Interview by Kris Peters
After being one of the many bands to have their plans thwarted by COVID, Swedish lords of riff Deville finally make their Australian debut when their tour kicks off in Adelaide on June 15.
Blending a sublime mixture of rock, stoner and metal influences, Deville have managed to fabricate their own sound in a genre that is often tied down in its own self importance.
They head to this side of the world celebrating their 20th anniversary as well as the recent release of their latest album Heavy Lies The Crown.
Lead singer Andreas Bengtsson joined HEAVY earlier this week to share his excitement.
"It's starting to realise it now because it's going to be a lot of traveling," he replied when asked how the band is feeling as the tour draws nearer. "It's special to tour over there in Australia. There's going to be a lot of logistics but hopefully it will be fun. We're gonna catch up with some bands that we were supposed to go with last time - like Astrodeath - and we're going to meet some guys in Melbourne that were supposed to play with us last tour. It's going to be great. It's a new territory for us, so we're excited to do this finally."
We ask Andreas if it is daunting at all, traveling to the other side of the world to play in a country you have never been to before.
"It's a very special feeling," he smiled, "because we've done Europe so many times and we know how it is in the US, but I think it will be... I have friends in bands that have been to Australia before and said it's quite fantastic. We're only doing the big cities so from what I can see in pictures and stuff (laughs), it's a mix of Europe and US cultures but it's also in another climate. It's gonna be real nice."
In the full interview, Andreas tells us what to expect from their shows, what they are expecting from Australian crowds, what special anniversary surprises they have in store, some of the band's highlights from the last 20 years, how Deville has changed musically over their career and more.