Courtesy of Freeman Promotions

X-Cops: ‘The Curtain Has Been Ripped Down & Everyone Can Clearly See’


In 2023, X-Cops hit the road again and opened up for their ‘extended family’ in GWAR. Then, last June, the band returned with their first release in 25 years, and even with the GWAR connection (and their own non-stopping tours and releases), it is clear that X-Cops and their harsh, thrash-y metal prowess was missed. “So glad they’re back, too many years gone,” one person wrote on YouTube. Another commented, “Welcome back! Finally! Been a fan since 1995!” The general consensus: “This album is way overdue!”

You might wonder if they are fiery musicians and satirical artists or hot-headed law enforcement officers and struggling inmates. You also might wonder if you should laugh, cringe, mosh, or riot. The answer is all of the above. You can expect a combination of those bold sounds, big personalities, and brash, cynical, unrestrained rivalry at an X-Cops show, which is a parody-esque performance of the news – more specifically, the anti-police brutality agenda versus the Blue Lives Matter movement. It features meth and guns and more, and it bleeds red, too, but not in all the ways you think.

We got to chatting with Lt. Louie Scrapinetti of X-Cops ahead of their performance in New York on Saturday (where Belushi Speedball and US Bastards will be opening). He’s as volatile as you can expect, and you might not know who the enemy is, whether that be a common enemy or not, but we can tell you this: the still-relevant metal stylings of X-Cops are worthy of the costumes and the bit.

Congrats on the return of X-Cops – new music and new shows and all. Why was 2024 and 2025 a good time for this once short-lived side gig to continue? Was there a plan with the timing, or did it come naturally in the wake of the socio-political climate we are living in?

Everyone thought that the X-Cops were done. They said there was no way we would dare bring our brand of vigilante justice back to the stage in this political climate. It’s true that when we formed this band of ex-law enforcement officers three decades ago in 1994, the world was a very different place. People had respect for the badge and the uniform. Shows like COPS were some of the highest rated programs on TV. Sure, Rodney King had given the public a peak behind the veil of the thin blue line and we were the scapegoats that were offered up to the public, but now the curtain has been ripped down and everyone can clearly see… ACAB, All Cops Are Beautiful!

An X-Cops show is organized chaos, fierce and fiery in its riff-tastic metal approach, all while holding a mirror up to the news and nation. We’d argue that what makes X-Cops the band they are is the live show. A concert of yours does your music and your message actual justice. Do you agree? And do you enjoy it?

We enjoy nothing more than busting heads and porking chops! Lucky for us, criminals seem to flock to our shows, even when we aren’t opening for infamous deviants like GWAR. Strangely, the punks in front row seem to love getting beaten down by our Billy clubs and offer their necks willingly to be crushed beneath our jack boots.

Do you find it easier or harder to toe-the-line of being totally controversial these days, in a noticeably softer, occasionally more ‘woke,’ and sensitive world, as compared to that of the late nineties?

I’d like to see some whiney, libtard pussy try and cancel the X-Cops! We are the ones that do the canceling! And now that Führer Trump is back in power, it is only a matter of time before we are leading an army of brown shirt, red-hat-wearing ruffins on a crusade to cleanse this country of the undesirables!

XCAB is an EP that is made up of five brutal songs that come at you with force. Were these the only five songs created for this release, or are their more heavy metal originals in your arsenal for the upcoming year? Because, sonically, the music hasn’t changed and is just as jaw-dropping and rage-filled and satire-soaked as before… maybe even better as a whole cohesive package, too!

We plan on continuing the onslaught this year with another new release by the end of the year. Let me just say that the well of anger and disgust is deep and we will keep going back to it for inspiration again and again. 

“We’re the Pigs” and “Light ‘Em Up” were the lead singles for your return, reunion, and EP release. Why did you guys decide on these two songs in particular, and how thrilling it is to bring them to the stage on this run of dates?

People seem to need a reminder of the lesson of Waco, and that lesson was: “You fucked up when you fucked with the cops!”

Is the mystery around X-Cops going to continue, or is 2025 the year of some unveiling?

There is no mystery. We are back, so straighten up and fly right – or else!

FOR TICKETS & INFO ON THE X-COPS SHOW AT TV EYE THIS WEEKEND, CLICK HERE!