Ex-Black Dahlia Murder guitarist John Kempainen, photo by Jon Wiederhorn

Touring in a rock band just ain't what it used to be. With zoning restrictions at play and real estate prices through the roof, it's getting harder to get gigs at decent places, show attendance and merch sales have dropped with the nosediving economy, the dawn of filesharing has rendered album royalties nonexistent, and now many labels want a cut of touring and merch profits, meaning bands have to tour all year long just to pay the rent at apartments and homes they're hardy at. No wonder a growing number of musicians are throwing in the towel.

On November 29, The Black Dahlia Murder lost guitarist John Kempainen, who had been with the group since 2002 and appeared on the band's debut full-length, 2003's Unhallowed. Apparently, Kempainen quit on the eve of a tour launch with Misery Index and Soilent Green and the band has carried on as a four-piece. According to the band's label, Kempainen was tired of being on tour for ten months out of the year and wanted to spend more time with his friends and family. Read more...

It's hard to believe that 20 years have passed since Cannibal Corpse first ascended from a graveyard in Buffalo, New York with the soul goal of taking death metal to a new level of ferocity, velocity and graphic intensity. The band's 1990 debut, which features songs like "A Skull Full of Maggots," "Shredded Humans" and "Scattered Remains, Splattered Brains," did just that and after moving to Tampa, Florida, Cannibal Corpse quickly became one of the main players in a vibrant scene that also featured Morbid Angel, Deicide and Malevolent Creation.

Lots of bands extreme bands soften up over time, but Cannibal Corpse remain as brutal and talented as ever. Their last album, 2006's Kill, included skulcrushers like "Five Nails Through the Neck" and "Brain Removal Device" that kept their fans' bloodlust sated, and their upcoming album, which they'll start recording soon with Erik Rutan promises to be more rhythmically complex and just as visceral.

During our podcast interview with Webster, Cannibal Corpse's main songwriter and bassist talks about the upcoming album, the band's seven-plus hour DVD set "Centuries of Torment" (which came out July 8 ) and the recent reconciliation with former lyricist Chris Barnes. Webster also discussed the seeming normalcy of serial killers, America's obsession with the macabre, the return of genuinely unnerving movies, the horrors of digital technology, the new generation of goregrind and more.

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