Do you feel differently about the songs on Horrified now than you did when you wrote them? Olivo: When we’re onstage, I sink right back into it. I relive the dream and desire I had when we were young. There’s nothing different. Carlson: The beauty of playing these songs now is that the crowds are bigger and we get to travel to more exotic places than when we were playing on a stage made out of milk crates back in Flint, Michigan. But when we start to play, that old feeling comes back instantly. It’s not hard to conjure up the energy or motivation to play those songs at all. Repulsion has influenced countless extreme metal bands. Many prominent metal musicians even have Repulsion tattoos. Is there a certain weight of responsibility that goes along with that? Olivo: I’ve always felt a little uncomfortable when people come up to me and expect me to be so me kind of underground metal legend. I mean, I was just a kid who worked really hard on my band, just like so many other teenagers did. I won’t let my ego claim any stake over what happened.
Carlson: It always blows my mind when I see that crappy little zombie from the Horrified album cover tattooed on some guy’s entire back. I sketched that at my kitchen table when I was just a kid, you know? I’ve met people from all kinds of bands with Repulsion tattoos on their bodies, and it’s really strange to see that after all these years. It’s amazing. facebook.com/repulsion Watch an interview with Repulsion and videos of their performance from the Scion Metal Matinee series at scionav.com/metal