Talking with . . . Paths Of Possession
Interviewed 10/12/2005 by Brett VanPut
Interview with bassist Randy Butman
Florida death thrashers Paths Of Possession will be of interest primarily because former Morbid Angel shredder Richard Brunelle was once a member and Cannibal Corpse vocalist George Fisher is their singer. They released a debut independently about three years ago but now have a proper deal with Metal Blade for the release of their full length debut, Promises in Blood. Don't expect a Cannibal Corpse or Morbid Angel clone, this Floridian band brings thrash and death metal for a timeless but crushing sound. Here is informative bassist Randy Butman for an interview.
Tell me about the recording of the new album. What was it like working with Erik Rutan?
Working with Erik was a great experience for me because it was the first time i have ever had a pruducer really pushing me and the band. I have always been in sessions where we say we are happy and thats the final cut. But not with Erik. He would hear things that were wrong that we wouldn't even hear. He would play it back and say "see- that there is fucked up" and we wouldn't hear a thing- but I have to say that he did an amazing job and he was really a driving force in the outcome of the disc. It was a pretty hard record for me to do because I would get off work and go straight to the studio six days a week. It was really brutal and tiring but on the other hand we had so much fun doing this album. Erik is a fucking riot.
There have been many line up changes in recent years, what were the primary reasons for the changes?
Basically, everyone left on their own. They either lost interest or just got involved with something else. This isn't really a hard band to be in. We all get along and hang out and drink together. It has always been like that, but I guess some people weren't really happy with the progress we were making. We did slow down for a while. Really the only constantly changing member has been the drummer. Nick is our fourth drummer but I don't see him going anywhere, Jack is the only other replacement as he took Richard's place. I am really happy with the lineup that we have now. We all get along great and can work well together.
Is Richard Brunelle still involved with music? Why did he depart?
Nope, Rich is totally out of the picture. It doesn't really affect our sound that much because me and Jay were both heavily involved in the writing as well as Rich. He did come up with some killer shit though. Richard was having a lot of personal problems that he had to deal with. The band was just one more thing that was getting in the way for him and we both were suffering for it. So it was a mutual agreement that it was best if we just parted ways. I'm not sure what he's doing these days, I haven't really talked to him in about ten months or so. but we all wish him the best.
How did you hook up with George?
Me and George have been friends for a while, and when we were going to record the split cd with Dark Faith, it was originally going to be a different project. I had asked George if he wanted to do it and he said yes, but by the time we were going to record it was all of Paths Of Possession plus George so we just decided to keep Paths Of Possession alive, because prior to that Paths Of Possession was pretty much over. George was really wanting to sing a little different than he does with Cannibal, he has a good range and I really like the sound of his mids.
I have not heard Legacy in Ashes, can you tell me more about this release and how your sound has evolved since then?
We paid for the recording and the pressings ourselves, and because of that we couldn't afford a big run. We only made a hundred discs, but we burned a ton of them and gave them out free at shows. I don't really see the style as being too different although I think now I can hear a nice evolution of what we were trying to do. There are three songs on Promises that were originally on Legacy; "Darklands," "Bring Me the Head of Christ," and "The Second Coming." We wanted to re-record a few of the older songs that we wanted people to get a chance to hear, because we want to keep them as part of our live sets.
I like Kris Verwimp's artwork, did you give him a concept to work with or did he do this on his own?
Kris is an amazing artist, we are really proud to have his work as our cover and inside art. The cover is his interpretaion of the lyrics to the title track, "Promises in Blood." We basically sent him the lyrics, and a few days later he sent a sketch that was so good we could have used that for the cover, but when he polished it up we were blown away. We are definitely going to use him on the next one and right now we are discussing shirt designs with him. We were originally going to name the album after the song "Where the Empty Gods Lie" and he did a sketch based on those lyrics as well. It was great, but we went with the other title. I told him to hang on to that art for us though because we will definitely have to use it somewhere. I will pay for it myself if I have to.
What's the status of Silhaven? Are you still involved with this band?
Silhaven was a death/ thrash band that I moved to Florida with from Alabama. We did two demos and did a lot of tape trading and shit back when the underground was all snail mail. We moved to Florida because there wasn't much for us in Alabama. When we got here we had to get another guitarist and from there things just went downhill fast for the band. We played a few gigs around the Tampa area, but pretty soon everyone eventually moved back. That's when I started jamming with Rich and Jay.
Also, a few years ago you joined Withered Earth, what is the band up to these days? What made you decide to hook up with them?
At the time, Paths Of Possession was pretty much through. I really liked Withered Earth and they came through on tour. They stayed over at our practice place because they were friends with one of my friends who lived there. So basically we were all just hanging out drinking and shit, but it was their bassist's last tour with them, so I started talking with them about moving there and playing. So by the time I joined them I was commuting from Tampa to New York and doing some of the metal fests with them up north, but sadly everyone kind of went their seperate ways. I'm not really sure of all the details but I'm just glad that I didn't move there first.
What's life like in Tampa these days? I used to live in Brooksville and often visited Tampa (sad there's no more Ace's Records).
Really? Good old Brooksville. I gotta work there sometimes. I hate that fucking drive. Tampa is just as hot and muggy and rainy as ever. After Aces unfortunate demise a friend of mine Keith opened another metal store called Splattergod Records. He is also the same guy who released the split we did with Dark Faith, but sadly Splattergod was run out of where they were. I think they had a lot of pressure on them to move, so now there is just Sound Exchange. You might remember this store. It has gotten pretty big in the last few years. They have a lot of used shit, but a lot of new as well and by far the biggest metal selection around here. Not saying that is a huge selection. We still get all the good tours. That's the biggest plus about living here.
What is your approach with Paths Of Possession? In other words, what do you want to achieve artistically and musically with this band?
We are just trying to write songs that we like, we all have different styles of writing and different influences so it keeps everything fresh. Me personally? I just want to tour my fucking ass off and continue to make albums. I am really into the shit that we do and we have a good time doing it. We are all friends so that makes it fun. Artistically speaking, I just want to progress in my ability and continue to write songs.
Do you have tour plans?
We are currently planning a full U.S. tour in February and we hope to be in Europe by the summer or maybe Fall. Definitely in 2006 though. Nothing is set in stone yet though. It is hard for us because we are trying to work around Cannibal's schedule as well, but we will definitely be hitting the road around February for the states.
Final comments?
I just keep trying to express to people that this isn't going to sound anything like Cannibal Corpse, and you can check out a free download of "Bleed the Meek" at www.metalblade.com. Thanks a lot for the interview.
Discography:
2005... Promises In Blood (Metal Blade)
2002... Legacy In Ashes (Splattergod)
Current line-up:
George Fisher... vocals
Jay Fossen... guitars
Jack Goodwin... guitars
Randy Butman... bass
Nick Goodyear... drums
Paths Of Possession
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