Interview by Brian McLean
A
Six Feet Family Affair
An Interview with Six Feet Under bassist Terry Butler
Bassist and Tampa Bay area resident Terry Butler is no stranger to Death Metal. He has been aggressively supporting the genre with his monstrous bass lines for nearly two decades.
Having spent time in early pioneering bands like Massacre, Death and now currently Six Feet Under, Butler could be considered a true veteran and one of the remaining and actively working originals from the early Death Metal days.
When Butler first immersed himself in Death Metal as a musician and as a fan, there were bands like Dark Angel, Possessed and Slayer. Later bands like Napalm Death and Carcass entered into the picture and took the music to the next level.
But for metal in general, Butler says Death Metal has been one of the constants with definite changes over the years pointing towards emergence of blast beats as one example.
While on break from the Six Feet Under merchandise table, the acting tour manager and bassist sits on a slightly worn sofa in the hospitality room located behind the main stage at the Phoenix Music Complex in Arlington, Texas.
Between uninvited guests and unsigned bands growling away at the opposite end of the venue, Butler explained his involvement dating back to those early Death Metal days.
Upon first glance, Butler’s stature makes him appear to be an intimidating individual but that’s far from the truth. He’s an extremely humble down to earth person and once engaged in conversation, those around him will be captivated by his words.
Let the Massacre Begin
Death was Butler’s first band where he received international recognition but it all started with Massacre.
Butler said he was in Massacre for six or eight months with the band being able to complete a small tour of the East coast.
During the down time, Butler and other members of Massacre received word that Chuck Schuldiner had recently moved back to Florida where the innovator had recorded Scream Bloody Gore but didn’t have a band.
Butler said he and his Massacre mates contacted Schuldiner and proposed to join forces between the two in an attempt to solidify the Death line up.
Schuldiner took a chance and the musicians met up.
Butler said, “We practiced. It clicked and worked really well.”
With Schuldiner (guitars / vocals), Butler, Rick Rozz (guitars) and Bill Andrews (drums), the Death line up was now complete. For his part as a member of Death, the bassist was able to log several tours with varying rosters under the Death moniker.
At one point during his Death tenure, Butler said Schuldiner wasn’t in the right frame of mind for touring and the members embarked upon and completed a European tour minus Schuldiner. Upon their return, Butler and the other band members were informed their services would no longer be needed for Death.
Butler said Rozz and Kam Lee (vocals) from Massacre were contacted and the band (Massacre) was put back together. The second time around, Massacre released a full length titled From Beyond in 1991 and a four song EP, Inhuman Condition with the two being released by Earache Records.
Eventually, as Butler said, “Massacre went sour and the door opened up for me to join Six Feet Under.”
Burying the Past Six Feet Under
Butler said Alan West (guitar) originally mentioned something to him about a vacancy but that was it. He didn’t hear anything else for over a year.
Oddly, West, Gall and Butler grew up together and it was West that conceived the project originally whereas Gall who is Butler’s brother in law actually made the recommendation and extended the invite.
Eventually vocalist Chris Barnes joined the fold and Six Feet Under was born.
As with other first rehearsals Butler has been part of, things clicked and the material that was being worked on ending up on Haunted, the band’s 1995 debut on Metal Blade Records.
Several years into the band’s career, West had to depart and guitarist Steve Swanson came into the fold. At one point, Butler and Swanson spent time together in Massacre.
Butler said, “We’ve known Steve forever.”
Swanson had three weeks in 1997 to prepare and learn all the songs before the band went on tour according to Butler.
To the band’s credit, the ten release catalogue consists of studio albums, a live mini album, covers and an impressive box set as well as a bobble head doll for Barnes.
Butler says as for Six Feet Under, “We just try to do our thing. There’s a little bit of something for everybody.”
The bassist added, “Fast stuff. Slow stuff. Groovy stuff.”
There’s no near future studio time scheduled but Butler anticipates the band will return to Morrisound Recording Studio, a staple for metal acts when it comes to studio work and the same location where Six Feet Under recorded the Haunted and War Path records.
For 13, the band went into the studio with no ideas and wrote the whole album in five days.
Other times, Butler says, there are scheduled rehearsals, the ideas that start coming together are laid onto tape and then the band takes what’s available or what appeals to them.
The Crossroads to Armageddon Tour that Six Feet Under recently completed was still in support of 13, the latest studio album even though the box set, A Decade in the Grave followed several months later.
The band will have some down time for several months and then appearances at Wacken and Party San, two highly respected European Festivals in July and August. At the end of 2006, Six Feet Under will return to Europe for a small tour.
Butler anticipates another US Tour if everything works out. It may be in the fall before the band retreats and starts writing material for the next album.
He added that there are some ideas and things in the works already song wise.
Six Feet Under is a high-level caliber band. When on tour, the band will register many shows in various territories whether in America or abroad.
For Butler who’s happily married and a step father of three considers the tours bittersweet but at the same time, it’s rough on him.
“I love going on the road. Meeting the fans and playing the music but you also miss home.”
Six Feet Family Affair
Bringing a sense of home on the road with Butler is his middle stepson, Joey Holler. This isn’t the first tour for Holler. He’s been on the road with Six Feet Under for three or four other tours stateside with his first outing occurring two years ago. He could be considered a veteran member of the Six Feet Under road crew.
The band was in need of a drum tech and then at the same time, Holler is a drummer. He started asking and inquiring if he could go out on tour and according to Butler, the reply was, “We’ll see what the guys say.”
But just because Butler was in the band, the newly hired tech had to earn his stripes but at the same time the band watched out for the then 16-year-old.
“It was real cool for him since he had never been out of Florida and now all the sudden, he’s going all over the country. It was a lot for him to absorb.”
A European trek is in the back of Holler’s mind. The young drum tech has expressed an interest in going but the decision is still pending.
With a laugh, Butler said, “We’ll see. It’s another level up but it would be cool.”
Holler enjoys being out on the road but said his friends aren’t into death metal. His scene is more along the lines of shooting pool and items like that but his peers think it’s cool that he’s touring at his age.
The soon to be August newlywed said his other half wasn’t to hip on the touring idea at first but after four tours, she’s use to it.
Not only does he handle the drum duties but if there’s help needed elsewhere, he’s always willing to step up and lend an extra hand.
With all that he’s accomplishing at such a young age, he could write a book but says the thought really hasn’t crossed his mind.
Not many people Holler’s age can claim an American tour as a crewmember. There may be a local or regional level tour here or there but not on the level Holler is experiencing.
He said, “It’s a good way to see the country.”
Holler has seen the majority of the 48 states but really hasn’t kept a detailed log about his journeys. He can say that he hasn’t been through South Dakota or Montana but he is not able to recall the other missing states.
Until his first tour, Holler had never been outside of Florida. Seeing snow for the first time was a big deal, the same with trucks doing donuts on frozen lakes in Maine and the ice fishing houses in Minnesota but he never saw a game of hockey on a frozen pond.
As with traditions on the road, there would be a planned and surprised initiation for Holler.
He said, “They tried to duct tape me to a pole.”
Unfortunately for the tradition but luckily for the rookie, the initiation failed. The new recruit didn’t out run his would be captors, instead, he climbed the targeted pole to escape them.
For the Crossroads to Armageddon Tour, the Arlington stop was the third night with the tour opening in Baton Rouge followed by Corpus Christi just days earlier.
According to the roadie, the first two nights went smooth and all has appeared to be running fine. There are memories to be made on what could be his final outing with Six Feet Under.
If this is Holler’s last tour, he doesn’t know when he would have the chance to return back to Arlington. This stop was just another Six Feet Under show early in the tour but the daytime activities at the venue were different.
An all day metal festival was being held with countless local bands. The headliners, Six Feet Under would hit the stage at midnight, thus allowing a lot of down time for the entourage during the day.
Butler was overseeing the Six Feet Under merchandise table where as the Holler was making sure everything was in line and that his early responsibilities were addressed. Once that was complete, he would visit one very special and meaningful location three miles from the venue.
The Ultimate Allegiance
Holler has been around heavy metal music growing up and for his generation, the leaders of that genre is a given, that’s Pantera who happen to be from Arlington. As a true fan, he’s made the ultimate allegiance to the band.
Pushing up the left sleeve of his black sweatshirt, Holler uncovers the round CFH (Cowboys from Hell) logo that is tattooed on his inner left forearm.
The loss of Darrell Abbott has had some type of impact on everyone that is tied into the music world whether on the inner circle or on the outside. And for the dedicated Pantera fan working as a drum tech, it’s no different.
Holler was able to break away and make a brief car trip to Moore Memorial Gardens, Darrell Abbott’s final resting place. The chilly and drizzly weather didn’t deter him. It only emphasized the somber mood that begun to set in during his brief journey.
With the light rain tapping the vehicle he was riding in, silence fell over him upon his exit as he began his walk along the wet sidewalk to the Abbott family plot. His red baseball cap shielded his eyes from the cold drops of rain where he stood at the southern edge of the plot staring down at Abbott’s customized bronze marker firmly anchored in the wet ground.
Resting on the marker were dimes, guitar pics and other mementos left by preceding visitors.
The shell of the roadie on tour was no longer visible, only a young adult in the presence of a legend in his eyes. The fan of Abbott was now at a loss for words. He didn’t say much. He just spent several quiet minutes with his own thoughts.
Eventually, Holler cautiously walked around towards the top of the marker. There he squatted into a baseball catcher’s position, getting a closer view of Abbott’s image, reaching out and touching the cold wet bronze metal work of art.
Upon his departure, the silence was slightly broken at a low volume from the car stereo positioned on the FM dial. Strangely it was lyrics from Led Zeppelin’s “Thank You.”
“Little drops of rain whisper of the pain…”
If there’s another Six Feet Under tour in the cards for Holler and the tour stops in Arlington or neighboring Fort Worth, rest assured there’s bound to be another trip to Moore Memorial Gardens. For his first visit to Abbott has become the drum tech’s most cherished memory of all his tours, past, present or future.