The Feral Kid going to chop my head off with a steal boomerang if I don’t send the interview that we did to my editor soon (Is this soon enough?).
After I reviewed the first Infuriatör album, given the extremely original title Infuriatör, the group’s drummer of all people yelled at me for calling half the band fat and wanted to let me know how stupid I was for thinking that his singer ripped off “Victim of Changes” by JUDAS PRIEST. Apparently the old hippie guy who sounds like a drunken pirate thought of those extremely original lyrics all by himself.
After calming down, we discussed a bunch of other stuff, like his band and their plans, and how they don’t plan on touring anywhere north of the Mason-Dixon line, along with the state of rock ‘n’ roll music today, when a band is no longer the same band, and how you can’t go anywhere in Texas without seeing a Gadsden flag. Did I mention they’re from Texas?
Uh, yeah, so if you wanna know more about a band that has an umlaut in their name, check out these two great bands called BLUE ÖYSTER CULT and MOTÖRHEAD. And, if you wanna know about a band from Texas, check out the ZZ TOP documentary.
Also, Infuriatör isn’t actually a word.
Revenge of Riff Raff: Why must you be so infuriating, who are you infuriating, and why must this person be infuriated
The Feral Kid: We’re not necessarily trying to infuriate anyone. Maybe, the opposition.
Revenge of Riff Raff: Well, who’s the opposition?
The Feral Kid: All the wimps!
Revenge of Riff Raff: The wimps?
The Feral Kid: All the wimps.
Revenge of Riff Raff: So, you’re the Feral Kid, right?
The Feral Kid: Yes.
Revenge of Riff Raff: What makes you feral?
The Feral Kid: Have you seen the movie?
Revenge of Riff Raff: No… there’s a movie called Feral Kid?
The Feral Kid: No, no, no, no… the movie… from Mad Max?
Revenge of Riff Raff: Oh shit, wow, I’m such an idiot! Oh my god, I can’t believe that I didn’t realize that was a Mad Max reference! (actually The Road Warrior a.k.a. Mad Max 2)
Revenge of Riff Raff: Oh shit, wow, I’m such an idiot! Oh my god, I can’t believe that I didn’t realize that was a Mad Max reference! (actually The Road Warrior a.k.a. Mad Max 2)
"Get on with the bloody interview, will ya?"
The Feral Kid: Yes, it is.
Revenge of Riff Raff: Am I a poser now?
The Feral Kid: No.
Revenge of Riff Raff: Oh, well, thank you! So, the people who you want to infuriate are the wimps and the posers? Do you want them to leave the hall?
The Feral Kid: No, they can stay and watch and be infuriated.
Revenge of Riff Raff: Okay, so I got your CD, and you look at the cover here, and it seems like you guys are making some sort of a statement. Can you elaborate on… well, actually, why didn’t you call your album "Everything Is Fine?" It says it right on the CD.
The Feral Kid: Well, the album was supposed to be called Hellfire Baby at first, and that’s why the “Hellfire Baby” is the center of the album cover, and that’s also why there’s a “Hellfire Baby” drawing in the back disc tray, but we decided to just have it self-titled. We’re influenced by a few things. It’s kind of almost like a Dookie-like thing the way we wanted to do it. Like GREEN DAY’s Dookie, like how they have all the little weird cartoon-y things on the cover, and it’s just like a whole collage of weird stuff. But I was also… I got this album from a band called A KILLING TRADITION who did an album called Mobile Abortion Clinic. I got that, and I just thought it was fuckin’ hilarious, and there was some inspiration done with that. And we wanted to go for like, kind of like a more cartoon-y vibe, make it kind of funny, but everything in that album cover is actually based off of a song on the album. Like there’s dynamite, for instance, on the motorcycle. It’s supposed to be like a timed stack of bombs, like “No Time to Die.” There’s the explosion, the demon. I’m trying to remember what that was all about. We got the guy puking; that’s from “P.U.K.E.” You got the girl going up to the guy in the car; that’s from “Backseat Surfer.”
Revenge of Riff Raff: The girl? What kind of girl would you call her? Would you call her a virtuous example of Christian morality?
The Feral Kids: Well, no, actually, um, that song was written about a girl that doesn’t just… she’s in the backseat with one guy, and then she’s in the backseat with the other guy next, so she’s “surfing” the backseat. I did not write the song, by the way. Dennis the Menace writes all of our lyrics.
Revenge of Riff Raff: Well, okay, but I’m sure he gave you authority to explain what the lyrics are about. Would you say that the girl in the picture is more of a slut or a whore? Does she accept money for her services, or does she just like to “surf” the backseat?
The Feral Kid: It’s all fun and games.
Revenge of Riff Raff: Okay, what does “P.U.K.E.” stand for?
The Feral Kid: I really honestly don’t know. There’s no meaning behind it. It’s just how it’s written.
Revenge of Riff Raff: Do you think I should ask your singer about that?
The Feral Kid: I really don’t know. I don’t even know if he knows. It’s just like that.
Revenge of Riff Raff: Why is the drummer representing Infuriatör and not the singer?
The Feral Kid: ‘Cuz you and I are talkin’ about it. I don’t know, haha, I don’t really have an answer for that. ‘Cause you and I talked about it first?
Revenge of Riff Raff: Does the rest of the band approve of this interview?
The Feral Kid: Yes.
Revenge of Riff Raff: Okay, so, whatever you say reflects on them.
The Feral Kid: I am aware of this. I’ll give you an honest answer, man. Like, if I don’t know, I’m just going to say I don’t know. I don’t think there’s any reason for the dots in “P.U.K.E.” It looked it cool, and that’s how we put it out there.
Revenge of Riff Raff: Would you say that you guys have something of a political message, or are you kinda just waxing about stuff you don’t like?
The Feral Kid: A little bit of both. I mean, we’re not like a purely political band, but we’re pro-2A, we’re pro-1A. Um, you need one to have the other. We’re Texans, so it kinda goes without saying. We’re not only political. We like to write songs about drinking and metal, ya know, personal demons, stuff like that, but we like throwin’ a little bit of everything in there. We’re against the New World Order. That’s for sure.
Revenge of Riff Raff: What’s the “New World Order”? The last time I remember the New World Order was a wrestling team in WCW or WWF. Is that what you’re talking about?
The Feral Kid: It is a one-world government.
Revenge of Riff Raff: Is that something you want or something you don’t want?
The Feral Kid: Nah, it’s something we don’t want.
Revenge of Riff Raff: Okay, Infuriatör is against it.
The Feral Kid: Yes.
Revenge of Riff Raff: You live in Texas? That’s where Infuriatör is based out of, right?
The Feral Kid: Yeah, we’re based out of Southeast Metro Houston.
Revenge of Riff Raff: So, being a Michigander and being from up north, our impression of Texas is that you’re all a bunch of rednecks, hillbillies, and cowboys, who pull guns on each other all the time and are extremely closed-minded. How would you say this comports with your experiences of living in Texas and the Texas music scene altogether?
The Feral Kid: Honestly? That’s a really good question (it is?!). I wouldn’t call us all “gun-totin’ hillbillies.” We’re just gun-totin’. Yeah, we’re not all hillbillies, because there’s not that many hills. The music scene here is pretty incredible! Every given night there’s a metal show, and if you’re not even looking for metal, there’s a ton of country, there’s a ton of blues music, and there’s also a lot of hip-hop (he says it like it’s a good thing!). I don’t see as much punk rock. There is hardcore. There’s general rock ‘n’ roll. I’ll tell you what the biggest thing I see any given day of the week. Tribute shows and cover bands. It’s almost like every bar has that (doesn’t every bar in every state have tribute shows and cover bands?!) unless they’re running original music concerts, but that’s big down here too. But it’s pretty incredible! Every night there’s live music. I mean, Houston is the fourth most populated city in the country. I think it’s going to take over Chicago’s place for third not too long from now. So, yeah, there’s live music all the time, lots of good bands. I have no complaints about it whatsoever. Every gig you go to is a lot of fun, people have been very friendly, very welcoming, so I can say that for Texas, a lot of people are very friendly down here, and, ya know, willing to be your friend, ya know that’s the most important part, I think.
The Feral Kids: Well, no, actually, um, that song was written about a girl that doesn’t just… she’s in the backseat with one guy, and then she’s in the backseat with the other guy next, so she’s “surfing” the backseat. I did not write the song, by the way. Dennis the Menace writes all of our lyrics.
Revenge of Riff Raff: Well, okay, but I’m sure he gave you authority to explain what the lyrics are about. Would you say that the girl in the picture is more of a slut or a whore? Does she accept money for her services, or does she just like to “surf” the backseat?
The Feral Kid: It’s all fun and games.
Revenge of Riff Raff: Okay, what does “P.U.K.E.” stand for?
The Feral Kid: I really honestly don’t know. There’s no meaning behind it. It’s just how it’s written.
Revenge of Riff Raff: Do you think I should ask your singer about that?
The Feral Kid: I really don’t know. I don’t even know if he knows. It’s just like that.
Revenge of Riff Raff: Why is the drummer representing Infuriatör and not the singer?
The Feral Kid: ‘Cuz you and I are talkin’ about it. I don’t know, haha, I don’t really have an answer for that. ‘Cause you and I talked about it first?
Revenge of Riff Raff: Does the rest of the band approve of this interview?
The Feral Kid: Yes.
The Infuriatör collective, basking in the warm glow of approving of this interview
Revenge of Riff Raff: Okay, so, whatever you say reflects on them.
The Feral Kid: I am aware of this. I’ll give you an honest answer, man. Like, if I don’t know, I’m just going to say I don’t know. I don’t think there’s any reason for the dots in “P.U.K.E.” It looked it cool, and that’s how we put it out there.
Revenge of Riff Raff: Would you say that you guys have something of a political message, or are you kinda just waxing about stuff you don’t like?
The Feral Kid: A little bit of both. I mean, we’re not like a purely political band, but we’re pro-2A, we’re pro-1A. Um, you need one to have the other. We’re Texans, so it kinda goes without saying. We’re not only political. We like to write songs about drinking and metal, ya know, personal demons, stuff like that, but we like throwin’ a little bit of everything in there. We’re against the New World Order. That’s for sure.
Revenge of Riff Raff: What’s the “New World Order”? The last time I remember the New World Order was a wrestling team in WCW or WWF. Is that what you’re talking about?
The Feral Kid: It is a one-world government.
Revenge of Riff Raff: Is that something you want or something you don’t want?
The Feral Kid: Nah, it’s something we don’t want.
Revenge of Riff Raff: Okay, Infuriatör is against it.
The Feral Kid: Yes.
Revenge of Riff Raff: You live in Texas? That’s where Infuriatör is based out of, right?
The Feral Kid: Yeah, we’re based out of Southeast Metro Houston.
Revenge of Riff Raff: So, being a Michigander and being from up north, our impression of Texas is that you’re all a bunch of rednecks, hillbillies, and cowboys, who pull guns on each other all the time and are extremely closed-minded. How would you say this comports with your experiences of living in Texas and the Texas music scene altogether?
NOOOOO! Not this!!!
The Feral Kid: Honestly? That’s a really good question (it is?!). I wouldn’t call us all “gun-totin’ hillbillies.” We’re just gun-totin’. Yeah, we’re not all hillbillies, because there’s not that many hills. The music scene here is pretty incredible! Every given night there’s a metal show, and if you’re not even looking for metal, there’s a ton of country, there’s a ton of blues music, and there’s also a lot of hip-hop (he says it like it’s a good thing!). I don’t see as much punk rock. There is hardcore. There’s general rock ‘n’ roll. I’ll tell you what the biggest thing I see any given day of the week. Tribute shows and cover bands. It’s almost like every bar has that (doesn’t every bar in every state have tribute shows and cover bands?!) unless they’re running original music concerts, but that’s big down here too. But it’s pretty incredible! Every night there’s live music. I mean, Houston is the fourth most populated city in the country. I think it’s going to take over Chicago’s place for third not too long from now. So, yeah, there’s live music all the time, lots of good bands. I have no complaints about it whatsoever. Every gig you go to is a lot of fun, people have been very friendly, very welcoming, so I can say that for Texas, a lot of people are very friendly down here, and, ya know, willing to be your friend, ya know that’s the most important part, I think.
Revenge of Riff Raff: So, are there any bands that you would recommend people check out in Texas, that you’re into, that have been coming out, that you’ve been enjoying lately?
The Feral Kid: Yeah, there’s a few bands that I’ve gone out and checked out that have been really good. One band that we played with at our last show was called SHRED THE DECK, and they’re like a thrash-y skate punk band, and the singer is actually known, when they play skate parks, he’s been known to, like, get on the ramps and do his vocals on the ramps with a wireless mic, and they played really well, and they’re really tight, I really like them. And there’s another band called WULFSKOL, and it’s spelled W-U-L-F-S-K-O-L, and they’re like a really heavy, HEAVY almost crusty thrash kinda stuff. I’m pretty sure the singer of IMPRECATION is in that band, but don’t quote me on that. I did see Imprecation last summer, and they were really good. There’s another band… they’re not from Houston, but they’re called CHURCH OF DISGUST. They’re pretty good. There’s another band called ALIEN SHORE. I think they’re pretty fun too. I’ve been watching a lot of their YouTube videos. I’ve been meaning to check them out. I hang out with one of their band members at a lot of power metal shows, because he seems to go to a lot of ‘em, but they’re definitely a band I’d like to shout out. Those would be the main bands, I’d say, in the area that I’ve taken notice to.
Revenge of Riff Raff: I’ve listened to the CD several times. Obviously you’ve got fast tunes that are more thrash, you’ve got songs that are more bluesy, I mean, I reviewed you guys, positively, and the song “Metal Lobotomy”, or, I think it’s “Mental Rage”, starts off like a LED ZEPPELIN song, and all of a sudden, the angry hippie guy basically starts butchering “Victim of Changes”, which, you know, being a Priest fan, I thought that was very funny. Where do you put yourself? I guess I could say you’re metal.
The Feral Kid: We would call us a speed-metal/punk band, because we got that punk vibe, but we’re definitely speed-metal first. Ironically enough, I asked Dennis the Menace that same question at practice. I was like, “So, were you listening to a lot Priest when you wrote that song?” And he was like, “No, I didn’t even notice that until…
Revenge of Riff Raff: You’re kidding me! You’re saying…
The Feral Kid: That’s what he said! That’s what he told me! And I believe him, because he’s not like the type of guy that rips off people. He definitely has his own style. It was definitely not purposeful, but I definitely see that connection there. It’s pretty close to “Victim of Changes.”
Revenge of Riff Raff: It was not on purpose…
The Feral Kid: It was not on purpose, and I believe him. He’s not a bullshitter.
Revenge of Riff Raff: Okay, I’m not gonna ask him to be hooked up to a lie detector. I’ll take his word for it. And, yeah, because a lot of the stuff here, what I appreciate is that it’s still got a bluesy groove, funk vibe, and it’s really heavy too. Is this out on anything, or is this self-released?
The Feral Kid: It’s self-released.
Revenge of Riff Raff: Are you guys gonna look for any kind of record deal to distribute it, or are you just gonna do it like this
The Feral Kid: We’re not really lookin’. Like, if somebody wants to put it out on vinyl, we’ll definitely work with a label for it, but for now, we’re just self-releasing it. It’s out on all the streaming platforms, we have it out on CD, and we have it out on cassette tape.
Revenge of Riff Raff: You got any new stuff coming out?
The Feral Kid: Yeah! We have an EP we’re working on War on 2024.
Revenge of Riff Raff: War on 2024?
The Feral Kid: Yeah, and we have two songs that we all know now and another two that we’re working on. We’re probably gonna finish learning the material in the summer and just kind of perfect it and we’re gonna record it sometime this year, and we’re gonna release it in 2024. It’s gonna be a four-song EP. And there’s a couple of other things we have in the works that you’ll find out about when we’re ready to announce. But that EP I’ll definitely tell you about. We’re working on ‘War on 2024.’
Revenge of Riff Raff: Going back to the cover and going back to the messages, there’s nothing here I would say is too particularly controversial, but have you gotten any shit from anybody? I mean, Gadsden flag is the only thing I see…
The Feral Kid: Well, I would say up in the North and in the Midwest and in the East Coast and probably California, they would probably not like that. But, in Texas, you’ll see Gadsden flags at every gas station.
Revenge of Riff Raff: Really?
The Feral Kid: Yeah, it’s a normal… there’s a real mainstream venue in Austin called "Come and Take It Live," and I don’t know if you looked at the back cover, but we have the "Come and Take It" above our band logo on the back cover. That’s something you’ll see everywhere down here. You can go to any of these beaches where people display flags all the time… it’s just… it’s Texas… it’s what you see down here. So, down here, we all like that shit.
Revenge of Riff Raff: So, are you guys going to tour?
The Feral Kid: I mean, I don’t know. I mean, we plan on playing gigs throughout Texas for sure, and I’d like to play gigs throughout the South. I don’t know if we’re gonna branch out more than that. I’m not gonna say, “no.” But, at this point in time, we’re looking at doing more gigs throughout Texas and the South.
Revenge of Riff Raff: I was going to follow that up with, if you were to tour, would you hit up those places, such as (cough cough) New York, California, Chicago, Portland, OR, Seattle, San Francisco…
The Feral Kid: That would not be my main goal. Like I said, I’m not gonna say “no” to anything. I’m not gonna say “yes” to anything. But, if we’re gonna tour any time in the next few years, it’s definitely gonna be in the South. It’s just easier for us logistically. Half the band have young kids. The Butcher has a young child. Gene Machine has a kid also. Dennis the Menace's have just kinda grown up, but, ya know, we all have jobs, and it would just be easier to probably play in the South logistically.
Revenge of Riff Raff: So, if I wanna see you, then I have to actually drive to Texas.
The Feral Kid: You could fly!
Revenge of Riff Raff: Thank you! I appreciate that!
The Feral Kid: Hey, it’s faster!
Revenge of Riff Raff: Okay, I’m not sure how to frame this without it being a leading question, but, whether it be politically, socially, or even logistically, where do you see heavy music, hard rock, metal, even punk, heading in terms of it being a force in our culture?
The Feral Kid: I mean, heavy metal is definitely thriving, especially down here. God, there’s metal shows all the time. And, I went to a festival in Mexico last summer and there were thousands of people. Almost ten thousand people. And, I know, like, I can tell you, the big four of German thrash played, so DESTRUCTION, TANKARD, SODOM, and KREATOR… there’s gonna be another festival here in Houston next year where TANK is playing, Sodom is supposed to play, and if they don’t end up playing, I wouldn’t be surprised, because they have cancelled the U.S. before, but they are supposed to play. A bunch of good bands. It’s called the Hell’s Heroes festival. I know I’m forgetting a bunch of names, because there’s a bunch of good bands on that festival. But, last year, like TRIPTYKON played, and they did an all CELTIC FROST set. Uh, SATAN played. RAZOR played. And we went the year before, and HIGH SPIRITS played, but yeah, heavy music is definitely thriving! Punk, I don’t see really doing much at all. I just don’t see… it’s not really going anywhere. I haven’t seen any groundbreaking bands. I could be wrong, but it seems like the biggest bands in punk are old bands. Rock ‘n’ roll is still thriving, I’d say. Certain genres of rock, at least; a lot of stoner rock out there. Maybe not so much for like, the, ya know, Beatles style, the British invasion style. I don’t see a lot of that. There’s definitely a lot of Southern rock bands comin’ through. I saw a band called TEXAS HIPPIE COALITION, and they packed the house. Everyone knew all the words to their songs. So, there’s definitely thriving markets for rock and heavy music, especially in the South, and I gotta say, throughout the whole country too, and definitely in Europe, so I’m pretty optimistic about it.
Revenge of Riff Raff: So, philosophically speaking, when is a band no longer the same band? Because you mentioned Tank, and recently Algy Ward passed away, so some would say his passing basically ends Tank. Though, there is more than one version of Tank. Where do you draw the line with, "it’s not the same band," "I wouldn’t see them live if it doesn’t have these members in it"?
The Feral Kid: Well, I don’t have the option to see Tank with Algy, ‘cause he’s dead, so at this point, I’ll take what I can get. I was listening to Tank since I was a teenager, so that’s the band I’m going to see at the festival. I do agree with the notion of what you’re saying, but, shit, I still see Judas Priest every time they come to town, and they only have two original members. Oh, I guess Rob’s not technically original, but he might as well be. They have Scott Travis, but both guitar players are not with them anymore, at least not live, so…
Revenge of Riff Raff: How do you feel about the whole…
The Feral Kid: As far as not being the same band, I don’t know. I mean, I guess it’s all about who owns the rights to the band name at this point and time, because there’s so many bands out there with one original member, and a lot of those bands are still crushing it.
Revenge of Riff Raff: Sure, so between Judas Priest and K.K.’s Priest, do you have a preference?
The Feral Kid: Oh, Judas Priest for sure. I like K.K.’s Priest, though. I like K.K.’s Priest, but Rob Halford is so awesome, and it’s not really comparable.
Revenge of Riff Raff: So, you’re not one of those guys who appreciates Tim “Ripper” Owens’ contribution to Priest and to the metal world as much as Halford?
The Feral Kid: I appreciate Tim “the Ripper” Owens because he kind of saved Priest at the time they needed him, but I don’t like the records they released with him.
Revenge of Riff Raff: You don’t, huh? You’re not a fan of Jugulator or Demolition?
The Feral Kid: Not as much. I don’t like the down-tuned guitars and stuff. It’s not my style. I really… I like Halford’s Resurrection album! That’s really good. That sounds like old school Priest to me, like the classic sound.
Revenge of Riff Raff: Any messages you have for the kids out there?
The Feral Kid: Any message for the kids out there? Don’t listen to the experts. Listen to your heart.
Edwin Oslan
Revenge of Riff Raff
The Feral Kid: Yeah, there’s a few bands that I’ve gone out and checked out that have been really good. One band that we played with at our last show was called SHRED THE DECK, and they’re like a thrash-y skate punk band, and the singer is actually known, when they play skate parks, he’s been known to, like, get on the ramps and do his vocals on the ramps with a wireless mic, and they played really well, and they’re really tight, I really like them. And there’s another band called WULFSKOL, and it’s spelled W-U-L-F-S-K-O-L, and they’re like a really heavy, HEAVY almost crusty thrash kinda stuff. I’m pretty sure the singer of IMPRECATION is in that band, but don’t quote me on that. I did see Imprecation last summer, and they were really good. There’s another band… they’re not from Houston, but they’re called CHURCH OF DISGUST. They’re pretty good. There’s another band called ALIEN SHORE. I think they’re pretty fun too. I’ve been watching a lot of their YouTube videos. I’ve been meaning to check them out. I hang out with one of their band members at a lot of power metal shows, because he seems to go to a lot of ‘em, but they’re definitely a band I’d like to shout out. Those would be the main bands, I’d say, in the area that I’ve taken notice to.
Revenge of Riff Raff: I’ve listened to the CD several times. Obviously you’ve got fast tunes that are more thrash, you’ve got songs that are more bluesy, I mean, I reviewed you guys, positively, and the song “Metal Lobotomy”, or, I think it’s “Mental Rage”, starts off like a LED ZEPPELIN song, and all of a sudden, the angry hippie guy basically starts butchering “Victim of Changes”, which, you know, being a Priest fan, I thought that was very funny. Where do you put yourself? I guess I could say you’re metal.
The Feral Kid: We would call us a speed-metal/punk band, because we got that punk vibe, but we’re definitely speed-metal first. Ironically enough, I asked Dennis the Menace that same question at practice. I was like, “So, were you listening to a lot Priest when you wrote that song?” And he was like, “No, I didn’t even notice that until…
Revenge of Riff Raff: You’re kidding me! You’re saying…
The Feral Kid: That’s what he said! That’s what he told me! And I believe him, because he’s not like the type of guy that rips off people. He definitely has his own style. It was definitely not purposeful, but I definitely see that connection there. It’s pretty close to “Victim of Changes.”
Revenge of Riff Raff: It was not on purpose…
The Feral Kid: It was not on purpose, and I believe him. He’s not a bullshitter.
Revenge of Riff Raff: Okay, I’m not gonna ask him to be hooked up to a lie detector. I’ll take his word for it. And, yeah, because a lot of the stuff here, what I appreciate is that it’s still got a bluesy groove, funk vibe, and it’s really heavy too. Is this out on anything, or is this self-released?
The Feral Kid: It’s self-released.
Revenge of Riff Raff: Are you guys gonna look for any kind of record deal to distribute it, or are you just gonna do it like this
The Feral Kid: We’re not really lookin’. Like, if somebody wants to put it out on vinyl, we’ll definitely work with a label for it, but for now, we’re just self-releasing it. It’s out on all the streaming platforms, we have it out on CD, and we have it out on cassette tape.
Revenge of Riff Raff: You got any new stuff coming out?
The Feral Kid: Yeah! We have an EP we’re working on War on 2024.
Revenge of Riff Raff: War on 2024?
The Feral Kid: Yeah, and we have two songs that we all know now and another two that we’re working on. We’re probably gonna finish learning the material in the summer and just kind of perfect it and we’re gonna record it sometime this year, and we’re gonna release it in 2024. It’s gonna be a four-song EP. And there’s a couple of other things we have in the works that you’ll find out about when we’re ready to announce. But that EP I’ll definitely tell you about. We’re working on ‘War on 2024.’
Revenge of Riff Raff: Going back to the cover and going back to the messages, there’s nothing here I would say is too particularly controversial, but have you gotten any shit from anybody? I mean, Gadsden flag is the only thing I see…
The Feral Kid: Well, I would say up in the North and in the Midwest and in the East Coast and probably California, they would probably not like that. But, in Texas, you’ll see Gadsden flags at every gas station.
Revenge of Riff Raff: Really?
The Feral Kid: Yeah, it’s a normal… there’s a real mainstream venue in Austin called "Come and Take It Live," and I don’t know if you looked at the back cover, but we have the "Come and Take It" above our band logo on the back cover. That’s something you’ll see everywhere down here. You can go to any of these beaches where people display flags all the time… it’s just… it’s Texas… it’s what you see down here. So, down here, we all like that shit.
Revenge of Riff Raff: So, are you guys going to tour?
The Feral Kid: I mean, I don’t know. I mean, we plan on playing gigs throughout Texas for sure, and I’d like to play gigs throughout the South. I don’t know if we’re gonna branch out more than that. I’m not gonna say, “no.” But, at this point in time, we’re looking at doing more gigs throughout Texas and the South.
Revenge of Riff Raff: I was going to follow that up with, if you were to tour, would you hit up those places, such as (cough cough) New York, California, Chicago, Portland, OR, Seattle, San Francisco…
The Feral Kid: That would not be my main goal. Like I said, I’m not gonna say “no” to anything. I’m not gonna say “yes” to anything. But, if we’re gonna tour any time in the next few years, it’s definitely gonna be in the South. It’s just easier for us logistically. Half the band have young kids. The Butcher has a young child. Gene Machine has a kid also. Dennis the Menace's have just kinda grown up, but, ya know, we all have jobs, and it would just be easier to probably play in the South logistically.
Revenge of Riff Raff: So, if I wanna see you, then I have to actually drive to Texas.
The Feral Kid: You could fly!
Revenge of Riff Raff: Thank you! I appreciate that!
The Feral Kid: Hey, it’s faster!
Revenge of Riff Raff: Okay, I’m not sure how to frame this without it being a leading question, but, whether it be politically, socially, or even logistically, where do you see heavy music, hard rock, metal, even punk, heading in terms of it being a force in our culture?
The Feral Kid: I mean, heavy metal is definitely thriving, especially down here. God, there’s metal shows all the time. And, I went to a festival in Mexico last summer and there were thousands of people. Almost ten thousand people. And, I know, like, I can tell you, the big four of German thrash played, so DESTRUCTION, TANKARD, SODOM, and KREATOR… there’s gonna be another festival here in Houston next year where TANK is playing, Sodom is supposed to play, and if they don’t end up playing, I wouldn’t be surprised, because they have cancelled the U.S. before, but they are supposed to play. A bunch of good bands. It’s called the Hell’s Heroes festival. I know I’m forgetting a bunch of names, because there’s a bunch of good bands on that festival. But, last year, like TRIPTYKON played, and they did an all CELTIC FROST set. Uh, SATAN played. RAZOR played. And we went the year before, and HIGH SPIRITS played, but yeah, heavy music is definitely thriving! Punk, I don’t see really doing much at all. I just don’t see… it’s not really going anywhere. I haven’t seen any groundbreaking bands. I could be wrong, but it seems like the biggest bands in punk are old bands. Rock ‘n’ roll is still thriving, I’d say. Certain genres of rock, at least; a lot of stoner rock out there. Maybe not so much for like, the, ya know, Beatles style, the British invasion style. I don’t see a lot of that. There’s definitely a lot of Southern rock bands comin’ through. I saw a band called TEXAS HIPPIE COALITION, and they packed the house. Everyone knew all the words to their songs. So, there’s definitely thriving markets for rock and heavy music, especially in the South, and I gotta say, throughout the whole country too, and definitely in Europe, so I’m pretty optimistic about it.
Revenge of Riff Raff: So, philosophically speaking, when is a band no longer the same band? Because you mentioned Tank, and recently Algy Ward passed away, so some would say his passing basically ends Tank. Though, there is more than one version of Tank. Where do you draw the line with, "it’s not the same band," "I wouldn’t see them live if it doesn’t have these members in it"?
The Feral Kid: Well, I don’t have the option to see Tank with Algy, ‘cause he’s dead, so at this point, I’ll take what I can get. I was listening to Tank since I was a teenager, so that’s the band I’m going to see at the festival. I do agree with the notion of what you’re saying, but, shit, I still see Judas Priest every time they come to town, and they only have two original members. Oh, I guess Rob’s not technically original, but he might as well be. They have Scott Travis, but both guitar players are not with them anymore, at least not live, so…
Revenge of Riff Raff: How do you feel about the whole…
The Feral Kid: As far as not being the same band, I don’t know. I mean, I guess it’s all about who owns the rights to the band name at this point and time, because there’s so many bands out there with one original member, and a lot of those bands are still crushing it.
Revenge of Riff Raff: Sure, so between Judas Priest and K.K.’s Priest, do you have a preference?
The Feral Kid: Oh, Judas Priest for sure. I like K.K.’s Priest, though. I like K.K.’s Priest, but Rob Halford is so awesome, and it’s not really comparable.
Revenge of Riff Raff: So, you’re not one of those guys who appreciates Tim “Ripper” Owens’ contribution to Priest and to the metal world as much as Halford?
The Feral Kid: I appreciate Tim “the Ripper” Owens because he kind of saved Priest at the time they needed him, but I don’t like the records they released with him.
Revenge of Riff Raff: You don’t, huh? You’re not a fan of Jugulator or Demolition?
The Feral Kid: Not as much. I don’t like the down-tuned guitars and stuff. It’s not my style. I really… I like Halford’s Resurrection album! That’s really good. That sounds like old school Priest to me, like the classic sound.
Revenge of Riff Raff: Any messages you have for the kids out there?
The Feral Kid: Any message for the kids out there? Don’t listen to the experts. Listen to your heart.
Edwin Oslan
Revenge of Riff Raff
2nd October, 2023
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