Since extreme metal wiggled its way into my life, Cannibal Corpse has been a constant. My all time favorite band. Their stories of zombies, murder and skulls full of maggots have kept me entertained and head banging for years. I have had the pleasure of having a member of Cannibal Corpse to answer a few questions for me. This was fucking exciting. Please read on to hear Paul talk about KISS, Aeon and the fact that 22 years is a long fucking time.

Over two decades of amazing metal under your belt, do you ever wake up and think it’s all a been a dream?
Well thank you, and yes! We never thought we would have lasted this long and a lot of times it does feel very surreal. For us to be around 22 years is nothing short of remarkable to me!

Do you still get the same rush playing today as you did when the band was starting?
Yes I do or I wouldn’t be doing it! Of course it has changed in the sense that we have been doing it for so long, the whole newness factor is gone, but we love playing and if we didn’t we wouldn’t still be here!

Out of all the bands you have played with and seen live, has any band made a big impression on you?
Slayer! It was great to finally do a tour with them in ’09 with the Mayhem Festival! They are one of our biggest influences and getting to watch Dave Lombardo play every night was incredible for me!

Are there any newer bands that you have come to like?
Aeon from Sweden! They are what death metal is all about!

What was the first metal album you remember hearing?
KISS…. Destroyer!

Tell me about the filming process for Centuries of Torment. A DVD of the history of your band must have been insane to work on.
Denise Korycki should get all of the credit. She was the one doing all of the interviews while sorting and editing the raw footage we had. Our job was quite simple actually. She interviewed us a few times and we compiled all of the archive footage that we had and that was it for us. She did a great job and deserves all of the credit for making a killer documentary about Cannibal Corpse!

The band has toured like crazy since the early ’90s. What do you do in your downtime?
I just spend time with my family and my pets. I also play ice hockey so when I’m home I’m on the ice at least once a week!

I can’t begin to understand how crazy touring can be. Do you guys ever get on each other’s nerves on the road?
Of course! Haha. Sometimes it’s tough being in close quarters for an extended period of time.

Last year saw the release of Cannibal’s 11th record. What did you think of the recording rocess with Erik Rutan and the final product?
I think Erik did a great job and is a great producer! The fact that he is from a death metal background is a tremendous asset! He also is a good friend an awesome guy all around! He works his ass off and gets you to do the same!

Can you tell me a few of the lyrical elements present on Evisceration Plague?
Pretty much the typical content for us… Killing, massacres, zombies… We really don’t stray from our formula.

I’ve come to understand that horror movies serve as some of the inspiration for many of the band’s songs. What are some of the best, goriest movies you’ve seen?
My favorite horror movies are the late 70′s early 80′s classics like Halloween, the Exorcist, Friday the 13th. Not too gory but just plain scary!

Has there been any work on the next Cannibal album you can tell me about?
We are starting the writing process for the new album. Hopefully we’ll record in the summer of 2011 and have a new one out in early 2012. That’s the plan so far!

What is your best memory from your tenure in the band?
My best memory would be just those early years when everything was new! Getting signed and holding our first CD in my hands. Touring for the very first time. All of these firsts are definitely the most special to me!