STEVE TUCKER Says MORBID ANGEL Doesn't Discuss 'Illud Divinum Insanus': 'It's Like Sitting And Talking With Your Girlfriend About Her Ex-Boyfriend'

James Geiser of AntiHero Magazine recently conducted an interview with frontman Steve Tucker of veteran Floridian death metallers MORBID ANGEL. You can listen to the entire chat below. A few excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On MORBID ANGEL's mentality during the making of their new "Kingdoms Disdained" studio album:

Steve: "Honestly, I think the mentality was go in and do the best album we were capable of doing. It was really, by the time we got to the studio, we were really pretty happy with what we had. Everything was just about laying it down right and getting the right sounds. That sort of thing, each individual, they want something different when it comes to a mix. For us, in the end we're trying to go for something where we got pretty much everything that we want. I don't think you ever walk away one-hundred percent thinking it's one-hundred percent perfect, but you get fucking close."

On the writing process for "Kingdoms Disdained":

Steve: "We kind of broke it up. At first, it started out, Trey [Azagthoth, guitar] was just working on songs and then he would send me songs. I'd drop them into Logic, my recording platform, I would start working on vocals once I sort of got the songs memorized. Writing to some of Trey's stuff is always weird because you really have to listen to it a lot of times to really get the feel exactly of what's going on there and to really find the pocket of what's going on. It is what it is. But it's pretty much the start of the writing process. From there, I'll start to demo vocals with it and learn the songs on bass, but then on this one, also, I decided I didn't want to sit home and sort of do demos on the album, so I waited until we got into the rehearsal space, then I started working on ideas with the drummer, Scotty Fuller. We started hashing things out that way. Some of this album was written sort of in a demo thing where everything was done on a computer at home. Then the other half of the album was written live in the rehearsal space."

On whether MORBID ANGEL had the less-than-positive reception to 2011's controversial "Illud Divinum Insanus" in the back of their minds while recording "Kingdoms Disdained":

Steve: "I think any time you are recording, you want it to be as good, if not better than the last album. You're always just writing songs and they are what they are. There's always going to be different opinions on it, so to be honest, we really didn't talk much at all about the last album. It's not something we really discussed. I wasn't a part of it. Sitting around talking about the last album was sort of like, sitting and talking with your girlfriend about her ex-boyfriend or your ex-girlfriend. It's sort of silly."

On 2017 being a strong year for veteran death metal bands like CANNIBAL CORPSE, MORBID ANGEL, OBITUARY and SUFFOCATION:

Steve: "I just think it just happened to be that everybody's kind of landed on the same year of when they're doing an album. CANNIBAL CORPSE does albums much more frequently than MORBID ANGEL. Every couple of years or so, they do a new album. MORBID is usually longer. It's usually between three and five years. For us, it really just happened to be that everyone is on the same cycle this time, so you got great albums from everybody this year. It's great. The new IMMOLATION ['Atonement'] is fantastic as well. Those guys are old grinders."

On what he attributes MORBID ANGEL's longevity to:

Steve: "I think originality. To be honest with you, I think a lot of people jump on trends and they ride trends and they last for a few years and then they're gone. I think with MORBID, it's always trying to be original. That's why a lot of times when MORBID ANGEL albums come out, people are a little shocked and it takes a month or so for it all to sink in. Because MORBID ANGEL albums are always different from each other. They're always something different, but they're always original."

On keeping MORBID ANGEL's originality intact and not alienating their fanbase:

Steve: "You know, who wants to alienate a fanbase? To be honest, I've done some weird interviews. I did an interview even with The Wall Street Journal. The guy from The Wall Street Journal asked me: 'If you guys sang not so heavy, it might appeal to a lot more people. Doesn't that interest you?' I told him, 'No, that doesn't really interest me. Sorry.' To be honest, it is what it is. MORBID ANGEL, it's only music for some people. It's not intended for the masses. The music that's intended for the masses comes and goes so quick that it doesn't ever mean anything. Bands like MORBID ANGEL, CANNIBAL CORPSE, DEICIDE, even MALEVOLENT CREATION, bands like that have been around so long, it really means a lot to a lot of people."

"Kingdoms Disdained" was released December 1 via Silver Lining Music and JVC in Japan.