Interview by Kris Peters
Phoenix Arizona legends BLESSTHEFALL are headed our way with Memphis May Fire later this month, for their first Australian shows in over a decade.
Following a hiatus after their 2018 album Hard Feelings, BLESSTHEFALL returned, teasing new music in 2025 and embracing their "mallcore" roots. Formed in the early 2000s, they are considered veterans of the post-hardcore/metalcore scene, having gone through various lineup changes while keeping key members like vocalist Beau Bokan and bassist/vocalist Jared Warth and have hit the ground running since their return.
The pairing of Memphis May Fire is a seismic team-up that promises to redefine metalcore, delivering unrelenting riffs, breakdowns, and anthemic screams to ravenous crowds. With over two decades of combined touring dominance, these two bands have shared stages worldwide, from Warped Tour to packed U.S. arenas, and now they're bringing their explosive synergy to Australia!
HEAVY sat down for an entertaining chat with Bokan, starting by asking what has changed with Blessthefall since their last visit in 2014.
"We've gotten a little older," Bokan smiled. "We've gotten a little wiser - maybe not too much wiser (laughs). We took a hiatus for a little bit and came back in in 2023 and it's been so fun to be back and active and seeing metalcore thriving. So many people are rediscovering us or discovering us for the first time so it's really cool. We're just... we do what we do. We like to have fun on stage, so we like to party. But I think a little bit of the stuff that's changed is trying to just sound better on stage, you know. Obviously, we like to jump and run around and be exciting, but at the same time we don't want to sacrifice our sound too much.
I feel like now, more than ever... you play a show and it's on the internet in five minutes so the bar is set really high. So just focusing, and for me, personally, singing better and trying to make sure I'm hitting the notes but also putting on a show. We don't want to sacrifice too much of the excitement and the showmanship, stuff like that."
In the full interview, Beau spoke more about the tour and what we can expect from Blessthefall. He told us why themselves and Memphis May Fire compliment each other beautifully in the live arena, highlighting past shows they have played together and their close friendship outside of touring.
He spoke about their 'comeback album Gallows and how it was received, admitting there were a few nervous moments before it was released in relation to how much their time off would actually impact the band moving forward. We spoke about Blessthefall moving forward, including playing some of the worlds biggest festivals after they finish in Australia and more.
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