Raw, Real & Gritty With LUKE GRUNTS From CLEOPATRICK

Interview by Kris PetersWhat started as more of a way to fill in time during COVID before expanding its reach across three albums, the Leviathan trilogy set in motion in 2021 by Swedish symphonic metal legends Therion finally draws to a close on December 15 with the release of Leviathan III.It has been a spectacular sonic journey from the band, with each album exploring different musical territory while still paying homage to the sounds that have seen Therion endure more than three decades of sustained success.Featuring choirs and orchestras and the ever-present operatic mastery of Lori Lewis, Leviathan III is more than just the final chapter of a period of time that tested the resolve of us all. It is also an emphatic statement of individuality from a band that pushes most every conceivable boundary of the metal spectrum and comes up trumps every time.Vocalist Thomas Vikstrom joined HEAVY from Sweden to help put the final bow on an enduring legacy three years in the making.We speak with Vikstrom more than one month out from the official release date of the album, so we pose the question of what sorts of emotions this period of inactivity and anticipation evokes."The waiting is boring, but it is what it is," he shrugged. "I'm very pleased with the result, and it will be fun to hear what people think about it. We're also preparing for going to Mexico in January. We're going to follow this up with a tour, so we start off in January in Mexico City with a full symphony orchestra this time. Then we're planning on going through Europe and maybe China. It's gonna be a lot of fun. It's funny, because for people this will be a new record, but for me, I have already digested it. For me, it's not a new record anymore because I've heard it so many times."It has been an epic journey over three years and three albums in bringing the Leviathan trilogy to life, and we ask Vikstrom if the reality of the process lived up to his expectations."That was not the plan from the beginning," he replied, talking about having an album trilogy. "We started to write for a new album, me and Christopher, and exactly when we started - almost on the day - the COVID came and there was lockdown. I couldn't go there, and he couldn't come here, so let's send files forward and back and write like that, which works good today, actually. It's a pity we can't meet, but it did work. Since it was the lockdown it was hysterical. You could go to the supermarket once a day, that was it. So there was not much more to do but write new songs and work and order food from Burger King (laughs). So we started to write, and I was asking Christopher what kind of direction do you want to go with this album and his answer was it's gonna be good… Okay (laughs). That's a bit vague (laughs). In the end we had so many songs in different styles, everything from the hardest almost in the borderlines to pop because we just wrote. So Christopher said let's not make one album, let's make three and put them out in a short period of time. That's how the story was."In the full interview, Thomas reveals how Leviathan III wraps up the series, the musical aspects to Leviathan III and how they fit together, the vocal dynamics between himself and Lori Lewis and how they structure them, getting the balance between so many eclectic styles of music, the upcoming tour and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

15 Nov 202322min

Interview by Kris PetersAustralian extreme metal outfit The Amenta recently released a brutal album called Plague Of Locus, boasting an assortment of cover songs that have inspired the band and their music.The selection of bands paid homage to has a number of surprises amongst some expected tributes, ranging from local black metal bands like Nazxul and Lord Kaos to alternative acts such as Alice In Chains, Diamanda Galas and Killing Joke. It is an eclectic and broad list of artists, going a long way to giving us a better insight into The Amenta and what makes them tick.To celebrate, The Amenta embark on their first headlining tour in over a decade, kicking off on November 16 in Sydney and taking in an appearance at this year's Froth & Fury festival in Adelaide. It is a tour metal fans around the country have been screaming for, and one which sees blackened sludge machine LO! supporting for most shows in a twin sonic assault that promises to be as intense as it will be visually stunning.Keyboard/sampler Timothy Pope sat down with HEAVY to tell us more."You never know what to expect with any release," he began, "but more so with covers. People might not know a lot of the bands we covered, or maybe they knew the songs too well and don't think we do good versions. You never really know how people are going to receive it but so far it's been almost exclusively really positive."We ask Pope why now was the right time for The Amenta to make this album."It was something we almost started doing almost accidently when we started recording our last album Revelator," he explained. "We've always been a band where basically anything we write we record and it gets released. So there's not a lot of additional stuff floating around. There's no B sides or nothing we can put together a special release with, so it was a deliberate decision of let's try and record a couple of songs that we won't put on the album, but we'll just use the fact we're recording to get them done as efficiently as possible. Then if we need to do a Japanese import version with bonus tracks or anything like that then we've got some tracks. We recorded the drums of the Alice In Chains song called Angry Chair and also the drums for the Halo song Rise. We recorded them at the same time we recorded drums for Revelator, and at one point we even talked about having those songs on the album anyway. But as we went through those dropped by the wayside, and we decided to concentrate on the songs that we know are going to be on the album. They sat there for a little while not doing anything, and then we were talking about doing something with those songs and thought we would build it out to something more rather than just have two songs on Bandcamp. As we discussed it we came up with all this idea of all these bands we wanted to cover, and we decided to pin them all around this new song that we wrote especially for it and make it into a bit more of a solid release. Something that people could get their teeth into a bit."In the full interview, Tim talks more about the covers chosen and why, the broad spectrum of influences and how they shaped The Amenta's sound, how much the songs were changed from the original versions, the process of reworking each song, the awesome album cover, the one original song on Plague Of Locus and if that is a hint at the future direction of their music, the upcoming tour and what to expect and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

10 Nov 202317min

Interview by Kris PetersThe modern age of music is far more demanding than it was even ten years ago.To be able to give your band the best chance of success, often band members multitask with other roles within the music industry, trying to give themselves and their bandmates the best opportunities.One such way is to put on your own shows, not only to give your band gigs and exposure, but also for networking purposes. Combining the two is an arduous, often thankless task, but when done right can have great rewards.Just ask 100 Years War vocalist Lacca, who not only fronts the rising metal outfit, but also has an annual festival by the name of Metal In The Mountains.With this year's recent event a resounding success, HEAVY sat down with Lacca to talk more about the joys of music and spending time with his band."It went really well," he enthused. "We had a great crowd. It was the first time in the open air in the middle of Beechworth, right behind the old courthouse where Ned Kelly was tried. It's a nice historic area with all these old buildings. It was warm weather. The sun was out, we were really blessed in that regard. The weather's always a concern when you're doing an outdoor gig, but we got a real good deck of cards this time. We tried to go outdoors last year, but it was wet, so we had to hold off."In the full interview, Lacca runs through the bands on the day and how they performed, fills us in on the hot sauce competition, putting together a show the size of Metal In The Mountains, the diversity of the line-up and why he made it that way, 11 Years War, upcoming new music, touring Japan and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

9 Nov 20239min

Interview by Kris PetersThe beauty of being a solo artist is the complete freedom of total creativity.While the burden can weigh too heavily on some performers, not so New Zealand-born and Melbourne-based multi-instrumentalist Rachel Trainor, who releases her debut album The Way Back Down under the name Nighteyes on November 10.A sonic tapestry combining dark rock, folk and electronica, The Way Back Down portrays a plethora of emotions, culminating in somewhat of a musical journey as told through the songs of Trainor.Trainor, who also has a history in circus and cabaret, gives herself fully to her debut offering as Nighteyes and offers a masterful soundscape that has to be listened to across the whole album to fully sink in.Rachel sat down earlier this week with HEAVY to talk about the album."I'm really excited," she smiled. "I'm also pretty nervous. I think it's my first release with a solo project so doing everything myself is a learning curve (laughs). But I'm really looking forward to having this album out. I've been recording it and working on it for two years, so it's gonna be nice to have it all done."We ask Trainor to tell us more about The Way Back Down musically."It's kind of got a bunch of different sounds on it," she measured. "I'm really inspired by artists like Chelsea Wolf and Darkher. I really adore the way that some of those artists mix genres a little bit. There's some electronic vibes in there; there's some heavy, doom elements; a little bit of post rock as well. I made it so all of my influences have come together."In the full interview, Rachel talks more about the sonic landscape of the album, the challenges of being a solo artist with a full band recording, what sorts of things she focussed on going into her debut album, the meaning behind the title, the singles released and how they represent the whole album, her circus and cabaret background and how she utilises that in her music, Friday night's album launch at Whole Lotta Love and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

9 Nov 202313min

Interview by Kris PetersSince bursting onto the local metal scene in 2021 with their debut track Forever Know My Name, Blue Mountains based metalcore outfit Naugrim have wasted little in asserting their music, already sharing the stage with international acts such as Unearth and Darkest Hour as well as making a name for themselves at local festivals Canberra Metal fest, Winter Magic Revival Festival and Borderline Destruction.Rather than sitting back and enjoying the fruits of their labours, Naugrim are plunging even further into the metal landscape with the release of their debut EP Adversity which will be unleashed on November 10.To find out just where Naugrim has come from and how far they are destined to go, HEAVY sat down with frontman Greg McManus for a chat."A little bit anxious I suppose," he admitted when we asked how he was feeling on the eve of the EP release. "There's a bit of the unknown. We've only been around a year and this is our first major release. We've played some pretty cool shows, but this is our first real test of the waters. A bit nervous."McManus has worked in the music industry for a long time, but even with his and the rest of the band's wealth of industry experience the creative cycle of releasing your first body of work still takes a toll mentally and emotionally."It's funny, and I'm sure you're the same," he replied. "You see a lot of stuff, and you see a lot of different music and bands and things, and the one thing personally I have been trying to concentrate on is not letting that influence anything if that makes sense. Just trying to make sure that we're doing our own thing, and we're happy with it. So much stuff is popular, or you can see what is hitting really well, but it's still trying to do your own thing."In the full interview, Greg talks more about the musical side of Adversity, runs us through each of the five tracks individually and gives some insight into what they are about, the lyrical content and what message he wants it to leave, the stunning cover artwork and what it represents, future gigs and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

9 Nov 20238min

Interview by Kris PetersGenerally when the festive season rolls around and talk turns to Christmas albums the general chill that runs down most metalheads spines would rival that of the North Pole.Far too often a purely commercial venture by smiling sonic assassins out to further enhance their global acceptability, the Christmas album tale has long been fraught with fear and contempt.The year 2017 was a welcome exception when song siren Tarja released the devilishly wicked From Spirits and Ghosts (Score for a Dark Christmas). That album further showcased the infinite well of talent and creativity that defines Tarja, putting her own spin on music that normally brings joy and cheer and turning them to the dark side which such majestic beauty that even adults started to believe in Santa Claus once more.Well, maybe that's a bit of a stretch, but it did mean we didn't have to listen to Mariah Carey singing carols at every dark turn.This year Tarja returns with Dark Christmas on November 10, broadening her horizons by tackling other artists interpretations of Yuletide cheer such as Wham's Last Christmas, Mariah Carey's All I Want For Christmas and Paul McCartney's Wonderful Christmastime and mixing them with her own reworkings of classics such as Frosty The Snowman, Jingle Bells and Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer.Plus, to put the veritable icing on the Christmas Cake, Tarja also celebrates the happiest time of the year by releasing her own Christmas original track, Dark Christmas.In keeping with spreading love and cheer at this time of year, Tarja sat down earlier this week for a chat with HEAVY to unwrap the presents."You can call me a Christmas woman, alright," she smiled, laughing. "This is my third Christmas album. To do an album like this, very different, very much darker than usual… even though the songs that you hear are the songs that everybody knows. But when you get to listen to them, they have absolutely different arrangements. Very cinematographic, dark arrangements. And so I love this Christmas tradition that I have as an artist. It's a very, very important part of my career. I'm doing tours every year, at the end of the year since 2005. A long time."We dive into Dark Christmas musically a bit deeper."This time I chose songs that are very, very known," she began. "There's Jingle Bells and All I Want For Christmas Is You, Last Christmas, White Christmas. I don't necessarily enjoy myself this kind of music. The music that sounds in supermarkets when you get there… it's too commercial and all yuk. So I wanted to escape from all that and make these songs more appealing to me first of all as an artist. I worked the arrangements with a man called Jim Dooley in Los Angeles. He's working only for films with movie soundtracks, so he understood my concept that I wanted to get was to get these songs completely different. Of course, the melody you know, but it's a completely different world when you emerge and listen to these songs. In some songs this time I took some creepy kids. There is a kid's choir brought into play from Argentina. My daughter plays drums and the symphonic orchestra with my voice. That's about it."In the full interview, Tarja explains why there is a six-year gap between Christmas albums, what she feels makes a true dark Christmas, using the children's choir and what that added to the songs, how she has reworked existing tracks to make them her own, the obvious covers and how they differ, if she thinks it is a child-friendly album, the original song Dark Christmas, making a video for all twelve songs and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

9 Nov 202319min

Interview by Kris PetersThe common perception with iconic bands is that their musical output understandably slows the longer their careers go on.This could be for a variety of factors that are too many to mention, but no matter how many excuses there are, try telling legendary Californian death metal outfit Autopsy that they should be slowing down.Coming just 12 months after the release of Morbidity Triumphant, the timeless warriors last week unveiled another slab of metal excellence in the form of Ashes, Organs, Blood And Crypts.A sonic barrage that sounds as if it were conceived in the bowels of Hell itself, Ashes, Organs, Blood And Crypts is, if anything, an ever more polished performance from Autopsy given that new bass player Greg Wilkinson not only has one album under his belt before this release, but also the fact he had more involvement in the complete album cycle.Wilkinson joined HEAVY earlier for a chat about the new material and more."It's been good," he smiled at the response to the new album. "It was kind of scary putting two albums a year apart and some people were definitely nervous at how are they gonna put two records out and make them good."I point out the above-mentioned fact that bands generally reduce their output in the latter stages of their career, a point which he shrugs off casually."I can't speak on behalf of before me joining the band, but there was that whole COVID lockdown thing," he measured, "that I think maybe built a little back up. And then me joining the band nad also having input in that stuff. There was four of us who could all write songs, so you have four people, you have a big break from shows; from writing records; from recording. The whole world shut down for a year and a half, so I'm sure those are all elements that came into play. In the end, the fact of the matter is I think once we get the wheels rolling we just keep going. It seems like we just kept going. Kinetic energy, that's my answer."In the full interview, Greg talks about the musical side of the new album, how it differs sonically to Morbidity Triumphant, how the singles released represent the album, the horror-inspired film clip for Rabid Funeral, how he is settling into his role in the band after joining in 2021, how he came to be a member of Autopsy and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

9 Nov 202319min

Interview by Kris PetersMusic has a way of providing comfort in a wide variety of ways.To the general music consumer, that comfort is a more personal enjoyment of the music, the lyrics, and the message, but the cathartic nature of music also extends to those making it.When Fuming Mouth vocalist Mark Whelan was diagnosed with life-threatening Acute Myeloid Leukemia he could have accepted and reacted to the news in a number of ways.But he chose his band and music.And that option helped him harness his thoughts and problems into a body of work that, although already close to completion, would provide support, encouragement and hope in his time of need.Some of the tracks were reworked and rewritten to reflect his new battle, but mostly Whelan turned his potential life negatives into a constructive force of nature that helped drive his creative output while also strengthening his resolve.That product was unleashed on the world last week when Fuming Mouth released their second album Last Day Of Sun, a triumphant sonic release of hope and courage against seemingly insurmountable odds.HEAVY caught up with Whelan, drummer James Davis and bass player Pat Merson to find out more."It's been good, for the most part," Merson nodded when asked how fans have responded to the album."It seems like the live reception has been good," Davis added. "I've seen people singing along to the songs and reacting to the music so that's been cool."We press the boys to tell us more about Last Day Of Sun musically and what they were going for with it."Just something really heavy, really brutal," Whelan replied, "truly metal and beyond just death metal into worlds of heavy metal. Beyond that into some more melodic territory that you might hear, but ultimately bringing it back to big bands like Judas Priest with big guitar solos and making it more of a dynamic album than just one low tunes brutal death song after another."In the full interview, the boys talk about the two singles released and if they are a good representation of the album as a whole, Mark's battle with leukemia and how it impacted the album, what message they hope people will take from the album, recording with Kurt Ballou in Salem and what effect that had on the finished product, the early days of Fuming Mouth, their initial vision for the band and how it has changed since, live shows and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

8 Nov 202310min