Still Packing A Punch With BEN ELY From REGURGITATOR

Interview by Kris PetersAfter capturing the markets across the United States, Japan, United Kingdom and Mexico, Game Changer Wrestling (GCW) has now set their sights on Australia.Following the successful integration of Billy Corgan's wrestlers into The World Is A Vampire shows earlier this year, GCW is flying out their best to take on our very own Renegades Of Wrestling (ROW) over three epic encounters later this month.Boasting wrestlers such as El Hijo Del Vikingo, Maki Itoh, Joey Janela, Effy, Allie Katch, Gringo Loco, Charli Evans, Rat Daddy, Aysha, Gore and Lochy Hendricks, GCW isn't taking things lightly and are hitting our shores with the expectation of not only dominating their local counterparts but also cornering this corner of the globe from a competitive angle.HEAVY sat down for an entertaining one on one with 'Bad Boy' Joey Janela to find out more."We're bringing our crazy brand of wrestling to Australia, finally," he said. "A lot of fans have been waiting for it. We've been waiting to bring it over for a long while now and the fans want us to come over, so we're doing it and we're gonna see lots of things flow and maybe we can make this a yearly stop on the GCW tour.""I'm expecting a lot of energy," he continued. "I'm expecting not a lot of sleep and I'm expecting a lot of great professional wrestling. I've been to Australia a few times and it's always one of the highlights of my year. It's one of my favourite places to visit with some of the best fans, the best bars and the best women. Three of my favourite things, and great professional wrestling. There's great wrestlers over there."In the full interview, Joey tells us more about what we can expect from GCW, what they are expecting from our wrestlers, preparing mentally and physically for a run of three consecutive matches, how this is going to compare to Corgan's wrestlers, preparing for matches, how they are going to corner the Australian market, his personal wrestling style and signature moves, wrestling and heavy metal music, the enduring legacy of wrestling and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

10 Aug 202311min

Interview by Kris PetersFor more than 30 years now Cleveland extreme metal/hardcore legends Ringworm have been decimating the hearts and minds the world over.Their aggressive, uncompromising approach to both music and life has seen them deliver a consistently high number of unrelenting albums, with the band now set to expand that repertoire with their ninth album Seeing Through Fire, out August 18 through Nuclear Blast Records.HEAVY tracked down frontman James 'Human Furnace' Bulloch to find out more, starting with whether the band still gets nervous or anxious about new albums."No, never," he smiled. "We get excited, but I wouldn't say nervous. We've done this before, and like a lot of bands, this record was done a long time ago. The record had been done well over a year ago. It takes a while these days to get a record out, so we've been sitting on it a while. If anything, it will be a relief. Finally, this record is out! We're pretty psyched for it. It all worked out. Sometimes when you're patient... because we were originally going to put this record out ourselves, because we went into the studio and recorded it and we were intent on putting it out ourselves. Then we were patient with it a little bit, and because of that we were able to connect with Nuclear Blast and they were all about putting it out and doing it for us, so we were very excited about that."In the full interview James talks more about what to expect musically from Seeing Through Fire, the singles released and how they represent the album, their music videos and how much thought goes into them, the different approach the band took on this album and how it affected the finished product, how this is a new era for Ringworm, the early days of the band, future plans and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

9 Aug 202314min

Interview by Kris PetersRiding high on the back of their recent album HISS, Singapore extreme metal outfit Wormrot have been announced as main support to Napalm Death on their September Australian tour.Guitarist Rasyid sat down with HEAVY to bring us up to speed."It will be fun," he enthused. "It's not the first time we toured there. The last time was with Obituary and then I had another tour with my other band there also, but that was a short one also. Yeah, I'm back!"We ask Rasyid what fans can expect from the Wormrot set."Oh man, I'm not sure," he laughed. "We're gonna try to catch up with everybody and go as hard as possible and as fast as possible. We will see how you guys react."In the full interview, Rasyid talks about what has changed with Wormrot since their last visit Down Under, touring with Napalm Death and what that means to the band, how much thought and planning goes into their live shows, their latest album HISS and why it is the band's best yet, receiving universal acclaim and the pressures that come with it, the early days of the band and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

9 Aug 20238min

Interview by Kris PetersThrashville has quickly become one of the must attend music festivals on the Australian calendar.Not only is it situated miles away from any form of civilised life - meaning noise restrictions and the like are non-existent - but it is also a damn good festival featuring a splattering of the best in Australian music from major headliners through to up and comers.With this years line-up - set down over September 8 and 9 at Dashville in the Hunter Valley - comprising a host of talent including CIVIC, Shady Nasty, Crocodylus, Bloody Hell, Downgirl, Wildheart, Operation Ibis, Deadshowws and more, it is the reuniting of two of this countries heavyweight acts that is generating most interest.Progressive rock outfit COG and funk/rock/metal masters Mammal headline over both nights, continuing their successful partnership at the top of concert goers wish lists.Since returning from self imposed exile six years ago, Mammal have taken a more steady path to salvation, initially releasing the singles Community and Dead before retreating for a couple of years and emerging with two powerful tracks in Crime Scene and The War. With their follow up album to The Majority nearing completion and Thrashville less than a month away, enigmatic frontman Ezekiel Ox sat down with HEAVY to talk about all things Mammal and hitting the stage once more."I think the line up is sensational," he offered, referring to Thrashville. "We can't wait to get back on the same bill as our old touring buddies COG - of course I narrated their documentary, I performed The River Song with them live, we've toured countless times on their headline tours and seen them on festivals - so how good is it gonna be? Mammal and COG in the same space. It's about time, I would say."We steer the topic of conversation around to the fact Thrashville is an all Australian affair, showcasing the talent on offer in our own backyard."I think it's great," Ox affirmed. "Losing Homebake, I was always super disappointed with that. Mammal was lucky enough to play on the 2008 Homebake with the Divinyls, Parkway Drive, Crowded House - because it was always New Zealand bands as well - but I think that was a huge loss, so to see festivals like Thrashville is a chance for us to flex our muscles and show what we're capable of down here. We've got the best bands in the world. Of course we do. You don't have to spend so much and you don't have to go far from home to see the best in the business."Mammals live reputation is the stuff of legends, but Ox seems genuinely excited at the chance to play in an isolated environment amongst friends, without fear of being shut down or regulated by over zealous pen pushers."It's such a great opportunity. I'm lucky enough to have played Thrashville before with another one of my projects, and it is such a good festival. It's just got the vibe. They've got tattooists there and so much else going on. It's worth getting a tent out. It's worth coming to camp for two days and it's a family operated festival. All of those things you said about it being almost off the grid, I think it's pretty cool. Come and get loose."In the full interview, Zeke talks about what fans can expect from their show, their long running association with COG, keeping politics out of personal life, Mammals steady path to the new album, what it will sound like, some of the topics covered lyrically, how far off it could be, standing up for your beliefs, where his strong views come from, future plans and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

4 Aug 202326min

Interview by Kris PetersDepression and mental health are becoming an increasingly prevalent condition, especially in the modern age where sometimes just living can become a struggle.They are real problems with no definitive answer. Problems that could affect any one of us at any time.As much as money always helps in any situation, perhaps more importantly in these cases the vital factor is more awareness.Awareness that it can and does happen. Awareness that it is not your fault or something you should go through alone and awareness of the fact that sometimes it’s okay to not be okay and the most important first step to helping yourself is communication and putting your troubles out there for the world to see, hear and help.One way to do this is by staging events – of any nature – but when music is your life and passion the default mechanism generally switches to live events. And, as we all know, musicians do it better than most.On September 16 the Mansfield Tavern in Brisbane will host Rock Beats Depression, featuring an eclectic assortment of local and interstate bands uniting for one common cause. Brisbane metal warriors Dreamkillers head the bill, with Black Whisky, Goatzilla, Gutterfire, Tailor Made Rejects, Krave and more coming together for a common cause.The day will raise not only awareness, but also funding for The Black Dog Institute, Beyond Blue and Headspace.Each week HEAVY will be speaking with bands on the line-up about what being a part of Rock Beats Depression means to them. Today we catch up with Luke Karolak, guitarist/vocalist for Sunshine Coast rock trio Ruination."Rock Beats Depression was actually something that we were asked to do last year," he offered. "We were fortunate enough to get a foot in the door, and to be asked back is a big thing. We love what it stands for and Caity is amazing. There's so many awesome bands on it again this year, so it's gonna be great."In the full interview, Luke talks more about the meaning behind Rock Beats Depression, what message he hopes people will take out of it, supporting each other and speaking up about your problems, the cathartic nature of music, Ruination's next EP and what it will sound like and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

3 Aug 202312min

Interview by Kris Peters Depression and mental health are becoming an increasingly prevalent condition, especially in the modern age where sometimes just living can become a struggle. They are real problems with no definitive answer. Problems that could affect any one of us at any time.As much as money always helps in any situation, perhaps more importantly in these cases the vital factor is more awareness. Awareness that it can and does happen. Awareness that it is not your fault or something you should go through alone and awareness of the fact that sometimes it’s okay to not be okay and the most important first step to helping yourself is communication and putting your troubles out there for the world to see, hear and help. One way to do this is by staging events – of any nature – but when music is your life and passion the default mechanism generally switches to live events. And, as we all know, musicians do it better than most. On September 16 the Mansfield Tavern in Brisbane will host Rock Beats Depression, featuring an eclectic assortment of local and interstate bands uniting for one common cause. Brisbane metal warriors Dreamkillers head the bill, with Black Whisky, Goatzilla, Gutterfire, Tailor Made Rejects, Krave and more coming together for a common cause. The day will raise not only awareness, but also funding for The Black Dog Institute, Beyond Blue and Headspace.Each week HEAVY will be speaking with bands on the lineup about what being a part of Rock Beats Depression means to them. Today we catch up with Ezra from Brisbane stoner rock outfit The Wretched Creatures.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

3 Aug 202310min

Interview by Kris PetersMusic is in the blood. I don't care what you say.Sure, it can be taught, but if you come from a musical pedigree chances are that passion and talent courses through your veins and more needs to be harnessed than taught.There is perhaps no better example of this than Wolfgang Van Halen, whose path in life was pretty much pre-mapped for him when he was born to a great man by the name of Eddie Van Halen.Living under the shadow of greatness can be too large a cross to bear for most people, but not Wolfgang who embraced his birthright, first mastering the drums before moving onto guitar and bass.Having joined Van Halen as bass player in 2006, Wolfgang spread his talents by also playing with Tremonti from 2012 to 2016 before focussing on his solo project Mammoth WVH following his Father's passing.He released his debut, self titled album in 2021, playing all of the instruments and assuming vocal duties.Not only did this album showcase Wolfgang's immense playing talent, it also revealed a songwriting narrative that swept the global music scene and left fans salivating over the thought of a follow up, which arrives on August 4 under the title Mammoth II.Once more taking on all vocal and instrumental duties, Wolfgang set himself a personal task of peeling back even more layers of his musical psyche, challenging himself in a variety of situations and removing himself from the comfort zones that had previously carried him to success.HEAVY was honoured with a request to speak with Wolfgang in person to find out more about the new album and what he was trying to achieve."I'm very excited about it," he smiled. "I think it's the sequel to our first album, but everything turned to 11. It's a really aggressive, but musically and melodically dense album and I'm just really excited for people to hear it.""I'm feeling really good," he continued. "We just announced our first headlining tour in the States at the end of the year and we've been to Europe a couple of times. I'm just looking forward to the opportunity to finally get out to Australia at some point maybe next year."We ask Wolfgang to go into greater depth on the musical side of Mammoth II."I came into the whole recording process with a bit more confidence compared to the first one," he measured, "because I was trying to figure out what the project was. But with this it had already been established and I've been touring for the last couple of years I think I was more certain on what it was and had more of a fun time trying to figure out how I could test it and evolve it and grow it, and I think you can really hear that on the album."In the full interview, Wolfgang talks about the singles released and how they reflect the rest of the album, how he challenged himself on the album, bringing in heavier influences, the pros and cons of doing everything yourself, how this album differs musically to his debut, settling in to the role of lead singer, his live shows and what to expect, who he takes with him as a live band, lessons learnt from playing with Van Halen that he took to his solo career, future plans and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

3 Aug 202316min

Interview by Kris PetersNirvana fans are a fickle bunch.Especially when it comes to frontman Kurt Cobain. The man is revered as a God in the eyes of some, his music elevated to the same majestic heights as a regal force of nature and God help anyone that has an opposing opinion.So when Nirvana fans universally embrace a tribute band recreating previously sacred tunes then you know that there is more than a casual air of acceptance in the air.Coming to you fresh from the UK, Niravana Tribute are the only internationally touring and thus sustainable band of their ilk doing the rounds. They have been praised the world over and have such an affiliation with Australian audiences that in just over one week they start their third tour of this country - and second in two years.Whereas the band has previously covered the entire span of Nirvana's musical accomplishments in greater detail, this time the band will be focussing on Nirvana's third and final studio album, In Utero, which this year celebrates 30 years of existence.Of course, Nirvana Tribute will also be playing all of the hits from Nirvana's other albums, but by dedicating a larger portion of the set to the one album they also get the chance to showcase some of the bands lesser known material.With the tour kicking off in Adelaide on May 10, HEAVY sat down with frontman Jon O'Conner to find out what else Nirvana Tribute have up their sleeve."We're gonna mix things up a little bit," he promised, "and keep everybody guessing. So we're not gonna do it (In Utero) in track order, because that would get boring pretty quickly when you know what's coming next and you've always got that 'I don't really like that song' so you're gonna skip away to the bar and do whatever you're gonna do. But you won't have the opportunity to do that with us, because we're gonna keep you guessing."We ask Jon how difficult it was learning every song from In Utero, given that when the album was made the likelihood of the original band planning to play every track would have been slim."Some of the songs are a little harder to play live," he nodded. "Milk It is a bit strange because the timing is a little bit funny and that song can fall apart pretty quickly. I've been playing that album since I was a kid. It's one of their greatest albums, it's an absolute classic."In the full interview, Jon talks more about what to expect, his memories of In Utero when it first came out, what made him decide to form a Nirvana tribute band, his first memories of listening to and playing Nirvana songs, the two new members since the band's last Australian tour, deciding on what versions of Nirvana's back catalogue to play and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

1 Aug 202312min