To celebrate the release of his debut EP Biting The Hand That Feeds, we caught an interview with Christian Metal artist Feet in the Fire.
We talk about the inspiration for making the project, the bible stories behind the songs, and the challenges of intertwining the intensity of heavy metal with the peaceful living of Christian Faith. Here’s the conversation in full.
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Hey – great to connect with you, and huge congrats for the release of the debut EP! The project is immense, cinematic and powerful, conceptually rooted – tell me about the creative process, where did this begin?
For the past thirteen or so years I have always wanted to be in a band. I was in a few in that time. The one that I was with the longest, we broke up due to musical differences. From that point on, the style of metal that I wanted to pursue changed quite a bit, including the metal genres themselves. I think I have it dialled in for the most part though.
As for where it began, if you asked me those thirteen years ago, it would be at my best friends’ house and talking with him about wanting to be in a band. But this project specifically, it began in my truck. In the song Promise in the Fire, the opening line is “As I walked to the shore, an oracle appeared before me.”
There was one day over a year ago, I was driving home and listening to the band Lorna Shore and I just thought I should just start making music. At that time, I was really delving into strengthening and growing my Faith, and I felt called to write music about spreading the gospel.
Have you always made music but not released it, or only just got into things?
I mainly just got into things. But I did have tons of notebooks that had lyrics from when I was in high school.
Who or what first inspired your passion for metal?
Growing up, my dad always listened to classic rock and my mom country. I always loved video game soundtracks. Most of my musical taste comes from the Grand Theft Auto series. Then harder rock came into play at some point, like Linkin Park. Then I remember it clear as day. I was at my friend’s house (same friend I mentioned before) and he had the radio on to a rock station and The Bleeding by Five Finger Death Punch was playing and I told him I really like this song. Then we went on his computer and he showed me the full version of the song, because you know radio stations sometimes cuts out parts, and from there on, it just blossomed.
How did you decide upon the artist name Feet in the Fire?
Before I was set on Feet in the fire, there were a few names that I thought of that I couldn’t tell you what they were if my life depended on it right now. But my wife knew that I was thinking of names, and she blurted out Feet in the Fire. I was like “what?” She went on to explain like are you going to stand in the fire and keep burning? Or are you going to get up and do something about it. I was like “Damn!”
We then talked about it and its like the fire is sin, so are you going to stay in your life of sin? Or are you going to seek faith and do something about it. I wanted the name to be impactful, which I think this really captures what I am going for.
The artwork for the EP is stunning. How did you create this, and what was the concept or idea behind it?
I released a single last year, Woe to Him, which is on the current EP. I did some AI imaging for some ideas, and it came up with a man by himself looking at an enormous cloud of smoke.
Iron Maiden has their mascot Eddie and Molly hatchet has their Viking mascot. I think my niche is someone looking towards something which will be the vocal point. With this artwork, we have a man looking towards a light, with what kind of looks like ash breaking away from him. Which I interpret as sin breaking away as he is looking towards the light.
The project begins with the intense weight and pace of The Covenant – what’s the story you’re telling here?
For every song on this EP, I based them on a book from the bible. So, for The Covenant, it’s based-on Genesis, which is the beginning of the bible and thought it would be cool to put it at the beginning of the EP. But the main point of this song comes from the flood that took out the earth, and wanted to make it for modern times.
“The world is full of sin, and in the end times, it’s going to get real. But the word Covenant means promise, and the bible tells us that the rainbow is a promise he will not start another flood. So, at the end of the song I say “Look to the sky, to see the colors of the covenant”.”
The sound is huge – how did you build each track, are you a multi-instrumentalist, did you enlist a band, or is this all electronically programmed?
When I first wanted to start this project, I did not want to have a band mainly because I wanted a certain style. Don’t get me wrong, I loved being in a band. But a band comes with reliability, and practices, which most people don’t have time for, and unfortunately, I am not instrumentally inclined so I had to find a way to make the music.
So, for a few weeks I searched online for someone to write and create the music. I was getting discouraged because some that I found were out of my budget or I thought they weren’t the right fit. But God helped me out and I found Louis Littlebrain, who was reasonably priced and fit what I was going for musically.
How did you teach yourself to arrange and produce tracks?
So, Louis actually writes, records, and produces all of the music. But the process for me is, I’ll ponder on a topic that I want to write about. Write down a few lyrics, and see what the vibe will or should be. I think of a couple of songs that are similar to what I’m thinking. Then I let him know the vibe, what the song is about, and those similar songs. Once he is done with the rough draft, if you will, I’ll see if there are any changes that need to be made. Which by the way, from the five songs, I only made maybe four or five revisions? Louis is hell of a musician!
Then he will master the track. Once done, I will really delve into the lyrics and work on the wording. I usually listen to the track or tracks nonstop so I can really hone into the music. Then once I was done, I went to the recording studio, and laid down some vocals, then bam! All finished!
You put an intense amount of energy and volume into your performances – is this process therapeutic for you?
It sure can be. The most relaxing part for me is, is when I am listening to the tracks and putting words to the music. Writing the lyrics, is the most nerve-racking part of it. Since I am writing about and referencing the bible, I need to be careful because I don’t want to unknowingly contradict myself or unknowingly say something that is untrue.
“I’m no theologist, and still learning more and more every day, so I just want to make sure the lyrics are powerful, meaningful, but also true to God’s word.”
Is there a clear place for metal within the Christian music realm, or have there been struggles or levels of disconnection for you when bridging the ferocity of the music to the peaceful intentions of the Faith?
I believe there always has been a disconnection between the metal genre and Christianity. People assume that metal as a whole is satanic, which is far from the truth. There are so many amazing bands, Christian or non-Christian that help people through tough times in their life. Break ups, addiction, loss of a close friend or relative, you name it. Recently I have been seeing more and more Christian bands come out and its awesome. What better way to learn more about God and Jesus than while listening to some banging music.
What does the term Wolves in Wool represent?
The song Wolves in Wool is about false prophets and idols. The name of the song comes from Mathew 7:15-20 where Jesus talks about it. He says, “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.” I had to shorten it and that’s where the name came about. Also, I do speak the entirety of that scripture, which was definitely fitting I thought.
Is live performance part of your plans, and if so, what does that look like?
It is definitely something that I thought about. I would love to be on stage again. The only downside is that I will be by myself which will look a little awkward, but I will be full of adrenaline so I don’t think it would matter to much. Also, a bonus is I don’t have to worry about lugging around hundreds of pounds of gear and worrying about setting up and tearing down. All I need is my phone or a flash drive and we’re good to go!
Why did you choose to conclude the EP with Headstrong to Hell Bound?
Like The Covenant being based on Genesis, I wrote a song loosely based on Revelations being the end of the bible. The first three songs are bangers, the fourth song is on the lighter softer side, then I wanted to end the EP with an even bigger bang. This is the song I was the most excited for. The lyrics, the wording, and especially the music. I am very biased when I say this, but the end of this song makes me want to listen to the EP again. Like an amazing book that you read that was so amazing, you have to read it again.
What do you hope listeners take away from this EP?
There are well over hundreds or even thousands of topics from the bible that I could share and put into music. With this EP, it’s like a call to the people. Warning them to stop what they’re doing because those things are what the devil wants us to do. I’m not here to shove Faith or scripture down anyone’s throat. I just feel like I was called to do this and spread the gospel. If there are people that still don’t believe after listening to this EP or my future music, that’s is completely fine. But you still have some banging music to listen to.
Is there anything else we should know?
I am not a perfect Christian, no one is. The best we can do is grow and build our faith in Christ and be the best version of ourselves. My goal with this and future music is clear up misinterpretations and show people what the bible truly means. While doing something that I have always been passionate about. I heard a quote a while back and it said “Being Christian is about loving Judas too.” Which really hit me hard, and that’s a message I want to share with the world.
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Find Feet In The Fire on Apple, YouTube & Facebook.
