Paul Southwell

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Posts by Paul Southwell

HAMMERFALL (Oscar Dronjak) 2025 Tour Interview

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Sweden has a plethora of fantastic metal bands, across a variety of sub-genres, who have been globally influential. For traditional heavy metal, Gothenburg’s Hammerfall set a global standard, having released thirteen well respected albums over around three decades, earning numerous chart successes, huge tours, and awards. Founding guitarist Oscar Dronjak, ever personable, offered some insights into Hammerfall’s upcoming Australian tour, and works behind the latest album. The tour is one that all respectable heavy metal music aficionados should attend. 

THE CULT – 8424 Tour Review, 2025

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The Cult were triumphantly returning to our shores to celebrate the band’s 40th anniversary with their aptly titled 8424 Tour. Seeing such a legendary rock band cherry pick over their stunning eleven album discography at the Sydney Opera House was indeed a delicious prospect.

SWEET (Andy Scott) Tour Interview

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Glam rock wasn’t just Bowie, T-Rex and New York Dolls. One of the most influential bands of the lot was Sweet, aka The Sweet, who melded flamboyance with melodic sensibilities that were all over seventies radio. Ask anyone growing up at the time, and the ear worms of their classic tracks will be easily recited, with joy, and a nostalgic kick. Sweet has weathered a variety of musical trends but the various versions of the band have toured our parts and played to appreciative crowds.

RAVEN (John Gallagher) Tour Interview

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English heavy metal three-piece band Raven were one of the early pioneers not just of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, but also regarded widely by many as a precursor to the thrash metal scene of the early to mid-80’s. Certainly, their first three albums put them on the map internationally. Raven soon found themselves on the American independent metal scene Megaforce label that also spawned now well established acts such as Anthrax and Metallica, which lead to touring across America with Metallica as openers, and being part of major label bidding wars for their brand of high energy, post punk, heavy metal.

SABATON – The Tour to End All Tours – Film Review, 2024

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Swedish power metal band Sabaton, have played many successful festival and headlines shows throughout the world. Given the roaring success of their tenth studio album from 2022, The War to End All Wars, which was a concept album sequel to their 2019 release The Great War, together with their over-the-top stage production, a live film made sense.

THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS (John Flansburgh) Tour Interview

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Alternative music duo They Might be Giants might well have started out as quirky, American college favoured surrealist musicians. However, by the end of the eighties, and shortly before the grunge scene exploded internationally, they had already found a global following, touring with a backing band, and found success in early 1990, with their third studio album, Flood, that had them on a major label, being promoted on alternate radio and associated video clip shows of the day.

CRADLE OF FILTH Live Review, 2024

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Supports: Infected Rain and Our Last Enemy Saturday, the 28th of September 2024 Metro Theatre, Sydney Score: 4 ½ skulls. As a queue of largely band artwork based black t-shirts stretched down the nearby venue alleyway, it was clear a sold-out metal show was on. To pick the sub-genre though, there was also odd bit

CRADLE OF FILTH (Zoë Marie Federoff) Tour Interview

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English extreme metal band, Cradle of Filth, the core band for founding member and frontman, Dani Filth, often intentionally courted controversy in their early days. Whether via confrontational t-shirts, occult curious literature, forays into horror film acting or just unsettling artwork based on disturbing themes, Filth and cohorts appeared to be pushing boundaries between decadence and nihilism.

AMARANTHE Live Review, 2024

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AmarantheSupport: AuratequeMetro Theatre, Sydney.Friday, 30th August 2024. Swedish melodic metal band Amaranthe were finally in Australia for the first time ever and touring on the back of seventh album, The Catalyst, it was going to be interesting to see what the setlist would entail. But based on the turnout this evening, there were no concerns.