"We don't know too much about the scene there, so we're excited to come and learn about what's happening with metal in Bulgaria."

The revelations of the American death metal quintet's founder and bass player regarding Cannibal Corpse's upcoming concert in Sofia, Bulgaria, on March 5, 2007.

Vassil Varbanov: Hey, Alex, how are you doing?

Alex Webster: Very good.

V. V.: What are you up to, guys?

A. W.: Right now we're preparing to do this tour in February and March. We all had a good holiday season with our families, but now it's time to start preparing for our European tour.

V. V.: The first thing that comes to our minds when we hear the name Cannibal Corpse is a very, very, very brutal band. What comes to your mind when you hear me pronouncing the word Bulgaria?

A. W.: Bulgaria... Well, we know a little bit about Bulgaria. Of course we know it's in the East, and that you guys just joined the European Union... I know the capital is Sofia... Actually, I don't know too much about the metal scene there. Like I said, I just know a litle bit about the country, so we're excited to come there and learn about what's happening with metal in Bulgaria.

V. V.: You said quite a lot of facts, and that's not typical for the typical American ignorance about geography and everything.

A. W.: I've always been interested in travelling, in Europe... in Eastern Europe, you know, because it's a place we want to visit.

V. V.: You've always been the epitomy of an extreme metal band, but something makes me think that you should like punk music, am I right?

A. W.: I like some. I've listened to more metal than punk, but some of the stuff that I do like is some of the old Black Flag, Dead Kennedys and Minor Threat. However, the big influences for Cannibal Corpse are metal bands like Slayer, Kreator...

V. V.: Let's also talk about the layout of your albums, some of which faced severe censorship all around the world. Which of these covers you personally think is the worst?

A. W.: For the goriness and offensiveness - "The Wretched Spawn" (2004), "Butchered at Birth" (1991) and "Tomb of the Mutilated" (1992). Those three are probably the most vicious and brutal.

V. V.: Yeah, but when I said worst, I meant the ones you personally dislike the most.

A. W.: Oh, the ones that I like the least... That's a little more difficult, because I do like our album covers... Maybe theВ artwork for "Vile" (1996), you know, 'cause it's just a guy sitting there. It's ok, but not as exciting as the other ones.

V. V.: You know, the fans in Bulgaria have been waiting for you to play here for many years now, and you're finally coming. With the easiness of the Internet communication, do you receive a lot of fan mail from Bulgaria?

A. W.: Yes, we do. Everybody's always been writing, "Why don't you come?", so we've been asking our booking agency in Europe for quite a while to arrange a concert in Bulgaria, but it never worked... until this time. It must have something to do with your entry to the European Union, I think, because that helps and makes things a little easier to organize, like problems with visas, etc... I'm glad we'll finally come and play for our fans in Bulgaria.

V. V.: And what's the worst place you've ever played on Earth?

A. W.: I'm trying to think... You know, we've always had shows that were really good, even if they were at a bad place, so I definitely don't want to insult the fans that were there. Sometimes you play at venues with really poor conditions, like this place in the North of Brazil - behind the stage there was just a bunch of water, flooded, but the concert itself was really great.

Copyright: Tangra Mega Rock