Preparing For Battle With MICHAEL SWEET From STRYPER
Interview by Kris PetersThere might be a number of bands from the glory period of the 1980s still doing the rounds, but not many as prolific or consistent as Stryper.From humble beginnings and despite always being a band that lives between two worlds, Stryper have endured through every musical and societal challenge thrown at them.And, more importantly, emerged triumphant.Following the success of their most recent album The Final Battle, Stryper are poised to return to Australia for the first time since 2018 with three of the original members still forming the nucleus of one of the greatest rock bands the world has seen.The band are also celebrating their 40th anniversary, with frontman and founding member Michael Sweet happily joining HEAVY to chat about the tour and the illustrious career of the rebellious Christian rockers."We're always blessed that we can still perform and do what we love to do, year after year" he began. "We're pushing our 40th anniversary... it's crazy."We press Sweet on what special delights Stryper has for Australian fans this time around."We're doing a long set," he enthused. "I think it's 21 songs. We're trying to squeeze as many songs into that set that everybody wants to hear from the beginning to now - that's the tricky part. We came as a trio in 2018 and I came as a solo guy in 2019 and then the pandemic obviously, it hasn't been that long but it feels like a really long time since we've been. So we're just excited to come and we can't wait to see everybody."With so many songs to choose from Sweet admits it's getting more difficult with each new album to compile a set list to appeal across the board."It really is," he nodded. "It's like one of those things where it's getting to the point where we need to pull a Bruce Springsteen (laughs) and play for three hours. God bless him for doing that, but man. Bruce, his style of writing, his style of singing is a little easier to pull off for three hours than our style of writing and singing. It's a lot of high register belting stuff and it's not easy on the voice."In the full interview, Michael talks more about what to expect from Stryper's live show, lasting 40 years in the music industry, the musical climate that gave birth to Stryper, where they fit in, working through musical trends, Stryper's impact on the music scene, what he hopes to leave as their musical legacy and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.
22 Feb 202315min
Lighting Up The Sky With SULLY ERNA From GODSMACK
Interview by Kris PetersFor over two decades US hard rock outfit Godsmack have been producing the goods.Over seven previous albums the band has taken the world on a rock journey, in the process taking hard rock music out of the naughty basket and into the ears of a more mainstream market with their radio friendly - but still tough as nails - music.With Godsmack's eight - and final - album Lighting Up The Sky set to be unveiled this Friday, February 24, frontman Sully Erna has understandably been a man in demand, but the enigmatic performer still managed to set aside time for a chat with HEAVY to deliver the news in person."We feel good, you know," he smiled. "We can truely say that we believe with all our heart that this is the best body of work that we've ever done in the studio and it feels very complete; it feels very rounded for all fans of Godsmack, and we're just excited for the world to hear it. I like to think of it as every great Hollywood movie is built off of the same format of a script. It's just a recipe that's worked over and over again. Every movie you've ever seen is boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back. Sometimes girl could be your job or your hobby or your addiction or whatever it is, but that's kind of the premise. Then there's a resolution at the end. So there's always a situation, the obstacles to get through it, and then a resolve and sometimes the resolution is unresolved. But in this case as we were sequencing the record not even knowing, or having in mind that it was going to be somewhat conceptual it really just started to tell a story. I was just writing about my life, and the things going on in my life and have gone on in my life; the things I appreciated, love found, love lost. The situations that we live in today and the times we live in today and it really told the story of one mans journey through life. Even all the way in the end when we talk about lighting up the sky it's just a song reflecting on the whole journey. If I could talk to myself as a young version of me what would I give that young guy for advice now? What would I say? Would I have regrets? Would I have done it differently? Would I have gone 1000 miles an hour lighting up the sky? And would I have gotten to where I am today if I didn't do it that way and had regret and wanted to do it differently? The record just feels very whole and complete. I really feel like this record wrote itself."One thing Erna did confirm is that Lighting Up The Sky will be Godsmack's last studio album, with the realisation that it was time to focus on the band's existing body of work presenting itself during the recording process."We didn't go into this album thinking that it was going to be our last one," he affirmed. "But as we started thinking about the whole journey, the whole record was a journey, and we thought about it and decided we have to start realising when we arrive and being content with that. So many people have goals in life and then they get there and they want the next thing, and the next thing, and the next thing and at what point do you say listen, I just wanted one thing in my life and maybe a certain way of living and a certain status of a career. Some people just want a house and a white picket fence and a dog and a car, and then they want a truck, and then they want two dogs and then they want a bigger house. You need to know when to say when and part of that conversation was also where are we at in our career right now? We have 26 Top 10 singles, right? So we pull three or four off this new record - which is very possible - we could be at 30 and what does that mean? We play 15 songs a night and never play the same single twice? I don't know about you, but when I go to see my favourite band, because I'm still a fan... I don't necessarily go see Aerosmith because I want to hear their new record. I'm going to see 'Dream On' and 'Walk This Way' and 'Train Kept Rolling'. And i feel like we should be honouring that for our fans because when we play live they wanna hear those songs. They wanna hear 'Keep Away' and 'Voodoo' and 'Stand Alone' and we can't get to them all. Then the last part of it is recognising where we're at and the other things we wanted to do with our lives and stuff that we wanna enjoy that we've missed our whole life because we have been constantly touring."In the full interview, Sully talks more about Lighting Up The Sky, leaving it as Godsmack's final album, the pressures of continuing to release quality material, the notions explored on the album and how they follow Godsmack's career trajectory, what he hopes to leave as his musical legacy and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.
22 Feb 202320min
Embracing The Chaos With GENEVIEVE RODDA From TEMTRIS
Interview by Kris PetersSydney hard rocking metal machine Temtris have today released the second single, Eternal Death Machine, from their new album Khaos Eternal which will be unleashed on March 17.Eternal Death Machine follows lead single Khaos Divine and takes you further into the dystopian landscape captured across the as yet released conceptual album.The two songs together form the nucleus of what promises to be a wild trip into the unknown, but still only scratch at the surface of what to expect.Frontwoman Genevieve Rodda sat down with HEAVY to discuss the new song in greater detail."This is an interesting one," she smiled. "Someone actually asked me what the song was going to be like genre wise and I struggled to answer. They said is it going to be thrash? Is it going to be death or power metal? But it's got a bit of everything this one. It's got a bit of black metal picking in the intro and a ballady piece in it and then it picks up again, so it's a bit of a mixed song but it's quite punchy. When we first wrote the album and had to pick a single quite a few of the boys chose this one as a single straight off because it's just catchy and stuck in their head. I think it's going to be well accepted."In the full interview, Genevieve talks more about Eternal Death Machine, how it ties in with the conceptual theme, the reception to Khaos Divine, how long term fans have reacted to the conceptual nature of the new music, the heavier direction of their second single and how it represents the album, the film clip and what it entails, length song running times and making them work as singles, what to expect from the album, upcoming shows and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.
20 Feb 202317min
Sneering In The Face Of Insanity With WILL WRIGHT From PAST THE FALL
Interview by Kris PetersUK based groove/grunge/melodeath outfit Past The Fall have spent the last couple of years consolidating themselves and their music since the release of their debut album From Insanity's Ruin in June 2021.It is an album that has laid the foundations for a global assault on the back of crushing riffs, beautifully chaotic music and an eclectic blending of sounds and genres not usually commandeered with such telling authority by bands in their relative infancy.Formed in 2011 by childhood friends Will Wright (bass, vocals) and Tom Cope (guitar,vocals) Past The Fall soon released their debut EP Beggars At The Liars Banquet and found immediate interest with their aggressive approach and confident delivery.Some 8 years elapsed between the EP and the debut album, allowing Past The Fall time to reflect on their early achievements and redirect their focus to the parts of music that provided them with a challenging environment and musical satisfaction.The result is From Insanity's Ruin, an album referred to by the band as "both a fresh start and a fantastic example of all our years life experience".Now, with time rapidly fading since that breakthrough album, Wright joined HEAVY for a chat about the past, present and future of Past The Fall. One of the topics was the success of From Insanity's Ruin and if the band was confident that they had made something special at the completion of recording."Definitely," he said confidently. "It was a real labour of love because before we had struggled with studios and trying to get what we wanted and in the end we built our own studio. The guitarist produced the album and it just took a really long time to do (laughs). It turns out it's fucken really complicated, who knew (laughs). But it paid dividends, because the cool thing was we were not on the clock with having to pay for it, which was cool. It gave us a chance to really find our sound. We had pieces and idea and stuff so it actually took a lot of work but it was like that watershed where you're like, okay, now we've got our sound. For example, we're recording material now and it's coming out way quicker because we know how to use the studio. We cut our teeth doing that record, so it was a real labour of love. it's kind of like a love letter, or a hate letter to the world (laughs)."In the full interview, Will talks about the sonic differences between the EP and album, whether that shift was intentional and planned, using albums as a snapshot of a period of your life, the next 10 years sonically of Past The Fall, producing the album in house and the pros and cons of that, new music and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.
20 Feb 202317min
Thirty Years Of Musicianship With PAGE HAMILTON From HELMET
Interview by Kris PetersHelmet - led the whole time by frontman Page Hamilton - have been a mainstay on the hard rock scene for more than three decades now.Although never quite cracking the global mainstream market Helmet have still managed to play an influential role in the lives of countless music lovers, with a fanatically loyal underground fan base that rivals any other.Now, after a prolongued absence for them from our shores, Helmet are set to return this April for The Best Of Helmet Australian Tour taking in Newcastle, Sydney, Hobart, Perth, Canberra, Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide.Known for their frenetic two hour plus live shows, Helmet have long held an affinity with Australian crowds with Hamilton admitting the band are pumped for the run of shows."We started this thing out in Prague back in early September, and it was kind of daunting at first trying to figure out how to make a set flow with 30 songs and just two hours of Helmet music - no opening band. But we got a groove going after a couple of shows and we added a bunch of songs that have never been performed live before and some that haven't been performed since 1991, 92. I find that when you bring new stuff - or new old stuff - into the set, it injects new life into the rest of the things that you've played quite a lot over the course of 30 years. It's been really fun. I'm surprised at how much fun it's been and I love doing it."In the full interview Hamilton runs over what to expect from the shows, fitting 30 years of material into one setlist, how Helmet's music has changed over the years, his greatest musical achievement, some of his side projects and what's happening with them, the early days of Helmet, his early vision and how it has changed since, steering clear of musical trends, what he has learned along the journey and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.
20 Feb 202313min
Mastering The School Of Rock With ROACH TOASTER
Interview by Kris PetersBreed them young, I have always said, which is exactly what the good folks in the education system have done with high school band Roach Toaster.Originally formed at the urging of their music teacher, Roach Toaster have gradually traversed the usual school rising band routine from being a band with potential to a band that is realising that potential and now the young rockers are preparing for their first ever performance on a big stage when they open for Infectious Rogues' album launch at The Paddington Tavern in Brisbane on April 23.Joining them on that bill will be seasoned campaigners Dreamkillers, PistonFist and Palladone, with all five band members trading school uniforms for rock attire to chat with HEAVY earlier this week."We're very, very excited," the whole band answered as one before drummer Jack took the reins. "It's the first real gig that we've had," he offered. "We've played at the Noosa busking competition around the end of last year but this is the first real gig that we've had. It's a good way for us to get out I guess."Being a young, fresh band playing their first show, HEAVY presses the group as to how they are going to approach things and what they will be hoping to learn from the other more seasoned bands."Just stage presence," shrugged rhythm guitarist Angus. "Not standing like a statue and getting comfortable playing in front of an audience."In the full interview the band talks about forming at High School, their sound, taking influence from old school rock and metal, the addition of keyboards and what it brought to the sound, branching into originals and what they hope the songs will sound like, future plans and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.
20 Feb 202311min
On The Prowl With SATCHEL From STEEL PANTHER
Interview by Kris PetersFor over two decades now Steel Panther have been the flagship for a new age of metal. One where the music isn't the only point of focus and the image is sculptured to fit certain demographics and moulds.Not that Steel Panther have ever subscribed to that theory, nor have they ever conformed to sociatel demands.Steel Panther are a band unto themselves, living the rock and roll dream day in and day out and proving to all who will listen (and even those who won't) that heavy metal isn't JUST about the music.It's about a lot of things.An inseperable unit for all but the last 18 months of life on the prowl - original bass player Lexi left for greener pastures and was replaced by Spyder early last year) - Steel Panther have staked their reputation on great music with enough fun and parody to kick start their own television sit-com series.Now the band who quite literally gives a fuck about their fans and their music are set to reclaim the throne they never lost when their new album On The Prowl is released on February 24.Packed full of everything we have come to love and respect about the Panther - plus a few things we might not yet know we love about them - Steel Panther have once again delivered a musical masterpiece as only they can. Or only they could get away with...Guitarist Satchel joined HEAVY for a chat earlier this week where nothing was off limits - not even the sanctity of an old folks home."I feel great about it," he answered when asked about the new album. "The last few years have been rough on everybody and we really didn't get to tour as much as we wanted to but we're really excited because this whole album I feel is one of our best records. We've got a new single that we've just released called Friends With Benefits with an awesome video, another song called 1987 that came out a couple of months ago and went to #1 on the rock charts in Germany - which is big for us because we don't really get on the radio very much. A lot of songs that are resonating with our fans so far, and we've got a lot of other great songs on the records like On Your Instagram and Magical Vagina. A lot of really awesome subjects that we tackle. Teleporter is one of them. All That And More... we have a lot of songs that are about our penisses and a lot of songs about vaginas and a lot of songs about sex and drugs, so it's great."The press release says On The Prowl is shaping up to be Steel Panthers biggest yet, so we press Satchel on exactly what part of the album is being referred to."I don't know, but it doesn't matter because bigger is always better," he smiled, "I think it will be one of our biggest records. We've got a lot of fans... and the interesting thing about our band is we tend to gather fans slower than most bands because we don't get radio play. So we're like Iron Maiden in a way, except our trajectory has been a lot slower and a lot longer. But our fans, once they find out about us, they tend to stick around. I think now we've got more fans than we've ever had and our fans can't wait for our new record and they're gonna be pleasantly surprised with it because it's great."That about as serious as Satchel got. In the rest of the interview he talks about the singles released and how they represent the rest of the album, Dweezil Zappa making an appearance on Is My Dick Enough, the inspiration for some of the songs, new bass player Spyder and what he brought to the band, answering to critics who still don't understand their sense of humour, coming up with topics to write about, conquering the world and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.
20 Feb 202322min
Restoring Life With TIM COUTTS-SMITH From JACK HARLON & THE DEAD CROWS
Interview by Kris Peters,Despite the fact the COVID period is a part of our lives most would rather forget, there were a number of people who spent their time more productively due to the enforced lockdowns and regulations.Refusing to be defeated by an unseen adversary, Tim Coutts-Smith - vocalist for Melbourne fuzz rock outfit Jack Harlon & The Dead Crows - channelled his frustrations on an area that he knew would always provide hope.Music.Rather than using the time to create his own sonic landscape, Coutts-Smith instead looked deeper within to a musical time that quite possibly played a subliminal role in shaping his craft as a musician.He began listening to some of his personal favourites with a view to spicing them up considerably, before opening the process up to the public when he asked fans to suggest songs that could benefit from being he termed as Harlon-ified.A massive influx of material cluttered his social media with the main selection criteria being the chosen few would be from less mainstream artists that were not yet household names.He wittled the list down to eight tracks and sprinkled his own DNA over the new recordings with sensational results. This fuzz-drenched, genre-crossing love letter includes songs by under-the-radar icons like Bauhaus, God, Butthole Surfers, Joy Division, The Melvins, and more has hit the airwaves today, February 17 under the title of Hail To The Underground, with Coutts-Smith offering up some of his spare time to chat with HEAVY earlier today."I'm pretty stoked man," he smiled. "It's been a long time coming. I recorded this and finished it well over a year ago, so it's been a long year of waiting for it to finally come out."Even the concept behind tackling a project like this is enough to put most people off, but Coutts-Smith argues it actually provided him distraction from the world wide horrors that surrounded him at the time."It really started in lockdown when I was recording our second album Magnetic Ridge," he explained, "and towards the end of that process it was slowly disintegrating on my computer. There was one point where I nearly lost the whole hard drive and the whole album so I thought okay, I've got to get a new computer and new audio. Naturally when you get a new audio set up you wanna test it out, so I just started going through songs that I love and trying to make them as heavy as possible. Then I thought there's enough here that I should put an album out. I did a few carbon copy covers at the start just to test it out but I was finding the more I'd record, the more I would wanna add all these bits in so eventually I'm adding all of these parts that aren't in the original songs. I thought half of this record is now original so I might as well continue (laughs)."In the full interview, Tim talks more about how he chose the initial list of songs, what criteria he used to narrow it down, changing the structure of the music to put his stamp on it, which one he enjoyed covering the most, the recent 1000mods tour postponement, upcoming shows and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.
17 Feb 202311min
