The Metal Crypt - Funeral Age Interview

Interviews

Interview with Kevin Bedra (Guitars/Vocals)

Interview conducted by Sargon the Terrible

Date online: October 26, 2003

After the usual trying period of lineup changes, recording woes, and fucked-up equipment, Funeral Age have finally unleashed their extremely gnarly death metal on the underground. This band may singlehandedly remind people that Seattle used to be a cool place for METAL. I got a few words from Kevin (Guitars/Vocals) Bedra about the band. Read.

Sargon: Can you give us a brief band history? Enjoy it now because someday you'll be sick of doing it.

Kevin: We used to be a 3 piece Death/Thrash band called SUICIDE CULTURE. Over time the music we were writing became faster, darker and called for 2 guitars. After we recorded this demo we all agreed that the name no longer fit. Thus FUNERAL AGE began.

Sargon: I was not aware that Seattle had a metal scene anymore. Any other good bands?

Kevin: There's a shitload. Go to truemetalseattle.com and check them out. As far as other bands, DRAWN & QUARTERED, SCORCHED EARTH, SERPENS AEON, and IN MEMORIUM fucking rule! I tell you what. I was born here. I lived here all through the tree-hugging grunge rock shit. I thought it'd never happen but there is actually a scene here worth checking out.

Sargon: Tell us what a giant pain in the ass it was getting the demo done.

Kevin: It was a bitch, endless remixes. The mixing board went down. Then the reel to reel tape machine went down. We went through 5 guitar players in a year. One guy quit the night we were leaving to play some shows in California. We rented a van and his mom wouldn't let him go because there weren't seatbelts in the back. He was 22 years old by the way. I could go on and on at the risk of putting the reader to sleep but it's over now and right now everything is killer. The demo is done. We have a killer line-up and all the bullshit was worth it as you can hear.

Sargon: I can hear a lot of influences in your music. What are some bands you particularly enjoy?

Kevin: I kill for EMPEROR, POSSESSED, DEATH, old SLAYER & METALLICA, DARK ANGEL, DISSECTION, ANGEL CORPSE. The list has no end. I've been listening to metal for 20 years so you get the idea.

Sargon: Have you done any live shows? Have you been well received?

Kevin: We've played many shows over the years and we fucking rage!

Sargon: Are there any plans for the future? Have you written any new material since the demo?

Kevin: We just started writing and it's sounding fucking brutal! We have no intention of slowing things down or anything like that. 'Tis the Metal of the Death we play that the Devil may have his day.

Sargon: Your logo is really cool. Did you do it yourself?

Kevin: Those are actually letters our drummer drew for the old band name. We never used it so I added a couple of letters and arranged it. Then a friend of ours scanned it on his computer and put that bevel on it. We get a lot of compliments on it. We're definitely happy with it.

Sargon: Does Funeral Age have a local following? I think this demo should be creating quite a buzz there. Is it?

Kevin: The reaction has been borderline scary. People stop me at shows all the time saying "Dude, your CD is fucking killer!". One guy said it's the coolest thing he's ever heard. It sounds like bullshit but this is seriously what we've heard. I just can't wait for it to get out into the world so everyone can hear it.

Sargon: What's with the bumper sticker? (the promo packet contains a bumper sticker that reads "What Would Jesus Fuck?") It's funny but what does it have to do with anything?

Kevin: It's on the back of our T-shirts.

Sargon: If you could open for any band, who would it be?

Kevin: VENOM!

Sargon: Who in the metal scene would you like to beat up?

Kevin: 2 words: Dimebag Darrel. Although I don't consider him to be any part of any metal scene I always see him in guitar magazines with a stupid "look at me" scowl on his face as some sort of representative of metal and it just makes my ass chew gum. Then he opens his mouth further perpetuating the "dumb-ass metal-head" stereotype ("Oh right on dude, you know, fuckin' fuckin' fuckin'") insulting the intelligence of everyone into real metal. I'm sorry but when he was playing cock-rock (as Diamond Darrel along side Rexx Rocker and friends) a great many of us were listening to KREATOR and CELTIC FROST; and booing bands like his off the stage. I guess I can sum it up in one sentence. You can take the boy out of the cock-rock but you can't take the cock-rock out of the boy. ...Oh and those fucking ghastly guitars he plays on belong only in a Poison video.

Sargon: Has there been any label interest in Funeral Age yet?

Kevin: We've just begun mailing out to zines and labels. Yours is the 1st review we've received and this is the 1st interview I've done. We're going to see what kind of buzz if any this CD creates and let the labels come to us. As SUICIDE CULTURE we received the stock ("Your band isn't what we're looking for") letter that every band gets and while we appreciate the fact that they took the time to acknowledge our existence, things are a little different now. I've got some amazing musicians and we're just getting started. Most people that buy this CD want a T-shirt and they're all asking "when's the next show?" From the feedback we've been getting we believe we're onto something here and this time around we're more interested to see if the labels possess the qualities WE'RE looking for.

Sargon: Is there anything else you'd like to say?

Kevin: HAIL FUCKING METAL!!!!!

Other information about Funeral Age on this site

Review: Fistful Of Christ

Review: Thy Martyrdom Come

Interview with drummer John Devos on January 19, 2013 (Interviewed by Luxi Lahtinen)