Podcast appearances and mentions of kris peters

Interview by Kris Peters,After managing to steer clear of this side of the world since 2016, North Carolina stoner/sludge/doom outfit Weedeater have declared 2024 the year of the Weed as they prepare to traverse Australia with their good mates King Parrot for the When The Weed Meets The Speed Australian Tour kicking off on November 6.No strangers to touring overseas together - as recent as last US Summer and as far back as 2015 - this will be the two band's first tour of this country together in what promises to be an entertaining, energy charged and musically brutal run of shows. While polar opposites of the musical spectrum, Weedeater and King Parrot connect where it matters. Live, loud, and in front of an audience.Just to make sure the needle of chaos pushes into the red, Astrodeath and Choof will join the party as the bands play 11 shows in 12 days from one side of the country to the other.HEAVY spent some time with Weedeater for a chat ahead of the tour, starting with why the boys have neglected Australian fans for the last eight years."We're not attempting to neglect you," they assured. "I'm not sure if you're aware, but it's kind of far away from where we live (laughs). We love Australia. We've always had a good time there, but it's not easy to get there, and it costs a lot of money to do so. It's a big pain in the ass, but when we get there, we have a damn good time. I would love to ask you a question. Why have you not come to North Carolina and visited me?"One point Weedeater. Zero points HEAVY.In the full interview we discuss what to expect from Weedeater's shows, their friendship with King Parrot, some tales from the road, their brand of hot sauce and if any will be making its way Down Under, the term 'sludge-toned tar-heels' and what it means, new music, three songs to listen to in order to know the band better, future plans and more.KING PARROT + WEEDEATER + ASTRODEATH + CHOOF“WHEN THE WEED MEETS THE SPEED” AUSTRALIAN TOUR, NOVEMBER 2024Wednesday, November 6th - Mo's Desert Clubhouse, Gold Coast QLDThursday, November 7th - The Triffid, Brisbane QLDFriday, November 8th - King Street Warehouse, Newcastle, NSWSaturday, November 9th - Manning Bar, Sydney, NSWSunday, November 10th - The Basement, Canberra ACTTuesday, November 12th - Volta, Ballarat VICWednesday, November 13th – Barwon Club, Geelong VICThursday, November 14th – Singing Bird, Frankston VIC (All Ages)Friday, November 15th – Max Watts, Melbourne VICSaturday, November 16th – Lion Arts Factory, Adelaide, SASunday, November 17th – Magnet House, Perth, WATickets on sale now: www.kingparrot.oztix.com.auBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

Interview by Kris Peters*interview contains some language that may be offensive to some readers/listeners*Since bursting onto the scene in 2015, Melbourne noise machine Dregg have been a musical force unto themselves, throwing an eclectic mix of genres against the wall and making cherry pie with the resulting residue.Their music has always been ferocious, confronting, and, most importantly, different, with a fearless blend of elements of metal, hardcore, rap, and electronic music, crafting a sound that embodies their bold, no-rules attitude.But just when you thought it was safe to go back into the moshpit, Dregg return with a new lineup, increased energy and more metal in the form of new single Dog Cunts. It is a vicious, snarling slab of music that hints at the slightly newer direction Dregg will be taking with more upcoming music.New guitarist Zak Thom sat down with HEAVY to talk more, starting with the early response to the track that came out on May 17."(It's been) Great, actually," he enthused. "I honestly had no idea how it was going to go, because it's my first time being in a band that's had this much reach. So I'm fully just gauging off everything Chris (Mackertich, vocalist) says (laughs)."We ask if he attributes much of that positive response to the use of the suddenly popular C word in the title."Yeah, definitely," he laughed. "If you look at the comments that have been popping up, people are saying 'Dog Cunts, are these guys Aussie?' I feel like it's such a draw. Even when we sent it to our managers over in America, they loved it immediately. Just the fact it says Dog Cunts which is such an Aussie term."In the full interview, Zak talked more about the release of their new single Dog Cunts and the positive response it has received. He also talked about their upcoming album, which will feature heavier and more experimental elements, and their intention to explore diverse musical genres. He discussed the visual concept and storyline of the music video for Dog Cunts and the potential release date and the working title of the next album.Additionally, Zak introduced himself as one of the new band members and discussed Dregg's unique mix of music genres and their process of pushing boundaries in their music. He also talked about the band's upcoming show and how the addition of new members and a slightly more aggressive sound will alter the live performances.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

Interview by Kris Peters,Often bands that are referred to as 'ahead of their time' are lumped into the basket simply because people can't understand their musical vision and/or output.But when that term is used on a band 10 years or more after their inception, the plot thickens just a little. With the benefit and time and hindsight, today's WTF musical outfit can eventually be classed as innovative and groundbreaking, it's really all down to perception.There are, however, exceptions to the rule. Bands that were truly of a different sonic sphere to others at the time and remain that way many years later.Bands such as Led Zeppelin and Rage Against The Machine spring to mind, but one possibly above all others is an outfit by the name of Mr. Bungle.Formed by three friends still in high school - Trey Spruance, Trevor Dunn and Mike Patton - Mr. Bungle defied convention from the outset, blending sounds and genres like rarely heard before and creating a genre of music as unclassifiable to this day as it was back in 1985.Over three albums and four demos, Mr. Bungle maintained their experimental stance of creating music, building an underground following that swelled even more when Patton joined Faith No More in 1988.But, as generally happens when such creative forces are exposed for a prolonged period of time, Mr. Bungle found themselves at a crossroads approaching the turn of the century and parted ways, with each member moving on to other projects. Bungle became one of those bands where people spoke with reverence of actually seeing them play live, most hoping for, but never believing a reunion would one day come to pass.In 2020 fans around the world rejoiced as rumblings morphed into reality and Mr. Bungle were ready to once more assume their place at the head of the class. Only there was to be changes in personnel. And not just any new members, either.Anthrax's Scott Ian joined the original trio on guitar while Dave Lombardo (Slayer) assumed duties behind the drum kit and a supergroup of sorts was (re) born.Rather than write new material with the five new creative minds, Mr. Bungle started things off the way they always had - on their own terms - by re-recording and releasing their debut EP The Raging Wrath Of The Easter Bunny. It was a bold and unexpected move that emphatically declared Bungle were still unwilling to follow convention, and the resulting success of the release ensured live shows would follow.Which has invariably led Mr. Bungle back to this side of the world, where they will be kicking off a run of shows in Auckland on March 3 before heading to Australia for five capital city shows.HEAVY caught up with guitarist Trey Spruance earlier today to find out more."It's great," he smiled when asked how he felt about returning to Australia. "Let's see… for Mr. Bungle, this is our third time… but I think it's our first time playing in New Zealand, so that will be new territory for us. Right before that we'll be in Japan, but Australia has always been a stronghold for Mr. Bungle fandom, so it's great to be able to come back with this band. I've been back with other bands since then, and I was never sure that Mr. Bungle would make it back. It's very cool that we're able to do it."We press Trey on what fans can expect from the shows."They have never heard this part of the band," he offered. "Well, they have through the internet, but they have never experienced this live. The death metal assault. It's full-on fucking speed metal. A really crazy, fast show (laughs). It's nothing like we did before. If they are expecting a whole bunch of genre shifting… I would say that's not going to happen, but we do actually play a bunch of cover songs. You're not gonna go and see a death metal band and see what Mr. Bungle does with the death metal experience, that's for sure."In the full interview, Trey talks more about the shows, what the band expects from their crowds, how different their current live show is from what people would have seen on previous visits, bringing the Melvins as support and why, the formation of Mr. Bungle and their early vision, where their sound came from initially, the writing process that sees himself, Trevor Dunn and Mike Patton make music together, their self-titled debut album and how they approached it, their musical journey over that album and follow up's Disco Volante and California, their parting in 2000 and if he was satisfied with Mr. Bungle's achievements to that point, reforming 20 years later with Scott Ian and Dave Lombardo, re-recording The Raging Wrath Of The Easter Bunny instead of writing new music, what he feels Mr. Bungle has contributed to the music scene and more.

Interview by Kyra-Jade Coombs and Kris PetersKickAss Festival successfully completed its second year last weekend with a bumper show at Kenilworth Showgrounds that emphatically proved rock music is alive, well and thriving.Held over two days with local acts appearing alongside established bands such as James Reyne, Kingswood, Dragon and the Choirboys, KickAss Festival did just that and more with thousands of music lovers taking advantage of the camping facilities on offer to spend the weekend in rock paradise.HEAVY was granted exclusive media access to backstage interviews on the Saturday, and we managed to corner Kingswood, Choirboys and Lecia Louise for some up close and personal time.Today Kyra-Jade Coombs and Kris Peters catch up with Choirboys vocalist Mark Gable for an entertaining chat not long before the boys hit the stage.*Please note, this was recorded live so the audio might be a little unclear at times*

Interview by Kris Peters & Kyra-Jade CoombsKickAss Festival successfully completed its second year last weekend with a bumper show at Kenilworth Showgrounds that emphatically proved rock music is alive, well and thriving.Held over two days with local acts appearing alongside established bands such as James Reyne, Kingswood, Dragon and the Choirboys, KickAss Festival did just that and more with thousands of music lovers taking advantage of the camping facilities on offer to spend the weekend in rock paradise.HEAVY was granted exclusive media access to backstage interviews on the Saturday, and we managed to corner Kingswood, Choirboys and Lecia Louise for some up close and personal time.After speaking to Alex Laska from Kingswood several times via zoom, it was long overdue that we finally got the chance to talk with him in person, and it didn't disappoint.Kingswood are currently riding the crest of a musical wave that is steadily building to a tidal wave. Following the release of their country inspired album Home earlier this year - an album that has since seen them secure ARIA Awards in that genre - and a massive Australian run of shows, Kingswood are now only days away from heading overseas for another European tour. It seems everything they touch is gold. Until they said yes to this interview.Kyra-Jade Coombs and Kris Peters drew the short straws for the day.Kyra kicked things off by bringing up Kingswood's ever changing sound and whether it is a planned progression musically or more a matter of circumstance."To be honest it's so weird," Alex replied. "You would think there would be a distinct conversation and then there's a strategy behind it where we say we should do this, but honestly Fergus and I love so much music and always have done. We've been musical around each other since we were 12 years old. There are so many different influences. These things happen where we eventually just go 'this is inspiring at the moment, what do you think of this?' And there's so much mystery that has made us who we are musically that at some point, once you've exhausted something, you feel like you become accomplished in it…"Nothing is off limits in the ensuing 30 minutes as we cover everything from touring to festival survival tips. Strap in and enjoy the ride.*note due to the live recording of the interviews some background noise and comments can be heard intermittently. Keep an eye on HEAVY over the coming weeks for the full video interviews, uncut and (mostly) uncencored *

Interview by Kyra-Jade Coombs and Kris PetersSpring Loaded has come and gone for another year, and what a fun time it was!And how could it not be, with Spiderbait, Eskimo Joe, Frenzal Rhomb, Shihad, Magic Dirt, Ratcat, Bodyjar and Screamfeeder all on hand?This year HEAVY was granted exclusive backstage access to speak with the bands as their day progressed, and we would like to take this opportunity to thank all of those involved Empire Touring, On The Map PR, the bands, their management, and, of course, the team of Neville Pearce (Everblack Media), Kyra-Jade Coombs, Cory Stevenson and Sam Totman.Screamfeeder were always going to be the feel-good fun band of the day - as evident by their merch list which included band frisbees - and Kyra-Jade Coombs and Kris Peters gladly sat down with bassist Kellie Lloyd and guitarist Tim Steward for a highly entertaining chat about... well, anything really.

Interview by Neville Pearce and Kris PetersSpring Loaded has come and gone for another year, and what a fun time it was!And how could it not be, with Spiderbait, Eskimo Joe, Frenzal Rhomb, Shihad, Magic Dirt, Ratcat, Bodyjar and Screamfeeder all on hand?This year HEAVY was granted exclusive backstage access to speak with the bands as their day progressed, and we would like to take this opportunity to thank all of those involved Empire Touring, On The Map PR, the bands, their management, and, of course, the team of Neville Pearce (Everblack Media), Kyra-Jade Coombs, Cory Stevenson and Sam Totman.HEAVY hasn't had many opportunities to speak with Eskimo Joe in the past but Neville Pearce and Kris Peters were treated with the opportunity to chat with Stuart MacLeod (lead guitar), Joel Quartermain (drums) and Kavyen Temperley (bass, vocals) all making themselves available, and what a likeable bunch of lads they are!

Interview by Shannon-Lee Sloane and Kris PetersOne of the best things about music festivals is the opportunity to experience bands for the first time, who, for different reasons, you might otherwise not heard of.Ever.And One World Entertainment and the crew behind The World Is A Vampire Festival have done just that by bringing Sydney rock outfit Battlesnake out of the shadows and in front of a whole new audience.Where these guys have been hiding and where they come from is anybody's guess going by the visual aspect to their performance, but according to their press release in the last 12 months they have gone from playing dingy dive bars to sharing the stage with The Smashing Pumpkins and Jane's Addiction.Plus wedged in there was an invitation to open for a little known band that goes by the name of KISS...Due to the above factors Battlesnake are the "hype" band of TWIAV tour and after seeing them play at the opening show at Eaton's Hill Hotel I have to say the hype is justified.And then some.If you have heard these guys before you already know, but if, like HEAVY you are only fresh on the wagon take a listen to the entertaining chat Kris Peters and Shannon-Lee Sloane had with the guys to find out everything you need to know - and some things you likely don't want to.Battlesnake drop their self titled album on May 12. Pre orders are available now distrokid.com/hyperfollow/battlesnake/battlesnake

Interview by Kris Peters,Despite the fact the COVID period is a part of our lives most would rather forget, there were a number of people who spent their time more productively due to the enforced lockdowns and regulations.Refusing to be defeated by an unseen adversary, Tim Coutts-Smith - vocalist for Melbourne fuzz rock outfit Jack Harlon & The Dead Crows - channelled his frustrations on an area that he knew would always provide hope.Music.Rather than using the time to create his own sonic landscape, Coutts-Smith instead looked deeper within to a musical time that quite possibly played a subliminal role in shaping his craft as a musician.He began listening to some of his personal favourites with a view to spicing them up considerably, before opening the process up to the public when he asked fans to suggest songs that could benefit from being he termed as Harlon-ified.A massive influx of material cluttered his social media with the main selection criteria being the chosen few would be from less mainstream artists that were not yet household names.He wittled the list down to eight tracks and sprinkled his own DNA over the new recordings with sensational results. This fuzz-drenched, genre-crossing love letter includes songs by under-the-radar icons like Bauhaus, God, Butthole Surfers, Joy Division, The Melvins, and more has hit the airwaves today, February 17 under the title of Hail To The Underground, with Coutts-Smith offering up some of his spare time to chat with HEAVY earlier today."I'm pretty stoked man," he smiled. "It's been a long time coming. I recorded this and finished it well over a year ago, so it's been a long year of waiting for it to finally come out."Even the concept behind tackling a project like this is enough to put most people off, but Coutts-Smith argues it actually provided him distraction from the world wide horrors that surrounded him at the time."It really started in lockdown when I was recording our second album Magnetic Ridge," he explained, "and towards the end of that process it was slowly disintegrating on my computer. There was one point where I nearly lost the whole hard drive and the whole album so I thought okay, I've got to get a new computer and new audio. Naturally when you get a new audio set up you wanna test it out, so I just started going through songs that I love and trying to make them as heavy as possible. Then I thought there's enough here that I should put an album out. I did a few carbon copy covers at the start just to test it out but I was finding the more I'd record, the more I would wanna add all these bits in so eventually I'm adding all of these parts that aren't in the original songs. I thought half of this record is now original so I might as well continue (laughs)."In the full interview, Tim talks more about how he chose the initial list of songs, what criteria he used to narrow it down, changing the structure of the music to put his stamp on it, which one he enjoyed covering the most, the recent 1000mods tour postponement, upcoming shows and more.

Interview by Kris Peters.It seems inconceivable that a major international band could be on the world touring circuit for over three decades and never played a note in anger in Australia.Almost criminal in fact, but when that band is Powerman 5000 it doesn't take long to move on and forget the thirty year snub and merely rejoice in the fact that they are finally coming.Very soon in fact.Powerman 5000 land in this country in around two weeks time, starting the nationwide trek in Brisbane at The Zoo on January 12.Not only will the pioneering industrial/nu-metal heavyweights be armed with a plethora of awesome hits up their collective sleeves, they are also celebrating the recent 21st anniversary of their breakthrough debut album Tonight The Stars Revolt!, spearheaded by the song that changed the landscape of metal as we know it, When Worlds Collide.HEAVY sat down for an enlightening chat with frontman Spider One, starting by emphasising the point that Australian fans have been neglected by the band for far too long."It is kind of amazing," he smiled. "We've been touring since 1996 or 97 and for some reason we've either eluded Australia or Australia's eluded us, but we are finally getting there, which is kinda cool. I mean, it's not that common after being in a band for thirty years or so that you can say you're gonna do something for the first time. We've toured the States so much, and I can pretty much tell you exactly what a night in Dallas, Texas is gonna be like. Or a night in Los Angeles is gonna be like. But I don't know what a night in Sydney's gonna be like, I have no idea. So it's gonna be exciting."In the full interview, Spider talks us through the 21st Anniversary of Tonight The Stars Revolt!, why he thinks that album resonated like it did in the metal community, their role in bridging the gap between industrial metal and nu-metal, the early days of Powerman 5000 and how they shaped their sound, lessons learnt from his older brother Rob Zombie that helped Powerman 5000 in their formative years, blending his love of sci-fi and horror into their music, appearing on Beverley Hills 90210, coming back from being dropped by Dreamworks Records in 1996, revitalising the band, his side gig directing films, what we can expect from Powerman 5000 on tour and more.

It's no secret that the music industry and all of those – from the performers to the venues to the studios to the punters – have all been affected, and in most cases decimated, by the rules and laws governing lockdown and restrictions.While the argument will continue to rage over the rights and wrongs of the way things are being handled, one fact remains true throughout.The music industry is suffering.With no end in immediate sight and many in the industry uncertain of their futures, HEAVY has decided to start a weekly segment called FCK CRNA to highlight affected businesses and industry workers and hopefully shine a light on a different key component of the music industry each week.These businesses need our support now, more than ever, so please, read on and spread the word about not only the businesses we focus on each week but any business you know of that is or has been affected.The only way out is for the music industry and those involved to unite and support each other in any way you can.We must be here for one another.This week, to launch FCK CRNA, we will be speaking with Christian Tryhorn from Beats Cartel and Mo's Desert Clubhouse.If you have a business or would like to be featured in FCK CRNA please email Kris Peters at kris@heavymag.com.au and put FCK CRNA in the subject area.

Due partly to the fact that I haven't had time to check my emails for questions, but largely due to the fact I wanted to take the focus off me on tour, this weeks 12 Rounds With Johnny Boxer features questions asked from members of the two bands I recently toured with, Diskust and Piston Fist.The guys came up with some pretty interesting and thought-provoking questions, most of which Bobo had answers for, but there was also the odd occasion where the great man was stumped - albeit temporarily.This week's questions include what would Bobo run his campaign policy on if he was running for office, if he would rather dicks for fingers or someone telling his inner thoughts, is more than a handful a waste, who he would rather fight out of Alf Stewart and Harold Bishop, what television show and character he would be had Fat Pizza not surfaced and one that I am not too fond of but had to ask anyway, why is Kris Peters such a c$#t!!!The answers are nothing short of hilarious this week so listen in plus hear Johnny reveal plans to visit Queensland for a special benefit show later this month...As usual, please read on below the audio for another intriguing and humorous look at life from the inside (literally) with Johny Boxer.Words by Louise CrothersMr Boxer was due to fly out from Sydney to Melbourne at approximately 10.30 am on a Friday in July 2018 as he had been invited to judge at a tattoo expo on the Saturday.I’d usually drop him at the airport on these occasions, but hadn’t heard a peep out of him for 2-3 days and was becoming concerned.First thing that Friday morning the organiser of the expo contacted me to confirm his ETA and I had no idea what the fuck to say. Johnny was always putting me into tricky situations. It’d gottento the point where I could feel my scalp tense up anytime he’d ask to meet with me. Who the hell knew what was going to go down?Sure enough, the flight time came and went then just after 11 am I received a call. He was in lock-up.“I’m down in the Newtown Courthouse holding cells. I’ve been to 4 different gaols over the past 3 days. They’re about to put me before a magistrate and I’ll most likely be refused bail and sent to Long Bay... Can you come here real quick, act as my representation and get me out?”I was like...wait...what?“Johnny, what the hell have you done? You were supposed to be on a flight half an hour ago! What do I say to the tattoo crew?”“Tell them I’ll be there soon...”Luckily I was dressed rather professionally and had on a lanyard for an organisation I was contracted to that day. Jumped in the car and headed on over to Newtown, along the way taking frantic phone calls from Melbourne.Before entering the police station I flipped my lanyard around so no one could tell where exactly I was from yet looked somewhat official. Approached the front desk and put on my best voice ofauthority...“Hi. Louise Crothers. I’m here to collect John Boxer.”The young constable looked a little bewildered.“He’s down in your holding cells,” I added.“Oh. Ok. Just let me call downstairs. You’re his custodian?”“Yes.”Didn’t even know what that meant...I took a seat in the foyer.“They’re bringing him up shortly,” the constable informed me.Ten minutes or so later JB appeared out front with two officers. I was given something to sign. Thankfully his hearing had been adjourned and I could take him away.I wanted to kill him. As I approached though I could see he looked like shit. Unshaven, hair a mess and appeared to not have slept a wink in days. Shook my head instead. We ventured up the street to the Courthouse Hotel for a bourbon bathed explanation.By Saturday night the menace was partying it up in Milton, Victoria as if no such thing had occurred. He had a jolly good old time there. So much so he missed his flight home, had lost his I.D and phone kept dying before I could gather exactly what needed to be done in order to get him on another flight!At one point I had Melbourne Airport Security scanning through the place for him and could’ve pulled my hair out and just cried. Ok. I actually did cry.As it always seems to go with the guy who describes his life as “a magic carpet ride” by pure chance JB was spotted at the gates by a couple of fellas who knew him and they went above and beyond to make arrangements for him (including the rebooking of and payment for his flight home).He managed to text me an ETA right before takeoff, adding that his “foot is fucked and can’t walk.”Of course.What did I do? Did I tell the over-aged delinquent where to go?No.Upon his arrival there I stood with a wheelchair at the ready.What an asshole.Nah. He’s ok. That bloody Johnny Boxer.And the next time he went missing I just checked the online NSW Court Registry. Boom! Found him...

Once has a relationship has fractured to the point of separation there is little need to retread old ground. The old adage of if it didn't work the first time it never well has been proven in both life and music but there are exceptions to the rule.Sometimes that unique but departed person merely needs to re-energize and gain back the drive and hunger that saw the relationship thrive and prosper when it mattered. Sometimes that separation is needed, although not popular at the time, but in the rare instances where both parties are prepared to focus on the future instead of dwell on the past the strengths of the individual become the strengths of the collective.When Frankenbok parted ways with vocalist Dan McDougall in 2015 diehard fans were devastated. McDougall was widely acknowledged as the band's premiere vocalist out of the handful that had fronted the band, with his intensity and menace only matched by his aggressive nature. He led the band by example, with no quarter given but plenty taken. Unfortunately, with personalities such as this the highs are matched blow for blow with the lows and after a period of unrest and instability McDougall left the band and was replaced by Dan White. Although White was a more than adequate replacement whispers continued to fester that McDougall's exit had detracted from the aura that surrounded Frankenbok with some openly campaigning for his return.When White left the band towards the end of last year and the band put out a statement saying that a replacement was being considered in-house only the most optimistic dared to believe that a return from McDougall was possible. As more time passed before the bands next gig in late January the whispers gained traction until today's announcement that McDougall would, in fact, take his spot front of stage. Hopefully gone would be the friction that caused the break-up and in its place a renewed sense of unity that would see Frankenbok return to full force."It feels fantastic, absolutely fantastic", grinned McDougall when pressed how it felt to finally be able to speak publically about his return. "We had another rehearsal last night and the band is on fire! We've got a thirty minute set at Blaze and we were trying to squeeze in too much so we ramped it up by a couple of BPM's on the last run through and it was way too fast (laughs). Right now I have to say that I'm very happy to be back in the band but in a way, I never really left. I just kind of changed positions. My other band Never and Frankenbok both rehearse out of the same place here and I continued to do stuff for the band behind the scenes. I made film clips for them and recorded the last album so I went from being the vocalist to behind the scenes so it hasn't been much of a stretch really. I live at the rehearsal studio so every practice for the last year and a half I have been present at".When White and Frankenbok parted ways in December that close proximity worked in McDougall's favor."Prior to Frankenbok touring Japan in November, I had been thinking about vocals a little bit. It was the first time in a few years that I had seriously considered singing again and prior to the boys leaving I did a recording of them running through the set in the rehearsal room minus Dan who had left early that night. After they left I had a bit of a play with it singing over the top of the music and it felt good. I already knew most of the songs so I cranked them through the PA and belted them out. When the band got back Azza (guitarist and founding member) had a chat and he explained the situation to me and said that while the tour was unbelievable things weren't so great on a personal level. I got the impression Dan wasn't fitting in with the rest of the guys and it became apparent that they would be in need of a new vocalist pretty soon. I told Azza what I had been playing around with and how good it felt and he asked if I wanted to play the next show at Blaze and I said fucken oath! That's pretty much where we left it but I felt that I needed to get in the room with the guys and feel it out before making a firm decision to commit but after the first jam, it was blatantly obvious that there was some serious energy there. After a couple more it felt better than it ever had before. Everyone was exceptionally tight and the energy was definitely there. It's a whole new band from when I left with the exception of Azza so I needed to see how it felt with those guys but the minute we started... it was a feeling you can't do justice with words alone".At the time of McDougall's departure rumors circulated that drugs and alcohol had played a major factor in the split. Despite refusing at the time to fuel the fire by responding McDougall now states that the rumors were just that."Unequivocally no", he affirmed of the claim. "I'm not sure where people got that perception from but it possibly came from the book that came out about the band itself. Yes, there were issues related to alcohol and stuff like that but I'd given up drinking about a year before I left. It wasn't about that. The band at that point in time was a mess. We spent more time in band meetings and trying to agree what we wanted to do going forward than we did actually rehearse. The band was on the verge of a total meltdown. It was a gut feeling for me that I needed to step down and I also have to say that stopping drinking played a big part in it too. It was part of what brought out the animal in me that got me up on stage and do what I did. Once I stopped that it was hard to get that feeling. I wasn't 100% committed to it anymore and I had that feeling that I needed to take a break. I felt it was necessary for the band to move forward. I felt that if I left other things would happen and that's kind of the way it worked out. People started to leave because... quite frankly it wasn't enjoyable any more".Musically, Frankenbok's current line-up is widely regarded as the best since the band's formation. While this alone was enough to further McDougall's desire to rejoin the band he also knew he had to bring something formidable to the table himself. It wasn't enough to simply slide back into the driver's seat. He needed to provide something more than just a vocal presence."Unbridled conviction my friend", he sneered when asked what he would provide. "I don't fuck about, especially when I'm on stage. Here's the thing. I don't necessarily listen to this kind of music anymore. My tastes have mellowed quite a bit, but to play it invokes a feeling that is so primal and it's something that is undeniable. When you are in a group of guys and you're all channeling this thing together you can't help but be completely overtaken by that feeling. I don't necessarily think that I'm the greatest vocalist in the world. I don't give a shit about that. What I give a shit about is conviction and what I give a shit about is doing it like you mean it. For me, this music brings that out naturally. I am absolutely chomping at the bit. I can't wait to get back up there and unleash the fury in Ballarat on Australia Day. It's been four years. I didn't miss it for a long time and it wasn't until I started thinking about it and got in there that I started enjoying it again and understanding that this is an innate part of me that for some reason I need to scream like a lunatic (laughs). It's my way of expressing my pent up rage and frustration and anger. Everybody has that shit but not everyone has a way to express it. That's what has always driven me to do this".Knowing that the initial enthusiasm that will greet the return of the prodigal son will not be enough to carry the band alone, Frankenbok are armed with a battleplan to coincide with the announcement and understand they will need to back it up with results."Now that this has happened it's time to think about what Frankenbok can do and what the band is now", McDougall said. "We're looking at a completely new entity. A name is a name. Frankenbok is a name that has gone on for twenty years but it has changed so much in that time. Now we're looking at a completely different band. I am now fronting a completely different band. We have to go out and prove ourselves again. We wanna start small and play a bunch of local shows and get out there and make people take notice. It's a new band so let's forget about the fact we have been around for twenty years because we haven't. Not this incarnation. This is a new band; the name doesn't mean anything. For us, it's firstly about proving ourselves again. I'm about to turn 40 and the other guys are around the same age and I think it's incredibly refreshing and equally important for us to be able to do that. We should have given up the game a long time ago but we refuse to do that. The energy coming from us now is like a bunch of 20-year-olds, that's exactly how it feels. We don't give a shit about the fact we're 40. Fuck age, that doesn't mean shit. We're gonna play a bunch of shows and we're gonna write a bunch of new shit. We've already started. Azza brought a couple of riffs to the table last week and we've already got a new song almost done. Since I left the band has gotten a new drummer, new rhythm guitarist and new bass player so it's a whole different dynamic. I'm really excited about what kind of music this band will produce. It's totally different to what we had before so I'm really excited to plunge the depths and explore what these guys are capable of. It's gonna be brutal, make no bones about that"!Kris Peters

"It was only Morgan (Rose, drums) and John (Connoly, guitar)... there wasn't a band yet", recalled Sevendust vocalist Lajon Witherspoon of his first introduction to what were to become his bandmates for the next 25 years. "They came to a bar I was working at - and this is a true story - and it was Morgan, John and Vinnie (Vince Hornsby, bass) and John had never played guitar, he was a drummer, he never even had a guitar strap! (laughs) They said man, we really love what you do and I used to always go and see those guys jam - except for John, he was in Piece Dogs and played drums for them. They were signed to Energy Records so I was already impressed with him, he was a signed artist already, but he never played guitar so that was a little bit weird (laughs). It was great and Vinnie and Morgan were in the band Snake Nation and they almost got signed by RCA records but the A & R guys signed Dave Matthews instead - which I think was a great move for him (laughs). So these guys showed up in a spot I was working at and I was playing on a Monday night in a little band I had and they said they'd really like to get together and to come down to the rehearsal place but it wasn't a band. It was just us jamming and that's what started it. That's what started the seed of Sevendust right there, in that room and we wrote 'Black' and we wrote a song called 'Crazy' and we were so excited about this little band that we had that we went out to a local bar and we just jammed and everyone showed up because they knew us from previous bands and we only played those two songs and they asked us to get up there again so we played the same two again (laughs). We rocked it, man, so it was like, we have to put a band together and that's what we did; that's where it started".Rising from the Atlanta music scene in 1994, Sevendust garnered their reputation the old fashioned way through relentless touring and taking their music to the masses. So much so that Witherspoon jokes that fans in their hometown weren't sure whether or not the band had fulfilled their dream or merely faded into the shadows of many others that had followed the same path."We were just on the scene in Atlanta", he laughed. "That was the only place we ever played and then we got a record deal and I remember leaving from the Midtown Music Festival and we never went back to Atlanta for a year or two because we were on the road. It was like we got thrown from our home scene to the world. It was like wow, we've left Atlanta and never went back. I don't think they ever realised what we were doing out there on the road because we'd been gone so long (laughs). We'd really been working and paying dues - and we still are - but we went out there in a van and toured the world and went from a van to several vans to several R.V's! One time I remember the bus pulling up and we all said wow, all our rock and roll dreams have come true but in reality, the nightmare had just begun. We didn't know that yet but (laughs). It's been an incredible journey. We started in Atlanta with bands like Sunk Mojo, and The Black Crowes were coming out of there but we weren't really that big yet. We were growing. We knew that we had a good thing going on and once we hit the road it kind of hit man and we just never stopped"!Sevendust released their self-titled debut in 1997 and while it is widely respected now hardly set the music world on fire then, selling poorly in its first week. Rather than let that dampen the young band's spirits, Witherspoon says that the members were largely oblivious to the fact it had failed to ignite."No way, no way"! he reiterated when pressed if it was an issue. "Not for me. I was 21 years old, I had a record deal, we didn't care about the numbers. I don't even... not even today. It's still just an honour to be relevant in the music business when it's so crazy and you can be here one minute and then you're gone so for me it's that same feeling of I'm still here, you know? I really didn't look at the numbers back then. I don't care about them. I just felt wow, we're signed, we're touring the world and going to places we've never been before and people were singing our songs back to us! We were on Ozzfest all of a sudden with Ozzy and Lemmy from Motorhead was my buddy. That was what I was thinking about back then and getting back in the studio and making another album. Back then we didn't care about what was going on in the business, we just cared about the art".In 2004 Sevendust put out what was at the time a groundbreaking release from a metal band. They recorded and packaged a live DVD/CD set named Southside Double Wide: Acoustic Live from a show recorded at the Georgia Theatre in Athens. It was ambitious, innovative, and risky, showcasing a softer side to the band and their music that ran the risk of alienating their diehard metal fans. It was a sign of a band at the peak of their powers, unafraid to bare their musical soul, and was to become a worldwide hit with both hardcore fans and those seeking something a little fresh and adventurous."That's something we come back to from time to time", Witherspoon shrugged. "A lot of the time a song starts with an acoustic guitar when jamming and it was really cool to show people we could be under the microscope and jam and still bring the same energy to the acoustic set that we bring to the live set. That was something that we captured then and something we capture now whenever we break out the acoustic. We did another acoustic album years later, but it's something that we feel is important. Especially for me, because doing this allows me to showcase more of my vocal ability and to sing more and not necessarily sing over the guitars and the loudness. It brings it down. We're still doing a heavy song but you can hear it (laughs)".That same year original guitarist and backing vocalist Clint Lowery left the band to play with his brother Corey in Dark New Day. Although the split was amicable and Lowery was to return four years later, Witherspoon admits that musically the adjustment was difficult."That was a weird period for us", he reflected, "because that's our brother and for me, I loved writing with Clint but for us, I think... we continued. It was something that made us work harder and we had our brother Sonny Mayo from Snot there for a while and it was a great opportunity for us all and for him too and it was a pleasure to play with him but like anything I think when you leave home sometimes you've gotta come back and I felt that was what happened. When Clint came back to the band for me it was the missing link that we needed back, even though we didn't stop. For me, this band is the original band. The guys that started it and are still here. There's a certain air about it when we're all together in a room writing music that is like no other".One of the strengths of Sevendust, particularly in the live arena, is the passion and emotion exuded by their enigmatic frontman. Witherspoon not only gives voice to the songs that have nurtured Sevendust, but he also feels them. It is not uncommon for him to be seen on the brink of tears during their performance, unashamed to let the essence of the music shine through in his actions."Oh man, it gets emotional just thinking about it when you ask me the question", he managed, obviously choking up at the thought. "It's my serenity. When I'm on stage it's a place where I go and feel from the soul. I feel the energy from the people and I get emotional because I can look out and there can be one person in the crowd that is looking at me and I can see the effect and what's going on and maybe it's even something going on in their lives. You can feel that pain or that energy. It goes both ways, any time. You never know what can spark emotions and it's a rollercoaster ride of happy, sad, exciting - it's every emotion that you can possibly feel and fit in your body on that stage for me and I love it every time I go on it".Sevendust return to Australia this April on the back of last years album All I See Is War, an album which many critics believe harks back in sound to the early days of the band."It's crazy", Witherspoon enthused, "because the first thing the producer said when he came in was listen, you guys don't need any help so let me know if I can do anything and it was just like he was policing things. He said I want you guys to just be Sevendust. Let's go back to the old sound. Let's not get crazy and that's what we were able to do with him. I guess with any artist you want to grow and expand but it wasn't hard for us just to be Sevendust and I think we were able to - not on all of the tracks - but on some of the songs we got that old feel back and it was really cool to do that". It is not uncommon for fans - especially those from the beginning - to demand each new album has some sort of throwback to earlier releases, but Witherspoon agrees that what gets lost in the cries is the fact that it is not quite so easy to replicate a period and feel that was captured in a time when innocence was the best virtue of their chosen artist."It's not easy at all", he shook his head. "You want to evolve and you want things to... especially as an artist you're your own worst critic and you definitely don't want to keep doing things the same. I've always felt that Sevendust is Sevendust and we've never really gotten away from that Sevendust sound. On this album we were able to get back to a more... familiar side of it".Kris Peters

HEAVY Mag chats to Kris Peters about their forthcoming Australian tour.

After fronting Nightwish from 1996 to 2005, Tarja Turunen turned her extraordinary vocal talents to the solo arena, if anything pushing herself even further as a musician.She has released a couple of studio albums, but it is her live offering, Act I, which garnered rave reviews.Now she is back with Act II, an improvement in every way on the first record."Even though it's a live album and you might not think so, I'm working a lot," she laughed. "It took many, many months to finish the product but I'm super happy with it because it's kind of an important album for me to show me where I'm at as an artist. I'm very happy. It's always a pain in the butt to look at yourself on the screen and edit the video (laughs), because I'm very critical when it comes to my own performance and bare myself but it was a fun process."In the full interview, Tarja goes into greater detail on Act II, including the subtle and personal differences between releasing a live album and a studio release, the two chapters on Act II and how they contribute to the overall production, and the possibilities of a third act in the series. She also discusses life as a solo artist, the split with her former band, her amazing vocal prowess and more.Kris Peters

"It's always been our ethos to take whatever negative shit or bad stuff that's going on and kind of flip it on its head and accept that there's a lesson or a value in it that can be turned into a positive," explained Gray Vickers, guitarist for These Four Walls, talking about the bands latest single 'Over and Over'. "Musically, when we were putting it together, it came together really quickly. It was just in the practice space and within half an hour or an hour we had the bare bones of the song done. Of course, we put in a bit of work in after that but in terms of the vocal melodies and guitar parts and all that sort of stuff, that was pretty much knocked out in the first day. Steve (Gibb, vocals) likes to take the vocals away and really mold them. He will put the song on and drive around and listen to it for a couple of hours and whatever is going on in his mind at the time he basically marinates in that for a couple of hours and writes it down and does all that stuff. I think for him it's about overcoming the barrage of negativity that exists from day to day. He's a really out there person, but he's also a sensitive person and... when there's so much negativity in social media and the people we interact with all the time people tend to stew on things a lot and I think for him it's about getting that out of his head and realising the world is not that bad. There are some assholes in it but we can always be better and be better versions of ourselves and that's how we get to that point."Listen to the full audio to hear Gray talk more about the single, the benefits of releasing E.P's and singles over full albums, the reasons behind the bands decision to relocate to Queensland from New Zealand, the difference in music cultures and opportunities between New Zealand and Australia, how to stay relevant in the modern saturated music market and more.Kris Peters

"It's our debut record and we're totally hyped to finally release it and share our baby with the rest of the world," beamed Robin Baumann, co-vocalist of German nu-metalcore sensations Venues talking about the bands' album 'Aspire' which will be released on July 27.After the promising release of E.P 'Break Down A Venue', Baumann believes the band have peaked on their debut long-player, laying the platform for a sustained career."Back then the band was more of a hobby for all of us," he mused, "and we were just... (laughs)... younger guys and a girl trying to be a little like rock stars and write cool music but since then we've developed pretty much as musicians and also on a personal level so with 'Aspire' I think Venues sounds the way... we've found the direction we want our music to go and how everything should sound. I think we just grew up a little bit."Listen to the full interview to learn more on the album, including what sort of emotions a band goes through waiting for a debut album to come out, more about the title and artwork and aims and expectations, plus an in-depth insight into the male/female vocal process and how Venues manages that dynamic.Kris Peters

"It's been awesome, we're really stoked," enthused Marc Patterson, guitarist for South Australian metalcore band The Daily Chase on the reaction to their new EP 'Feel Alive'. "Going from our previous EP we got a bit of hype from that but we feel like this is bigger and better. We all had a bit of input - even lyrically - so it's just a bit of... it's basically about trying to dive into today's issues with what young people deal with in life and stuff like that. Some of the ups and some of the downs and relate that through songs."With the plethora of society related problems facing the youth of today, Patterson believes now more than ever it is imperative that artists provide messages of hope through their music."Definitely," he affirmed. "It's one thing to listen to something and hear a cool riff or something like that but if you can listen to something and lyrically if you can put something out there that grabs an individual and makes them take something from it, I think that's definitely a big deal."Tune in to the audio interview for a more in-depth history of The Daily Chase, plus the reasoning behind releasing only EP's to this stage of their career, the musical changes in the band over the two EP's as well as the difficulties in establishing a band in the modern saturated climate plus more.Kris Peters

"Because it's expensive as hell!" laughed Tom Weaver, vocalist for Welsh outfit Casey on why the band is touring Australia for their first time ever next month. "That's the only reason. Since Casey started we've always felt that we had a strong fan presence in Australia and if it was more accessible I'm sure we would have made the trip before now but it is just a purely financial obstacle that has stopped us reaching you before."As such, fans will have little by which to gauge the bands live performance by, but Weaver promises that Casey will deliver everything expected of them - and more."We've always tried to keep it as authentic as we can," he assured. "We've never made a big deal... we don't use a lot of light production or anything. We try and keep it as much about the music as it can be and then after the show you can expect us all to be hanging around the venue. We try and socialize as much as we can and most of the guys like a drink so buy them a beer (laughs)."In the audio interview Weaver discusses more on touring a country for the first time, the reaction to their latest album 'Where I Go When I Am Sleeping' and how personal the album is to him, the complexities of writing a deeply personal song while still making it accessible to others and how the band has changed musically over their two albums.Kris Peters

"We just really wanted to make something that we were excited about," enthused Karina Utomo, vocalist for Melbourne's High Tension when asked about the bands recently released third album 'Purge'. "We wanted to make something really brutal and I guess we wanted to do it our own way. I feel really authentic about the songs and the process and the way things came together and if I'm talking about it from a personal sense... we're stoked (laughs)."The press release for the album quotes Utomo as saying "this is the center of my repressed rage", a quote that she elaborates on when pressed."I guess... a few things," she measured. "I think in order to sing in that style it has to come from a very authentic place and for me, that's what that was about. I think that there was such a process of writing to the music and mapping out which direction we wanted to go and it was going in a heavier realm so the references of these songs also had to come from a place that insighted real rage. It's an exploration of that and a reflection of the way I was very, very sensitive to how it was executed and how it has to feel real when I was recording it and ultimately it has to feel like that when it's getting performed as well."Listen to the full audio to hear Karina discuss the album in greater detail, the influence new band members Mike Deslandes and Lauren Hammel had on Purge, the importance of established bands in the development of the music scene and what role the Australian Music Industry plays in the nurturing of younger bands plus more.Kris Peters

"We've got a new album coming out called 'Gotcha Covered' and it's a bunch of great Aussie covers we've done so we'll be playing a bit of that," enthused enigmatic frontman for The Screaming Jets, Dave Gleeson, ahead of their Rock Radio Riot tour with Boom Crash Opera in August. "It will be a bit like the old days for us. When I started out in my first band that's what we did so it's just one of those great, fun opportunities to get out on the road and get around the country again because next years our thirtieth anniversary and we've got a new album of originals in store for then but in the interim we thought we'd do something that's a bit of fun."Gleeson says that after nearly three decades in the industry The Screaming Jets still maintain their youthful exuberance and love for music, albeit with the benefit of hindsight and wisdom that comes with age."You've always got the same goal," he shrugged, "and that's to get your music to as many people as possible. You become a little bit more realistic about the monetary side of it as time goes on, like in the early days the record company was footing the bill for everything and we thought unreal, this is fantastic! But little did we know that that was our money they were spending (laughs)."In a typically entertaining Dave Gleeson interview, listen to the audio to hear Dave discuss turning 50 and the secrets to his longevity, plus what songs are covered on 'Gotcha Covered', some more on the follow up to 'Chrome', plus some stories from life on the road in the early days of the band and how it differs today. He also gives his opinion on modern music and the impact his band has made on the Australian rock scene, plus more.Kris Peters

"We were mostly trying new things and keeping it coherent with our history and looking forward at the same time," explained At the Gates' guitarist, Martin Larsson reflecting on their latest album To Drink From the Night Itself. "It was a major thing that Anders (Bjorler), one of the main songwriters, quit so I guess it proved to ourselves that we could do it and we really feel that we pulled it off."When pressed on what those new things were, Larsson went deeper."If you listen to the last album there is some hint in another direction with songs like 'The Night Eternal' and 'Heroes and Tombs'... slightly more epic things. There is a bit more orchestration on the new album as well. We've done some things like that way back in the 1990's but it feels more sophisticated in a way now, and obviously, we're twenty-five years older now (laughs)."In the attached audio Larsson delves further into To Drink From the Night itself, as well as taking a trip down memory lane to when he joined the band and the break up after their successful album Slaughter of the Soul through to what changed to make the band reform and subsequently release more music.Kris Peters

Dance Gavin Dance are one of those bands that refuses to be pigeon-holed. Their sound is as eclectic and diverse as you could get within genres and as such is a delight to listen to. At times it feels as though two separate CD's are overlapping at the same time, creating a whole new musical dynamic that owes as much to experimentation as it does to courage from the band."We have the backbone," stressed Will Swan, guitarist, in reference to how they can genre hop so effortlessly and effectively. "Even when we are jumping around and changing genres you can still tell it is DGD because of the vocal style and the style of everyone n the band. We bring that to whatever we're doing regardless of the genre and it ends up being that cohesive DGD sound whether we do it intentionally or not."One of the more unique aspects of the bands sound is the contrasting vocal styles of the two frontmen. While it is not uncommon to have dual vocals, the range between the two on show here has to be heard to be appreciated, with Swan admitting this was a key factor in putting the band together."Yeah, I like having those dual vocals," he nodded, "and that idea when we started was kind of unique. After a while other bands have done it and it has become a normal thing but it was a little bit weird at the time we came out having a straight up clean vocalist and a screamer. It was different and I liked that. It allowed for some chaos and also a lot of melodic moments so you could hear that duality."Listen to the attached audio to hear Will speak about the bands upcoming album, Artificial Selection, on June 8, as well as the behind the scenes workings of putting that album together and the difficulties the band faced in picking singles to promote the album. Will also discusses the unconventional song titles and film clips, the climate that helped create Dance Gavin Dance and more.Kris Peters

"It was a really special and unique challenge to be able to put this show together and to record it and I think it came out really great," enthused Foriegner vocalist Kelly Hansen ahead of the release of the bands most ambitious album/DVD to date, Foreigner With the 21st Century Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. "It was a month long process in planning, first with making the arrangements and making sure they were arrangements that would fit the music properly and also making song choices because some songs were more suited towards the orchestra than others. There was all that and there was the rehearsals and trying to figure out the details of actually recording a live orchestra with a live rock band simultaneously in the same room and then filming it so there were a lot of elements that went together. It was very challenging."Undertaking a project such as this can be an extrememely arduous and time consuming period of your life, and as such it is important that each band member is on the same page and, more importantly, willing to put the extra time in. Thankfully, Hansen says, each member of Foreigner approached the project with equal enthusiasm."Everybody was really into it," he affirmed. "I mean, how many times in your life will you get to do something like this?"To hear a more in depth analysis of the recording of the album and DVD, including difficulties faced with sonically merging a live band and orchestra, as well as details on the Australian tour later this year, the different dynamics between performing as a band and performing with a full orchestra behind you as well as some of Hansen's memories of taking over the vocal duties from Lou Gramm, tune in to the attached audio.Foreigner With the 21st Century Symphony Orchestra and Chorus is out now.Kris Peters

"It's a very heavy record and has a song for everybody I guess," proclaimed frontman for Bad Wolves, Tommy Vext, ahead of their eagerly anticipated debut album, Disobey on May 11. "I think we really individually and collectively wanted to go into this record and recording process to make something that was greater than the sum of all of its parts. We were really influenced by bands like Faith No More and System of a Down and so we took a lot of risks. Some of the songs are super, super heavy and some of the songs are very progressive and some of them are just straight up rock songs. We obviously did a cover of The Cranberries song 'Zombie', which everyone is really responding well to. We have a ballad on the record and we have everything from rock to death metal wrapped up into one band with one sound so that's gonna be interesting.With members that have played in bands such as Divine Heresy, God Forbid, Devildriver, Bury Your Dead, In This Moment, Scar the Martyr, Vimic and Snot, Bad Wolves is the epitome of the often bandied around term supergroup, not that Vext embraces the title warmly."I don't really... what is a supergroup? Do you put Audioslave in the category and someone like Giraffes on Orchestra?" he questioned. Predominantly supergroups aren't good bands. I think Velvet Revolver is another but I think that the difference is supergroups are bands where everybody in the band comes from massive commercial success whereas we're pretty straight up underground heavy metal artists who have had success in their career, obviously, but never like this."Tune in to the audio to hear Vext discuss the bands trajectory over the last twelve months, in-depth take on the 'Zombie' cover and how the band went about reworking the tune, the difficulties faced by newer bands in the modern market - including one such as Bad Wolves and get to meet each band member and what they bring to the table. Also, keep an ear out for Bad Wolves debut album, Disobey, out May 11.Kris Peters

"He is very brilliant and very talented but with that comes... no-ones perfect, right?" questioned Lindsay Schoolcraft, keyboard player and back up vocalist for Cradle of Filth when asked about vocalist Dani Filth. "I want to wring his neck sometimes (laughs) because he is very talented and brilliant but with that he could be more disciplined and organised and I think that's where I get frustrated with him becase I am very - at least I try to be -more organised and discliplined and efficient. Efficiency is a big thing for me and that's where I come into play. That's how I was able to do my solo album around Cradle's touring the last two years; that's how I have a side project and that's how I function. Dani is very um... let's put it this way, where I would paint a very scenic portrait he is more like Pollock (laughs). He just splatters that paint all over the canvas and hopes that it lands and he drives me nuts! (laughs) He's very lucky to have Martin in the band - who is like our musical director - and he is very lucky to have us who have these skills so we pick up on each others flaws, do you know what I mean? We help each other and that's us. Dani has taught me a lot. He's definitely inpired me to do some very cool things with my own work and my own career but at the same time it's like a family really. He is like a father figure to me in a way. We fight like family sometimes and I want him to better himself but I understand he's forty-five now (laughs). I'm also open to learning and bettering myself whereas he's very set in his ways so we do butt heads but at the end of the day we do get the album done and we get the show done and I've kind of given up on trying to give him advice and kick his butt because it's just exhausting (laughs)."In an honest open open interview Lindsay reveals what plans Cradle of Filth have in store for their Australian fans, introduces the new band members and what they bring to the sound, explains the complexities of creating C.O.F music and also let's slip on plans for the next album. To hear all this and more tune in to the attached audio.Kris Peters

"The music climate was a lot stronger," recalled Sikth vocalist Mikee Goodman on the period when an unsuspecting music world was introduced to his band in 1999. "We were coming out of the 90's and at that stage there was a lot of nu-metal bands and people gave nu metal bands a bit of a cuffing because of bands like Limp Bizkit but at the end of the day, nu metal was quite an experimental form of music. It was taking one type of music like hip hop and doing a more basic form of groove metal and also loads of different experimentation so that was a big scene. There was a lot of great bands around in the 90's and there was a scene because the music scene was a lot stronger back then. There was still such thing as a record industry where you were getting development deals... it was a completely different time. We wanted to do something different and invent our own sound. There's a lot of bands in every scene in every generation who want to sound like other people because they want the fine angle and hop on the wagon and be accepted. Nowadays there is more bands than ever going for social acceptance through music and metal is in a horrendous state where people are just repeating the same formula and doing the same thing going over the same ground again and again and things have to change."In an extremely forthright and honest interview Goodman discusses the bands first ever Australian tour with The Contortionist starting ??, the social pressures inherent in the modern music age, the reaction to the monumental album The Future In Whos Eyes? plus the band's thoughts on the album nearly twelve months later as well as certain things that he believes are crippling the industry from the inside. Tune in to the attached audio for all this and more.Kris Peters

"Sort of," measured Lewis de Jong, vocalist for New Zealand teen thrashers Alien Weaponry when asked if it was hard to get respect in the music industry because of their youth, "but it's mostly from other people that are on the same level as us. We had quite a bit of criticism from a lot of guys about a year ago when we weren't as well known. They were in our peer group of bands and a lot of them got a bit salty...""If being young is the only thing they can criticise us about," interjected brother and drummer Henry, "then we're getting off pretty lightly (laughs)."This response typifies Alien Weaponry's refreshingly laid-back approach to a musical style that is becoming increasingly bullish. The brothers - along with bass player Ethan Trembath - release their eagerly awaited debut album Tu on June 1 and can barely contain their excitement about an album that has been almost eight years in the making."It's starting to look like it might be finally paying off," Lewis laughed. "We're just excited to see how it goes and to celebrate the release at our launch party.""We hope people will like it as much as we do," Henry added. "We're really happy with the way it's worked out. We didn't want to cut any corners with it, especially for people overseas. It just doesn't cut it if it's not up to scratch."To hear Alien Weaponry explain the title of the album, as well as their reasons for singing predominantly in their native Maori tongue as well as tips on how to stay relevant in the modern industry plus more on the perils of being a young band in a hostile market, listen to the attached audio.Kris Peters

"Absolutely!," gushed Ben Drennan, rhythm guitarist for Sydney's Lethal Vendetta ahead of last Friday's release of their album No Prisoners No Mercy. "There's so much work gone into it behind the scenes. It's been a big journey so we're looking forward to it getting out there."The title of the album leaves little to the imagination, with Drennan admitting that while it is confrontational, it isn't necessarily reflective of the material as a whole."Yes and no," he surmised. "There's a bit of diversity in the lyrics. It's probably not as dark as it may sound but Lethal Vendetta, No Prisoners No Mercy... it's a bit of a statement isn't it (laughs)."While not going into the process with a blueprint as such, Drennan concedes there were small goals with the album, goals which he is happy to say were achieved."I think so," he nodded. "The goals were we wanted to go in and capture a sort of live sound. In that sense, we went in and recorded old school in an analog style with no click tracks so we were playing the whole songs in their entirety with all the guitar amps isolated. We wanted to capture our live sound on the record and I think we got pretty close."As well as undertaking a tour to promote the new album, Lethal Vendetta have also secured the coveted opening slot for Destruction at the Manning Bar on April 28, a gig that while exciting for any local outfit, is one which Drennan says the band are trying to not be too overwhelmed by."I think we're not trying to read into it too much," he measured. "Obviously it's great to be playing with a bigger band such as Destruction but we're just going in business as usual with normal rehearsals and just try and do what we do. It will be the same as any other show we do elsewhere... in theory (laughs). It's easy to say now but I'm sure the knees will be knocking when we walk on stage..."In the audio interview, Drennan discusses the current state of Australian metal and where Lethal Vendetta fit into the mix, the difficulties facing bands in the modern climate plus the fine line between imitation and inspiration in music.Kris Peters

"We aren't trying to do something from twenty years ago," Mike Flynt, guitarist for Riot V, measured when discussing the band's upcoming release Armor of Light. "We were trying to do something fresh but with the energy and feel of maybe something that was done twenty or thirty years ago. We're still trying to write fresh, new music. We weren't trying to necessarily go back and re-live it: we were more trying to step it up a notch and make it a 2018 version."Flynt - who was still in school when the original line up of Riot played their first shows - joined the band in 1989. He was the perfect fit in a transitional period for the band, which refined their sound from a more purist form of heavy metal to the power metal for which they are known today on their 1988 release Thundersteel. "I guess I became a Riot fan in the early 1980's," he reflected, "so I was aware of them in the late 70's when Rock City came out. They started coming up with the likes of Def Leppard and they had a lot of interest. They were really cutting edge back then and had a different sound - an American band with a European sound with speed and melody - but unfortunately, the management at the time kept screwing them down. Every time the big shots came in to try and make Riot popular the management who had a hold on them held them back in so many ways."Riot's new sound came out of a time of change in the music industry, with a fresh wave of bands starting out that revolutionized the industry and ushered in a new wave of bands that shaped the musical landscape forever."When I joined in 1989 it was a weird time, like an in-between period," Flyntz recalled. "I think in the early 80's you had the new thrash thing coming out with Metallica and everyone started getting into the pretty bands with Poison and glam and it was a really weird heavy metal mishmash. I remember in 1987 when Guns N Roses came out we were all really relieved. It was heavy and it was bluesy and it wasn't like the pretty boy stuff."In the audio interview Flyntz explains how and why the band changed their name to Riot V, how close they came to disbanding permanently after founding member Mark Reale's death and the major factor that convinced them to continue, as well as delving further into the new album and expectations from fans plus much more.Kris Peters

"It's Friday the 13th" purred master of everything ghoulish and macabre Wednesday 13 when he answered the phone. "Are you safe? I'm like a leprechaun Friday 13 so it's good luck that you are talking to me. You won't get a pot of gold, you won't get any wishes or money but I can protect you from axe-wielding people with hockey masks or sacks over their heads or their mothers so you're safe now."Wednesday 13 returns to Australia later this month, bringing his full rock show after last year performing a more intimate show with a Q & A session and more laid-back approach."This is our first tour of the year," he enthused." We've been on vacation - I won't say vacation because I've been working my ass off - so for some of the other guys it may have been a vacation (laughs). We toured up to the end of November last year and we had some time off to recharge and this will be the first tour of the year so you're getting us fresh out of the mental institution and fresh out of the cage so it should be a fun, entertaining rock show. We have a lot of theatrics and fun things so you can leave your brain at the door and get lost in our world and our show."After releasing the highly acclaimed album Condolences last year, saying at the time that the punk rock vibe had left the building and turned into a full metal vibe - a claim reinforced by the overtly heavier nature of the album - Wednesday admits that while he has started work on his next body of work the nature of the music is far from settled."No," he replied bluntly when asked if that metal vibe was continuing. "The rules always change. There was no rules for last time and there's no rules again. We're still in the early stages of writing but there is a few songs that we have written. One sounds totally punk so I can say that punk has entered the building again (laughs), but how long it will stay and how many punk songs we'll have, who knows? We're just writing as much music as we can. We wanna write good songs. If it's punk, if it's heavy it doesn't matter. At the end of Condolences, we were starting to write more punk sort of stuff but we had enough songs so who knows? I like to keep everything changing. I never want anyone to have me parked in a corner. No-one's ever gonna figure me out and I dare them to try."In a candid discussion, Wednesday also speaks about his introduction to music and exactly where he fits in, the fine line between inspiration and imitation in music as well as the reasons why they will be bringing Davey Suicide along for the ride plus more in the attached audio.Kris Peters

"It's been received ridiculously well," enthused Bulletboys frontman and founding member Marq Torien on the Los Angeles rock machines 12th album, From Out of the Skies. "People are ecstatic about it. I've been getting so many amazing interviews and reviews which is great because we took some risks on this record..."Bulletboys will be in Australia for the first time ever next month, a fact made even more surprising by the fact they have been a band since 1987, with Torien warning fans to brace themselves for a musical onslaught."You can expect anything and everything," he promised. "We're a bunch of naughty gentlemen (laughs). Please don't fear the villains because we're fun-loving villains and we're coming out there to turn it up to 15. We're a monstrously energetic band so get ready to see a real rock band perform. We also play extremely loud so please bring your ear plugs."One thing with a band making their debut appearance on our shores is we don't know exactly what to expect, but that also works in reverse."No we don't really," laughed Torien, "so we're looking forward to it. I have so much love for your country and the people are just amazing and passionate. I can't wait to get out there and show what this little band from Southern California can do and blow the roof off the places we're playing!"To find out exactly what risks Bulletboys took on their new album, plus the complexities of trying to outdo yourself musically with each record as well as an insight into recording with Dave Grohl plus a look into the history of this underrated band tune into the audio.Kris Peters

"It will be the first time we will be playing all this new material for people in the regional areas," enthused Matt Young, vocalist for Australia's own hardcore legends King Parrot. "I think a lot of the places that we're playing on this tour we haven't been to for maybe a year or two for some of them. Some of the places in FNQ we've never played at. It will be the first time that some of the people have ever had a dose of King Parrot so it's pretty exciting for us."The ability to give back musically to more regional areas is important to Youngy, with memories of his own youth and experiences a driving factor behind the decision to expand out of the capital cities."It's super important," Youngy stressed. "To me growing up in a regional area myself I know how much I enjoyed and appreciated when bands made the effort to come and play in those places. I always loved it when bands like Blood Duster or Damaged or Adrenalin or Warped or Max Pelican or any of these bands that were popular when I was growing up, I loved the fact they would come and give local bands the opportunity to share the stage with them. I just think it's important to grow and develop the scene and give local bands the chance to play with bands that have done international touring and all that sort of shit. It helps make it a bit more real for them and keeps the scene alive. I know when I was young growing up that's exactly what it did for me and fuelled my drive to be able to now play in King Parrot. I really like the idea of giving back a bit."To hear the full answers to these questions plus an in-depth view of touring life, including what King Parrot do to keep themselves interested on the road, who the best band member is to have on tour as well as the most annoying, plus a typical day of life on the road King Parrot style and a bit of information on the support band Child Bite plus more, tune in to the audio above.Kris Peters

"You can expect our usual crazy shit that we do," laughed Black Rheno drummer Dougy, promoting their current tour The Final Cult. "Ryan will be running out there and stealing your drinks and pouring them on his scalp as usual. We're going pretty hard at it. We're playing three or four tracks off the new album that's gonna be coming out soon which everyone seems to like (laughs)."Since forming in 2015 Black Rheno have gone from strength to strength, partly through talent and largely through their relentless touring schedule that has seen them progress from supporting other Australian metal acts this time last year to now headlining their own tour. It is a process which Dougy admits was a solid plan from the get-go, with the band making an early and conscious decision to put it all on the line."Definitely, yeah," he agreed. "We had the Thrash, Blast and Grind Fest and then we did the tour with Napalm Death and Brujeria in October which was crazy -fuck, its Napalm Death (laughs). We always had this planned. While we were writing the album and getting the demos done and all that we thought fuck it, we don't wanna sit here staying stagnant, we've gotta do something so we decided to put together a headlining tour before we started recording so it was always on the books."The bands E.P, Let's Start A Cult has been instrumental in the band's current success, with its blend of stoner, sludge and metal - not to mention the title - striking a chord with fans around the country."It's pretty much as the title says," Dougy laughed. "It's what we wanna do (start a Black Rheno cult). We love playing music; we love recording; we love playing shows and we wanted to start something big. Cult's get pretty fucken big don't they (laughs)?"To find out what you have to do to become a part of Black Rheno's cult, plus where the current tour is headed plus find out what sorts of lessons a smaller band learns from bigger supports and Black Rheno's plans for world domination plus the scoop on the new album listen to the attached audio.Kris Peters

"It's been great, really well," gushed Saxon vocalist and founding member Biff Byford on the response to their latest and 22nd album Thunderbolt. "It's always a surprise when albums take off. Number Five in Germany, Top 40 in England and in the Top 10 around Europe... It's our biggest selling album since 1986 somebody said."After more than two dozen albums Saxon have pretty much nailed the process, with Biff agreeing that in order to create a body of work that appeals to your fans, you first have to be true to your own beliefs."We always make music for ourselves first," he nodded. "I think that's the key, to make music that you like and hope other people do as well. I think when you've got 22 albums you know what to do if you know what I mean (laughs). We're always looking for something that's not predictable and pushing the envelope a little bit."With such a prolific output over a 40 year plus career, Biff says the biggest challenge when coming up with new music comes more from within rather than sheer output and believes a band is restricted only by the limitations they place on themselves."It's always hard to come up with things that are not... it's really easy for old bands to lay back and do a few blues tracks and sort of sit back on their hips," he said, "but Saxon aren't one of those bands. We try very hard and I'm always looking for ideas to write about."Tune in to the audio for his expanded replies to these questions and find out about Saxon's first ever tour with Motorhead, Biff's thoughts on the music world that Saxon entered and created, as well as the bands secret to over 40 years of survival plus a potential Australian tour and the truth behind why the band became Saxon, not the original Son of a Bitch.Kris Peters

"Morbid Angel's music is death and that's what people expect," deadpanned vocalist and bass player for the band, Steve Tucker. "Most Morbid Angel fans know the band is pretty diverse but they expect the music to have that death metal vibe."With the release of Kingdoms Disdained in December and the recently released boxed set, Morbid Angel are back in the limelight, with Tucker saying fans have warmly embraced the album. Despite the album being finished, out and in the can, Tucker does admit that the band have in the past been guilty of over-scrutinizing the album after it has been released."There's a little bit of both (scrutiny and that sense of leaving it behind)," he said. "I think that on this album my list of things that if I could I would change are nothing like they ever were in the past. This album, on all fronts from the recording to the pressing to the feel of it and the packaging - everything - was more satisfactory.Since forming in 1983 Morbid Angel have been one of the most commercially successful, influential and recognized bands in their genre, with an endless stream of musicians openly admitting the high regard in which they are held. Although obvious to the rest of the world, Tucker says that within the band the fact is rarely mentioned or discussed."No," he laughed, "that's not really something... honestly, inside of the band time goes by much faster than outside. Outside of the band you can look at 25 years and it seems like a tremendous amount of time but from inside it doesn't seem so long ago. You sort of go from album to album man. You spend a big chunk of your life writing and recording an album and then it gets released and you go out and support the album and that whole process is a number of years. Talking about being legends or talking about the influence that Morbid Angel has had on anyone is not really something that we would sit around and do. For us, when you around this long... nobody expected death metal to last almost 30 years dude. No-one expected it as far as it's just a process of making music and playing shows. Death metal has become as legitimate a music genre as anything else out there. It doesn't seem like it's something that's going away anytime soon."To hear more in-depth takes on Tucker's view on the music world in general as well as a detailed listing of what to expect in the box set as well as his thoughts on Morbid angel before he joined the band tune in to the audio below.Kris Peters

"What we're doing is leaving it up to our fans," explained vocalist for Florida's Sleeping With Sirens, Kellin Quinn ahead of the bands April tour of Australia, "and letting them decide the set that they wanna hear and then do our best to put together a set list that makes everybody feel they got what they want out of it. I think probably in the next week or so we're gonna go online and leave it up to our Australian fans to let us know what they want."Touring on the back of last years album Gossip, Quinn says the band are excited to bring their show to fans and was pleasantly surprised with the response the album received."I wasn't sure what to expect," he replied, "because it is a different sounding album for us but the response has been amazing! The sing-alongs have been awesome, especially songs like 'Legend'. 'Empire to Ashes' goes off really well too and then we've been doing 'Gossip' acoustically and you really get to hear everyone sing along. It's been incredible dude. Really, really fun."While acknowledging that every album has been written from the heart, Quinn concedes that the lyrics on Gossip are more-so, possibly to do with the coming-of-age sensation of leaving your twenties behind."I think they are all personal in a way," he agreed. "I try to - especially as I get older - I try to get as personal as possible. It's like a journal for me. It's my diary of sorts so depending on where I am in my life I try to invest as much of my emotional energy into it because I think that's what connects the most with people. This one was personal for me. I was going through some... I wouldn't say midlife crisis... but definitely going from boyhood to a man. I was watching an interview today with Pauly Shore and he said that when he turned thirty he cried because he didn't know how to become a man after being this boy for so long. I felt that in a way. I've grown up touring and being in a band and being young and doing stupid things and I have a family now and it's important for me to be more responsible. I think figuring that out through being a touring musician and making records was a really confusing thing for me."Learn more about the lyrics on Gossip as well as which band member is best to have on the road and lessons the band have learnt from touring Australia in the past that they plan to utilise this time around, plus perhaps a special reveal of where you are likely to catch up with the boys for a quick chat while they are over here in the audio interview below...Kris Peters

"I feel great man," enthused Kyle Shutt, guitarist for Austin, Texas stoner rockers The Sword ahead of their sixth studio album Used Future to be released on March 23. "It's a really fresh sound for us. We've been a band a really long time and I'm really excited to take this album out on the road. We wrote it mainly in the studio and I still don't know how to play it all yet (laughs). I'm really excited to jump into that aspect of things. When you make an album and you get ready to release it it's like you sit in front of the computer and send emails and stuff but my favorite part is when we finally get to leave all that behind and get out on the road and play some shows."While undoubtedly people will try to classify Used Future based on previous records, Shutt says the album and its contents can be summed up pretty easily. "I would call it rock and roll," he shrugged. "I've been listening to a lot of 60's and 70's music and I think that has come through in my guitar playing a little bit more rather than some of the acrobatic stuff I did in the past. It's all about trying to keep it interesting to ourselves too, you know what I mean? We've never been a band to make an album to please any certain people, we just made the albums that we wanted to hear and we really dig this one. It's a pretty uneasy album with dark topics that we deal with day to day. It's pretty fresh in that regard."After the sonic differences on previous album High Country, The Sword have added more structure and depth to their sound again on Used Future, with Shutt admitting the band needs to continue to grow musically for their own sanity as much as the fans."When we made Apocryphon, our fourth album, that was as far as we could have taken that style of heavy metal," he reflected, "and I think if we would have kept playing and writing songs in C all down-tuned I think that we would have probably lost interest in the band. We decided to tune our guitars up to E flat, mostly because... I was into it because I write a lot of the songs in E so us playing them in E flat made a lot more sense and also when we did JD was able to song lower instead of the other way around which you think it would be."To learn more about the album, including where the title came from, as well as reliving a bit of the past of The Sword and the turning point in the band's music that almost brought it all crashing down tune in to the below audio interview.Kris Peters

About Sam Elias One of my first memories of Sam Elias was this: he was climbing on The Crew (14c) in Rifle, and he'd skipped 3 clips in a row on the top half. He was climbing to the death, screaming with every move, and then he fell and came dangerously close to being impaled by a tree right below the route. That tree has since been removed, and Sam has since sent the route. I think that scene personifies Sam Elias: He tries really fucking hard, he's ballsy, he's intense, and he sends hard rock climbs. When I came to know Sam a little better, I found while he's all of those things, he's also sensitive, introspective, and intelligent.  He recently did the Black Diamond training bootcamp with Dan Mirsky and Joe Kinder, being coached for several 3-week stints by Kris Peters and Justen Sjong. Since those training sessions, Sam has been climbing better than ever, sending routes quickly that he'd put years of work into prior to training.  He's sent up to 5.14c sport climbs, he's a competitive ice and mixed climber, and he summited Mount Everest, so he's an all-around excellent athlete.  Sam Elias Interview Details In this interview, we talk about what sets him apart as an athlete, how his emotions sometimes have gotten the best of him (as many of us can relate with), and what he's done in the past couple years to calm his anger and anxiety so that he can be a happier person and a better climber. We also talk about how he trained with Kris and Justen and what he's been doing to train since then.  Working with a sports psychologist "Flow state" climbing Work/climbing balance Success after BD Bootcamp Diet   Sam Elias Links Sam on Facebook Sam on Instagram @bookofsamuel Sam's website: www.bookofsamuel.com Training Programs for You Check out our Route Climbing Training Program for route climbers of all abilities. Our other training programs: Training Programs Page.

Date: July 15th, 2016 Google Play For Android Users iTunes Show Page Online Training Vs In-Person Training for Climbing This week in our Ask Kris episode, we talked about the pros and cons of 3 different training types: In-person training with a coach one-on-one Online training with a coach one-on-one Online training without a coach one-on-one Hopefully this will shed some light on what you should do for yourself if you're confused about what option to go with.  More Details about The Talk Cost of each option Who should definitely get one-on-one work Who could benefit from an online training program New upcoming training options on TrainingBeta Want Help With Your Training? If you're one of those people who could benefit from a pre-made training program, these are our most popular programs created by Kris Peters. They're about $15/month and you get 3 unique workouts every week.  Bouldering Training Program   Route Training Program Please Review The Podcast on iTunes! Link to the TrainingBeta Podcast on iTunes is HERE. Please give the podcast an honest review on iTunes here to help the show reach more curious climbers around the world ;) Transcript  Coming soon! m6bgj7z6

Date: July 11th, 2016 Google Play For Android Users iTunes Show Page About Joe Kinder This is an interview with Joe Kinder, a 36-year-old climber from New Hampshire who was one of our sport's first professional (aka paid) athletes. He's climbed up to 5.14+ sport and 5.13+ trad, and he's given back much to the sport by developing a whole lot of new routes all over the US. He's well known for his consistently high level of psyche for climbing, and for being a genuinely good person and fellow climber at any crag. Joe, Sam Elias, and Dan Mirsky recently completed the BD Training Bootcamp, where they lived and trained together in Golden, CO for several weeks at a time while being coached by Kris Peters and Justen Sjong. They all saw a lot of success after the bootcamp sessions, and I talked to Joe about what he accomplished after the bootcamp and how he's changing his overall training because of it.     About Our Talk In this interview we talked about his history with climbing, growing up with Dave Graham, why he develops routes, training, diet, and lots more.   BD bootcamp results Route development Moonboard training Making a living as a sponsored athlete Diet and alcohol Goals of 5.15 Joe Kinder Links Joe's experience with the BD Bootcamp (Video) Joe sending Maquina Muerte in Spain, 5.14d  (Video) Joe in 30 Days in Norway (Video) Joe on Instagram Joe on Facebook Training Programs for You Check out our Route Climbing Training Program for route climbers of all abilities. Our other training programs: Training Programs Page.   Please Review The Podcast on iTunes! Link to the TrainingBeta Podcast on iTunes is HERE. Please give the podcast an honest review on iTunes here to help the show reach more curious climbers around the world ;) Transcript   Coming soon!

Efficient Home Training for Climbing This week, in our ninth mini episode of Ask Kris, we talked about how you can train at home efficiently, no matter what equipment you have to work with. We go through a few scenarios, ranging from a guy Kris worked with who had only a few basic pieces of equipment, all the way up to someone who has a home wall, weights, and other equipment at home.  He also gives you a few workouts you can do at home.  More Details about The Talk How to train with only rings and a few weights How to train with a home wall The optimal home set-up Several workouts you can do at home Freebie Home Workout This is a circuit workout, so do all of the exercises below without rest, then rest as suggested below, then repeat. Regarding this workout, Kris told me, "My client in Europe did it this morning and said it's the hardest workout he's ever done," so, uh, have fun with this... Home Wall: laps - 10 minutes without touching the ground (Jug holds for shake outs and rest every 2 or 3 minutes) Push Jerk (Video): 40-90 lbs (depending on ability), 20 reps Toes To Bar (Video): 20 reps Hang Board Pull Ups : 10 reps on edge (size depends on ability) Farmers Walk (Video) (with kettle bells or dumbbells) : 1 minute with 50-100% of bodyweight total. Take quick breaks if absolutely necessary. Rest: 3-5 minutes Sets: 4-6 Enjoy! Want Help With Your Training? If you want 3 complete workouts every week to get you stronger and help you stay injury free, check out our most popular training programs written by Kris Peters. Bouldering Training Program   Route Training Program Please Review The Podcast on iTunes! Link to the TrainingBeta Podcast on iTunes is HERE. Please give the podcast an honest review on iTunes here to help the show reach more curious climbers around the world ;)

How to Use A Heart Rate Monitor for Training and How to Increase Your Lactic Acid Threshold This week, in our eighth mini episode of Ask Kris, we talked about two related topics: lactic acid thresholds and heart rate monitor training. Lactic acid is basically the stuff that builds up in your body to make you feel "pumped", and it comes partially from having a high heart rate during activity.  In terms of lactic acid, we talk about: how you can increase your lactic acid threshold how a climber might test their lactic acid threshold just like runners do what to do with that information and how to decrease the lactic acid build-up while you're climbing  One of the big ways to decrease lactic acid build-up while you're climbing is to decrease your heart rate while you're climbing, and one way to train that is with a heart rate monitor. Regarding training with a heart rate monitor, we talk about: how to train with a heart rate monitor at what level of your max heart rate you should be training what kinds of workouts you can do to train at difference percentages of your max how monitoring your heart rate helps you avoid overtraining This was one of my favorite talks with Kris because it's one of the few training tactics in climbing that are completely numbers-based and easily tracked and monitored. I hope you get something out of this one! I'm looking into getting a heart rate monitor right now myself... Want Help With Your Training? If you want 3 complete workouts every week to get you stronger and help you stay injury free, check out our most popular training programs written by Kris Peters. Bouldering Training Program   Route Training Program Please Review The Podcast on iTunes! Link to the TrainingBeta Podcast on iTunes is HERE. Please give the podcast an honest review on iTunes here to help the show reach more curious climbers around the world ;)  

About Teal Dreher This is an interview with Teal Dreher, a V8 boulderer who climbed through the grades in just a few years using various training programs. She also regularly puts in 70 hours per week as an environmental engineer, so I thought she'd be a perfect person to represent normal non-pro climbers.  She takes us through her evolution of climbing training, starting with the Anderson brothers' program, then through Eric Horst's teachings, and finally with our very own Kris Peters, who she's currently training with.  I honestly loved talking with Teal because I felt like we could relate on climbing on a different level than my pro climber guests. I hope you like this very informative conversation as much as I did! What We Talked About V8 in 3 years Anderson Bros' program vs Horst's program vs Kris Peters' program Juggling training and working Teal Dreher Links Teal's website: www.tealasaurus.wordpress.com Teal's Instagram: @tealasaurus Teal on Barfly V8 in Little Cottonwood Canyon (Video) Training Programs for You Check out our Route Climbing Training Program for route climbers of all abilities. Our other training programs: Training Programs Page.

New Ask Kris Mini Episodes! We're going to do something new on the podcast every week (or as often as we can). Kris Peters and I will be tackling a specific subject and hashing some details out for about 15 minutes. Don't worry: I'll still be doing the regular podcast episodes every week, too! We'll also take questions from you guys and answer them on these mini episodes. This week, in our second episode, we decided to talk about the three best lifts for rock climbers. Kris Peters is a climbing trainer who's worked with some of the strongest climbers in the world, as well as a ton of regular Joes like you and me. He's seen his methods work on 100's of climbers so far, and so I thought I'd give him a platform to share his knowledge with you guys. Here's episode 2 of "Ask Kris", and hopefully we'll get one out every week. If you have a question for him, email me at neely@trainingbeta.com and we'll try to answer it. 3 Best Lifts for Climbers Why climbers should weight lift Why some strong climbers can get away with not weight lifting What the 3 best lifts are, why, and how to do them Kris Peters Links More about Kris Train with Kris one-on-one or online Kris's online programs you can start following today with 3 workouts/week (bouldering and route training) Kris's 6-Week Power Endurance Program

New Mini Episodes! We're going to do something new on the podcast every week (or as often as we can). Kris Peters and I will be tackling a specific subject and hashing some details out for about 15 minutes. We'll also take questions from you guys and answer them on these episodes. This week, we decided to start with finger training, since it's such a popular topic.  Kris Peters is a climbing trainer who's worked with some of the strongest climbers in the world, as well as a ton of regular Joes like you and me. He's seen his methods work on 100's of climbers so far, and so I thought I'd give him a platform to share his knowledge with you guys. Here's episode 1 of "Ask Kris", and hopefully we'll get one out every week. If you have a question for him, email me at neely@trainingbeta.com and we'll try to answer it.  What We Talked About How he likes to train finger strength Who should train finger strength and who should not What "repeaters" are and how to do them Kris Peters Links More about Kris Train with Kris one-on-one or online Kris's online programs you can start following today with 3 workouts/week (bouldering and route training) Kris's 6-Week Power Endurance Program  Please Review The Podcast on iTunes! Link to the TrainingBeta Podcast on iTunes is HERE. Please give the podcast an honest review on iTunes here to help the show reach more curious climbers around the world ;)  

This is a recording of the free Q&A webinar that we hosted on 2-2-15. Chris and Seth answered training questions from anyone who called. Questions are focused on general training and specific questions about the training programs offered on TrainingBeta.

Hooray!! I finally did an interview with my favorite climbing trainer, Kris Peters! He's been working on TrainingBeta with us since basically the beginning, so I've had plenty of time to get to know and love this guy. He's kind of intimidating on the outside (big muscles, beard, hardass trainer), but he's a playful teddy bear on the inside. What I've noticed is that while he jokes a lot with his clients, he takes their workouts and progress VERY seriously, and puts his all into their success. He takes on a lot in life, between working with clients one-on-one, being a part of the training/coaching duo, Team of 2, with Justen Sjong, and keeping up with his own athletic goals.  He's trained climbers of all abilities from all over the world, including Daniel Woods, Alex Johnson, Matt Segal, as well as people who just do this sport for the fun of it, and he's had amazing success with a lot of them. He also wrote our 6-Week Power Endurance Training Program, which has gotten a lot of positive feedback from climbers all over the world. What We Talked About His background as a trainer How he approaches every individual climber as a client 2 Case Studies: How he trained a 5.11- climber vs a V10 climber His thoughts on cardio training (and whether or not he'd tell Daniel Woods to run as part of his training) Who should be campusing and who should NOT All about the new training subscription program he created for TrainingBeta (coming soon) Related Links A more complete bio on Kris: trainingbeta.com/about-kris-peters Train with Kris one-on-one from anywhere in the world: teamof2climbing.com/trainer/ or email kris@teamof2climbing.com 6-Week Power Endurance Training Program Support The Podcast This podcast is made possible by the training programs on TrainingBeta here. Check 'em out if you need some help sending! If you'd like to sponsor the podcast, just email us at info@trainingbeta.com. Listen and Review on iTunes Link to the TrainingBeta Podcast on iTunes is HERE. Please give the podcast an honest review on iTunes here to help the show reach more curious climbers around the world ;) Music Intro and outro song: Yesterday by Build Buildings  Photo Photo by Ian Civgin Thanks for listening!