Cannibal Corpse Bassist on the Impact Violent Cinema Has Had on Them

Posted on Mar 14th 2012 1:30PM by Carlos Ramirez Comments

Metal Blade

Just this week, death metal overlords Cannibal Corpse released 'Torture,' their aptly titled 12th studio album. Boasting song titles like 'Demented Aggression' and 'Followed Home Then Killed,' the record features more of the deliciously ghastly lyrics we've all come to expect from the group. While many of the acts they've influenced throughout their 20-plus-year career have done an admirable job at emulating Cannibal Corpse's songwriting style, none has ever done it better.

Since founding bassist Alex Webster has always handled a lot of the lyrics in Cannibal Corpse, Noisecreep asked him if horror cinema has informed most of his songwriting: "To be honest, I've always focused more on the musical side of the songwriting than I have of the lyrics in Cannibal Corpse. If you ask anyone who knows me, they'll tell you that when I talk about another band, it's usually about how fast their drummer is or how talented their guitarist is. The lyrics are far down on the list of things that are important to me when I check out a band. I might love the sound of a vocalist and not even know what he's singing about.

"That said we do put a lot of work into the lyrics in Cannibal Corpse. We want to always make sure that the words compliment the intensity of the music we write. I think watching so many horror movies throughout the years has helped us get inspired in the lyric department, but I don't necessarily remember basing an entire song on a specific movie," admits the bassist.

Watch Cannibal Corpse's 'Encased in Concrete' Video

Webster then tells Noisecreep some more about his cinematic appetites: "This is probably going to make me sound crazy – oh f--- it, I am in Cannibal Corpse after all – but I love any movie that has violence in it. It definitely doesn't have to be a horror movie either. Who doesn't love 'Goodfellas' or 'Casino' when they come on? That has some of the most realistic violence you'll see in any movie.

I'm not saying I like violence in itself, but I do find it entertaining when it's depicted in cinema. I'm a pretty peaceful person in my everyday life, but the kind of entertainment that I and the rest of the guys in the band enjoy is usually of a violent nature. But look at the numbers these kinds of movies do. Even the modern horror movies being made these days are doing well at box office. I'm obviously not alone in loving violent films."

Cannibal Corpse's 'Torture' is in stores now via Metal Blade. Catch the death metallers on the U.S. Torture Tour 2012 w/ Exhumed, Abysmal Dawn, Arkaik:

4/05/2012 Freebird Live – Jacksonville, FL
4/6/2012 The Soapbox – Wilmington, NC
4/7/2012 Lincoln Theater – Raleigh, NC
4/08/2012 V Club Live – Huntington, WV
4/9/2012 The Orange Peel – Asheville, NC
4/10/2012 The Canal Club – Richmond, VA
4/12/2012 Higher Ground – South Burlington, VT
4/13/2012 The Club At Water Street – Rochester, NY
4/14/2012 The Cincinnati Metal Fest @ Bogart's – Cincinnati, OH w/ CANNIBAL CORPSE, The Black Dahlia Murder, Nile, Exhumed, Skeletonwitch, Abysmal Dawn, Hour Of Pennance, Arkaik
4/15/2012 The Intersection – Grand Rapids, MI
4/16/2012 People's Court – Des Moines, IA
4/17/2012 Slowdown – Omaha, NE
4/19/2012 The Scene-ary – Wichita, KS
4/20/2012 The Black Sheep – Colorado Springs, CO
4/21/2012 Mesa Theater & Club – Grand Junction, CO
4/22/2012 Top Deck – Farmington, NM
4/23/2012 The Rock –Tucson, AZ
4/24/2012 Tricky Falls – El Paso, TX
4/25/2012 Jake's – Lubbock, TX
4/27/2012 The Blue Note – Columbia, MO
4/28/2012 Diamond Ballroom – Oklahoma City, OK w/ CANNIBAL CORPSE, Behemoth, Watain, Exhumed, The Devil's Blood, In Solitude, Abysmal Dawn, Arkaik
4/29/2012 Newby's – Memphis, TN
4/30/2012 Exit In – Nashville, TN
5/1/2012 Zydeco – Birmingham, AL
5/3/2012 Double Down - Gainesville, FL

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