Think rap metal is dead? Think again! The style of music that seemingly took the rock music world by storm during the late ‘90s may soon be experiencing a resurgence - if the emergence of the new group, Alarm For War, is any indication.

Hailing from Minneapolis, Minnesota, the band is comprised of members who all go by a single name - Buggy (vocals), KISA (guitar), Fletcher (bass), and Smitty (drums) - and will be issuing their debut recording on July 28th, a six-track EP titled Enemies Of The State. Shortly before its release, the band’s 13-year old singer/rapper chatted with BraveWords correspondent Greg Prato.

BraveWords: When and how did the band form?

Buggy: “I was in the studio with a seasoned singer, and what happened was he noticed that I was singing right on key with what he was doing - so he said, ‘You’ve got to get this kid into the studio to do back-ups with me!’ Everybody loved it and a man who heard me in the studio came to me shortly after that and said, ‘Hey, can you do these songs?’ So, we went to the studio, recorded, and once we did the songs, everybody thought it was great. So that’s how it all came together and then after that, we thought of the name Alarm For War, and here we are now.”

BraveWords: What is the meaning behind the band’s name?

Buggy: “Alarm For War actually comes from the Book of Jeremiah, when he was warning the people in the Bible, and Jeremiah was telling God, ‘They’re not listening. I’m ringing the alarm for war.’ So, we feel like in a way we are doing that same thing today because we’re sounding an ‘alarm’ so to speak to young people about the choices that they are making in their lives. We want to them a message of truth and hope through this EP and our lyrics, so they can think about what they’re doing and maybe change some things.”

BraveWords: So, there is a Christian slant on the band’s lyrics.

Buggy: “Yes - we are preaching the truth.”

BraveWords: Let’s discuss the new EP, Enemies Of The State.

Buggy: “I think one of my favorite tracks would be ‘Control Of My Mind.’ I really like the Alice In Chains type singing at the beginning, and I love the aggressive rap in the middle. So, I think ‘Control Of My Mind’ would be one of my favorite tracks on the CD. As far as my favorite song that I recorded in the studio, I think ‘Enemies Of The State’ would be it - that was the first song I recorded, and it was just such a blast to do in the studio. It was a lot of work, but it was really fun.”

BraveWords: And let’s discuss the song ‘Day Turned To Night,’ for which a video was filmed.

Buggy: “So basically, ‘Day Turned To Night’ is about a kid named Zack. He was hooked on drugs and was told to stop, or one day, it just might cost him his life. So, after doing drugs in the bathroom, he was found dead on the floor. When everyone was standing around his dead body, someone in the crowd shouted, ‘Well, where’s your God at now?’ because he was warned previously. Somebody else in the crowd replied, ‘The same place He was when He was warning him.’ In other words, don’t blame God for choices you make. So, we’re just a youth band reaching out to the youth of this nation, with the truth. So that’s how ‘Day Turned To Night’ came to be - just from experience.”

BraveWords: What are some memories of filming the song’s video?

Buggy: “We filmed the music videos in Nashville, Tennessee, and I’ve got to admit, at the beginning, I was a little nervous. But after we did our first song, I was like, ‘Hey guys, are we going to do the next one?’ I was just super-excited once we got into it. So my memories of filming the songs in Nashville for Alarm For War consist of it just being a lot of fun.”

BraveWords: I see the phrase ‘rap metal’ used a lot when describing the band. What are your thoughts on that term?

Buggy: “I like it! We like to call ourselves Rage Against the Machine on steroids. I grew up around rap my whole life. So, we’re ‘aggressive rap metal’ and I think that term correctly describes who we are.”

BraveWords: What can fans expect from seeing Alarm For War live?

Buggy: “Well, we’re going to have a lot of fun live. We’re excited about having all the hard work pay off and to get to the people. What people can expect live is exactly what you hear on the CD, and we’re excited to get out there and rock this thing.”

BraveWords: Who are some bands that you think would be good for Alarm For War to tour with?

Buggy: “We’d love to tour with Megadeth. Megadeth is kind of similar to Alarm For War in a lot of ways, but we’re rap and Dave Mustaine is kind of a shouter. So, Megadeth and Rage Against the Machine would be awesome to tour with.”

BraveWords: Future plans?

Buggy: “The future plans are just to get out there and reach the masses, and like I said, we’re preaching the truth with our message.”

BraveWords: Anything else you’d like to add?

Buggy: “You can visit us on the web at AlarmForWar.com, and Alarm For War is also on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Check us out - we’d love to hear from you!”