Interview by Kris Peters
Black Rheno seem to be on a bit of a tear at the moment. Last year, they toured the country with their own headline shows, packing out venues and even supported the mighty Pantera. Then, in November, they dropped their first single in a couple of years, Snake Will Rattle. Now, just a few months on, the guys are back with a stack of fresh tour dates, more new music, and video clips—and you know they’ll be raising hell on the road.
Chopping Heads Wearing Fancy Threads is yet another slab of musical adrenaline from the Sydney trio, mixing sludge, punk and metal with enough attitude to appease even the harshest critic. Put basically, it's what Black Rheno do best, given voice by music.
After a couple of years away from the daily grind that accompanies any new music, Black Rheno returned with force late last year with Snake Will Rattle. The track proved Black Rheno had lost none of their edge or quirkiness, returning them to the hearts and ears of an anxious fan base who were starting to count down the days.
Now, with the release of Chopping Heads Wearing Fancy Threads, Black Rheno are about to head back out on the road to do what they do best, kicking off on March 2 in Perth and winding its way back to their hometown of Sydney. But if there's one thing surer than the Bombers losing a final, it's that once they start, Black Rheno find it hard to stop.
HEAVY caught up with frontman Ryan Miller for all the goss.
"We've just been really busy and getting busier," he replied when we asked how things have been in the Black Rheno camp, "and loving it. We've got an album we recorded over in the States about a year ago, which we're sort of sitting on at the moment and waiting for the right time to release it. We just wanted to keep putting out music in the meantime and building the band and playing shows and giving ourselves excuses to go do stuff. I've got a studio, so we do a bunch of recordings ourselves. This single and the next couple and the last one we put out are all self produced by us, so we're just getting out and playing shows. Doing what we love."
In the full interview, Ryan talks more about the new track Chopping Heads Wearing Fancy Threads which is being premiered via HEAVY on February 17, the musical side of the song and what to expect, keeping a sense of humour and respect within music, the album already recorded in the US and what is happening with it, new music coming out down the track, their upcoming single launch tour, getting back out on the road and more.