Bütcher: The Monsters, Madness and Magic Interview

I had a lot of positive things to say about Bütcher’s 666 Goats Carry My Chariot. I still stand by my initial assessment that it’s 2020’s best Metal album so far and that it’s an album anybody who fancies themselves a connoisseur of Metal should check out. Speaking frankly, if you don’t dig this album, then you have no taste and should be ashamed of yourself.

Enough of my browbeating, though. I was lucky enough to be able to sit down with guitarist and lead songwriter for Bütcher, KK Ripper, for a conversation about everything ranging from the band’s influences to how exactly they deal with such a surplus of goats. I would just like to note that one of the interview questions was asked before the COVID-19 situation went from curiosity to full-blown pandemic.

Jason Edwards: The amazing thing about “666 Goats...” is how you guys manage to take so many different influences and manage to meld them together into a single, coherent, ripping whole that is undeniably your own. Could you give some insight into the creative process of writing a Bütcher song?

KK Ripper: Hello comrades, KK Ripper (lead guitar) here, reporting for interview duties! Uhm, yeah, so; first of all, thank you so much for these kind words. This is a question that I've had the pleasure to answer in many previous interviews as well, which warms my heart because that was exactly what I was going for: to blend all of my influences, eclectic as they may be oft-times, into a cohesive whole. As the guitarist of the band, I'm the de facto songwriter for BÜTCHER and I've really tried to put in as much of my personal taste as possible; influences range from Bathory, Aura Noir, Judas Priest, Mercyful Fate, Riot, Thin Lizzy, Savage Grace, Omen, Darkthrone... The list is endless! One might assume the difficult part is to mix and match these into something coherent, but actually, for me, all of these influences live in the same universe, so it all took shape quite naturally I guess... It mainly about keeping an open mind when writing songs and I guess marijuana helps with that too.

JE: You told me you’ve recently been on the road, have the recent concerns over COVID-19 affected that experience?

KK: Well, of course, we are bummed the fuck out that all of our cool shows over the next couple of months are getting canceled. The future is still very uncertain and I think we'll just have to see how everything evolves. I'm, however, always the guy who tries to see the upside in things, so I'm going to spend my free time composing a follow-up to "666..."

JE: You guys had some line-up changes in between 2017's "Bestial Fükkin' Warmachine" and "666 Goats..." What kind of effect do you think these had on the latest record?

KK: Well, the difference between the two records is huge, imo; I feel we made a huge step up with recording soundwise compared to the first, which comes only partially from the line-up changes, as LV Speedhämmer did perform the drums but AH Wrathchylde wasn't able to play bass on the records. You must understand that the line-up changes happened one week before we were set to go into the studio, so it was a quite stressful period. Having LV as a drummer definitely gives the album a sense of propulsion, I'd fucking say! Also, kudos to him for getting it down on such short notice.

I think an important factor in the great sound of this album is just the experience we've gained from working in the same analog studio the first time. We were much more prepared and focused going into this one. As the main songwriter, having to perform all the guitar & bass parts, it was also a quite pleasant way of working because I really had everything in my own control. Whereas working with a lot of people with a lot of different opinions one might settle with compromise, the record now is more a product of a singular vision, which adds a great deal of focus, imo.

JE: The “Speed Metal Wheel” is referenced multiple times on “666 Goats” and I’m assuming it’s one of the stage props in the background of the video for “Iron Bitch.” Would you care to explain the lore behind this symbol to our readers?

KK: The symbol, of course, gained notoriety when it adorned the backs of old Banzai records vinyl covers. It has seen quite the resurgence in modern times, with a lot of NWN!-bands using it again; not all of them speed metal, though. And it is in that same context that we use it; a tribute to the glory days of extreme metal, when bands as eclectic as e.g. Cryptic Slaughter and Running Wild were still lumped together and branded "Speed Metal". It's like I said above about my plethora of influences: there are bands that give me a certain feeling because they exist in the same "metal universe"! Let the Speed Metal Wheel be the votive figure that we use to pray to these Godz of Steele of old!

JE: 666 Goats is a lot of goats. How do you guys keep track of all of them?

KK: King Augias still had some room in his stables, so we keep em there. It's getting quite messy though, so I guess we'll have to call Hercules soon to come clean it out for us.

JE: Finally, are there any plans for Butcher to come to the US?

KK: I can speak for all of us that we'd want nothing more in our lives than that. However, we don't have anything specific in the works yet, so I urge all American bookers to contact Daniel Da Silva at Roadmaster Bookings to try and work something out!

Huge thanks to KK and Bütcher for taking the time to answer my questions. If you’re a North American promoter, book these guys immediately!

If you want to check out another one of my interviews, take a gander at the one I did with Hanzel und Gretyl.