It's one thing to be in a band and make music together, but when your members are scattered all over the country, it makes things extra spicy when recording and releasing new music.
Barriers are a brutal metal act guaranteed to get your blood pumping and after dropping their debut record Decay this year, the band - made up of members of Truth Corroded, Cry Murder and the newly reformed Day of Contempt - are set to dominate in 2026.
We chat with guitarist Stacey Loy about her year, including her fav tunes and a sneak peek at what's in store for the future of barriers.
TOP 5 RELEASES OF 2025
In no particular order:
5 – Conjurer - Unself
4 – Deftones - Private Music
3 – Vildhjarta - + Där skogen sjunger under evighetens granar +
2 -Architects – The Sky, the Earth & All Between
1 – Barriers – Decay 😊
TOP 5 SONGS OF 2025
There are too many to choose. In no particular order:
5 – Fit For An Autopsy – 'It Comes for You'
4 – Gaerea - 'Hellbound'
3 – Conjurer – 'All Apart'
2 – Humanity’s Last Breath - 'Anthracite'
1 – Deftones – 'Cut Hands'
WHICH AUSTRALIAN BAND CAN’T YOU GET ENOUGH OF?
Ecca Vandal – They just completed a huge tour playing with Limp Bizkit and finished playing at the latest Deftones festival. Such a cool vibe. Moody with a lot of energy but also chill..
BEST GIG YOU PLAYED THIS YEAR AND WHY?
I Killed the Prom Queen – The Lion Art Centre Adelaide, Long time friends with the band. Played many shows with them in previous bands. It was like a reunion of mates and good times.
TELL US ABOUT A CAREER HIGHLIGHT YOU HAD IN 2025
Releasing our EP Decay, which took longer than anticipated as Kyle, our singer/guitarist, was hospitalized for along time with a severe case of pneumonia. He is still recovering today nearly 5 months later. There were 2 songs he needed to complete vocals for, there was a long halt in the process, but the main priority was for Kyle to get better. So, the highlight is that Kyle is all ok and healthy.
WHAT IS THE CURRENT STATE OF NEW MUSIC?
Even though we haven’t had our EP out for too long (since August) we are keen on writing some new music, we have a good system in place and in actual fact, we wrote everything very separate, and it all came together in the end, so we have a good formula to continue to write new material.
When it comes to new music in the scene, it’s great to see more women in the mix with bands like Threshold and Algor Mortis doing some great things. It’s also been awesome to see fresh releases from bands like Seek Misery, Run, and Forge, as well as incredible new material from veteran bands like No Apologies, who just dropped one of their best records yet.
Plus, seeing Day of Contempt back on stage and working on new material (our bassist is in DOC so I have the inside scoop) and I Killed the Prom Queen back in the mix. There’s a real resurgence happening in hardcore and metal right now, and we hope it continues and grows..
ANYSNEAK PEEKS OF INBOUND PLANS NEXT YEAR?
No plans yet but we are really keen to play more shows and pick up supporting slots when the opportunity presents.
BEST ADVICE GOING INTO 2026?
Always support local music. Australia has some amazing talent that goes somewhat unnoticed until they become huge. Seek out great music and support them as much as you can.
Written by Stacey Loy @stay.loy.al
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