Primed And Ready To Destroy With RASYID From WORMROT

Interview by Kris PetersAussie rock and metal is currently in good hands.With a healthy swathe of older, established bands still doing the circuit and pumping out albums and an ever growing assortment of new and up and coming bands feeding off their wisdom it is fair to say the future of Australian music has never looked or sounded as good.So much so that few bands stand out and demand attention, many falling victim to the wealth of music saturating the market in ever increasing volumes.But there are a couple of bands that manage to stay elevated in the public spotlight, be it through hard work, touring or quality of material - or, more often, all three.One such band is Melbourne's Triple Kill whose high energy music and live shows have seen them maintain a steady upward trajectory that should peak even further with the impending release of their latest album Blackened Dawn.Another banger full of meaty guitars and driving force, Blackened Dawn gives you a ringside seat at the next phase of Triple Kill's musical journey and peels back yet more layers of their sonic landscape.Drummer Connor O'Keane and bass player Ethan White joined HEAVY to take us inside the album."Excited is an understatement, for sure," O'Keane quipped when asked how they were feeling on the eve of the August 25 release. "Also exhausted and we're not even touring yet (laughs). The amount of work we've put in behind the scenes to get this out is a lot, especially in the last month. I think we've put out three music videos in the last month while also practicing and getting ready for tour."We ask the boys to explain Blackened Dawn from a musical point of view."We wanted to advance our own skills," White measured, "so having that thing that kept us all locked inside for a couple of years really allowed us to take a moment to practice what we've got and develop some new skills. Or try some more challenging things that we hadn't touched on before in the way of writing something. This album is definitely from a musical standpoint something that we have advanced on. It's something new for us and something a bit more challenging in the way of our writing. Then the themes are just things that we love.""I think we've certainly tried to have this album be a step up for us musically in each of our own departments," O'Keane added, "while also looking back at the stuff that we really like about the first album and the stuff that we think has stood the test of time and expand upon those and hone in on the stuff that we feel worked the most in the first album."In the full interview, the boys talk more about what to expect from Blackened Dawn, how the world situation at the time of writing influenced the end result, the surprise opening track and the idea behind it, their upcoming shows with Orpheus Omega and what to expect, what's next for Triple Kill and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

23 Aug 202322min

Interview by Kris PetersNight At The Barracks returns to Manly's picturesque North Head this September for a series of outdoor concert events starting on September 15 and finishing on October 8.The showcase event kicks off with legendary Australian act Hoodoo Gurus, with celebrated artists such as Missy Higgins, Kate Cebrano, James Morrison Motown Experience and Tina Arena among the featured artists.But it is September 29 where we draw our focus today, and the musical extravaganza that is The Rolling Stones Revue.Fronted by Magic Dirt's Adalita, Tex Perkins and Tim Rogers (You Am I, Hard-Ons), The Rolling Stones Revue has been drawing rave reviews around the country with their unique slant on the music that shaped a generating as performed by Australian artists.For this special occasion, The Rolling Stones Revue will also be paying homage to the classic Stones album Sticky Fingers, as well as delivering fan favourites and greatest hits.Adalita joined us earlier this week to chat about Night At The Barracks."I can't wait," she enthused. "I've not played Night At The Barracks before and it sounds like a really great event. I love playing outdoor gigs and it just sounds beautiful. Manly is great, I played there back in the day but it's been a while."We turn our focus to The Rolling Stones Review and what to expect."It's a group of us - Tex Perkins, Tim Rogers and myself in this particular revue," Adalita explained. "We have had Phil Jamieson in the past and Sarah McLeod as well, but for this particular one it will be myself, Tex and Tim. We just get together and bang out some Stones classics. There's a lot of Sticky Fingers songs and alot of classics as well. It's just so much fun to do. I've always loved the Stones and playing besides Tex and Tim is just a joy. They're amazing. We have such a great time and the band is incredible. It's unexpected that I would do something like that, but I like going out of my comfort zone."In the full interview Adalita talks about how they rehearse for the show, how faithfully they keep to the original versions, choosing who performs which songs, who channels their inner Mick Jagger best, playing a classic album front to back and potential difficulties that could pose, the state of the art visual component to the show, future plans and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

22 Aug 202316min

Interview by Kris PetersCertain bands in history are untouchable, with every genre having a stoic pecking order.When it comes to death metal bands such as Morbid Angel, Obituary, Death, Cannibal Corpse and Atheist sit atop the proverbial tree, unflinching in their resolve and unyielding in their unrelenting pursuit of metal supremacy.Certain names stand out above others as well. Names such as John Tardy (Obituary), Cronos (Venom), Chuck Schuldiner (Death) and Glen Benton (Deicide), but perhaps above all others is Kelly Shaefer, pioneering and revered vocalist of Atheist and unofficial revolutionary and spiritual leader of death and extreme metal.After a period of inactivity, Shaefer returns to the metal realm, this time fronting an entirely new outfit Till The Dirt that threatens once more to derail the very fabric of sonic intensity.Despite being a main cog in the death metal machine, Shaefer has allowed himself to further develop musically, harnessing the elements that drove the early parts of his career but combining them with a myriad of outside influences that would once have been considered taboo.By blending elements of grunge, black metal, jazz, rock, dark wave, and even a dash of classic pop to his musical furnace, Shaefer has thrown expectations and convention to the wind in his search for sonic clarity, which has manifested itself into Till The Dirt's debut album Outside The Spiral which will be released via Nuclear Blast Records on August 25. Shaefer sat down with HEAVY earlier this week to tell us more."I think I'm anxious more than nervous," he admitted. "I've been around long enough now to... even as long as I've been around I still feel that anxiousness; that excitement. It's been 13 years since I've done a new record - 2010 I did Jupiter with Atheist - and I feel very fortunate and lucky to have tripped upon this prolific period of song writing that happened, because I never intended on having a new band or new music at all. It just naturally came out of thin air, so here I am back in an album cycle again and it's fun. It's exciting, it's different, but it's a lot like sending your kids to school. You hope all the other kids like your kid, and you hope the teachers nice to them, you know what I mean (laughs). So there's those nervous feelings, but I'm super proud of it and I can't wait for people to hear it. I've been sitting on it for two and a half years (laughs)."We ask Shaefer to take us deeper into the music side of Outside The Spiral."It's fusing all of the things that I love," he smiled. "I've had dual careers. I've had a career with Neurotica and a career with Atheist and both bands did well in terms of making a mark in their own right. Neurotica was much more singing, there was more clean vocals. It was heavy rock/metal with Atheist being obviously crazy, technical metal so I've never had an outlet like this where I was able to combine the two and really pay homage to all my 90s grunge influences, my stoner rock, desert rock Kyuss and Atomic Bitch Wax, all that kind of stuff that I really like. Black Sabbath and 70s thick, groovy shit along with blast beats and chaotic screams and harmony vocals. It's a plethora of shit that really just came out of isolation from COVID and frustration and anger and unknowingness. It came from a really natural place, where art should come from. It should come from a place of not just happiness."In the full interview, Kelly talks more on what to expect from Outside The Spiral, how the album came together, putting yourself in different head spaces to bring out different sides of your musical psyche, the different styles inherent in Till The Dirt and how they come together, personal limitations if any, enticing Scott Burns out of self-imposed exile to produce the album, what effect he had on the finished product, future plans and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

22 Aug 202326min

Interview by Kris PetersPost punk/goth outfit She Wants Revenge hit pay dirt with their first ever single Tear You Apart back in 2005, a song that somehow made it to the ears of Lady Gaga, who in turn insisted producers of a TV show she was working on called American Horror Story: Hotel included the track in its soundtrack.This early leg up introduced She Wants Revenge to an instant global market and served them well over their debut self-titled album and follow ups This Is Forever and Valleyheart before disbanding in 2012.2022 saw the band reunite and start producing music again, with their ensuing success setting She Wants Revenge down a touring path that sees the band finally travel to Australia for the first time this October.HEAVY caught up with guitarist Justin Warfield to delve deeper."Dude, it's like... it is a running joke amongst the band, and I'm sure any Aussie fans by now, that if we were to have announced these shows no-one would believe it anyway," he laughed. "Every time we do it gets cancelled. So, Thomas Froggatt - who is the bass player in She Wants Revenge and started in the original line-up as guitar player - he is from Byron Bay and Melbourne and he grew up between the two, so when I told him the dates we were coming he said 'yeah, yeah right, I'll believe it when I see it (laughs). And, so, it's really exciting. It sucks to dealing stereotypes but I just have to be honest. Whenever I can go to a place where the culture has inspired me or us as a band and as individuals, it's exciting. It's a place where there's so much great history and so much great music and so much culture and for me as a lifelong surfer to get to the Gold Coast is unbelievable. I grew up watching... I'm a bit of a nerd when it comes to surfing and some of my absolute heroes of the sport are from there and I've been looking at photos and videos forever. So the idea that not only do I get to go and play shows for audiences that probably thought we would never come - plus we're a band that has broken up twice before - so for the people that have been with us the whole time and grown old with us and are like 'oh wow, they're really coming', or for the new people who have discovered us from a soundcheck or Pandora or Spotify or a playlist... the fact that they get to experience us and what we do live and we get to share three nights of music with our fans old and new... we get to see the culture and the cities that are so exciting to us and the fact that I just get to surf... It's going to be outrageous."In the full interview, Justin talks more about what to expect from the tour, preparing for a run of shows so far from home, what they are expecting from us, their breakthrough single and being noticed by Lady Gaga, what that meant for the band's career, the chances of a new album and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

22 Aug 202318min

Interview by Kris PetersEver since leaving Nine Inch Nails to form Filter back in 1993, the name Richard Patrick has been synonymous with industrial tinged rock.With their debut album Short Bus spawning the hugely successful single Hey Man Nice Shot, Filter's trajectory started on the up and has only soared higher over the ensuing years.Despite having to overcome potentially crippling personal problems along the way, Patrick has managed to constantly maintain the rage musically. He flirted briefly playing alongside Dean and Robert DeLeo of Stone Temple Pilots and Ray Luzier of Korn in the project Army Of Anyone, but after a triumphant return to Filter with 2008s Anthem For The Damned Patrick rekindled his love affair with music and the band that gave him life.After a seven year wait, Filter is set to return once more with The Algorithm on August 25, bringing Filter into the modern music era while still endorsing the band's signature sound.HEAVY caught up with Patrick to find out more."I am really psyched," he enthused of The Algorithm. "I think it's definitely a great body of work and I'm excited. It reminds me of the old days, like Title Of Record, that era, and I'm super pumped and can't wait to hear the reaction from the fans."We ask him to dive deeper into the album musically."Well, I love working with new artists when working on Filter records," he began. "I love working with Sam Tinnezs and Zack Munowitz and my bandmates Johnny Radtke, Elias Mallin and Bobby Miller, and it's... it was really fun because I wanted to make something that was really agro and crazy, but something that also had hooks. Something that you could walk away with and hum to yourself, and I think we did that."In the full interview, Patrick talks more about what to expect on The Algorithm, the singles released and how they represent the album, the album title and where it comes from, developing the album musically, his guest artists and what they brought to the table, the early days of Filter, how his vision for the band has changed over the years, their 30th anniversary and reflecting on his achievements, his upcoming tour with Rob Zombie, Alice Cooper and Ministry and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

22 Aug 20239min

Interview by Kris PetersYou certainly can't accuse Melbourne rock/metal hybrid Ne Obliviscaris from doing things in shades.After four long years - their last Australian tour was in 2019 - Ne Obliviscaris has announced a run of four dates this September, bringing with them an international assortment of fellow metallers in The Ocean Collective and Rivers Of Nihil.The last time Rivers Of Nihil were out here was actually on that tour, when they made their debut Down Under and left a trail of sonic devastation in their wake.Despite the Exul tour, named after Ne Obliviscaris' recent album, being a homecoming of sorts for the hometown heroes, many punters are just as excited to see the return of Rivers Of Nihil - who are armed with their own new album The Work - with bassist/backing vocalist Adam Biggs joining HEAVY to discuss things more."It is how it is," he shrugged when asked if the run of four shows in five days would be draining. "We always just keep track of things and do the shows... it's the job (smiles). It will be an awesome five days I'm sure."We ask if he thinks Ne Obliviscaris will be hitting the stage with a point to prove after so long away."Hopefully," he laughed. "Hopefully they come out with some motivation and some will to kick some ass. I'm sure we will as well. It's been a little while for us too. I wanna see everybody really motivated on these shows to give the crowd the best of the best they can."In the full interview we discuss Rivers Of Nihil's first trip to Australia with Ne Obliviscaris and what they were like to tour with, playing with The Ocean Collective and what they are expecting, what to expect from Rivers Of Nihil live, the diversity of bands on the line-up and how important that is, their new album The Work and how much of that we are likely to be hearing, their most recent single The Sub Orbital Blues and if that is a stand alone single or part of the next album cycle, what's next for Rivers Of Nihil and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

22 Aug 202310min

Interview by Kris PetersThirty years in any industry is a massive achievement, but when your chosen field of operations is music then those thirty years can often seem like plenty more.It's a commonly held belief for those outside of the industry - but an overwhelming fact for those in it - that only the randomly selected few can ever hope to realise their personal dreams or lofty ambitions that accompany a sudden and meteoric rise up the ladder of the arts.Most are in it for the love and social experiences provided by a career in music, comfortable with the reality that their passion and commitment will not be felt and/or appreciated by those not in the immediiate inner circle.And that's just from a performers position.There are other areas of the music industry that are far less glamorous and infinitely more demanding. Areas where you have to deal not only with fellow musicians or artists, but also those on the other side of the musical fence such as promotors and business interests.These people are the unsung heroes of the industry, often caught between a rock and a hard place playing the intermediary between two highly probably warring parties.So when you hear that someone on this side of the musical playground is on the cusp of celebrating the triple decade milestone you should nod silently in appreciation and acknowledgment for having the mental fortitude, patience and stamina to survive where countless others have failed.Sydney based label Battlegod Productions, founded in 1984 by Peter Kotevski, is officially the longest running heavy metal label in Australia. Built from the ground up by Kotevski - who still holds the reins today - Battlegod Productions boasts musicians such as Tony Martin (former Black Sabbath vocalist), Tony Mills (ex-Shy/TNT vocalist) and Ralf Scheepers (Primal Fear vocalist) as part of their worldwide roster but it is a sustained commitment to nurturing those in his own back yard that has seen Kotevski endure the many tribulations that inevitably arise in a prolonged tenure in the music industry.HEAVY sat down for a chat with Ktevski recently to find out more about Battlegod Productions and their servitude to the Australian music community."I sign up bands internationally, worldwide," he replied when asked to detail his role within Battlegod Productions. "I do a lot of promo and distribution and marketing on a local and international scale. I deal with people like Rockhard magazine and a few others around Europe as well. I've been doing it for many years now. It's had its moments and ups and downs, but it's cool."With many bands not understanding or possibly not even caring about spending their time building their brand before rushing into things, we ask Peter what are some of the basics an emerging band needs to understand before approaching a label."I like a band to be pretty much on the ball," he said. "When I set up interviews for them I expect them to be done by a certain date. I like bands to have good production when they offer me something. If it's someone that's well known or a known artist or band I accept hearing their demo material to get an idea of what their stuff is like. I like a band to be reliable at the same time, and not just for business. I like to get to know my bands on a personal level as well. That's what I have done with all my bands. They have all become friends along the way which is pretty cool. They say never mix business with pleasure but I do it all the time and it seems to work fine for me."In the full interview, Peter talks more about services provided by Battlegod Productions, steps you need to take to progress in the world of music, working with Tony Martin, how he plans to celebrate Battlegod's 30th birthday next year, his early vision for Battlegod and how it has changed since, evolving with the ever changing musical landscape, convert events and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

18 Aug 202325min

Interview by Kris PetersRemember when rock music was pure and real?Before the advent of technology and seemingly magical remedies to remove natural deficiencies in the studio using an invisible golden paintbrush to mask the truth, there was a time where what you recorded stayed recorded, warts and all.While there is no questioning it has helped musicians the world over create and achieve their own perfect sound you still can't help but feel - even in only a small way - a little bit cheated, especially when it comes to the live arena.Sydney rock outfit Dirt City subscribe to this ancient mythology of keeping it real and have today released their debut self titled album to prove it.HEAVY spoke with guitarist Ishan on the eve of release day to find out more."This EP has been around for a little while now," he began. "Since pre COVID, and even a couple of years before then, we started writing the riffs and getting all the vocals down so we've been sitting on it for ages and wondering what everyone is going to think of it and how we're going to release it. We've lived with these songs for a long time now so we are excited to just get it out there and excited to play soon and really get things happening."In the full interview, Ishan talks more about what to expect from the EP, the two singles released and why the band chose them to introduce their music to the world, what sorts of things they discussed as a band going into their debut release, pushing musical boundaries, the use of Middle Eastern mysticism and where it comes from, touring plans and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

18 Aug 202315min