INTERVIEWS
SABATON
TM - Could you tell your fans about the movie that is about to hit cinemas, we are all really excited for it to come.
HV - This is a movie we did on our tour to end our tour. We did this show in Amsterdam in the Netherlands with 16,000 of our closest Dutch friends. I assume other people from all over the world would want to be there. It was just one of those epic nights, everything came together so nicely and it was the biggest arena of the tour, so we decided to record it. We are super excited to get that out there for everyone to see.
SEETHER
TM - If you could have any band play one of your songs what band would it be what song and would it be in your style or their style?
JN - Foo Fighters playing 'Remedy' and they can play it in our style which is kind of theirs because they are also Rock. I would like to have Dave Grohl on the drums doing his own thing.
THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS
TM - If you could have any band play one of your songs what band would it be what song and would it be in your style or their style?
JN - I was thinking The Cars as they have so much style. It was almost like a preset to the music industry I would be excited if they did one of our songs.
ORGY
TM - If you could have any band play one of your songs what band would it be, what song would it be and would it be in your style or their style?
JC - I wouldn't mind seeing Bring Me The Horizon or Motionless In White play one of our songs or Death From Above play one of our songs that would be cool.
FLAMING WRECKAGE
TM - If you could have any band play one of your songs what band would it be, what song would it be and would it be in your style or their style?
DE - I am really into covers that metal bands do that aren't metal. If you are going to do something to something that is not metal. Children of Bodom do some wild covers, I like that kind of stuff. I listen to a lot of rock and roll, I reckon c.o.f.f.i.n would do a pretty good cover of one of our songs.
KORPIKLAANI
TM - What was the first band you saw live and did it inspire you to play music?
SI - The first real metal band I ever saw live was Children of Bodom around 60 km from my home. There is not much near my home so it was a really special thing and I feel privileged that I got the chance to see them so early in their career and that they played in the middle of Nowhere.
THE CRYSTAL METHOD
TM - If you could have any band play one of your songs what band would it be, what song would it be and would it be in your style or their style?
ST - There is a song on our latest album called 'Watch Me Now' a collaboration with a singer called Coda and it is heavy hitting. It has good energy and good vocals and I would love to hear Radiohead or Black Sabbath cover it.
JANET GARDNER
TM - If you could have any band play one of your songs what band would it be what song would it be and would it be in your style or their style?
JG - Heart no one delivers a song better than her and we have a song on our second album called "A Way to Your Heart" which would be very fitting for her to play. We could write a very special song for her to sing just for her.
ATREYU
TM - If you could have any band play one of your songs what band would it be, what song would it be and would it be in your style or their style?
TS - I think it would be cool to have The Scorpions do our song "I Don't Want to Die" off our newest album. The song sounds very much like The Scorpions and Def Leppard. I would like them to keep it the way we did it but to sing and perform it.
LAGERSTEIN
TM - We are here with the keeper of the keys, the bastard of the bowstring, and proud to say my personal friend, Mother Junkst from Lagerstein! Junkst how the fuck are you!?
MJ - We are going awesome! I can't wait to have a beer together in Sydney.
TM - I am so keen for that! It's been way to long since you guys have been down to Sydney, and this will be your first Australian tour since COVID, what gives?
GLORYHAMMER
TM - If I had any input, I would definitely say Space 1992 it's an amazing album it is probably my favourite album.
PT - I hear that a lot, I think we really hit a niche market there, combining medieval fantasies and Lord of the Rings-style stuff, Star Wars and sci-fi stuff so I can see where a lot of people are coming from with that.
CARNIFEX
TM - If you could have any band play one of your songs, what band would it be, what song would it be and would it be in your style or their style?
FD - I would like to hear Enterprise Earth cover our songs. Those guys are shredders and I like the way they play. I would like to see how Gabe and Brandon approached the riffing.
VIO-LENCE
TM - what was the first ever band or artist you saw live?
VL - The first ever band I saw live was on my 13th birthday and my mum took me. she was like, on your birthday we are going to a show. We use to listen to Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden and Judas Priest except she took us to see The Isley Brothers, but she chose not to tell us until we got there, but it was a great performance. The first show I bought a ticket for was $10 and I saw The Cars at the Oakland Coliseum during the Panorama tour.
SWITCHFOOT
TM - If you could have any band play one of your songs what band would it be, what song and would it be in your style or their style?
JE - That's hard because you write these songs and you play the songs and it is your version of how it is supposed to sound. Let's say a band like U2 would pick up our song. How would they interpret the way our song comes out, I could see U2 playing 'Dare You to Move' or something in that kind of genre. I could see Foo Fighters doing 'Meant To Live'. It's really an honour if a band wants to play your songs. I think Taylor Swift sang one of our songs in her concerts, 'Dare You to Move'
ENUFF Z'NUFF
CP - Well, you will see something close to that next week when we come out to Glam Fest that Silverback is putting together, which is going to be incredible. Faster Pussycat from Los Angeles, Enuff, Wednesday 13th from the Murderdolls. I love Wednesday, I haven't seen him in years, Tuff will be on the bill with Pretty Boy Floyd. A lot of these bands we haven't toured with excluding Faster Pussycat, those guys know how to party. They can drink and can put it down. I'm excited, it's going to be a nice challenge. Four shows in four days is not going to be hard for me because I have done thirty-one shows in thirty-three days. Shout out to Silverback touring for putting this whole tour together, those guys in Australia know what they are doing I can tell you that.
POWERMAN 5000
TM - If you could have any band play one of your songs, what band would it be, what song would it be, and would it be in your Style or their style?
SR - Whoever I choose would definitely have to be in their style and it would have to be something so far out of our style it would almost be unrecognisable. So this is going to be read right, I am going to give it to a solo artist Lana Del Rey Singing Super Villain by Powerman 5000, the biggest mash up you have ever heard in your life.
OF MICE AND MEN
TM - If you could have any band play one of your songs what band would it be, what song would it be and would it be in your style or their style?
AN - Oh god I have never even remotely thought about that. You kind of just blew my mind with that one. Maybe Led Zeppelin Covering fighting gravity in their style. That would be pretty mind-blowing, I've never thought of anything like that that was a mental exercise.
OBSCURA
TM - If you could have any band play one of your songs, what band would it be, what song would it be, and would it be in your style or their style?
SN - I would like to see Metallica covering Anticosmic Overload in their style. That would be quite interesting because it's quite demanding, but at the same time, the structure is quite easy to digest. The main riffs are quite Iconic, that could be very interesting.
BLOOD RED THRONE
TM - What is your favourite memory watching someone else perform live, can you tell us a story?
DO - I always enjoy my daughter perform with her band. She’s an artist signed to Universal Music. However, one of my all-time fave groove metal bands, Clawfinger, did this insane outdoor gig 45 minutes away from my hometown. I was 100% sober, but I was ecstatic and the whole crowd was grooving like hell. The major of the city also gave the guitarist $10.000 for his dedication and commitment to rock and metal in his hometown, but he gave it away immediately to the kids playing in local bands. Respect!
PATHOLOGY
TM - If you could have any band play one of your songs, what band would it be and what song? In your style or their style?
OF - Oh my god that's a great question. I could nerd out on this one. I would like to see what 1992 Cannibal Corpse would do with the song "Submerged in Eviscerated Carnage" off the new album, that would be cool. It’s a super heavy song and I vibe on Chris Barnes old stuff a lot, I love his work you know, early Cannibal Corpse, is what got me into death metal, to begin with. I always go to the Barnes era of Cannibal Corpse, I'm a dork like that.
EXODUS
TM – That’s really cool! What's your favourite memory of watching someone else perform live? can you tell us a story?
SS - My first concert ever was I was 13 years old, and I went and saw KISS, it was the day Elvis died. It was in San Francisco, and I remember going to the show and had never seen anything like it before. Here you've just got a concert of a guy blowing fire, this guys on a riser that goes up to the top of this stage, and a guy on a line, and guitar stuff and stuff explodes, and that hooked me. As soon as I saw that I knew what I wanted to do it. I remember AC/DC playing in outdoor concert in 1979, and it was when Angus and Bon Scott used to go into the crowd and Bon Scott would be on Angus’s shoulders, and Angus passed by me and I got to pat him on the back and that was cool too. I have been doing this for so long.
CARCASS
TM - I would love a dining set of all these different bands, that would be cool!
DW - There's so many band logos that would look good on a knife, fork, and a plate! Bands have been doing mugs for a long time, even we have Carcass mugs, I think this is taking it to the next step. Hopefully it will start a dinner set and cutlery revolution.
SEETHER
TM - If you could have any band play one of your songs, what band would it be, what song would it be and in your style or their style?
SM - It has been a running joke for a while we have a song called Breakdown that crew guys have said it would be great to hear in a country version. If it was a country version it would be to have to be Dolly Parton so the ultimate version would be Dolly Parton doing Breakdown that would be a pipe dream.
MAJESTICA
MA - Yeh it sucks, with Sabaton we had a lot of touring plans that we had to cancel this year. Almost three weeks in Russia and the festivals in Europe. We were planning on going to America together with Judas Priest. We were the planning to go to Australia as well but that was postponed till next year. We had some shows with Majestica planned that we needed to cancel as well, that sucks.
HEATHEN
TM - What's your favourite festival you have played and why?
HN - I would have to say, all the festivals we have played have been awesome and they take such good care of you. I think my favourite was when we did RockHard in 2008. That one special because we are friends with the guys from the magazine. We have known them since we have been growing up in this business, so it was a real honour to be at that festival.
We have friends who played it as well and the day we played UFO and Saxon played, so that was awesome. UFO is one of my favourite bands of all time and they played after us.
PHIL X
Tm - if you could have any band play one of your songs, which band would it be, which song would it be and would it be in your style or theirs?
Phil x - wow, man, that's a tough one and i have never heard that question ever.
Phil x - that is different, because do you get someone who is kind of like you to do it or do you get someone who is completely different. I am just trying to think of who.
PRIMAL FEAR
TM - If you could collaborate with any band who would it be and why?
MS - I'm very satisfied in the direction I'm going. We have a show called Rock Meets Classic every year, for the last 12 years. It is a symphony orchestra. We invite classic rock bands, the legends from history and we have been doing this tour for the last 12 years. I have played with Alice Cooper, Thin Lizzy, Toto, Paul Rodgers and Status Quo. I'm ok with that. I'm looking forward to my next tour in April 2021, there will be Joey Tempest of Europe and many many more and my fanboy heart is fine with that.
ORANSSI PAZUZU
TM - What's your favorite memory on tour?
JH - Roadburn Festival was really good, we played to 3000 people. The following week we played in a small German town with no PA and no lights and there were 50 people there but thats all the venue could hold. At that point you can only rely on you your music and your band, you can't rely on the lights or the PA you have to go with the motion.
HOLDING ABSENCE
TM - Both videos are awesome, everyone should check them out. What is your favourite memory of watching a different band perform live?
JJ - My favourite band when I was Growing up with a band called Stick To Your Guns. They were headling a festival and I got to meet them and become friends with them. I got to go up on stage and do a song with them, it was an amazing moment.
VADER
JS - I had just joined Vader when the festival season had started up and I got to see a lot of bands for the first time, including Exodus and Judas Priest. I got the opportunity to see all these bands. I had never seen these bands because I was always busy. It was cool because the first time I got to see all these bands got to see them from the side of the stage and it's just a blur. I got to see so many killer bands and getting to see almost every band I wanted to see was awesome. I went to brutal assault and that was pretty cool. Seeing Kreator or Trypticon and meeting them after the show solidified the experience.
TESTAMENT
TM - Since we are talking about KISS I have a question from one of your fans. What is your favourite KISS album?
CB - My favourite KISS album is probably KISS Alive. When you are that young and see that album cover you just take it in and that's it. They had a bunch of great songs and the production on the album was killer.
THE WILD!
TM - Have you tried to do something live on social media?
DV - Yeah we did one on Saturday. A lot of people are setting up their iPhone and doing an acoustic set, which is cool. It is great and everyone's bringing people music in the time when most people need it. Except in typical The Wild! style we are setting up production with lights and backdrops, full stage, Amps, guitars and multiple camera recording and soundboard recording. It is going to be pretty mega and we are looking forward to it. Everyone that couldn't come to rock, we brought the rock show to them. What a better way than to start your day with rock and roll
SILVERTHRONE
A few years later I was doing a project with "Stone Temple Pilots" and we had a bunch of music that we recorded but we didn't have a singer. The guys from the "Stone Temple Pilots" found the singer from "The Union" and they said "I knew him" and I was like "what do you mean". They said, "he is the singer from The Union, that open for Whitesnake". We all ended up writing and recording a record. After we did it the "Deleo Brothers" went back to "Stone Temple Pilots". Pete and I decided to write our own album and it became Silverthrone.
ATREYU
TM - What is your favorite memory of watching someone else perform live?
BS - The last time we were in Sydney we were on a boat and then we found out we would get tickets to the Foo Fighters to show, We were an hour late but we still got see 2 hours which was really cool and we saw all the songs we like.
CATTLE DECAPITATION
TM - What was your favorite memory of watching someone else peform live?
TR - When Slayer was playing The Clash of the Titans tour in the early 90s. This guy got on the top of the speakers and jumped and he should of died and he lived, he was fine. We are talking 12 storys at the top of a sports Arena, it was the craziest thing I have ever seen and everyone cheered.
SEPULTURA
TM - You joined Sepultura in 1997 after the departure of Max Cavalera. How have you enjoyed the experience and how did you come to join the band?
DG - Once the singer left they were looking for a new singer and holding auditions. Basically what that entailed is, they had one tape with no vocals and the person and the singer could do their ideas for that song vocally. I did that and then they asked me to come to Brazil and I flew down to Brazil. I met them and rehearsed with them and after about a month they asked me to come back to Brazil and join the band and then I moved there for 20 years to San Paolo.
ROSS THE BOSS
TM - I was about to ask you about K.K. Downing, how was it performing with him at Bloodstock?
R - That was amazing, the whole thing leading up to it, the show was fantastic. We had a great time, it was really good. It was wonderful to see K.K. out there on the stage, I love playing guitar with him and we had a blast together.
SOILWORK
B - We have played some good club shows too. We played a show in Louisville Kentucky, it was sweaty and Crazy. There were people all over the stage and people having fistfights on stage. I felt like I was in a movie. It is on the crazy list.
We played with Children Of Bodom in Japan in 2003, and it was crazy. You could barely hear what you are playing because the crowd is so loud and they sing every word.
BUCKCHERRY
TM - What is your favorite memory watching someone else's perform live, can you tell us a story?
JT - We went to the Rio hotel and Prince was performing there. I went there with my wife. They had a 1,200 people capacity. It was unbelievable, he is an extraordinary talent. It was one of those shows I'll never forget.
HARDCORE SUPERSTAR
TM - What is your favorite memory of watching someone else perform live?
JB - In 1995 I went to a festival in Sweden that was held in a forest and I saw Pantera for the first time. They were throwing monitors all over this stage. Then he said into the microphone, this microphone is f****** destroyed and threw it into the stage. My friends and I thought it was cool and then at midnight slayer came on stage.
LAGERSTEIN
HB - You are finishing up the European leg of your current tour, what was it like to play Wacken and Sabaton open air?
Jacob - Wacken is easily the biggest and best festival we've ever seen. You can tell they've been doing it for 30 yrs because everything is organized to a tee and the staff are all extremely friendly and love what they do. It was impressive and humbling to be a part of something so big.
CRADLE OF FILTH
TM - That is cool man, I love your creativity. Can we expect a new album anytime soon?
DF - Absolutely, we have been nibbling at that more than anything else. We have a few ideas on songs already and we have already written a few. As the Festival season finishes we will be at home writing and recording. Hopefully, we will have something released by September.
TEXAS HIPPIE COALITION
BDR - It is funny because I started this lie told everyone that we are going to open up for Black Label Society. Black Label Society had no clue who we were, except the tour, had been talked about so much that Black label society's manager rang my manager and said: "Hey, what's up with you guys and talking about how you are going to tour with us". We ended up doing eight shows with themBDR - It is funny because I started this lie told everyone that we are going to open up for Black Label Society. Black Label Society had no clue who we were, except the tour, had been talked about so much that Black label society's manager rang my manager ...
WEDNESDAY 13
TM - What is your favorite memory of watching a different band perform live?
W - I got the honor of introducing the original Alice Cooper band at an awards ceremony in 2011, it was the original group that wrote "School's Out and No More Mr. Nice Guy". They performed together for the first time, in a long time, 1975 I think.
MICHAEL SWEET
TM - You have had a lot of amazing artists play on the new album, Jeff Loomis played on it.
MS - He did, Jeff is on a song called "Better Part Of Me", that is actually the song that we are going to release in the next few weeks. Oddly enough I have a lot of guitar players picked out for the album. Jeff reached out to me on Instagram and said check out your DM and I did. He said I'm a big fan of Stryper, I would love to play on your album and he did.
DEVILDRIVER
DF - This is about 12 or 15 years ago when they didn't have all the cameras installed. Me and my wife were on the tour and we snuck away. Let's just say we got some and we came back and joined the party. We were leaving and we got out the gate by the street, my wife's undies fell right onto the street. I said leave them by Elvis. I would like to think Elvis would be proud of me right now and especially of Anastasia, for leaving her panties on the street. He would be like "All right Mama".
PISSING RAZORS
TM - If you could have any bands play one of your songs, which band would it be, which song would it be and would it be in your style or their Style?
J - I would have had Damageplan cover one of our songs, because of our Vinnie Paul and Dimebag Darrell connection. We knew them on a personal level and always had a good time with them. We always hung out with them.
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RAVEN
TM - You gave Metallica and Anthrax their first shot, how did this come about?
JG - We were organizing a tour in 83 and Johnny, the promoter called us and said we have the biggest band in San Francisco to open for you. We said what Y&T are going to open for us. He said no, Metallica and we said who. we ended up getting the cassette for No Life 'Til Leather. We thought that it sounded like Motorhead being played at the wrong speed. We thought oh ok that sounds cool and that happened to be their first tour.
DRAGGED INTO SUNLIGHT
TM - What is your favorite memory playing a show?
T - Maryland DeathFest, we stayed up all night and didn't get any sleep. We went on stage and we crushed the place. It was amazing to see the expressions on people's face. People appreciated how loud it was and how it was something completely different. When we turned the amps on, you knew it was going to be something completely different because you could feel every bone in your body rattling.
FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE
TM - You got to play Wacken Open Air, what is your favorite memory of playing it?
FP - Every metal musician dreams to play at Wacken Open Air. When you play Wacken, you start to feel a little bit of pressure. Playing rock and roll so deep strong is emotional. I do not even remember it when I look at the videos and pictures I think "s*** I have done it". You realise it is only a starting point. We played Wacken after six or seven years of opportunity.
AVANTASIA
TM - You recently released 50 years on Earth, what made you want to release that and if bands haven't heard it what can they expect?
JORN - It was for my 50th birthday, it shows the journey I have had and how lucky I am to have had it. I grew up with more contemporary Style music, I felt like it was a good time to release it after doing so many albums and working in the heavy metal scene. I felt it was time to do something different. The singers I grew up with are always writing the same material, I wrote one album called heavy rock radio a few years ago. We did a cover of the song Hotel California by the Eagles, I also did your the voices in the box set.
ERIC BISCHOFF
TM - You got to induct diamond Dallas into the Hall of Fame, what was this like for you?
EB - It was a very rewarding experience, Diamond Dallas and I are very good friends, we have been good friends since the early 90s and to be part of something that was so important to him that's a great experience and I am grateful for that.
THE HAUNTED
TM - What's your favorite memory from playing Gefle Festival?
MA - It's in Sweden so it is really organised and you can jump in your car and go home afterwards, which is a really nice thing. The Swedish crowd is like if you would have a musical police force, they are always standing in the back with their arms crossed saying I can do that better and faster that. That is what it is like if you're a Swedish band playing in Sweden.
DANKO JONES
TM - You have two podcasts so can you tell us more about them?
DJ - I have been doing The Danko Jones podcast since 2011, it is up to episode 192 and it is a weekly podcast. I also have a weekly podcast of the 1970 sitcom Three's Company, I do that with my cousin and we talk about each Three's Company episodes every week in chronological order.
POSSESSED
JB - I think it is one of our best albums yet. Possessed is a kind of love-hate band, some people love us some people hate us but that is the rate of death metal. Some people do not understand it, as the first death metal band not bragging. I want death metal to be a whole bunch of things, I believe in subgenres of death metal, the wider broader and more versatile sounds. It sounds a lot like our old stuff except it has elements of our new stuff and 2019. I think people will be surprised, we moved the vibe forward and made it a more modern sound I think everyone will like it.
KATAKLYSM
TM - You do some Productions work with other artists, what inspires you to do this work and how does it affect your writing style?
JFD - I started this against my will when I was younger. The first band asked me to produce their work. The second band was in my area and they heard was doing production, they needed something done so I went in the studio and produce their album. I didn't really know what I was doing and it turned out decently.
CHILDREN OF BODOM
TM - What was your writing and recording process for Hexed?
HB - Alexi laiho writes the riffs and then we all normally work on the song from there, but this time it was a little bit different because we actually went back on the road now writing songs. We would have a few songs ready and then go on the road and then come back to the song as we had written it was actually quite refreshing.
FALLUJAH
We write and get all the stuff ready by ourselves then we record The guitars and bass guitar at our own studio and get all that ready. Then when we get that done and we take it to Mark Woods who has a studio in Nashville then he records drums and vocals and re amps the guitars. We have recorded and mixed and masters it took 3 months to do the whole album.
ANAAL NATHRAKH
AN - Absolutely, yes it's been a long road to get to this point. I don't mean just for us, there is a load of boring stuff that just has to get done, booking the flights getting all the paperwork it's almost here now and that's less than a week that we have to take off so finally coming there.
We were lucky enough to come to Australia in 2017 for one show so it's nice to come back do some watering and see some more of the country we are really excited.
ELUVEITIE
EV - Probably intensity that is our first impression the most intense album, that is what it feels like to ourselves. We also have musical developments, we grew as a band and the album is a result of what we did of writing the lyrics. This album is dealing with Celtic mythology and other albums.
ENSIFERUM
SAMI - I really hope we have some time because it is a really short trip. We are in the middle of a touring cycle so there will be no chance on having a holiday there, which would have been very nice. I am a weird person, I really like koalas. They are my spirit animals so it would be awesome to see some koalas.
ENUFF Z NUFF
EZN - All the rock stars came out for those shows, it is great out there everyone seems to root for each other. Ace would come in every day give me a hug ask me how I was. I'll see where my dressing room was then go to his dressing room it was a pleasure working with Ace and his crew and because of that tour, we ended up going on a tour with Jack Russells great white last year which was pretty successful.
GANG OF FOUR
It was interesting we got a image of her that was copyright free morning. I open my emails and get messages saying "Andy do you know you are in the Washington post today because they've written an article about a British post punk band who have Ivanka on the cover" and pretty much every single news outlets in America repeated that story in various ways I wasn't expecting that in any way.
ABRAMELIN
TM - If you could have any band play one of your songs what band would it be, what song would it be and would it be in your style or their style?
SN - I would go with "Moon Dogs" from our album "Never Enough Snuff". I would like Septic Flesh do it and I would like to do it in this style with lots of keyboards and Choir Singers.
GRAND MAGUS
TM - If you could have any band play one of your songs what band would it be, what song and would it be and would it be in your style or their style?
GM - I would like to hear Iggy Pop do one of our songs, a are really calm one. I would like them to do 'Winter Storms' of our new album that is seem to be released, I think his voice would suite that song.
GOD DETHRONED
TM - If you could have any band play one of your songs, what band would it be, what song would it be and would it be in your style or their style?
HI - When you play a song I think you should do it in your own style. We once did 'Evil Dead' by Death we did it in our own style it was a very recognisable song by Death we played it with the last beats because we thought it would fit. It would be great if a band like Oasis played one of our songs like Soul Capture 1562, it would fit them as well. I would never expect to eat band to play a song that wouldn't fit them.
HAMMERFALL
TM - If you could have any band play one of your songs, what band would it be, what song would it be and would it be in your style or their style?
OR - I would like Twisted Sister to cover 'Avenge the Fallen' in their own way. I think he would do a really good version of that he would fit that quite well.
MUNICIPAL WASTE
TM - If you could have any band play one of your songs what band would it be, what song would it be and would it be in your style or their style?
TY - I think it will be cool to hear Napalm Death through Sadistic Magician. We talked about doing a split a while ago. We recorded for it but it never came out the songs got released somewhere else for some other releases
DIRTY HONEY
TM - If you could have any band play one of your songs what band would it be, what song would it be and would it be in your style or their style?
JN - Steven Tyler singing 'Another Last Time' they could do it however they wanted. If they did that song that would be pretty cool. If AC/DC did 'When I'm Gone' that would be cool.
SVALBARD
TM - If you could have any band play one of your songs, what band would it be, what song would it be and would it be in your style or their style?
LM - I think Mogwai doing one over our songs, or maybe a mashup of more post-rock elements of our songs and turning them into something greater than we could ever do.
SLAUGHTER
TM - If you could have any band play one of your songs what band would it be, what song would it be and would it be in your style or their style?
JF - Headin for a dream, I had a lot to do with a lot of the lyrics on this song and if you listen to this song it sounds like Led Zeppelin. I will say Led Zeppelin playing that song and a combination of Robert Plant and David Coverdale singing it.
GATECREEPER
TM - If you could have any band play one of your songs what band would it be, what song would it be and would it be in your style or their style?
GC - Something that popped into my head is Dismember and they are a huge influence on us. We have made friends with them and Fred the drummer, came out and worked with us a little bit on our record. An old legendary band that we are influenced by. They took us under their wing and are like you are doing what we used to do and we support you so that would be cool if we covered each other's songs.
KATATONIA
TM - If you could have any band play one of your songs, which band would it be, which song would it be and would it be in your style or their style?
NS - Paramore in the era that they released their self-titled album, that would be pretty cool. Doing leaders in their style, with Hayley Williams vocals on that track.
THE EXPOLITED
TM - If you could have any band play one of your songs what band would it be, what song would it be and would it be in your style or their style?
WE - Probably the Sex Pistols or Metallica because I know they could play it they would play Sex and Violence. Slayer played one of our songs it's a compliment when people cover your song.
DEVILSKIN
TM - We are good, can’t complain too much. You are coming to Australia, what can fans expect?
NL - Those who haven't seen us play in Australia before will see a ripping rock show like we always do. We will bring our A-Game and our thunderous bass rifts. We have awesome drums, raunchy guitar tones and a devilish singer.
HAPPY MONDAYS
Happy Mondays were Formed in Salford England and were one of the most influential groups of the 80s and 90s. Led by frontman Shaun Ryder, the group fused UK’s indie and emerging Acid house scene to help mint the genre-defying sound that would be become ‘Madchester’ creating a unique sound that has stood the test of time.
KATATONIA
TM - If you could have any band play one of your songs what band would it be, what song would it be and in your style or their style?
KA - I would like to hear a band like Meshuggah take on one of our tracks and rework that into one of their songs in their style and their way of thinking. We have some of our songs in protogenic Style like 'Forsaker' and 'Austerity'. From the new album, I would love to hear our songs with a band that takes that style of music more seriously.
STRYPER
TM - Talking about loving music, what was the first band or artist you ever saw live as a kid?
MS - I was 12 years old at the La forum and I saw Elvis Presley.
TM - That's so cool, did that inspire you to want to be a musician?
MS - Yeah, Elvis always inspired me. My dad was a big Elvis Presley fan. I grew up around Elvis, I love Elvis, he is a huge inspiration to me musically. I got to see him as a kid and it happened to be the same night that Led Zeppelin was there.
PRETTY BOY FLOYD
TM - What is the first band you saw live and did they influence you to play music?
S - My First big band was KISS. I had so many friends growing up playing in backyard bands, garage bands etc and I thought man that's the coolest thing ever. But hey, I saw David Lee etc and was like hey this looks awesome. I have lots of influences from all Ave of the entertainment world.
TUFF
TM - If you could have any band play one of your songs what band would it be what song and in your style or their style?
ST - That's an interesting question. I like a lot of new wave and punk bands from the early 80s. When I was first getting into music, before I really started singing, I really liked the band Devo. I would make the band Devo and a song off ‘What Goes Around Comes Around’. We have a metal anthem that is very popular called ‘Good Guys Wear Black’. It's kind of a heavy metal anthem and to hear Devo do that in the techno new wave synthesiser sound, I think would be kind of cool. They could maybe change it to Good Guys Wear Hats and wear those red hats.
NASHVILLE PUSSY
TM - If you could have any band play one of your songs which band would it be, which song would it be, and would it be in your style or they're Style?
BC - That's a really good question! I would have the Rolling Stones play its off Up the Dosage its called Let's Get It On Before The Drugs Wear Off and I would have it in their style because it is pretty close to that anyway, but it's such a good song we did a good job. It's kind of left field for us that song would of put hip back on the map as far as being hip it's probably not going to happen.
DEVILSKIN
TM - Is there anything else you want to say to your fans?
DS - We are grateful that so many people have stuck by us, it has been a hell of a two years for us all and I think that for people rock and roll was a living memory. It was just as bad for bands, you could not tour, you could not release anything properly and I think people just need to get out and party now. Let us celebrate the fact that we are over the worst of that crap and enjoy the fact that we can get out and enjoy loud music, bang our heads, and have a great time together. We are very grateful that everyone has stuck by us, and we are going to bring it when we get there, do not worry.
KHEMMIS
TM - If you could have any band play one of your songs what band would it be, what song would it be and would it be in your style or their Style?
PL - I wouldn't want to hear any other band play it the way we do or what is the point. I've always felt that kind of way about covers. This would never ever happen but I would love to hear Judas Priest play the song Hunted Off of the album “Hunted” Of ours Because it's a long epic truck Which they are great at doing and it has several different movements and it has a riff kind of like a Judas Priest riff. I just want to hear what Rob Halford would do with the vocals That's never going to happen but I love the idea.
BEAST IN BLACK
TM - If you could have any band play one of your songs what band would it be, what song would it be and would it be in your style or their style?
AN - Interesting questions. Let me think, it would be interesting if ABBA played some Beast in Black songs. I admire those songwriters of ABBA and I would want them to do it in their style because I believe a good song is a good song, even when it is stripped down to its basics just a vocal melody and a piano playing the chords, or a guitar playing the chords. I believe our songs have those elements, each song off every album. ABBA is about having those great melodies and perfect chord progressions; the instrumentation is always top-notch. Those guys know what they do, I forgot their names, Benny was one of them, but I forgot the other one. ABBA would be my answer that would be interesting to see.
NORTHTALE
TM - What's your favourite memory of watching someone else perform live, can you tell us a story?
BH - There's a lot, but I think it's now become a favourite memory because it's so classic, my first show when I was 10 years old. I saw Michael Jackson on the dangerous tour in 1993 and I was just a kid, and it was a huge Stadium show. My parents and their friends are there, and it was insane because we were at the stadium all day waiting for the show, and when he got on stage I could hardly believe it, it was almost like he was an alien. That show pretty much changed my life, and then as far as a show I went to where I was a little bit more aware of what things were that I didn’t understand when I wasn't so young, that was probably Steve Vai in 1998 in Brazil, that was pretty mind blowing to me.
HYPOCRISY
TM - I love your album cover, the spaceships and the temples are amazing, can you tell us who designed it and the meaning behind it?
PT - It was just an idea I had in 2018 or something like that. I drew it down on a napkin in a hotel in LA because I had this idea. I was lying in bed ready to go to sleep and suddenly, this idea pops up, and I was like wow that would be cool to have as a cover. I drew it down on a napkin and sent it over to my friend from nuclear blast in America Gerardo. He helped me develop it so I could get it the way I wanted it through this guy called Jake who did a fantastic job.
THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA
TM - If you could have any band play one of your songs, what band would it be? What song? And in your style or their style?
DA - I would love to hear a really good female country western singer like Kacey Musgraves or someone like that interpreting Soilwork and Nightfight Orchestra songs, that would be interesting!
HOOKERS & BLOW
TM - You said you had new music being written for Quiet Riot?
AG - Yes we are working on it right now. There is going to be some new stuff coming out probably next year. Frankie left behind a lot of drum tracks. We are working with them right now so he will still be there in spirit and on records. It has been a great process and a great album for us. I think the music is going to impress a lot of people when it comes out next year.
LIGHT THE TORCH
TM - If you could have any band play one of your songs, what band would it be, what song would it be and would it be in your style or their style?
FA - Oh dam that's hard, it's a great question, it is one that requires a bit of thinking. Do you know what, I love Deftones, I think I would like to hear one of our songs done by them and in their style.
HELLOWEEN
TM - If you could have any band play one of your songs what band would it be, what song would it be and would it be in your style or their style?
MG - Mabey Iron Maiden covering a Helloween song, of course they would drive it up to what Iron Maiden would sound like, with the Galloping and the bass stuff. It would be very interesting to hear Bruce trying to cover three singers at the same time, I guess he would be able to do so.
HJELVIK
TM - you've also toured with bands such as Metallica Slayer and Anthrax so how was that?
HK - It was great, Metallica are awesome guys and took care of us took us. They took us out to dinners and parties and that's awesome of them to do. We got to go to the World wired tour with them and did four parts of touring. It was over 7 months or something like that, so it was awesome to see them play every night. I don't know how many shows so that was cool. It was the same with Slayer and Anthrax, we toured with them with my old band Kvelertak. They were nice to us to and it was a lot of fun. It was really fun to do Jager shots with Kerry King backstage after the show, he is super friendly and great guys it was a lot of fun.
SEETHER
TM - What's your favourite memory of watching someone else perform live?
DS - I have a couple of great memories. I was a music fan first and that's the great part about this job, you get to play with bands you're a fan of and you get to watch music you love from the side of the stage. I have a top 3 that are seen live and they are not all rock music.
I don't want to say I take it for granted but you see so many rock shows and non-rock shows. A stand out for me is Elton John's red piano in Las Vegas, It was amazing. I took my parents to see it in 2009.
JEFFERSON STARSHIP
TM - What's your favourite memory of watching someone else perform live?
JS - When I was younger the San Francisco music scene was so prevalent and there were so many great bands to come out of San Francisco. Probably early Carlos Santana when he had the Santana Blues Band, they were amazing.
ROBYN FERGUSON
TM - If you could have any band play one of your songs what band would it be what song would it be and in your style or their style?
RF - I'm influenced by so many different genres. I would love someone to take it and put them to reinterpret my song. Probably anyone, but I would probably have a minor heart attack if Devin Townsend did something with one of my songs.
AVERSIONS CROWN
TM - If you could have any band play one of your songs what band would it be, what song would it be and would it be in your style or their style?
JM - I would love to hear Meshuggah play one of the songs in there style because I think it would be a wild ride. Or maybe BabyMetal that would be sick.
DESTRUCTION
TM - What was your favourite memory of watching someone else perform live?
S - The first time I saw Saxon live back in 81 on the " Wheels of Steel" tour. It was my very first concert and I remember everything. I went to the front row and was surprised how well the base punched in my belly. The first one is always the best. I have seen a lot of bands and go to a lot of festivals. I have so many great memories, Judas priest is great as well.
ARMORED DAWN
TM - What's your favourite memory of watching someone else perform live?
TK - I think the most memorable show I have ever seen was in 1983, I got to see DIO in his very first tour, the Holy Diver tour. I was standing in front of the stage, it was cool I wish I got to tour with them.
We also played on the Motorhead cruise before Lemmy died.
KADAVAR
TM - What was your favourite memory from playing Hellfest?
L - Hellfest is probably one of my favourite festivals in Europe. We meet people from all over the world at Hellfest and that is a very interesting festival to play.
TM - What is your favourite memory of watching someone else perform live?
L - I saw Nick Cave live in Spain a couple of years ago and he is amazing, he really gets your emotions out of you. I have never felt that connected to an artist at a show before.
BURNING WITCHES
L- I went for my audition as the singer and they said we might keep you but you have to prove yourself. They wanted to be sure that they trusted me. They told me, we are going to play Waken and I had never played there but I had always wanted to. It was a dream come true, we were official openers for the festival and the tent was super crowded. It was my birthday so it was a great day.
SUICIDE SILIENCE
TM - What was it like filling the huge shoes of Chris Olivia (R.I.P) with his stint in SAVATAGE and would he be part of a SAVATAGE reunion if it was to ever happen again?
AS - It was a huge honour but a sad occasion. I wish he didn't have to be cold to do that but it was an honour to do that. I was a fan of Savatage from the very first recordings and it was a huge honour to play Chris's part. I can't really answer if the band would reunite it hasn't happened but a lot of us thought it would of happen since so many bands are reuniting. Testament is most of the original line up but I think it's definitely up to the founder. Jon Oliva and I haven't been in touch lately so I'm not sure where his head is at. I know if he wanted to do it it would definitely happen.
SYLOSIS
TM - Your drummer Dave came back from Machine Head, how did this come about?
TM - That would be awesome have you seen them live?
JM - Yeah, in 2013 Metallica hosted a barbecue for all the bands that were playing Soundwave. I have seen them more then any other band. Lars was walking around at the barbecue but I kind of hid because I was too worried about being a nerdy fan so I didn't meet Lars. I meet James side of stage watching Ghost.
CYHRA
TM - What can fans expect from your new album No Halos In Hell?
JE - A album that has lots of Melodies In courses that will stick in your brain after you listen to it. An album you can listen to and sing along to in your car.
TM - If you could have any band play one of your songs what band would it be, what song would it be and in your style or their style?
JE - A band called mirrored and they could cover any of pur songs.
THE SISTERS OF MERCY
TM - What's your favorite memory watching someone else's perform live, can you tell us a story?
BC - The first concert I ever went to was AC/DC when I was ten years old. I remember seeing Angus Young running around everywhere. That was so memorable and so influential for me. That concert influenced me to play the guitar. I always find it fascinating there must be so many other kids at concerts, where that was the defining moment, where they decide they want to be a singer, bass player or drummer. What is it about certain personality types that draw you being in a certain part of the band. I find it fascinating.
THE DARKNESS
TM - What's your favorite memory of watching someone else perform live?
RT - I watched Red Hot Chili Peppers a couple of years ago on the side of the stage and I was watching them smashing the s*** out of everything. He accidentally hit himself in the lip and his lip blew up and started bleeding everywhere.
MICHAEL SCHENKER
TM - You worked with Kirk Hammet on a song, what was it like working with him?
MS - He is a fan and we became friends. One day I said "Hey Kirk, do you want to do a song on our album" and he said, "Ok Michael, let's do it". He came to a show our first leg of the United States show and jammed with us it was good fun.
ANCIENT SINS
TM - If you could have any band perform one of your songs, which band would it be, which song would it be and would it be in your style or there style?
WES - That is a tough one, I think I would like to see bands that helped get the fire started for me cover a song. Most likely either Alter Bridge, Hammerfall, Nightwish, and or even Tremonti. The song would most likely be either Cause of My Distress, Riptide, Beneath the Surface, or Never Back Down. It would be great to see it covered the way in which we recorded any of the songs, but it would also be pretty cool to see something covered in their style of playing.
BLACK STAR RIDERS
TM - If you could collaborate with any artists who would it be and why?
BSR - Ace Frehley has been my idol since I was a child and I was able to play on an album and last year. The other day I was listening to some Danzig albums and I thought I would love to do something like this. Hopefully, I'll be able to do something with them sometime.
SONATA ARCTICA
TM - What can fans expect from your new album Talviyö?
TK - I would like to think it's in line with the other albums. The production is slightly different, it is more organic mostly because it was recorded with the drum and bass at the same time. This album has a more old school style, you can hear the difference in the Rhythm Section because we are playing together in the studio.
DARK ANGEL
TM - How is your tour going in with Testament?
GH- It has been a great tour. I have some time off right now so I'm back in San Diego and back on tour on Tuesday. We played a bunch of festivals like Grasspop and Hellfest, it was awesome. We played on the same day as Slayer. I normally go and help the video directors with the slayer set and it is pretty fun. I know all of the slayer music and where the solos are in the set, so it makes it easy to choose the camera I want to use. I can also go online after and check out my work, which was pretty cool.
DESTRUCTION
TM - What can fans expect from your Album "Born To Perish"?
S - This time you can expect something different because we have a new lineup. We have a new drummer and a new guitarist so there is more shredding on this album. We have composed the whole album to fit two guitars, it creates a little extra rush and thrill on this album. It is brutal, loud and has a lot of details, especially in the guitar compartment.
HED PE
TM - What was your writing and recording process for your new album?
JG - lots of ideas were recorded while I was in Europe. I recorded them on my MacBook and a lot of the ideas started 2 years ago. I have been writing on this record for two years. Some stuff was recorded in Detroit Michigan and California and all over the country. All the videos were recorded in Idaho and we mixed it in Burbank. I'm really stoked about this record and there are a lot of good messages and good beats!
RHAPSODY
TM - What can fans expect from your Australian tour?
LT - We are really excited to come to Australia and it is our first time in 20 years. It has been our first possible opportunity to come over there. It is going to be amazing and incredible. The country is incredible and the landscape gives us the inspiration to write lyrics of mother nature, natural landscapes, and creation. I have made whole albums about these subjects. When we come over there we really have the feeling of being in heaven and it is amazing. The fact that we get to meet our fans and play our music on top is just incredible.
SABATON
TM - If you could have any bands play one of your songs which band would it be, which song would it be and would it be in your style or their Style?
PS - I like the band Apocalyptica and I think they have a really cool take on the songs they cover. They have already done one of our songs. Apocalyptica had the day off and when we playing in Madrid, so I went down to see them and asked them to cover one of our songs and they did it. They had a lot of ideas for it. I think our fans will be looking forward to seeing them at Sabaton open-air festival.
ANBERLIN
TM - What is one of your favourite memories from touring?
NY - I will never forget the time we went to Singapore, and I thought there were only going to be 50 people at the gig. I thought to myself if there are 50 people it would be mind-blowing. We walked out on stage there were thousands of people, it was mind-boggling. We couldn't stop smiling on stage and it was insane as there were so many people.
KENNY WAYNE SHEPHERD
TM - If you could have any band perform one of your songs which band would it be, which song would it be and would it be in your style all their style?
KWS - There is one of our songs that recently got recorded by Five Finger Death Punch it is called Blue on Black. We did a collaboration where they recorded a song and I did the guitar on it. A country artist, Bailey Gilbert sang on it. They also got Brian May from Queen to play guitar on it. That was really cool and unexpected.
KORPIKLAANI
TM - What are you most looking forward to doing in Australia?
TR - Last time I was there it was a great experience. I am crazy about sailing old wooden boats and I found the guy that has an old wooden sailing boat from Sweden. I contacted him and said I would like to see the boat and he invited me on a race on a Thursday. I saw the city from sailing into the harbour in Sydney, it was one of the best tours I have ever been on.
WITCHERY
TM - What's your favorite memory of watching someone else perform live?
PJ - I'm old enough to have seen Metallica on the Master of Puppets tour and as he would probably know Cliff Burton died on that tour. They went home for a month found Jason Newsted and went back on tour. Metallica was scheduled to play in Gothenburg on January 10th the following year but it was so cold that the band made it to Sweden but the fairies were canceled from Denmark so the show was canceled and moved to the very last date of the Master of Puppets tour.
A NEW REVENGE
TM - You play with "Night Ranger" what have you learnt from playing with them?
KK - The guys are great, they have written some great songs and they are great musicians. "Night Ranger" have been playing together for forty years, they use to have another band called "Rubicon". The band has great chemistry, great musicians and great guys and it's a blast playing with them.
SETMEONFIRE
SMOF - Signature questions? Now we're fucking getting somewhere! This might just be the best interview I've had for this album cycle so far!
To answer your question: caution: thieves. They're this really cool band from Melbourne who have clearly listened to far too much Alexisonfire and Circa Survive, but I think they'd be able to reimagine our songs into early-2000's post-hardcore songs that don't suck. I think they'd do Creature really well. Not as good as us, though, of course. We send it so well.
THE ETERNAL
TM - What advice would you give to any up and coming bands?
MK - Just to understand the industry is very different these days, not many labels do artist development anymore, smaller ones expect you to have an almost complete product these days, so you need to work hard, be professional and most of all do it for the love of music.
JOHN CORABI
TM - You added the 10,000 mile track off your Japanese record, what inspired you to add it to the record?
JC - We need an encore because we needed to present the whole Motley Crue record in its entirety so it seemed like a good one to do and that night. We had some people yell out for that song you played it recorded it and I said you know what let's put it on the record as well.
OBSCURA
TM - what's your favourite memory from playing Europe?
SK - SummerBreeze is my favourite festival in Europe is not too far from my place only 2 1/2 hours and that's the second biggest festival in Germany, after Waken Open Air. OPETH were amazing there playing live it's only 30 thousand people not as big as Waken or Hellfest.
MAX AND IGGOR
TM - You sold your very first KISS collection when you were 15 to get a dragon tattoo, what made you want to get a tattoo?
MAX - I was just trying to be a rebel and that is a rebel thing. I sold my kiss collection and got a tattoo but this tour there was a girl that bought me the whole kiss collection and gave it back to me it was really nice of her I was speechless.
IN FLAMES
IF - The first show they had a seated audience, we just walked out and did our thing head banging and all that type of stuff. I don't think they were really ready for it, as soon as we were done with it we went into our dressing room and someone opens the door and walks in Ian Gillan from Deep Purple and he said to us that was brilliant guys f****** it I don't know what that was but it was f****** great.
1000MODS
We had a 2 slot in the afternoon and it was a very hot day, we didn't know what to expect because it was really early and we were the second or third band. The place was packed there are around 7000 or 8000 people. We did a 40 minutes set from the first song to the last there was a circle pit in the crowd it was insane.
JUNKYARD
DR -The Monsters of Rock cruise is pretty wild it's a non-stop floating party, it is kind of cool because the fans have access to you 24/7 and it's also scary at the same time because fans have access to you 24/7. I like getting out and talking to people, there was one night that was really rough and the boat was moving around. Faster Pussycat we're playing poolside the water was washing up all over the deck. I thought the whole band was going to get electrocuted.
FASTER PUSSYCAT
FP - We have toured with LA guns so many times they are like our brothers. Tracy has even used my band I remember in 2001 we were going to Canada and they turned us away we didn't even get to go into Canada. He had to go back to Detroit they were trying to find drugs and they couldn't find them mystic they couldn't understand
RAVEN
TM - If you could have any band play one of your songs, what band would it be, what song and would it be and would it be in your style or their style?
JG - Metallica plays "For the Future" of our first album in their style. That would be fun I have seen James's range he could pull that off quite easily.
BRAND OF SACRIFICE
TM - You brought out "Between Death and Dreams" in 2023, are you working on any new music?
KE - We are, I was just recording the new album today. We are working on that. We are pretty deep into the writing and recording at the moment, we are just ironing out a few things. We are overarching the concept and everything is going well.
CRADLE OF FILTH
TM - If you could have any band play one of your songs, what band would it be, what song would it be and would it be in your style or their style?
Z - I would love to hear an electronic take off things, so I would love Black Radio cover Cradle of Filth.
A - Speaking of Australia, I would love to hear any song by Dead Can Dance.
HOLDING ABSENCE
TM - If you could have any band play one of your songs what band would it be what song and would it be in your style or their style?
JN - I was thinking The Cars as they have so much style. It was almost like a preset to the music industry I would be excited if they did one of our songs.
SYLOSIS
TM - If you could have any band play one of your songs what band would it be, what song would it be and would it be in your style or their style?
JH - I am a big fan of go Gojira, I look up to them. They are modern and they still sound good but I'm not sure what song mabey 'Calcified' which has a Gojira sound to it.
MY DYING BRIDE
TM - You are bringing out your new album 'A Mortal Binding' what can fans expect?
AW - I think they are going to be surprised at the ferocity we have been known for many years. As being dark and ambient we are known as doom metal but this is one of our most straightforward heavy metal albums. It is still doom in a My Dying Bride way but we deliberately try to write riffs instead of long passages of cords and harmonies.
SKILLET
TM - What can fans expect from your Australian tour?
JN - Skillet is known for our energy, We are very excited and energetic. People always say they leave a skillet show feeling better. They say it made them feel good, that's what a skillet show is about. I always love the show, it makes people feel better about life.
POP WILL EAT ITSELF
TM - If you could have any band play one of your songs what band would it be, what song would it be and would it be in your style or their style?
GM - I thought it would be great if Jane's Addiction could cover a truck called 'Pretty Pretty'. I think that's who I was pretending to be when I wrote it I think that would be pretty cool.
H.E.A.T
TM - If you could have any band play one of your songs, what band would it be, what song would it be and would it be in your style or their style?
KY - I think there are a lot of great bands that could do some awesome stuff with a H.E.A.T song. How about Skid Row with Eric doing a H.E.A.T song that would be cool.
THE ANIMALS
TM - Are you working on any new music?
JN - Yeah Danny is the lead singer and lead guitarist of the band who was with us last time in Australia and he is writing some new material. Hopefully, we will be doing some of those songs. We are going to be recording them let me get back from Australia, it is already booked for a week or two after we get home. We will have a new record out as well there will also be a recording available from one time we were over there it was recorded at the Governor in Adelaide so that will be available on the road on this tour.
LUCIFER
TM - What was the first ever band or artist you saw live as a kid and did they influence your playing?
JA - The first band I ever saw live was Guns and Roses, I was 13 years old and it was 1992 and the same year I saw Metallica they were my first two rock shows. Both bands woke up my love for heavy metal. I went to Guns and Roses with my cousin and I went to Metallica with my first boyfriend. Luckily in Berlin where I lived, you could just take the subway a few stops and check out your favorite bands. I am glad I didn't grow up somewhere where it would have taken me years to see a big show.
THE HALO EFFECT
TM - I'm doing really well thank you. We are excited for you to come down under and play lager fest.
PR - I been to Australia a bunch of times and I have loved it. This time we are going to New Zealand, which is our first time and we are really excited and I can't wait. It's nice to be back on the road and back in a band with some good friends to share the and travel the world with. It is amazing, I'm feeling blessed man.
BEYOND THE BLACK
TM - We are excited for you to come to Australia, what can fans expect from your Australian shows?
JR - They can expect an amazing show with a lot of great energy that we are always putting into every single song, and that is what they can expect.
TM - I have to say I have been watching some of your live shows on YouTube and they look fantastic!
STATIC-X
TM - You did a cover of Kiss god of thunder so that is pretty cool as well.
TY - It was fun, it was just something to get me out of the house. I had been sitting at home for quite some time and that year, in particular, was very rough on me personally, it was like multiple kicks in the groin. Mark called me one day and said come over and jam let's go and do some shows in a couple of bars and I was like yeah alright cool and it was a fun time.
ARCH ENEMY
TM - Would you ever do an orchestra show?
ML - Since 'War Eternal' came out in 2014 we started to incorporate Orchestra into some of our songs. We have worked with a range of orchestras and string quartets, on certain songs, but it is not something that we rely heavily on in our music. You know some black metal bands and symphonic bands have this constant symphonic feel and we don't have that. We have it on some tracks here or there, it's more of a taste of the music for us. I don't know if we can pull it off, but then Metallica did it and they never really had any Orchestra it was all just re-imagined for the orchestral arrangement and it was really cool and really interesting.
FASTER PUSSYCAT
TM- If you could have any band play one of your songs what band would it be, what song and in your style or their style?
TE - That is a bunch of questions in one. It's not like, what is your favourite colour or what is your favourite ice cream because doing other interviews and stuff you just start thinking about different stuff. Your not thinking about would I be a band at this period of time or at that period of time just hearing Aerosmith doing ‘House of Pain’ in 1979 would be pretty f****n cool or Aerosmith doing ‘Whipped’ would be pretty cool. Hearing Cheap Trick would be pretty cool, or The Cult doing something. I could just go on there are too many bands that I love.
ECLIPSE
TM - If you could have any band play one of your songs, what band would it be, what song, and in your style or their style?
EC - That’s a hard question, my favourite band is AC/DC, that's what made me pick up the guitar when I was a kid and start playing. I don't know if they would do Eclipse very well. Maybe we should have My Chemical Romance, doing an eclipse song like Viva La Victoria.
TWELVE FOOT NINJA
TM - You have played the other two festivals in Brisbane and Sydney how was that?
Steve "Stevic" MacKay - It was awesome, I did a post about it, the Uncaged Crew and staff were super nice and accommodating, and we had a blast. It was a unique opportunity to witness and it was cool to mingle with different eras and genres of Australian music that normally don't get to see. It was super rewarding and we had a great time, it was really good.
CRASHDIET
TM - If you could have any band play one of your songs what band would it be and what song would it be? Would it be in your style or their style?
CD - I wouldn't want Mötley Crüe to play one of our songs, that would be weird. I think it would be cool if a band in a completely different genre played our songs, like a pop artist. Like if Taylor Swift played a Crash Dïet song, that would be cool.
CALIGULA'S HORSE
TM - You are on Uncaged festival, what can fans expect from your set?
SM - Well I guess the most obvious thing is they can expect to see what it is like When you get a band that has been locked away for two years and finally gets to play back up on stage in front of a crowd. It's one of these things that we are just kind of Looking forward to and enjoying that whole process again for the first time in ages.
MASSACRE
TM- Time for our signature question, if you could have any band play one of your songs which band would it be, what song would it be and would it be in your style or their style?
KL- Well there have been some bands already that’s played some older Massacre songs which I think is cool, even Cradle of Filth covered one of our songs originally. That was kind of unique hearing Cradle of Filth doing it. As far as death metal bands, I would like to hear someone like one of the classic Swedish bands like Dismembered or maybe Entombed, just one of the classic Swedish bands, Unleashed would be cool to hear a new Massacre song, unique to hear them do it. I love Swedish Death Metal so any Swedish Death Metal bands or the classics if they want to step up and do a Massacre cover that would be very cool.
MOL
TM - What's your favourite memory of watching someone else perform live, can you tell us a story?
KS – The French band Alcest in the UK. They're amazing, we are all big fans of those guys. We finished up our set and went directly over to see them and they accomplish some of the things we do, and you feel like closing your eyes and then getting dragged into a world of melody and ferocity. That's one of the reasons I play music.
SUFFOCATION
CE - My first ever concert I went to was Van Halen with my father.
TM - That’s so cool!
CE - It's when they did a reunion tour, Eddie Van Halen was a big inspiration of mine growing up. It was amazing that my first concert was the guy that made me want to play the guitar, and all the big amps and the huge arena at Nassau Coliseum over by us.
CARNIFEX
TM - If you could have any band play one of your songs, what band would it be, what song, and in your style or their style?
SL - I would say Slipknot doing our titled track but adding all there extra stuff, the samples and the extra percussion, I would go with that because it would be impossible for Slipknot to do a carnifex song. Obviously it would never happen, but if I had to pick one I would go with that.
WHITE STONES
TM - If you could have any band play one of your songs what band would it be, what song would it be and would it be in your style or their style?
MM - I would like a different style of music to play my song, not jazz because it's done already maybe Stevie Wonder for example playing a song of mine that would be awesome, what song chain of command would be a good one.
HELLOWEEN
TM - If you could have any band play one of your songs what band would it be what song and, in your style, or their style?
MW – Oh, I would love Judas Priest, but you know they are British and we are German, and it's like we have a lot of things in common. Like they're from Birmingham and we are from Hamburg, so if you put that together you have a lot of ham and we could at least agree on that, and I wrote that song to for myself because I wanted to write myself my own Judas Priest song. I actually had a dream about where I was going with a tape or a cd and I wanted to show Rob Halford. I was going yes, a track of mine and I say “I would love if you perform this” and he was already gone and I woke up, and was in my bed and a cup of coffee next to me and no Rob Halford. It was a sad turn of events so I don't know if they would do it necessarily.
AMARANTHE
TM - I will ask you our signiture question, If you could have any band pkay one of your songs, which band would it be, which song would it be and would it be in your style or their style?
ER - oh, well we did a cover of Sabaton, so it would be awesome to hear Sabaton to do a cover of one of our songs. Our song Drop Dead Cynical. We also love Rammstein, so I would die to hear them do a cover of our songs.
KATAKLYSM
TM - If you could have any band play one of your songs what band would it be, what song would it be and would it be in your style or their style?
KM - I am so open-minded when it comes to music. I would like to write with someone completely out of the box. A mix of Kataklysm meets Radiohead and come up with something trippy. I would love something like that. Or something completely different folk or Blues like old school. The 40s or 50s types of Blues and mix some of my music with that, I think I would love to make that as well.
BLUE PILLS
TM - If you could collaborate with any band who would it be and why?
BP - It has always been a bit of a dream to collaborate with Jack White or have as a producer. The reason I guess is that when I first started playing music when I was 14 or 15. That is when The White Stripes got big and that was a huge influence for me to start playing music. I picked up the guitar and then I learnt Seven Nation Army and for me, that was such a cool song and it was so easy to play. It got me excited and it felt like the first moment that I wanted to be in a band. He has always been such a hero from the very beginning.
DEAD LAKES
TM - If you could have any band play one of your songs, what band would it be, what song would it be and in your style or their style?
DL - I would love to hear "Now, Now" take on "SMS Happiness" that would be awesome. I would like to see "The 1975" do "Language" because I think they will knock it out of the park.
KHEMMIS
TM - If you could have any band play one of your songs, what band would it be, what song would it be and in your style or their style?
ZC - I would like King Diamond to do one of our songs in his style. I am a huge King Diamond fan and he's still going. I would also like to hear something from Thin Lizzy.
PARADISE LOST
TM - What is your favourite memory of watching someone else perform live?
PL - My best memory of seeing a band Live is Metallica When I was 13 years old. I had never seen anything like it before in my life, so for a 13-year-old boy, it was the best experience I have ever had. It was the original line-up. Cliff Burton was there and it was only 4 pound 50 into the concert. Just to hear thrash metal guitars through a PA system, no one had heard that before. I remember, James Hetfield had broken his wrist and they had a stand-in guitarist, I think John Marshall was standing in for him.
IRIST
TM - What is your favourite moment with your fans?
PD - The day we recorded this album, we took a ferry to France and drove to Belgium and played a show. The bar that was packed out. We made a lot of friends that night and the beer was delicious, everything worked out really well that night. That is my memory with our fans.
EXCITER
TM - If you could have any band play one of your songs what band would it be what song would it be and in your style or their style?
DB - I would like to see Judas Priest doing our song pounding metal in their Style.
We were talking to Judas Priest at Sweden Rock a few years ago and we talked to Rob Halford. He knew exactly who we were we got our name from one of his songs.
TESTAMENT
TM - What was it like filling the huge shoes of Chris Olivia (R.I.P) with his stint in SAVATAGE and would he be part of a SAVATAGE reunion if it was to ever happen again?
AS - It was a huge honour but a sad occasion. I wish he didn't have to be cold to do that but it was an honour to do that. I was a fan of Savatage from the very first recordings and it was a huge honour to play Chris's part. I can't really answer if the band would reunite it hasn't happened but a lot of us thought it would of happen since so many bands are reuniting. Testament is most of the original line up but I think it's definitely up to the founder. Jon Oliva and I haven't been in touch lately so I'm not sure where his head is at. I know if he wanted to do it it would definitely happen.
SACRED REICH
TM - Your drummer Dave came back from Machine Head, how did this come about?
PR - We were looking for a new drummer and were wondering who it might be. We always loved Dave and had a great experience with him. He was in the band so I reached out to him and he was interested in doing it. Everything just worked it out as good as we could plan it. He wasn't considering leaving Machine Head but overtime he decided to. We are very happy to have him back in the band and he is a great great drunmer and a great guy.
SAINT ASONIA
AG - We choose a label that has the same ideas and goals as us. They are passionate about the band and a smaller label.
TM - You played with Disturbed in 2015, how was that?
AG - It was great, I would get up every night and do Killing In The Name Of by Rage Against the Machine with Disturbed.
REFUSED
TM - What's your favorite memory watching someone else perform live, can you tell us a story?
DL - One of my favourite memories is seeing The Stooges and both the Asheton brothers were still in the band. My old band played at a festival with them in Italy. They started off their set with "I Wanna Be Your Dog" and Iggy was down in the crowd and the drummer comes in wrong so the song goes in a weird backbeat. Everyone in the crowd was saying, This sounds super weird and the bass player looks absolutely terrified because he knows this is the way it's not meant to sound. The Asheton keeps playing like, This is the best thing we have ever done.
FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE
TM - It would definitely be a great show. What Is your favorite memory watching someone else perform live, can you tell us a story?
FP - I think Rammstein is the most impressive act I have ever seen. It's something you can't explain, it's perfection, it's great. The songs are great and the live show is unbelievable.
OPETH
TM - What is your favorite memory of watching someone else perform live?
FA - I remember, when I was a kid I saw Iron Maiden and it had a massive production. He had a Glaring jacket it was really cool. I remember seeing the Vulgar Display of Power tour when Pantera was at their Peak, that was super brutal tight and well played.
COMBICHRIST
TM - If you could have any band play one of your songs, which band would it be, which song would it be and would it be in your style or theirs?
AL- He can play any of my songs. I never meet him, except I would love David Bowie to cover one of my songs. I have been listening to a lot of Gojira, at the moment. I would like to work with them on something.
LA DISPUTE
JD - One of my favorite memories from my life in music is in 2005. I went to see a band from Japan called Envy on a whim and it was $10. It was two blocks away from where my friends and I were hanging out and they played with a band called The Day I Wake. There was a translator who translated the police into English and it resonated with me.
It was such a powerful emotional experience, it was a wonderful experience. I felt a connection to the music that I have never felt in my life. It was spiritual and a few years later we supported them on tour and then a few years later they came on tour with us.
ORCHESTRA OF DOOM
WC - That is a great question, I am friends with the whole band. A week before the show I get a call in Verona from Jack Osbourne, Ozzy's son. He said "Hey, How you going?" and I said "What's up brother". He goes, "Hey Bro, mom wants to send you something". I asked him what it was and he said "I'm not telling you" and I said "Is it bad?". I gave them my address and a box came in the mail. Inside was all this incredible Black Sabbath merchandise and a note saying stuff that Ozzy Osbourne uses to get ready for his show. There were things like a special thermas for his tea and there was a letter Ozzy wrote and the whole family signed the letter.
EQUILIBRIUM
TM - What's your favorite memory of watching a different band perform live?
RB - I use to watch a lot of different bands when I was younger and I have a different experience with every band. In the early 2000's I listened to a Finnish folk metal band called Finsterforst and they came to Germany, I saw them for the first time and I got Goosebumps. I think it was a very intense moment. When you are a fan of a band and see them for the first time, it is exciting. A couple of years ago I went to scooter, it was a different experience it was cool as I grew up listening to their music.
IMMOLATION
TM - I saw you were on Hellfest this year, you put on a great show.
RD - Yeh we were and we also played it a couple of years back. It is an amazing festival. I cannot wait to go back and play. I was there for all three days and it is like an amusement park for metal, it is amazing. How awesome is it's set up.
BACKYARD BABIES
D - AC/DC. We opened for AC/DC in Europe in 2001, we did about 38 shows together.
TM - That is Awesome. Can you tell us a story from that?
D - The first show the AC/DC Crew covered all the monitors with bags. We said "what are you doing?" and they said "all the AC/DC fans don't like the support bands and they normally throw up bottles of beer on stage. There was never one bottle of beer thrown up on stage, so I think it was a good combo.
NONPOINT
TM - What is your favourite memory with Fred?
ES- My favourite memory with Fred was the monumental moment of the rebranding of the quote on quote video. We first started in this band before Fred became involved. There was a particular video that we all spoke about and everything was compared to that video.
It got to a point where it was like, "Hey, is it as bad as The Video" and he would say yes or no. That would determine that you were willing to look at any meme or video clip that they were willing to show you.
BUCKCHERRY
TM - What is your favourite memory of watching someone else perform live can you tell us a story?
SD - The reason I got into the car when I was a kid was to watch Ozzy Osbourne and Randy Rhoads on stage. They would just crush guitar solos. I was in the impressionable stage of my life and I enjoyed watching what he could do. They were playing songs and that was moving everybody. It was at that point, I knew it was what I wanted to do.
MAJESTICA
TM - What's your favorite memory of watching someone else perform live?
CD - One of my favourite artists is Glenn Hughes from Deep Purple. The first time I saw him I wasn't that big of a fan, I just thought I would go and check him out. He played a song called mistreated which is a really famous truck. When he did his vocals I was thinking, what are you doing that's totally insane. He was an amazing singer.
AVANTASIA
TM - Can you tell us a story from playing at the Rumrunner?
BC - We were the resident band at the Rumrunner from 1972 to 1975 and we were called Magnum but not The Magnum We are known as now. We started off as a cover band for people to dance to but that changed when we left the Rumrunner and wrote our own songs.
THE TEA PARTY
TM - what is your favorite memory from that concert and who was your favorite band?
SC- Well the best band hands down was AC/DC, because their music has been designed to play in stadiums. It has simple catchy bass lines and Powerful drums.
My favourite moment was meeting The Stones before they went on stage. Keith Richards came over to talk to me and he tripped, and I had to catch him, so I saved the show (laughs).
AT THE GATES
TM - If you could have any bands play one of your songs which band would it be, which song would it be and would it be in your style or their Style?
ML - Holy Terror who have not done a record science 1988, that would be interesting. I would have them cover an At The Gates song but the singer is dead and he was a big part of the sound.
ARRIVAL OF AUTUMN
TM - You started off your band learning two Metallica albums back-to-back has that influenced your writing Style?
JF - Yes, I think so they know how to structure a long song really well that it keeps your attention. We haven't been able to structure a song as long as one of their songs but they are Masters at metal music and they will be a lasting influence.
ENFORCER
TM - Since 2005 you have played every single instrument in the band what made you settle on playing guitar and being the lead singer?
OW - Guitar was my main instrument so there was nothing strange about that. There was a time early on in the band in 2005 and I did everything, that is why I am listed as a drummer and bass player. Since we formed a real band I have been guitar and vocals.
NE OBLIVISCARIS
TM - How did you get yourself on the European festival map?
XEN - We did a crowdfunding campaign for a world tour so that gave us the leg up to get overseas the first time we went over to Europe we ended up doing about 13 festivals so without our crowdfunding campaign we would probably still be in Australia.
POP EVIL
TM - You played download UK and Rock and Ring what was your favourite memory?
PE - Ever since I was a kid I wanted to play Rock And Ring. I watched Limp Bizkit live from Rock and Ring and I had a dream of playing those festivals, now it's a dream come true. I have never seen so many people, I would love to play Hellfest too.
FOREVER STILL
It was a bit odd for this one because when we started writing this album we didn't have a place to live and our apartment was being renovated. We had to rent this small place we just brought the essentials, a drum machine, a microphone and their guitar. We have a very basic setup but it kind of work because that lettuce concentrate on good old song writing but not the whole production surrounding it some of the recordings we did ended up on the final album.
DEVILSKIN
TM - We saw you play at Slash Myles Kennedy and The Contortionist and yes it was amazing can you tell us any stories from the road?
DS - It was a great too and we spoke to Slash every now and then. We got to see him without the top hat and sunglasses which a lot of people don't get to see. The band was really nice and I wish we were playing longer.
CELLAR DARLING
AN - It is a concept album, it is something we have never done before so it's pretty unique for us to work on in this way. We wrote the music according to a story, the story is based on the myth of the death and the Maiden which is Renaissance art. I created my own story of this a girl falls in love with the personification of death and we follow her as she tries to reconcile with him but fails at every test.
DELAIN
DN - This album is different to the way we usually do it. The new upcoming album was written by Martijn, Chris and myself. I wrote the lyrics, Martijn arranges and produces the tracks. The other two songs were written by our other two guitarists, they wrote and produced the tracks. I came in for the vocal lines which is different because they took the front seats in producing those tracks which is new and pretty cool.
JETBOY
BR - I've been into building guitars since I was a kid. I always tinkered and did stuff with my guitars when I was growing up I built a guitars. When I was in high school and years later I just got back into it for fun and one thing led to another and it turned into my company rock and roll relics.
