Cannibal Corpse drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz opened up about how his relationship with touring has changed over the decades, admitting that the excitement of the early days has given way to a more disciplined approach to life on the road.
“Yeah, it’s definitely different. We’d be lying if [we said], ‘Oh, it’s just as exciting and gung-ho as it was in the early days.’ Of course. But it’s what we have to do. It’s part of our job, and we wanna be out there, of course, still playing to the fans and all that.”
“But the older we get, the harder it is, the harder it is to be away and to live on a bus with everybody and all that kind of thing. So, you just gotta make it work. I mean, we’ve been doing it our whole lives, so I guess we have that experience of how to do it and how to live out there as opposed to being home and all.”
“For me, it’s just a matter of… I guess it’s kind of just similar, if I would say, well, what do I gotta do to maintain being older now? So it’s the same thing on the road. Of course I just gotta make sure I’m eating well and hydrated and get sleep and all that. I go on walks every day, just to kind of get some good exercise and all that. And being able to get away to keep your sanity, I guess, ’cause, yeah, it gets a little tough when you’re on the bus with, say, 10 guys.”
“And especially the older we get now and maybe the tours aren’t happing as frequently as they did, which is fine as well. If we can maximize in that regard, I think we’re all happy. But, yeah, you get home, you’re used to being home and being by yourself or with your family or your wife or girlfriend, then you gotta go out on the road and live like the old days. It’s tough. But we make it work.”
“And you just gotta pick those spots, just like I said, go on walks and get out. That’s why I think the great thing about being on the road when the weather’s nice is you can do those things. I’m living in Florida too, man. I’m Floridian now. It’s been what? 30 some years now [since I moved to Florida from upstate New York]. And go on a winter tour where you gotta bundle up and maybe it’s snowing, or if it’s raining, you just can’t do anything.”
“I mean, I love to be able to get out outside, enjoy the fresh air, get away from people and take walks and all those things. I mean, it’s great when it’s weather permitting.”
Cannibal Corpse’s Paul Mazurkiewicz talked about his current views on the touring life and explained how it changed for him and his bandmates since the group’s formation nearly four decades ago.
His remarks carry added weight given how long he has been living that routine. Mazurkiewicz is one of the few musicians who has been with Cannibal Corpse from its very first days, which means the shift he describes has played out across an entire career rather than a single album cycle. That context helps explain why he speaks about touring less as a thrill and more as a job to be managed carefully.
The band was formed in 1988 in Buffalo, New York, by bassist Alex Webster, drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz, and guitarists Jack Owen and Bob Rusay, with vocalist Chris Barnes. The group drew on thrash and early death metal from acts like Slayer, Kreator, and Death, and its lineup has changed several times since then.
Through all of those changes, Mazurkiewicz has been a constant. Cannibal Corpse has seen several lineup changes throughout its run, with bassist Alex Webster and drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz remaining the only constant members. The current lineup also includes vocalist George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher and guitarist Erik Rutan.
The band’s longevity has become a talking point for Mazurkiewicz himself. He said in March 2026, “It’s crazy to think that we’re going on the 38th-year anniversary of the band.” He has also been candid about how much longer he can keep performing, telling the outlet in a separate interview, “Am I gonna be able to do what I do right now in 10 years? I don’t know.”
Touring has remained central to the band’s schedule in recent years. Cannibal Corpse toured Europe in the fall of 2024 with Municipal Waste and Immolation, and followed it with a U.S. run in spring 2025 alongside Meshuggah and Carcass. A March 2026 report also said Mazurkiewicz confirmed the band was taking a break from live activity while preparing its seventeenth studio album.
The live calendar has since stayed mostly quiet. Cannibal Corpse is currently listed with only two shows scheduled, including a November 13, 2026 appearance at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California, as part of Slayer’s Reign in Blood 40th anniversary event. That lighter schedule lines up with Mazurkiewicz’s own description of a band that no longer tours as frequently as it once did.
The album-and-tour rhythm he describes is nothing new for the group. Mazurkiewicz explained, “We always had that mentality of making an album, touring it and then making another one.” That cycle, repeated for nearly four decades, is the same one he now navigates with hydration, sleep, daily walks, and time away from the bus.
