The Metal Crypt - Nefarious Interview

Interviews Nefarious

Interview with vocalist Katon W. De Pena
Interview conducted by Luxi Lahtinen

Date online: May 10, 2025

Thanks to Tambre Bryant for setting up the interview.

Prepare for a sonic onslaught as Nefarious, an all-star thrash/heavy metal band forged by some of the genre's most respected veterans, storms onto the metal scene. Featuring the commanding vocals of Katon W. De Pena (Hirax), the crushing guitar work of Rick Hunolt (Exodus, Diehumane) and Doug Piercy (Heathen, Anvil Chorus), the thunderous bass of Tom Gears (Blind Illusion, Ancient Mariner), and the relentless drumming of Will "Beastman" Carroll (Death Angel), Nefarious is the definition of metal pedigree with no compromise.

Their highly anticipated debut album, Addicted to Power, is set for release on July 18 via Relentless "Metal" Records. As a little spoiler, a special collector's edition vinyl will also be available through Hectic/Bleeding Priest Records, which undoubtedly will be a must-have for die-hard fans and collectors alike.

Nefarious has already given fans a taste of their ferocity with the release of their first single and music video, "One Nation Enslaved," a searing statement of intent that blends classic thrash aggression with a heavy metallic edge.

The band will celebrate the arrival of Addicted to Power with their live debut at the official album-release party on Saturday, July 19 at the legendary DNA Lounge in San Francisco, a night destined to become a landmark moment in Bay Area thrash metal history.

Are you ready to get Nefarious?

Ready or not, we got vocalist Katon W. De Pena to talk more about the formation of this band and much more. Read on...

You're all, of course, very seasoned musicians. Can you tell us a bit about your main bands (Hirax, Blind Illusion, Death Angel and so on) and how they made it possible for you guys to put this "all-star" lineup together, keeping in mind some of your bands may keep you fairly busy?

Katon: I have no problem being in two bands at the same time. I think that's the same for all the other band members. I think that they're going to be playing music no matter what, but with Nefarious, we have a different outlet. It's a different style than Hirax. It's a different style than Death Angel, different than even Heathen. Obviously, there's going to be comparisons to bands like Exodus and Hirax and Heathen and all that stuff, but we do have our own thing. I'm really happy about that. It's a very creative band. When we're in the studio, there's a lot of input and a lot of good ideas.

Did you know from the start that this would be a serious, long-term band, or did it evolve from a side project into something more intense?

Katon: I think it was going to be a solo record for Doug Piercy at first. We had all run into each other from years of playing in the same scene. It seemed like the timing was really what it was. I did a couple of benefits. I did one for Tom Hunting from Exodus where we raised money for his hospital bills. We did another one for Sean Killian, the singer from Vio-lence. At those benefits, I saw a lot of these musicians. We talked to each other and obviously talked about music.

Then it came around to where we played some shows together. I think that's what made us all notice each other a little bit more, like, "hey, I wonder what it would be like to play with those guys?" Even though I live in Los Angeles, I go up to San Francisco quite often. It's been working out pretty well. We're just going to keep writing music. The one thing that we all have in common is we love writing music. I think that's what keeps us so motivated to do this.

INFLUENCES & STYLE

Musically, where does Nefarious draw its biggest inspirations from? Any classic thrash or heavy metal heroes in the mix, or are there some unexpected influences too?

Katon: Yes, we all listen to a lot of music. Some of it would surprise people. Obviously, there's going to be heavy metal influences in there because we all grew up on Deep Purple and early Scorpions. We love Uli John Roth, obviously, Black Sabbath and Thin Lizzy, bands like that. You can't help it. When you play music for as long as we have, other styles of music are going to come into play, whether it's classical music or jazz. Myself, I love stuff like Luciano Pavarotti. There's going to be those things. It also helps the songwriting because you take from some of your heroes, like Jimi Hendrix or, like I said, back to opera music or classical music, you can't help but intertwine some of that in the music. That is in the roots of the music.

Then, obviously, thrash metal plays a very big part of it, because we all came from a lot of the early bands. There's going to be some of those influences. People will hear a little bit of the Exodus thing; they will hear a little bit of the Hirax thing. Even with Doug, he's just a well-rounded guitar player, and his songwriting skills are majorly off the charts. This guy's got a big brain, and he really has a great way of looking at music. People are going to hear the stuff that we grew up on, whether it's Budgie or any of that kind of stuff. They're also going to hear thrash metal mixed in with elements of classical music.

How would you describe Nefarious' sound to someone who hasn't heard your music yet? Are you leaning more into old-school thrash, or is there a modern edge to it?

Katon: I think we're a cross between, obviously, early thrash metal, but also a lot of the heavy metal influence is there as well. You will hear some harmonies, bands like Maiden and Thin Lizzy. We'd be lying if we said that wasn't there, because we grew up on that stuff. Deep Purple's a big influence. Rainbow. Obviously, Ritchie Blackmore, stuff like that. It's going to be in there.

I think we also have a different way of looking at it, because we've been doing it for so long. We're not trying to be like a lot of the other bands, and we're not trying to be modern. There are modern sounds, because we're recording in modern studios. The music's definitely coming from the right place. I think that people hear that when they listen to this new song, "One Nation Enslaved," you can hear that we definitely have stuck to our guns. We're not trying to do commercial music, but we also are writing songs that are memorable.

BAND CHEMISTRY

What's the creative dynamic like between band members? Is there one main songwriter, or is it more of a collaborative, jam-it-out process?

Katon: Well, in the beginning, obviously, since it was Doug's project, he was putting it together. A lot of the earlier songs are going to be Doug-based, they're going to be songs that he wrote for the most part. The great thing is with these kinds of musicians is that everybody's so open to ideas and we're not afraid to try things. That's what's going to be really interesting going forward. With the new material, I would say by the second record, it'll still have the roots of what we've been doing, but it's just going to get bigger and better because there's going to be more input.

A lot of the earlier songs are Doug Piercy songs, and we love them because he's such a good songwriter. We also bring a lot of elements in there. He's so open to our suggestions. Some of the songs started out sounding a different way than they ended up becoming because there's more input from the other musicians. There's a lot of openness to everybody bringing in ideas.

Having come from similar but still different musical backgrounds, how do your personalities and styles complement (or clash) in the studio and on stage?

Katon: We want the best, so there is clashing, but not in a mean way. I think also because we're older, it's not like when we were 21 where we fucking hated each other, [chuckles] or any of that shit going on. There's none of that. It's more about trying to get the best out of the songs. We work really hard. There's just a lot more work going into these songs, but for the best. Somebody can say that part sucks, and then we'll just try to do something better.

Some of the songs have needed a little bit of work. We put the work in and then they get better and better. There were songs that I didn't think were as good at first, and they got better because we worked harder on them. There's been a good collaboration of ideas, and that's really awesome. Working with these guys personality-wise has been great because we're having fun.

I think that's the other difference. Even though we take this very seriously, we're having a hell of a lot of fun. The biggest problem we usually have is having all the band members in the recording studio at the same time, because there's just that's too much input. It's usually better when we have two or three of the musicians in the studio, but when we have all five, it gets a little crazy.

Do you guys hang out outside of the band too, or is this strictly business when you are together?

Katon: No, I think the thing that's cool is that we all like each other, and we're still getting to know each other. Some of us haven't been in bands together before. This lineup is the first time all of us have been together, but some of them, like Doug and Rick Hunolt, they've known each other for four decades minimum. Doug recorded a lot of the early Exodus demos, so they've got a good history with each other. They've been hanging out, and I know that the drummer, Will Carroll, has been hanging out with them and also Tom.

I'm the only one who's distant. I'm in Los Angeles. They're all in San Francisco, but when we get together, it's always good, and we're going to be hanging out a lot more because we're going to be touring together. I think the thing that's helping us is that our age allows us to be a little bit more patient because we do have different beliefs and different ideas and sometimes even different attitudes, but we're a little bit more patient, and we're still getting to know each other. The lineup's pretty solid, and everybody's really just having a good time with it.

RECEPTION FROM THE METAL COMMUNITY

How has the response been so far from fans and the metal community? Have you noticed a strong following building already?

Katon: Yes. We didn't know what to expect. To be super honest with you, we were going to give this thing a hell of a go. We decided we're going to go for this and work really hard, but we didn't know that when we released the first single. Now I feel good, though, because we had a meeting on what song we were going to release first, because there were five other songs that were ready to go.

I actually did not want that to be the first song, but I got outvoted. What was great is that they were right. The song did really well. We never thought this song would do what it's doing. It's already on a lot of charts. It's getting a lot of radio play, even though we didn't write the song for the radio. We wrote it for heavy metal fans.

The overall response worldwide, just seeing it pop up on all these different websites and magazines, whether it's Metal Hammer or Rock Hard, or even Russia, places like that, Finland. To see it just going all over the world in different languages, Hungary, Greece, Japan, so many different countries, and obviously the US. In the Bay Area, the reception up in San Francisco has been insane. We knew we would have support in the Bay Area, but the support has been 100% over the top. Our first show is going to be in San Francisco, so it's cool to start off there, and then we'll travel and do the rest of the world as soon as the new album comes out.

Have there been any standout moments—a show, a message from a fan, or a review—that made you feel like, "Yeah, we're on to something here"?

Katon: Yes, many. That's what's really crazy. I just did a show this past weekend with Death Angel and Exodus. It was Death Angel, Exodus, and Hirax. Backstage before we played, I was amazed at how many guys had heard it already. We had so many guys from Exodus and Death Angel go, "I heard the new song. It's fucking amazing." For me, that's really big because I respect all those guys. I've known them for four decades.

We played a lot of our earliest shows with Death Angel and Exodus, so to hear it from my peers is amazing. We've heard from a lot of critics that normally are really tough critics. That's scary because we respect all those critics, but some of them can be very brutal. All the compliments have been just amazing from different people.

Even record labels are already contacting us, though we haven't really made a concrete decision on who we're going to release this stuff with. We're doing a lot of it independently right now. I think to get the record and the music out to the world, we're going to have to probably deal with some label people sooner or later. Right now, it's independent. A lot of labels have already contacted us.

BAY AREA THRASH OF THE '80S VS. NOWADAYS

How would you describe today's Bay Area thrash metal scene when comparing it to the early '80s days—sort of the heyday of Bay Area thrash?

Katon: It's still very strong. It's easily one of the strongest in the world. The band coming out of the Bay Area is a great thing. Obviously, anywhere else would be cool too, because the music's pretty damn good, but the combination of the music being good and coming out of San Francisco, for us, is excellent.

Our first show is almost sold out. They're already talking about moving it to a bigger room, which is awesome. We still have three months to go. The single's only been out, I think, maybe three weeks, something like that. Yes, probably around three weeks. The first show is almost sold out, and we still have three months to go.

Oh, now that's pretty cool.

Katon: Yes. I can't wait to drop some of the other songs. We're going to probably do another single, I think, next month, at the beginning of next month. I'm really looking forward to it because, like I said, I didn't even vote for the first single that came out and it did really well.

If we talk a little bit about live shows and touring, are you planning to play some one-off gigs or festival slots in the near future, or are you focused more on writing and recording right now?

Katon: I'd like to do both. I think we can. These guys are strong, especially between the two guitar players, because they're always coming up with more songs. We have two more that we're getting ready to record, and then I think the record will be completed. Touring is going to be really important too, because that's actually the best way for the band to survive. We got to go out on the road.

This morning when I woke up, I got a message from Greece. There are different countries, Germany, Greece, that are already interested in bringing us over. That's going to happen. The music is the most important thing. Everything else can happen after that, because you've got to have good songs. Touring is going to be a big part of that.

My idea is this. I would like to record like bands used to do in the old days, where they would do like two albums. We're not going to do this all the time, but the first couple of years, I'd like to do a couple albums a year. We have one ready in the can and one that we can put out. Then as we're touring, then we can drop the second record, because that's a lot of the major classic old school bands like AC/DC, Thin Lizzy, even Kiss, they used to release two albums in a year.

Also, I want to make sure the quality is there. I don't want to rush it. If the record's not ready, we're not going to release it. For now, one record a year would be a good start. If it's every six months, especially like you were asking me about how much the music scene has changed, especially in the Bay Area. The main thing is computers and the Internet. Everything's so fast. Even this interview, it could be up in seconds. Everything's way faster than it's ever been. In the '80s, it was slow. It took, at minimum, two weeks to a month before you could get music and distribution and all that. Now, you drop the single and it can be digital downloaded on Apple Music and iTunes and Spotify within weeks at the most.

THE TAPE TRADING TIMES

Back in the day when we didn't have this Internet thing yet, there was this strong worldwide tape-trading and pen pal scene, and I believe you were a big part of it too.

Katon: Yes, I loved it. I still have a lot of the tapes. Now I just consider when you burn a CD or you trade CDs or any of that stuff, that's like tape trading for the kids that don't know. Back in the day, making a cassette tape and putting a lot of care into that tape, you'd put on a few different demos, and you would send it to a friend in a different country. It was great.

Do you still have all the letters that you have got from some tape traders of those days who were heavily into trading tapes, flyers, etc. with you?

Katon: I have some of the stuff from the '80s, not all of it. I wish I did. Some of my friends were so smart, they kept everything. I just never had the space and time. I wish I did, because over the years I lost a lot of stuff. I have all the early Hellhammer demos and all that stuff. Obviously, all the American demos of bands like Metallica, Overkill, Metal Church, all that stuff. I still have great memories of it. That's one thing you can't take away from us old thrashers.

Yes, that's so true [*chuckles*].

Katon: The tape-trading days were amazing.

They were indeed. I also do have some great memories from those days, but I am not getting into those memories right now, as my time is running out for getting this interview finished... But anyways, if we are still sticking to this touring and doing live shows thing, have you had any talk yet of hitting the road like for a full tour? If so, what venues or cities are on your wish list?

Katon: I think what's cool is the band already has a pretty high profile. We're not giant, but I think people, they can smell blood in the water, so to speak. They know something's coming out of the Bay Area. Like I said, even this new song has gotten around pretty fast. We'll start out like a lot of bands. We'll do a lot of club shows, because club shows are a great way to start building up your fan base.

We're playing a place called the DNA Lounge in San Francisco, and I think that's going to be July 19th. That's the first show. After that, we'll start doing more club shows as well as festivals, because festivals are a big part of what we do and how heavy metal bands get their word out there. Obviously, the European festivals, we'll be looking at those as well. America is finally starting to get some pretty good festivals happening here, so we'll be doing those. The festivals are cool. I still love playing the clubs, though, because we're closer to the audience. You can get right in their face. I'm not ashamed to do that either. I don't mind playing in front of 300 people. That's no problem.

Are there any bands you would like to tour with either as a support act or on a co-headlining run?

Katon: Yes, it's good to do package tours. We'll get back out there, and we'll look at what's offered. Bands that are in the same genre, even though we're a little bit different, we still are a thrash metal band. I think when people hear the rest of the album, they're going to hear there's a lot more going on than just thrash metal. It's thrash metal, but it's got a lot more to it. Bands like Testament, Vio-lence, whoever, we'll tour with any bands. Some of our old bands, guys that we played with in the past, we'll tour with.

We're also looking at some of the European bands because we've known a lot of those guys for decades. Whether it's Destruction or Sodom, over 40-plus years, I remain really good friends with a lot of those bands. It'd be cool to tour with some of them because we also know them and we've been playing for some years. It's not like the early days when we were really young and didn't know what the hell we were doing.

We've already started talking to good agents, and it's just a matter of timing. Before even Nefarious, some of the tours just couldn't line up, whether it be Hirax and Exciter, there's a lot of different tours that we were offered. I think in the years coming up, there'll be a lot more stuff that we can actually arrange and make happen.

LOOKING AHEAD

If we are looking ahead a little bit, what's the next big goal for Nefarious, an EP or another full album or maybe a string of singles?

Katon: I think we'll be doing mostly full albums because the songwriting is there. We have a pretty good team and that's not even mentioning the other three guys besides the two guitar players. The bass player, Tom Gears, is really good. He can play and he can write. Will's got a very creative mind as a drummer and he can help put songs together, and I've been doing it for a long time myself. I see us writing a lot more music, and I've been on the band to do that because I think that, really, what I want Nefarious to be is a band that people can rely on the songs being strong. I think if we start writing a little bit earlier, even after this first album comes out, we'll have a solid second record pretty quickly.

Where do you see the band a year from now—bigger stages, more aggressive sound, or maybe some unexpected creative turns?

Katon: I think people are going to get what they expect. I think they're going to get a real heavy band that's actually a little more creative because, like I said, we've got a lot of weapons. It's not like it's just one-dimensional, this band. They're going to get some really good metal. I think we're going to be getting a lot of good stuff because there's a lot of things already falling in place for us.

The support's there, too. I was surprised at how many people spread the word about this new band. It is really quick, so to have the support system that we have even in San Francisco with the other bands that we know, whether it be Death Angel or Forbidden or Vio-lence or Exodus or Testament, it's a really great support group of friends. I think there'll be some really major things happening, especially by next summer.

Okay, I have one last question for you, and then I guess I'll let you go for coffee or beer or doing whatever you might be into doing up next. Any words for fans who are just discovering you now? What can they expect from Nefarious in 2025 and beyond?

Katon: I think that's a great question, because we're a new band, even though we're veterans, everybody's come from another pretty major thrash metal band. This is a new thing. I think that's what's happening even up in San Francisco for us, that it is a brand-new thing. These are new songs, new approaches to this thrash metal. We're going to get something very special and we're going to make sure that the production's good, the packaging's good, because we believe that the fans deserve really good stuff.

They're spending their hard-earned money on these records, especially now that records cost so much. If you go to a record store and buy vinyl, it isn't cheap. I think people should get a hell of a package, and some really good songs. Basically, just give them what they deserve. We're going to make sure that we really pay attention to these songs. We're not going to release anything that we're not proud of and just get ready for it. Nefarious is coming. The first album is called Addicted to Power. The title track is one of the best songs on the record. I think people are really going to love it.

Thanks a lot for your time for making this interview happen, Katon. I, for one, am wishing you all the best with your bands. Hopefully, we will have a chance to see you guys here in Europe someday.

Katon: I think you will by next year. We're really working hard on this. I think everyone's going to see Nefarious next year in Europe, maybe even sooner.

Thank you for the support. We'll see you in Europe next year at least. Metal...!! \,,/

Other information about Nefarious on this site

Review: Addicted to Power