BUTCHER BABIES' CARLA HARVEY Is Looking Forward To Bringing Back 'Thrash Element' To Band's Music

Carla Harvey — one of BUTCHER BABIES' two dynamic frontwomen — spoke to the Fairfield City Champion about the band's upcoming second full-length release, the follow-up to last year's well-received debut, "Goliath".

"This next album is really important to us," she said. "It's the album that really says, 'Are you going to keep going as a band or just stop?' It's really important to make it the best it can be.

"I think that it's going to be a little thrashier than the current album. We're working with a different producer too, and any time you use a different producer, there's going to be a bit of a different sound. We're really looking forward to bringing back a little more of the thrash element to our music."

Harvey told the the Fairfield City Champion that the mixture of the BUTCHER BABIES bandmembers' influences has helped them create a sound that stands out from the rest of the pack.

"We all have different influences, but collectively we could all agree that SLIPKNOT and PANTERA are our biggest influences as a band," said Carla. "I grew up listening to old-school thrash metal and classic metal and, of course, PANTERA; Heidi [Shepherd, vocals] grew up listening to more nu-metal and stuff; our drummer also nu-metal. Henry listens to MESHUGGAH and heavier stuff and our bass player loves death metal. We put it all together and we make it something that is distinctly BUTCHER BABIES, I think."

Taking a page from heroes METALLICA and GUNS N' ROSES, BUTCHER BABIES have recorded an EP of cover tunes that will surely please fans of the band, as well as fans of the artists that performed them originally. Titled "Uncovered", this EP will be released on September 30 in North America (October 6 in Europe) and features the following five tracks:

01. Beer Drinkers And Hell Raisers
02. They're Coming To Take Me Away
03. Don't Give A Fuck
04. Crazy Horses
05. Pussy Whipped

Harvey commented: "It was a blast recording songs that we have been fans of our entire lives and putting our spin on them.

"We all chose a song that had some significance to us. My pick was 'They're Coming To Take Me Away' by NAPOLEAN XIV, because I have a vivid memory of my stepdad, who I considered completely insane, playing it over and over again on his car stereo when I was a pre-teen. The song is about being taken away to a mental institution. I can still see him tapping his fingers on his steering wheel to the beat..."

Heidi Shepherd added: "As an eight- or nine-year-old little girl, I used to rummage through my parents' albums and 8-tracks looking for some cool music. In hopes that my parents had at least a little bit of good taste, I would play every single song looking for something that I could latch on to. That's when I came across 'Crazy Horses' by THE OSMONDS; it was the heaviest song I had heard at that age. I would play that song over and over and over again, I was addicted. To this date, it's still one of my favorite songs and reminds me so much of growing up in Provo, Utah."

In regards to BUTCHER BABIES' cover of THE OSMONDS' "Crazy Horses", Donny Osmond comments: "When we released 'Crazy Horses", we were pushing against what THE OSMONDS were known for, but it became a greatest hit. The BUTCHER BABIES have reinvented this song in a creative and innovative way — and that's what music is about. Now...What if I had recorded 'Puppy Love' like this?"

To pre-order "Uncovered", please visit ButcherBabiesOfficial.com.

Shortly before the release of "Uncovered", BUTCHER BABIES will embark on their first headlining run in the U.S. The band will end their tour playing at this year's Knotfest in San Bernardino, California.