Playing at least one gig is especially important for Walk With Kings’ lead guitarist and father-of-four Nick Whiting, a glazier from Oak Flats, who’s always dreamt of playing in a band but never had the chance.

“We just thought it’d be cool to get out there and do some gigs before it’s too late and we’re on walking frames,” he said.

“Metal’s my one true love.”

The guitarist joined forces with bus driver Lee Sergeant on rhythm guitar, boiler maker Paul Ross on bass and drummer Steve Giles.

“Like Nick said, before we get too old we thought we’d give it one last crack for a bit of fun,” Sergeant said, who’s been in several bands previously.

“Sometimes it gets to a point where people perceive you as ‘look at these old guys’ … When you meet people and you’re 40-years-old and you say to them you’re into heavy metal and in a band, they sort of say ‘oh, don’t you grow out of that’. It’s a perceived thing as a game of the young.”

The group has been together for around 18 months writing original songs and rehearsing, though they’re been missing one vital ingredient - a singer.

This is where a number of big name frontmen have stepped in to help the group record their first EP, inevitably showcasing an array of musicians from across the region.

Chris Rand from acclaimed Illawarra band Segression stepped up to the microphone along with Robo Dinner from Cyndustry, Dee Dee from Topnovil, Ben Rossini from Ten Years Too Late, plus Damon Bishop and Jonathan Hurley from Carbon Black.

Sergeant said there’s been a lot of competition between bands in the past as heavy metal is a small scene competing for a niche market, however this project has brought out the camaraderie.

“It’s important for us to all get together and give each other support, when these other bands come in and do stuff we can give them a plug too,” Seargant said.

While Ross added, they don’t want to conquer the world but they’ll be “happy to make a bit of presence in Wollongong”.

Find them on social media: www.facebook.com/walkwithkingsmetal