Challenging The Gods With RYAN KIRBY From FIT FOR A KING

Interview by Kris PetersNewcastle punk rockers Trophy Eyes have always - deliberately - blurred the line between punk and hardcore. Their sound has an identifiably Trophy Eyes sting, with enough elements from both of those genres to appeal to a broader cross section of music lovers.Of course, when you through in sprinklings of rock and an unmistakably Australian DNA line, the end result is fun.Pure and simple.But during COVID - as it did for many bands and people the world over - the fun stopped for Trophy Eyes.Disillusioned by many cancellations and the inability to directly converse and write and bounce ideas off each other the seeds of doubt became a burden too big to prolong and when the band began working on their new album Suicide And Sunshine - which will be released on June 23 - they were all in agreeance that this would be their final record before leaving Trophy Eyes while there was still some positivity to cling to.Because of that the band decided to take an anything goes attitude throughout the process, deciding that the only rule was that they unanimously wanted this new record to showcase the growth of the band musically while still strongly reflecting on their formative years and direction.The result is an outstanding collection of songs that continues their original ethos of exploring the very boundaries of hardcore and punk music.Vocalist John Floreani joined HEAVY to shed more light."I'm proud of this one," he smiled. "Probably the first time I've been proud of music that I have written pre-release. I'm really happy. I think it's probably our best and really excited for everyone to hear it."Picking up on the comment we push him to elaborate."Most of the time when I put anything out I am my own worst critic," he measured. "I'm always like, fuck, that could have been better or different and I could have done this better. Especially when you sit on an album for about a year by the time it comes out you're already thinking I'm better at songwriting or whatever than when I was putting this out. You kind of put this thing out and go, this is my best work but really you're already onto the next stuff. But this time, no, I'm really happy. I'm proud of it. I think it's a great depiction of Trophy Eyes' entire career rolled into one sound. In the full interview, John talks more about the musical make up of Suicide And Sunshine, the problems they had leading into it, overcoming those problems, blending punk and hardcore, sharing personal feelings through music, tattoos, the title and where it comes from, their upcoming album tour and if, in fact, this is the end for Trophy Eyes.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

15 Juni 202314min

Interview by Kris PetersModern music is expanding in size, sound and complexity in an increasing capacity. Possibly to do with the sheer number of songs being released and in an effort to stand out, or possibly because musicians are getting better and more skillful at their art or possibly something entirely different.But whatever the reason there are many - myself included - that often struggle to keep up with the complex nature experimented with by bands of this era.Not that the music is bad or the band's unoriginal, it's more a case that sometimes band's can make music that is too complex for its own good.Or, put more simply, difficult to digest. North California progressive metal powerhouse Stellar Circuits are definitely an exception to the rule. While their music ventures down a myriad of rabbit holes and high range progressive elements, it is still easily digested as pure enjoyment without having to be dissected or taken in too deeply.In short, Stellar Circuits have somehow tapped into a way to make their music both complex yet accessible, a feat often attempted but rarely accomplished. And they have a sensational new album in Sight To Sound to prove it.Bass player Jesse Olsen and vocalist Ben Beddick sat down with HEAVY to find out more."There wasn't really any goals in mind," Olsen measured when asked about going into the album. "It's kind of just a natural progression of our sound. Whatever we're feeling, we write it and I feel like that just comes out. Just a natural progression of things and how they sound.""Like Jesse said, we weren't really going for anything per se," Beddick added. "We try to write what we hear in our heads and we do our best to put that out.In the full interview Ben and Jesse talk more about how they improved with this album, putting everything into the band, how this one differs from their debut album Ways We Haunt, the singles released and how they represent the album, the cover image and what relevance it has, the early days of Stellar Circuits and where they fit in, making complex music while still appealing to the average listener and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

14 Juni 202312min

Interview by Kris PetersThe endurance of melodic power metal outfit Fifth Angel is remarkable.After starting in Seattle in the mid 1980s and enjoying massive success with their self titled debut album, co-produced with famed music producer Terry Date (who later went on to produce Pantera, Soundgarden, White Zombieand more), Fifth Angel remained at the forefront of heavy metal of an era - which also included Queensryche and Metal Church - in a town that has since become known mainly for its output of grunge acts.This swarm of emerging bands and music eventually caused the premature disbanding of Fifth Angel, who remained that way until being enticed out of retirement to perform at Germany's Keep It True Festival in 2010.The band received an overwhelming outpouring of positivity at that show and subsequently reformed Fifth Angel on a more permanent basis and picked up pretty much where they left off, eventually releasing their first album in nearly 30 years titled The Third Secret.That journey culminates with the release of When Angels Kill on June 16, a double concept album that weaves lyrics and subject matter from their first three albums into a fascinating tale of love, catastrophic events, isolation, and impending doom.Drummer Ken Mary joined HEAVY to reveal more."We felt like we wanted to make this a little bit more progressive," he began. "But at the same time we wanted to hark back to the feeling of our first album, which was a darker type of record. This album is perhaps the darkest of all the Fifth Angel albums. It's a very heavy record. The story is a heavy story, but it's an interesting story and I think it's a good story. It centres around four main characters. There's a young man named Phoenix and he has two friends, a girl named Lana and Dylan who ends up being his best friend. They are living in a world that's a little dystopian and is now being run by a global tyrant and so this tyrant is not against subjugating the entire world through force. So if you wanna resist that it could be fatal and that really is what the story is about. It's about these young people's attempts to resist the tyrant. The story takes you through that process. They are trying to survive and there's also a love story that happens, there's some natural disasters that happen, there's some terrorism that happens so it's a deep, dark story but I think one that I think the fans will enjoy and I think our Fifth Angel fans will really enjoy because a lot of the lyrics and song titles... there are little Easter Eggs that lead you back to the earlier records. So if you want to know more about what's happening you can go and listen to the songs that are referenced on this record and get an even greater idea of what's going on."In the full interview, Ken talks more about the album musically, weaving three stories into one, the flow of the album, what lessons the band has learnt over the course of their career, the early days of Fifth Angel in the Seattle scene, following the lead of Queensryche and focussing on getting their first album right more than touring, their eventual disbanding and why, getting the chemistry back when they reformed, future plans and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

14 Juni 202315min

Interview by Kris PetersGlam or "hair" metal as it has been dubbed is a strange beast.Those who like it, LOVE it, but seldom do you come across anyone who sits on the fence.A large part of that is the stereotypical sounds that most bands of the genre feel obligated to gravitate towards, meaning often such bands sound the same and compete for supremacy based more on looks than image.That's my take on it anyway. I'm in the section of people who love the music too, so don't start...Every so often a band comes into the genre with a daring edge to their music that elevates them beyond the realms of another glam metal band, forcing their way into your musical psyche with an air of indifference and rebelliousness that is honest and sincere.They may look the part and dress the part, and, to a certain extent, play the part but you can sense something more sinister simmering below the surface with an axe to grind.That band for now is US rockers The Midnight Devils who are on the cusp of their first ever trip to Australia to support the legendary Donnie Vie, original singer from Enuff Z Nuff, later this month.In an unusual turn of events, The Midnight Devils recently completed their first international tour in support of the current version of Enuff Z Nuff, with vocalist Chip Z Nuff also working on their most recent album Beg For It.HEAVY spoke with frontman Sam Spade earlier this week to gauge his excitement levels."We are ready to party," he enthused. "There's only one way to rock and it's Down Under baby. We're coming for you Australia! We are beyond excited. It doesn't even begin to touch the feelings that are running through us right now as we get ready."With this being the first chance Australian audiences will have to experience The Midnight Devils live we ask Spade what to expect."There is no typical show," he smiled. "We have an idea of what we're going to do. Going into every show we don't write set lists, we don't play tracks, we don't do anything. It's all about feel and the energy coming off the crowd. You can better believe that we're gonna bring it. It's gonna be make up clagged glitter, rubber, lipstick smeared insanity from the get-go, and I'm telling you it's not just on-stage. It's off stage as well, so prepare yourselves! You can expect loud screaming and excitement all around."In the full interview, Sam talks more about coming to Australia, what he is expecting, how daunting it is travelling to the other side of the world to play for the first time, what he knows of Vie and playing with him, his relationship with Chip Z Nuff, their new single Sound Of Domination and the raunchy film clip recorded live at the Whisky A-Go-Go, how they were received in Europe, being part of the glam rock scene, the rockier nature of their new music, upcoming tours, a new album and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

11 Juni 202314min

Interview by Kris PetersOne of the beauties of music is there is no right or wrong when it comes to creating your sonic masterpiece.Sure, some sounds and genres might blend better than others but at the end of the day there are no rules or limitations except those we place on ourselves.Which is a good thing for Yorkshire four piece Rothschild whose eclectic sounds and structures defy most conventional boundaries but somehow work.Their music is full of timing and tempo changes, often switching things to almost unbelievable levels, but through sheer grit, determination and an abundance of talent and vision these four Englishman succeed where many others would fail.Or not even bother trying.With the recent release of the band's debut EP Broken Man, Rothschild boldly laid their musical souls bare to a world that too often ridicules and scrutinises without actually listening. But this didn't phase the band who, in my humble opinion, have delivered one of the most scintillating, brutal, honest and engaging bodies of work this year to date.Vocalist Nathan Morris and guitarist Danny Jowett sat down with HEAVY last week to tell us more about the band and dissect the EP."It started around four years ago," Morris offered, "just because we wanted to start gigging and playing shows and writing music again because we hadn't done it for a few years. We had a few line up changes and everything like that, but now we've finally got one settled and released an EP. We just wanted to combine all the genres we love in heavy music and see if people like it."Music traditionalists would probably shy away from Rothschild's music, but then again, the band didn't make it for people who aren't prepared to fully immerse themselves in the experience."There's a calculated risk to that aspect of it (our music)," Morris measured, "where we thought we could put a breakdown in here. It might not work, oh. But after a while and we started playing them live before recording them we worked out what people were responding to in the audience and things like that. There's always a risk putting anything together that has so many weird and different structural elements."In the full interview the boys talk more about their sound and where it comes from, mixing it together so much but still keeping it cohesive and Broken Man musically. We also run through each of the six tracks on the EP and read out what the HEAVY review said about them and how accurate we were in our assessment.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

11 Juni 202327min

Interview by Neville Pearce and Kris PetersSpring Loaded has come and gone for another year, and what a fun time it was!And how could it not be, with Spiderbait, Eskimo Joe, Frenzal Rhomb, Shihad, Magic Dirt, Ratcat, Bodyjar and Screamfeeder all on hand?This year HEAVY was granted exclusive backstage access to speak with the bands as their day progressed, and we would like to take this opportunity to thank all of those involved Empire Touring, On The Map PR, the bands, their management, and, of course, the team of Neville Pearce (Everblack Media), Kyra-Jade Coombs, Cory Stevenson and Sam Totman.HEAVY hasn't had many opportunities to speak with Eskimo Joe in the past but Neville Pearce and Kris Peters were treated with the opportunity to chat with Stuart MacLeod (lead guitar), Joel Quartermain (drums) and Kavyen Temperley (bass, vocals) all making themselves available, and what a likeable bunch of lads they are!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

11 Juni 202313min

Interview by Kyra-Jade Coombs and Kris PetersSpring Loaded has come and gone for another year, and what a fun time it was!And how could it not be, with Spiderbait, Eskimo Joe, Frenzal Rhomb, Shihad, Magic Dirt, Ratcat, Bodyjar and Screamfeeder all on hand?This year HEAVY was granted exclusive backstage access to speak with the bands as their day progressed, and we would like to take this opportunity to thank all of those involved Empire Touring, On The Map PR, the bands, their management, and, of course, the team of Neville Pearce (Everblack Media), Kyra-Jade Coombs, Cory Stevenson and Sam Totman.Screamfeeder were always going to be the feel-good fun band of the day - as evident by their merch list which included band frisbees - and Kyra-Jade Coombs and Kris Peters gladly sat down with bassist Kellie Lloyd and guitarist Tim Steward for a highly entertaining chat about... well, anything really.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

11 Juni 202315min

Interview by Cory Stevenson & Kris PetersSpring Loaded has come and gone for another year, and what a fun time it was!And how could it not be, with Spiderbait, Eskimo Joe, Frenzal Rhomb, Shihad, Magic Dirt, Ratcat, Bodyjar and Screamfeeder all on hand?This year HEAVY was granted exclusive backstage access to speak with the bands as their day progressed, and we would like to take this opportunity to thank all of those involved Empire Touring, On The Map PR, the bands, their management, and, of course, the team of Neville Pearce (Everblack Media), Kyra-Jade Coombs, Cory Stevenson and Sam Totman.One of the highlights was undoubtedly our chat with Bodyjar singer/guitarist Cam Baines who filled us in on the highlights of his day, how it felt to be up on stage, their upcoming national tour with Gyroscope to celebrate 25 years of Bodyjar's No Touch Red album, Tik Tok, some interesting questions about the other bands on the line-up, red back spiders and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

11 Juni 202312min