Explore every episode of the podcast Music Is My Life

I sat down with my dear old friend Joel Birch during The Amity Affliction's 2026 Australian regional tour to share some laughs and tears while discussing his life of struggle, the dramatic events leading up to their seriously heavy new album 'House of Cards', and where the metalcore legends go from here as a newly self-managed band.

I had a cool chat with the insightful Young Igor Cavalera at Froth & Fury Festival about his life growing up as the son of heavy metal legends Max and Gloria Cavalera, his own journey of musical and political discovery, performing the Sepultura classics alongside his father and uncle in Cavalera, reactivating Nailbomb with his Dad, as well as his others projects Go Ahead And Die and Healing Magic.

Canadian tech death guitarist and prominent heavy metal YouTuber Dean Lamb sits down at Froth N Fury fest to talk all about his journey as a creator and his band Archspire's decision to go independent for the release of their killer new album 'Too Fast To Die'.

Canadian hardcore legends Comeback Kid were at Froth & Fury Festival in Adelaide to celebrate 20 years of 'Wake The Dead', but I was mostly interested in talking to guitarist Stu Ross about about his pioneering metalcore band Misery Signals and their decision to put a full stop on an incredible legacy with one final tour back in 2024.

Chatting production, politics, work life balance, and all of Will Putney's sick bands at Sooki Lounge in Belgrave during the debut Australian tour from Better Lovers.

Midway through what would become his final tour as front man for mathcore supergroup Better Lovers, I sat down with the prolific beast that is Greg Puciato to talk about finding his feet in the band he was about to part ways with, his time and potential future with The Dillinger Escape Plan, taming a feral cat, managing his mental health, mourning the loss of his friend Brent Hinds of Mastodon, as well as the status of his other projects The Black Queen, Killer Be Killed, and the Federal Prisoner label.

Ahead of the ten year anniversary tour for the breakout Hellions album Opera Oblivia , I went and caught up with my good friend Matt Gravolin to talk all about the reactivation of his life's work after five years away from his best friends.

I had a brief 20 minutes at Good Things 2025 to sit down with the vocalist and drummer of the biggest deathcore band on the planet, Lorna Shore.

Chatting responsible touring, steady growth, strong family dynamics, and thoughts on future music with Make Them Suffer vocalist Sean Harmanis at Good Things 2025.

Kate Davies of the genre-blurring UK trio PUPIL SLICER talks new album Fleshwork, and goes deep on their experience of being a trans person in the UK, and how this has shaped what the band stands for.

Jona is the guitarist and leader of the Swiss hardcore band COILGUNS. I first met him and most of his bandmates when they were playing for German post-metal collective THE OCEAN back in 2012. The band's latest record 'Odd Love' (released via Jona's prolific DIY label Hummus Records), is a viscerally passionate and elevated experience. Once you're done with this episode I suggest checking out the documentary on its creation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrWZ9N3BPyk

Episode cover photo credit: Jon @reprievevision

Tristan Shone of the industrial doom metal project Author & Punisher talks about his latest album 'Nocturnal Birding', how his experiences volunteering to help immigrants in the face of Trump's border policies gave him a lot to write about, his efforts to bring his custom made instruments to market, and more.

Fresh from opening the main stage on day two of Damnation Festival, Brady Deeprose, singer/guitarist of British post-metal group Conjurer sits down to talk new album 'Unself', trans rights, the skewed perception of their niche scene, touring with Make Them Suffer, and more.

Backstage at Damnation Festival 2025, Singer/guitarist Matt King of Texas screamo-come-black-metal trio Portrayal of Guilt talks touring with Deafheaven, his band's place in the world and their forthcoming new album, as well as the learning curve of running Portrayal of Guilt Records.

I sat down with the main brain behind the mysterious Portuguese entity that is Gaerea at Damnation Festival to discuss the band's growth beyond traditional black metal, the influence of Linkin Park, how Sleep Token changed the game, and the forthcoming new record 'Loss'.

I sat down with Deafheaven vocalist George Clarke at Damnation Festival in the UK to talk Lonely People With Power the experiences that shaped it, and reflect on the band's legendary catalog.

Matt and Carl are two of the three guitarists and both of the graphic designers in the ranks of the Sydney post-rock group We Lost The Sea. I sat down with them before the Melbourne show of the launch tour for their fifth record 'A Single Flower' to talk about the process behind it, as well as getting big in China and how that compares to touring the USA for the first time.

Guitarist Jona Weinhofen sits down in the basement of Hindley Street Music Hall in Adelaide to wrap up the I Killed The Prom Queen arc of the podcast.

JJ Peters is the drummer of Australian metalcore heroes I Killed The Prom Queen. He also leads the international hardcore crew Deez Nuts. Saudade is the band’s newly released 7th full-length album - the first he has helmed as a sober man. We sat down at Northcote Theater during Prom Queen’s 25 Year Anniversary tour last month to chat about the journey.

Last month I sat down with my mate Dane Evans - vocalist of Sydney deathcore vegans TO THE GRAVE - on the Newcastle stop of their tour supporting I Killed The Prom Queen. We talk mostly about the band's strong animal rights message and his journey to living a life free of cruelty, the band's recent and relentless touring, their 2024 album 'Everyone's A Murderer' and 2025 mixtape 'Still', the band's future plans, his career as a tattoo artist and much more.

Kevin Cameron, guitarist of the legendary Australian metalcore group I Killed The Prom Queen, sits down for his first-ever podcast two shows into their 25 year anniversary tour. Listen as we battle against soundcheck to discuss his feelings on the reunion, as well as joining fellow Adelaide hardcore pioneers Day of Contempt, and the status of his In Trenches project.

The central Australian enigma that is the man behind the Blacken Open Air festival and The Black Wreath crew - Pirate - spins his yarn.

In the shadow of Uluru I speak to Isaiah Mitchell - guitarist of Californian psych-rock trio EARTHLESS - mere hours before the band would make history by performing in the presence of the monolith that inspired one of their most iconic songs.

James Geekie is the drummer of Melbourne sludge metal icons ISUA. He's also a great friend that I grew up with in Brisbane, where he brought me into the world of live music promotion. In this podcast recorded on day three of Blacken Open Air in the Northern Territory, Geeks and I speak a little about his band, but mostly reminisce on our faded memories of those days.

After the better part of a month on the road, I am back with several episodes in the can. First up is my old friend Karina Utomo, speaking from our poolside desert cabin accommodation at Blacken Open Air in the Northern Territory, where she was performing with her exploratory black metal outfit KILAT.. we discuss Blacken and KILAT's recent activities, as well as her growth as a vocalist and how it relates to her spiritual practice and understanding of culture. Stay up to date with KILAT here: https://www.instagram.com/kilatbesihitam

I used to work with Tim Shiel at triple j. He is a video game music composer and solo artist that also used to play in Gotye's band. These days he has taken up a position as community organizer for the not-for-profit Green Music Australia. On this episode we discuss all of this and many large existential topics.

Nick and Stu, shredders from New Zealand technical/progressive death metal band Blindfolded and Led To The Woods, speak on the journey from their accidental appearance on a kid's TV show going viral to their forthcoming fifth album 'The Hardest Thing About Being God Is That No One Believes Me'.

Owen and Paige are the couple behind The Pitch of Discontent, a fantastic heavy and alternative music podcast based out of Melbourne. In this somewhat meta episode I took my podcast studio to theirs and we talked shop and reminisced about days past as young music journalists and emo club night enthusiasts in Brisbane.

Check them out here:

https://linktr.ee/tpdpod

Crippling Alcoholism make music as depressing and addictive as the name would suggest. With a voice that sounds like a thousand cigarettes, vocalist Tony Castrati speaks on the Boston band's uniquely dark grindcore origins, reddit inspirations, prolific pop aspirations, and the deliciously sordid forthcoming third album 'Camgirl'.

Sam Octigan of Melbourne hardcore veterans Iron Mind talks about their killer new record 'Test of The Iron Mind', his career as a visual artist, becoming a father, and his fond memories of Magic The Gathering.

Alana K Vocal is a veteran singing teacher that specializes in extreme metal vocal coaching. After experiencing a downgrade in my vocal ability, I went to visit Alana for a tune-up. After the lesson we sat down to talk about what was going on and her journey on this path so far, leading Melbourne's Heavy Choir and her new band Yakṣī .

https://www.instagram.com/yaksi.band

https://www.alanakvocal.com/

Nick Adams, guitarist and backing vocalist of Sydney's Justice For The Damned speaks on the band's forthcoming third album 'Stay Relentless', as well as his recent permanent addition to Texan mosh institution Kublai Khan.

Mikey Arthur, vocalist, composer, and conceptual overlord behind Melbourne metalcore group The Gloom In The Corner has a quick chat about the band backstage before doors open on the Narre Warren stop of the Make Them Suffer regional Australia tour.

Paul Seidel is a drummer from Berlin most well known for his work with post-metal group The Ocean before recently wrapping up his 13 year stint with the band. He was also a formative member of the now defunct metalcore band War For A Harlots Mouth, the creative core of which went on to create the avant garde tech death unit Nightmarer. He also recently provided his session skills to Melbourne band RUN.

It's time to talk the Chalk with Tasmanian life enthusiast Matthew Chalk, whose heavy metal resume includes performing in Psycroptic, Iciclan, M.S.I and Mephistopheles, as well as promoting gigs through Dark Mofo and his own Southern Extremities Productions.

Zachary Ezrin, founding singer/guitarist of avant garde death metal power trio Imperial Triumphant, gives Lochlan Watt a history lesson on his band, a rundown of new album Goldstar, explains why Portal is the best band of all time and more at Dark Mofo 2025.

Tyler Richardson, frontman of legendary Tasmanian punk rockers Luca Brasi tells the tale of his son's victory against cancer and how a life spent building community in music made it possible.

Janine Morcos is an absolute weapon of a heavy music publicist and a total legend. From her days at Roadrunner Records to Soundwave Festival and starting her own firm 'Dallas Does PR' she has a liftime of insight to share.

Melbourne hip hop artist turned punk/metal band leader MUDRAT discusses Andor, being radicalized by genocide, latest single 'You Don't Care About Poor People', mutual aid, hope for the future, and plenty more.

LA industrial duo Youth Code dispute their supposed absence, discuss signing to Sumerian Records, and hype up their killer new EP 'Yours, With Malice'.

Jack Bergin, vocalist of Melbourne's Void of Vision converses with Lochlan Watt about their decision to go out on top, as well as their shared experiences in helming heavy music at triple j and brain injuries.

Johnny Health chats about the band's lighter side during Knotfest Australia 2025.

Jacob Duzsik, singer/guitarist of LA cum metal visionaries HEALTH speaks about always being the odd band out, abandoning their hipster noise rock origins, the band's forthcoming sequel to their Rat Wars album, collaborating with Lamb of God, his journey of sobriety, and much more.

Mikael Stanne, vocalist of legendary Swedish melodic death metal pioneers Dark Tranquillity, speaks about his journey of musical discovery, the band's 13th studio album Endtime Signals, rediscovering the meaning in what they do in a post-pandemic world, as well as his new supergroup The Halo Effect.