Interview: Poison The Well on heading to Australia

June 10, 2026

For anyone who grew up on heavy music in the late ’90s and early 2000s, Poison The Well need little introduction. Their blend of hardcore urgency, metallic aggression and willingness to push beyond genre boundaries helped shape an entire generation of bands, while albums like The Opposite of December… A Season of Separation and You Come Before You remain landmarks of the genre.

Now, after years of relative silence and with a brand new record in Peace In Place, the band are preparing to return to Australian shores. Ahead of the tour, Adam Davis-Powell caught up with guitarist and founding member Ryan Primack to discuss the band’s legacy, their long-awaited return with Peace In Place, and what lies ahead for Poison The Well in 2026.

The Opposite of December… A Season of Separation is still regarded as one of the most important records in heavy music. When you listen back to it now, what stands out to you most—the songs themselves or the memories surrounding that period of the band?

I think it’s still the songs themselves. If it’s memories, it’s memories of writing and making the songs, but it’s still the songs themselves. They still sound fun to me and they still sound cathartic, which I think is cool. But yeah, I try to avoid listening to my own band. It feels a bit excessive to me, but when I do hear it, I’m just like, “Oh, this sounds pretty cool. Sounds pissed.”

Poison The Well were never a band that stayed in one lane for very long. Looking back, was there a particular album or creative decision that you felt fans misunderstood at the time?

Maybe. I don’t know that I look at it like anyone misinterpreted it or didn’t see what I saw. I think sometimes I just look at it like I look at it more so as I didn’t communicate in a way that a lot of people were interested in hearing and that’s okay. It was honest and very deliberate and it was intentional in some ways because I think the moment that I think I experienced a little bit of not being like, “Oh, that’s not how I hear it, ” even though that’s how other people hear it, was when we made this record version. But I intentionally made it difficult for my portion of it. I made it antagonistic and I made it intentionally kind of harsh, but I just don’t think it was in a way that communicated it to the people that were listening and that’s all right.

I’m not going to lament that forever. I still love it and it was still a very personal and genuine record that I made with people that were also doing the same. And some days I don’t think in a macrocosm, I don’t think it landed, but I think that’s okay. I still think it’s good and I still appreciate it.

After such a long gap between records, what was the moment that made you realise Poison The Well had another album left in it?

Probably when we rerecorded this one song for that box set we did and it made me think for 14 seconds and then I kind of forgot about it, but then Jeff and Chris wouldn’t leave me alone about it. And there wouldn’t be a record if it wasn’t for Jeff and Chris pushing me on it. And I roadblocked them every chance I could, but I ran out of excuses.

Now that Peace In Place is out in the world, what has surprised you most about the reaction from fans?

I don’t know. I haven’t really solicited a lot of feedback and I try to really not read the feedback because I’m too fragile as a person. And then also I feel good about it and I don’t think anyone else feeling bad about it’s going to make me feel different about it and nor should it. I think I just want to keep trying to be as realistic about just communicating what I want to communicate and if people enjoy it, that’s awesome. And if they don’t, then I’m sorry for bothering them, but it’s at least genuine.

You’re obviously a fan of heavy music yourself. Are there any newer bands that have genuinely excited you over the last few years?

Yeah, there’s a Los Angeles band that I really liked called Lockslip that’s pretty new. So pretty good stuff. Makes me pretty excited.

Is there a younger band you’ve seen recently where you’ve thought, “I wish Poison The Well had toured with them back in the day”?

If you give me a second to think, I’ll remember the name. Oh, maybe I won’t. But yeah, I’ve seen a couple. I can’t remember the name offhand, I saw them at Sound and Fury last year.

It’s been nearly two decades since Poison The Well last toured Australia. What can Australian fans expect from these shows, and are there any songs you’re particularly looking forward to playing down here?

More grey hair. They can expect more grey hair. Yeah, I think I’m excited to play their period. Any of the songs. I am just excited. I’m really excited for the bands we’re touring with. I think that’s going to be a lot of fun. I had never heard of Iron Mind until this got put together and it’s pretty fucking awesome and I’m pretty excited to see that band.

Haywire and Iron Mind are joining you for the Australian run. What are you most looking forward to about hitting the road with those bands?

Oh, well, seeing Iron Mind for the first time and I’ve seen Haywire twice now and it’s a really exciting show and it does have that sort of, I don’t know, fervor and intensity of being really communicative, which I really like. At those two times I saw Haywire, you could see it’s very symbiotic between audience and band. And I think that’s one of the goals of music. But I mean, there’s a million ways to achieve it and lots of people have different ways to do it, but it’s cool to see people being successful at that kind of communication.

POISON THE WELL AUSTRALIAN TOUR 2026, WITH SPECIAL GUESTS HAYWIRE & IRON MIND
TOUR DATES:

SUNDAY 7 JUNE – MAGNET HOUSE, PERTH
TUESDAY 9 JUNE – LION ARTS FACTORY, ADELAIDE
THURSDAY 11 JUNE – 170 RUSSELL, MELBOURNE
FRIDAY 12 JUNE – METRO THEATRE, SYDNEY
SATURDAY 13 JUNE – KING ST BANDROOM, NEWCASTLE
SUNDAY 14 JUNE – PRINCESS THEATRE, BRISBANE

Tickets from destroyalllines.com

Interview by Adam Davis-Powell.