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Every now and then a band bursts out of the local circuit with the kind of sonic swagger that leaves your jaw firmly pinned to the venue floor. Three decades ago a bunch of Frankston graffiti artists did just that when they decided to mash punk rock, metal, and hip-hop together, creating a beautiful monster that would completely reshape the Australian alternative music scene. They didn't just play gigs; they threw chaotic, adrenaline-fueled parties that became the definitive soundtrack for the Big Day Out and Channel [V] generation. Of course, I’m talking about the absolute bloody legends that are 28 Days. After completely decimating the capital cities earlier this year on a sold-out run, the boys are proving they have absolutely no intention of slowing down. They are heading right back out on the road this month for a massive regional anniversary tour, taking their infectious energy to the heartlands where it all began. To make things even sweeter for the old-school purists, their monumental, number-one ARIA-charting masterpiece Upstyledown is finally getting its first-ever vinyl pressing, sending fans into an absolute frenzy. From their humble beginnings at a Frankston skate park to touring the world, surviving devastating heartbreaks, and continuously doing things strictly on their own terms, 28 Days have earned their stripes as true Aussie rock royalty. They’ve proven time and time again that their music is completely indestructible. HEAVY caught up with the band's enigmatic frontman Jay Dunne to dive deep into thirty years of pure, unadulterated chaos. We chat about the wild ride of their history, the beautiful madness of regional crowds, the nostalgia of spinning Upstyledown on wax, and exactly how much fuel is left in the tank for a band that still rips it up harder than artists half their age. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

Interview by Ali Williams TAPE/OFF will be hitting the stages again bringing with them their beloved alt rock/groove punk sounds with them. Their first show for the year will be at Zed51 that effectively will kick off their tour. Drummer Branko Cosic caught up with HEAVY Magazine’s Ali Williams to chat about their return and their genuine excitement to be doing so. There’s a certain amusement in watching the bloke who normally on the other side of an interview asking the questions. Cosic spends a sizeable portion of his working life listening to other people between his Wednesday morning breakfast show, Unnecessary Knowledge, on 4ZZZ, working for the ABC, producing and engineering, and the various musical projects that keep claiming whatever hours remain, being the interviewee is not his usual position. The important part was that TAPE/OFF are heading to Zed51 , and Cosic is very bloody happy about it. Full write up and interview heavymag.com.au Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

The Dandy Warhols’ Zia McCabe has spent decades making music, but her latest creative chapter is taking her somewhere unexpected: immersive art.Returning to Australia in November, McCabe says the band’s relationship with Australian audiences remains special, saying “once Aussies decide they love you, they love you forever.” But alongside the Dandy Warhols’ upcoming shows, McCabe will unveil SEE HEAR NOW at Tasmania’s MONA, an interactive musical installation opening to the public on November 26.The installation grew from McCabe’s desire to transform spaces and create environments that tell stories beyond music for everyone. Visitors will trigger musical elements through movement and interaction, with layered sounds creating an ever-changing composition. A stationary bicycle, for example, can power a fan that activates a wind chime, while a central drone ensures the room is never silent.For McCabe, the project also represents a shift in how she sees herself. Raised in an artistic family, she once viewed music as separate from the visual art practised by her mother, father and sister. Now, she says she has embraced being an artist beyond simply being a musician. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

Interview by Ali Williams THE MARK OF CAIN aren't a band prone to excessive activity for the sake of it. They play when there is a reason to play, record when there is something worth recording and, still prefer enough amplifiers and cables on stage to keep several roadies gainfully employed. In 2026, there happens to be a very good reason to get busy.  The Adelaide trio Josie Scott, Kim Scott and drummer Eli Green are preparing to return to the stage, beginning with Brisbane’s Zed 51 Festival at Roma Street Parkland on October 24 before heading to Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide through November. Behind those shows sits the more significant development: THE MARK OF CAIN are well into work on their sixth studio album, with eight songs already completed and demoed, more in development and plans to finish the record early next year.  When HEAVY’s Ali Williams caught up with bassist Kim Scott, it became clear that the current burst of activity wasn’t born from some grand strategy. Zed 51 simply gave the band a reason to interrupt the writing process and get back in front of people. “That kind of became a bit of a catalyst for us to come out live again,” Scott explains.  Full write up and interview heavymag.com.au Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

There are few bands in the modern alternative rock landscape that can genuinely claim to have completely rewritten the rulebook, but Essex powerhouses Nothing But Thieves are definately one of them. From their explosive self-titled debut right through to the sprawling, neon-soaked conceptual masterpiece that was Dead Club City, these boys have consistently refused to play it safe. They have spent over a decade blending indie sensibilities, electronic pulses, and massive, stadium-sized rock riffs into a cocktail that is uniquely, undeniably theirs. But nothing—and I mean absolutely nothing—could have prepared the rock world for the fierce sonic beast that is their brand-new studio album, Stray Dogs. When the advance tracks for this record first landed in my inbox, I did what any self-respecting rock fan would do. I locked myself in the studio, cranked the speakers until the walls started to vibrate, and just let the music completely wash over me. Stray Dogs is a completely different animal for the band. It is darker, grittier, and carries a raw, visceral bite that feels like a massive nod to their heaviest rock roots while simultaneously rocketing headfirst into uncharted territory. It is the chaotic sound of a band entirely comfortable in their own skin, yet completely unwilling to sit still or compromise their artistic vision. The basslines groove deeper into your chest, the guitars cut through the air like a buzzsaw, and the overarching atmospheric tension keeps you on the absolute edge of your seat from the opening note to the dying embers of the final track. At the center of this musical storm is frontman Conor Mason, and if you have ever heard this man sing live, you already know he possesses one of the most versatile, jaw-dropping vocal ranges in rock music today. He can transition seamlessly from a haunting, delicate falsetto that will break your heart into a ferocious, soaring roar that can tear the roof off an arena. On Stray Dogs, Conor pushes his vocal instrument harder and further than ever before. He channels a raw desperation and a fierce, uninhibited intensity that perfectly matches the album's thematic undercurrents of isolation, survival, and finding your pack in a fractured world. With the anticipation for this album reaching a fever pitch globally—and particularly here in Australia, where we have adopted the boys as our own—I recently had the pleasure of sitting down for a proper yarn with Conor to dig deep into the belly of this new record. We spoke about the intense creative grind that birthed these new tracks, the heavy sonic experimentation that took place behind closed doors, and how the band managed to capture such an explosive energy in the studio this time around. Conor is one of the most down-to-earth, genuinely passionate blokes in the business, and his insight into the blood, sweat, and tears that went into this release is nothing short of sensational. So, turn the volume up, get yourself a cold drink, and settle in. Here is HEAVY's chat with the brilliant Conor Mason of Nothing But Thieves, talking all things Stray Dogs and more. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

Interview by Ali Williams Sixteen years into a band, creative expansion can become a logistical problem. For PROTOMARTYR, the latest version apparently comes with horns, extra personnel and the growing realisation that every good studio idea eventually turns up on the tour budget demanding its own seat. The Detroit post-punk veterans are preparing to release their seventh studio album Hotel Usona on September 25, frontman Joe Casey dialled into HEAVY to chat with our Ali Williams about their new release and upcoming US tour. When asked how he would explain PROTOMARTYR to the uninitiated, his first assessment is brutally economical. “Really s****y. No, it’s great.” He offers a slightly more useful version immediately afterwards. “I guess it started out as punk, and then we got better at our instruments, and so people call us post-punk now.” There is also Casey’s considerably harder-to-misinterpret summary: “We’re a loud yelly band from Detroit.” Fair enough. Sixteen years, seven records and an international audience later, PROTOMARTYR have earned the right to keep the sales pitch brief. The new record, however, has given the band a few fresh problems to solve. Guitarist Greg Ahee has pushed beyond simply making the guitars heavier, bringing trumpets and horns into the equation in an attempt to find weight somewhere other than the volume knob. “Greg the guitar player wanted to use horns because he wanted to try to be heavy in a different way, as opposed to just cranking up the guitar,” Casey explains. “Sometimes big massed horns can be scarier or louder than the guitar.” Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

The global punk rock landscape would look vastly different without the bruising anthems, razor-sharp sociopolitical fury, and unwavering grit of Chicago’s finest, Rise Against. For over two and a half decades, Tim McIlrath, Zach Blair, Joe Principe, and Brandon Barnes have acted as the sonic conscience of alternative music, throwing their weight behind causes that matter while sound-tracking the lives of millions. Now, the powerhouse four-piece is gearing up to cross the Pacific once again for what promises to be one of the most explosive, boundary-pushing double-bills down under has seen in years. While Aussie fans were treated to a brief, high-octane taste of the band in early 2024 when they tore through arenas opening for pop-punk royalty Blink-182, it has been nearly a decade since Rise Against commanded their own proper headline slots on our shores. The agonizing wait is finally over. Come November and December 2026, the band is returning to claim their throne, co-headlining a massive national run alongside Celtic-punk legends and longtime brothers-in-arms, the Dropkick Murphys. It is a pairing born out of mutual respect, raw sweat, and a shared philosophy that live music should be a unifying, sweat-soaked communion. From the relentless velocity of Melbourne's John Cain Arena to the open-air intensity of Brisbane, Sydney, Perth, and Gosford, this tour isn’t just a victory lap; it’s a necessary release. Australian crowds have always held a fiercely loyal, borderline-feral affection for Rise Against, matching McIlrath’s soaring choruses and Blair’s blistering fretwork note-for-note, mosh-for-mosh. With a staggering, deep-cut-heavy discography to pull from, the band is preparing to unleash the full-throttle, headline-length sets that local diehards have been starved of since 2018. Ahead of the highly anticipated summer tour, we sat down with the band's powerhouse guitarist, Zach Blair. Known for his explosive stage presence and deep-rooted passion for the global punk community, Zach opened up about the enduring bond between Rise Against and Australian audiences, the mechanics of co-headlining with a powerhouse like the Dropkick Murphys, why the heavy, fast, and unapologetic nature of punk rock is more vital now than ever before and more. General onsale tickets are available from livenation.com.au and livenation.co.nz Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

After decades spent establishing himself as a formidable guitarist across bands including Vicious, Lizzy Borden and Metal Church, Ira Black is entering a new chapter — one where he is stepping behind the microphone and putting his own story at the centre of the music.Apocalypse marks a deeply personal evolution for Black, who began exploring his voice during the pandemic after turning his attention to recording and songwriting. Having written around 500 songs during that period, Black eventually narrowed the material down to ten tracks that would become the foundation of the project.The journey began unexpectedly with a challenge: singing Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven.” Initially frustrated by how his voice sounded, Black realised he was approaching vocals much like guitar — technically correct, but without enough feeling. That revelation changed everything.“I started writing lyrics that meant something to me,” Black explains, drawing from his upbringing, personal experiences and the cycles he wanted to break for his own children.That emotional honesty is particularly evident in “Black Box,” a song Black considers one of his songwriting pinnacles. Rather than allowing his heavier sound to obscure the lyrics, he deliberately prioritises clarity and melody.Apocalypse also explores humanity’s increasingly complicated relationship with technology and artificial intelligence, while the forthcoming album Phoenix delves into ideas of rebirth, mortality and the uncertain future.For Black, however, Apocalypse is more than another band. It is, in his words, “100% my soul on the line”  Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

Interview by Ali Williams Interview by Ali Williams Faroese artist Eivør is celebrating the impending release of her latest studio album, Tungl. For over two decades she has been considered one of Nordic music’s alluring treasures with her voice and also the range of her music, managing to captivate audiences worldwide. She is also midway through a European summer festival run, having recently played the Czech Republic’s Brutal Assault, which she described as one of the coolest festivals she had played in a long time. Holland was next, Germany was waiting after that, and somewhere amongst the kilometres, hotel rooms and Nightliners sat a newly completed album and two freshly released songs.  There is plenty happening in Eivør’s world, although trying to package exactly what she does into one convenient genre remains somebody else’s problem. Despite having developed a strong following within metal circles, particularly among listeners drawn to darker Nordic and pagan-influenced music, Eivør has never considered herself a metal artist. In fact, she has never been particularly interested in attaching herself to any specific genre at all. That has not stopped metal audiences claiming a sizeable piece of her. Full interview and write up heavymag.com.au Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

Swedish metalcore visionaries Imminence are a band that refuse to be put in a box. Just when you think you have their signature blend of crushing riffs and symphonic grandeur figured out, they tear up the rulebook and build an entire universe in its place. Following the massive global breakthrough of their 2024 masterpiece The Black, the band has entered a bold new era by signing with heavy music powerhouse Sumerian Records. Now, they are standing on the precipice of releasing their most ambitious, multi-dimensional project to date: their highly anticipated sixth studio album, Axis Mundi, dropping on October 2, 2026.  If you thought you knew what to expect from the Swedes, think again. Axis Mundi—a title representing the central point where heaven and earth intersect—is a record defined by pure, unadulterated duality. It is an uncompromising sonic journey that balances devastatingly grotesque heaviness with breathtaking, cinematic breadth. To truly comprehend the massive scale of this record, you only have to look at the way the band introduces its world. They didn’t just drop a single; they unleashed a back-to-back double assault with the bruising violence of False Light and the orchestral majesty of Crestfallen, showing two completely opposing emotional forces that somehow tell a single, interconnected story. But Imminence isn't stopping at the music. They are pushing the boundaries of what a modern heavy band can achieve by bringing a literal feature film version of Axis Mundi to select global movie theaters. The cinematic narrative woven throughout their striking music videos—following an immortal knight wandering endlessly in search of death—reaches its grand conclusion on the silver screen. It is next-level world-building that proves Imminence is no longer just writing albums; they are crafting living, breathing epics.  HEAVY sat down with the band's charismatic frontman and violin virtuoso Eddie Berg to dissect the madness behind the new record. We dove deep into the sonic evolution of their new tracks and the sheer pressure of translating this massive theatrical vision into a live touring machine. Eddie opens up about how the band unlocked a brand-new creative toolkit for this era, the emotional catharsis of writing between the extremes of life and death, what it means to find your purpose when you are performing at the absolute peak of your powers and more. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

If you’ve been paying any attention at all to the breeding ground of chaotic, beer-soaked, sweat-drenched rock and roll coming out of the Sydney and Central Coast underground over the last few years, then the name NFÏ should already be permanently tattooed onto your brain. These local punk rock lords have built a reputation as an absolute must-see live experience, tearing up local institutions like the MoshPit Bar and Crowbar Sydney with sets that are as obnoxiously loud as they are brilliantly comedic. They are the definition of proper, no-b******t Australian punk. Well, guess what? The boys are back, and they are bringing the absolute heat. Following up on the chaotic energy of their previous sonic assaults, NFÏ have just unleashed their blistering new full-length record upon the world. The title? Get Cooked Or Try Dying. And let me tell you, it is an absolute ripper of an album that demands to be listened to with a brutally cold tinny firmly gripped in your hand. Recorded with the absolute legend Jay Whalley of Frenzal Rhomb over at The Pet Food Factory, this new collection of tracks captures the band’s signature raw, raucous energy and packages it into a series of anthems about all the stupid, everyday shit that drives us completely mental. From the maddening, soul-crushing experience of getting trapped in a maze of Swedish flat-pack furniture to the sheer, unadulterated joy of public nuisance behavior, NFÏ have managed to perfectly bottle the modern Australian existential crisis and set it to a fast, furious, three-chord punk beat. It’s got that classic, driving pub-rock grit infused with the rebellious attitude of the Sex Pistols and The Saints, but with that unmistakably distinct Aussie sense of humor that makes it entirely their own. I had the absolute pleasure of sitting down with Christos from NFÏ to get the full, unvarnished inside scoop on Get Cooked Or Try Dying. We dive deep into the writing process behind these chaotic new tracks, what it’s like working with a punk icon like Jay Whalley, and how they manage to survive their own notoriously wild live shows without actually fulfilling the second half of their album title. We also chat about their upcoming tour plans, what keeps the fires burning in the local underground scene, and why they might just be the most honest band in the country right now. So, crack open a cold one, turn your speakers all the way up to eleven, and get ready to dive headfirst into the madness. Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for Sydney’s finest purveyors of beautiful noise—here is my chat with the unstoppable NFÏ! Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

La Dispute have always been a band that operates entirely on their own axis. For over two decades, the Grand Rapids, Michigan post-hardcore titans have bypassed traditional genre boundaries, instead crafting a visceral, emotionally exhausting world built on spoken-word poetry, jarring rhythms, and some of the most fiercely passionate storytelling ever committed to tape. They don't just play songs; they blood-let on stage, dragging their audiences through harrowing tales of grief, love, and the terrifying fragility of human existence. Now, the band is gearing up to cross the Pacific once again for a highly anticipated Australian tour, bringing their legendary live intensity back to a fanbase that treats their lyric sheets like sacred texts. To get the lowdown on what promises to be one of the most raw and punishing live music experiences of the year, HEAVY sat down with the mastermind himself, frontman Jordan Dreyer. If you’ve ever listened to a La Dispute record, you already know that Dreyer doesn't do things by halves. On stage, he is a tempest—pacing, gripping the microphone like a lifeline, and screaming with an urgency that makes you feel like the room is actively cave-in around you. Off stage, however, he is the exact antithesis: remarkably articulate, profoundly thoughtful, and disarmingly humble. In this sprawling, unfiltered chat, Jordan opens up about the band's enduring, symbiotic relationship with Australian audiences—a crowd he notes has a unique, uncompromising appreciation for heavy, emotionally transparent music. We dig deep into the physical and psychological toll of performing tracks from Wildlife and Somewhere at the Bottom of the River Between Vega and Altair night after night, exploring how he manages to find new spaces of catharsis in stories he wrote more than a decade ago without losing his mind in the process. We also chat about the sheer endurance required to front a band as sonically demanding as La Dispute, their recent album No One Was Driving the Car and how it was received, translating the aural significance of their music to the live setting, why Australia remains an essential, unmissable pilgrimage for the band and more. Strap yourselves in, heavy music fans. This is a fascinating glimpse into the mind of one of alternative music's most compelling and brilliant lyricists. Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for the one and only Jordan Dreyer. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

When the news broke that progressive metal titans The Ocean had lost two-thirds of their lineup, the heavy music community as a whole held its collective breath. Longtime vocal powerhouse Loïc Rossetti, alongside Paul Seidel and David Ramis Åhfeldt, all stepped away. For lesser bands, a mass exodus like that is a definitive death knell. It’s the moment you pack up the gear, raise a glass to the memories, and gracefully bow out. But if you know anything about founding guitarist and mastermind Robin Staps, you know that "giving up" simply isn't wired into his DNA. Instead of letting the curtain close on a brilliant 25-year legacy, Staps dug his heels into the dirt, pivoted, and orchestrated one of the most astonishing creative rebuilds the genre has ever seen. Out of the ashes of uncertainty comes Solaris, the band's monumental 12th studio album, set to drop on September 25 via Pelagic Records. And let me tell you, this thing is a absolute beast of a record. Clocking in as a near-70-minute psychological sci-fi epic, Solaris takes inspiration from Andrei Tarkovsky’s iconic film masterpiece, weaving dystopian cinematic soundscapes with the crushing, world-ending post-metal riffs that fans have been begging for since the Pelagial days. It’s massive, it’s introspective, and it introduces a radically revitalised global collective—featuring new vocalists Lane Shi and Enrico Tiberi, alongside guitarists Emmanuel Jessua and Marco Gennaro, all locking arms with Staps, bassist Mattias Hägerstrand, and drummer Jordi Farré. It is a terrifyingly ambitious next chapter that proves this band is far from dead. HEAVY had the privilege of sitting down with Robin Staps to dissect the beautiful chaos of the last two years. We talked about the heartbreaking sting of the lineup changes, the frantic energy of rebuilding a musical empire from scratch, the existential themes buried deep within their staggering new singles Light Pollution and Belligerence, the overlapping story arc and more. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

Interview by Ali Williams If organising an interstate show for your band meant first having to consult an aviation specialist, gather a road-condition report and possibly notify the Department of Defence, most would assume that you're either stuck in a fever dream and or that definitely be some A grade ganga you've gotten your grubby little mittens on. However this is standard band life for Northern Territory's MERTAS. Based in remote northeast Arnhem Land, the punk outfit must contend with return flights approaching $2K per person or a twelve-hour drive to Darwin, much of it along dirt roads. There are no traffic lights in their community, no Kmart and no Macca’s. Consequently, the band’s first performances outside the Northern Territory are not just another booking on the calendar. Their arrival at BIGSOUND is a considerable achievement and one they are properly thrilled about. Speaking with HEAVY, MERTA’S Matt Kane explained that their band began with the dependable combination of skateboarding, mates and discovering music that immediately demanded further investigation. He grew up listening to hip-hop before a friend at the skate park introduced him to punk, Tool and other heavier acts. A stint providing vocals in a Rage Against The Machine-influenced project followed, before Matt learned guitar, contacted a few friends and suggested they have a jam. That was essentially the master plan. They found music they loved, picked up instruments and started making their own. The band developed gradually, playing throughout Arnhem Land and building a strong connection with Darwin’s expanding punk and heavy music community. Their hometown location may complicate touring, but it has also encouraged MERTAS to become impressively self-reliant. Matt works professionally in photography and videography, allowing much of the band’s recording, filming and promotional work to be created from his bedroom. Full write up and interview heavymag.com.au Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

Interview by Ali Williams NIGHTDIVE may be a relatively new band, but its members are hardly wandering into BIGSOUND armed with blind optimism and three rehearsals. Jack Robert and Mitch Clews have spent years working as session musicians, learning other people’s material, backing lead artists and making the whole operation sound considerably more competent. Now, alongside vocalist and guitarist Sam Tomlinson and the rest of NIGHTDIVE, they are putting that experience behind music carrying their own name. The band released its first material in August last year and has moved quickly since, following its debut EP with two new singles, a second EP and its first national tour. BIGSOUND arrives before NIGHTDIVE has even completed its first full year, which is a decent result for five musicians still passing demos around Dropbox and politely debating which version is least likely to cause an internal incident. Full write up and interview heavymag.com.au Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.