Incubus-Supernatural Death demo (1987) + Serpent Temptation LP (1988)

Download "Supernatural Death"

Download "Serpent Temptation"

BONUS! Download "Incubus-LIVE at the Franklin St. VFW Hall (NOLA)"

Incubus was a thrash/death metal band that formed in New Orleans in the mid/late 80's. They released a demo and 2 LP's with the name Incubus and now the Howard brothers (Francis and Moyses) are still creating music as Opprobrium, since a horrible pop band copyrighted the name Incubus.

Here is an interview with original vocalist/bassist Scot Latour that was originally printed in Paranoize # 25 (September, 2007).

So when and how did Incubus get started?

We actually started out as a 4-piece with Brian Jeffrey(Haate) on vocals.

We played a mix of covers and originals. We did a couple of shows

(remember "Waves" on Martin Behrman?) and some studio work. The style was fairly 

unique and Brian sang with clean vocals. It was along the lines of early RUSH meets Queensryche. Anyway, Francis and Moyses wanted to go heavier and decided that it would be better if I sang vocals. I had never done it before but went along with it anyway. And so Incubus began.

Incubus, if I remember, was the first death metal band in the New Orleans scene. How was the response when you first started playing shows?
THE first? I guess that's arguable but, we were definitely ONE of the first. It was actually kind of cool in an era and scene that was full of hair-metal bands.

I had plenty of musician friends that played the "glam" stuff so the first 5 or 6
shows that we played, we opened for that type of band(Leonyne, Rex). We were generally
pretty well recieved because we were good musicians and generally had more energy
than the bands that we opened for. It was a real good way to cut our teeth on performing
in front of an audience. Hatchboy(ShellShock) actually gave us our start on the

metal/crossover scene. We opened up for them and got a pretty good response.

What were your favorite and least favorite shows?
This is a tough one because I've always enjoyed playing live. It's hard to pick a favorite but, I always enjoyed playing at Storyville, great venue. My least favorite would have to be when I blew my Carvin head at the VFW Hall. Although I did get to use a sweet Ampeg tube head while mine was being repaired.

What do you miss the most from that era?
I miss the tighness of all of the bands and musicians. Everyone tried to help each other out. We were all breaking new ground in some way or another because the genre was still relatively new, and New Orleans turned out to be a big part of shaping what it became. There was this Exhorder and Incubus feud early on (long story), but I later was friends with all of them and we did a lot of partying together.

How was your "Supernatural Death" demo received in the underground?

The demo was traded like crazy! We would get mail from people all over the country.'

Tape trading was pretty big back then and we benefitted from it. We gave 

Phil(Anselmo) a bunch of tapes and shirts and he helped to spread the word as well.

What's the story behind the label that released your "Serpent Temptation" LP, Brutal Records?

Brutal Records was a subsidiary of Metal Works Records. It was a small label. We signed a one record deal, and had a budget of 20 grand. We were able to get the record done and do a little advertising. To my knowledge Metal Works, along with it's subsidiary(s), went out of business in 1989.

 Did you get any flack in the scene for the Christian lean in your lyrics?

No, and to be honest, I never really got any feedback concerning the lyrics. I have read some reviews that mentioned the christian lean but that's about it. We didn't make it a point to be that way lyrically, it's just how we felt at the time we wrote the stuff.

Wasn't there a 2nd guitarist in the band for a brief period?Yes. Very brief. We thought that it would thicken the sound by adding another guitarist. We tried out a few guitarists, and a guy named Jason Baas, played with us for about a month or so, but it just didn't work out.

What's your side of the story behind you parting with Incubus?Ah! It seems that there are 3-sides to every story. Well after touring for "Serpent", we started working on the new songs, a lot of which had already been written. There was a lot going on in my life at the time. we still had not gotten with a new label, and the brothers decided to fire our manager(there Uncle). I did not agree with the decision, but reluctantly accepted it. I was going through a lot emotionally because I had just lost my Father to cancer. It was right around that time that they came to me at practice and decided that they wanted Francis to be the vocalist. I knew at this point that I could no longer count on Michael(our former-manager) to take my side in matters. I decided to leave the band and get my life together before continuing my music career.

What is your opinion on the re-recording of "Serpent Temptation" with Francis on vocals?t was a money grab. In my opinion, that's all it was. I was never contacted in regards to re-releasing the original. Whether or not that was ever part of the plan, I don't know.

 Everything that I wrote was changed so that they were not on the hook to give me any money or credit for it. Which is fine, I was never doing it for the money anyway. It's just the 

principle of the whole thing. I just think that it was a pretty shitty thing to do overall.

After Incubus, you went on to play bass for Haate; how did this band get started?

I had a blast with Haate. We got started because we all knew each other from the bar 

scene (Dino's, Last Stop, etc.). We were all friends/acquaintances already so it was a fun 

and relaxing thing for me to get back into playing again. We started from the beginning as 

strictly originals. We started out as a 4-piece(Me, Jay Gracianette, James Landry, Willie Larkin), and we wrote and practiced about 4 songs before trying out singers. When I found out that Brian Jeffrey was available, I immediately wanted him(we played together briefly in early-Incubus and I always thought that he was a better frontman than I was), but everyoneinsisted that we have tryouts. We tried out several and in the long run decided on Brian.The rest, as they say, is history.

What were your favorite and least favorite Haate shows?

I don't recall any least favorite shows. I enjoyed playing live with Haate. One of my favorites was when we played at City Park. It was as hot as hell but I had fun.

How did Haate come to an end?

As we started getting bigger in popularity we started to have some infighting, as every band eventually runs into. We had already become a 4-piece, when James left the band by mutual decision. I decided to leave the band and move to Atlanta in June of '91 for a change of scenery. I just felt that when it was no longer fun for me it was time to move on. I ruffled some feathers with my decision, and probably didn't handle it in the best of ways, but we're all still friends. 

Which band did you enjoy playing for the most?Now this is a hard question to answer because, I enjoyed being in both bands. There were differences in the two, so I can't say that I have a preference. Haate was a lot more fun as far as practicing(less of a job), and life outside of the band. But because of the success 

that Incubus achieved I had a lot of good times with them as well.

What are you up to nowadays?

I work for a large communications company in Atlanta. I've been married for almost 8 years,and have a son who turns 5 in September. I still love Metal and support as many metal bands as I can.

Thanks for the interview, Scot!  Any final comments/suggestions/recipes/remedies/etc.?

Thanks to everyone who still shows interest in The Original Incubus, and continues to spreadour music around the world. Moyses called me about 4 years ago and asked if I would beinterested in doing an Incubus reunion. I told him that I would but, I haven't heard from himsince then. The debut album's twenty year reunion is just around the corner. I want fans outthere to know that it could still happen, it's not out of the realm of possibility. Continue tosupport metal on a local, national, and international level. Metal will never die! \m/

The Flagrantz-"Live At The Franklin St. VFW Hall, New Orleans (1987)"

Download "Flagrantz-Live At The Franklin St. VFW Hall, NOLA (1987)

The Flagrantz were a hardcore/thrash band from New Orleans, LA in the late 80's. They  never officially recorded anything before disbanding, but I was recently handed this live recording from one of their many VFW Hall shows!

Here is an interview with former bassist, Chris Fonseca!

Who was in The Flagrantz and how/when did you get together?
The main two members were Craig Spera-vocals and Jason Baas-guitar. The band started in late 1986 and was made up of high school guys from New Orleans East.
The Flagrantz soon came to attention of the Shell Shock camp and opened some big all ages shows while I was in  Shell Shock. In summer of 87 I left Shell Shock along with Mike Goner. We started our own band called Magic Circus with Sean Hennessey. At the same time The Flagrantz bassist was leaving and they asked if I was interested. So the "classic" Flagrantz line up was Craig Spera-vocals, Jason Baas-guitar Jason Mancuso-guitar, Chris Fonseca-bass, Victor Lemoine-drums

What style of music did you play?
The bands concept was fresh to me as they played speed metal but had a hardcore singer.like if Slayer had the D.R.I. singer or something

When was the show that these songs were recorded?
The recording is at the v.f.w.hall fall 1987 . Prob with incubus, Exhorder and Shell Shock.

Why did y'all never get into the studio to record a demo?
The band was extremely part time as far as worrying about touring or recording. Everyone was still in high school except me, the grandpa at 22.
Unfortunately no other recordings have survived that I know of...would have been recorded in Baas's garage so the only pro recording is of this V.F.W Hall show.


What are some of your favorite memories from the 80's NOLA underground scene both on and off stage?
The band were like younger brothers to me since we were friends from the neighborhood. I had a lot of parties at my family house that bands like Ugly Americans, Descendents and Graveyard Rodeo played at, so I knew a lot of guys from New Orleans East that were too young to see these bands at clubs.
The Virul Nihils were also a band that played the New Orleans East party scene...where kids counted!

Acid Bath-"What A Drag" demo (1987)

Download "What A Drag"

Acid Bath was a punk/hardcore band from New Orleans that existed in the late 80's. Yes, there was another band with the same name from South Louisiana that came around in the 90's and put out a couple of albums, but this isn't about them!

Here is an interview with former bassist Kevin Thomas.

Who was in Acid Bath throughout the life of the band?

 The original lineup featured Steve Mott - guitar/vocals, Brad LaBorde – drums/vocals, and myself – bass/vocals. After parting ways with Mott, David Labruyere took over on guitar. When Dave made his exit, Jack Elder was his replacement.

How/when did you get together?
In early 1986, I ran into my old grade school buddy, Mott at a Dead Milkmen/Graveyard Rodeo show at Capp’s on Carrollton. He asked if I was playing music, and I had been playing guitar. He said he had a thing going with a friend in Marrero, and they needed a bass player. So, I borrowed my brother, Kyle’s bass and amp, met them at Brad’s house and we easily cranked out stuff like “Wild Thing” and “Blitzkrieg Bop”. They already had the name picked out, and PRESTO! We were a band!

What style of music did you play?
It was pretty typical 80s hardcore stuff. The earlier material (little of which was ever properly recorded) smacked of The Ramones, Sex Pistols, Minor Threat, Dead Kennedys type stuff. When Dave joined, the songwriting changed a lot. We were playing better and becoming more creative, more unique, I think. That’s most of what’s on the demo. Jack introduced a twist of psychedelic to it and by then, the sound was completely different than at the band’s inception. Damn shame we never recorded any of that stuff. “Mind Control Disintegrates” was brutal. Parts of it actually ended up in a Mooncrikits song.

Talk about your "What A Drag" demo.

With the money we made from gigs, we finally saved enough for a few days at Stonee’s Studio. Stonee was a dude in Metairie with a studio in his backyard recommended to us by Shell Shock and Exhorder. It was a hell of a learning experience for a bunch o’ rookies, man. Young, excited and impatient gave way to a lot of, ‘Man-I-wish-we-wouldas’. Personally, I learned that forcing vocal tracks with the flu leads one to sound much like a bullfrog doing his best Roger Miret impression. That cover came out of a stack of drawings my friend, Eddie Lancaster was constantly cranking out. It made us laugh so hard, it HAD to be the cover. I cut and pasted (literally, with scissors and a glue stick!) the “AB” in the character’s hands and couldn’t think of anything else to call it but, “What a Drag”. The caricatures on the inside of the cover and on the T-shirts were done by Reynard Rochon. I think only 4 songs from the original lineup made it to the demo: “Somebody Castrated My Dog”, “Crotch Itch”, “Diseased Between the Knees” and “Final Thoughts”. I still think “Newborn Corpse” was our best song. Dave’s opening riff still gives me da chicken skin. He was reluctant to record “Banana Road”. It was just some personal shit he’d piddle with while sittin’ around. Kinda like an exercise, or something… both hands on the fretboard. It took some arm twisting, but I’m glad he gave in. It’s one of my favorite tracks.

Was there anything else recorded?

Well, we used to sit around playing quarter-bounce and farting into a tape recorder. Does that count?

What are some of your favorite memories from the 80's NOLA underground scene both on and off stage?

Jeez… Where do ya start with this one? All day jam sessions in Brad’s garage followed by all night beer sessions, going to shows with the truck loaded up in case a band didn’t show (happened a few times!), getting to open for bands like Aggression, Agnostic Front, The Descendents, Naked Raygun… Of course, the VFW days were some golden times. I miss that scene. One of my best memories of those days, period, is the Virul Nihils. It’s an absolute crime those dudes never recorded. Once, some out-of-place-looking fatherly type fella told me, “Fuck you” when I asked for $5 at the door, strolled in and dragged his mortified daughter out by the arm. I’ll always remember how the place went ape-shit when we whipped out GBH’s “Diplomatic Immunity”. Skyler set his face on fire. Vinnie led an angry mob to chase off a bunch of preppie types for taggin’ some trailers on the property. Bruce and pals were serving beer to anyone. I learned that standing in ant piles and tripping are a HORRIBLE combination. Hell, St. Vitus played there, man! Some serious shit went down at that place. It was hard for any hardcore act to get booked at the good clubs. I’m glad that’s different, now. Before the Blue Crystal became the big, happenin’ club it was in the 90s, we booked a gig there with The Rosicrucians. The original owner of the club flipped out, shut it down before Reynard and co. could even start their second song and threw everyone out. We loaded up, went over to the Artist’s Café and set up on the tiny stage behind the bar. Brad said the house drums were like playing wet boxes. I could get really long-winded on this one!

What did the members of the band do musically after Acid Bath disbanded?

Brad and I got together with David Main (Exhorder) and Paul Prickett to form The Mooncrikits. Brad was

replaced with Craig Nunenmacher and went on to form Gus the Plumber. Mott has been involved with several of his own projects over the years, including HAMMER with me on bass and Joey Lacaze (RIP) on drums. That was some kick-ass shit. Dave ultimately landed a gig as the bass player for John Mayer (you may have heard of him). Yeah, that bass track on “Your Body is a Wonderland” is none other than the guitarist on “American Pervert”. Oh, the irony! I’m sure Jack is still floating in the stratosphere with Lucy, her diamonds and some King Crimson records.

Are you and other former members active in the music scene today?
Currently, I have no active jams happening. In 2008, I changed my name to ‘Daddy’ and stay focused on that. Haven’t been on stage since a Floodgate reunion in January, 2007. I plan to change that over the next couple years, though. I can’t speak for the other guys, as I have very little contact with them. 2 or 3 years ago, we tried putting an Acid Bath reunion together as an opening act for a Shell Shock reunion, but it never came together.

As most of us know, another band from the Houma/Morgan City area came along in the 90's and used the name Acid Bath and they got a good bit of popularity. Was this consensual, or was there any drama behind them using the name? 

Never heard of ‘em. HAHA! How did I KNOW this was gonna come up??? Jimmy Kyle and I chatted over beers about this. He told me that when they were going through a name change (another band had the rights to what they originally went by), they were sifting through an old flyer collection for ideas, and came across one of ours, liked the name and we hadn’t been active for years, so they rolled with it. There was never any drama or butt-hurt twisted panties about it. They’re an awesome buncha dudes, I love those albums and I was happy to see the name being used. We (Floodgate) played some killer shows with those cats. I miss ‘em.