HIGHWIRE DAZE INTERVIEWS

Updated: 03/18/00

Six Feet Under have been constantly on the road, touring with the likes of Immolation and the legendary Manowar. Their new album MAXIMUM VIOLENCE is a definite breakthrough in the death metal genre., Live performances have been hailed by fans and critics alike. Prior to their show in Hollywood, we had a chance to speak with founding member Terry Butler.

Highwire Daze: Introduce yourself and tell me what you do in Six Feet Under?

Terry Butler: My name is Terry Butler and I'm the bass player.

HD: So how did the tour with Manowar go and what were they like?

Terry: It was a decent tour. They were good guys. They're big in Europe and they tried to carry that over here. They had their crowd. We're probably just spoiled a bit -- we'd rather headline than open. It was kind of a label thing.

HD: Was it difficult with your music being so different than Manowar's?

Terry: Not really. The crowd was kind of divided. The power metal people weren't into death metal. Whereas in Europe, it's a lot more open and accepted. In America it's cut and dry -- it's either one way or the other.

HD: The lyrics on MAXIMUM VIOLENCE seem a little gorier than on the past releases. Was that kind of on purpose?

Terry: It was more of a feeling -- how Chris felt when the music was being written. It was how he interpreted the music. He listens to the song and gets a vibe on it. I guess most of the songs got back to the roots of his lyrical style, which was cool -- I think fans wanted to hear that.

HD: Do you feel like Six Feet Under is Chris' band or does everybody get involved?

Terry: It's more of a band now. In the early days, the first couple of tours, it was just a side project. Now it's more of a band.

HD: Do you think metal music could be responsible for violence such as church burnings and school shootings?

Terry: There's a bunch of different theories. I think there are people that can imprint it. There's people who don't know where they want to go in life and they're easily influenced. And they might get into something that's too much. But I think more often than not, it really doesn't affect anything. The world is violent no matter where you live or what kind of music you listen to. It caters to a certain kind of crowd that might be into darker things, but I don't think so.

HD: So is everyone excited about doing these shows with Cannibal Corpse?

Terry: It doesn't bother me either way. It's more of a thing with the crowd than with the bands. It's not like we want to show them up. We do what we do, they do what they do -- and hopefully the fans will enjoy it.

HD: Is the animosity pretty much over between Six Feet Under and Cannibal Corpse?

Terry: I never really got into that, because I wasn't in Cannibal Corpse. I never had anything directed towards me. I had no need to get started into anything like that. But between Chris and the rest of the band, it's probably over.

HD: So is it still exciting for you guys to tour and meet the fans?

Terry: Sure. I enjoy it. It's better than sitting at home punching the clock every day. I'd rather tour.

HD: When your not in Six Feet Under, do you have a job that you do to?

Terry: I'm a sky diving instructor. No, I'm kidding. I really don't have another job.

HD: Do you think that death metal will become more popular, less, or stay about the same as it is now?

Terry: That depends. It seems that heavier bands are getting bigger now. I'm not saying that Korn is a real heavy band, but they've got some heavy stuff. But I can foresee a band playing the style that we do getting popular. It just depends on who gets behind you and who likes you.

HD: Do you like Korn and hip hop?

Terry: Not too much of it, but I do like a few pieces here and there.

HD: What city do you guys live in now?

Terry: Tampa.

HD: How close are you guys to recording another record?

Terry: Probably in April, we're gonna do a cover record. It's a trendy thing now and the label is really behind it. The covers we've done on our previous albums have turned out really well.

HD: Which bands would you like to cover?

Terry: It will be ranging from like AC/DC to Angelwitch to Venom to Deep Purple to Aerosmith and stuff like that. We talked about doing some strange cover -- like Mandy by Barry Manilow -- but that would be a bit too much.

HD: That would be a little cheesy! So do you have any messages for Six Feet Under fans?

Terry: Just keep supporting the band and look for us on the road somewhere.

MAXIMUM VIOLENCE by Six Feet Under is on Metal Blade Records and available at just about everywhere, so buy the damn thing and bang yer heads!!!