HEAVY Music Interviews

HEAVY Magazine

All the latest music interviews from the team at HEAVY Magazine. HEAVY interviews the worlds leading rock, punk, metal and beyond musicians in the heavy universe of music. We will upload the latest interviews regularly so before to follow our social accounts and our podcast account on www.speaker.com/user/heavy Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

  1. 6 hrs ago

    Bowl Cuts And Breakdowns: ELECTRIC CALLBOY’s Aussie Arena Invasion

    Interview by Angela Croudace Few musical trajectories in recent Australian heavy music history have matched the breakneck, neon-soaked velocity of Germany's electronicore powerhouses, Electric Callboy. What began as a wildly packed, early-afternoon curiosity slot at Good Things Festival 2022 has evolved into a full-blown love affair with the Southern Hemisphere. Aussie audiences quickly proved they had an insatiable appetite for the band's unapologetic fusion of crushing metalcore breakdowns and pulsating, high-energy EDM. Every subsequent visit has seen venue sizes skyrocket, culminating in their massive Tanzneid World Tour, which hits major arenas across the country this month. The secret to Electric Callboy's rapid rise lies in their ability to turn any venue into a chaotic yet unified celebration. Since frontmen Kevin Ratajczak and Nico Sallach ushered in the definitive TEKKNO era, the band has transcended traditional genre constraints. They trade grim, brooding metal tropes for bowl cuts, tracksuits, and unadulterated joy. Tracks like "We Got the Moves" and "Hypa Hypa" are designed for maximum crowd participation, blurring the line between a heavy music festival pit and a European rave. Australia occupies a genuinely special place in the band’s hearts. It is a country where they have experienced everything from last-minute festival emergencies—like pulling in legendary drummer Frank Zummo with mere hours' notice—to headlining legendary venues like Rod Laver Arena. According to the band, flying down under feels less like a gruelling work trip and more like a reward, driven by the unique, welcoming chaos of local crowds who know how to party hard while looking out for one another. Ahead of their biggest Australian headline run to date, we sat down with Jamie and Jake. In this exclusive chat, the charismatic duo opens up about their meteoric rise from the smaller stages to full-blown arenas, navigating the relentless pace of global touring, and how their families react to their viral success. We also dive into the creative evolution behind their latest anthems, the profound impact of stopping to smell the roses amidst the madness, and why Australian fans continue to give them some of the most unforgettable nights of their lives. Turn up the techno, grab your sweatbands, and dive into our deep-chat with the unstoppable force that is Electric Callboy. To get tickets for Electric Callboy's Australian tour visit www.destroyalllines.com Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

    Bowl Cuts And Breakdowns: ELECTRIC CALLBOY’s Aussie Arena Invasion
  2. 3 days ago

    Incoming! THE KOVENANT Prepare For Aussie Assault

    Australia, stretch your necks and brace your ear drums, because the metal gods have smiled upon us once again. After nearly three long decades of waiting, industrial symphonic black metal royalty The Kovenant are finally crossing the equator to make their monumental Australian debut this September. Let that sink in for a second. Thirty years. For decades, Aussie metalheads have had to settle for spinning worn-out CDs and watching grainy live footage from European festivals, wondering if we would ever see this legendary outfit land on our shores. They aren't just coming down under for a standard greatest-hits run, either. The Norwegian visionaries are packing up their gear and heading to the southern hemisphere to perform their groundbreaking, absolute masterpiece of an album, 1998’s Nexus Polaris, in its entirety. When that record dropped, it didn’t just push the boundaries of extreme music; it shattered them completely, fusing the icy, unyielding malice of black metal with sweeping, galactic electronics and symphonic grandiosity. It is an album that shaped a generation of heavy music fans, and hearing it live from start to finish promises to be nothing short of a religious experience for the local heavy army. But the news gets even better. Not only are they dusting off the leather and studs to deliver a masterclass in sonic extremity, but frontman and mastermind Nagash has dropped a massive bombshell ahead of the tour: The Kovenant are officially back in the studio and well advanced on a brand-new album, with most of the tracks already locked and loaded. With massive, highly anticipated shows locked in for Melbourne and Sydney, these gigs are guaranteed to be an absolute bloodbath in the best possible way. The mosh pits will be lawless, the energy will be explosive, and the front rows are going to leave venues in absolute ruins. It is a legendary milestone for the Australian metal community, and God help anyone standing in the way when the first symphonic breakdown drops. HEAVY caught up with the enigmatic Nagash to pull back the curtain on this historic tour. We get the full, unvarnished lowdown on why now was the perfect time for the reunion, the logistical madness of bringing such a massive production to Australia for the very first time, and what it feels like to revisit a legendary piece of work like Nexus Polaris all these years later. We also dig deep into the writing process of their upcoming record to find out exactly what the next chapter of the band sounds like. 18/09/26 - MAXX WATTS, MELBOURNE 19/09/26 - CROWBAR, SYDNEY Tix: https://swdpresents.com/ Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

    Incoming! THE KOVENANT Prepare For Aussie Assault
  3. 3 days ago

    POLARIS: Unfiltered, Unleashed, And Without You

    Interview by Angela Croudace Australia, strap yourselves in.  If you thought Sydney’s heavy hitters Polaris were done pushing the boundaries of the global metalcore landscape, you are dead wrong. These guys don’t just walk up to the line; they systematically tear it down and rebuild it with more grit, more venom, and more raw emotion than almost any other band on the planet today. They have consistently proven themselves to be the undisputed kings of the modern Aussie heavy music scene, but what they have cooked up next is bound to catch a few people completely off guard. Today, we are diving deep into the black heart of their brand-new sonic weapon, Without You, as HEAVY sits down with vocalist Jamie Hails and bass player/clean vocalist Jake Steinhauser. We all know that Polaris are no strangers to delivering absolute auditory violence, but Without You feels entirely different. It is a massive, towering beast of a track that balances their signature, bone-shattering breakdowns with a haunting, melodic vulnerability that will leave you absolutely breathless. It’s heavy, it’s beautiful, and it bites hard. The track showcases a band that is not afraid to evolve, trading none of their ferocious power while tapping into a deeper, more mature level of songwriting that proves exactly why they are dominating stages worldwide. This isn't just another song to add to the mosh pit playlist—this is a defining statement. We sat down for a massive chat with the boys to get the absolute inside word on how this monster of a track came to life. We talk about the grueling creative process behind the music, the lyrical weight that carries the song's emotional core, and how they managed to capture such a massive sound in the studio. We also look ahead to what this means for the future of Polaris, their upcoming touring plans including Good Things Festival, how they keep pushing themselves to the absolute limit without ever losing their identity and more. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

    POLARIS: Unfiltered, Unleashed, And Without You
  4. 4 days ago

    Beer Soaked Bliss: LAGERSTEIN Return Home To Lay Waste To Australian Livers

    Brisbane’s favorite rum-guzzling party pirates, Lagerstein, are back and ready to lay waste to your livers. After what feels like an eternity off the map, the boys have finally dusted off the S.S. Plunderberg to deliver the most aggressively fun spectacle in Australian heavy music. If you’ve ever been lucky enough to witness a Lagerstein show, you know it’s not just a concert. It is a full-blown, beer-soaked wall of sound that hits like a tidal wave and leaves you nursing a hangover for a week. The band made a massive splash by returning to the stage, returning to Australia for four headline shows. They absolutely tore the roof off Crowbar Brisbane for a legendary comeback party, but that was just the appetizer. The main course is officially nearly served, as the boys have just one more show left on this run at the legendary Corner hotel in Melbourne this Friday, September 4. Lagerstein have been on a single-minded mission to deliver the ultimate party times, the tour serving as a triumphant reminder of why these larrikins are an absolute institution in the local scene. They don't just play music; they build an absolute community of pure, unadulterated joy out of raw heavy energy. Behind the scenes, the creative engine hasn't slowed down either. Between downing beers and steering the ship, the band has been quietly working away on the next chapter of their stellar discography, plotting a brand-new record that promises to be bigger, louder, and rowdier than anything they’ve done before. We recently sat down to parley with the one and only Majestic Beast, getting the absolute lowdown on the chaos of the tour so far, the inner workings of their upcoming album, and how the hell they manage to keep this insane party sailing year after year. Grab a cold one, raise your horns, and dive into our fun chat with Australia’s premier pirate metal outfit! Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

    Beer Soaked Bliss: LAGERSTEIN Return Home To Lay Waste To Australian Livers
  5. 4 days ago

    BRAD ROBERTS And The Curious Life Of CRASH TEST DUMMIES

    Interview by Ali Williams CRASH TEST DUMMIES have reached a particularly agreeable stage of their career. They can tour when they want, play songs that have already survived several decades of public consumption, slip some new material into the set without causing mass panic, and frontman Brad Roberts no longer feels obliged to work quite as hard as he once did. Catching up with HEAVY’s Ali Williams, Roberts was happy to announce their return as well as share some memories and insight on the band's journey so far.  The Canadian band are heading back to Australia in April, following a previous visit that went well enough for another run to be organised almost immediately. For Roberts, that response carries more weight than any grand discussion about longevity. People came. They enjoyed themselves. They wanted the band back. CRASH TEST DUMMIES were equally happy with the arrangement. “We had such a successful tour last time that we booked gigs almost immediately after finishing the ones that we did,” Roberts tells HEAVY.  There was, however, a substantial period when touring wasn’t part of the CRASH TEST DUMMIES routine at all. After stepping away from the road for some time, an invitation around 2016 unexpectedly put the machinery back into motion. Roberts remembers the moment he wanted to start touring again - mid performance with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. Not exactly the sort a conventional way of planning your bands next international tour , but there is something wonderfully reassuring about a musician with Roberts’ history casually deciding to tour again albeit mid-performance. The performance went so well that the band found themselves asking a very simple question: why weren’t they doing this anymore? Full write up and interview heavymag.com.au Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

    BRAD ROBERTS And The Curious Life Of CRASH TEST DUMMIES
  6. 4 days ago

    Half A Century Of Metal: WOLF HOFFMAN Talks About ACCEPT'S Legacy And New Album

    If there is one band that embodies the absolute, steel-plated spine of traditional heavy metal, it is Germany’s legendary sonic architects, Accept. For half a century, these heavy metal pioneers have been forging the blueprint for speed, power, and razor-sharp riffage, leaving a trail of broken necks and shattered eardrums in their wake. 2026 marks an unbelievable milestone for the band, celebrating 50 years of uncompromising, high-voltage metal warfare. To honor this monumental golden jubilee, the band is unleashing a massive, career-spanning anniversary album, Teutonic Titans 1976-2026, out September 4 via Napalm Records. This is not just a standard compilation; it is a definitive, roaring testament to five decades of heavy metal mastery. To capture the true essence of Accept's enduring legacy, mastermind and guitar virtuoso Wolf Hoffmann did not just dust off old master tapes. Instead, the band entered the studio to completely re-record several foundational anthems from their formative late-70s era, injecting modern sonic muscle into vintage gems. This double-album extravaganza perfectly bridges the past and the present, pairing these revitalized classics with pristine, remastered definitive versions of their iconic 80s hits and modern-era crushing tracks. From the frantic speed of Fast as a Shark to the thunderous, crowd-shaking stomp of Balls to the Wall, Teutonic Titans 1976-2026 stands as an absolute masterclass in heavy metal songwriting. What truly sets this release apart is its raw, organic energy. Hoffmann eschewed modern digital replication techniques, plugging his iconic Flying V guitars directly into vintage, roaring Marshall stacks to capture the exact, biting guitar tone that defined the European metal movement. The result is a sonic journey that feels incredibly cohesive, proving that Accept's timeless brand of leather-clad aggression sounds just as vital, dangerous, and exhilarating in 2026 as it did when they first burst out of Solingen in 1976. Ahead of the highly anticipated release and a massive, career-spanning 50th-anniversary world tour, HEAVY sat down for an entertaining chat with the legendary Wolf Hoffmann. Armed with his trademark infectious enthusiasm, sharp wit, and a guitar mind like no other, Wolf was in jovial spirits. We dove deep into the meticulous creative process of rewriting and tracking their oldest material, the nostalgic rush of looking back at five decades of metal history, the more than 50 guest artists on the album, the enduring power of the German metal scene, and exactly how they plan to bring this massive, historical celebration to life on stages across the globe and more. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

    Half A Century Of Metal: WOLF HOFFMAN Talks About ACCEPT'S Legacy And New Album
5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

All the latest music interviews from the team at HEAVY Magazine. HEAVY interviews the worlds leading rock, punk, metal and beyond musicians in the heavy universe of music. We will upload the latest interviews regularly so before to follow our social accounts and our podcast account on www.speaker.com/user/heavy Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.