Mass Movement Presents… Cannibal Corpse

MASS MOVEMENT
PRESENTS..
.
CANNIBAL CORPSE
Cannibal Corpse need no introduction to the world of metal, or extreme music,
and with a brand new release ‘A Skeletal Domain’ imminently about to surface, one of the originators of death metal were preparing for their thirteenth
album. Not an easy job for any band. Mark Freebase grabbed the two founding and original members Paul Mazurkiewicz (drums) and Alex Webster (bass)
for a small chat…
Interview by Mark Freebase
Photographs by Alex Morgan
Kicking things off, Paul got to call first shots, and have his sayMM: So what’s the feeling in the Cannibal Corpse camp as regards to the new
album?
PM: Well, we’re very excited, can’t wait for it to get out there, for everybody it
seems a long point since we started writing, and we started the recording process in
February and it seems like forever now… so we are pleased to be at that point of
album release eventually. We are very pleased with the way it turned out, the songs,
the production, the artwork… we’re pumped. It’s going to be great to get out on the
road and play these songs as well.
MM: Has it been positive feedback from those that have heard it so far?
PM: Not a lot of people have heard it yet, obviously, but the people I’m doing interviews with seem to really be into it, and seem generally impressed with what we
have turned out. That’s a good sign also! And everybody at the label (Metal Blade
Records) seems to be into it also, but it has been under wraps a bit. It’s not like I’m
playing it for a lot of people here and there, we’re not flaunting it about. I think
overall what we are hearing about it is very positive.
MM: ‘A Skeletal Domain’ is as intense as ever, it keeps the head-pummelling
going, it’s brutal to the core Paul, but would I be correct in saying that it is
more technical than any of the other Cannibal Corpse releases?
PM: Yeah I think so. I believe its Cannibal at its best, definitely. We are really trying to get better as we get older, and I think it’s a mix of everything we have covered before, but to a higher, or as you say, more technical standard, but without
losing our direction. We are refining our sound, our song writing, and our capabilities, but I feel we’ve found a good mix; maybe even more technical but also some
old school. There is a very thrashy vibe to this record, you know, some of our influences are creeping in there, it’s the era we came from, we grew up in that time.
We’re trying to be as innovative as possible, we really are pushing our limits, and
maybe that’s why we are peaking at the moment.
MM: Did you find yourselves pushing in any direction at all, to cover any areas the
band had not been in before, or was it a natural writing process then?
PM: More or less pretty natural to be honest. There will always be little subtle things that
you try to get in there, whether it’s a different scale, or for me, a different kicking pattern or
fill that I have never done before, or probably a beat that I have not used. On the opening
track ‘High Velocity Impact Splatter’ the beat I am doing is more of a one-foot blast actually,
a technique I have not used before anywhere. There are no Cannibal songs that have that
kind of a feel to it. It’s pretty old school, but a little bit faster than the normal skanking beat.
Something that I toyed with, and I suppose pushed me to achieve. It’s a different flavour of
Cannibal Corpse. Nothing too crazy, nothing that is way too different, but still trying to put a
little difference in there. It’s not a case of changing the whole context of what the bands
about that would be silly for us.
MM: So for the new live show, will you be bringing much from ‘A Skeletal Domain’?
PM: The songs bode well, they fit in good, so were looking at playing four to five new
tracks in the set list for sure. We’d be stupid not to right? But we still have to do the old stuff
too. It will be fun to perform these new songs, and all of us can’t wait to play them and see
the crowd response to them. Considering there is twelve songs on the new record, that’s a
good percentage to add.
MM: Going back to what you said earlier about taking some thrashy elements, dare I
say it encompasses some of that older Florida feel as well? A special time when metal
was evolving from there?
PM: There is definitely an older feel for sure. Pat is writing more different than he has in the
past, he has got some very technical parts in some songs. He seems to be writing with more
feel, and more openness to some of his songs. It could be thrash parts we’re including here to
make it feel that way, but to be honest in all parties, we are just playing the music that we
love; the tempos do change, and there is some slower paced stuff like ‘Headlong Into Carnage’ but all in all its heavy Cannibal Corpse. This whole thing we keep producing, all the
albums, all the sounds, it’s just part of the Cannibal evolvement… we’re the products of
thrash from a very special area. That made us want to play music and it’s embedded in us, so
not to say we’ve come full circle, but we’re just writing with more feel and thought. Because
of the passion, this stuff is coming out of us so naturally.
MM: Was it an easy album to write for you then?
PM: We’ve been writing pretty much in the same manor for the last few years, actually it’s
kind of an individual thing. Pat will write his songs, Rob writes his songs, Alex writes his
songs, and everybody does it at their own pace. I mean Alex will write his songs at home; he
came up with four this time. We’ve got to get the job done, and I don’t think any of us
had our struggles, so to speak, but we had our own ideas that we worked on, and it
wasn’t a forceful project by any means. Rob had his two, and he collaborated on one,
Rob’s two ‘Kill Or Become’ and ‘Ice-pick Lobotomy’ are just incredible, so I think
he just concentrates on a couple and goes all out to make them the best he can. Then
Pat really let it flow this time, having five songs on the album, we actually work together a lot, going through his songs and nit-picking to get the absolute best arrangement and parts. We were probably over meticulous with things to be honest, but it was
good. We’d experiment with different arrangements, or if we didn’t like arrangements
we’d scrap them. We weren’t afraid to try things longer or shorter for example; we
were experimentally creative for sure. It was a lot of fun, and I think I can speak for
everyone when I say we had a great time doing it.
MM: Do you ever choose a song title first, for example ‘The Murderer’s Pact’
that sounds like a good title, we’ll write about that, or is it always the music that
comes first?
PM: Well, we may have some working titles floating around, and some songs may fit
certain titles, but most of the time we’d sort the music and work with the song we’ve
got, and then fit titles and lyrics around it, so when it’s done we ask the question “so
what are we going to call it?”. I’m not saying that it’s never done, but usually its “OK,
here’s the song, so what are we going to call it?” very rarely do we start asking “OK
this is the title of the song, and what it is all about, now let’s write the music”
MM: The extremity of the song titles, how do you keep it up?
PM: Well, I think we’ve got some good tiles on this album, some good phrases etc.
We just keep trying to come up with something cool I guess, not repeating ourselves,
but at the same time not wandering too far from what we know.
MM: Why do you think the popularity with Cannibal Corpse is still growing, especially with the last few albums? They are charting more, and it’s been a steady
growth with more sales – an extremely rare trend for death metal.
PM: It’s been this way pretty much since ‘Kill’ came out actually. I like to think that
it’s because we’ve been coming into our own, because we are sincere, I believe it’s
because we’re getting better and better, and for some reason we’ve just hit this point
of maturing, or getting older… everyone seems in a perfect placing. You can focus
one hundred percent and that helps you get on top of your game. Maybe that twentyfive years of existence has paid off, maybe we’re learning, possibly we’re getting
more respect for the longevity… it’s a tough one to say really. But I want to believe
that because we are on top of our game, and doing the best record that we ever done,
and more people are getting into extreme music. Cannibal is trying to do the best we
can, and I think it shows. The end result speaks for itself.
MM: Does Cannibal Corpse get recognised by
newer or younger bands? Are you regarded as innovators of the style?
PM: Oh yeah we just played the Mayhem Festival
over here in the U.S.A. and there was a bunch of
these younger bands who were pretty popular, and
weren’t the same as Cannibal, I mean they weren’t
death metal, but they were extreme, they were heavy,
and they all knew who we were. Many of them told
us stories of how and when they first heard us, or
when they got their first Cannibal record. It’s crazy,
but true, we are an older band and we have definitely
been around. The newer bands seem to take influence
from a lot of the older bands that could be another
reason why Cannibal Corpse is doing better than ever
now. This helps the ever expanding and ever growing
body of the band. It’s a great thing.
MM: In London, when you hit here, Cannibal
Corpse are playing The Forum, now that’s a
pretty large venue for a death metal band, possibly somewhat of a surprise?
PM: Yes, a pleasant one for sure. It seems every time
we play London though, it just keeps growing, it
keeps getting bigger and bigger for us, which is a
good thing; I’m sure it will be a sick show. That’s for
sure!
MM: For some bands, twenty-five years, and thirteen albums etc. etc., that’s a hard slog, and many
bands start releasing sub-par records… certainly
not releasing their best to date efforts…
PM: Well for us, we love doing this. We are grateful
to be able to do it. We would not keep on doing it if
we didn’t enjoy doing it. It shows, we have never just
gone through the motions, and we have tried to keep
pushing and expanding what Cannibal is about.
There has been a constant effort to improve ourselves, as musicians, as songwriters, as people… you
get older, and as you said earlier, we are in better
places as humans generally. Your mental state of
mind, and anything you do, whereas when you’re
twenty plus, hmmm it’s a little different I think. So
everything in our camp is so smooth and so relaxed
now, probably because of where we are in our lives,
and that comes through with the music. The confidence and passion Cannibal still has, and we are
writing the best songs we have ever written.
MM: What do you personally get out of writing
and playing this music then?
PM: It’s fun! It’s fun to practice and rehearse and
create and it’s also pleasing knowing that you have
left a mark in extreme metal. Satisfaction. When the
bands done ask me again… but we are here for eternity!
MM: So it’s an enjoyable job then?
PM: Although it becomes your job and your profession, music is still an art form, and it should be fun to
do. You have to enjoy it, otherwise, well; it’s like…
what’s the point?
MM: If I wore my ‘Eaten Back to Life’ T-shirt to
pick my daughter up from school, she’d have
something to say, even as a ten year old, she always has something to say about my musical
taste… what would your daughter say?
PM: To the teachers she’d probably say, yeah that’s
my Dad, he plays in Cannibal Corpse, and she really
doesn’t want to have anything to do with it. But it is
funny how different people react and different ways
too. My daughters almost the same age as yours, she
could care less, she’s into all the pop stuff and the
normal music. Although my wife is a big 80s metal
fan and she plays a lot of that, and my daughter doesn’t mind some of that actually, it’s a little more acceptable… with singing etc… but I can understand
she’s into music, and not into death metal, which you
probably shouldn’t be at that age if you think about
it. Maybe she may have a listen when she gets older,
if we don’t force her, but this music is not for kids,
it’s at the parents discretion, like a rated movie –
you’ll see it when you’re able to, and then decide if
you like it.
MM: Is ageing beneficial for musicians, or more
testing as time ticks on?
PM: It helps the process, you can improve, and you
can get better. You might have to work a little harder
when you get past a certain point, but I would certainly say with more experience you are able to push
yourself. Not be afraid to try new ideas, and not think
you have to do a particular thing only. With age that
is why Cannibal Corpse is better, we’re not young
anymore, and with age you should become a little
wiser. With experience your mind-set changes, and
when you’re in your 40s it’s different as to when we
started off the band in our 20s. If you take a look at a
lot of bands that stick around, this seems to be commonplace. If you can physically still be up there and
doing it, then you’re all right! We are aging like fine
wine, I hope…?
MM: So any regrets over what you’ve done in the
early days?
PM: No, life is out there. You are going to do what
you do. That is why I think there is no looking back
at anything like that, you got to live, you have to get
through it, and you have to experience a lot. If I ever
question well why did I do that back then, it would
be because I was twenty or so, I wouldn’t do it now,
but that’s where being in a better mind frame and
place comes in when you are older. Twenty plus or
forty plus, that’s the excuse, that’s why you did it.
But don’t look back and regret it – move on, I guess?
MM: So you could always use the classic Ozzy line
“It wasn’t my fault, I was pissed”…
PM: Yes, there you go!
MM: With the extremities Cannibal Corpse conjures up, how can you justify the topics?
PM: Well for us its fictional extreme. It’s not personal; I’m not sitting here trying to push a point. It’s
pure fun. If anyone asks the question of ‘hey, how
much longer have you guys got to do this’, well,
that’s a viable question. My usual response would be,
why not? We have wanted to do this all our lives, and
we enjoy creating this music and playing this style,
so why not? It’s our dream, and we are still able to
do it! It feels good also, so that’s the justification.
MM: The question of viability, of longevity, isn’t
even in the picture then yet?
PM: Not really, because we’re all feeling pretty
good, but we do realise it can’t go on forever. We
never would have thought we’d make it twenty-five
years, back in the day… so you know… and with ‘A
Skeletal Domain’ turning out so good, it’s not even a
serious contemplation either. We feel on top of our
game, so there is no end in sight right now.
MM: Cannibal Corpse seems to of had a great
run so far, is that a fair assumption, and to of
stayed with the same label all those years is a
recognisable achievement surely?
PM: It’s been a positive ladder up the hill experience
actually, for our whole career to tell the truth. The
tours have been successful, and we’ve been in a good
place… I mean we have had our personal ups and
downs, but all humans do nothing that’s set us aside.
We’ve had a great time with Metal Blade, great relations and we are happy with the run we’ve had there,
so why change? Not a lot of bands can say that
they’ve stayed with the same label, and been happy,
so that’s killer for us.
And so to Alex..
MM: So how do you find the creative ideas that
keep Cannibal Corpse alive? How do you think of
new ideas to keep the legacy going, but without
changing the course?
AW: It’s helpful that there are four of us writing in
the band, rather than just one or two main writers as
is the case in many other bands. We all try to be as
creative as possible and think of new ideas that still
fit with the style we’ve forged over the years. I think
the general guidelines leave us quite a bit of room- as
long as the music and lyrics are dark and/or aggressive it usually works. So with all of us trying hard to
find new sounds and lyrical concepts we have been
able to keep things fairly fresh (in our opinions anyways).
MM: Do you read the music press or keep up with musical styles and trends, or do you
guys keep doing what you do ‘cos you love it?
AW: Well, we do this because we love it, and that’s why we started this band. But, making a
living is certainly a motivating factor as well at this point in our lives. It’s definitely great to
be able to play your favourite kind of music as your profession!
MM: So with metal press would you choose magazines or web related resources?
AW: Both are good, but the web zines are almost always going to be more current. So for recent news I’ll check online, but for in depth interviews either medium works well. Depends on
what you are looking for, current up to date stuff, or a physical product.
MM: Was there much happening with the Internet when Cannibal Corpse started?
AW: No, we started back in 1988 and had our first album out in 1990, so the Internet didn’t really exist in the way it does today. Back then I assume you’d have to have been a pretty
knowledgeable computer user to even know what the Internet was. Now of course it’s just a
part of our daily lives. So anyway, there was nothing much happening online that we were
aware of. The press at the time was mainly magazines, fanzines, and college radio shows.
MM: Has the likes of YouTube been a good promotional tool for the band? Or was MTV
better?
AW: YouTube is probably better because anyone with an Internet connection can watch it, at
any time. Back in the MTV days our videos would get played once, maybe twice when we released them, and they would be one of the last videos of the night, usually at 1:50 AM or
something like that. So I suspect YouTube has been a much better medium for publicizing our
music videos- we’re not dependent on the whims of a program director anymore. The old gatekeepers are losing their clout.
MM: Do you ever get bored of the gore, and death related topics?
AW: Well, it would probably get boring if we only wrote about a few certain scenarios over
and over. For this reason we’ve tried to cover a broad range of horror from the graphic and
gory to the subtle and psychological. We also try to write from different perspectives- sometimes the song will be told by the killer, sometimes by the victim, or sometimes it will be third
person. If you look at our current album “A Skeletal Domain” I think this lyrical variety can be
readily seen. We have songs ranging from supernatural horror (like the title track) to songs
about a more real-world type of violence, like the song “Blood-stained Cement” which describes a brutal street confrontation. I think as long as the lyrics are about something violent or
horrific they can fit well with our band. So this leaves us a lot of room to experiment and get
creative.
MM: ‘A Skeletal Domain’... is it a strong representation of where Cannibal Corpse
stands today, or are you following a formula?
AW: Every album we’ve done represents our best effort possible at that
point in time. “A Skeletal Domain” is the result of a lot of hard work by
the band- it’s really the best we could do right now, and hopefully our
fans enjoy it. And when we make another album, we’ll put a 100% effort
into that one as well. We really want to continue to improve, always.
MM: Is there more of a technical approach to the band with this release as far as the musicianship goes?
AW: Possibly, but it’s a natural progression. We all have been working
hard at becoming better musicians over the years, so that probably ends
up showing through in our music. But I think it’s been fairly gradual.
You’d really have to listen to each album from our catalogue in sequence
to really see it. The difference from one album to the next has never been
that drastic, but if you listen to “Eaten Back to Life” and “A Skeletal Domain” back to back the musical growth is pretty clear.
MM: There seems to be more ‘life’ in this new album; a harsher
sound, but not cacophonies in deep-ended sound - would you say
that’s a fair assumption on my part? And would you say that’s a production accomplishment, or the way the band has pushed the sound?
AW: I think what you’re talking about is probably the result of a combination of us trying a few different things song writing-wise, and working
at a different studio with a different producer. Like our old producer Erik
Rotan, Mark Lewis is very skilled in the studio and tried his best to make
us sound as heavy as possible. He just did it in a different way than Erik
would’ve, and I think this added a new dimension to our sound. It reminds me of a really killer thrash metal production, maybe like something Overkill would have, but with death metal music. I’m really happy
with how it turned out.
MM: Do you listen to many other, or new bands, that play gore induced death metal? So what’s your take on them as opposed to Cannibal Corpse?
AW: I don’t really listen to bands for their lyrics- most of the time I don’t
know what their lyrics are unless they’re really well enunciated, which
usually isn’t the case in death metal. So, I listen to a lot of death metal,
and some of it probably has gory lyrics, but that’s not what I’m really interested with those bands, so I don’t really know. Lately I’ve been listening to “Damnation” by Abraxas, it’s a great album. Corpus Mortale and
Perdition Temple are a couple of other newer bands that are making
killer death metal. There’s a ton of great talent in the
death metal scene, and there has been right along.
That’s why it’s been such a strong and consistent
presence in the world of underground extreme music
for all of these years, death metal is the kind of music
that attracts musicians that push themselves.
MM: Have you tried to develop your bass sound
over the years, or are you a plug in and play type
of guy?
AW: I can be a plug in and play guy, if need be.
Meaning, I’ve tried to develop good playing technique, and hopefully that means that I could make
even a really crappy amp sound decent if I had too,
just by playing well through it. I think it’s important
to develop good technique first, and worry about gear
second. Having said that, I have been working at improving my sound over the past few years, and I feel
like with both “Torture” and “A Skeletal Domain”
that I’ve made a bit of a breakthrough. I think I may
finally be at the point where you can really hear
everything I’m playing pretty much all of the time.
That’s very important to me, because I’ve always felt
that the bass is an instrument of equal importance
with the others in the band, and therefore it should be
as prominent in the mix as the rest of them. Not
louder, just equal. I think that’s fair.
MM: Tell me about the artwork for ‘A Skeletal
Domain’, how was it conceived, and how do you
think it rates alongside other Cannibal Corpse releases?
AW: The artwork is Vince Locke’s interpretation of
Paul Mazurkiewicz’s lyrics for the song “A Skeletal
Domain”. I think it’s a great piece of art. Vince always does a great job for us. My personal favourites
are probably the covers for “Torture”, “Butchered at
Birth”, and the censored version of “Gallery of Suicide”, but this new cover certainly sits well next to
any of those.
MM: With the release of the album almost imminent, have you got any pre-conceptions of how it
will be received? (That does seem a real weird
topic to mention to a death metal band!).
AW: Yes, it is strange to be talking about a death
metal band climbing the music charts- especially a
band in its third decade! We’re certainly not an
overnight success story, so it’s nice to see this kind of
thing happening after all of this time. For this new
album, we’re hopeful that it does well like our other
recent releases, but of course we can’t really predict
what will happen. But I’m pretty confident that no
matter what happens with the charts our fans will like
it.
MM: How have you evolved as a musician over
the last three decades?
AW: Well, I think the obvious things like an improvement in speed or dexterity are there just because of all of the time I’ve spent with the
instrument, and the same is true for the other guyswe’ve all grown technically. But there are other ways
to grow too, and those might be less obvious. What
I’m talking about is mainly things to do with song
writing- knowing when to play fast or slow, when to
change a part so that it doesn’t get boring, knowing
which notes and chords will conjure the right emotion for the song- these kinds of things you learn with
experience. I really feel that song writing has been
our biggest area of improvement over the years. This
is subjective of course - our taste and someone else’s
could be drastically different, so some people may
prefer our older songs. But we feel that our writing
these days is the best it’s ever been. The variety of
songs on this album will hopefully give the listener a
wild ride, and that’s certainly our intent- we try to
design our albums to be as exciting to listen to as
possible. Song writing is a skill that you develop
over time, just like technique. I think we’ve gradu-
ally gotten better at both over the years.
MM: Album number 13. Did you ever envisage
the band surviving, or even meaning something to
the world of metal for this length of time?
AW: No, we had no idea we’d have this kind of
longevity and success. Back when we started even
Black Sabbath had only been around for about 20
years, so for us to think we’d have a career that was
longer than that- well, there was no way to imagine
it. We’re very, very lucky. We’ve been fortunate to
have some good opportunities and we’ve tried to
make the most of them. We also have incredibly
loyal fans, people who’ve stuck with us the whole
time. It’s amazing, and we’re extremely grateful. It’s
all still very hard to believe when I think about it.
MM: Three decades and thirteen albums, that’s a
hell of a ride; things can’t have all been a bed of
roses along the way, surely...?
AW: I’ve been asked this question before, and we’ve
had some tough times, but nothing too bad I guess.
We’ve been pretty lucky. And why bring up the bad
stuff anyway? Personally, I’m happy to leave bad experiences behind and move forward.
MM: What would you consider to be Cannibal
Corpse’ greatest achievement?
AW: It’s so hard to say. I guess the band’s longevity
is probably the biggest achievement. There’s not really any one thing… it’s more the whole career in
total that I think is pretty impressive. We’ve been
able to make a 25+ year career out of playing our
favourite music. That’s something to be proud of I
think, and we are so thankful to our fans for making
it possible.
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