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| Steve Tucker, photographed by Chris Casella |
The innovators of death metal, Morbid Angel, will pulverize the United States with a month-long tour this November. I jumped at the opportunity to talk to their bassist and vocalist Steve Tucker on the phone, as he prepares to unleash hell on the road.
(Edited for length)
HELL-O Steve! What do you think the most underrated Morbid Angel Song is?
Oh man, you're talking about 30 years of making songs. You could ask 10 different people and they'd tell you 10 different songs.
Personally, I've always dug "To The Victor The Spoils." Yeah, that's a song I wrote. We played that on our last tour. I'd say "I." That song is really hypnotic. It kind of makes the crowd go into Zombie Mode when we play it live.
What's your favorite horror movie?
My all-time favorite horror film is Salem's Lot. That's always been. That movie is my life. The lighting in the film, the whole vibe is real menacing. It's a place I wouldn't want to be.
On the topic of places you wouldn't want to be, what's one of the scariest places you've ever been to?
I think we played somewhere like Slovenia, and you could tell the promoters were kind of thugs. Eventually there was a fight, next thing you know, guys are in a choke hold and knives are out. And, you know, Eastern Europe, it's a pretty far drive from anywhere else.
Well, I'm glad you guy made it out alive and in one piece. This next question is from the boys in Basilysk. You have a tattoo of a hand print on your arm. Does that hand print belong to anybody?
That's my daughter's hand print. I had that for like 20 years. I had that before I joined Morbid Angel. Now I got a lot more tattoos.
What are you listening to at the moment?
I'm a singularly focused guy in pretty much everything I do. Whenever I'm working on Morbid Angel stuff that's all I listen to. I couldn't listen to any more death metal because I'm already doing that four hours a day in Morbid. If I do listen to something, it will be something far out like Pink Floyd, Tool, Katatonia.
Ah, Tool. What do you think of their new album?
I think it's weird, man. I think a couple songs are absolutely brilliant, like "Pneuma." It kind of feels like its over, for me. You have these epic 12 minute songs, it kind of feels like that's it for them.
Plus, who the hell knows how long it would take them to record another one?
Absolutely. Tool is something I've listened to in my own time. I've been a fan for decades. They've always been the odd balls. And for them to come out and sell all these records and knock Taylor Swift off the charts. That's hilarious. How could you not be happy for them if you're an anti-social person? ...which I feel like most metal heads are antisocial.
Personally, I've always dug "To The Victor The Spoils." Yeah, that's a song I wrote. We played that on our last tour. I'd say "I." That song is really hypnotic. It kind of makes the crowd go into Zombie Mode when we play it live.
What's your favorite horror movie?
My all-time favorite horror film is Salem's Lot. That's always been. That movie is my life. The lighting in the film, the whole vibe is real menacing. It's a place I wouldn't want to be.
On the topic of places you wouldn't want to be, what's one of the scariest places you've ever been to?
I think we played somewhere like Slovenia, and you could tell the promoters were kind of thugs. Eventually there was a fight, next thing you know, guys are in a choke hold and knives are out. And, you know, Eastern Europe, it's a pretty far drive from anywhere else.
Well, I'm glad you guy made it out alive and in one piece. This next question is from the boys in Basilysk. You have a tattoo of a hand print on your arm. Does that hand print belong to anybody?
That's my daughter's hand print. I had that for like 20 years. I had that before I joined Morbid Angel. Now I got a lot more tattoos.
What are you listening to at the moment?
I'm a singularly focused guy in pretty much everything I do. Whenever I'm working on Morbid Angel stuff that's all I listen to. I couldn't listen to any more death metal because I'm already doing that four hours a day in Morbid. If I do listen to something, it will be something far out like Pink Floyd, Tool, Katatonia.
Ah, Tool. What do you think of their new album?
I think it's weird, man. I think a couple songs are absolutely brilliant, like "Pneuma." It kind of feels like its over, for me. You have these epic 12 minute songs, it kind of feels like that's it for them.
Plus, who the hell knows how long it would take them to record another one?
Absolutely. Tool is something I've listened to in my own time. I've been a fan for decades. They've always been the odd balls. And for them to come out and sell all these records and knock Taylor Swift off the charts. That's hilarious. How could you not be happy for them if you're an anti-social person? ...which I feel like most metal heads are antisocial.
As someone who also plays bass, Tool has some really cool bass lines.
That's why I liked them, for the drums and the bass. The guitar parts are great too, and the vocals. I know Maynard is Bowie and Alice Cooper all in one. And I know the song is too long and I know this guy just did the longest drum roll ever, I know all that man. It's musical masturbation and I love it.
So who do you consider your heavy metal heroes?
James Hetfield. He's the epitome of cool. When I was growing up and those Metallica records came out, they looked like me and all of my poor broke friends. When everything else was Motley Crue and Kiss. Not only they but their music is absolutely turning my nuts.
Lemmy Kilmister, man, he's one of the greatest front men and bassists of all time.
Dave Mustaine...I say he's a hero I don't want to be like.
You say you DON'T want to be like Dave Mustaine?
I've seen him live, and I've seen him get in more arguments with fans off stage than anyone else.
What do you think of death metal today?
There's a lot of different death metal. Blood Incantation, we did our last tour with them, and I think they're great. I get some Formulas vibe with them when I listen to Blood Incantation, like "Invocation Of The Continual One."
Necrot, that band to me is as good as any other death metal band today. They're a little death, a little black metal.There's like a 10-year difference between Covenant and Gateways to annihilation. That's an entire generation. There's a group of people in their early 30s who still come up to me and say that tour we did with Pantera was their introduction to Morbid Angel and Death Metal as a whole.
Necrot, that band to me is as good as any other death metal band today. They're a little death, a little black metal.There's like a 10-year difference between Covenant and Gateways to annihilation. That's an entire generation. There's a group of people in their early 30s who still come up to me and say that tour we did with Pantera was their introduction to Morbid Angel and Death Metal as a whole.
Thank you Steve Tucker for going one on one with the GRIM-1. See Morbid Angel on tour this November at the dates below:
11/21/2019 Warehouse Live – Houston, TX
11/22/2019 Gas Monkey Bar ‘N’ Grill – Dallas, TX
11/23/2019 Come And Take It Live- Austin, TX
11/25/2019 Sunshine Theater – Albuquerque, NM
11/26/2019 Club Red – Phoenix, AZ
11/27/2019 The Observatory – Santa Ana, CA
11/29/2019 Brick By Brick – San Diego, CA
11/30/2019 The Ritz – San Jose, CA
12/01/2019 Hawthorn Theatre – Portland, OR
12/02/2019 El Corazon – Seattle, WA
12/04/2019 The Complex – Salt Lake City, UT
12/05/2019 Oriental Theater – Denver, CO
12/06/2019 The Waiting Room – Omaha, NE
12/07/2019 Fine Line Music Cafe – Minneapolis, MN
12/08/2019 The Forge – Joliet, IL
12/10/2019 The Majestic – Detroit, MI
12/11/2019 Rex Theater – Pittsburgh, PA
12/12/2019 Union Transfer – Philadelphia, PA
12/13/2019 Webster Theater – Hartford, CT
12/14/2019 Warsaw – Brooklyn, NY
12/15/2019 Reverb – Reading, PA
12/16/2019 The Broadberry – Richmond, VA
12/18/2019 The Underground – Charlotte, NC
12/19t/2019 Buckhead Theatre – Atlanta, GA
12/20/2019 The Orpheum – Tampa, FL
12/21/2019 Revolution Live – Ft. Lauderdale, FL
11/22/2019 Gas Monkey Bar ‘N’ Grill – Dallas, TX
11/23/2019 Come And Take It Live- Austin, TX
11/25/2019 Sunshine Theater – Albuquerque, NM
11/26/2019 Club Red – Phoenix, AZ
11/27/2019 The Observatory – Santa Ana, CA
11/29/2019 Brick By Brick – San Diego, CA
11/30/2019 The Ritz – San Jose, CA
12/01/2019 Hawthorn Theatre – Portland, OR
12/02/2019 El Corazon – Seattle, WA
12/04/2019 The Complex – Salt Lake City, UT
12/05/2019 Oriental Theater – Denver, CO
12/06/2019 The Waiting Room – Omaha, NE
12/07/2019 Fine Line Music Cafe – Minneapolis, MN
12/08/2019 The Forge – Joliet, IL
12/10/2019 The Majestic – Detroit, MI
12/11/2019 Rex Theater – Pittsburgh, PA
12/12/2019 Union Transfer – Philadelphia, PA
12/13/2019 Webster Theater – Hartford, CT
12/14/2019 Warsaw – Brooklyn, NY
12/15/2019 Reverb – Reading, PA
12/16/2019 The Broadberry – Richmond, VA
12/18/2019 The Underground – Charlotte, NC
12/19t/2019 Buckhead Theatre – Atlanta, GA
12/20/2019 The Orpheum – Tampa, FL
12/21/2019 Revolution Live – Ft. Lauderdale, FL
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