Interview by Jason Guest

AW: Well, of course this is what we do for a living, so that’s always a motivator of course. That said, we still really love death metal and feel that we have a lot left to say musically, so we are really driven to improve as writers and musicians in our quest to make the best death metal we can. The band is our job, but it’s a job we absolutely love and find very rewarding.

Jason: Is it difficult to maintain that same level of brutality and extremity in your music as in the early days?

AW: Song writing wise it’s really not a problem, but on stage is another story. This is a very athletic form of music, and a 20 year old athlete is definitely different from a 40 year old one. So, in order to give a performance that is equal to (or even more brutal than) to what our younger selves were capable of, we make sure not to party too much and to get plenty of rest while on the road. We save all of our energy for the 75 minute explosion on stage.

Jason: What are your inspirations in writing such brutal music?

AW: It’s just the kind of music we like. We started out listening to bands like Sodom, Possessed, Dark Angel, Slayer, etc., so that’s sort of where our sound has its roots. We don’t try to copy any bands directly, but if you listen to something a whole lot it probably works it’s way in there subconsciously, at least a little.

Jason: How do you still come up with brutal lyrics after 20+ years?

AW: Well, there’s a lot of bad stuff that happens in the world and there are a lot of really twisted horror movies and novels out there too...there’s really no shortage of violent subjects to write about.

Jason: The band's riffing and arrangements have become more technical on the more recent albums but ultimately, you still retain a sense of hookiness in the material. Is this something that just accidently happens or do you plan that out when you're constructing everything in the studio?

AW: Well, first of all we have the songs constructed well before we ever get into the studio. It’s a common misconception that most bands write in the studio- it’s not something we’ve ever done anyway. Time is money in the studio, and we can’t waste it figuring out what we’re going to play- we go in there ready, with fully completed songs.

When we are working on the songs, being technical is not really a big concern, being heavy and memorable is. I’ve always looked at it this way: you practice hard and learn as much as you can about your instrument so that you can make good music, not so that you can show off how well you can play. Your ability as a musician is a tool to be used to bring the music in your mind out of your head and into the real world. I love chops-heavy technical music, but it has to be well written to really hold my attention. We definitely keep this in mind when we’re writing.

Jason: Cannibal Corpse has covered a lot of ground in the death metal scene. What’s next for the band?

AW: We’d like to continue to tour new places and play in front of people that have never seen us before. We also feel that we have not yet done our best album. Our goal is to someday record something that we really feel is our masterwork. We might never get there, but we like to have that goal to strive for.

Jason: The last two Cannibal Corpse albums have been a lot less graphic in terms of the album art, has this been a conscious decision or something that has naturally happened?

AW: It’s a little of both I guess. I really don’t think that much about it, as long as the art looks dark and evil I’m happy with it. The music is what I am concerned with; the art is just something cool to look at while you listen to the tunes. Vince always makes killer, eerie art; whether it’s really graphic or not just isn’t that important to us.

Jason: When you first appeared on the scene, it was fairly easy to shock people with album art and lyrical content. Today, it seems increasingly difficult to have the same kind of impact. Do you think that’s because we’ve kinda seen it all now?

AW: Yeah, there are many bands that have gorier covers, lyrics, etc. so everybody’s seen it all by now as you said. I think that’s great, and honestly we don’t see ourselves as a shock band anyway. We may have some shocking lyrics, but we are much more interested in creating an overall vibe or horror and aggression. We’re definitely not out to shock intentionally, although I guess it could happen. We are out to write bone-crushingly heavy death metal. I’d rather shock people with our music than the associated imagery.

Jason: Do you think bands these days are finding it increasingly harder to find that shock factor?

AW: Maybe, but I’m sure some creative person will come up with something new to make us all vomit. I can’t wait, haha.

Jason: Is there anything that bands can do now that is genuinely shocking?

AW: Who knows? We’ll just have to wait and see.

Jason: Do you think bands need to be controversial in the multi-media music scene or should the music stand for itself?

AW: In a perfect world the music would be the most important thing, but a compelling image, controversial or otherwise, seems to be key to many artists’ success. I know controversy got us noticed in the old days, but I’d like to believe that our music is what made our career last over 20 years. I mean, you can’t listen to an album cover or a gross song title. Those things are cool, but when hundreds of people are slamming to “Hammer Smashed Face” they’re slamming to the music, not the controversy.

Jason: What are your thoughts on the internet? Do you think it’s good for music?

AW: It’s a mixed bag. I think the scale tips to the positive though, because anyone who has a connection can check out any band they want. It used to be you’d have to hear it on the radio, from a friend, or buy it. Now you can get it instantly online. That kind of easy access may have hurt album sales, but it may also have increased the overall popularity of certain bands.

Jason: Has it affected the band in any way? (Piracy, downloading,etc.)

AW: We’ve never done a study so I can’t say for sure. Our sales have been increasing for the past few years, but who knows exactly why- it’s probably a combination of things. At any rate, we’re doing very well so piracy has not brought us down as far as I can tell.

Jason: Are there any bands/albums in particular you’re looking forward to hearing this year?

AW: The new Morbid Angel album. I’m a big fan of them so this is something I’ve been waiting for for a long time.

Jason: Are there any that you’ve heard so far that have made an impact?

AW: I really love the recent releases by Accept, Perdition Temple, and Nevermore. Those are all from last year though. Oh yeah, the new Deicide is excellent too, that came out this year.

Jason: When you look back over Cannibal Corpse’s career, what are the highlights? What are you most proud of?

AW: It’s been a great career so it’s hard to pick any one thing. Touring with Slayer on the Mayhem fest in 2009 was certainly a highlight, but there have been others.

Jason: What are you most looking forward to?

AW: I don’t really know. Getting back out on the road will be great, so maybe that.

Jason: If you had to pick five songs from your back catalogue that you are most proud of, what would they be?

AW: “From Skin To Liquid”, “Grotesque”, “Hammer Smashed Face”, “The Time To Kill Is Now”, “An Experiment in Homicide”

Jason: Are they indicative of how you’d like future Cannibal Corpse albums to sound?

AW: Well, there’s a lot of variety between the songs I listed, and we consider variety a key component of any great album, so yeah, maybe so.

AW: It’s a live performance/tour documentary DVD. The live performance footage is mostly from 2 shows in the USA, but the behind the scenes footage shows us traveling through several different countries.

Jason: How have the responses to the DVD been so far?

AW: Very positive so far. Denise from Wild Wind really knows how to make a compelling DVD.

Jason: At the moment, you’ve no tour plans for 2011. Will you be coming over to the UK in 2012 (one off shows or a tour)?

AW: Our new album should be ready by early 2012, so we’re likely to come over shortly thereafter for a tour.

Jason: What can we expect from Cannibal Corpse in the near future?

AW: We won’t be doing many (if any) shows in 2011, we’re just trying to concentrate on our next album. In 2012 we’ll be back out on the road though. It may end up being the most extensive tour we’ve ever done...that’s we’re shooting for anyway.

Jason: Is there anything you’d like to add or say to our readers?

AW: Thanks for reading and for the support, see you all on tour!!! Thanks for the interview!