Destroying Everything With SKINNY From DEATHSTARS

Interview by Kris PetersDiscovered by Fred Durst from Limp Bizkit early on in their career, US rock outfit COLD found themselves ahead of the game almost before they even started.Following their self-titled debut album in 1998, COLD went on to release two now-classic albums in 13 Ways To Bleed and Year Of The Spider, striking gold with the singles Stupid Girl, Suffocate, No-One and Just Got Wicked and setting themselves on a path to rock immortality that has grown stronger by the year.COLD will make their first-ever tour of Australia in October with fellow rock royalty ORGY, celebrating 20 years of Year Of The Spider and bringing their greatest hits Down Under for a long overdue run of three select shows.Frontman Scooter Ward joined HEAVY to talk about the tour and longevity in the rock scene. We start by asking why the band have neglected us for nearly forty years."Honestly, it's been kind of hard to get over there," he smiled. "We were switched around on different labels, and we had always wanted to come, however, the powers that be want you to play in designated areas. So we had always wanted to be there, it just never turned around. Now we're more free to do what we want to do and we had the opportunity, so we took it."As mentioned, COLD will be celebrating 20 years of Year Of The Spider, so does that mean the band will be playing the album in its entirety?"I know we were going to talk to the ORGY guys about it," Ward nodded. "The thing about it is we've never played there before, and we have all this catalogue and music that people love from other records as well. So the hope would be to do Year of the Spider in its entirety and then do some extra songs as well for people. So that's the goal. We'll see how that works out."Playing albums in full generally poses a whole new set of difficulties, mainly because when an album is first recorded, there is generally little thought given to ever playing it front to back. We ask Ward if COLD would come across any such obstacles should they decide to replicate Year Of The Spider."Not really," he said. "Throughout the years of touring, we've replicated those songs many times on different tours and different settings. Initially, when the record was put out, we did a Year of The Spider Tour, and we played all the songs so yeah, we're familiar. The band's familiar with all the songs and you know, we have just done a Year of The Spider Tour here in the States (where) we did 58 shows. So yeah, we're very in tune with that record right now."There wouldn't be many places left in the world COLD haven't played in, but being their first trip to Australia will they be doing any research on what to expect or do they plan to discover as they go along?"We have some friends from Saliva that have played over there," he offered, "and they said there's little things that are different without tour buses and flying from show to show and things like that. It's just basically the production parts of it all that we are unfamiliar with, but we're kind of excited about that. It's kind of nice, you know, cramming everything in. I mean, we're doing three shows, and basically it's a five day trip. So it's a long weekend. We do three shows, fly from place to place and bust it out."The flip side to that is Australian fans won't know what to expect either."A COLD Show is like an emotional journey for people," he countered. "We take them to a place. When I wrote those songs, I was going through a hard time and they're all very honest songs. So I transport myself back into that place, and it translates to people that are watching the show, and it brings them… I try to bring them back to those moments when they needed that song to help them go through whatever they went through. Sometimes it becomes an over-emotional thing and the whole crowd sings all the songs with us and there's a lot of tears and a lot of joy. It's an experience when you come to a COLD show for sure."COLD are coming out with fellow first timers ORGY, who themselves are celebrating a significant milestone with their breakthrough album Candyass hitting the quarter of a century mark. Aside from the fact these two bands are both cut from the same cloth, we ask Ward why they make good touring partners."We toured with ORGY back in the day," he replied, "back in the early 2000s when both bands were doing very well. And we've been friends for a long time. We have been touring again since 2018 and Orgy had just started back. They did some smaller tours, but they're getting back into it. We joined up together to do this."COLD formed in Jacksonville, Florida back in 1986, born into a musical climate vastly different to that of today."We were kids in '86 when we started," Ward recalled. "The band was called Grundig at that point, and we were like a slow, grungy type of thing. The music was very slow and just heavy. We were trying to be like the Southern Black Sabbath kind of thing, but more Soundgarden who were doing it on the other side of the country. In Jacksonville, there was not really one type of music scene like there was in Seattle where everybody was in a grunge band. In Jacksonville, it was very diverse. We had Limp Bizkit, Shinedown, COLD and Puddle of Mud. A lot of the guys came from there. It was very diverse, with different kinds of sounds coming out of the place. Every band was a little different. It wasn't really a genre-based area."COLD's two biggest albums were the aforementioned 13 Ways To Bleed and Year Of The Spider, so we put Ward on the spot by asking him which is his personal favourite out of the two."That's a hard one, man," he smiled. "Over time it changes with me and different songs from different records and different emotions come up when I'm hearing those songs. They're both a pleasure to play now. So they're both kind of intertwined with each other in a way."COLD came in for criticism with their fourth album A Different Kind of Pain, with many feeling the album was more sombre and downbeat than anything they had put out before."Yeah, we got a lot of slack when that record first came out," he measured. "The narrative of that album was very personal. It was literally things that were happening with my sister and what was going on with my relationship, and it was definitely a sombre record. At the time, I knew it was different than the other records. That's the other thing about COLD. With every album that we make I don't try to make the same record. At the end of my life, I want my catalogue to be filled with a bunch of different styles of production, the sounds, all the things. There's a lot of bands that just keep making the same record over and over again, and that's a successful way to do a band. However, I'm going the opposite of that. I'm going to write whatever we want at whatever time we feel what we need to write."Tickets on sale now from www.thephoenix.auBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

2 Maj 20248min

Interview by Kris PetersCradle Of Filth are a band best experienced live.Their moody, atmospheric music - while still imposing and engaging on record - is elevated to another dimension when played out on stage and after an absence of far too long Australian fans will once again get the opportunity to marvel at the wonders of Dani Filth and his band of miscreants.After unleashing their first live album in aeons last year titled Trouble & Their Double Lives - some of which was recorded in Australia - Cradle Of Filth have been making up for lost time by touring on a global scale, with their sights now set firmly Down Under where Filth has promised the band will more than pay their debts of absence.They will be joined by Moldovan heavy outfit Infected Rain - led by the enigmatic and talented Lena Scissorhands - who will be making their debut trip to this country in a double-headed musical snake that promises to bite more than a pit full of adders.Cradle Of Filth mastermind and frontman Dani Filth joined HEAVY to discuss the tour and other things happening within the band."Yeah, pre-pandemic, wasn't it?" Filth questioned when we mentioned it's been a while between visits. "That would be the main crux of the reason, then (laughs)."We ask what has changed with the band between their last Australian run of shows to now."We've got a different line-up," he offered. "We've toured everywhere. We toured America during the pandemic, actually, right on the tail end. Aside from that, we have progressed with writing the new album. We've already done a track with Ed Sheeran as well, although that will probably be coming out on the special edition of the new album. I can't really talk much more about that with legalities and what have you. Our new album should be out… we should be dropping a new single actually, around the time of the Australian tour - maybe a little bit later - with the outlook for the album being dropping in March next year. That's almost finished, and we have just been super busy with the band. Lots of gigs. The album we started last July and the record company was like, why are you taking so long? And we were like, because we're on tour (laughs)."In the full interview, Dani talks more about their upcoming tour in Australia, their new album, and the challenges of balancing recording with touring. He revealed that the recording is expected to be finished by the beginning of June, with a focus on mixing and shooting videos in the Czech Republic.Dani also emphasized the distinctiveness of their new music and their willingness to push boundaries, while also expressing excitement for the upcoming shows and the support band, Infected Rain. The discussion also touched on the band's international composition and their collaboration with Ed Sheeran.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

2 Maj 202413min

Interview by Kris PetersIt's been six long years since TesseracT last toured Australia, but ask diehard fans of the band, and it would seem like much longer. But the good news for those fans and the music loving public in general, is the UK progressive rock outfit are locked and loaded and ready to return, with the tour kicking off in Brisbane on May 2.The technical metal maestros are pulling a double knockout blow, touring on the back of the band's fifth studio album, War Of Being, which was released in September last year.Guitarist James Monteith sat down for an enlightening chat with HEAVY to bring us up to date."A long time had passed," he agreed. "We have been able to work on and release our album that everyone is more happy with than any record we have had before. We've also tried to up our live game and not only focus on playing our instruments but making it a bit more of a show and more of a performance. We've added some theatrical elements and have basically - for the last six years - been trying to up our game to be an exciting rock band rather than a just a bunch of guys nerding out."In the full interview, James discussed the band's preparations for their World of Being tour, including their focus on improving their live performance and creating a seamless set list. He also shared details about their new album, War of Being, highlighting the band's approach to incorporating new elements while maintaining a nod to older progressive styles. The album's concept, a sci-fi story about internal conflict, was explained, as well as the strategic decision to release the title track as the lead single. The use of AI for creating the cover art was also discussed, with James justifying it as a tool to convey the artist's vision.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

29 Apr 202414min

Interview by Kris PetersAfter three decades of servitude to punk rock music, American miscreants Hot Water Music could be forgiven for phoning in new albums, but despite their reputation for flouting the rules, even these seasoned veterans still feel as if they have a point or two to prove.Returning to acclaimed producer and hardcore legend Brian McTernan - who worked with the band on 2001’s A Flight And A Crash, 2002’s Caution and 2004’s The New What Next, from a period thought by many to be the band's classic era - Hot Water Music have harnessed everything learnt over three decades and focussed on internal growth for their new album VOWS which is out May 10.Billed as both an anniversary album and a coming of age of sorts, VOWS is a reflection of the past, present and future of a band that refuse to grow up, grow old, or give in.Bass player Jason Black sat down with HEAVY to discuss the album and the band's history. We start by asking how he feels about the impending release so far into a decorated career."Definitely anxious and nervous," he mused. "If I don't give a shit we've made a bad record (laughs). It's a lot of… It always kind of changes. This is the first time we've put out two records so close together in a long time, so that's been pretty cool. Even then, the landscape of releasing albums is constantly changing. Not meaning to sound like a super Gen X here, but day-to-day different things need to be done, so there's that weird level of anxious that's in the new landscape of whatever we all do here. It wasn't the same as before. Before it was, like, I hope we get some good reviews and hopefully this store picks it up, and now it's a case of I hope it doesn't get buried five minutes after it comes out under a flood of other posts. It's so weird sometimes (laughs)."The press release calls VOWS Hot Water Music's most ambitious album to date, so we ask Black if he agrees."I think so," he measured. "I feel like we've definitely… yeah, I think it is. There's some stuff on here that we would not have made - I don't want to say we wouldn't have made on any other records, because it's not a quality issue - but I think there's some stylistic variance this time around. A little more so than usual for us. I think it only happened because of the specific songs working as well as they did."In the full interview, Jason talks more about the musical direction on VOWS, how it celebrates the band's 30 years in music, if it becomes easier or harder to come up with new material the more you write, reuniting with McTernal and how that contributed to the finished product, the guest artists on the album and why they were chosen, the early days of the band and where they fit in, keeping to their own path over thirty years, touring plans and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

28 Apr 202420min

Interview by Kris PetersCharity events are always special on the music calendar, with a plethora of worthy causes benefitting from the generosity and respect shown by many a band and punter. But when they are organised by people who have been afflected personally by the very condition they are drawing attention to, it becomes that bit more special.Beyond The Darkness is one such event.Organised by Jackie Green - who lost her husband to cancer in early 2022 - and her partner Dexx, Beyond The Darkness is in its second year after a successful first showcase event last year. While the concert aims to raise finances and awareness to benefit the GI Cancer Institute, it also shines light on illnesses and diseases of all kinds and the need for people in the community to ensure they keep abreast of potential dangers before it's too late.To be held at the Back Room, Annerley on September 14, Beyond The Darkness will be headlined by local metal stars Engraved, with Sentiment, Void Matter, Krave, InEffigy and more all donating their time to spread the message and love.Jackie and Dexx joined HEAVY recently to talk more about the event."On the 22nd of April 2022 my husband David died of oesophageal cancer," Jackie explained. "It just came on. He had a 13-month battle, and we tried everything and threw everything at it, and then he got a secondary cancer. Once most people get a secondary cancer, there's not much you can do. I lost him, and I really didn't know what I was gonna do. I suppose my whole world was turned upside down. We just floated the idea - we wanted to do something to really celebrate his first year anniversary - so I floated the idea on Facebook and said to people what do we think and Brian said let's put on a show. So it was born from there."We mention the importance of not just raising money to assist in research for such illnesses, but also heightening awareness that these illnesses can and do strike without discrimination."They don't matter who you are, what age you are," Jackie continued. "David was only 47, so I think part of the awareness is people in our age group - in that 40 to 50 age group - to not be complacent about things. If something is not right, go and get it checked out."In the full interview, we emphasized the importance of early ticket purchases for local events like Beyond The Darkness, the intricacies of planning a festival line-up, emphasizing the significance of band selection, cohesion, and stage presence plus the bands playing and the selection process. We also talked about the logistics of the benefit concert, addressing donation options and ticket sales, and promoting their show, Oz Fest with Dexx and Jackie O.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

28 Apr 202410min

Interview by Kris PetersWith the quantity and quality of new music being released by the minute in the modern world of metal many bands - often unfortunately - fall by the wayside before even being heard, lost in the current goldfish market of disposable music and assets.These days, you can either simply put your music out there and hope some algorithm elevates it beyond the masses, or you can think outside the proverbial box and offer something extra to the market.Emerging Aussie black/death metal outfit Miruthan have followed the path of the latter, creating an entirely new sonic and visual plane from which to launch their musical vehicle. Not content to merely write and record music, Miruthan have plunged themselves - and subsequently their listeners - down the narrowing rabbit hole of perception and returned with a fresh, exciting backstory to go along with an assortment of plots and character-driven narrative that is embedded within their music.While the band is content for the moment to drip feed such pivotal snippets of information to the general public, they have provided a temporary sonic distraction by way of music with their debut EP Cult Of The Dead which will be unleashed this Friday, April 26.Four tracks of seething brutality, Cult Of The Dead provides the connection between the eight-pronged beast that it Miruthan and an unsuspecting - but hopefully ready - musical landscape that lovers of heavy music laced with theatrics have been craving.HEAVY recently caught up with songwriter/guitarist and Sprechgesang vocalist Nzambi Mapungu - also known as The Zombie God - to dive deeper into the unfolding mystery. We start by asking how he is feeling about setting Cult Of The Dead free into the world."I feel pretty confident," he answered. "It's funny the way this EP came around, actually, because I wrote a complete full-length album, and then I wanted something out sooner than it would take to record a full album. So I sat down and wrote a full EP after the album so we could release that first. What's funny is these songs are the new songs. The album was written first, but the way we write it is all in story form so everything kind of ties in together. Each song ties into the next song like a story. This is actually the prequel (laughs)."We point out it is a great idea because as a new band coming onto the scene you don't want to smash people with too much too soon."That was exactly the reasoning as well," he affirmed. "It was like let's not show our full cards straight up. Let's do the teaser and see what people think of it and go from there."In the full interview, HEAVY conducted a thorough track-by-track review of Cult of the Dead, discussing the band's unique approach to blending punk, blues, and metal elements in their music, as well as the significance of storytelling and atmospheric elements in their songwriting. We also discussed the band's folklore and its upcoming release, highlighting the storytelling aspect and the band's desire to engage fans in a deeper, interactive experience plus covered more of the themes and theatrics surrounding the world which the band has created for themselves.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

28 Apr 202421min

Interview by Kris PetersMelbourne rockers The Dreadful Tides emphatically announced their arrival on the Australian music scene in 2021 with their infectious and rock as all fuck debut single Crazy.The song was like the meeting of two sonic forces that exploded with raw guitars, meaty solos and the kind of swagger that left rock music while the Rolling Stones were still in their nappies.Blessed with an upbringing of 70s and 80s old-school rock and metal, The Dreadful Tides wove those influences with a modern edge to create a hybrid rock and metal blast of sonic intensity that almost dares you not to take notice.The band have been steadily building since then, culminating in the release of their new single Fire In The Hole which takes everything already sprinkled in The Dreadful Tides' DNA and laces it with slabs of hard rock bordering on metal intensity to elevate their music to another level.Part of that intensity blast came through new vocalist Jimmy Black, whose recent inclusion to The Dreadful Tides has opened the chasm of opportunity even further and invited the Gods of metal into their realm.HEAVY caught up with guitarist Justin Strudwick and drummer Leland Hallett to find out more."It's actually really, really surprised us this time," Hallett offered when asked how Fire In The Hole has been received. "Everyone has just loved the track. The amount of messages we've got off people and the appreciation off so many different people. We also managed to get airplay in multiple countries already which is good for us. The reception has been phenomenal."We ask the boys to dive deeper into Fire In The Hole musically."It started off, in all honesty, as just a riff that we were messing around with," Strudwick replied. "We said we just need a cool opening track for gigs. Not even for recording purposes. Just for gigs. So me and Leland messed around with a few things, but the music has stayed pretty solid for that track the whole time. We actually had some different lyrics for it originally - except the chorus. The chorus was still the same, but when Jimmy came on board he had a different take on the song and changed the lyrics apart from the chorus, and we were just like, yep, that's it. That suits the music. We went into the studio to record that song and use it in our back pocket for if we need it, but once we heard it we thought we have to get this thing out."In the full interview, Justin and Leland discussed plans for their upcoming singles and the potential release of an EP. They provided details about the band's decision to introduce each track individually, highlighting their desire to give each song its own spotlight. They also delved into the band's musical growth, explaining how their writing process has evolved as they have become more familiar with each other and their producer. Additionally, they hinted at upcoming interstate shows starting in April, indicating an exciting future for the band.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

24 Apr 202413min

Interview by Kris PetersFresh off the road from a tour with Tapestry and AM/PM, Adelaide emo alt-rock five-piece Wolf & Chain find themselves already consumed by producing more content so that the current wave of hype the band has generated does not go to waste.The band needn't worry too much, because after the success of their catchy and infectious recent single Not Giving Up it is highly unlikely anyone will be forgetting their name in the foreseeable future.Pulling from sounds found in the 2000s with My Chemical Romance, Panic! At The Disco and 30 Seconds To Mars, Not Giving Up is a quirky and fun slab of music, driven by typically personal subject matter that has become one of Wolf & Chain's trademarks.HEAVY sat down for a chat with vocalist Jack Cumes and guitarist Joe Butcher to find out what the next steps of this exciting young band will be.We start by asking how the recently completed run of dates with Tapestry went."Super cool," Cumes replied. "A bunch of people came out to see us, which is always great. Tapestry, those guys are super amazing live, so it was amazing just to see them and learn off them as well.Melbourne felt like a big step up from when we usually play. I think Melbourne can be a bit hit-and-miss for us. We've only played there a few times, but this last show we played, we had a great time. There was heaps of people, and it was a good wrap-up to the end of the tour as well."The tour was essentially to help promote the new single Not Giving Up, with Cumes happily relaying the new track was positively received live.."It went down well," he smiled. "We always have a good time playing it, and we worked really hard on that song. It was a bit of a process getting it to where it was, so I think whenever we play it live we feel pretty good. We're happy that it's had this journey."In the full interview, Wolf & Chain discussed the visual and conceptual inspiration behind their music, using werewolves as a metaphor and drawing inspiration from horror movies for their music video.They hinted at a larger project on the horizon and expressed a desire to push themselves to create something different for their next work. The band also emphasized the importance of working with different collaborators and expressed confidence in their progress towards finding their distinct sound.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

24 Apr 202412min