Butcher Babies is a metal band formed in 2011 in Los Angeles, featuring two frontwomen, Heidi Shepherd and Carla Harvey, guitarist Henry Flury, bassist Ricky Bonazza, and drummer Blake Bailey. The band released its debut album, ‘Goliath,’ in 2013 through Century Media Records. Quickly gaining widespread acclaim for their intense and daring stage performances, they embarked on tours with renowned acts such as Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie, Danzig, and Megadeth.
In their career so far, the band has released two EPs and four full-length studio albums. The latest, ‘Eye for an Eye… / …’Til the World’s Blind,’ was released in July 2023. Around the same time, Butcher Babies performed for the first time in Finland. The show took place at the Tuska Festival in Helsinki back then, but the band recently returned to Finland as a supporting act for Fear Factory.
Just before the start of the tour, the band received unfortunate news. Carla Harvey had to undergo emergency eye surgery, forcing Butcher Babies to embark on the tour with just one vocalist. Heidi Shepherd undoubtedly faced more than enough pressure, but as she reveals in the upcoming interview, everything has been going splendidly on the tour. We met the cheerful Heidi at Restaurant Ilves just a couple of hours before the band’s sold-out show at the legendary Club Tavastia. We discussed all things related to Butcher Babies, as well as Heidi’s early years, the band’s influences, and Pantera.
TOUR TALK
First of all, Heidi, welcome back to Helsinki. Last summer, Butcher Babies performed here at the Tuska Festival. How was that experience for you?
Oh, my goodness, despite the rain, we were so lucky to experience Helsinki in the summertime. It was beautiful and fun. One vivid memory is going on a walk and stumbling upon a charming brunch place where we enjoyed a delicious breakfast. I had the best eggs in all of my life, and that’s saying something, considering it’s my favorite food. So, you’ve got that on me, right?
This current tour has been going on for six weeks straight. How has it been being on tour without Carla Harvey? It must have been quite a different experience for you on many different levels.
It’s actually been seven weeks, and I think six weeks is often considered a normal thing to do. But once you reach the 7th week, your body starts going through the motions. The last week was definitely a hustle, but it’s been an incredible tour. Of course, it’s entirely different, especially being the solo vocalist for Butcher Babies after the band’s 15-year history with dual vocals.
At first, it was nerve-wracking to handle both parts on my own. However, as time has passed, we’ve adapted, and the tour is still going strong. Touring with Fear Factory has been absolutely incredible; they’re fantastic people. It has turned out to be one of the top three tours in our 15-year career. The crowds have been insane, and we love touring Europe. Doing it with such a heavy band like Fear Factory almost feels like it was meant to be, right?
When you first learned about Carla’s health situation, was canceling the tour ever considered an option?
No, no. I guess that’s the beautiful thing about having two vocalists in a band. And another thing, too, is that Butcher Babies is a business and a brand, and we can continue on. And canceling a tour is not anything we would ever take lightly. I know that everyone had to do it when the pandemic hit, and we actually had to do it one time in like 2015. We understand that some had to do it when the pandemic hit, and we ourselves had to cancel a couple of festivals in 2015 due to a situation with a band member, and we won’t let that happen again.
As you mentioned, touring with Fear Factory has been fantastic. Looking back at your history, you’ve toured with the likes of Marilyn Manson, Danzig, Megadeth, and almost everyone in the industry.
It’s been a long time. We’ve been a band for a long time. It’s amusing to meet fans who tell me they started listening to us in high school or junior high, sometimes even with their own kids now. It’s crazy how much time has passed, and I’m incredibly grateful for the journey, especially for the opportunity to tour with so many incredible bands. We often reminisce about those memories, like the tour with Marilyn Manson almost 11 years ago. Every tour holds a special place in my heart, and I don’t take any of them for granted. As a kid, I used to dream about doing this, so every time I step on stage, it feels like a blessing.
If I had to pick a personal favorite, it would be the Mayhem Festival in the United States in 2013. Rob Zombie, Five Finger Death Punch, Mastodon, Amon Amarth – so many amazing bands headlining. It was like heavy metal summer camp where each band threw a party every night, and you became best friends with everyone. Unfortunately, festivals like that don’t happen much anymore in the States, but it was an incredible moment in my life. I used to wake up every morning thinking, “Is this real life?” It was a pivotal time for Butcher Babies, a giant leap forward in our career. And, of course, It’s all about metal friendships as well.
It’s no secret that Slipknot is one of your biggest influences, so I was wondering if Butcher Babies ever toured with them.
Oh, we’ve done lots and lots of festivals with Slipknot. We did Soundwave in Australia, and we even had a tour there. We were playing on the same day at Soundwave but haven’t done an actual tour with Slipknot yet.
Last summer, about a year ago, I attended the Brutal Assault Festival. It was wild! I noticed you have so much energy, running around and jumping all over the stage during your shows across the stage. I was wondering how you maintain your stamina so that you can power through the entire performance without feeling exhausted.
Well, I do work out a lot at home. I grew up an athlete, so, for me, keeping up with fitness is as important as lifting weights and running high-intensity training. So, for me, keeping up with that fitness is very important. So, in training for a tour, I do a lot of sprints and a lot of long-distance training. It’s the most important thing to be able to do. And I know a lot of vocalists who will run on a treadmill and sing their songs, and it’s that you have to be able to do that, man. I’m thank goodness I’m able to do that, you know, but to me, running around and jumping on stage is just it’s like… I’m like a heavy metal cheerleader. It’s just in my bones.
THE EARLY DAYS
Let’s go next back in time quite a bit. What was the first concert you ever attended?
When I was a kid? My first concert was the Backstreet Boys. My mom took me to see the Backstreet Boys when I was just a young little lady, and that was the first big concert that my mom took me to. But I grew up in a family band, so we played live music all the time. I have seen live music from when I was a very young girl to now, but the first time I went to an actual concert, it was the Backstreet Boys.
So, what was the first album you heard as a kid?
It was Hanson! “Laughs.” Yeah, I was born in ’85, so I grew up around the time when nu-metal was really taking off. However, I wasn’t allowed to listen to that kind of music as a kid. My parents didn’t permit rock or metal. I remember my mom once found a Korn CD in my room and broke it in front of me. Consequently, I grew up listening to whatever was on the radio and the popular music of the time. And so, of course, that was shoved down my throat. Do I still listen to Hanson? NO! but if you turned on that album, I would know every single lyric.
Tell us a little more about the band where you sang and performed with your family members. What was it like?
Well, it was a family band. My dad is the middle of 12 kids, and he grew up with a family band. So, whether it was a wedding, birthday, family reunion, funeral, or even a divorce, we would gather and play music. In my parents’ living room, there’s still an electronic drum set, various guitars, basses, and a microphone setup. I just grew up with it. One of my earliest memories is watching my cousin sing in our family band. She used to be a vocalist for Disney, and I was so jealous; I wanted to sing too. So, I would get up there and give it my best shot. Outside of the family setting, one of my first memories was how incredibly cool it felt to perform in front of an audience of people I didn’t necessarily know. I thought that was really cool. Now, I get to do it every night, and I love it.
How did it feel to transition from the familiar and secure environment of a family band and pop music to something entirely different, like metal music?
When I discovered metal, it resonated with me on a deep level. It reflected my feelings as a rebellious Mormon child growing up in a very religious household. As the oldest of six kids, I navigated through my teenage years with a lot of anger. I would go on runs, visit the skate park near my family’s house, and listen to metal with my friends. It just spoke to me. As I got older, I kind of found my voice. While I was classically trained as a singer, I discovered my true voice in screaming because of the raw passion it allows. It’s not about everything being perfect; it’s about the emotions you feel. That, to me, is one of the most beautiful aspects of metal—the energy and connection we share with the crowd. You can’t replace that with anything else. Once I tried it, I felt at home. There was no going back.
MORE ABOUT INFLUENCES
You’ve mentioned in many interviews that Wendy O. Williams is one of your biggest influences. How and when did you discover her?
It was much later in life, around 2002-2003, when I discovered Wendy O. Williams. It felt late to me at that time, considering she made her mark in the early 80s. I wasn’t fully aware of the history of females in this genre. Reflecting on the path she paved for girls like myself and others in the industry today, the road she walked was challenging and demanding. We probably wouldn’t be here doing this if she hadn’t taken those chances, made those leaps, and defiantly confronted the music industry. I have immense respect for that. The attitude of Wendy O. Williams is something we tried to embody with the band name and the attire we wore at the very beginning. You know, we were really trying to emulate and remind the world of our First Lady.
It’s a funny coincidence that we had the former Plasmatics bassist, Jean Beauvoir, in Helsinki a few years ago. He performed some of his old songs with our house band.
He was here. Oh, wow! There’s another former Plasmatics member who has always been a huge supporter online, always sending messages of support. It’s incredible to see those musicians still rocking, right?
EYE FOR AN EYE… / … ‘TIL THE WORLD’S BLIND
The latest Butcher Babies album, “Eye for an Eye… / …’Til the World’s Blind” was released last July. And there’s a six-year gap between the new album and “Lilith.” Why did it take so long to release new music?
Yeah, okay, so we had COVID, and we did work on the new album, but we also took some time off to recharge our energy. After releasing ‘Lilith’ in October 2017, we toured for the entire year of 2018, spending about ten and a half months on the road. In 2019, after a couple of months off, we hit the studio to start writing. Throughout the summer of 2019, we worked on new material and also played a few US festivals. The original plan was to release the album in 2020, but when everything got canceled due to the pandemic, we felt it wouldn’t do justice to the music. Tours came to a halt, and seeing our friends’ releasing albums, we decided to hold off. Instead, we went back to writing, and that’s how we ended up with a double album. That’s where that all came from.
So, the album came out through Century Media, which has been your partner since the beginning.
No, it didn’t come out through Century Media. We left Century Media in 2018. A lot of people make a common mistake; they think we’re still there, but the album hasn’t been released through Century Media. We released it independently, and I’m really glad that we took that route.
What was the reason for your decision to part ways with Century Media?
When we parted ways with Century Media, we observed that the label was undergoing a growth spurt; it was sold to Sony, and the people we initially signed with were no longer part of the picture. There seemed to be a lack of understanding, not just about us but about the metal genre in general. So, we requested to be released. We were eventually granted our release after going back and forth multiple times. We wanted the freedom to make our own decisions about music videos, the direction of the music, artwork, and every aspect of our work. I’m grateful that we did. If you look at our Spotify, the numbers from our new album have skyrocketed compared to any of the old albums. I’m not saying we won’t sign again; perhaps we will with a different label someday. However, I’m really glad we got to navigate this influx of change in the music industry independently.
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If we talk a bit more about the “Eye for an Eye… / …’ Til the World’s Blind” album, at least in my opinion, it is a very different entity compared to previous Butcher Babies records. It has many shades of traditional heavy metal; for example, “Red Thunder” is clearly a different song from what you’ve done before. Was this change intentional, or is it just part of the band’s natural development?
That’s what a lot of people have said. It kind of reminds them of our first album, which was like throwing stuff at the wall, trying everything. I think we were angry again when it came to the second part of the new album because it is a two-part thing. We had our livelihoods ripped away from us, and a lot of things had changed in the world. Anyone, not just musicians, can attest to the fact that things were different. It was a moment of reflection, wondering if this was really over and if we would get to do this again. We didn’t set out to make a traditional metal album; I just think we were angry again. We wanted to go out there and bang our heads, something we hadn’t been able to do for three years, especially since we took 2019 off. We hadn’t felt the intensity of metal, listening to metal all day long and experiencing it at live shows. We needed to release that pressure, and this album is a result of that. We had to release the pressure somehow.
When I listen to your album and read your lyrics, it comes to mind how much you reflect your life and experiences in the lyrics. Because some of those seem to be very personal. Am I right?
Yeah, there are a lot of personal lyrics on the new album. Speaking of “Red Thunder,” it’s about the modern American way of dealing with mental illness. They love to just shove pills down your throat and put you in a box, basically. And that’s what “Red Thunder” is about. Both Carla and I have sisters who had brain issues as children, and her sister actually passed away from the same issues. They just pumped her full of poison and put her in an institution, and she died alone. My sister, luckily, had our family in a different scenario. But so many people are just stuffed with poison, and they are put in an institution, and they die alone. That’s what “Red Thunder” is about.
“Beaver Cage” is a party song. But it’s ultimately about the rock’n’roll lifestyle and how many musicians take it too far. There’s a part on it that says, “If you get your shots, then you’ll go with Rob, come back to America, and piss off all the moms.” Now that’s about R Kelly, him taking it a little bit too far. There was a video of him in Ethiopia where he was basically grooming from the stage, asking people if they had their passports, shots, and if they wanted to come back with him to America – And those are just one of those situations that went too far.
Another song, “Last December,” was written during a dark time in my life in December 2019. It reflects feelings of despair, including thoughts of suicide and not feeling worthy. I was having like crazy vivid dreams of playing live shows, and I believe that those dreams really kept me alive, right? So, despite the tough times, the joy I saw in the crowd’s faces during our live shows ultimately saved my life. The song is a reflection on these personal struggles and how the moments of connection with the audience helped pull me through those tough times. It’s a very personal song, and its meaning is deeply rooted in my own experiences.
Butcher Babies is a highly visible band that creates numerous videos and maintains an active presence on social media. In this era, how crucial do you consider this aspect of your engagement with the audience?
I think in the age of social media, and the age where everything’s at your fingertips, it’s important for every single band to have some sort of presence there. That’s really important for every band.
PANTERA TALK
Speaking about the old days again, of course, we have to discuss Butcher Babies’ almost legendary performance of Pantera’s “Fucking Hostile.” If you watch that video now, what kind of memories does it bring back to your mind?
Oh, my goodness, it’s so funny. That was in 2010 or 2011? We’d been a band for two years, and we were doing a small gig at a Schecter party for the NAMM show. The band that went on before us blew up the PA. We were not even going to be able to play that day because the PA had blown. They just put some wires together, lit it on fire, and wired it back together.
I look at that video, and it’s like, that’s a new band. I was 25. I was a baby. You know, I’m 38 now, and I’m not some old lady, but at the same time, I’m not a 25-year-old girl anymore. If I look at it, and I don’t watch it, I can remember it if I were to. It’s just a cute little reflection of how I viewed the world at 25, and I still love “Fucking Hostile.” We’ve played it many times since then.
What are your thoughts on Pantera’s return to the limelight with a new lineup?
What do I think about Pantera being back? It’s awesome. We saw their first show in Mexico, which was super fun. I’ve seen them probably five times since then, and I love it every single time. I love being able to see the songs live. Not only that, but having Charlie and Zakk in the band, those are two of our really good friends, and it’s really exciting for them. Living out this legacy and keeping the name alive is exciting for them. I’m grateful that they’re doing it.
Did you have the chance to see the original version of the band?
I did not. Unfortunately, my parents did not let me see or know anything about metal during that time. I mean, I knew about Pantera, but I never got to see them live.
Speaking about lineups, Butcher Babies has also undergone a few lineup changes over the years. Could you provide some information about the reasons behind these changes?
The first situation was related to substance abuse. Our bassist, Jason Klein, left after being with the band for ten years, and his decision was driven by the birth of his daughter. After starting the band, he found himself on tour for about ten and a half months per year, missing crucial moments of his daughter’s early life. He wanted to be present for her during her high school years. These were the reasons behind the changes in the lineup. Considering that the band has been around for fifteen years, having only two changes is not necessarily a negative thing.
THE LAST QUESTION
Our time is coming to an end, but here’s the last question. Since tonight’s show marks the final stop on this tour, what’s coming next for Butcher Babies?
We are planning to release a new album. Although we dropped the double album in July, we have some extra time as Carla is still in the process of healing her eye. Therefore, we’re gearing up to record a new album for 2024, and we’ll see when it comes out.
All right, Heidi. Thank you for the interview.
Thank you, guys!
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