Last night at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena, Los Angeles outfit Bad Wolves were the support of choice when Canadian hard rock heroes Nickelback came to town. Ahead of Bad Wolves’ killer performance, vocalist Tommy Vext sat down backstage with HEAVY to discuss their amazing album, Disobey, their wonderful rendition of The Cranberries’ seminal classic ‘Zombies’, and the bittersweet success they’ve enjoyed from that song after the passing of The Cranberries vocalist Dolores O'Riordan. But does Vext worry people will think Bad Wolves are a one-trick pony? “The proof is in the shows,” said Vext. “We hear the crowd singing the words and we’re like, oh, okay, we connected.

“I think ‘Zombies’ success is very important for rock music as a whole because it’s proving to the mainstream that people still want to hear guitars.”

Bad Wolves have mastered the art of embracing historical rock music and fusing it with their own magical, often volatile and expressive, heavy metal nuances. It’s the reception to their boisterous beats and enigmatic song writing that means fans the world over have reacted in the same, steady way. “There are certain shows that stick out in certain places,” said Vext. “We played in Warsaw [Poland] and people were crying and passing out in the front row!

“You can hear it, some of these shows, as soon as we come on, we’re the opening band, but the screaming starts as soon as it gets dark – I wonder [to myself] ‘Is this what Korn felt like when they opened up for Ozzy [Osbourne]?’”

When Nickelback last toured Australia they had the amazing Monster Truck in tow as supports. Monster Truck have since gone on to do amazing things but Vext says Bad Wolves don’t necessarily need or want that same kind of legs up, instead, Bad Wolves are just along to enjoy the ride. “These dudes crush it!” said Vext. “We watched them the other night and it’s epic!

“It’s very exciting and we’re grateful to be invited!