Sankey You Very Much: Legion Festival Reveals Dates And a Letter To Supporters
Support is growing for the burgeoning Legion Festival, the brain child from John Sankey of Devil You Know fame. Sankey has penned an open letter to his Legion (heh!) of supporters to explain just where they are at with their preparations. Hey guys! As I’m sure everyone can imagine Legion HQ has been crazy busy […]
Punks for West Papua: Documentary To Be Released In January
Punks For West Papua is an important Australian documentary. The genocide of the West Papuan people at the hands of the Indonesian military, is one of the saddest yet rarely told stories of modern times. “Right on Australia’s doorstep, West Papua is a land of untold riches and in 1969 was hijacked with a violent […]
Guns N’ Roses To Reunite For Coachella 2016
Guns N’ Roses founding members are set to reunite at Coachella in April 2016 according to Consequence of Sound. The bands exact line-up is unclear, though Slash, Axl and Duff are all involved. It is thought that Matt Sorum will take the place of Steven Adler from the original line-up. An official announcement is expected […]
NZ Festival In Doubt After Soundwave Collapse
New Zealand festival Westfest is in serious doubt after the collapse of Soundwave. Organizers have said “Due to a pending discussion with a contracted artist, Westfest is unable to confirm any decision made about the festivals continuation in 2016. However – as there is only one band left standing; Westfest is automatically processing 100% refunds […]
Motorhead’s Lemmy Kilmister Dead At 70
Eddie Trunk’s twitter feed has confirmed that Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister has passed away. Kilmister, who had just celebrated his 70th birthday on Christmas Eve, has been the singer, songwriter and bassist of Motorhead since 1975. Lemmy is well known for his lifelong large intake of alcohol, namely Jack Daniels. In the documentary Live Fast Die […]
Guns N’ Roses look to be gearing up for an announcement
Much speculation has surrounded the rumoured Guns N’ Roses reunion, with the band’s website being updated to include the original Guns N’ Roses band logo. Discussion started back a few months ago when it was alleged that an original line-up reunion could earn the band $100 million. Prior to that, Alternative Nation ran a story […]
Al Jourgensen: “Taking Art back From the F*ckheads Hell Bent On Destroying It”
The Mad Hatter of Ministry Al Jourgensen has had enough of dodgy promoters and record labels. In a career spanning 35 years, he has finally had enough of the bullshit behind the art. As we found out yesterday with CJ McMahon, life isn’t easy for an ‘underground’ band no matter how popular they are. Al […]
Voyager and Leprous announce tour supports
Voyager and Leprous have announced supports for their upcoming tour in January and February. The tour will kick off in Sydney with support from The Helix Nebula, then onto Perth supported by Chaos Divine, a swing by to Brisbane sees Kodiak Empire as openers and winding up in Melbourne with support from Teramaze. Tour Dates […]
Gig Review: Colossvs + Supports
Colossvs + To The Grave + Blind Oracle + Burning Season Hermanns Bar, Sydney 18 December 2015 Review & Photos by Jessica Miller Hermann’s Bar was pretty sparse at the beginning of the night, a line-up of 4 bands failed to draw in a decent crowd for the first act Burning Season. They […]
Photos: Colossvs + Supports
Colossvs + To The Grave + Blind Oracle + Burning Season Hermanns Bar, Sydney 18 December 2015 Photos by Jessica Miller
Thy Art Is Murder Vocalist CJ McMahon Quits Band
Thy Art Is Murder singer CJ McMahon has left the band. In a shock to their near half a million fans on Facebook, band mates wrote in a prepared statement that McMahon would no longer be a part of the band. “It is unfortunate that with our best year to date and our biggest paved […]
Aerosmith: Making Arrangements For Farewell Tour
Aerosmith guitarist Brad Whitford, while speaking on the Eddie Trunk Podcast, has revealed that Aerosmith have had discussions of a farewell tour. Whitford said “We are actually talking about putting together a sort of wind-down tour which we would call a farewell tour…I guess it’s just because of our age. Something’s gonna happen. It’s just […]
AJ Maddah Launches Twitnami Attack!
A.J Maddah has launched a scathing attack at Eventopia and its affiliate Ticketek in a mostly one sided twitter storm (a Twitnami) In a remarkable outburst, Maddah has alleged that Eventopia may have been using Soundwave funds to aid the return of money to ticket holders of the Soulfest Music Festival, after its collapse in […]
Confession: End of an Era
by Steven Jenkins Michael Crafter has been a significant figure in the Australian hardcore music scene for 15 years, but now he’s decided to hang up the boots. A successful lead vocalist for bands such as I Killed The Prom Queen, Carpathian, Bury Your Dead and most recently Confession, Crafter and his band mates are […]
Tequila Mockingbyrd Release New Single & Fragrance
Hard rockers Tequila Mockingbyrd have just released a new single titled I Smell Rock ‘N’ Roll. It’s off their upcoming debut album which will be released in early 2016. To celebrate the release of the single they have also delivered their own fragrance, we hope it doesn’t smell completely like rock ‘n’ roll because stale […]
AJ Maddah in bankruptcy case, which was filed prior to Soundwave Festival cancellation
American Express has filed a bankruptcy case against AJ (Arash) Maddah in the Federal Court of Australia on 4 December 2015. This was 13 days prior to the 2016 version of Soundwave Festival being officially cancelled on 17 December 2015. The Federal Court record shows the filing title as American Express Australia Limited ACN 108 […]
Sevendust: “Soundwave Couldn’t Pay Us In 2014”
by Callum Doig Twenty-one years on and still going strong, Georgian natives Sevendust have been one of the most acknowledged metal bands since their inception, spawning a successful career with a great catalogue of records in their history. The quintet will be returning to Australian shores for the first time in five years, since their […]
Eluveitie: Playing Is All That Matters
Review by Callum Doig Celtic metal ensemble Eluveitie have been the icon of Switzerland’s metal scene for thirteen years. Being one of the biggest European acts in their region, they’ve also managed to maintain a loyal and devoted Australian fan base. Having been to Australia only once in their career, Eluveitie announced that they’re on […]
Scott Weiland: Reports Confirm “Accidental Overdose”
According to reports, former Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver singer Scott Weiland has died from an accidental overdose of drugs. Rolling Stone have reported that the Hennepin County Medical Examiner in Minneapolis has confirmed an accidental overdose of cocaine, ethanol and methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA). The singer was found dead on his tour bus on 3 […]
World Premiere: Tempest Rising: New Video “Know My Name”
HEAVY has the world premiere of the new Tempest Rising video titled Know My Name. Led by powerhouse front man Vin Trikeriotis who sings, screams and growls his way through five minutes of Know My Name. Tempest Rising’s melting metal pot of sound and energetic live shows have already seen them support and tour with […]
Monuments set up crowd funding campaign to recoup non payment from Soundwave Festival
Monuments have set up a crowd funding campaign to try to recoup the losses incurred by the non-payment of their 2015 Soundwave Festival appearance. The band have taken to Facebook alleging that despite trying to make contact with AJ Maddah and Soundwave Festival, their emails have been ignored. Music Feeds reports that Monuments are owed […]
Soundwave Still Owe Millions To SW15 Bands
According to Musicfeeds there are over 50 bands still owed money from the 2015 Soundwave tour. The dollar amounts range from $5720.60 owed to Ne Obliviscaris all the way up to over $2,000,000 for Soundgarden. The other big losers are Slipknot at $1,600,000 and The Smashing Pumpkins are owed $1,260,000. You can see the full […]
Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s Scroungewave!
On the 15th of January, 2016, downstairs at the Valve Bar inside the Agincourt Hotel, a new festival is hitting Sydney’s metal scene! Well, I say “festival” but it’s all indoors, there are 5 bands playing, you won’t get gouged on merch prices, there is full strength beer and entry is only $15. This mini […]
Soundwave Festival 2016 Officially Cancelled
AJ Maddah has finally pulled the pin on the 2016 version in an almost shambolic week in the life of the Soundwave Festival. Maddah has just said on twitter, “I am devastated to have to announce the cancellation of Soundwave 16 due to poor ticket sales. I am very sorry. I tried my best.” Focus […]
What’s the Maddah? L7 Pull Out Of Soundwave Festival
As the Soundwave Festival 2016 circus continues, we see yet another band remove themselves from the line-up. L7 have announced today that they will not be playing at the Festival, they have said on their Facebook page that “Due to circumstances beyond our control, L7 will not be performing at this years Soundwave Festival. Believe […]
Motörhead Release New Video
Motörhead have released a new video for the song When The Sky Comes Looking For You, taken off their 22nd studio album Black Magic, which was released on 28 August this year. Lemmy spoke to avclub.com about Motörhead’s non-experimental musical approach: “Oh, it’s paid off in dividends for us and for quite a few other […]
Buckcherry Announce Australia & NZ Tour
Rockers Buckcherry will be heading back to Australia in March. Forming in 1995 they have released 7 full length albums of unbridled rock. From their self titled debut album in 1999 which delivered anthems such as Lit Up and Dead Again, to 2006’s 15 which featured Crazy Bitch and Sorry, to the infamous F*ck EP, they […]
NOFX Management Cast More Doubt On Soundwave 2016
NOFX manager Kent Jamieson has cast doubts on them coming to Australia for Soundwave 2016. According to FasterLouder, promoter AJ Maddah has refused to confirm that the 2016 event will go ahead. Maddah has stopped short of promising that the 2016 festival, which is scheduled to commence in just 38 days, will go ahead as planned. […]
Australian Premiere: HYPNO5E Release “East Shore – In Our Deaf Lands” Off New Album
The pioneers of cinematic metal, HYPNO5E, are back with their 3rd album, Shores of the Abstract Line. We have the premiere of the song East Shore – In Our Deaf Lands, off that album. Shores of the Abstract Line will be released on 19 February 2016 via Pelagic Records. TRACK LIST “Shores of […]
Australian Premiere: Venomous Concept Release “The Potters Ground” From New Album
We have the Australian premiere of the new Venomous Concept song; The Potters Ground. The song is taken off their 3rd album Kick Me Silly – VC III, which will be released on 8 January 2016. The band includes Brutal Truth vocalist Kevin Sharp and Shane Embury, bassist of Napalm Death. Check ’em out below! […]
Crippled Black Phoenix – New Dark Age Tour EP 2015 A.D – EP Review
Crippled Black Phoenix New Dark Age Tour EP 2015 A.D Release Date: 27 November 2015 Season Of Mist Review by Cameron Cooper Filling more than half of your EP’s run-time with a single cover isn’t a particularly conventional move in rock n’ roll, but if there is one thing that can be expected of the […]
AJ Maddah Confirms There Will Be No Soundwave in 2017
Soundwave head honcho AJ Maddah has today confirmed in a tweet that there will be no Soundwave Festival in 2017. He wrote ” Definitely no SW17. It’s a lot of hard work, stress & risk in return for which we get hate & stupidity.”
The Sword Announce Australia & NZ Tour
The Sword will be Down Under in February 2016 to play a run of shows in Australia and across the ditch. Joining them will be American Sharks from Texas and Melbourne punks Clowns. This will be The Sword’s third time in Australia but their first headline tour, their first visit was when supporting Metallica way […]
Epitaph To Donate All Profits From The Ghost Inside Albums To The Band Indefinitely
CEO and founder of Epitaph Brett Gurewitz has penned a letter to fans of The Ghost Inside, asking that they support the band in their time of need. Epitaph will be donating all profits from every album back to the band for an indefinite amount of time. “Dear Fans of The Ghost Inside Our […]
Photos: Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats + Grinding Eyes
Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats + Grinding Eyes Oxford Art Factory, Sydney 11 December 2015 Photos by Rod Hunt
Gig Review: The Exploited + Supports
The Exploited + Wolfpack + Bastard Squad + Ganbaru Max Watts, Melbourne 12 December 2015 Review & Photo by Greg Barnes An eclectic mix of punk rock splinter groups warmed up the crowd for The Exploited at Max Watt’s on Saturday night. Ganbaru, up first, have a particularly modern hardcore sound and stage presence that did little […]
Steel Assassins 2016: Now Taking Submissions
Sydney’s 2-day metal festival Steel Assassins is gearing up for its 5th year in November 2016. If your band would like to be a part of it, you can email [email protected] with some info on your band, link to your page and a little bit about why you want to play the festival. Steel Assassins […]
Win tickets to see Epica
Epica will head to Australia in March and we’ve got tickets to giveaway to their Australian shows. To win a ticket to see them, follow the competition details below. Competition Details Send your name (as it appears on your ID) and address to [email protected] Nominate which show you’d like to attend Title the email “Epica […]
Vote in the HEAVY Music Magazine Awards 2015
The annual HEAVY Music Magazine Awards are here and it’s time for you to vote. We’ve got plenty of categories for you to have your say. We’ll be counting down the winners on Australia Day Eve (25 January 2016) and you’ve got until Friday 22 January 2016 to vote. Our writers and photographers have kicked […]
Mirror – Mirror – Album Review
Mirror Mirror Release Date: 13 November 2015 Metal Blade Records Review by Cameron Cooper Supergroups are all the rage at the moment. However, while mainstream metal figures are happy to throw their collective hats into the ring, a group of more underground musicians such as Mirror is far more surprising. Boasting current and former members […]
Gig Review: The Amity Affliction + A Day To Remember + Supports
The Amity Affliction + A Day To Remember + Motionless In White + Hands Like Houses Qantas Credit Union Arena, Sydney 12 December 2015 Review by Jeremy Vane-Tempest Photos by Joel Anderson The Big Ass Tour had finally arrived on Australian shores and around ten thousand people descended upon the QANTAS Credit Union Arena for […]
Bring Me The Horizon: Concerning News For Soundwave Fans
Bring Me The Horison have tweeted some concerning news about their involvement in Soundwave 2016. Their official twitter page today said “To anyone hoping to see us @soundwavefest we are awaiting some requested info & hope to 100% confirm our involvement this week. Hang tight.” Fans are upset at the news, assuming that all the […]
Valhalla Lights to Release New Album…or Are They?
There may be something wafting in the air down at Byron Bay, but rockers Valhalla Lights have decided to release their album My Gracious Highway over a 12 month period in 2016, one song at a time. The first song Rise Above will be released on 1 January 2016, the idea behind the move is […]
Pave Paradise Release Debut Album
Post hardcore band Pave Paradise have released their debut self titled EP. They recently announced signing with new Australian Label, Elevnth Records and the release of their debut single Forgotten, which you can check out below. You can also catch them live this Friday at The Brightside in Brisbane, along with Wish For Wings, Justice […]
Highly Suspect Announce Debut Tour of Australia
American hard rockers Highly Suspect have announced their first tour to Australia, in celebration of their debut album Mister Asylum, which reached #22 in the Billboard Top 200 upon release in November. Tour Dates 15 MARCH BRIGHTSIDE, BRISBANE 16 MARCH EVELYN HOTEL, MELBOURNE 17 MARCH FACTORY FLOOR, SYDNEY Tickets available from 17 December at Live […]
Culture Killer – Throes Of Mankind – Album Review
Culture Killer Throes Of Mankind Release Date: 27 November 2015 Metal Blade Records Review by Steve Jenkins Florida newcomers Culture Killer have brought a unique debut album to the table that is full of crushing death metal and some nasty hardcore attributes. From the very beginning there’s a gritty sound that enthralls the listener, stomping […]
Photos: Big Ass Tour: The Amity Affliction + A Day To Remember + Supports
The Amity Affliction + A Day To Remember + Motionless In White + Hands Like Houses Qantas Credit Union Arena, Sydney 12 December 2015 Photos by Joel Anderson
Roundtable – Dread Marches Under Bloodied Regalia – Album Review
Roundtable Dread Marches Under Bloodied Regalia Release Date: 29 October 2015 by Kerry Monaghan Dread Marches Under Bloodied Regalia is the debut album by Roundtable. Throwing together elements of Modern Sludge, Progressive Rock and Doom Metal to name a few, it’s an album that takes the listener on a visceral journey. Its narrative is engaging […]
Dead City Ruins: Five Touring Lessons
by Cameron Cooper In 2011, Dead City Ruins – led by front man Jake Wiffen, drove from Melbourne to Sydney to play The Townie. A song or two into their set and a mishap resulting in some broken lights meant the show was cut short. But some broken glass and a long drive home are […]
Pantera Re-Release Classic Albums
Pantera have just released The Complete Studio Albums 1990-2000. Included are the classic albums; Cowboys From Hell, Vulgar Display Of Power, Far Beyond Driven, The Great Southern Trendkill & Reinventing The Steel. The 58 track set was released yesterday on CD and coloured vinyl. A 20th Anniversary edition of Far Beyond Driven will also be […]
