Robin Staps is the guitarist, founder, manager, lead songwriter and main lyricist of German progressive/post-metal unit The Ocean. On episode 18 of HEAVY STORIES, he talks about rebuilding his band's lineup almost from scratch between previous album Holocene (2023) and the brand-new Solaris. We also discuss burnout, how he runs his record label Pelagic and much more. This conversation is the finale for HEAVY STORIES season 1: a huge thanks to all who listened in and supported us during our first run of episodes. We will return later in the year, refreshed.

(Image: Jovi Zhang)

Devin Townsend is a maverick prog metal solo artist and the former leader of Strapping Young Lad, the Devin Townsend Project and more. On episode 17 of HEAVY STORIES, he opens up about what makes him tick, including trauma, his contrarian streak, a desire to belong and being a former people-pleaser. We also talk about his mammoth new album The Moth, why Strapping and DTP broke up, his days singing for Steve Vai and more!

Image: Tom Hawkins

Shane Embury is the bassist for grindcore legends Napalm Death and a singer/multi-instrumentalist in myriad other projects. On episode 16 of HEAVY STORIES, he talks about kicking alcohol and discovering Jungian therapy, and how these things coloured his new solo album, Bridge to Resolution. He also looks back on 40-plus years of Napalm Death, from their anarchic early days to being embraced by the British mainstream and becoming Jim Carrey's favourite band.

Charlie Rolfe is the lead singer of High Wycombe metalcore band As Everything Unfolds. On episode 15 of HEAVY STORIES, she opens up about the loss of her band's drummer Jamie Gowers in August 2024 and how she navigated the grief that followed. She also discusses how the band regrouped, her experiences with maladaptive dreaming and the story and themes of new album Did You Ask to Be Set Free?.

Ian Kenny is the lead singer of Australian progressive metal icons Karnivool. On episode 14 of Heavy Stories, he explains why the band took 13 years to make their new album, In Verses. From mental health issues to practical struggles and balancing life as a family man, he goes deep into the reasons for the decade-plus dry spell, and teases that it won’t take another 13 years for their next project to come out!

It’s June, which means we’re already (nearly) halfway through 2026! The passage of time is as relentless as it is terrifying, but at least we can distract ourselves with all the top-notch metal we’ve been handed since the New Year. Join Matt and fellow music journo Pavel Kondov as they details the albums which have rattled their ears the best this year!

The last few episodes have been heavy even by our standards, with discussions of war, anxiety, suicide, being attacked in the street, ADHD and attempted murder. So, for episode 12, we got Hellripper leader James McBain to talk about fast riffs and Scottish myth, and how both shaped his new album Coronach. We also chatted about the review he got from Anthony Fantano, Metallica vs Megadeth and his isolated life in the Highlands.

Dan Tompkins is the singer of British progressive metal luminaries Tesseract and rock two-piece Prince of Failure. On episode 11 of Heavy Stories, he talks about his recent diagnosis with ADHD and life as a neurodivergent person. We also discuss the new Prince of Failure album, his early days in Tesseract, his nine years as a policeman and plenty more. 

Einar Solberg is the singer/guitarist in Norwegian progressive metal band Leprous and a solo artist. On episode 10 of Heavy Stories, he discusses his history with anxiety, including how it was exacerbated by being attacked on the street aged 16 and the death of his father when he was 19. He also reveals some of his coping mechanisms and how he was able to stop his mental health from dominating his life. Image: Leo Liberti.

Nina Saeidi is the singer and co-founder of British progressive metal band Lowen. On episode nine of Heavy Stories, she talks about her ancestral roots in Iran and how her Middle Eastern heritage has inspired the music she makes. We discuss the country’s ongoing war with the US and Israel, which has deeply impacted many of her relatives who still live there, as well as her parents seeking asylum in the UK in 1979, how her aunt fled the country after being a political prisoner for nine years, her experiences with racism, falling in love with metal, the time someone actually died on her on the London Underground, and much more. (Image: Katja Ogrin)