With nearly thirty years under its belt, Twiztid has established itself as one of the strongest forces in Alternative Hip-Hop music. A duo out of the MotorCity of Detriot, Michigan, consisting of Jamie Madrox and Monoxide Child, Twitzid is known for its unconventional blend of Hip-Hop, dark lyrical content, and Metal music that makes it stand out. Consistently releasing album after album, there is a notable steady progression with each passing release, and this is no different with the eye-opening Welcome to Your Funeral.
The group’s seventeenth album, Welcome to Your Funeral, initially arrived on Valentine’s Day 2025 and has steadily turned more and more heads with its heavily pronounced Alternative Metal aesthetic. Fitting the two musicians perfectly, it is an album that is clearly the obvious next step for Twiztid following years of hard work.
Excited to bring the new music to the people, Jamie Madrox sat down to chat about Welcome to Your Funeral, the years gone by with Twiztid, lessons learned, plus more.
Cryptic Rock – We spoke back in 2014. A lot happened for Twiztid during that timeframe. Before we dive into the new music, how would you describe the last decade or so?
Jamie Madrox – A lot of ups and downs, much like everything, ebbs and flows. I don’t want to sound like it’s Supernatural, Sam and Dean, or something, and say, “We’re finding a purpose.” No. It’s coming into our own, trying to have fun with music and push the boundaries on stuff that we dig as well.
Cryptic Rock – Absolutely. You could hear that from album to album, particularly with Welcome to Your Funeral. You have always been a big fan of Rock music. It seems like the Rock music is penetrating into more of Twiztid with each passing rest. Is that a fair assessment?
Jamie Madrox – It truly is. If you look at the body of our work ever since being Twiztid, our first record Mostasteless (1998), has hints of Metal or darker Rock in how it feels and stuff like that. It’s always been in our music as you follow through the catalog. It creeps in. It’s presented a lot more in Freek Show (2000). We make some attempts when we get to Mutant (2005).
I feel a lot of it was trial and error, which might make it a little more victorious for people who followed along. It’s like, “Wow, man, they’re finally getting it. You’re coming into your own. You wanted to do this for a while, and it sounds good on you.”
Cryptic Rock – Understood. You can hear that progression for sure. In the past, you had stated it would be absurd for you to say that you do not need to improve… because we all need to improve. That hunger to want to improve is what has made Twiztid last as long as you have. You are clearly extremely passionate about it and want to continue to push the boundaries.
Jamie Madrox – Yeah, 100%. I feel that being able to be on that last portion of the Warp Tour opened our eyes to a lot of new things. We were thinking very close-minded. After we see acceptance from everybody, it puts a new perspective on what we’re doing and how we’re doing it. Things became a little more clear.
Cryptic Rock – That is very cool. It is fascinating to look at everything in hindsight, considering the fact that you guys have been doing Twiztid for well over two decades now, which is actually approaching thirty years. This leads us to Welcome to Your Funeral, which arrived on Valentine’s Day. It is Twiztid’s most Heavy Metal-leaning album to date. So, what inspired the direction?
Jamie Madrox – We wanted to take a real progressive step in the right direction. We contacted a producer we had followed for a while, Zeus (Chris “Zeuss” Harris). He does production mostly for Rob Zombie. He’s done a lot of his motion picture soundtracks and stuff like that. He works with Queensrÿche. He’s got a lot of accolades to his name. Working with him brought out a different vibe in us. I’m starting to see that more now. It’s more pronounced as we work with more outside elements in a production manner.
Our work with Zeus captured this really cool amalgamation of Rap and Metal vibes. It captures a lot of the essence of who we were, who we are, and who we will be. It’s really rad.
Cryptic Rock – Agreed, It really is an exciting-sounding record. The production is great, and the live band feel is great. It just all mixes well together.
Jamie Madrox – Feel it. I love it. A lot of heads worked really hard on it, and it’s good to hear people enjoy it. With anything – whether you make a cocktail, bake a cake, or whatever – at the end of the day, when somebody enjoys the product that you put out or gives accolades to it, it’s like, “Yeah, man. Okay, cool.”
When we hear that, we realize we weren’t crazy. We’ll be in the studio just vibing out. I’m like, “Oh, God, I can’t wait till people hear this. This is going to be so great.” A lot of people are just like, “Who the fuck? What the fuck is this? Where the fuck did this come from?” It’s a good vibe. It’s hopefully more of that. Your fingers and toes, man. More of that.
Cryptic Rock – That is great to hear. Now, knowing a little bit about what you grew up with as a big fan of KISS and stuff. You said that you saw acceptance as you showed off more of your Rock influences, and people were digging into what you were doing. That acceptance has to give you a certain level of comfort to experiment more, right?
Jamie Madrox – For sure. I would say yeah. That’s a really great way to put it. The acceptance is like an added confidence. You don’t feel that you’re inferior to people. You feel that if they’re your peers and they will give you constructive criticism, not just shit on you. It’s like you’ve come into your own, so to speak.
Like I said before, it was super eye-opening and changed our perspective on the entire situation of music.
Cryptic Rock – Yeah. Absolutely. You could see that for sure. You speak about acceptance and people being constructive rather than destructive. The lyrics of this album seem to touch on a lot about people’s negativity and nonsense towards other people. Can you tell us a little about the inspiration behind the lyrics?
Jamie Madrox – I’ll speak from a place of a lot of us feel as if the world is against us. A lot of people go through daily trials and tribulations that make them feel like the universe, everything, is out to get them. There’s no way that everybody has it this bad. The encounters that you have on the street or in life, even a person calling you, people are rude, people are short, people are angry, people are pissed. You might be one of those people who are pissed, or you might be on the other end of one of those people who are pissed. It’s kind of like an experimental way of venting on how life has been. Looking around us, everything we see, and reporting that in song to how we feel, how we’ve seen people treated, how we’ve been treated, and how anger can get the best of so many people and really fuck shit up.
Cryptic Rock – Exactly. Welcome to Your Funeral feels like a cathartic release. As you said, these are things that we all feel. We often wonder why someone is rude toward us.
Jamie Madrox – I shouldn’t say this because it probably goes against the promotion of the record, but it’s really unfortunate that many people can relate to that feeling. The fact that many people can relate to it just goes to show that it’s definitely a shared feeling. It’s a shared vibe.
There are a lot of broken people out there who just need to understand that it ain’t as bad as we think it is sometimes. Everybody has a different story. I’m not trying to devalue anybody’s what have you. At the end of the day, there are a lot of people who could use their inside voice. (Laughs)
Cryptic Rock – Right. These feelings you are talking about here in this record are observational of what is going on in the world. It seems as if, over the past five or six years, things have gotten amplified worse with people’s attitudes. It is almost a sense of tribalism amongst people where if you do not believe what they believe, they do not want to be bothered with you and want to cause you harm.
That is absolutely ridiculous because we are all human beings. Like you said, we do not have it as bad as we think we do. We should be a little more empathetic towards other people, regardless of whether they agree with us or not.
Jamie Madrox – Absolutely. It’s unfortunate that it’s gotten to that level. I’m not the person to say this. I’ve heard this from a million people. I don’t know who the first person to say it was, but the internet gave everyone a voice. Some people use that to just tear people down and critique and shit on. It’s something that people give too much weight to.
That’s another bit of armor that we try to push through on the record – quit giving all of this shit weight. Because somebody treated you shittily or was rude to you in your day, it doesn’t have to take over your whole entire day. Maybe feel sorry for that person. Think about what the fuck made them be that?
Cryptic Rock – Right. That is a very good point.
Jamie Madrox – I’ll be on the other end of that stick sometimes too and be like, “You motherfucker.” you feel like, “Somebody needs to hug that motherfucker.” You don’t want to stop because you want to match that level of anger. You stop, and you’re like, “Bro, what the fuck are we turning up about?” It’s crazy out here. It really is.
We can just hope that people can listen, understand, and see themselves and others around them in a different light. They can also take a breath, take a second, and maybe try to approach a situation differently.
Cryptic Rock – That is a good outlook. That is what makes music great, and that is what art should do. You can convey a message of positivity without being preachy, and that is nice.
Jamie Madrox – For sure. That’s the thing. When you say things like that, then people are like, “Oh, it is preaching.” It’s not. People need to talk about some of the obvious shit that everybody’s just so accustomed to and really don’t pay attention to anymore.
Cryptic Rock – Right. The record is out now, and you have some shows lined up for April. Will there be more touring in 2025?
Jamie Madrox – A schedule is being prepared. Some of the things are confirmed, and some aren’t. I don’t want to take the liberty of saying anything yet with stuff still planned. Yeah, off and on throughout the rest of this year, there are a few things. There are some spot shows. We have a House of Krazees show. There are some little spot fun shows and stuff like that to keep people engaged.
Cryptic Rock – Excellent. Welcome to Your Funeral is almost certain to surprise a lot of people.
Jamie Madrox – Yeah. We’ve been blessed to have one of the singles, “Let Me Go.” They’re playing in on Octane, and people are responding well to it. It’s cool to be in that class of people that’s kind of level up. It’s just a great feeling.
Cryptic Rock – That is really great to hear. As mentioned, you guys have had this longevity. A lot of that has to do with the fans, and the fans have been very dedicated. Beyond this, what do you attribute the longevity to?
Jamie Madrox – I don’t know if there’s one specific thing. One of the things that we touched on earlier is that they’ve been with us on this journey, trying to perfect the sound of us dabbling. Every time we feel that we want to be experimental or we want to try something, they’re right there with us. We’ve grown with these people. These people have grown with us. It’s why we say family; these people are our extended family. They’ve been with us on this journey and supported us throughout the journey.
Being on the whole ride with us, watching us grow, suffering the losses, and celebrating the wins—that’s something special that has a good chunk of the pie chart in longevity. I don’t know how much of the pie chart, but I would definitely say a good part of it.
Cryptic Rock – It is inspiring to hear how people have grown with Twiztid. Through a lot of this journey, you have both been extremely hands-on and very involved in the day-to-day business of Twiztid. When you are in the fire like that, as opposed to sitting back and just doing what you are told, it is a little different. What do you think you have learned from all this?
Jamie Madrox – Again, appreciate the ones who support you in your endeavors. Appreciate the core that you have. Always do good business. That’s one thing we pride ourselves on in the day-to-day business. We’re very straightforward about what we’re trying to do. We like to secure everything and make sure that whatever we’re doing is done properly. I think that speaks volumes.
We also like anyone who’s done business with us to speak well about us in circles with other people. We are very brand conscious, whether it be Twiztid, or MNE, as a business that obviously handles affairs for Twiztid and stuff like that. In those business affairs and ventures that we do, we allow people to speak well about us because we like to do business with people others speak well about. It’s a very big industry, but it’s a very small world. A lot of these people talk. If you’re a douchebag in private and a really cool guy publicly, people know. People will find out. Although we wear paint, we like to try to be very transparent with people and make sure all our business affairs are done well.
Cryptic Rock – You want to work with people that are genuine. That is very important.
Jamie Madrox – Absolutely. Yeah. Astronomicon has taught us a lot about that. Even though because someone is a celebrity, a sports figure, an entertainer, or what have you, they’re normal people. They like to be treated like normal people as well. That kind of rapport with them speaks volumes.
I’ve been to hundreds of conventions, and never in my life have I ever heard somebody ask me if I was okay or if I wanted a coffee or something. Just the little subtle things. I’m just pulling that out of my ass, but it’s subtle things. Most people are just like, “I don’t care. Do your thing. Get the fuck out of here.” We try to be very personable and hands-on and make sure everybody’s comfortable, as we would want to be treated.
Cryptic Rock – More should be like this. Again, that is also part of the longevity aspect of what we are talking about. That attitude shines through.
When we spoke many years ago, it became clear you were a big fan of Horror films. As a kid of the ’80s, you mentioned some of the Horror films that you dug, such as Creepshow (1982), Night of the Demons (1988), etc. Is there anything you have in the last few years that you may have missed when you were younger that you enjoyed?
Jamie Madrox – In the past few years, no. One that took me a while to find and now always cherish, which it’s still slept on to this day, is The Changeling (1980). That’s a great one. The Entity (1982) has a kind of deep, dark vibe too.
Cryptic Rock – The Entity with Barbara Hershey is a really intense film that few people have seen.
Jamie Madrox – Absolutely. With the internet, now everybody knows everything. All those hidden gems and those rite-of-passage films. Your buddy wants to get into Horror, and you’re like, “Say less. Watch these.” It’s like that vibe. Everybody knows those things now. Everybody has a tutorial and a how-to. All those secret visual gems are now just on display. Maybe that’s why they have such hefty price tags when you try to get them for your library.
Cryptic Rock – That is very true, too. Another gem that was forgotten is 1977’s The Sentinel. Have you ever seen that one?
Jamie Madrox – I’m going to check it out! I have one last sleeper. Again, it’s only because of the imagery and the vibe, but Without Warning (1980). It’s this alien, and he throws what you would call ninja stars. They’re these suckerfish, and they hit you in the face and start pulsating like an alien facehugger thing. The alien himself is just terrifying-looking and sets up in a shack.
I wouldn’t say star-studded. There are many familiar faces in there. Definitely pick that one up or watch that one if you’ve got a place. Without Warning is a really fucking slept-on one as well.
Cryptic Rock – That is a great recommendation! What are your thoughts on the release of new 4K transfers of older films from the ’70s and ’80s?
Jamie Madrox – I think it’s neat because it gives collectors something to buy and add to their ever-growing collection. It also puts some of those gems back on the shelf in a marketplace where people can access them, which may not have been possible before.
Cryptic Rock – Yes. It is probably one of the most exciting things that has happened to film in a long time. It completely outdoes the Blu-ray format. Considering the work that people put into this, they all restore the original negatives of these old films. Some of these films were not stored in optimal situations, so it is astounding to see what they could do with them.
Jamie Madrox – Plus, in comparison, the technology that we have now is night and day compared to what they had then. Again, speaks to the level of practical effects, the true acting, situation, camera lighting, and such that really pull off those really eerie or creepy scenes that give you the goosebumps. I kind of dig that in some scenarios; it’s better than the whole overly done CGI thing.
Cryptic Rock – Most certainly. There is something to be said about the imagination, the work, and the creativity that goes into creating a special effect with what you have.
Jamie Madrox – It’s great. The thinking, though, is that I love that it’s just rudimentary with what you have lying around, and you make it work. Even the scene on Friday the 13th (1980), when she takes the machete and chops off what would have been Betsy Palmer’s head. Tom Savini said that when they put the gig together, they held it with toothpicks in the fake head so that when the machete went, it hit clean, and the head would roll off just the way that they wanted to see it in the shot. Now when I see it, I look, and I see the damn toothpicks. You see a little thing, and you’re like, “Oh, I see where it is now.”
If Savini had never said it, I probably would have never paid attention, or it would have taken me forever and been like, “Ah, is there something there?” Maybe with that whole 4K transfer, you speak of, maybe that’s something they can go in now and maybe touch up with some sort of a digital pen or whatever they do.
I love the vibe of the special effects and the makeup. It has been an art unto itself that’s been slept on for decades and is now finally getting its just dues. I guess the whole The Walking Dead thing ushered in that whole, “Let’s pay attention to this art. Look at this. This is terrifying. This is real life. This isn’t computer stuff.” There is Greg Nicotero, who, again, is an amazing genius at what he does. Just an absolute talent.
Cryptic Rock – Yes. You have also worked with make-up artists, correct?
Jamie Madrox – Yeah. It’s something that people take for granted. It’s like, “Oh, we’ll just make a monster,” and this, that, and the other. Some of those monsters are what made the movie and not the other way around.
If I’m not mistaken, I think it was Stan Winston with the Pumpkinhead (1988) that he wanted to make the movie, but he allowed his team to make the creature, and he didn’t want to see it. Just the idea of engaging your students in something to push forward the creativity level. If it’s your teacher, you really can’t drop the ball on this one.
Cryptic Rock – That is fantastic. In the same breath, when you watch a new film, again, trying to be unbiased, and you see them do effects very cheaply with CGI, it almost seems like, “Oh, man, you couldn’t try a little harder.” It just seems like they really put no effort into it.
Jamie Madrox – At times, it does do its job. It’s the abrupt jump scare. When a Final Destination or what have you, someone steps in a turn and bam, they get hit by a bus. It’s like, “Whoa.” It gets you every time. It’s like Halloween Kills (2021). They have the other gentleman who mistakes him for Michael Myers, and he jumps from the top of the thing, and he’s lying on the ground. They cut to that cutback scene and him lying there. That’s terrifying to me. I believe that’s all practical because I don’t think they did any of that digitally. Again, I have to look into that now because I’m saying that. So don’t quote me on that.
Again, I love the people who still push the boundaries and try to implement more practical effects over CGI because of people like you and I having this conversation. Those people are on different levels of respect for trying to do something realistically.
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