Melbourne alternative heavy rock group To Octavia have released their debut album ‘Melodrama’, a cohesive 12-song record exploring the daunting melodrama of life — the struggles and triumphs of being in a band. Written and recorded entirely by the band, ‘Melodrama’ captures their performance world, emotion, and passion for creating together.

Wednesday 13 returns with ‘Mid Death Crisis’, a wild blend of humour, darkness and truth. “Actually, that’s where the title for the album came from. I was complaining after a gig that I was getting old and my guitarist walked past me and said, ‘Oh…mid death crisis’.” Catch him touring Australia with Kim Dracula.

‘We are still so fortunate we can make music and tour,’ says Jodi Phillis of The Clouds. ‘It is strange to watch our fan base changing as more young people come to see our shows.’ ‘It’s really been 35 years of our little family of friends playing music together.’

“You could be the ‘heaviest band in the world’, but it gives you nowhere to go musically. You need that contrast – the pull and push of different sounds. We’re really proud of this album and how we made it together. It was a collective effort with the metal community.” – Brady Deeprose

Bruce Springsteen once said, “The Animals, not The Beatles or the Stones, were my favourite British Invasion band.” For John Steel, it always comes back to the songs. “They stand on their own,” he said. As The Animals tour Australia one last time, Steel’s steady rhythm still carries six decades of grit and truth.

“We can do whatever the hell we want,” said Eero Sipilä. ‘Steelbound’ dares to go into sounds outside the traditional heavy metal pantheon, blending classic metal with Broadway tunes, Latin melodies, and cinematic synths. It’s music that makes people happy, an escape from a world that feels like a horror movie.

Two years since their last visit, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES return with that same raw fire. “Life isn’t fair, but you can control how you approach it,” says Mike Muir. Between touring with Metallica, side shows, and his Cyco Miko project, Muir’s mission is simple: spread goodness and keep the spirit alive through music that never backs down.

Ahead of the release of Better Days, the latest album from Yellowcard, we spoke with William Ryan Key about change, growth and perspective. “The difference is just being able to manage it and not fixate on the negative shit,” he says. Better Days isn’t about looking back — it’s about letting go, moving forward and finding clarity in the noise.

JD Fortune returns to Australian stages this October. “My grandma brought me AC/DC’s Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap when I was a kid,” he recalls. “That music spoke to me.” Fans can look forward to INXS favourites, Fortune’s own hits, and brand new tracks.

Seven years away, ten rum and cokes, and Zebrahead are finally returning to Australia. The Orange County crew are bringing back their trademark genre-bending chaos. Bassist Ben Osmundson says, ‘The band is really excited to get to Australia… The flight is hell. I think it’s 10 rum and cokes before the flight and sleep all the way – right?

Boston’s Dead Poet Society make their first trip to Australia for Good Things 2025. Blending bluesy riffs with indie grit, the band describe their songwriting as ‘chaos’. ‘Writing rock music that’s not cheesy is hard,’ says frontman Jack Underkofler.

We had a chat to Richie Lewis about Celebrating Neil Young: From Harvest-to-Harvest Moon, where he joined Shane Nicholson and Jeff Martin to honour Neil’s timeless songs. “I had to learn how to sing Neil Young’s songs in my own voice,” Richie explained. “It was fantastic to feel that spirit.”

Cleopatrick are bringing their raw, high-energy shows to Australia for the first time. “We usually deliver live shows that are relentless, high energy with our grungy-garage sounds, and we like punching fans in the face with our sound,” says Luke Gruntz.

We spoke to Gregor Mackintosh about Ascension and its themes of religious disillusionment, human frailty and sonic escape. The result is a record both brutal and beautiful, a gothic metal sermon for those disillusioned by the world and seeking clarity in the chaos.

ADEMA’s Australian tour with ILL NIÑO marks a new chapter. “One tour, our singer Mark disappeared for days. We missed shows and thought, ‘Are we gonna get sued?’ The guys asked me to step up. I said, ‘I’ll try’. Now I’m the singer and we’re about to finalise a new album,” says Tim Fluckey.

“I think the music we are making as Combichrist is still developing. We are not whipping a dead horse. We have a voice and emotions and we want to express those in our music. I look back at some of our early songs and think — oh that’s a bit cringe — but on the whole I think we still have that edge. We want to inspire fans and have them inspire us to create better music,” said Andy LaPlegua.

“We want to reintroduce people to the joy of punk music,” says guitarist Jeff Sahyoun. “People need to live and feel—time is short.” letlive. return to Australia this September with five chaotic, career-spanning shows.

“I was going through some tough things,” stated Richie Cavalera. “I had to just sit there and take it – let the cards play out, you know. All this pain and hate being thrown our way, but you just have to be patient and strong. So, we wrote these songs about it like ‘Lies’ and ‘Just A Rat’. I just had to keep thinking my time will come. I will be able to speak. I just have to let things happen.” We spoke with Richie Cavalera about the band’s upcoming album.

After eight years, Ill Niño return to Australia this September for their first headline tour, joined by Adema. “We’ve got so much new shit up our sleeves… 90 minutes of hits, favourites, and new songs,” says drummer Dave Chavarri.

Paleface Swiss will make their Australian debut this September, performing their latest album Cursed in full. “We want to capture that raw energy,” says guitarist Yannick Lehmann. “Our gig will not be super slick with production. We are going to perform with just the band, no distractions, pure, raw energy straight at fans”.