behind the album, with Chris explaining that the band wrote 34 songs during the creative process, ultimately deciding to release them as three interconnected albums. He noted that all albums were recorded simultaneously to capture a specific moment in their lives. We also spoke about their upcoming tour of Australia and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

22 Jul 18min