Interview by Kris Peters
Rarely does a band so early in their career deliver music with such confidence and surety as mustered by Melbourne metal newcomers Heavensgate.
Since arriving on the scene only last year Heavensgate have rapidly laid the foundations for their debut EP And All I Loved, I Loved Alone, which will be released on February 24, with two blistering singles Chemical Heaven and Shemoveslikethunder that emphatically announced the arrival of a new wave of Australian metal unrestrained by the burdens of expectation and unfazed by the notion of simply towing the musical line.
Heavensgate also recently signed with Australian label Greyscale Records, in a move that should see the band further press their international claims.
Bass player Aki and guitarist David sat down with HEAVY earlier this week to talk us through their debut EP.
"We're feeling really good," David smiled. "It's been a long time coming. We've been quietly working away in the background for 18 months so we are very excited to have it coming out."
Eighteen months is a considerable amount of time to develop and record an album, especially in the modern age, with the band conceding that they were occassionally hampered by factors outside of their control.
"There was a whole bunch of stuff happened with setbacks," David continued, "with COVID being one of them. For some videos we couldn't get people interstate. We were working on the music as well for a long time and making sure we had the absolute best quality of music that we could. Every track on the EP is a real labour of love and we're proud of every single one. We wanted to make sure there's no filler material."
"I would say the time period that we spent in COVID was a slight blessing in disguise," Aki chimed in. "We had a lot of time to dedicate to reworking and revising everything to make sure we didn't slip up anywhere. So for us we feel like we have put out 100% the best product possible."
In the full interview, Aki and David talk more about the musical component of the EP, the singles released and how they reflect the overall feel of the EP, exploring issues related to mental health in their music and the importance of shining importance on the subject, getting a foothold in the music industry in the face of more competition than ever before, signing to Greyscale Records and what it means to the band, upcoming shows and more.