Interviews

Will Robinson - Terminal Sleep 'It's Just Not Cockfest 2025 All The Time'

Kayla Hamilton

Asia-Core Correspondent

Nov 4, 2025

8 min read

Melbourne’s Terminal Sleep are one of the fastest rising acts in the illustrious Australian heavy music scene. Ripping through globe with their ferocious ‘bad bitch energy’ - there is no surprise that they have made such a big impact in record time.

Before they finish off the year on their South East Asia tour, we caught up with guitarist Will Robinson to chat about the journey so far, what’s to come and starting 2026 with a much anticipated appareance at Australia’s own Froth & Fury Festival.

Hey Will, welcome to Wall of Sound. Thanks for coming on. I just want to say you guys have been on such an epic run so far, especially as it’s been just over three years since you guys dropped 'Death Therapy'. How has the ride been so far?

Ride? It's been good. Very up and down, but super busy. We haven't had much time to, I guess collect ourselves until probably about now, but we've had, within that period of time, we've done some insane things that we didn't think we would've done starting the band. So stoked to be honest. Went to Europe a couple of times this year, adjusted the Nuclear Blast signing, so all things are going good considering just need to get a goddamn album out. That's the next step.

I'll circle back to that one. So you've pretty much had, as you said, a massive ride. You started the year touring with Kublai Khan, wasn't it? That was first thing of the year, and that's just one of the big names and tours you've done. How do you feel that these experiences are shaping the band?

It's cool. Like I've done a bunch of touring before this band with old bands beforehand, so a lot of it isn't as new, apart from the bus stuff that is very brand new for me. But it's kind of cool as a collective. Us all trying to figure out how we work together, especially from when you're doing two to four weeks in a van together and I guess greasing the wheels and seeing how you work as a team. But we've got it pretty down pat now. Everyone's got in their own little spot. Everyone obviously helps together, but everyone's got their specific things that they're more skilled at. But it's good we're all working together well. Yeah, it's good so far.

How's that been going from not doing the bus before to doing those full Europe tours?

It's pretty funny. It's like you get into the cycle of doing the same thing every day. So sometimes the bus stop's cool. But I don't find it as interesting as doing the roughing it in the van because you're staying in different places more of the time. But the bus is interesting. Some people in our band could sleep well. I think Todd was saying, our drummer, we would just get rocked to sleep like a little baby. Bec (vocals) struggled, especially when it was moving. I struggled a bit because I think you get in the bed at what 2:00 AM or whatever time and then the bus will move to the next location instantly. So you're instantly driving and depending how the traffic is usually obviously that late on the autobahn, you're pretty chill, but it's still moving around and it's hard to get into that kind of zen state. But it was cool and we had a really cool bunch of people like Gates To Hell, Gideon and Kublai were all legends, so it was pretty lucky being in a band, four bands all together and not one person being an absolute dickhead. Which is pretty lucky with 20-odd people on a bus. So it was cool and a really good experience for us to get used to it.

Has there been any real, I know you said it's been hard to collect yourselves a bit, but have there been any real pinch yourself moments where you're like, oh shit, this has happened?

Oh yeah. Yeah, definitely a couple. I think it's on that run the London Show for me personally because when I was around 19-20, I was living in London and went to shows to see at this specific venue, so it's the Electric Ballroom London, but I saw I think Parkway and Gallows and stuff at that specific era. It would've been maybe 2010. I think the second time I lived there when I watched 'em there and then coming around because I've been to London with other bands beforehand and played very small venues.

Then coming back and then playing that venue with this band and because it was the Kublai run, it was all sold out and it was just a full room and we were the first band on. So it was pretty lucky and it was a full room and just from the get go it was sick.

o that was a massive pinch myself moment.

Other than that, on this recent run we did, which was kind of like a Euro festival run, we had a couple of festivals. Resurrection in Spain was easily the biggest crowd we played to. And we also toured the UK with a band called Stealing Love. And I used to listen to all the members of that. They're a newish band, but they, they've all played in UK hardcore bands from back in the day. And the singer used to be in a band called Dead Swans, which I love. Nick from Dead Swans, we all got along really well and he came, did a guesty with us and for me that was a big, what the fuck? Nick from Dead Swans, I’m still in love, is doing a guest and I was listening to his band when I was living in Tasmania and just going about my business and then just like 15 years later or whatever, and he's doing a guest spot for us in Swansea, Wales and I'm just like, what the fuck?

Those little things. It's cool because it's easy to get ground down by work and day-to-day, and then you have these kinds of moments and you're like, oh, it's pretty fucking rad.

By the way. Congratulations on the Nuclear Blast signing as well. And ‘They Circle Below’ is an insane single. How did the relationship between you guys and Nuclear Blast come about?

The funny thing is, I can't even remember because we’ve been sitting on it for ages like eight months to a year before that. So it was probably a year before that, but I think it was maybe they commented on some of our stuff on Instagram or something and then our manager, Candace maybe reached out and there's this kind of mutual thing. But it was really cool upon meeting them. We had a big Zoom meeting like this, but it was with the whole team. It was firstly Tommy, our main guy there and then a whole team there. And they're all legends. They're all, because they're the largest independent metal label, so they're all, because they're still technically independent, they're all actual music people. No, I guess it's not the nineties anymore. You don't have fat cats in suits for Sony and shit, but they're all genuine.

People go to shows, listen to music, support music, so you're not dealing with any kind of corporate weirdos, like business wankers or anything. They're all legends. So we've met a few from going overseas now.

When Tommy came to when on the Kublai run, he came to our Hamburg show where Nuclear Blast are from. It was him, he's American, but it was him with the whole German team and some other people. And so we got to meet the majority of the people from Nuclear Blast. They're all legends. It was super, super cool. So being very, very lucky.

Yeah, that's so good, especially because heavy music I've realised lately in Australia even too, has started to break that barrier a little bit more. You see bands like Justice for the Damned getting number one in the country with something ridiculously heavy, not watered down. Do you guys find that sort of thing also motivating because you guys, you're heavy, and there's so much ferociousness to your music. Do you guys find that motivating to be able to go, look, we've got the international attention, Australia's actually ready for this kind of shit. How does that factor in for you guys?

Yeah, it's cool because it's an interesting thing. It comes in waves. So especially playing heavy or hard music for a long time there was around the, I don't know, 2007 to 2012 era, it's probably a little bit too late, but that was when heavy music was definitely pumping the last time. So you'd play a local show and have 200 kids or whatever and then after that it was still continued, but within the local scene it was dead. You're still going to get 50 to a hundred, whatever people coming, but it wasn't anywhere near the capacity it was then. And then since COVID, I think people have just knuckled down.

People have been trying to find other stuff to get into and it's just had a resurgence again and now everyone's kind of popping off and all the bands, there's bands like Justice and SPEED and stuff are always trying to big up all the other younger bands as well. So there's like everyone's supporting each other and it's just becoming this, I guess great thing in Australia especially.

And that's kind of noticed internationally as well, especially the scene here in that it's not just very produced metalcore now it's going into a little bit more of the underground in Australia and some of those bands kind of cross over obviously, but it's really cool to see heavy bands in the forefront for the first time in a long time.

I've noticed a real kind of shift in the kinds of people at shows as well. I caught you guys on your run with Counterparts and Dying Wish. One thing I really noticed, and also I think maybe Dying Wish on the bill helped at that too, but there were so many girls front of the stage, which I was at the Adelaide show and I could just see them watching you guys and this thing just ticking in their brain going, oh, especially seeing someone like Bec onstage. That something you guys are conscious of seeing how having that sort of force in front of you changing the scene a little bit and helping encourage more women, girls or whatever into the fold?

A hundred percent definitely.

I guess there's always been women in heavy bands since definitely forever, but I feel like more within this specific style of heavy music, a little bit less. So it's cool to see lots of non-males at our shows.

So it's a massive mix. All our Australian shows especially are always super diverse, which I think is awesome. It's just not Cockfest 2025 all the time. It's changing. It's more diverse and there's still those people, fucking knobhead, 14 year olds on the internet saying shit. But it's like if you go to shows nowadays, it's super diverse.

There's so many more women, non-binary people playing in bands now. And that representation is super important within heavy bands, especially within festivals putting on shows because if you have non-males on festivals more, that's exactly what you're saying. You could be a 14-year-old girl just getting into heavy music. Being at one of these festivals and then you see someone up on the stage that you connect with more and you'll be like, fuck yeah, that rules, I want to do that. Let's start a band, let's get some mates together. And that's how it happens.

But if you just have 99% dudes up there all the time, it's not going to have the same influence for people who are obviously non-male and don't associate with them as much. It's not the same connection. So it's super important that shows and especially festivals, think about those types of things.‍

Well that's part of the reason we're chatting today is obviously because you guys are part of the Froth & Fury lineup. Last year we had Volatile Ways and has always had a really diverse lineup, but I saw the way people were watching Volatile Ways and going, oh crazy,

Emily is so sick. Absolutely the best.

Absolutely. A gem. The best. How does it feel to be part of a festival like Froth And Fury? Was that something you guys looked at and went, yes, we want to be part of it or did they reach out to you?

They reached out to us, but it's cool because it's quite diverse and there's a lot of bands that I actually like that are playing.

So you've got Gridiron coming back here and a whole bunch of others, but it is going to be a cool couple of days and I kind of like that there are some bands only doing the Adelaide, some bands only doing the Perth.

If you are from those certain places, it would piss you off really bad because there's definitely some that are only playing others. But I'm kind of like it makes the day a little bit different for us. I'm being selfish here, but it's going to be sick. I'm really keen for it. How did you find the Adelaide? Because you went to what the last Adelaide one year? Last year?

Yeah. Oh, I've been at Froth & Fury since the start. I'm from Adelaide.

Okay, cool.

No, I've known about Jason, well been going to shows that Jason's put on for over 20 years now. So I knew when he was doing a festival, stuff was going to be crazy, but last year was awesome. I was so hyped to see you guys on the bill.

Yeah, I'm psyched. It's going to be so fun.

It's going to be absolutely crazy. So, for those who may have never seen you guys before and might be heading to Froth & Fury, because again the lineup is so vast and someone happens to catch your set or looking to maybe catch your set, what's something those who've never heard Terminal Sleep, what can they expect from your set?

Oh, you'll see Bec running around a lot. I'll chat shit on the mic occasionally. There'll be heavy bits, there'll be quick bits, there'll be, if you're into multiple genres of heavy music, you'll probably dig it.

It's kind of hard to describe what our band is because it's not just one single lane.

So it's like, yeah, if you're into heavy shit with fucking breakdowns and shit, you'll probably love it. If not, don't watch us. Go and eat and eat a kebab or something, whatever, I don't know what foods at Froth & Fury. What kind of foods are there? Like Rick and Marty’s or something?

Oh there is always good food at Froth & Fury, last year I was watching all the bands from interstate looking around like “what do we eat”. So don’t worry, there is a lot. You mentioned the album earlier. So there is an album in the works?

Definitely in the works. So the majority is written, we just need to get around to recording it, which will be, I dunno when that will be. It's kind of funny now just obviously I was saying beforehand it's starting to get now it's probably the first time we've had a bit of a chill for a couple of months at least, but now we've got a show next weekend. But yeah, we're trying to get our ducks in row now.

We need to, I'm hoping the trying and start recording early next year because I've been sitting on some of these songs for two, three years now, so it's like I'm bored of half of them. So then I keep on going back and then changing them more.

So they're just getting, the longer we wait 'em, the songs are getting more fucked up the longer we go. I'm barely going to be able to play 'em when we actually do have to play them live.

But it's just me being a nerd on my computer doing this and then trying to transpose it live. I'm like, this is fucked. Why did I do this to myself? So it's going to be a lot of that. But yeah, we just need to get recording. So our man Elliot, who's based in Sydney, Chameleon Studios, he's the busiest man on the planet, so he does all the SPEED stuff and does front of house for them a lot as well. So he is touring with 'em a lot and he's just recording and mixing all the time. So it's just getting him free for locking it down and I think because there's so much going on, it's going to take a long time as well. So we have to take time off work, get it happening, but hopefully Feb- March-ish or something.

So not quite ready for Froth, but we might get a little sneak peek?

Probably not for Froth. We need to get a shit together a bit more on our end, but I would love to play a new song, but we'll see how we go. Who knows. Once Froth is what, when is it end of Jan? Actually, probably not. I can't even remember what day it is.

Oh don't worry. You guys have got so much going on. That's pretty much all for me. Is there anything you want to add to this or anything you want to plug?

No, I think we're pretty good. Sorry, I've actually been a little bit nervous. I haven't done an interview for ages, but no, yeah, but on our end, not really anything to plug yet. Got some other things under wraps that I can't talk about, so I can't really. Just like a couple of shows, but I've been, no, that's still, but that'll come up probably in the next month or two. But thank you for having me and it's been good yarns and lovely to meet you as well.

Interview by Kayla Hamilton @kaylazomboid

You can catch the almighty Terminal Sleep at Froth & Fury Festival in January. Tickets here