Interview by Kris Peters
Melbourne rockers The Dreadful Tides emphatically announced their arrival on the Australian music scene in 2021 with their infectious and rock as all fuck debut single Crazy.
The song was like the meeting of two sonic forces that exploded with raw guitars, meaty solos and the kind of swagger that left rock music while the Rolling Stones were still in their nappies.
Blessed with an upbringing of 70s and 80s old-school rock and metal, The Dreadful Tides wove those influences with a modern edge to create a hybrid rock and metal blast of sonic intensity that almost dares you not to take notice.
The band have been steadily building since then, culminating in the release of their new single Fire In The Hole which takes everything already sprinkled in The Dreadful Tides' DNA and laces it with slabs of hard rock bordering on metal intensity to elevate their music to another level.
Part of that intensity blast came through new vocalist Jimmy Black, whose recent inclusion to The Dreadful Tides has opened the chasm of opportunity even further and invited the Gods of metal into their realm.
HEAVY caught up with guitarist Justin Strudwick and drummer Leland Hallett to find out more.
"It's actually really, really surprised us this time," Hallett offered when asked how Fire In The Hole has been received. "Everyone has just loved the track. The amount of messages we've got off people and the appreciation off so many different people. We also managed to get airplay in multiple countries already which is good for us. The reception has been phenomenal."
We ask the boys to dive deeper into Fire In The Hole musically.
"It started off, in all honesty, as just a riff that we were messing around with," Strudwick replied. "We said we just need a cool opening track for gigs. Not even for recording purposes. Just for gigs. So me and Leland messed around with a few things, but the music has stayed pretty solid for that track the whole time. We actually had some different lyrics for it originally - except the chorus. The chorus was still the same, but when Jimmy came on board he had a different take on the song and changed the lyrics apart from the chorus, and we were just like, yep, that's it. That suits the music. We went into the studio to record that song and use it in our back pocket for if we need it, but once we heard it we thought we have to get this thing out."
In the full interview, Justin and Leland discussed plans for their upcoming singles and the potential release of an EP. They provided details about the band's decision to introduce each track individually, highlighting their desire to give each song its own spotlight. They also delved into the band's musical growth, explaining how their writing process has evolved as they have become more familiar with each other and their producer. Additionally, they hinted at upcoming interstate shows starting in April, indicating an exciting future for the band.