MORBID ANGEL's STEVE TUCKER On SLAYER's 'Farewell' Tour: 'I Don't Know What I Think Of It, To Be Honest'

Mark Thompson from HardRockCore conducted an interview with vocalist/bassist Steve Tucker of veteran Floridian death metallers MORBID ANGEL prior to the band's May 8 concert at Ace Of Spades in Sacramento, California. You can listen to the entire chat below. A few excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On how MORBID ANGEL fares in smaller markets:

Steve: "Honestly, we don't play that small of places. I don't know, man — it seems like people are pretty spoiled, regardless, from live video footage. People are pretty spoiled. It's different touring these days than it used to be. You're easily overexposed."

On what it's like to be a professional musician in this day and age:

Steve: "If you're doing it for money, you're kind of in the wrong business."

On what fans can expect live from a Tucker-fronted MORBID ANGEL, which has largely refrained from playing any David Vincent-era songs of late:

Steve: "Of course, we're out promoting the new album, 'Kingdoms Disdained', so we're doing quite a few of those songs and mixing in some older songs and just mixing it up."

On what he was listening to circa 1985:

Steve: "I would say probably some DIO, [IRON] MAIDEN, JUDAS PRIEST, MOTÖRHEAD. 'Master Of Puppets' [METALLICA], for sure, is in my arsenal. [Editor's note: 'Master Of Puppets' was released in 1986.] SLAYER. You're going to hear a lot of thrash. A lot of thrash at that point was really sort of where I was at."

On whether he thought back then METALLICA would become the biggest metal band in the world:

Steve: "I actually didn't know a lot of people that liked them. I didn't know a lot of people who were METALLICA fans at that point. A couple of years later, that story changed drastically. Just like [SLAYER's] 'Reign In Blood', it's one of those albums where those guys were peaking and everything was happening all at once. It all came out in that album. There's just those magic moments."

On SLAYER's current "farewell tour":

Steve: "I don't know what I think of it, to be honest. I maybe don't believe them. I don't know… Why would you completely say, 'Hey, I'm done with this forever.' If you say, 'Hey, we're not going to tour for a while.' Or, 'We don't know what's going on for a minute.' Okay, that's one thing. But, to just say, 'Hey, I'm done forever.' I don't know that's for real. I don't know. I see both sides of the coin. I see how you could be tired. But at the same time, there are these people who are beating the door down to see you. Why would you walk away? But, as I said, maybe a break's due."

MORBID ANGEL recently wrapped its U.S. headlining tour with support provided by ORIGIN, DREAMING DEAD and HATE STORM ANNIHILATION.

"Kingdoms Disdained" was released in December via Silver Lining Music in the U.S. and JVC in Japan. The disc, which reunites founding guitarist Trey Azagthoth with Tucker, was recorded at Mana Studios in St. Petersburg, Florida and produced by MORBID ANGEL with Erik Rutan (CANNIBAL CORPSE, HATE ETERNAL, SIX FEET UNDER, BELPHEGOR).

Joining Azagthoth and Tucker during the recording sessions for "Kingdoms Disdained" was drummer Scotty Fuller (ANNIHILATED; formerly of ABYSMAL DAWN).