Hanging In There With CHRIS MECURI & JORDAN WILLIAMS From DRUID

Interview by Kris PetersAside from bringing two megastars in The Smashing Pumpkins and Jane's Addiction to Australia, one of the best things about The World Is A Vampire Festival - which kicks off at the Eaton's Hill Hotel in Brisbane on April 15 before hitting the Sandstone Point Hotel the day after - is that a number of Australian bands have been invited along for the journey. While Amyl & The Sniffers, RedHook and Battlesnake will be joining the two headliners at most of the shows, each venue and city sees a local band given the opportunity to open the day.Over the coming weeks HEAVY will speak with each of those bands, starting today with Brisbane rock outfit PistonFist who have been given the honour of opening both Brisbane shows.Frontman Geoff O'Leary joined us for a chat about the chance to open for a musical extravaganza like this."We're stupid amounts of happy," he beamed. "A little bit humbled and extremely thankful that we've been put in this position. We're very lucky. There's shitloads of talent in Australia and Brisbane and for us to get picked is very humbling."We pose the question of whether, in even his wildest dreams, he would have thought PistonFist's name would be alongside bands of the ilk of The Smashing Pumpkins and Jane's Addiction."No," he laughed. "Easiest question I have answered in a long, long time. Absolutely not. It's a little bit mind boggling."In the full interview we talk about keeping nerves in check, coming up with a setlist, the other Aussie bands on the line-up and getting the chance to play with them, the wrestling side of the festival and how excited he is for that, who he would have represent PistonFist if the bands wrestled it out, who he would hate to have to wrestle from the headliners and the Aussie acts, last weekend's shows as part of Rockynats, putting down the guitar to focus on vocals and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

13 Apr 202311min

Interview by Kris PetersBrisbane rock machine Gutterfire! have wasted enough time lost to the forces of nature and other things conspiring against them and have declared 2023 to be the year of Chill, their debut album which might be a couple of years old now but has still not received the mileage it deserves.After having to delay the release due to the big C and its ensuing global lockdown, Gutterfire! painstakingly sat back, eager to unleash their monster on the world but growing increasingly concerned that the Gods of music may have overlooked them on their maiden voyage.The band need not have feared, for when Chill was finally unleashed the world was still not ready for its rumblings of hard rock infused stoner metal that was only matched by the sheer ferocity of their live performance.With Gutterfire recently embarking on a 21 date tour of the East Coast to give Chill one final push, HEAVY managed to nail down vocalist Photon Jon not long before the band boarded yet another plane to fly South for a few shows."It's been great," he enthused of the first few shows of the tour. "We sold out the first two and had a great time on the Gold Coast for the third one. We played with Dreamkillers at the first one, which was great because they are childhood heroes of ours, and great crowds. It was really nice the second night to see a sold out crowd of people we don't know, so it was all strangers who were there to see us which was nice. We must have gained some traction in our downtime (laughs)."This weekend Gutterfire! hit Sydney, Woollongong and Woy Woy before returning to South East Queensland and Northern NSW, then Victoria before heading to FNQ to finish up with Jon smiling when we point out the enormity of the run. We press him on how he prepares mentally and physically for such a long stretch."With great difficulty," he laughed. "We're all full time employed too, so we basically fly out every Thursday or Friday and fly back in Sunday or Monday every weekend until the end of May and work during the week as well. The journey to getting here has been a bit full on. We've been trying to plan a tour of this size for a few years, but obvious events stopped that from happening. We're just happy to finally get interstate and play to a whole bunch of places."In the full interview Jon runs us through the support bands and their selection criteria, a typical Gutterfire! live show, the reaction to Chill, what they were going for with the album, which songs best typify the band, album number two and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

13 Apr 202313min

Interview by Kris PetersTraversing the line between rock, punk and a hint of pop, Sydney outfit Hugs are definitely a young band on the rise.With an infectious attitude and even more infectious music, Hugs represent the new era of crossover rock in this country where the genre or stylistic direction isn't necessarily as important as the journey taken to get there.Following the recent release of their EP In Bones - which the band themselves have explained "what we tried to do on our EP was take the twinkly guitar sound of Midwest emo and put it in different musical contexts" - Hugs have set their sights on taking their music throughout Australia but first stopped in at HEAVY HQ to talk about the recent release."Everybody has been really positive about it," vocalist Sam enthused when asked about the early response to In Bones. "I've never really been involved in a band where we've worked so hard on crafting the songs and also recording them. Normally it's a pretty quick process. You go in, slam it down, and whatever comes is what it is but we spent a really long time crafting the sounds and the parts. Tom wrote these cool interlude bits to join the songs together and I am really stoked with the reception so far, and we continue to get.""I'm the same," guitarist Tom added. "Heaps of warm words, especially from friends and other bands. I was happy with how it has been received."In the full interview the boys run us through each track on the EP and it's meaning and musical composition, their sound and why it resonates across the board, finding the balance between musical styles, live shows, new music and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

13 Apr 202318min

Interview by Kris PetersNot only are The Angels an Australian music institution, they are also a band who, despite being around for more than four decades, show no sign of slowing down.Original guitarists Rick and John Brewster are the backbone of any musical incarnation featuring music from The Angels and are known as much for their natural ability and musicianship as they are for being part of one of this countries most successful and enduring rock outfits.Since Dave Gleeson took over vocal duties after the loss of Doc Neeson, The Angels have had to often work with and around the touring schedule of Gleeson's original band, The Screaming Jets, but in those moments of downtime Rick and John have steadfastly refused to lay down their guitars, instead continuing to tour and record in their own right.With Gleeson again away on duties, the brothers have now decided to revisit The Angels vast back catalogue and drag out some songs that have previously never or rarely been played live.Songs like Save Me, When The Time Comes, Dogs Are Talking, Moving On and City Out Of Control to name but a few have been given the kiss of life by Brewster Brothers Electric: Playing The Angels Rarities.Not only is the band - with fill in vocalist Nick Norton, Sam Brewster on bass and Mick Skelton on drums accompanying Rick and John - performing a select number of live shows, they have also released the EP Lives Of Grace featuring the tracks Night Attack, Lives Of Grace, Moving On and Small Price To Pay.HEAVY tracked down Rick Brewster to talk about the legacy and continued popularity of The Angels. We start by asking where he finds the drive and energy to keep pushing on with side projects where most people would be enjoying some down time."It's an opportunity to play some of the ... what would you call them ... we call them the rarities. When you think about songs like Dogs Are Talking or Eat City they are just songs we don't often play because there's not time in an Angels show. We've talked about doing rarities as a project with Dave but the thing is Dave is busy all the time. As soon as we finish an Angels tour he's out with The Screaming Jets. So we thought it's an opportunity, we've got this freak drummer Nick Norton who is also got a great voice and plays guitar and we thought let's put a band together, do The Angels rarities, get another drummer and put Nick out front."In the full interview we ask Rick how they even pick a set list of rarities that will appease fans, reinvigorating themselves by playing older tracks, having to re-learn the songs, the live show and what to expect, the new EP Lives Of Grace, the recent documentary movie The Angels: Kickin' Down The Door and what he thought of it, reflecting on their past achievements, upcoming shows, what's next when Dave comes back and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

13 Apr 20239min

Interview by Kris PetersSeldom do instrumental bands have either the longevity of success that Washington heavy outfit Animals As Leaders have managed.While many instrumental bands start off with a bang their fans generally drift in and out of the fold with many finding it increasingly difficult to fully relate to a band without a vocalist.Despite the obvious musical talent and precision needed to sustain a career in this field the simple fact remains that everyone secretly wants to be a lead singer and once they are denied that opportunity to live vicariously through whoever their chosen one becomes, then the interest wanes at an almost rapid pace.Animals As Leaders have bucked that trend, recently celebrating their fifth studio album Parrhesia without even a hint of falling from the publics grace.Their enthusiasm and musical excellence has been enough to carry the burden (according to some) of being without one main focal point on stage, and, if anything, have thrived because of it.With the band also announcing an Australian run of dates to support the album, HEAVY decided it was time to pick the brains of guitarist Javier Reyes and find out what they have in store for Aussie fans and how they prepare mentally for a run of dates so far away from home."It's just phone keys and wallet," he laughed, tapping his pockets one at a time as he ran through the checklist. "And passport, that's about it. Make sure you have enough strings and enough guitars and hope the turbulence isn't too bad."Providing the turbulence doesn't have a lingering effect on their health, we press Javier on what we can expect from the live shows."There's a bunch of new music that we'll be playing," he offered. "That will probably be the highlight. Other than that we just look older (smiles). I probably have more white hair than the last time I was there. It's not like we have any pyrotechnics, unfortunately, so the highlight will be the new material. Maybe we'll head bang a little harder..."In the full interview, Javier talks about the response to Parrhesia, the constantly evolving sonic landscape with each album, structuring a cohesive setlist with so experimental tracks, pushing the boundaries of music and how they know where to draw their line, their broad appeal across many genres and personalities and how that is achieved, creating emotion through music and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

8 Apr 202310min

Interview by Kris PetersIf there's one thing predicatable about the music industry is usually when an album drops there will inevitably be a tour to promote it.Not that that's a bad thing. As if you need an excuse to tour anyway?Melbourne alternative metal outfit GhostSeeker have done just that, recently announcing their Initium Novum tour for the EP of the same name, starting in Brisbane on May 13 before hitting Melbourne and Sydney before the end of the month.Initium Novum has been well received in the music community, with GhostSeeker fully capitalising on the vocal disparity between twin vocal towers Celeste Dudeson and Daniel Gay. It is an exciting dynamic that explores all extremities of the musical spectrum and one on which GhostSeeker nail as much as, if not more than, many others within the genre.HEAVY sat down with Daniel and guitarist Tim Campey to find out more."As the name would lead you to believe, you will be able to hear the EP in its full being played," Daniel promised about the run of shows. "Plus the same old high energy GhostSeeker show plus we also have Aurateque who are coming along who are bloody fantastic. It's gonna be a good night in each town."Touring an album is always fun, but when the fans are also loving the new material it makes things even sweeter for the band on the road."The reception has been pretty good," Tim smiled. "We've gotten the videos on a really good platform in Dreambound and then we've been picked up by a couple of cool Spotify playlists as well. The overall reception from the fans has been fantastic. We never expected for it to go as well as it has, but it did (laughs) and we're absolutely loving it."In the full interview the boys talk about what to expect from their set, playing all of the new tracks live, the thought process behind song selection going into your first album, the musical direction of the EP, the vocal dynamics between Daniel and Celeste and how important that was in the planning of the EP, creating an immersive experience with their music, touring with Auroteque, future plans and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

8 Apr 202312min

In this hour-long HEAVY Magazine Emperor special and coinciding with their upcoming Australia / New Zealand "In The Nightside Eclipse" tour, frontman Ihsahn gives us an in depth and personal reflection of his musical career. Delving into Emperor’s past and subsequent demise due to musical divergences pertaining to both his and Samoth’s drifting down separate artistic paths. But also how they reinvigorated one another's passion to bring Emperor back to life! Included within is a selection of essential Emperor songs from their back catalogue which would lead us to the obvious billion dollar question asking if we would ever hear new Emperor and record together again as well as how Ihsahn deals with hearing people refer to his status as being a visionary and godfather of extreme metal. Much much more is to be discovered that is absolutely essential listening if you have ever wanted to delve into the mind of one so attuned to musical brilliance.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

8 Apr 20231h

Interview by Kris PetersAussie blackened sludge purveyors of metal Lo!have today released their fourth studio album The Gleaners, an album which looks set to further solidify the band's growing reputation following the critically acclaimed 2017 album Vestigial.A sonic blast of intensity dispersed over nine visceral anthems, The Gleaning captures Lo! at their breathtaking best and details a further descent into the unknown that is guided by the forces of nature.Vocalist Sam Dillon sat down with HEAVY this week to discuss the new album and the process of bringing it to life."This is a proud moment for us," he acknowledged on the release of The Gleaners. "A lot of work and research has gone into this album following up from 2017s Vestigial. We've had Pelagic Records back in our team looking after us and it's been a dream. This is probably some of the most experimental and expansive work that we've ever done."Experimental and expansive are both cool words when it comes to music, so we push Dillon to go into more detail."We wanted to be able to be cinematic, theatrical and have those anthemic choruses that we're known for amongst the sludge genre," he explained, "but we also wanted to push and stimulate things that are important to us. We didn't want to just release another album that was the same as its predecessor. We wanted to be able to keep the same groove but expand and make it interesting for ourselves. As long as we're being genuine to ourselves and what we enjoy about creating extreme music, then we know that we've done our best and hopefully fans will get on board as well."In the full interview, Sam talks more about the musical side of The Gleaning, the musical and lyrical theme that runs through it, experimenting with cinematic landscapes, how Lo! have grown over the course of four albums, blending hardcore, black metal and sludge metal together and getting the balance right, live shows and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

7 Apr 202313min