The Downbeat

I catch up with Josh Smith and Jon Deiley of Australian prog-meets-industrial metal(core?) band Northlane. We talked about their latest album Obsidian and its writing process - as well as synthesizers, cats and of course their dream festival which takes place in an imagined post-war Neo-Bergen. Thumbnail photos by Kim Quint (he also loaned me the glorious camera lens as I broke one the day before. Lifesaver, thanks Kim!)

I catch up with Alex and Charlie of Malevolence to talk about their new album Malicious Intent, nicknames, being a diva and transgressing from their roots in the DIY hardcore scene to world metal domination.

I catch up with Matty and James Veck-Gilodi aka Deaf Havana to discuss where they've been and their new album 'The Present Is A Foreign Land', as well as the time I filled in for them with 48 hours notice and it ended up being like a scene from Scarface.

My guest on the podcast this week is Manuel Gagneux, mastermind behind Swiss avant-garde black metal band Zeal & Ardor. Z+A mix the style of European Black Metal (a genre notorious for it's link with racism) and elements of African-American Spirituals and Gospel and lyrically poses the question: What if the freed slaves had embraced Satan? We talked about the band's unlikely beginnings on the darkest parts of the internet, black magick, reappropriating Richard Wagner and as ever: Manuel's dream festival.

I sat down with Dan and Sam from Architects to talk about their new album The Classic Symptoms Of A Broken Spirit...and much more.

I caught up with Isaac from Knocked Loose after their US arena tour with $UICIDEBOY$ and ahead of their huge tour with Bring Me The Horizon to talk TikTok, hardcore, laptops in music, ramen - and everything in between.

I caught up with Matt Garstka at his home in Nashville to talk everything from fake drummers and lifting to the correlations between the intricacies of specialty coffee and progressive music.

I get drunk with Ali from Bleed From Within and Sylosis and talk about Bleed's new album Shrine, as well as what makes a perfect drum tech, the joys of Glasgow, beer, and much, much more.

I caught up with Andrew Hurley, drummer of Fall Out Boy and a billion other (heavier) bands to talk about his need to scratch the heavy music itch away from his main gig, CrossFit, soundchecking with Behemoth, our mutual love of Lars Ulrich and Metallica, Dungeons & Dragons - and much more…He also curates THE MOST INSANE dream festival yet.

My guest this week on is Pat Sheridan, guitarist of Fit For An Autopsy. I sat down with Pat before FFAA's show in Glasgow to bond about what it's like to work with the insufferable Will Putney (JK JK JK) as well as talking about everything from overcoming the anger of his youth and becoming the best father he can be - to Cardi B's leather pajamas. It gets heavy in a few places. Great dude, great chat.