During a recent appearance on the “Hardcore Humanism With Dr. Mike” podcast, BUTCHER BABIES singers Heidi Shepherd and Carla Harvey discussed their decision to part ways with their longtime record label two years ago. Century Media released the band’s first three albums, including 2017’s “Lilith”, which reached No. 11 on the Billboard Independent Albums chart and No. 15 on the Hard Rock Albums chart.
“When we decided to exit our record label, it was a really hard decision,” Heidi said (hear audio below). “We had the opportunity, and they were offering us money, to stay. And we didn’t feel like it was going well, in a way. So, we just kind of, like, we dipped out. And ever since then, we’ve gone back and forth, like, kicking ourselves: Did we make the right decision? Did we not make the right decision? Like, how could we — we’ve always been signed, you know, and what kind of decision was that to not be signed? It felt almost, like, ‘Shit, what did we do?’ And I think that’s where we were when we were writing the songs — like, why did we make this sort of decision? Well, now fast forward, as the songs are coming out. I don’t feel as, like, ‘Oh, crap.’ I feel, like, okay, maybe we did make the right decision, because things are just fine. And it was a gamble. And having that gamble, I think, puts you in a really vulnerable state, by all means, and it was a huge decision. And in the end, I’m glad we made it. But I spent a couple of years really kicking myself about it. But the end result did turn out okay, and we’ve had it where the end result didn’t turn out okay. We’ve had both.”
Added Carla: “But that’s okay, because the other special thing about our band — at least the three of us, the core members that have been together for so long — we’re adaptable in all areas of our life, and that’s a huge, huge thing to have on your side. And I’ve found that most people are not. If something changes in their life, it really sets them off, and they go off the deep end. But with us, we analyze the situation and really think about what we can do to put it back in our favor, and we’re all committed to fixing it, even if it takes a while.”
Last week, BUTCHER BABIES released the official music video for their latest single, “Sleeping With The Enemy”. The song is the second taste of the band’s forthcoming EP, tentatively due later this year via an as-yet-undisclosed record label.
“Lilith” was produced by Steve Evetts (THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, SEPULTURA, SUICIDE SILENCE) and marked BUTCHER BABIES‘ recording debut with drummer Chase Brickenden, who replaced Chris Warner in 2016.
In July 2019, longtime BUTCHER BABIES bassist Jason Klein announced his departure from the band. He has since been replaced by Ricky Bonazza.
