Paroxysmal Butchering: Brutal and Awesome
The Miriam-Webster dictionary defines metal as "Any of various opaque, fusible, ductile, and typically lustrous substances that are good conductors of electricity and heat, form cations by loss of electrons, and yield basic oxides and hydroxides." Although correct and valuable, I prefer the Urban Dictionary definition better. Metal is "A descriptive word used to define something especially brutal or awesome. Like dead bodies or ice cream.". Metal music is precisely that, brutal and awesome. And metal music born out of San Diego is on another level.
Photo taken by Unknown
Late one Saturday night my husband and I decided to go to a metal show at the Till Two Club here in San Diego, where our minds and ears were blown away by a local band called Paroxysmal Butchering. The band consists of Tim Ballard (vocalist), Billy T. Boy (drums), and Josh Alvarado (guitarist, engineer, and producer). Born in 2012, this death metal band quickly went to work writing songs and getting gigs. By 2014 they put out their first studio album, “Human Smasher" which has the hit songs “Expulsion of Partially Digested Heads,” "Imminent Punishment," and more. After the show, I got to ask them a few questions about themselves and their art. Let's see what they had to say!
HOW DID YOU GUYS GET YOUR START IN METAL?
Tim: "I was raised with it when I was young. My dad was a Rock and Metal guy. When I was 14, a friend introduced me to nü metal, and I was hooked. It was the vocals that put it over the top for me."
Josh: "My family was always music-oriented, and I was lucky to have a lot of cousins who were into rock and metal. I discovered nu metal in middle school and was obsessed with how it sounded, especially regarding the guitars. I knew I wanted to play guitar from there on out."
Billy: "I grew up on select 80's rock. Things just got out of control."
WHAT INSPIRED THE NAME PAROXYSMAL BUTCHERING?
"I liked the symmetry, and both words had ten letters, and those letters looked cool when you wrote it out with all Death Metal-like. So that, and the idea that our music was comparable to an unprovoked, violent murder. It's all about core values."
Photo taken by Unknown
HOW DO YOU COME UP WITH SONG TITLES?
"In the band's early days, it was all about getting laughs. 'Anally Siphoned Innards,' 'Turnoffs Include Consent,' 'Sexually Mangled,' the names were so ridiculous they reflected our not-so-serious approach to the music. As our sound matured, the lyrical content and the song titles steered away from senseless violence and suffering and focused more on mental health….or the mental health of someone obsessed with senseless violence and suffering, at least."
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE SONGS YOU HAVE WRITTEN OR PERFORMED?
Tim: "'Ignition of Racing Thoughts' and 'Expulsion of Partially Digested Heads' are fun and highly energetic when performing them live. 'Discordant Ideations' and 'Hurled Endlessly into the Black' are my favorite overall tracks."
Josh: "'Ignition of Racing Thoughts' for sure. It used to be one of the most challenging songs to play, and now it's one of the easiest. I like the energy that the song brings."
Billy: "Whatever is fastest and most challenging to play."
WHAT IS SOMETHING YOU WISH THE PUBLIC KNEW ABOUT YOU?
Tim: "Opossums used to make me SICK TO MY STOMACH, but now I find them adorable. I don't know what changed in my head. I've also published two books, and a third is underway. Look up 'The Eastern Outskirts.'"
Josh: "I spend a lot of time listening to music, I don't just analyze and study the production. I produce other bands as well. So hit me up for recordings!"
Billy: "I drum to halt the nonstop sexy thoughts that ravage my mind, and I'm a Fast drummer for hire. Holler at your boy!"
Photo taken by Unknown
THE BAND IS CURRENTLY WORKING ON THEIR 4TH STUDIO ALBUM. HERE IS WHAT THEY WOULD LIKE YOU TO KNOW ABOUT IT.
"It is the culmination of a lot of effort and work which went into the writing and production of this album. 'Force Feeder' is our 4th studio release and is most closely related to our 3rd effort, 'Amygdala,' stylistically. There are seven tracks, and the album runs for over 40 minutes; it's Brutal Death Metal, it's Black Death, it's Progressive, at times Tech, there are some slowed down Slam riffs, dissonant riffs - we do our best to pack a lot into every track. We're working with CDN Records on the release. This album, in short, is everything you like about us, if you like us."
If you like metal and are looking for a new band to blast on repeat, check out Paroxysmal Butchering. I promise you; you won't be disappointed.
