ALEX WEBSTER

I don't foresee corpsepaint in my future

-How reminds you your teenager times, when as musician of BEYOND DEATH you have made the first rehearsals and first songs? Have you got maybe yet somewhere this stuff? If yes, don’t you think, that would be a good idea to release it as a regular CD? Many of bands releases today their demo stuff as a compilations, so perhaps much of your fans would like to know the roots of CANNIBAL CORPSE…
I remember those times pretty well, although it was actually 20 years ago. BEYOND DEATH made a demo and a live demo while Jack and I were in the band, but I don’t know if we would release them, they weren’t so good, at least not the studio demo. The live demo was actually pretty good musically, but the sound was not so good. We did several live shows, probably around a dozen or so, and some of them were filmed, and we might show a few clips of that on an upcoming DVD CANNIBAL is making to celebrate our 20th year as a band.

-Which were the reactions of your parents seeing those horrible pictures on the front covers of CANNIBAL CORPSE albums? Were they rather shocked, saying: “Alex, child, how can to do it?” or simply didn’t care about, treating your band as a rebellion of the youth?
My father died before CANNIBAL began, so he never saw it, but my mom got to see all the covers. She doesn’t like the covers or the song titles, but she is happy, that her son is successful at what he does.

-In the past one of our journalists talked with Phil of MALEVOLENT CREATION about alcohol problems of Rob Barrett, who was kicked out from this band exactly in due of these complications. As CANNIBAL CORPSE you have played a much of gigs with Rob after his rejoining, so have you really noticed whenever by him this kind of problem or can to suppose, that Phil had a little bit exaggerated?
Well, Rob definitely likes to drink, but I believe, that since rejoining our band his drinking situation has improved quite a bit. He knows that we need to be professional at all times while we are on tour and working with the band. What he does in his spare time isn’t really our business and if he wants to get drunk, that’s fine as long as it doesn’t affect the band negatively.

-How estimate you the US death metal scene today? We have naturally the bands, which tries to stay true like in the past, for example IMMOLATION, OBITUARY, SUFFOCATION or you, but unfortunately can’t to say it about DEICIDE, which was always a one from the mightiest gods in the pantheon of US death metal, having still now very tarnished reputation. Much of people awaits now the return of MORBID ANGEL and a new album with David Vincent, being also afraid about the reunion of this band in the old vein. Do you believe yet in the good condition of the scene or think rather, that the golden times already have passed?
I think that there is actually a very bright future in the US death metal scene and it is coming from younger bands like BRAIN DRILL, SEVERED SAVIOUR, LECHEROUS NOCTURNE and ONTOGENY, as well as bands that are veterans of the second wave from the mid/late 90’s like DEEDS OF FLESH, NILE and HATE ETERNAL. And of course, the bands from the old scene like you mentioned are still very important. There is a lot of talent in the US death metal scene, so I think it will survive and in fact it has the potential to surpass the old scene. If the talent is there, there will always be a dedicated fan base to support it.

-How looks a life of Alex Webster at home? Are you cooking a dinner, cleaning the rooms or maybe lying on the sofa, are you eating the crisps and drinking a beer, you are watching in TV the beauties of “Playboy”? I know, that you are happy married, but on the sunny Florida there’s probably no lack of wonderful girls, who walking down the streets and dressed only in bikini seduces the boys by their charms?
Haha, yes there are lots of girls in Florida, this is where I met my beautiful wife. Our life is not too exciting, we just spend time together at home with our dogs, and we sometimes go on vacations and things like that. Besides the fact that my job as a death metal bassist is unusual, my life is pretty normal.

-Tell me please, were you whenever afraid, that something will disturb you in career – for example a military service? Opportunity, I understand, that in the past you mustn’t to dress a uniform in woodland pattern combat camouflage or Kevlar helmet and running with M 16 across the bushes to kill your imagined “enemies”?
No, I was never in the military, neither were any of the other CANNIBAL guys. Military service is not mandatory in the US, so since we were all interested in music that is were focused our lives.

-For the end, please tell very short about the plans of HATE ETERNAL and of CANNIBAL, of course. You have released “Kill” album before two years, so probably this year we should to hear a new stuff of your mother-band, have I right? Supposed, you will attack us like always with the murderous sounds, so here I haven’t the slightest kind of doubts, but promise please, that the front cover will be full of blood, broken bones and crushed skulls like always? Last time I was really a little bit disappointed!
HATE ETERNAL will be doing lots of touring this year as I mentioned before. CANNIBAL CORPSE will record a new album in September and October of this year, we will try to make our heaviest album ever. We don’t have any lyrics or songs titles, and I don’t know what the cover will look like, but it will almost certainly be more graphic than the cover of “Kill”. We will have to wait to see! Thanks for the interview, Nicolas, and thank you to all of our supporters, see you in 2009!

CV:
Real Name: Alex Webster
Born: October 25, 1969
Instruments: bass guitar
Associated: CANNIBAL CORPSE, HATE ETERNAL, BEYOND DEATH, BLOTTED SCIENCE, ALAS