Diversity Through Music With PERSEFONE
Andorran metal outfit Persefone are a band unto themselves. With a sound that can be loosely described as progressive rock meets melodic death metal, Persefone have forged their name crafted in their sonic diversity. 2024, and in particular the band’s new EP Lingua Ignota – set for release on February 2 – ushers in a […]
Releasing The Pressure Valve With DANIEL MOILANEN From KATATONIA
Swedish metal heavyweights Katatonia are on the cusp of their first headlining tour of Australia in nearly a decade, which kicks off in Sydney on February 9. Over the course of thirty years and eleven studio albums, Katatonia have proved groundbreaking in their approach, constantly restructuring their sound to match their own personal music growth. […]
Triumph From Tragedy With CALIGULA’S HORSE
The last few years have been tough on the world at large, with people of all walks of life forced to find their own coping mechanisms to safely navigate increasingly treacherous waters. Musicians, long thought to be able to handle anything the world threw at them and turn it into cathartic verse, were amongst the […]
Baring Your Claws With ROBBIE From TIGER DRIVER
For the past few years, Melbourne heavy outfit Tiger Driver have paced themselves nicely, releasing a succession of singles to test the water and generate interest. But, entering 2024, the death metallers have decided to increase the tempo, first releasing the track Eternal on December 31 before following up earlier this week with the crushing […]
Dare To Dream With ZACH BRITT From DREAM ON DREAMER
Australian metal outfit Dream On Dreamer were an international sensation in the early part of this decade, playing, amongst other things, 24 different countries and sharing the stage with bands such as Avenged Sevenfold, Pierce The Veil, Memphis May Fire, A Day To Remember and plenty more. With four chart-topping albums to their name, including […]
Starting A Revolution With GLENN PATRICK From SHOTGUN MISTRESS
Aussie rock outfit Shotgun Mistress exploded out of the blocks with their debut self-titled album in 2021, showcasing an old-school approach to songwriting that saw them instantly branded amongst rising bands to keep an ear out for. Spawning a string of chart-topping singles such as No Friend Of Mine, Save Me From Myself, Glorious Machine, […]
Dare To Dream With JOHN DEMENA
Following the release of last year’s album Dreams And Lies, LA-based rock singer/songwriter John Demena found his career on an upward trajectory. With his music now circulating in the right circles – including album opener and single I The People making Loudwire‘s Weekly Wire Playlist as one of the Best 50 Rock & Metal Songs […]
Recycled Goods With MACKA From BOONDALL BOYS
Every city anywhere in the world has bands that are considered legendary within their geographical area, but might not be so recognised much further than the next border crossing. For Brisbane that band is Boondall Boys, a band featuring a gentleman that goes by the name of Macka who also happens to be in a […]
Ultimate Power With DAN CLEARY From STRIKER
Canadian metal outfit Striker are a band not known for taking the safe approach to music. While old school fans bemoan the fact they refuse to continually churn out albums of pure thrash metal, Striker understand the importance of allowing their musical growth to be reflected with each fresh body of work. “Our biggest reward […]
Two Decades Of Rock with CLINT BOGE From THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT
The Butterfly Effect are possibly one of the greatest rock outfits to emerge from this country. Since releasing their self-titled EP in 2001 which led to their superb debut album Begins Here two years later, The Butterfly Effect have epitomised the Aussie battler in musical terms, often punching above their weight but invariably taking the […]
Remembering The Classics With PAUL DI’ANNO
Even the biggest metal bands in the world can divide their fans when it comes to different eras of music. Even Iron Maiden. The band has had two main frontmen throughout their career – as in two that fans identify with the most -, Paul Di’Anno – who sung on the band’s debut self-titled album […]
Diamond In The Rough With JESSE BARNETT From STICK TO YOUR GUNS
Since first making their way to Australia in 2009 Orange County hardcore outfit Stick To Your Guns have almost made it their mission statement to return back as often as possible. Their music for some reason resonates well with Australian music lovers, and despite a five-year gap between visits, this time the band has vowed […]
Taking Down The Titans With TANNER WAYNE From IN FLAMES
As Australia prepares for a massive influx of international touring bands in the first three months of this new year, punters are becoming increasingly torn over which shows they will go to – borne purely out of financial reasons. While many upcoming events are struggling to sell as many tickets as they should or would […]
Taming The Monster With BENNO & STEVE From AWAKEN THE HATE
Like a wrecking ball let off the chain, recently formed Brisbane metal outfit Awaken The Hate are set to steamroll the local metal scene when they release their debut single Monster In The Mirror this Friday. Coming together with a wealth of experience already in the metal scene, Awaken The Hate aren’t here to merely […]
Planting Your Roots With BEN BARLOW From NECK DEEP
In little more than a decade, UK rock outfit Neck Deep have gone from a band rehearsing in a spare bedroom to one of the biggest rock bands on the planet, but you get the feeling despite that the boys still have their feet planted firmly on the ground. For verification of this you need […]
Musical Evolution With GOD HUNTER
Photo credit Grimm Productions Queensland metal outfit God Hunter have emerged from the ashes following an earlier enforced hiatus with one clear objective – to decimate the hearts and ears of as many of their fellow countrymen as they possibly can. Since re-emerging in 2022, God Hunter have released a succession of singles, each of […]
Sonic Toxicity With THE FLAVOR THAT KILLS
Madison, WI outfit The Flavor That Kills are one of those rare bands that is impossible to classify into one set genre of music. Harnessing the might of everything from rock to punk to blues to metal, The Flavor That Kills are an eclectic group of individuals, each with ample amounts of craziness and passion […]
Keeping The Flame Burning With KEVIN MARTIN From CANDLEBOX
It is hard to fathom that Seattle rock outfit Candlebox have never toured Australia over the course of their 30-year existence. Since emerging from the popular music location during the mid-90s grunge scene, Candlebox have gone from strength to strength, with a remarkable number of record sales and music streams starting with their 1993 self-titled […]
Dead To Rights With DECEMBERS DEADLINE
It is quite fitting for a band with the name Decembers Deadline to be releasing new material just days before the year rolls over through January, but then again, this isn’t just any normal release from the Brisbane metal outfit. Since the band’s last single Unique came out in November 2021 much has changed with […]
Honour Through Music With WEDNESDAY 13
When Murderdolls burst onto the scene in 2002 with the ridiculously brilliant album Beyond The Valley Of The Murderdolls they were sadly recognized for the wrong reasons. Although the infectiously sinister music and vocals ultimately were the backbone of the band’s sustained success, it was the worldwide notoriety of two of the members (one more […]
Coming Of Age With SAMANTHA FAUL From FIFTH DAWN
Sydney alternative metal outfit Fifth Dawn are taking to the road early next year with a string of three shows along the East Coast of Australia to showcase their new music and prepare fans for an album later in the year. Their music transcends genres, enabling Fifth Dawn to appeal to a large scope of […]
Contrasting Emotions With MICHAEL SPREITZER From VERONA ON VENUS
It is too easy to get stuck into playing a certain brand of music as an artist. This can be for a variety of reasons such as the popularity of your band, public expectations, being pigeonholed – any number of reasons. This problem is accentuated when your band is well known for releasing a certain […]
On A Wing And A Prayer With MIKE EDWARDS From JESUS JONES
What do you do as you near the twilight of an illustrious music career? Set course for Australia, apparently! After pushing 40 years in the music industry, English alternative rock outfit Pop Will Eat Itself have finally decided to bring their pasty white legs Down Under for the first show of their careers on our […]
25 Years Of Noise With DAN MCDOUGALL From FRANKENBOK
Photo thanks to ChrisC Imagery Melbourne metal legends Frankenbok celebrated their 25th anniversary at The Tote on December 12, 2022 in the most positive and emphatic way possible by assembling every one of Frankenbok’s many line-ups from over the years to perform songs from their era. It was a unique and highly ambitious project that […]
Breaking The Chains With KAOSPHERE
Gold Coast heavy outfit Kaosphere have been quiet by their standards of late. Once known for their prolific output and presence, Kaosphere decided to reevaluate their goals around 18 months ago and knuckle down with the emphasis of quality of quantity with devastating results. The band recently released the single Chain Breaker, the first of […]
Staying Alive With DONALD TARDY From OBITUARY
Obituary are deservedly known as one of the pioneering forces behind death metal. In a career spanning almost four decades, the band have redefined the term heavy metal and consistently led through actions, leaving words to go down in history amongst their brutal lyrics. “We’re very proud to say that these last two albums, the […]
The Gods Of War With JIM WARD From SPARTA
Rising from the ashes of the supposed next big thing, Sparta attacked the music industry as a whole with a point to prove. And prove it they did, releasing their debut album Wiretap Scars in 2002 and almost single-handedly redefining the term experimentation in music as the world had previously known it. “I don’t necessarily […]
Smilin’ & Slammin’ with SAMMY from DRAIN
It was mid-Summer 2023, yet another balmy night had met us in good old Brisbane town. The Brightside was the venue, and Canada’s own Comeback Kid had brought some friends along with them, and yet again it was party time from the get-go. Enter Drain from the sun-drenched beaches of Santa Cruz, California. As this […]
Damaged Goods With MISH SHA From TORIZON
Brisbane rock/metal outfit Torizon have made a triumphant return to music over the last couple of months, re-acquainting themselves with fans with the single Damaged in August before pulverizing them with recent track Martyr. After taking a year off to focus more on what makes Torizon special moreso than how special they could be, the […]
Filling The Void With HAN MEE And JIM SHAW From HOT MILK
By sheer virtue of the fact they were hand-picked by Foo Fighters for the Australian support slot, Hot Milk just HAVE to be a good band. But it’s not until you sit back and listen to the band that it becomes evident that they are actually shit hot and if the Fooeys hadn’t chosen them […]
Celebrating The Year Metal Style With MICK BREW From BREWHOUSE PRODUCTIONS
Photo credit: Just Ignore The Camera Photography It makes sense that someone who is already in a band would also want to dip their toes into promotion and putting on shows themselves, but it’s not as easy of a process as you would think. Dealing with bands and booking for bands is another stress level […]
Musical Portraits With TERRESTRIALS
The expectations placed on new and emerging bands in the modern era surpass any of those from eras gone by. Not only is there the sheer abundance of new music being released on a daily basis, but there is also the proportionately high number of new bands forming at a rate never seen before. “In […]
Left Of Centre With PAGE HAMILTON From HELMET
Helmet are a niche kind of band in that once you discover them you can’t help but fall in love with their music. The problem is, they are also not a band given much exposure in commercial channels, which makes the task of discovering them ultimately harder. But infinitely more rewarding. “My approach is different. […]
Backstage At GOOD THINGS 2023 With ENTER SHIKARI
Enter Shikari have been a household name for almost two decades now, their unique blending of genres endearing them to a disenfranchised world starving for change. After the tables were turned during the COVID pandemic, Enter Shikari found themselves floundering without their reliable support network, at a creative loss with seemingly no resolution. Rather than […]
Prepare To Be Baptised With MARC LOPES From METAL CHURCH
Much has changed with Metal Church since their last visit to Australian shores. The most notable, and tragic of which being the loss of legendary frontman Mike Howe in 2021. Having pressed on to honour the memory of their former bandmate, Metal Church earlier this year released their first album with new vocalist Marc Lopes […]
Finding Your Feet With RYAN DALEY From WAYWARD KINGS
The music business can be an unforgiving mistress. Bands can – and do – give it everything they have, writing, recording and releasing high-quality material and developing an ever-growing fanbase yet still see minimal reward for effort. But when the planets align and the wheel starts turning in your favour it can be a beautiful […]
Backstage At GOOD THINGS 2023 With JAY From FRENZAL RHOMB
Frenzal Rhomb are as reliable as Grandma’s recipe for scones, and probably twice as durable. For more than 30 years now, Australia’s masters of punk and ska have gone about their business unchecked, churning out consistently high-quality albums with tongue more than firmly planted in cheek. The lyrics – while relatively easy to digest – […]
Backstage At GOOD THINGS 2023 With ORION From BEHEMOTH
For far too long, heavy metal on the heavier side of the spectrum has been overlooked at music festivals in this country. Even those that claim to be all about the metal generally stop short of having a bona fide, skull-shattering musical representative grace their stages. It happens that often that many have stopped even […]
Rising Darkness With BURIED SHALLOW
Seldom does a fresh band on the scene command instant respect by virtue of past exploits. Music, as with most things in life of value, is more than having the ability to shred on a guitar or crush with your vocal techniques. It requires a certain level of respect and humility that are almost impossible […]
THE LAST MARTYR Burn It All Down
Melbourne chaotic alt metal outfit The Last Martyr share angry new single Burn It Down. Targeting the tyrannical systems that control our society, Burn It Down is an aggressive outpour of emotional catharsis. “Burn It Down is about wishing we could press reset on the world and start again,” explains vocalist Monica Strut. “It touches upon the control of women’s bodies and the governing of other marginalised […]
GRAU Chat Abseits des Lichts
GRAU was founded in Saarbruecken (Germany) in 2014 by M. (guitars/vocals) and K. (bass/vocals). The band operated as three-piece at the beginning but later grew with different drummers and guitarists. The first release “Transzendenz” was recorded and released in 2016 which gained the band recognition in the local underground as well as gigs in Germany […]
Putting The Fun Back In Punk With FLETCHER From PENNYWISE
Punk royalty hits Australia next week when Californian punk legends Pennywise return to our shores as part of Good Things 2023. The lovable larrikins were only out here for a massive headlining run of shows last year, but such is the demand for their musical prowess and undeniable charm the good folk at Good Things […]
Let The Good Things Roll With ANDREAS KISSER From SEPULTURA
Good Things 2023 will be underway next week, with the annual music extravaganza kicking off next Friday, December 1 in Melbourne before hitting Sydney and Brisbane over the following two days. Every year the Good Things line-up manages to top itself, with this year’s show being no exception. Headlined by Fall Out Boy and Limp […]
Bringing The Noise Down Under With HANABIE
One of the best things about music festivals is the opportunity to discover your potential new favourite band, quite often lurking with intent on some smaller side stage with a rapidly growing crowd of inquisitive onlookers being the only indication from afar that they might indeed be worth a listen. Many people still point their […]
Putting Yourself Through Hell With AARAN & LOZ From While She Sleeps
While She Sleeps are just one of the many massive bands that are included in the lineup for this year’s Good Things Festival. As such they will be on Aussie soil as of November 30, kicking off their stint here with a headlining show in Melbourne. HEAVY had the pleasure of chatting with bassist Aaran […]
Tearing Down The System With TIM HENWOOD From PALACE OF THE KING
One thing that has always typified Australian music is the internal support system encouraged by those within it. Band members often share their talents amongst two, three, or sometimes four other bands, with his fellow bandmates offering words of encouragement and respect rather than bemoan the fact their guitarist, or their drummer is not exclusively […]
Life As A CHOIRBOY With MARK GABLE
One song can tell a dozen stories and stir even more memories, but there’s only so much that can be told in a four-minute window. The real stories, the ones that were happening while the public story was being written, generally remain in the hearts and minds of only those directly involved – and usually […]
Spinning Plates with GREG PUCIATO
As the saying goes ‘get busy living or get busy dying!’ This is certainly true for Greg Puciato, (the living part that is) multi instrumentalist and vocalist for Better Lovers, The Black Queen, Killer Be Killed, Jerry Cantrell’s Solo Band, his own Solo band and, of course, vocalist for the now very deceased Dillinger Escape […]
BINARY ORDER Say The Future Belongs To The Mad
Works on The Future Belongs To The Mad took place over the course of nine months, from December 2022 until August 2023, and was written, produced and performed by the mastermind Benjamin Blank. Containing twelve tracks of industrial metal, IDW and electronic cyberpunk inspired soundscapes, “The Future Belongs To The Mad” is a sprawling, epic, multi genre soundtrack to our […]
STEEL RHINO Talk In Rhino We Trust
“In Rhino We Trust” continues the identifiable STEEL RHINO’s sound that served the band so well and appealed to all people who love classic Hard Rock. The founder Mikael Rosengren stated: “We could not leave the fans with just one album, so we continued the saga of Steel Rhino. I think this album is more raw and […]
