Rallying The Nation With BEN ZILLA From GOATZILLA

Interview by Kris Peters
Queensland hard hitters Goatzilla have managed to strike that
elusive chord that blends thrash metal and punk together in an
almost cohesive summoning of the forces of music that is almost
irresistible when done right.
It is hard to believe the band are approaching their ten-year
anniversary of life on this planet, with their infectious and witty
brand of music infecting the masses ever since the surprise success
of the single Drop Bear back in 2019.
That song and the album it came from, Muthafukarsaurus, cemented
Goatzilla as one of the bands to watch from the emerging pile of
contenders, and the ensuing groundswell it created gave the band
renewed focus and vision.
So much so that it has been 5 long years since that album came out
with Goatzilla opting not to rush things in the hope of quick
success, instead deciding to take their time honing a sonic body of
work that would linger long in the memories of those who bared
their ears to it.
The result is Alien Nation, which will be unleashed on August
16.
Already, Goatzilla have proved the wait will be worth it on the
back of lead singles Secret Agent Man and Alien Nation, but they
provide only a glimpse into the musical psyche of Goatzilla
2024.
Bass player Ben Zilla joined HEAVY to tell us more.
"The sound is always evolving and growing," he replied when asked
if Alien Nation captures the complete Goatzilla sound. "This one is
different from Muthafukarsaurus. It's still certainly heavy. It's
got that heavy background; it's still got the punk roots - very
much so. We're still very much a punk rock band, but bringing in
more elements of metal as we're evolving. This is all stuff that's
been written through COVID with the two Pete's coming in and
throwing their stuff in, as well as Mick, our drummer, who brought
the real… he's a good 15 years younger than us, and he brought some
more modern metal vibes and sensibilities to it. We're really
excited. It took a lot longer than we initially thought because of
COVID and everything that went along with it. All the guitars, all
the drums, and all the bass we recorded in home studios and Pete
Jansen mixed and mastered everything himself. It was a big learning
curve, but the results speak for themselves. We're really excited
with what we've put together, especially having it on vinyl
too."
In the full interview, Ben discusses the musical direction of Alien
Nation, the singles released and how they represent the album as a
whole, how Alien Nation differs to Muthafukarsaurus, the themes
explored, finding the balance between genres and how they know if
they have gone too far, their current tour and remaining dates,
what to expect from Goatzilla live and more.


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