Beyond the Boys’ Club is a monthly column from journalist and radio host Anne Erickson of Audio Ink Radio, focusing on women in the heavy music genres, as they offer their perspectives on the music industry and discuss their personal experiences. Erickson is also a music artist herself and has a new EP out, “Last Love,” with Upon Wings. Her latest single is “Deal Breaker”, and her upcoming single “Bad Habit” drops on August 4th. The latest edition of Beyond the Boys’ Club features an interview with Carla Harvey and Heidi Shepherd of Butcher Babies.
Butcher Babies formed nearly 15 years ago, and have been going strong ever since. Fronted by co-vocalists Carla Harvey and Heidi Shepherd, they built their reputation and fanbase with a striking live show influenced by the late Wendy O. Williams (whose song “Butcher Baby” inspired the band’s name).
On July 7th, Butcher Babies released a new double album, Eye for an Eye… / …’Til the World’s Blind. In support of the LP, the band recently embarked on a summer US tour supporting Mudvayne, and also featuring Coal Chamber, GWAR, and Nonpoint — with tickets available via Ticketmaster or StubHub.
For Heavy Consequence‘s latest edition of “Beyond the Boys’ Club,” Harvey and Shepherd discuss the new double album, how the band has evolved over the years, and their experience as women in the heavy metal scene.
Congratulations on your new double album, Eye for an Eye… and …’Til the World’s Blind. What led you to release the band’s first double album?
Carla Harvey: I don’t think that a double album was originally the plan, but it certainly turned out to be something amazing. We started recording songs in 2019. We had big tours planned, and we had all the best intentions in the world to release an album in 2020 and then tour on it. Obviously everything changed with the world. So, during the interim and all the time off, we had the chance to create even more music. We’re really grateful for that opportunity, because we now have two albums that are so different from each other. The second album, …’Til the World’s Blind, has a much darker feel and we recorded it in Michigan in the middle of winter in the snow. And we recorded the first songs in 2019 for Eye for an Eye… in sunny, hot Arizona. So there’s definitely a mental struggle that goes with recording in Michigan. I grew up there, so I know this to be true my whole life! (laughs) You just feel different, and I think we were able to come up with so much more awesome stuff. And, why hold yourself to just one album when you can fill up two? We’ve had so much to say over the last five years since our last album was put out.
Heidi Shepherd: Yeah, that’s true. We didn’t want to hold back on anything, because it had been so long since we had released a full length album, and we had just left our label and everything was kind of on our terms. So, we just kind of decided, let’s do something different. Let’s do something out of the norm. I’m so glad that we did both of these albums. They hold a real special place in our hearts, and I think different places, too. It takes us back to those moments. I remember the emotions that we were feeling in 2019 when we wrote and recorded those songs. I remember, we had just left our label. We were a little insecure and a little bit scared but also really excited about what the possibilities could bring.
