BÜTCHER

Metal fans cling to the past with a fierce devotion. The 80’s burn brighter in a metalhead’s memory more than any other time and there are bands with members born after the year 2000 who play like they were in 1984. I couldn’t even begin to run down all the bands inspired by 80’s thrash and black metal, but one of the most notorious is BÜTCHER.

These loons from Belgium leave nothing on the table...they play evil oldschool thrash like the Devil’s on their ass. They add to that a kind of epic true metal feel in the vein of MANOWAR and Viking-era BATHORY. Their live shows are full of leather, spikes, fire, blood, makeup and bullet belts. And in a very short time, they’ve raised a ruckus that can’t be ignored.

The new BÜTCHER album has the curious name of “On Fowl of Tyrant Wing” and is their most over the top effort yet...a virtual volcano of diabolical metal! So I dived into hellfire and brimstone to talk to guitarist K.K. Ripper about the BÜTCHER way of life. Get ready to burn!

WORMWOOD CHRONICLES:. Infernal greetings to you, KK Ripper! “On Fowl of Tyrant Wing” is my first step into the world of  BÜTCHER. Can you give us a brief rundown of the band’s history? 

K.K. RIPPER: Sure, no problem. So BÜTCHER’s primeval incarnation existed for a couple of years as a speed metal  band in the Belgian demo band circuit, with the intent of harkening back to the speed/thrash from the  80’s that gets the body moving and turns off the brain! I must add that while these guys (Hellshrieker,  Törmentor, Pülsator,...) were starting this band, I was twelve and probably still playing with my Lego  sets. But even in those early days the band already had a couple of line-up changes and dissolved  without fulfilling its early potential. I joined BÜTCHER when it was resurrected after a fateful night of  heavy metal and booze in Merksem, Antwerp in 2014. I was joining four members who were all  involved with the first mark of this band, and I was definitely out on a limb as the youngster amidst  these veterans of the Belgian metal scene! 

After a couple of shows doing only old demo material and a  cover of HALLOW’S EVE’s “Plunging into Megadeath”, I started pitching new ideas at the rehearsal for  more blackened sounding new material. Before long we were recording our first full length, “Bestial  Fükkin’ Warmachine”, released in 2017 on Babylon Doom Cult Records. This record, whilst still  embryonic, was essential in our process. 2020 came with our sophomore effort “666 Goats Carry My  Chariot”, on Osmose Productions. With this record came a line-up change, but we also really came  into our own as songwriters, as well as perfecting our own unique sound. Of course, the whole world  went under lock and key after that and we are now back with again a new line-up ànd WITH A  FÜKKIN’ VENGEANCE! Our line-up now includes myself on guitar and R. Hellshrieker on vocals;  our previous bassist K.V. Bonecrüsher, who switched to second guitar; and new members A.K.  Nosferatör on bass and R. Voidsmasher on drums. 

WC:Were you in any serious metal bands prior to BÜTCHER? Or even in bands outside the metal realm? 

KKR: I was literally in six bands when I joined BÜTCHER , which became number seven. It didn’t take me long  to realize that the potential of BÜTCHER needed my undivided attention so I quit every band. At the time I  was also the bassist for death metal band BONES, a band I’ve since rejoined.(Not to be confused with the Chicago band of the same name—Dr. M) I actually got really balls  deep into oldskool metal quite late, in my early twenties; so BÜTCHER took that obsession to extreme  levels quite fast. Before that I was more into the old-school hardcore scene, albeit not very actively. But  once that ethos is engrained in your DNA, you never get it out. 

WC: What was it that got you into fast and furious speed metal? Was it a particular release or maybe a  certain live gig? 

KKR: I remember seeing DESTRUCTION live in my hometown in 2010. I was twenty at the time and the love for  metal I had was mainly reserved for crossover and old METALLICA. The “semitone-thrill-riffs" of that DESTRUCTION show awakened something in me, I guess, and before long I was falling into the  rabbit/rabid hole. A release that came on my radar very soon after was AGENT STEELs “Skeptics  Apocalypse”, which was of the utmost importance in my metal education. 

WC: A careful ear can detect many different influences in BÜTCHER...I hear MERCYFUL FATE, IRON  ANGEL, RUNNING WILD, MANOWAR, DESTRUCTION and more. Are there any more obscure  bands that you draw inspiration from? 

KKR: All of the above are indeed very much direct influences. I would add AGENT STEE and AURA NOIR, for  sure; these are the two extremes that still fit simultaneously under the umbrella-term ‘speed metal’. 

Every song I write has different influences and I’m unable to go into detail of everything. I believe that  you can’t have output without input and my input is extremely diverse. One band whose songwriting is  a more indirect but nevertheless constant influence on me is MANILLA ROAD. The way Mark ‘The Shark’  Shelton used to write riffs on guitar is a gift that keeps giving if you analyze it. His songwriting is also  extremely idiosyncratic and intuitive, which are both traits I try to cultivate as well. For the new record  I would also like to say SAVAGE GRACE and OMEN are both huge influences, apart from the obvious IRON MAIDEN tribute sections.  

WC: Your last album “666 Goats Carry My Chariot” was quite a hit. What were your plans in following it  up? I know it can be hard staying true to a certain style and yet wanting to expand on it. 

KKR: One of the hardest things is indeed trying to not compare yourself too much to your previous output. We had this idea of making a part with a larger, more conceptual scope and when we finally decided we were going to dive headfirst into writing a new record, I started composing with all the little riffs I acquired here and there during the lockdown. I had been very unproductive during this period and in  hindsight I wish I would’ve used the time that was given to me better. The kickstart for actually starting on the new album was L.V. Speedhämmer quitting because of his conflicting schedule with  SCHIZOPHRENIA. He wanted to stay on for a while to help us compose and record the new record, so I  started working like a madman, almost to the point of a burn-out, writing the whole album in six months. I felt completely depleted afterwards; because I have a bit of a control issue regarding the creative process, I pushed myself beyond my limits. But I live and learn, and I’m adamant about  making the writing and composing a team effort from now on. 

But regarding the “staying true”, I never think of it that way. Like I said in this previous question, I try  to cultivate the idiosyncrasies in my writing style; by focusing on that my output can be quite diverse  but  it will always sound like BÜTCHER.

WC:  What’s the meaning behind the title “On Fowl of Tyrant Wing”? Or does have any meaning at all? 

KKR: The title was taken from a Shakespeare rhyme "The Phoenix and The Turtle". Ruben brought on the  title, with the sidenote that, while he was unsure what it actually meant, he was inspired by the  mysterious nature of the poem. As a guy with a background in hardcore punk, sometimes those typical  black metal occult enthusiasts who refuse to break character in interviews make me cringe so fucking  hard, man. So: no, I don’t know what it means, and that’s perfectly fine. It sounds cool and we are  always over-the-top so we just went with it. 

WC: On the second half of the new album, you ventured into concept territory for the first time. I didn’t get lyrics, so I’m interested in the story you’re telling. It sounds like it could be a KING DIAMOND  type story. 

KKR: That was exactly the intention! We were nerding out on KING DIAMOND/MERCYFUL FATE stuff and while we came up with a simple version of the storyline together, Ruben then later wrote the whole story, inspired in part by the writings of Clark Ashton Smith of the fictional medieval French province of  Averoigne. The whole 'witchfinder' vibe is very much influenced by KING DIAMOND’s “The Eye”, and adds so much gravitas to the trilogy; I feel it's a perfect fit for the more dramatic heavy metal inspired  composition.  

 WC: Was the story something that had been on your mind for a long time or did it come together quickly?

KKR: The seed for this idea was planted during the recording process of "666 Goats..." already; we (me,  Ruben and Lorenzo, sitting at the hotel bar) already came up with the essential elements of the storyline then and there: the medieval setting, the nobleman being seduced by the gypsy woman who turns  out to be a witch and an agent of Satan... So, this story has been fermenting since 2019! 

WC: BÜTCHER is a band known for sounding wild and crazy, but the “epic” songs have to have more of a structure and straight “heavy metal” parts. Was it easy for you guys to dial down the craziness or did it take real effort? 

KKR: I rediscovered my love of oldskool heavy metal during the COVID-crisis; this did seep into the  songwriting eventually. It's obvious that this is the most old-fashioned heavy metal inspired music we've released to date. But I never think about it like that, it’s always a very spontaneous process when I get inspired. After that, the process becomes more structured but the spark to start writing comes from  whichever music I’m binging. I was listening to a lot of heavy metal, so heavy metal came out. I also  included a lot of riffs I had first set aside for a hypothetical traditional heavy metal side project, which  is also why the amount of blackened material is much lower on this release than on the previous  records. 

WC: Do you feel you will venture further into epic territory on future releases? Could you see yourself  doing a complete doom metal tune? 

KKR: Like I said, I want the writing process to become a team effort, so I’m actually very excited to not know what is going to happen in the future! We’ll see what happens with this symbiosis. The first song we are working on now, with riffs from each member, is very promising of a long and fruitful collaboration.  Concerning the doom tune, I see myself drifting in that direction one time or another, yes. I’m a  massive doom head, which is only intensifying with age! I get a hard-on for those SOLITUDE AETURNUS style riffs...man, I could listen to that for days on end! 

WC:  I get the impression that BÜTCHER is mostly meant as a “fun” band...about drinking booze,  getting crazy and headbanging. Is there a more serious side to it? Do the lyrics work on more than one  level? 

KKR: As the guitar player, I’m not usually involved with the lyrics, apart from pitching an occasional  thematic idea. If I read the lyrics, knowing what I know, Ruben has a great knack of writing lyrics that  are seemingly banal but always are super catchy, while also almost always having a couple different  levels. Of course, the trilogy is an example of that, but it’s really everywhere; not that there are  necessarily hidden messages, but it’s always very, very meta. Meta metal, if you will. Extremely  hyperbolic, big words, big statements, but full of little references to other metal lyrics and tropes from  literature. If you dive deep, you’ll find it’s not as superficial as you think. We are all massive nerds and  if you put a magnifying glass on those lyrics, you’ll find just how nerdy we are. 

WC: I always got the impression than Belgium was a very metal country despite its small size. How  strong is the Belgian metal scene these days? 

KKR: The Belgian metal scene is small and unfocused as a whole but I feel it’s nice that all the underground  movements in guitar-oriented heavy music tend to stick together in cool places that are rather inclusive. Antwerp Music City is one of those places that keeps the underground alive in our city.  Overcatergorization will be the death of many already small scenes, so I think we’re lucky in that  regard. For what we do, however, as a genre, there’s only a very limited growth potential in Belgium  and we’ve made most of our name by playing in Germany. There is of course a big handful of oldskool metal maniacs in Belgium (you know who you are!) but I feel we are all more connected in the larger  European oldskool metal scene. We all go to the same festivals, we see the same faces and we stick  together, which is beautiful. 

WC: What live plans do you guys have? Is there any chance of playing the States? You would go over  great at Hell’s Heroes or Blades of Steel fests! 

KKR: All you guys have to do is ask! I’m in love with your country ever since I went there as a tourist. Both fests you are mentioning are indeed right up our alley, simultaneously as a band to play there and as a visitor to hang there. For now, we have a pretty busy start of the year, going to Finland, Greece, Spain,  Portugal... And we have some exciting news to be announced soon, when I’m writing this. 

WC:  If you could have dinner with any 3 people from history, who would they be? 

KKR: You’re catching me on a bad week because both David Lynch and John Sykes passed away within days  of each other and both have had a serious impact on me; so instinctively I’d go for either. I think David Lynch is in any case an interesting dinner guest, so I’ll take him for sure. Both Phil Lynott and Rory Gallagher would be good picks for me too, I guess I’d go with Phil because I’m sure he’d make for a  great conversation with Lynch, no doubt. That leaves the third spot for Anthony Bourdain, I guess. I’m  somewhat of a gastronome and I think it would make for an interesting and probably a very drunk evening. I could pick some cool metal historical figure, like Vlad the Impaler or Rasputin, but I think it wouldn’t be much of good time...  

WC:. Has BÜTCHER ever had a “Spinal Tap” moment where things went wrong that you could share  with us? 

KKR: Man, too many to even remember one specific thing... If you act like us onstage you tend to have your fair share of bloopers. I don’t really remember one sticking out that’s particularly funny. I had one  myself where the wireless system on my guitar had drop-outs if I moved from within a two-meter radius of the receiver; this is an issue a lot of guitarists have a least once in their career. The sucky part was  that it was our first massive festival show and that we bought the wireless systems specifically for that purpose. So, first time on this massive-sized stage and I was confined to my pedalboard. 

WC: Any last words to all the maniacs out there?  

KKR: I’m terrible at this question and I always feel I should make some huge, exaggerated, ultra metal  statement. Like: NEVER FÜKKIN’ WEAKEN, or something like that. I guess if you’re still reading  metal magazines on whichever format, then I’m preaching to the choir staying stuff like that. So,  please, NEVER FÜKKIN’ WEAKEN and keep doing what you’re doing!

BÜTCHER