Hello, my name is Kristopher Huffman, and I am the drummer for the progressive metal band Apeiron Bound and recent resident Twitch drum request streamer, otherwise known as OpossumGodKing. Into my history, my first “real” bands were a melodic death metal band called Wirethrone, who are still active to this day, as well as a thrash 4-piece named Slikk Wikked, both of which I joined in 2011 and 2012, respectively.
I branched out into the progressive side of music when I joined Alpha Decay around 2014. Finally, in 2021 I began what is, by far, my most focused endeavor with Apeiron Bound. In which, we have one LP, redux versions and videos for all of of our favorite tracks, a second LP that will have news very soon, and many, many planned future releases that are well on their way. All of these bands have been here and near to one of the best metal communities in the world, Tampa, Florida.
Kris’ Links:
https://www.twitch.tv/opossumgodking
https://www.instagram.com/opossumgodking
Kris Huffman Interview:
SDM: How old were you when you started playing?
Kris: I got my first kit for my 16th birthday in 2008. It was a black Pearl Vision kit with black hardware that I begged my mom for. I did a couple months extra begging for a china cymbal and double bass pedal.
SDM: Did you play in a school band or any drum corps?
Kris: Nope. That was absolutely my sister’s element. I got hooked on Rockband drums at a neighbor kid’s house and graduated to real ones.
SDM: Who are your top 5 metal influences?
Kris: If we’re talking drummers, I gotta pick based on who I still most clearly feel their influence coming through in my own playing, rather than the merit of the music alone.
1. Erik Martin Axenrot, who was definitively the first time I remember thinking, “That is absolutely who I’d love to sound like” and still notice myself echoing what I love about his playing.
2. Gene Hoglan. I remember watching the Atomic Clock DVD so many times thinking he was just the coolest motherfucker in the game. My guitar player, who at the time introduced me to his music, even made me wear the ankle weights like Gene did while playing like he was about to turn me into the 2.0 version.
3. Danny Carey, for obvious reasons, if you know me. When someone says Danny isn’t as good as he’s made out to be, I’m the guy typing the wall of text “UM, ACTUALLY” response livid out of my mind.
4. Hannes Grossmann. Hannes when I started was the mountain. The absolute point of, “Okay, I can probably get pretty good, but I will never be THAT good.” I couldn’t even fathom the journey of what it even took to get to that point. Especially when I heard things like Necrophagist, Blotted Science, Obscura, or any other absolute monster projects he was involved with.
5. Lars Ulrich. Had to be. When I did get my first kit, my next door neighbor, who took up guitar at the same time, would come over almost every day and we’d just run a different Metallica song every time. I’m sure we conquered all the hits from every album up to Death Magnetic in the couple years before I moved away. People can roll their eyes and say whatever about Lars, but his drumming is deeply connected to all of my best memories of the instrument and an opinion can’t change that.
SDM: Who are some of your other favorites?
Kris: I’d always have to include the likes of Nick Menza, Mikkey Dee, Richard Christy, Bobby Jarzombek, and Mario Duplantier, for sure.
SDM: Let us know 5 bands in your current personal rotation.
Kris: Anyone who knows me well, knows I am a creature of comfort. I have a lot of bands I can never give up, and they are always, always, always in the rotation.
1. The Mountain Goats
2. Baroness
3. Songs: Ohia
4. Hail The Sun
5. Ghost
SDM: What do you do to warm up before a show?
Kris: My pre-show ritual has always been to eat a metric shit-ton of fast food and take a long nap, either in my car, or behind wherever we’re keeping the merch and tell them to wake my ass up when the band before us has 2 songs left. I don’t think anything I’ve ever done equates to anything resembling a warm-up.
SDM: Do you read music? Whether you answered yes or no, please tell us how it might have affected your playing.
Kris: I can’t. A common question I ask to anyone, particularly other drummers who I find out read music, is, “Should I learn?” The only answer I ever get is, “Nah, you’re good.” So, I figured I’m good. I don’t know any of what I assume to be basic drum terminology, even regarding rudiments, so I definitely don’t know how to read it. I’m sure it does limit me in some way. I think this specifically, too, about if I ever had the desire to teach someone any of the knowledge I have about playing drums, or guitar, that it’d be very hard to do so if we’re not even speaking the same language. Other than that, I think it has helped train my ear for finding basically almost anything efficiently while playing along to, or with whoever. I like to imagine I’m very good at improvisation over most genres, and I know too many people who are wholly reliant on reading it, or nothing at all.
SDM: Can you tell us about the gear you use?
Kris: My current live and studio kit is a ddrum Dios maple kit in satin gold. We’re running Axis George Kollias signature pedals, but I’ll sometimes swap to my DW machined pedals if I need a heavier foot rather than a faster one. For cymbals, I love keeping my two main left and right crashes, center trash crash, and first of two splashes bright with Meinl Classic Customs. Everything else, we keep dark with Saluda Earthworks for the hats and ride, a little 14 inch Saluda prototype dark crash on the far left, a Saluda prototype china splash tucked right next to the first splash, and two dark chinas that I can’t stop moving around. One being a Paiste RUDE and the other being a big ass riveted Wuhan that I have a mass graveyard of. I’m not particular about sticks, because they’re too damn expensive and I just buy whatever is the cheapest in a big bundle as long as they’re 5A. Other than that, all my livestreams are on that little Roland TD-17, which I have absolutely ruined over the last couple years.
SDM: If you could give one piece of advice to younger drummers, it would be…
Kris: Having exceptional tempo is the most important thing beyond anything technically impressive you could ever achieve. If you have exceptional tempo, you are just going to be an absolute joy to work with for anyone. Even if you haven’t obtained the stamina to blast for 2 minutes, the technique to double pedal at 220bpm, or the mind yet to master ever complex meter and time, laying yourself the foundation early of just being the most reliable legs a band can stand will take you so much further. There is not a single person who would doubt that you could learn that other stuff. As silly as it sounds, just don’t be afraid of applying your body rhythm when you hear it. Tap your foot when you hear a song, be the guy at the traffic light smacking the steering wheel like a goober, dance, play rhythm games (secretly the best metronomes) if you’re a gamer. I promise that the more you embrace feeling music in whatever form, wherever and whenever you can, does help just as much as sitting in your bedroom tapping a practice pad to a metronome.
SDM: Who gave the best live performance you’ve ever seen?
Kris: It’s very rare that I even see live shows. It’s not really my environment since I like being at home in a dark, quiet room and away from human contact as much as possible. Though, I will see The Mountain Goats any and all chances I get.
SDM: Aside from drumming, what else do you like to do?
Kris: I mostly play a lot of games. Oldschool Runescape, Rocket League, rhythm games, puzzle games, action games, tons of VR, etc. I really love streaming, even though I haven’t been at it long and my setup is definitely a bit lacking compared to others in the music space. I like collecting and model building, mostly Gunpla. I binge a lot of documentaries and any long form YouTube content about neuroscience, marine mammals, dinosaurs, and Nuclear physics. I also really enjoy watching UFC and ranting about how a physical specimen, such as myself, would have done X and Y differently if I was the guy I wanted to beat the other guy. Really top-shelf hobbies here.
