As 2025 winds down and we ramp into 2026, I was able to have a chat with Keith Feulner,
drummer for WarClown. We talked about the history and origin of WarClown, the Knoxville
metal scene, and what lies ahead for the band in 2026. I am looking forward to hearing their new stuff after checking out their EP “Eyes Pitch Black”
on bandcamp, and their previous album “Agents of Chaos” Both albums are heavy and have a
powerful groove metal and thrash feel to them and pair well with working out and driving fast.
Enjoy and here’s to a Happy and Heavy 2026 Y’all
Who is the best band or artist you have seen live?
Boy, that’s a hard one to answer. I grew up on Long Island and was lucky enough to experience
the NYHC boom, along with the rise of thrash and crossover bands. I’ll have to list some of the
most memorable. Biohazard — hands down one of the greatest live shows of the time — along with Sick of It All
and Life of Agony. These days, I’d say Terror takes that belt for me personally. Ludichrist
playing a Christmas show wearing Santa hats only on their junk… sick band. I was blessed to see
Death on the Spiritual Healing tour. Overkill always put on killer shows. Getting to see Frank
and the boys in Suffocation was always a blast. Pantera in NYC, where half the venue basically
turned into a triage area from how brutal the show was. And I absolutely cannot leave out my
friends in VOD (Vision of Disorder) — ANY show they played turned into a warzone.
WarClown has been around since 2011. How did you get started, and how long
has this lineup been together?
At the time, I had spent many years playing in Nashville’s Disarray as their touring drummer and
recorded one album with them, Born to Overcome. We had played several shows with Knoxville
band Downslave, and when we were looking for a new bassist, singer Brad Parker introduced me
to Jared Homant. Since we both lived in Knoxville, we got together, learned the set for Chuck Bonnet III (founder
of Disarray), and prepped for some shows. When some things shifted in the industry, Chuck put
Disarray on hold. Jared then brought in an absolute beast of a guitarist, Tommy Clabough, to jam
and see what happened.We had a few songs worked up when a promoter called about a show. We quickly put together a
set with former vocalist Chad Burcham (RIP) and opened for — who else — Downslave. We
were immediately contacted by a label with an offer and were signed almost right away.
With most of the instruments already tracked at Miah’s Sound Lair, we recruited Brad Parker
lastminute to handle vocals. Most of the lyrics were written on the fly the week before vocal
tracking. Brad came in and absolutely knocked it out of the park on our first album, Devastation
With a Smile. He stuck around for three full albums and is one of the most talented frontmen I
know. Tommy had work schedule issues and had to step back a bit during the second album, Crooks of
Justice — our first fully sel fproduced record, tracked entirely at my studio, Eleventy Seven, and
mixed by Juan Urteaga (Testament, Exodus, Machine Head). Tommy still contributed writing
and guest appearances. By then, we had annoyed Fuzz (Brian Gibbs) enough to join as a second
guitarist, and our good friend Tim Entwistle carried the torch for that album and a ton of live
shows. When Tim moved to Arizona for a career change, we recruited Jacob Miller (VanKale, Welcome
Eternity) to help with some national opener shows like Killswitch Engage. We basically didn’t
let him leave and ended up writing the entire Agents of Chaos album together — our first album
fully recorded, mixed, and mastered inhouse (mastered by Jacob Veal). Both Crooks and Agents
were completely DIY releases. Jared also connected with videographer Jacob Yoon, who shot
our first official video for “Trigger.” Jacob Miller eventually shifted focus to his new material with Welcome Eternity, and around the
same time we parted ways with Brad and changed direction a bit. That led us to Chris Downey
(formerly of VanKale), and the new songwriting era began. We played a few solid shows with
just Fuzz on guitar, because we simply couldn’t find the right second guitarist.
Until… One day, heading home from practice, I stopped at a gas station. No one else was inside. I heard
a guy listening to something on his phone and said, “Nice snare tone on that track.” He said,
“Thanks — it’s mine.” Huh? What band? “No band. It’s all me in my home studio.” Interesting. I
told him I had a band too, left him a couple links, and he hit me back an hour later. That’s how
Justin Kelley joined — solid dude, solid player, and like everyone else in this band, it just felt
like destiny.We released the Eyes Pitch Black EP — the first of the new sound with Chris and Justin on board
— and the writing hasn’t stopped. We’re already 4–5 tracks into the next fulllength, with a few
more scratchtracked. This next one is heavy, dynamic, and full of powerful grooves. Wait until
you hear the first single.
How has the Knoxville metal scene grown over the years?
There are ups and downs with everything, and the scene — along with the venues — tends to
move in cycles. Back in 2011, there were a handful of solid bands and a fair number of venues. As more bands
formed and some became more professional, more venues started booking heavy shows. But
eventually the scene became oversaturated with “metal” bands, and venues began cutting back
on heavy bookings. That creates another issue: bands realize they need to travel to play. And there’s not much money
in this genre — you have to be committed because you love it. That weeds out a lot of bands. It
also creates drama when people talk trash or get competitive.
In the end, the only bands left standing are the ones that supported each other from the beginning
— the ones who just want to see their talented friends succeed with no drama and TOGETHER.
Who’d a thought.
How does a WarClown song come together? Does it start with a riff, a lyrical idea, or something else?
Our songwriting process has been pretty consistent for a long time. Usually someone brings in a
riff that grabs our attention. We figure out whether it feels like a hook, verse, or chorus, then let
the song tell us where it wants to go. We build the structure — end cap with an intro and outro — and decide whether the journey
needs a solo. We lay down scratch tracks at practice, listen back, and adjust the flow.
Every track needs a heavy moment — a breakdown, a twostep, something with weight — but we
always let the song dictate what it needs.
If you could curate a oneday festival with three other bands (from any era), who
would you choose?
If I could put together a festival with bands from ANY era or genre, I’d go with:
Death (1991–1996 era)
Exodus (Rob Dukes era) or Sacred Reich
Pink Floyd – Animals era to close out the night
Links:
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/WarClownBand/
ReverbNation: https://www.reverbnation.com/warclown
Twitter: @WarClownBand
Instagram: @warclownband
YouTube: @WarClownBand
Bandcamp: https://warclown.bandcamp.com/
