Cannibal Corpse bassist Alex Webster recently appeared on The Rockman Power Hour and discussed the challenges of playing death metal. While chatting about the struggles of playing heavy music and the physical activity it requires, the bassist was asked if he faces any challenges now while performing. With more than 30 years on the metal music scene, the bassist shared his experience and knowledge to explain with the following words:
“Death metal and the other kinds of extreme metal are really physical kinds of music. First of all, just in the execution of it, and then also if you’re doing a stage performance where you wanna really be headbanging and moving around, that’s all stuff that’s, it’s physical.”
Webster clarified that not only death metal, but other genres too are physical and may be tiring from time to time:
“I mean, everything — playing folk music is physical, but for sure, what we’re doing is probably gonna get the sweat going a little more.”
The bassist likened the Cannibal Corpse shows to marathons and training in terms of their activity:
“It’s hard to think of the best analogy. The whole show is kind of a marathon, I guess, because we’re playing, like, 75 to 90 minutes, but each song is a sprint. So it’s almost like HIIT [high-intensity interval training] training… So that’s kind of what the show is like. […] So we do have to kind of look out for our bodies and everything.”
The rocker described that just like how physical activity and needs differ in different age groups, it’s the same for musicians of different ages than his. He also seems to acknowledge the importance of taking care of oneself, revealing that he turned it into a hobby as well. Webster shared what kinds of activities he does to stay healthy:
“The stuff you do in your twenties — drinking and whatever, not getting enough sleep, eating garbage food — you just can’t do that, at least I can’t in my fifties. I really keep track of my health, and it’s kind of a hobby too. And I could go on and on about that, but I love to run. And that’s one of the things that keeps me kind of focused and just having fun on tour — finding new places to run when I get to a different city or whatever. But yeah, it’s important.”
Although playing death metal can be quite physical, the bassist made clear that he and the band are still going great and don’t see an end in the near future, and there are still many years ahead of them. The fans of the band can count on the bassist’s words, since they just released their latest album, ‘Chaos Horrific,’ and are currently on a North American tour with Mayhem, Gorguts, and Blood Incantation.
Below, you can watch the recent interview.
