Where Legends Are Born With JOAKIM BRODEN From SABATON

Interview by Angela CroudaceShane Told, the unmistakable voice behind Canadian post-hardcore giants Silverstein, is still riding high as the band marks a staggering 25 years together. In a recent chat with HEAVY, Told opened up about the surreal nature of hitting that milestone—and the unexpected road that brought them there.“It’s pretty surreal,” he said. “We’ve never taken a break—no hiatus, no time off. We’ve either been writing, recording, or touring the entire time. It’s my entire adult life.”Despite the passage of time, Told says he feels better than ever—both mentally and physically. “With age comes confidence. I think I’ve hit my 10,000 hours of emo,” he joked, referencing the theory that mastery comes with time and repetition. “Every show feels better, my voice feels stronger—it’s wild.”Silverstein’s resilience and chemistry as a band has a lot to do with their approach to relationships. “We’re not best friends who hang out every second, but we’re close and we respect each other. We give each other space when we need it,” Told explained. Weekly Zoom calls keep the band in sync, personally and professionally.When asked about a defining moment in Silverstein’s journey, Told’s answer was rooted in an unforgettable first trip to Australia in 2005. “We thought nobody would know who we were. Then we played two sold-out shows in Brisbane. That was the moment I put the schoolbooks away for good.”That trip also cemented Told’s deep affection for Australia. From feeding kangaroos to being hosted by Parkway Drive’s Winston McCall’s parents—complete with his first-ever avocado toast—Told recalls each visit fondly. “Australia has always shown us so much love. It’s my favourite place to tour.”Looking ahead, Silverstein’s dual-album release—Antibloom and Pink Mist—is already making waves. Told revealed that the decision to split the music into two records came from a desire to give each song the attention it deserved. “We’re perfectionists. Every detail matters to us, and I think fans can hear that.”As Silverstein enters their next chapter, the band’s drive remains relentless. “We’re still here, and we still give a shit,” Told said. “And we’re just getting started.”Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

28 Apr 29min

Interview by Kris PetersForty years is a long time, no matter what it refers to, but when it relates to a band that is still going strong after four decades in the music industry, it takes on even greater significance.Known for their lunatic personas and stage antics backed by solid musical skills and songwriting chops, D-A-D made their international breakthrough in 1989 with the album No Fuel Left For The Pilgrims which spawned the hits Girl Nation, Jihad, Point Of View and the MTV favourite and global smash single Sleeping My Day Away.Songs such as Laugh ‘n’ a 1/2, Bad Craziness, Grow and Pay, Everything Glows and many more are a part of some people's lives just as important as their own children, and Australian fans get the chance to allow their children to hear them live when D.A.D return to Australia in May.Get ready for an unapologetic, hard-hitting rock ‘n’ roll show from Denmark when D-A-D return for their Greatest Hits Tour, treating fans, old and new, to a sonic journey through the band’s illustrious career. Every time the band steps on stage, another party starts, with vocalist Jacob Binzer joining HEAVY to warn us what we might expect."I'm packed and ready to go," he laughed. "I wish I could spend more time down there, but it's the start of the festival season in Europe, so unfortunately, we have to head back straight after. I think I can spend a couple of days in Melbourne after the last show, which I will enjoy, but then we are back to Europe. But Australia, you know what? The first time back in the early nineties, when we went to promote and play for the album back then I went up North to Cairns and I went on a motorcycle safari with a local guide, and I want to do that again. So please join in if anyone down there can help. A motorcycle safari in Cairns. How about that?"In the full interview, Jacob provided insights into the band's upcoming Australian tour, set to begin on May 20 in Perth, with additional performances in Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne. He discussed the challenges of curating a greatest hits set list from their extensive catalogue, emphasizing the importance of selecting songs that resonate with Australian audiences, such as God Praise to Man, 1900, and Sleeping My Day Away. He explains how different songs seem to go better in different parts of the world and why.The conversation also touched on the band's loyal fan base and the vibrant atmosphere of their live shows, particularly in Australia, where they aim to create an energetic experience. Jacob reflected on the success of their breakthrough album, No Fuel Left For The Pilgrims, and the significance of celebrating 40 years as a band, their achievements and musical legacy after 40 years and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

27 Apr 15min

Interview by Kris PetersThe incomparable CHELSEA WOLFE has announced her return to Australia and New Zealand in May 2025. Three years after her sold-out tour of Oceania, the Queen of Darkness will bring her visceral, vivid live performance back to Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland and Wellington. She will tour with her four-piece band, as well as bringing along experimental Australian producer APHIR, performing as support for all shows.Wolfe will perform a career-spanning set on this tour, including songs from her new album She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She, which was released in February. Her latest album is a rebirth in process. It is a powerfully cathartic statement about cutting ties, as well as an important reminder that healing is cyclical and circular, and not a simple linear process. Featuring elements of electronica, trip hop, industrial music and goth rock, the album has been hailed as one of her finest works. The record has been followed by two EPs containing reimaginings of the songs. Wolfe last performed in Australia in 2022 for Tasmania’s Dark Mofo, along with a full national tour, her first in a decade.Her return in 2025 will mark 15 years since her debut The Grime and The Glow was released, sparking a career that has influenced and inspired a dedicated cult following worldwide to appreciate life in both its darkness and light.HEAVY spent some time with Chelsea ahead of the tour. We start by asking what has changed in her world since she was last out here in 2022."I feel like I've grown and changed as a person," she offered. "I've toured so much with these songs, I've learned so much from them. I learned so much from writing them, and I'm learning so much from playing them. They're very personal and also very universal. So it's like each night I notice a different lyric or something and kind of, you know, get present with that for a moment."In the full interview, Chelsea expressed excitement for her upcoming tour in Australia and New Zealand, where she will perform a mix of new songs and older favourites, while also discussing her growth as an artist and the connection she feels with her fan base. She reflected on her previous solo tour experience, the evolution of her music style from overproduced to lo-fi, and the integration of atmospheric elements in her live performances.Chelsea also highlighted her latest album, and the two remix EPs with acoustic versions, showcasing her artistic journey and the creative thought behind her stage setup and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

27 Apr 12min

Interview by Angela CroudaceHeavy metal legend Ross The Boss is set to electrify Australia next week, and he couldn't be more excited. Reflecting on his previous visit, Ross recalls the overwhelming love he received from Aussie fans. "The reaction nerfed me," he laughed. "The intensity, especially in Melbourne, was unbelievable."Ross, a founding member of Manowar, spoke passionately about the creation of Sign of the Hammer, revealing that the band often recorded more tracks than needed, seizing every opportunity in the studio. A highlight was recording at Richard Branson's famed Manor Studio — a surreal experience that included sleeping in rooms once occupied by historical figures like William the Conqueror.This upcoming tour features what Ross calls the best version of the RTB band yet, boasting powerhouse musicians like Dirk Schlächter (Gamma Ray) and drummer Sean Elg. “We’re coming to melt faces,” Ross promises, highlighting the group’s precision and raw power.When asked about his time in Manowar, Ross candidly shared that he wished he'd been firmer with his bandmate Joey DeMaio. "Sometimes I should’ve put my foot down more," he admitted. Despite past challenges, he now channels his passion purely through his guitar, still rooted in the soulful blues influences of B.B. King and Albert King.Ross also touched on the emotional impact his music has had. "People tell me it saved their lives," he said, visibly moved. "It’s an honour I don't take lightly."As Ross prepares to unleash a storm of classic anthems down under, he leaves fans with one promise: “We’ll give you 150%. When the final note rings out, we want you to feel it in your soul — and want us back.”Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

27 Apr 20min

Interview by Kris PetersSince their inception, OK Go has been something more than a band and something different from an art project.With a career that includes award-winning videos, New York Times op-eds, collaborations with pioneering dance companies, tech giants, NASA, animators and Muppets, and an experiment that encoded their music on actual strands of DNA, OK Go continue to fearlessly dream and build new worlds in a time when creative boundaries have all but dissolved.Formed as a quartet in Chicago in 1998 and relocated to Los Angeles three years later, OK Go (Damian Kulash, Timothy Nordwind, Dan Konopka, Andy Ross) have spent their career in a steady state of transformation and continue to add to a curriculum vitae filled with experimentation in a variety of mediums. Their work is in the permanent collection of MoMA, and their achievements have been recognized with twenty-one Cannes Lions, twelve CLIOs, three VMAS, two Webbys, The Smithsonian Ingenuity Award, and a Grammy. The band has also partnered with the Playful Learning Lab at the University of St. Thomas to create OK Go Sandbox, an educational non-profit that provides free resources to teachers that use OK Go's videos as starting points to teach STEAM concepts.The band last week released their first album in over a decade, And The Adjacent Possible, with Kulash stopping by HEAVY HQ for a chat."It's been fantastic," he smiled when we ask how the early reception has been for And The Adjacent Possible. "It's wonderful to get the music into people's brains. It's swimming around there in the ether somewhere, and when you pull it out… you don't write the songs. You find them. You define them from the world, then work so hard to get them into shape. You can share them with people, but then there's this arduous period where you do the business stuff, and I'm just so happy that it's finally out and people can listen to it and feel the emotion. The only point of music is that sense of human connection, and it's so wonderful to be getting real reactions from real humans now."We ask Damian to dive deeper into the album musically."It feels like this is the first time that we weren't going for anything," he measured. "We actually felt comfortable enough with what and who we are that we were able to say these are the things we like. Since the last album our guitarist had kids, I had kids, then there was the pandemic, then I directed a film and that put several years between the records, and before we knew it even though we had never officially shut down the band or gone on a hiatus, we'd taken enough of a step back that instead of feeling like our foot had to be on the pedals with 'what do we do next' we could just come back to and recognize who we are and that our flag was planted a long time ago, and we don't have to plant a flag."In the full interview, Damian discussed And The Adjacent Possible in greater detail, including the singles released and how they summarise the album as a whole. We talked about the music video for A Stone Only Rolls Downhill, which was shot on 64 phones with 64 different videos placed over a moving mosaic, which led to discussion about their elaborate music videos and the process behind them.We spoke about musical ideas and converting them to reality, any extra pressures coming back from a ten-year lay off, the meaning behind the album title and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

26 Apr 16min

Interview by Kris PetersBrisbane rock outfit Sound Affliction are the latest signing to Australia’s fastest growing rock label XMusic, and they have made an immediate impact with their powerful, emotionally charged new single, Sober. Blending huge riffs and driving rhythms with deeply emotive lyrics, Sound Affliction will soon be your new favourite rock n roll band.The band's latest single and first for XMusic, Sober, is a haunting reflection on loss and resilience, exploring the pain of losing someone dear and the challenge of moving forward alone. With its universal themes and raw emotion, the track is the perfect introduction to Sound Affliction and with plenty more singles in the pipeline, the bands' versatility will soon be on display.Though Sound Affliction might be unfamiliar, the band’s line-up is stacked with seasoned talent. Frontman Matt, previously of Scandal Tree and Don’t Come Monday, commands your attention with a vocal range that shifts effortlessly from raw intensity to soaring majesty. Guitarists Dan (Black Whiskey) and Wayne (Scandal Tree, Cactus Dill Dos) are a dual-edged harmonious sword, weaving shredding riffage with melodic beauty to create songs that sound instantly familiar but also completely new while drummer Travis, also from Don’t Come Monday, drives the band’s engine and can take it from zero to a hundred in an instant. On bass Kev Brown (Pyre & Ice), brings a massive low-end anchor to the band's massive sound.HEAVY spent some time recently with Dan and Wayne to find out more."We came up with a bit of a demo track a while ago on it," Dan began when asked about Sober, "and we all thought, you know, it's not a complicated song, but it's nice and simple, and it's got that real catchy drive to it. It was one of those that knocked together quite quickly so we flicked it over to Matty, who does all the lyrics, and he was going through a bit of a rough patch at the time and sort of poured his heart on the vocals, which gives it its own sort of haunting melody. It's one of those songs we thought could be good for us because it's got a good feel to it."In the full interview, Dan and Wayne spoke more about the sonic impact of Sober, the personal feelings of sorrow at its core and the relatability of the subject matter. They revealed the song is the first taken from a future album, but doesn't necessarily provide a complete representation of what to expect.We discussed Sound Affliction signing to XMusic and what it means for the band moving forward, upcoming shows and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

24 Apr 15min

Interview by Kris PetersWednesday 13 is arguably one of the hardest-working musicians out there. From his solo project to celebration tours featuring Murderdolls songs, Wednesday not only lives the excesses of rock and roll debauchery; he sets the bar as well.Each of his musical undertakings, including Frankenstein Drag Queens From Planet 13 as well as Murderdolls and Wednesday 13, have the same menacing undertones of gore, horror and theatrics, but despite the obvious similarities, Wednesday 13 is much more than a one-trick pony.Blending the above elements with punk, humour and a ghostly sense of the macabre, Wednesday 13 has his roots deeply embedded in hard rock but transcends the barriers of a plethora of styles and genres that combine to make his music a necessary evil in a world growing increasingly sterile.2022's Horrifier was met with widespread media and public adulation, but these two things have never mattered when it comes to Wednesday's musical output. It is more about the sense of ambivalence and the irresistible thread that binds everything together that keeps the fire in Wednesday's cauldron burning.Such is his contribution to music that Wednesday could easily be forgiven for playing it safe with each new album cycle, but in true Wednesday 13 style, safe was the furthest thing on his mind with his new album Mid Death Crisis, which will be unleashed on April 25.More a step back into the things and a time that gave birth to Wednesday's musical psyche, Mid Death Crisis benefits from production by Alex Kane (Life, Sex & Death, Enuff Z'Nuff, Antiproduct) and a mix courtesy of Steve Evetts (The Dillinger Escape Plan, Prong, DevilDriver) that devilishly encapsulates the musical strengths of both while remaining quintessentially the afterbirth of Wednesday 13.Wednesday spent some time with HEAVY to discuss the album in greater detail. We started by asking if he is confident heading into the album release date."Very confident," he replied without hesitation. "With my last few albums I put out, I didn't know if the audience was going to like it as much as I did. And when I was experimenting from albums like  Condolences and Necrophaze and all those records, I look back now and those are the experimental records because I did some different things with them. And those were ones I took some chances with, and I wasn't sure if the audience would like them. But they did. This is the one record where I feel pretty confident that they're going to like it. I know it's hit all the bases with what I was trying to go for."The album is widely touted as a return to Wednesday 13's musical roots, an opinion we put to the man himself."I think so," he measured. "After COVID and everything, I had a little time to look back on my career and 20 years of doing Wednesday 13. And I just kind of looked at the whole career and went, well, what do you like best of all this? I started looking at it all, and I went, well, where I started was the most honest and real place for me. And that seemed natural. And I kind of went back to that look, and I went back to that sound, and it was easy to do. It just felt right, and this is more of a hard rock record than it is a metal record, but it's not just like I tried to imitate my first record or anything. It's just in the same spirit, and I feel good about it, like I did on that first record."In the full interview, Wednesday 13 described Mid Death Crisis as an energetic experience, carefully structured to reflect a live performance, and emphasized that sonically it encapsulates his career and aligns with fan expectations.He highlighted the song When the Devil Commands as the lead single, crafted to appeal to both existing fans and new listeners, with lyrics inspired by his childhood experiences during the Satanic Panic. He discussed his songwriting philosophy, focusing on natural inspiration from classic horror and pop culture. Additionally, he spoke about his collaboration with Taime Downe, noting its significance due to his admiration for Faster Pussycat. We spoke about his song titles and where they come from, coming up with fresh sounding material the more you write, future and current tours and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

23 Apr 23min

Interview by Angela CroudaceRivers of Nihil’s self-titled album marks more than just another release in their discography—it signals a rebirth. Bassist and vocalist Adam Biggs, one of the band’s founding members, sat down to talk about the evolution of the group, the challenges of stepping into a new vocal role, and crafting an album that captures both urgency and introspection.Following their conceptual four-album seasonal cycle, the band viewed Rivers of Nihil as a way to define who they are now. “It almost feels like our first record again,” Biggs explains. “We looked back at all the eras of the band and pulled what worked best. This is Rivers of Nihil as it stands now.”A major shift came with Biggs taking on full-time vocal duties after the departure of their previous frontman. It’s been a challenging transition. “It took a lot of practice and trial and error with my voice,” he admits. Balancing demanding vocals with intricate bass lines required intense focus and routine—but now, he says, “it’s starting to feel more natural.”New blood also brought fresh energy. Guitarist and vocalist Andy Thomas officially joined the line up, contributing not just riffs, but his distinct voice. “I wanted to rise to the challenge,” Biggs says. “I wanted him to do awesome work with us.”The new album is both heavy and hauntingly relevant. “The theme is sort of this macro danger of modern life,” Biggs explains. “Fear of war, pandemics, political unrest. But we try to approach it from a human perspective—there’s paranoia, yes, but also a thread of hope.”Instrumentation expands too, with banjo, cello, and a new saxophonist adding depth. But unlike previous records, the band prioritised how the songs would hit live. “We wanted this to go over in a room full of excited, sweaty people,” Biggs laughs.At its heart, Rivers of Nihil is an album born of evolution, resilience, and reflection—a fitting fresh start for a band that refuses to stand still.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

23 Apr 25min