Interview by Kris Peters
Tasmanian self proclaimed thrash royalty Coward Punch are certainly a force unto themselves.
Cloaked in only the most expensive bank robber style ski masks with accents that sound like a cross between deep Southern drawl and the seedier side of The Bronx, Coward Punch are what can only be described as a musical enigma, and, if you believe the hype from the band themselves, these guys are either the most awesome thing to happen to metal and music in general or the most dangerous.
You decide.
One thing that can't be denied is their infectious approach to their craft coupled with an aloof and often crass sense of humour that revolves around the finer things in life like beer.
And more beer.
Not that you would expect anything less from a band that named their first EP Greatest Hits without even a hint of irony and subsequently followed that up with Coward Punch The World.
It only seems fitting then that the thrash machine approached HEAVY to release their latest track - a quirky acoustic love ballad by the name of The Bottle Never Dies.
HEAVY sat down for a riotous chat with three of the four band members - guitar/vocals Senator Terry, guitarist Uncle Marty and drummer Mr Torpedo with bass player Redskin off saving the world one schooner at a time.
We soon threw the script out the window and allowed ourselves to get swept up into the magical world of Coward Punch and their uniquely flippant view of the world through grog coloured glasses.
"For this one... we're known across the globe for our thrash metal," Senator Terry explained. "We play fast and we kick ass and we thought, you know what? We can tango with the rest of them so we are gonna release a new single called The Bottle Never Dies and enter that pop realm, you know. Make that mega bucks like Metallica did with their Black album. This song's got it all, man. It's got beautiful guitars, acoustic guitars mixed in. It's got beautiful solos from Uncle Marty. It's just beautiful. I've already got reviews from Billboard and Grammy nominations and everything, man. We can't wait to put it out there and let the masses experience Coward Punch."
In the full interview, Coward Punch reveal why a thrash band is releasing a love song, the strangely comforting film clip, hiring a homeless person to play the lead role, their comical approach and how it permeates through their music, hiding behind a beanie and what arm of the law they are running from, being the greatest thrash band in the world and how they cope with the burden, touring Australia and plans to come back, their musical journey so far and more.