Scars and Guitars

Tomi Koivusaari (Amorphis)

Amorphis release their new album Halo on February 11th, and I have guitarist Tomi Koivusaari on hand to chat about the album and plenty more. This is the second conversation with a member of Amorphis conducted for the show, the first was bassist Olli-Pekka Laine.

Zakk Wylde (Black Label Society/ Ozzy Osbourne/ Pride and Glory)

The new album from Black Label Society is out now, and it's called Doom Crew Inc. The album acts as the catalyst for the conversation with Zakk. The 12-track album is both a tribute to the band's "first to bleed, last to leave'' road crew and a salute to the legion whose support, stretching back to 1998, rivals that of the KISS Army. The stomping, heavy, bluesy, recklessly unhinged hard-rock-metal quartet are part invading horde and part travelling carnival - summoning caffeine-fuelled cacophony on records and the stage. of course, we cover a heap of other topics related to Zakk's magnificent career!

Henrik Klingenberg (Sonata Arctica)

Henrik is the keyboard player in Sonata Arctica and he guests on the podcast to talk about the January 2022 release, Acoustic Adventures- Volume 1. You'll hear a new cut from the album played before the conversation, it's a single called The Rest Of The Sun Belongs To Me.

Jesse Nikolic (Regular Gonzales)

Regular Beige is the name of the new album from Brisbane based power trio Regular Gonzales, which is partly a vehicle for guitarist/ frontman to shred his indomitable chops in the vein of Tom Morello, Refused, and a heap of gnarly stoner metal such as Eyehategod, Corrosion of Conformity and other all-time red-eye greats. If you love your guitar playing dirty, with vocals to match and plenty of killer buzz saw riffs, Jesse's got you covered. In this episode, we dive into what makes him tick and cover plenty of other worthy subjects.

Pip’ O’Brien (Devil Electric)

Melbourne's finest purveyors of vintage rock, Devil Electric recently released their highly anticipated new album, Godless. Throughout the chat, Pip covers a heap of ground about the album and many other worthy subjects!

Matt Johnson (The The)

Over 40 years in the music business and many accolades along the way, British musician, songwriter, filmmaker and media host Matt Johnson has a career unlike any of his contemporaries. Fiercely independent, this conversation with Johnson covers the political response to COVID, mainstream media's irreversible decline and the new release from The The, called The Comeback Special experience. The package includes an exquisitely designed 136-page Art Book featuring six discs, exclusive photos, audio content, plus director Tim Pope's beautifully shot, unobtrusive film of the show.

Steffen Kummerer (Obscura)

Obscura have just released their scorching new album, A Valediction, which paved the way for a chance to chat with the fella at the centre of proceedings, Steffen Kummerer. A Valediction is a showcase for Steffen's immense talent on the guitar as both a songwriter and soloist. We discuss the album, why he decided to pursue a career playing extreme metal and his recollections of his time in the Death To All legacy show which honours the music of the late, great Chuck Schuldiner.

Steve ’Zetro’ Souza (Exodus)

After weeks of phone calls and hundreds of interviews, I caught Steve 'Zetro' Souza in the thick of a massive media blitz for the new Exodus album, Persona Non Grata. Rather than taking the predictable route of asking the staid old boring questions regarding the album's conception and other topics Steve has already covered many times; instead, we discuss the media blitz itself, highlights from the band's past and the state of the politics in Australia and the United States.

Benjamin Ryan (ex- Cradle of Filth)

As part of the ongoing quest to bring to you conversations with 90's era Cradle of Filth alumni, foundation band member, and keyboard player Benjamin Ryan agreed to appear on the show. Ben wrote and performed on the studio debut, The Principle of Evil Made Flesh, and all 1992 demos: Invoking The Unclean, Orgiastic Pleasures Foul, and Total Fucking Darkness. Throughout this chat, Ben shares his thoughts and opinions on his tenure in the group. Ben also gives us some insight into what he has been doing in the many years since he left the group and the music he is releasing these days. Ben is a great bloke, and it was a treat to catch up with him!

Daniel Olaisen (Blood Red Throne)

The new album for 2021 from Blood Red Throne is called Imperial Congregation and it's one of the death metal albums of the year. The album is an extravaganza of riffs crafted with precision set against a percussive onslaught. The bass is frequently audible, a treat for fans of death metal bass and the production places Bolt's menacing death vocal at the centre of the listening experience. Daniel talks about the album, government overreach during COVID, his guitar playing and much more on this episode!