Interview: Bassist Alex Webster of Cannibal Corpse and Blotted Science

Cannibal Corpse is one of the best death metal bands on the planet, if not the best. Their brand of sickening brutality has pushed them to the front of the death metal brigade. Their legacy is undeniably important. Scores of bands have aped their style since the influential quintet formed in 1989. They may not have invented the genre, but the unspeakable lyrics of former frontman Chris Barnes coupled with the relentless blasts and grooves that underpin the beastly vocals have assisted in making Cannibal Corpse the best-selling death metal band of all time. I had a chance to interview bassist Alex Webster, one of only two original members. Webster has a reputation for being one of the nicest guys in the metal community. After meeting him, I have to say that the rumors are definitely true. He could get away with being a jerk, but he is as down-to-earth as human beings get.

The band has just wrapped up the touring cycle behind their latest studio album, the aptly titled Kill. If you aren't familiar with Cannibal Corpse and you want to hear what real metal sounds like, pick up their latest disc pronto. On with the Q&A...

Dom Coccaro: First off, I love the Blotted Science album. Is it a one-off project or will there be future recordings?

Alex Webster: Thanks, glad you like it! I don't know for sure if we'll do another album, but I sure hope so. It's really up to Ron. Ron does the lion's share of the work in the band, so it will probably come down to whether or not he wants to go through the whole process again (Ron produced and edited the album, as well as writing about 85% of the material and playing all of the guitar parts...that's a lot of work!).

DC: Discuss the themes of "The Machinations of Dementia." Who acted as the creative force when it came to the concept?

AW: The album's songs are all inspired by things having to do with the brain. Ron was definitely the main creative force behind the concept.

DC: I noticed that the last two tracks are exactly the same length. Is there something to that?

AW: There is, definitely. I don't know if Ron wants me to give away the "secret," so I'd say just listen to the two songs a few times and see if you can figure out the connection.

DC: How does a side project go through three drummers before releasing anything?

AW: Well, this is a long-distance project, meaning that each member recorded his own tracks in a studio in or near his home. This is something that requires a lot of spare time, and the first two drummers (Chris Adler and Derek Roddy, both excellent players, of course) did not have enough spare time to dedicate to the project. Charlie had the time to put in, and man, did he do a fantastic job.

DC: Are there any metal instrumental albums that you could recommend to fans of the genre?

AW: "Skullgrid" by Behold...the Arctopus and "Quantum" by Planet X are pretty darn amazing. Behold is Charlie's other band, by the way.

DC: You handled bass duties on the upcoming Hate Eternal album. How does the record sound in comparison to HE's past efforts?

AW: It has a lot of diversity, but it is still 100% pure crushing death metal. I actually am still waiting to hear the final mix (I recorded the bass parts and then went on tour while the rest of the album was being recorded).

DC: Will Erik Rutan produce the next Cannibal Corpse album?

AW: At this point the answer is 99% positive. We just need to get our schedules to work with Erik's...he's a busy guy!

DC: Which direction would you like to take the next CC album? Personally, I think it should be more melodic (as in Bloodthirst-melodic).

AW: We'll probably keep heading in the "Kill" direction, meaning faster, more technical, and more relentless. But who knows, it could turn out differently as the writing process proceeds...we'll see.

DC: There was a girl filming the band's performance at the show I attended. She told me that a CC documentary is in the works. Care to spill?

AW: The project she is working on is still in its nascent stages, so it's better if I don't spill the beans at this time. Sorry! The main reason to keep it quiet for now is that it's still taking shape, and the description I would give now might not represent the final results very well.

DC: What was the last CD you listened to?

AW: Aeon - "Rise to Dominate"

DC: What is your opinion of the Paths of Possession albums that George has appeared on?

AW: They are both good melodic death metal, but I think the new one is a big step-up from the debut.

DC: In the old days, was there ever any hesitation to go with Chris Barnes's grislier lyrics? I just wonder if any of the band members had reservations about songs like "Necropedophile" and "Entrails Ripped From a Virgin's Cunt."

AW: Well, all of our lyrics are pretty disgusting, and we never aligned our personal beliefs with the subjects covered in the songs. We think the characters in our songs are despicable maniacs too, just like any normal person would! Honestly, the lyrics have always been something that we consider very secondary to the music. We never thought about them as much as people might think we would. We always concentrated on the riffing.

DC: "Kill," while being a monster of an album, did not bear Vincent Locke's trademark artwork. Will the next album feature an over-the-top album cover?

AW: I don't know yet. Hopefully, we'll get some artwork we're happy with. It's really up to the artist. We don't have as much control over it as people might think. We make suggestions of course, but in the end, it's up to the artist.

DC: How much longer will Cannibal Corpse carry on? Have you thought about finding younger replacements so that the band will last for generations to come?

AW: No, we won't replace ourselves with younger guys, haha! We're really still pretty young compared to bands like Judas Priest and Iron Maiden, and those bands are still as heavy as ever, so we hope to have the same kind of longevity they have. We are lucky to have fans that are in for the long haul with us. We are very grateful to them for this!

DC: Give me your top 5 CC songs. And don't say you can't pick any!

AW: "Hammer Smashed Face," "From Skin to Liquid," "Pounded Into Dust," "Frantic Disembowelment," and "The Time to Kill is Now."

DC: Thanks so much for the interview. Much appreciated.

AW: Okay, thanks for the interview!