By Andrew Bansal
American death metal legends Cannibal Corpse are about to release their 13th studio album ‘A Skeletal Domain’ on September 16th via Metal Blade Records, a record that further solidifies their already perennial stronghold on the genre and showcases a band completely unwilling to stop or slow down even in the third decade of their revered existence. Last week, I spoke to drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz to talk about this new album, the role of their newfound partnership with producer Mark Lewis, the band’s signature sound, his drumming, the impending Cannibal Corpse book, future plans and more. Read the conversation below.
Paul, it’s good to have you again on Metal Assault. The new Cannibal Corpse album ‘A Skeletal Domain’ is coming out very soon. Even though you guys have had so many albums in the past, you’ve been around for a long time and this is your 13th album, a new album denotes a new chapter in any band’s career so it must still be an exciting time for you and everybody in the band.
Oh yeah, definitely. We’re very happy and very fortunate that we’re still doing this, to be able to be around for 25 years, to still be relevant and to arguably be the best we’ve ever been. So yes, it’s a totally exciting time for us. Whenever you’re going to release a new record you’re very happy and excited about it, which we are. We’re looking forward to the release, for everybody to hear it, and to get out on the road to play these songs live. It’s a good time for us, that’s for sure.
I guess the biggest change that has come about with this album is the producer. You worked with Erik Rutan, a pretty famous death metal partnership for the last three albums, and you did this new album with Mark Lewis. How much has that impacted the sound and the overall product?
You know, we just wanted to mix things up a little bit. Erik did a great job on all three of the records that he did with us and we had no problems, really, but we felt like needing to mix things up in the way of a new producer, with new scenery, new studio and that kind of thing. And Mark did a great job! We knew going in that he had a big task ahead of him, following ‘Torture’ specially with that production, but we felt that he was up to the task. We were really pleased with a lot of the productions he’d been doing up until then and we just knew he’d be the man to do a great record for us. We figured we weren’t going to get anything lesser than ‘Torture’ and that at least he’d be able to make as good of a record if not better. It was the time to give Mark a chance, and I’m glad we did because we’re very happy with the outcome.
Right, but the writing process was still the same as usual?
Yeah, the writing process was pretty much the same as it has been, with Alex writing new songs at home, Rob and Pat doing the same. I get together with Pat a little bit more so than the other guys, just to may be help arrange and go over the beats and things like that. Our process for the last few albums has been the same, just everybody doing their work at home and then we get together and finalize the songs that way.
With the career that you’ve had so far, obviously there’s a signature Cannibal Corpse sound that people know by now. Does that make things comfortable in that sense, because no matter what you do, what comes out of you is that signature sound and that’s what people expect to hear.
Yeah, we’re fortunate that we’ve got some great songwriters, Pat and Rob specially write Cannibal Corpse songs now. They’re part of the sound, and when they write songs it fits the mold of what we’ve been doing from the very beginning of the band, basically. So, I think we realize that whatever comes out of us is going to be Cannibal Corpse. I think everybody understands what to do and what not to do. Usually whatever anybody comes up with, they’re happy with it and then we’re more than likely happy with it too because it’s written by one of us. It’s good to have that diversity in the band and to have more of a creative output with a few writers. The fans wait for this signature Cannibal Corpse stuff and they know what to expect.
But on the other side, does it also become hard to challenge yourself to try doing things that you haven’t done before?
I think those things happen subtly. We’re always kind of doing something a little bit different, something that we may or may not have done before, but it’s usually so subtle that you might not pick things out. May be it’s a different rhythm, tempo or scale we never used, just a different way of arranging or something. So, I think when we do those little things, it’s enough for us to make it fresh and different from the last song, the last album or what have you. We’re just constantly throwing in some little subtle changes that don’t affect the overall sound of the band that we’re going for but keep us fresh all the time.
Critics of the band might say that everything sounds the same, but it doesn’t sound exactly the same. If you compare any two songs and play them at the same time, there are subtle differences, like you said.
Right, exactly. And that’s what we go for. We’re playing death metal, we’re playing Cannibal Corpse-style death metal and we are going to be what we are. Yes, certain songs may have a similarity about them because we’re playing the same beats, it’s our style of death metal and we understand that. But I think that’s what comes into play in trying to make a better song. Yes, there’s going to be double bass in a lot of songs, and blast beats. It’s just a matter of how you’re composing these songs and what you’re doing with them, and the riffs as well. So that’s what we try to do. We’re not reinventing the wheel here with our music. We’re just trying to hone our skills, refine our songwriting, and this is what you get, ‘A Skeletal Domain’, I think arguably the best material we’ve ever come up with, just a culmination of what we’re just talking about. Years of honing and trying to get better and write better songs leads up to where you are now. It’s very important and it’s why we’re doing what we are, still around and writing the best material of our career.
What’s your take on your own drumming parts and performance on this album and how did you mix things up?
Well, I was just trying to do more, I guess, filling in more blanks. Ever since we started using the click track for me back when we started writing ‘Evisceration Plague’, it was such a difference and just a whole new mentality I had to wrap my head around. I’m finally feeling really, really good about using the click track these days. So when we go to write new songs I’m not fighting the click track anymore because I’m used to it, I understand it and I’ve been practiced with it. I can do more around it now. On this record I was really conscious of trying to throw more fills and to do it where it needed to happen. If it doesn’t then so be it, but I just wanted the drums to be a little bit more lively on this record.
Aside from this upcoming release and the touring plans, there’s also an official authorized biography in the works, featuring the whole band with your own collection of photos and stuff like that. That’s something to look forward to as well.
Yeah I think it’s pretty cool and something different for the fans. We’ve released a couple of ‘making of’ DVDs from the studio and we have live DVDs, but this is something new. The book seemed like it was a good time to do it. It’s full of pictures and stories really focusing on the five members of the band now, which is pretty much Cannibal Corpse and has been for a long time, the most solid lineup we’ve ever had. So we’re really focusing on the five of us but there’s also pictures and stories from all eras of the band. I think it’s going to be a pretty cool thing for fans to have, to be able to put a Cannibal Corpse book on their book shelves. We’re really looking forward to it and I hope the fans enjoy it.
And finally, what immediate plans do you guys have after this album release?
Well, we’re actually heading over to Australia and Japan this Saturday, so we’re pretty much starting the whole process now, a little early. The way our timing ended up working out, the record won’t be out for Australia when we’re over there but it is what it is, and either way we’re going there. We’ll be there in Japan too, and we come home for a week before we start a European tour for two months. That will take us up till the new year basically, and then we’ve got a bunch of touring to start 2015. We’ll be doing another US headline tour which is being worked out as we speak now, and it will probably happen in February-March. We’ll be doing a lot more stuff throughout 2015 as well. So basically this is the start of it all and it’s what has to happen when you release a new record!
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