In a musical climate that caters sugarcoated pop to the teeny-bopper set, then Full Devil Jacket's music is a refreshing change of pace. The five-man group from Jackson, Tennessee delivers in-your-face metal and punk that will definitely appeal to fans of hardcore. Behind the heavy music, however, Full Devil Jacket's lyrics deal with the complicated matters of the heart and the other side of the human condition. Call it thinking man's thrash music.

Full Devil Jacket are Josh Brown (vocals/lyrics), Jonathan Montoya (guitars), Mike Reaves (guitars), Keith Foster (drums), and Kevin Bebout (bass). The band formed in 1995 and played local shows in their native Tennessee while gathering a loyal following in the process. A performance at the WXTB Livestock festival caught the attention of Island Def Jam A&R man tom Zutaut. Riding the wave of emerging momentum, Full Devil Jacket played on as part of the Warped Tour and Woodstock '99 on the Emerging Artists stage.

Last year, Full Devil Jacket released a five-song EP called A Wax Box to Put Your Frankenstein Heads In (say those five times fast). It was a sampler of music to come in the form of a full-length album this March. Wax features some blistering, unrelenting punk metal like in "Screaming Jesus," "Stain," and "D.M.F." Ironically the closing song "Full Devil Jacket" is quiet and subdued, demonstrating that the band can capture a mood in a rocking or a slow song.

It has been a slow but nurturing growing process for the band. In addition to the new album, there is also a website www.fulldeviljacket.com that features band news, photos, and music downloads. The band is also on tour .

I had a chance to talk with drummer Keith Foster about the group, the music, and what they are doing present and future.

1. What sets your music apart from other hard rock bands today?

We have a combo from a dark melodic sound to a burst of "in your face"
Intensity within the same song.

2. The lyrics reflect a very dark, almost disturbing point of view while
coming grappling at the issues of the self? What is the inspiration behind
the lyrics?

Darkness of life dealing with relationships and Indulgences.

3. On the EP, A Wax Box...the first four songs rock with a punkish intensity but the last song "Full Devil Jacket" concludes with a haunting, subdued note. Can you elaborate on that?

It's a time line from the beginning of our music together to the more
maturity of our music today .

4. What artists did you listen to growing up? Who were your main influences?

[Our musical influences includes] Pantera, C.O.C, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Soundgarden.

5. At what point did you guys decide to become musicians?

We came together about five years ago but we all have our own point of
becoming a musician. My personal point of wanting to do it professionally was when I heard "Shout at the Devil" by Motley Crue.

6. How would you describe the music scene from your hometown of Jackson, Tennessee?

Small but very good. All of the musicians from the area get three style
from the Memphis and Nashville scene.

7. How was it like playing at Woodstock '99? How would you describe that moment?

Woodstock was hot, but it was a dream come true to play in front of a
few thousand people for the first show straight out of doing the album. It
was a great pleasure.

8. Is it difficult playing to an audience who may be unfamiliar to your
music? How do you win them over?

Its very hard to play for an audience that doesn't know your music, but
we put a lot of energy into our live show and it comes across to the audience and they really enjoy it.

9. How do you guys in the band complement each other-what explains your chemistry?

A strong groove from myself and Kevin, Jonathan and Mike laying down concrete guitar riffs, and with Josh's lyrics, makes an awesome package.

10. When is the new full-length album coming out and how would that compare with your EP?

Full length comes out on March 7th. The full length takes the same hard
driving intensity of the EP and combines it with melodic guitar riffs and vocals.

11. What are your future goals? What do you hope to accomplish?

To become the best at what we do and to accomplish having the peopleexperience through our music what we have experienced in all of our lives.