Raw, Real & Gritty With LUKE GRUNTS From CLEOPATRICK

Interview by Kris PetersIconic Canadian rock outfit The Tea Party have been mesmerizing fans around the world with their innovative music and captivating live shows for over three decades now.While their musical output has always been in a league of its own, it is on the live stage that The Tea Party have excelled, delivering knockout performances every time they grace the stage and transfixing audiences with their almost laconic approach that never fails to entertain.After being absent from these shores since 2019, The Tea Party will make a welcome return this June for the Trip (tych) 25 Tour, celebrating 25 years since the release of one of the band's most recognised and loved albums.HEAVY sat down with drummer Jeff Burrows recently to talk more about the tour and an album that will go down in rock music history.We start by asking how much focus Trip (tych) will have for the shows."With this tour, it's not a top to tail album sequenced show," he explained. "We're gonna play 8 or 9 - including some of the deeper cuts that we've never played before - mixed with some other B sides and deeper cuts, and of course some of the hits."We ask what has changed with The Tea Party since they were here last five years ago."I think… I can honestly say it's an appreciation for where we're at," he measured, "what we've been afforded, the types of shows that we get to do. We've been doing this for over thirty years now and ask me thirty years ago if I thought I'd still be able to travel abroad and play shows in front of people who love our music and sing along with us, I never thought that would be possible. I think more grateful, communicative and the fact that it's easily the best job - if you have to call it that - in the world. There's no complaints here. It doesn't even really get harder. It kind of gets a bit easier, because we don't worry now about… back in the day we would cross Canada in a van - we've crossed Canada 13 times in a van before we were even signed - and we didn't know if we were making it to the next town. Canada's alot like Australia. You're going from Perth to Adelaide in a van, that's essentially Vancouver to Calgary in a van, and it's brutal. There's overnight drives after the show where you're still sweating because there was only one hotel. There's no showers at these tiny little clubs, so things get a little bit easier as you get a little bit older. I dunno, I think we've moved in quite well (laughs)."In the full interview, Jeff talks more about the upcoming tour, playing songs from the album they haven't performed live before, how Trip (tych) has stood the test of time, how significant the album was in The Tea Party's career, how their sound changed from their 1991 debut to Trip (tych) and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

9 Apr 202421min

Interview by Kris PetersFive Finger Death Punch have never been a band to shy away from musical experimentation and collaborating with artists outside of their comfort zone and chosen genre.Over the years they have recorded songs with everyone from Rob Halford to Brian May to Kenny Wayne Shepherd, each time taking themselves out of their safety net and into the musical psyche of bands and artists many would not even consider sharing space with.But perhaps the biggest collaboration of them all came when Five Finger Death Punch recorded a song with rapper/hip hop artist DMX called This Is The Way, which was originally meant to be included on their 2022 album Afterlife.Sadly, DMX was taken from the world before that could happen, with Afterlife being released without that song in order to pay respects and tie up any lingering issues and legalities.But now, two years later, that album is being re-released in Deluxe format with acoustic versions of album songs The End, Judgement Day, and Thanks For Asking, plus the collaboration with DMX which is already being hailed as a defining moment in metal/rap crossover history.HEAVY sat down for a rare chat with guitarist Zoltan Bathory to go over Afterlife Deluxe."Great, man. This has been a long time in… we worked on it for a long, long time," he measured. "This deluxe edition of the record is coming out because at the time when we originally released this album we had this track which is the collaboration with DMX everybody is talking about and the song was meant to be on this record. However, because DMX passed, and we had to have the approval of every single person that was involved - the estate to the producers and publishers - we realised that it might take longer. And it did take a bit over a year to complete everything, and we didn't wanna wait, so we released the album without this track. But this track was always meant to be on this album. Every record you assemble, every song has a reason to be there and every song has a reason to be in that specific spot in the sequence. And so, one of my favourite records we did - Afterlife - was still missing this song and this song is important and was important to be on this record. Basically now with the deluxe edition coming out I feel like we completed the record."In the full interview, Zoltan talks about his excitement about getting the deluxe version of Afterlife out, how This Is The Way completes the album musically, the three acoustic songs and how they broke them down, the meaning behind Judgement Day, where Afterlife stands in Five Finger Death Punch's musical evolution, collaborating with DMX and the parallels between heavy metal and hip hop, touring plans and more.https://5fdp.ffm.to/afterlifedeluxeBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

4 Apr 202420min

Interview by Kris PetersCorey Glover has long been recognised as one of the finest vocalists of the modern era thanks to his role as frontman for Living Colour. It would be both easy and understandable for the singer to remain in the comforting confines of Living Colour, where his vocal prowess will always be beyond reproach, but Glover has never been one to rest on his laurels.Teaming up with guitarist Mike Orlando from Adrenaline Mob, Glover has started a fresh, vibrant project called Sonic Universe that allows him to display his chops in a different environment, with different musicians, to no less overall effect.If the two lead singles I Am and Higher are anything to go by, Sonic Universe sees Glover step into more hard rock territory, with both songs an extension of his work with Living Colour without rewriting the rulebook to excess.With Sonic Universe's debut album It Is What It Is scheduled for release on May 10, HEAVY scored some Facetime with the legendary vocalist to chat about his new project and more."All these songs are pretty personal," he began. "This song Higher, for example, is Mike's ambition at making a metal Gospel tune, and he got the right people to do it, I guess (laughs)."We ask Glover to tell us more about Sonic Universe and how it came to be."Me and Mike met on a cruise, on the ShipRocked cruise, we were both stowaways on that," he laughed. "I saw Mike playing and his guitar playing was like 'Holy Shit, who is that dude?' I was like, I gotta meet this guy, so I met Mike, and it turns out we all have a bunch of mutual friends, and we know a bunch of people so it was like 'look, let's get together and do something at some point'. And that was just before the pandemic. Some time after that, we got together. I would go to his place and studio called Sonic Sound, and we just banged out a bunch of tunes over the course of two years."In the full interview, Corey discusses Sonic Universe in greater detail, runs through each track on It Is What It Is individually and tells us more about it, why they decided to introduce the world to Sonic Universe with the song I Am, the album from a musical perspective and what they were going for, touring plans and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

4 Apr 202414min

Interview by Kris PetersMelbourne industrial titans Witchgrinder released their highly anticipated third album, Nothing Stays Buried.Once more revolving around horror and the macabre, Nothing Stays Buried is a meaty slab of intent from the Australian outfit, furthering the promise shown on Witchgrinder's two earlier albums but magnifying it even further.Since the release of their debut album in 2013, Witchgrinder have systematically built up a loyal and growing fan base, scoring support slots to the likes of Ministry, Rob Zombie, Ghost, Wednesday 13, Powerman 5000, Sevendust and Drowning Pool before landing the covetted opening spot for Static X last year. The band have honed and refined their live show to reflect both their music and influences, creating an overwhelming sense of dread and foreboding that perfectly accentuates the sonic blast of agression elicited by their music.With Nothing Stays Buried unleashed on the public, frontman Travis Everett took the time to talk with HEAVY, discussing the album in greater detail."This album took a while to write," he measured. "Actually, the writing didn't take so long, what it was, is there was a large gap in between from the lat album due to line-up changes and covid. Witchgrinder had a nice touring line-up, but nothing put together where I felt comfortable writing and getting back in and doing the third album. Of course, I had a lot of stuff put away with riffs over the years, but I never started really structuring anything together. With this album I looked at what the previous two had done… I had time to talk to a lot of people who listened to Witchgrinder over the years - alot of new fans and a lot of old ones - and worked out what they liked best from the first album and the second album. What songs were their favourite and what weren't. We really sat - especially me and the guitarist Scott - we sat down and spoke about what style of song we wanted one to be. We'd pick one of the old ones off the album and say we kind of want it a bit like this, but we want this one rockier. We want this one more thrash metal. But we still wanted to keep the Witchgrinder sound."In the full interview, Travis talks more about the writing process for Nothing Stays Buried, the musical direction of the album, the band's upcoming tour plus he runs us through each track on Nothing Stays Buried in greater depth.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

28 Mars 202424min

Interview by Kris PetersAustralian blues/rock outfit Beasts Of Bourbon have been a mainstay of the Aussie music scene for over 40 years, blending a blues-infused swagger with sleazy rock and tonnes of attitude to create a musical aura that is as much about the musicians who make up the band as it is the music itself.Originally formed with James Baker on drums (ex-Hoodoo Gurus, The Scientists), Spencer P. Jones on guitar (The Johnnys), Tex Perkins on vocals (Dum Dums), Kim Salmon on guitar and Boris Sujdovic on bass guitar (both ex-The Scientists), the Beasts Of Bourbon went through several line-up changes over the years, with Tex Perkins and Jones being the only regular contributors.After disbanding in 1985 following their debut album The Axeman's Jazz it seemed the music of Beasts Of Bourbon would be lost into the channels of Australian history but they reformed just two years later and released a second album Sour Mash the following year.Several albums followed, culminating in 2007s Little Animals before Beasts Of Bourbon disbanded once more, seemingly for good.2013 saw a couple of select 30th anniversary shows before another slide into the unknown until 2019 when the band re-emerged under the shortened name of Beasts.After a new album Still Here came out in 2019 Beasts went back into slumber, resurfacing last year for 40th anniversary celebrations, with the response being so overwhelmingly positive that the band are on the cusp of undertaking a six-date nation tour with the intention of taking their music and legacy even further than the two shows last year allowed.HEAVY caught up with guitarist Kim Salmon to find out more."It has been a while, really, since we've done any touring in earnest with this band," he nodded. "It was just before the pandemic, so probably four years. We did a couple of shows last year with our original drummer James Baker, and we recorded that and we were so excited about that recording that we thought we'd take it out on the road. We're going to actually release some of this stuff. This is a beauty."We mention that HEAVY is a big fan of live albums, to which Salmon replied, "me too. There's been some good ones over the years. There's also been some less than good ones, but this one I think is… we were gonna call it… Tex and I were talking about it (laughs) and throwing titles around, and we thought how about The Best Live Album Ever Recorded or The Best Live Album Ever, but I had this thing… like there's Slade Alive and Kiss Alive, so I thought why not Beasts Alive? So we're putting that out through a French label called Beast Records. But that won't be out until September, I think. We've got a five track 12" that will only be available at the gig and that's some tracks taken from that recording."In the full interview, Kim talks more about the tour and what to expect, if he still enjoys touring after so much time on the road, the enduring success of Beasts and why, the rocky road to success, changing the band name from Beasts Of Bourbon to Beasts and why, their debut album The Axeman's Jazz and his thought of it 40 years later, future plans and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

28 Mars 202417min

Interview by Kris PetersSince their inception in 1991 US rock outfit Incubus have defied the laws and conventions of music by shading outside the lines and creating their own brand of sonic retribution.Their music was different and experimental, while still maintaining a rock-infused underbelly that provided a meaty backbone that stood tall through a myriad of musical disparities that combined to create the perfect sonic storm.With three consecutive albums that pushed the envelope further than ever before S.C.I.E.N.C.E. (1997), Make Yourself (1999) and Morning View (2001), Incubus and their music quickly gained global attention and transformed what was once a personal odyssey into more of a worldwide phenomenon.Such is the band's enduring legacy, they have re-recorded Morning View and will release it on May 10 with the title Morning View XXIII, but first they are making a long overdue return to Australia for a run of shows with fellow rockers Live this April.As well as five national co-headlining shows with Live, Incubus will also appear at the inaugural Lookout Festival, an outdoor event on some of the country's most iconic stages alongside Live, Birds Of Tokyo, Eskimo Joe and The Superjesus.HEAVY was fortunate enough to speak with Incubus frontman Brandon Boyd on the eve of the tour."I think this is probably the most extensive tour of Australia we will have done," he smiled. "I could be wrong about that, but I don't remember having played… I think it's eight or nine shows by itself, just in Australia. I'm excited."This will be Incubus' first trip to Australia since 2018, so we cheekily ask Boyd why the band has neglected us for so long."(laughs) Something happened in the world sometime after 2019 that made it so travelling was really tough," he replied. "I don't remember exactly what it was, but something happened that kept us off aeroplanes and stuff (laughs). We're sorry it's taken us so long, but we're really excited to make our way back, and we're thrilled to be able to do these shows with the band Live as well."On the subject of Live, we ask why they were chosen to be touring partners with Incubus on this run."This is something that honestly would not have occurred to me," he measured, "to put our bands together to do this. It came through other channels to potentially pair us up to tour, but when we heard about it being a possibility, all of us were very enthusiastic about the idea because Live was one of those bands when I was growing up that just had some bangers. They've got some tracks that are just killer, and I've actually never seen them play live, so it's pretty awesome to go on tour with a band that you enjoy, but you've never had the pleasure of seeing live. So this will be my introduction to them formally."In the full interview we discuss the tour in greater detail, Lookout Festival and playing with Australian bands, what has changed in the 6 years since Incubus last toured Australia, the different excitement he gets from playing outdoor festivals compared to indoor arenas, re-recording Morning View, how well the music from that album has stood the test of time, if and how crowds respond differently to the songs from that album two decades later and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

28 Mars 202414min

Following a recent successful tour of Australia with Northlane, metalcore legends ERRA are now readying for the release of their new album Cure, which is released on April 5.HEAVY spoke with the band just before their Brisbane show at Fortitude Music Hall.VIDEO WAS FILMED LIVE FROM SOUNDCHECK SO SOUND QUALITY MAY FLUCTUATEBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

28 Mars 202422min

Interview by Kris PetersMelbourne metalcore/deathcore/techdeath outfit Roswell DeathSquad have been making waves since the release of their debut album Welcome Home in January this year.Which isn't surprising given the pedigree of musicians within the band's ranks. Featuring past and present members of Festation, Harlott, Carthus, Mistress of Misery and Fear the Fallen, Roswell DeathSquad have not only the hunger to succeed but also the experience, which is an almost forgotten prerequisite for success in the modern age.After playing their first live show back in August last year, Roswell Deathsquad are hoping to convert even more fans on March 30 when they play a belated album launch show at the Workers Club in Melbourne.Vocalist Jarryd Rodger joined HEAVY to talk about the album and more."Pretty good," he replied when we asked how Welcome Home has been received. "A lot of feedback that we have had has been absolutely phenomenal. Whether it be old mate down the street or a few people overseas, everyone has been loving it. It hits the heavy mark, it hits the metalcore mark as well, so it gives everyone a bit of everything rather than getting stale which is what we aim for. It's been received a lot better than we anticipated, especially releasing it randomly at the start of the year. Our Spotify numbers are sitting at 2 to 3000 every month and for a new band that no-one really knows that's good."In the full interview, Jarryd talks more about Welcome Home, what they were going for musically with it, what things they focussed on going into album number one, the themes and points of interest, the members other bands and how much of each they bring to Roswell DeathSquad's sound, their blending of music and how it works, next week's album launch and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

23 Mars 202416min