Christopher Porter of Express Night Out recently conducted an interview with bassist/vocalist Glen Benton of Florida-based death metal veterans DEICIDE. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Express Night Out: Even though you put out "Till Death Do Us Part" last year, this is the first time DEICIDE's toured for it. Why the delay?
Benton: We haven't been touring for the last couple of years because I was going through a really bitter divorce and custody battle the past couple of years. ... I went for custody of my son, which I did win, but I had to take a little hiatus so the courts couldn't use it against me.
Express Night Out: Did they try to use any of your music against you?
Benton: I got a really good attorney, and I told him from the get-go, if this is going to be an issue, let me know and I'll get the ACLU involved. The courts are pretty good about that, I have to say they tried to introduce T-shirts and crap like that, and tried to use what I do against me, and the judge didn't want to hear it. The facts spoke to themselves.
Express Night Out: Did you think about ending DEICIDE during that time?
Benton: At that time, I really didn't think I'd be back doing it again. But we took a couple years off, and now we're just doing exclusive shows. I've been doing this for 20 years, and when you play every little town, it kind of cheapens things and can make for bad turnouts. Now we're just hitting major markets and stuff like that. ... Not playing for a while, you miss it. I got to that point where I was missing it. ... I've been keeping the tours down to a couple of weeks. ... You go out for two weeks, and that's just enough time to start hating it ... after a couple weeks of deli trays and love drives. .... Doing four week and six week tours, it's not that productive for myself.
Express Night Out: You have an older son, too is he a musician?
Benton: He's a guitar player, too. He wants to come out on the road with me. He actually called me about a month ago and got all lippy with me because I wouldn't take his band. I said, "Look, man, you're 17; you have school to finish, your mom's not going to be into this." He said, "You're Glen Benton; you can do whatever you want." I'm like, "The bill's been booked; I can't go adding bands, man." ... He's got a couple more years of growing up before it's a hard life on the road. People think it's all parties and fun, but it's a lot of work, driving, and it's like living like a carnival worker or somebody in a circus. I always say it's like going on a car ride with mom and dad that's gone horribly wrong. Where you go on a trip for a couple of days and it just don't stop. In two, four, six weeks, it finally stops, but when you get home you're mentally and physically exhausted. It's totally like a "Vacation" movie from the dog being tied to the back of the car, you never know what's going to happen. Now, I just keep myself away from all the antics as possible; I don't need the trouble. I just want to go out and entertain the kids and come home. Because I'm 100 percent alcohol and drug free, so I'm not into the partying thing at all. So, me sitting back there looking like an old fart in the backstage area, it's not good for morale. So, I just wait in my hotel room to go out and do my thing.
Express Night Out: What's the status of your next album?
Benton: The new record is already recorded; the only thing left is for me to go in and do vocals and my bass tracks. ... [Drummer and composer] Steve [Asheim] had all that [music] done within about six or seven months of the last record being turned in to Earache. He writes stuff quickly. It's a little bit different from what we've done. It's a little less melodic, a little more blast-beat, chaotic-sounding stuff. ... Until I sit down and start writing, to me it's just a bunch of noise until I start separating it with vocal lines and stuff. I have to listen to the stuff over and over and over to figure out how to put the vocal parts on it. ... When I write, I can't go anywhere or do anything. I just sit there in front of my laptop with my headphones on and just write.
Express Night Out: Even though you put out "Till Death Do Us Part" last year, this is the first time DEICIDE's toured for it. Why the delay?
Benton: We haven't been touring for the last couple of years because I was going through a really bitter divorce and custody battle the past couple of years. ... I went for custody of my son, which I did win, but I had to take a little hiatus so the courts couldn't use it against me.
Express Night Out: Did they try to use any of your music against you?
Benton: I got a really good attorney, and I told him from the get-go, if this is going to be an issue, let me know and I'll get the ACLU involved. The courts are pretty good about that, I have to say they tried to introduce T-shirts and crap like that, and tried to use what I do against me, and the judge didn't want to hear it. The facts spoke to themselves.
Express Night Out: Did you think about ending DEICIDE during that time?
Benton: At that time, I really didn't think I'd be back doing it again. But we took a couple years off, and now we're just doing exclusive shows. I've been doing this for 20 years, and when you play every little town, it kind of cheapens things and can make for bad turnouts. Now we're just hitting major markets and stuff like that. ... Not playing for a while, you miss it. I got to that point where I was missing it. ... I've been keeping the tours down to a couple of weeks. ... You go out for two weeks, and that's just enough time to start hating it ... after a couple weeks of deli trays and love drives. .... Doing four week and six week tours, it's not that productive for myself.
Express Night Out: You have an older son, too is he a musician?
Benton: He's a guitar player, too. He wants to come out on the road with me. He actually called me about a month ago and got all lippy with me because I wouldn't take his band. I said, "Look, man, you're 17; you have school to finish, your mom's not going to be into this." He said, "You're Glen Benton; you can do whatever you want." I'm like, "The bill's been booked; I can't go adding bands, man." ... He's got a couple more years of growing up before it's a hard life on the road. People think it's all parties and fun, but it's a lot of work, driving, and it's like living like a carnival worker or somebody in a circus. I always say it's like going on a car ride with mom and dad that's gone horribly wrong. Where you go on a trip for a couple of days and it just don't stop. In two, four, six weeks, it finally stops, but when you get home you're mentally and physically exhausted. It's totally like a "Vacation" movie from the dog being tied to the back of the car, you never know what's going to happen. Now, I just keep myself away from all the antics as possible; I don't need the trouble. I just want to go out and entertain the kids and come home. Because I'm 100 percent alcohol and drug free, so I'm not into the partying thing at all. So, me sitting back there looking like an old fart in the backstage area, it's not good for morale. So, I just wait in my hotel room to go out and do my thing.
Express Night Out: What's the status of your next album?
Benton: The new record is already recorded; the only thing left is for me to go in and do vocals and my bass tracks. ... [Drummer and composer] Steve [Asheim] had all that [music] done within about six or seven months of the last record being turned in to Earache. He writes stuff quickly. It's a little bit different from what we've done. It's a little less melodic, a little more blast-beat, chaotic-sounding stuff. ... Until I sit down and start writing, to me it's just a bunch of noise until I start separating it with vocal lines and stuff. I have to listen to the stuff over and over and over to figure out how to put the vocal parts on it. ... When I write, I can't go anywhere or do anything. I just sit there in front of my laptop with my headphones on and just write.
