After the phenominal worldwide success of their debut album Tu in 2018, New Zealand metal outfit Alien Weaponry have continued a mereoric rise to the head of the international heavy metal snake, commanding respect for their music and live performances both in their native country and on a global scale.
Combining elemts of thrash and groove metal with lyrics in their native indigenous language - te reo Māori - the three young Kiwis struck a fresh market with their vigorous musicianship and heartfelt music.
Here was finally a band that people could relate to and respect, especially the younger generation, and their success looks set to reach even further heights with the imminent release of Tangaroa which will be out on September 17 via Napalm Records.
Brothers Henry and Lewis de Jong sat down with HEAVY to chat about the album and future plans.
"Musically, it's a lot more progressive compared to our last album," Lewis began. "It's still Alien Weaponry but we've evolved our sound and kind of evolved as people as well so some of the things we're writing about are quite different but also hold true to who we are as a band."
"We've got a lot more progressive in the way we song write," Henry affirmed. "I feel like we're exploring a lot of different things with this album. There's not all hard, heavy hitting songs. There's some really almost etherial stuff we're doing. As far as the Maori side of the song writing goes, I experimented using more traditional Maori song writing methods."
In the full interview, the boys discuss the album in greater detail, talk us through some of the traditional instruments used in the recording, growing up in the spotlight, fitting centuries of stories into one song, staying true to their heritage, their new bass player and what he brings to the band plus more.

Formed in Orange County in 1998, Thrice are widely regarded as one of the most innovative rock bands of their generation.
Consistently producing rock fuelled albums that veer into technical wizardry while still remaining accessible to fans, Thrice are preparing to unleash their 11th studio album Horizons/East on September 17.
Addressing the fragile and awkward arrangements that pass for civilization while openly inviting the listener to dwell more knowingly within themselves, Horizons/East is more than a body of music, it is a statement of intent.
Bass player Eddie Breckenridge sat down with HEAVY to run us through the album.
"It's kind of all over the place in a good way,” he laughed. “We all write, we're all guitar players, we're all keyboard players, if we can't play drums we program drums (laughs) so there’s a lot of variety on the record, but for the most part I think this is kind of more in the rock realm of what we've done. The last record had a lot of electronic stuff going on - and this one does too - but I think it's more in the vein of guitar rock music. I'm really happy with how it turned out and how it sounds. The guy that mixed it crushed it. It sounds so good."
In the full interview Eddie talks us through the album in more detail, the themes explored, self producing an album and the benefits, the concept behind this album and it’s successor, the musical climate that gave birth to Thrice, claims they are one of the most innovative rock bands of their generation, and more.

Brisbane hard rock/alternative rock outfit Krave have been steadily building a name for themselves on the local scene and look to solidify that even further with the release of their latest single Puppet.
Vocalist/bass player Siana and drummer Sam joined HEAVY to chat about the new single and other exciting happening within the Krave camp.
"We were going for a hard rock vibe,” Siana explained of Puppet. “We love riffs in our band! When I was real young I wrote the song, so it was one of the first songs I wrote, and I brought it to the band. Sam has put an awesome spin on it with the drums."
"The drums are 60s psychedelic rock inspired but with a bit more of a hard rock feel,” Sam added. “It’s got a lot of little phrases in there that are interesting to people who like things like the Jimi Hendrix Music Experience and Deep Purple, so it was a drumming approach to that."
"It sounds really cool, because the bass and the guitar has got that hard rock metal vibe to it, so it's got a real cool fusion happening,” Siana picked up. “It's a really groovy song with a cool attitude - a bit of a Joan Jett kind of vibe. It's a sick song, full of energy and a sick solo with a bit of Steve Vai to it... it's reminiscent of that classic rock."
In the full interview Siana and Sam talk more about Puppet, run us through the lyrical side of the song, upcoming new music and when to expect it, structuring their assault on the metal world, touring and more.

With music and the entire landscape around being a musician having to rapidly adapt to changing times – particularly in the current climate – Fender has confronted the problem head on, releasing the Player Plus Series of guitars to cater to the younger generation of guitar enthusiasts who have been locked away searching for the ultimate thrill that only music can provide.

Since capturing the world's attention with the Player Series in 2018, Fender has looked to expand and improve on the already quality product and has succeeded with the all new Player Plus Series to be released worldwide on September 15.

The sleek modern “C” necks, 12’ radius fingerboards, newly-voiced noiseless pickups, and upgraded electronics enhance the tone, playability and style of the instruments, so these artists can play longer and louder.

And what better way to launch a new line aimed at the next generation of guitarists than to invite Sacramento punk outfit Destroy Boys to showcase their product?

Hailed by many as the next great punk band, and with over 40 million streams as confirmation, Destroy Boys play hard with heavy guitar tones that radiate tuneful defiance and steely pop hooks in equal measure. As such, they require a guitar that can take the heat. Guitarist Violet Mayugba and vocalist Alexia Roditis from Destroy Boys joined HEAVY to talk about the Player Plus Series and the positive impact it has had on their sound.

We start the conversation by congratulating the girls and the position they find themselves in for a band so young in their career.

"It's very cool, they're great guitars, so we're stoked,” Alexia beamed.

Despite the perfect union between guitar and performer, particularly in the context and market Fender is going for, rarely is a band of this age – let alone nature – afforded an opportunity like this.

"We had a little bit of a relationship with one of the reps there,” Violet offered, “and Alexia and I have been back and forward playing Fender a little bit over the years too. It kind of just happened serendipitously. There was another band that was gonna be involved in some of the promo, and then they had an injury, so we decided to roll up. It's really cool. We're just super stoked to be a part of it."

"I think they wanted us to be a part of it because we play heavy ish music,” Alexia added. “It's not metal by any means, but it's distorted and the Player Plus is more for forward facing rock music. The guitar is more in your face, and the Player Plus is a good guitar for that."

With the rest of the world waiting anxiously for a first look at the Player Plus Series up close, as brand ambassadors, Destroy Boys have enjoyed one of the many perks by having early access to the guitars.

"They're sick!” Alexia enthused. “They're really well-made guitars. They sound incredible, and they have a super nice high gain pickup in the bridge, which is great for a band like us that's all about high gain. The neck is set up super well, they're just really cool guitars. And they have super cool finishes. We played the Tequila Sunrise one, it was, like, our focus guitar."

“They're also really versatile,” Violet continued. “They have a lot of different options as far as what pickup you're going into. You can get in between for all of them which isn’t how all guitars are made, so I like the versatility and the options that you have."

Two of the most noticeable additions to the Player Plus Series are the noiseless pickups and upgraded electronics which allow you to play longer and louder, two modifications which both girls agree are welcome additions.

“It's hard to improve on a guitar like a Strat,” Violet said. “It's just one of the most classic, famous guitars across the board in the history of music, but Fender seems to continue to do it. I love how it (Player Plus) sounds. When we've used...

Perth heavy outfit Sedative return with a new name and new musical direction with their upcoming single No Hard Feelings, which will premiered through HEAVY on September 15.
No Hard Feelings is the second of three planned releases for 2021, following on from Cough Medicine which was released earlier this year.
It is a song written out of pure frustration, drawing from the anger and despair of consistently being let down, and showcasing the more aggressive nature of Sedative’s music.
Guitarist Raphael joined HEAVY to discuss No Hard Feelings earlier today.
"It’s a bit of a new direction for Sedative,” he affirmed. “We're going for a heavy, slam type feel with a bit of nu-metal elements as well. (There’s) A lot of aggression in the song. It comes from a place of frustration but is a bit of a fun song at the same time. We're just trying to make good music to play live and get the crowd into and it's something we really enjoy."
In the full interview Raphael talks us more through No Hard Feelings musically, runs us through the powerful message of the song, talks us through the crazy film clip, the three songs released this year and how they relate to each other, surviving COVID, upcoming live shows and more.

What were you up to in 2004? It was the era of cargo shorts, spiked bracelets and a lot of cool music festivals. *Insert major generalisation here*. The world was a different place back then and Australian music was well and truly alive! Venues all over Australia would be packed mid week for countless local bands which made for an absolute ball tearer of a music scene/ scenes.

Back then Minus Life were a major player in the local Brisbane scene smashing out their debut album 'Eternal Urban Megacide' for all to see across the land Oz.

The (the then) quintet were reaching new heights whilst building an impressive resume of support slots for international acts and playing the likes of the Big Day Out Festival as well. Then after a major support slot with Slayer, everything suddenly stopped.

Fast forward a decade (and a half) as the heavy metal world has rejoiced with the return of not only Minus Life as a live act but also as a continued recording act too! After 17 long years Minus Life are set to release their second studio album entitled 'Contorted Reality' set for release on October 1st, 2021.

Relish in this in depth chat with Scott Moss the lead singer and (one of the) founding members of ML. We got right down into the gritty details about some hard times, some more hard times and some really really really good times from the past, present and the not too distant future!

Despite only being formed earlier this year, Gold Coast hard rock duo Mermaid Waters have wasted little time impacting the local music scene.
After introducing themselves with the single Royalty this July, Mermaid Waters are following it up with new single The Grudge which will be out on September 10.
Frontman/drummer Liam Chappy caught up with HEAVY to talk about the upcoming release.
"It's a bit all over the place,” he measured. “I've been a professional musician for about five years now and I've always been focused on drums and that kind of stuff so when I started getting into songwriting it felt like no-one would ever really give me a chance. It felt like a lot of people around me wouldn't give me too much light of day to express myself. Since 2016 to now I've been in about nine bands, and I've tried to express myself the way I wanted without anyone understanding. It put me down more than I was wanting, and I repressed it quite a bit. It wasn't until recently that I went you know what, I don't care what these people think, I'm gonna give this a go and fuck them (laughs)."
In the full interview Liam talks more about The Grudge and who it is directed at, how it differs from Royalty, condensing sounds and influences from larger bands into a duo, the spoken narrative in The Grudge and what it signifies and more.

Those who have followed the career of Trevor Dunn will know the man is a musical nomad.
His eclectic tastes have led him to bands such as Mr. Bungle, Fantomas, Tomahawk, Secret Chiefs 3 and The Melvins, but with his recent release with new project Sperm Church, Dunn has managed to outdo even himself in terms of niche music.
Uniting with electronic artist Sannety, Dunn released merdeka atau mati through his newly formed label Riverworm Records on September 3, an album containing elements of abstraction and trap music, battling cultural conditioning with non-traditional tunings, glissandos, percussion, and a max/msp patch.
Trevor joined HEAVY earlier in the week to discuss the new project and the eccentricity of their debut release, starting by trying – unsuccessfully – to pronounce the album title.
"It’s funny, a lot of people ask me if they're pronouncing that right but it's Indonesian and I don't speak it,” Dunn laughed infectiously. “My partner on the record, Sannety, is half Indonesian so that's partly where that originates. I play electronic bass and she's an electronic musician and she developed this sequencer - a max/msp - which is a complex drum machine essentially, so it's kind of like a weird drum and bass duo for lack of a better description. She was definitely influenced by a lot of trap music and hip hop and stuff, and I've never played that kind of music per se myself, but I took a lot of her influences and tried to incorporate what I do with electric bass with what she was doing electronically."
Considering the above outlined projects Dunn has recorded with previously, the fact he says Sperm Church records music he has never played before is somewhat of a surprise.
"It was essentially her influence, but it was something new for me,” he shrugged. “As a bass layer to really sit there and check out trap baselines, there's some really interesting stuff going on. To be able to take those ideas and twist them into my own weird sensibilities and just try to do something totally different and step outside of the box that I'm used to doing was great. We wanted to improvise but not be regulated by the traditional limitations of improvisation - which there are unfortunately. Free music is rarely free. If someone says 'oh yeah, there's gonna be a free improv show' you almost kind of know what it's gonna sound like. This cultural formula has developed over the years and that’s kind of unfortunate in a way. It's like everything... it's human instinct to trap things into this box and not let it be free (laughs). I don't know if that's a human thing or a Western thing but out whole concept was to liberate the sound, essentially."
In the full interview, Trevor talks us more through the music on the album, his tendency to play in bands that have a niche market, his new label and why he started it, the status of Mr. Bungle, Fantomas and Tomahawk and possible new music, working with Mike Patton, some of his other projects and more.

English rock outfit Inglorious captured the world's attention earlier this year with the release of their album We Will Ride, a collection of rock belters that perfectly showcased the vocal talents of front man Nathan James and the musical prowess of his new band members.

Topping that album - which I am sure they will - will be a momentous task, so in the meantime the band have decided to have a bit of fun with other artists songs.

This approach has been tried before many times over, but for Inglorious' upcoming release Heroine, the band have taken themselves completely out of their comfort zone by recording songs made popular by some of their personal favourite female artists.

James joined HEAVY to talk about the album and his expectations for it.

"I don't think any other rock band has done this before, which just seems crazy. Maybe it's because they think it's a stupid idea," he laughed. "For me the idea came from when we were doing a cover on tour of Alanis Morissette - Uninvited - which is on the album, and people really liked it. The reaction every night… I had people coming up to me every night saying 'you sing this so well, the band play it so well', and I thought maybe we can make a whole album out of unexpected songs, and then I realised what was also cool was that Alanis is obviously a woman, and we are five men, so let's try and see if we can recreate some legendary female songs."

Covering artists ranging from Whitney Houston to Miley Cyrus, Tina Turner, Joan Jett, Evanescence, Heart and Halestorm, James admits the biggest challenge he faced was choosing which artists to pay homage to.

"Dude, it was so hard," he acknowledged. "I have a Spotify playlist and whenever I heard something or thought of something I would just add it to it. Before I started whittling it down, there were 50 tracks on there! We could have done anything. There are some artists that I'm a bit gutted that we missed off, but we could do another one maybe…”

In the full interview, Nathan discusses how Inglorious approached their versions of the songs, the women's charity some of the album proceeds are going to, singing parts out of his comfort zone, how Inglorious put their own slant on the music, being back on stage after a prolonged absence and more.

While COVID has generally been a clusterfuck for all involved – and those who don’t wish to be involved – there are a few feel good stories to rise from the belly of the beast.
One of those is Melbourne rock outfit The Dreadful Tides who’s birth and rise to prominence has come off the back of lockdown and the frustration it brings.
Inspired by old school classic rock and metal, The Dreadful Tides have been plotting their assault on the music world while quietly assembling a collection of songs to announce their arrival, the first of which is Crazy which will be premiered through HEAVY on September 10.
We spoke with guitarist Justin Strudwick earlier this week to discuss the single and their plans moving forward.
"I'm a massive Zack Wylde fan,” he began, instantly getting the thumbs up from HEAVY, “and between all of us we've all got a bit of different music taste. For me, this was a real classic metal rock riff you might say with a bit of a modern twist to it. We feel that people will have their own opinions and let the song take them on their own journey, but if you break it down it is about someone who is trapped inside their own head. They don't know what's going on and they're trying to find where to go. It's got a really good rhythm behind of it to get your head banging, there's a bit of classic guitar arrangement and catchy melodies. It's an all-round genuine rock song."
In the full interview, Justin takes us further into Crazy, the decision making process when it comes to choosing your debut release, future plans for music, the pros and cons of starting life in the modern climate, the sound of the band and where it comes from and more.
If you're like us and can't stand waiting, you can catch a special sneak listen to Crazy at www.pbafm.org.au, Rock Hard with Phil and Tish this Wednesday, September 8. The song will air on the show between 9:30pm-12:30am AEST for VIC/NSW listeners and 9pm-12am ACST for South Australian audiences.