Ten years of mayhem, music, and memories, Black Rheno have carved out their place as one of Australia’s most unrelenting and entertaining heavy acts in the underground scene.
From the release of their debut EP Let’s Start A Cult to their ferocious new single 'A Bad Ass Love Song', the boys have been an unstoppable force in the scene and they'll be celebrating a decade in the business in style on their anniversary tour - kicking off this weekend.
On top of playing their debut EP in full, the band will tear up stages along the East Coast and to celebrate, we grabbed Ryan 'Milla' Miller for a look back at their first 10 years and to reflect on 10 key moments from their journey... so far.
1. Best Tour Package
One of the most unforgettable tours we’ve ever done and one I always look back on fondly, was in the early days, back in 2017, when we hit the road for the Thrash Blast Grind Fest around Australia with King Parrot, Psycroptic, Revocation, and Whoretopsy. Everyone on that tour were absolute legends and totally down for a good time. Some of the crew we already knew, others we met for the first time, but everyone was in the right frame of mind and it just clicked. We made amazing friends and have memories that’ll last forever. The first night set the tone for the chaos ahead
I jumped off stage, got tackled into the pit, and cracked my head open. Ended up in emergency after the show with a baseball-sized welt sticking out of the side of my skull.
That was night one, and from there it was pure carnage the whole way through.
2. Worst Show Ever
This might sound like a bit of a cop-out, but it’s hard for me to pinpoint a “worst show ever.” There’s no wild story about something going horribly wrong, but the one that comes to mind was just a super quiet night we had in Dapto once, where maybe three people showed up. Even then, I always try to find the positive in it. You focus on the people who are there smiling, the other bands, and just make the best of it. That night we all hung out, had some laughs, and turned it into a good time anyway. So yeah, maybe it’s a bit of a dodge, but I honestly don’t think we’ve had bad shows, I just find something positive to grab onto and use it. Fuck it, I only have good shows. That’s what it’s about.
3. Biggest Career Highlight
This one comes up a lot because it’s recent, but honestly, it’s pretty hard to go past playing with Pantera at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre alongside King Parrot. It was completely mental that we ever got that chance.
I’m still pinching myself and probably will be until I’m old and grey, that we got to share a stage with Pantera.
We’d actually toured with Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals back in 2019, and during that run I even got up on stage to go line-for-line singing 'Walk' with Phil. That was already unreal… but then years later to play with Pantera themselves? That’s next level.
There have been a lot of insane moments in this band, but that one is definitely etched in for life.
4. Shittest Venue
It’s hard to pinpoint the shittest venue for the same reason as before, even when something’s totally fucked, I just focus on the good. There’ve definitely been some rooms with awful sound systems where you can’t hear a thing and it’s chaos up there, but I try to flip it around.
It’s not about the setup or the space; it’s about what you can make of it.
Sure, there’ve been plenty of crappy little rooms and dodgy rigs that absolutely sucked, but I just go into attack mode, give it everything, get everyone involved, and turn it into a hell of a time. That’s my approach. So yeah, maybe it’s a cop-out answer again, but I can’t name a shittest venue because I always try to make it a good one.
5. Most Memorable Fan Interaction
One that always sticks out as super fun was when people started bringing pineapples to shows. After we dropped 'No Time for Numb Nuts' back in 2016, there’s this funny bit in the video clip with a pineapple, and out of nowhere, people just started rocking up with them. Before long, we had moshpits full of flying pineapple chunks everywhere. It was ridiculous and hilarious. Bring back the pineapple!
Seriously, if you’re reading this, someone better bring one on the next tour. Cut it up, spread it around, share it with your mates, it’ll be a good time.
6. Craziest Tour Story
Whenever someone asks this, my brain always blanks, I can never seem to recall the single most gnarly thing that’s ever happened. So I’ll just rattle off a few that stand out.
When we went to South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, in the early days, we played one show in LA on the way and just a few hours after getting off the flight, we were on stage at the Regent Theatre playing alongside Ringworm, Darkest Hour, and Rivers of Nihil. That was our first international show, and it was pure insanity.
The whole week in Austin was chaos, drinking way too much, playing shows every night (sometimes twice a day), getting tattoos straight after sets, and just living the full rock ‘n’ roll heathen lifestyle.
7. Favourite Show You’ve Ever Played
It’s hard to pick just one, but the Dead of Winter Festival has to be right up there. There’s something truly magic about that festival, the energy, the lineup, the people. When we hit the stage, the crowd just went completely mental. The whole place ignited, and it was the first time I’d looked out and seen everyone singing the lyrics and fully locked in. That was a massive moment.
But I’ve got to give a shoutout to Blacken Open Air in Alice Springs too. That festival is insanely special, it’s one of those gatherings every Australian metalhead needs to experience at least once.
And I’ve got to throw in a third one, Necrosonic Fest. That was such a killer time as well.
8. Biggest Challenge as a Band
I think anyone who plays in a band will agree, the biggest challenge is always money. That’s it. If you had cash, everything would be easier. It’s the same for all of us, really. Cash, how annoying is it? Great if you’ve got it, but if you don’t, it’s the biggest hurdle. For anyone out there playing in a band, you know how expensive it is to do things properly, travel, gear, video clips, hotels, all of it. The costs never really stop. That’s definitely the trickiest part of being in a band. If we didn’t have to worry about money, we’d be unstoppable.
9. Favourite Song to Play Live
I still absolutely love playing 'Vortex' live. There’s a certain energy in that song, just pure party, ripping, full-blown rock and roll madness. It never escapes me how much I enjoy playing it. Every single time, the crowd goes off, everyone’s ripping into it, and it just feels like a proper banger. It’s one of those tracks that never gets old.
10. Proudest Moment in 10 Years
For me, the proudest moment is this, right now.
We’re heading out on tour to celebrate 10 years of sticking together, 10 years of being a band, 10 years of not stopping or backing down from the thing we love doing. Life can get hard, and sometimes it’s tough to see the forest from the trees.
But luckily, when we’re in the forest, we see riffs, and when we get out of the forest, we still see riffs. How good are riffs right?.
I’m incredibly proud that we’ve been doing this for a decade, that we’ve faced every challenge head-on and never let anything stand in our way. We’ve had moments where we’ve had to sit down and talk things through, but we’ve always come out of it strong, as a band, a proper team. I’m stoked and grateful to be heading out to play a bunch of shows with our friends and to be part of this insanely cool heavy metal community we’ve grown into over the past 10 years.
I’m proud of the friendship we’ve built within the band, and the connections we’ve made across the country and beyond. Heavy metal rules, if you’re thinking about joining or starting a band, do it. Seriously, do it!
Black Rheno kick off their 10th Anniversary Tour on Saturday November 8th. Head to a show and buy a beer (or 10).
Black Rheno - A Decade Of Riffs Tour
Nov 8 at Wings N Tins, Dee Why
Nov 15 at The Old Bar, Melbourne
Nov 20 at Mos Desert Clubhouse, Gold Coast
Nov 21 at PFR Lounge, Brisbane
Nov 28 at Bootleggers, Sydney
