Kam Lee on Massacre, Necrolution, and Forty Years of Death Metal

AThe main thing is appeasing the fans. It's not about what I want as much as it's about what fans want. Fans are what keep the band alive, and if "From Beyond" is what fans really want, I can't disappoint them. I may be sick of playing the material after 40 years, but in the end, it's not really about me. We offer different sets of packages at different prices. The new set is at a lower cost — a more economical price —, but most promoters will pick the higher "From Beyond" set because they know this is the sweet set, the one people want. So we give them what they paid for.

AI've been doing file sharing bands since 2007. I see no more intrinsic value in being together in the same room, playing together. Do you think orchestras get together every weekend to rehearse? No, most orchestra musicians live abroad and in different countries across the planet. They can play and practice in different places, but when it's time to perform, they all fly to the same country to meet up and perform together. We do the same, just on a much smaller scale. Being in a band that hangs out in a garage every weekend is so outdated. That is such a cliché. It doesn't make it any less or more of a band. Sure, it might work if everyone wants to pretend they are still 16 and have drinking buddies, but I am a grown man — to me, the band is a job, it's a business. Everyone knows their job, their position. Everyone is an accomplished musician who takes pride in their craftsmanship. You can't hear if someone hangs out together on weekends and drinks beer in a musical instrument — that's not something that happens. What you hear is how well they perform their parts and how well they play together.

AMike brought a nostalgic sense of ideals to the band that harkens back to the beginning. His presence was missed when he stepped down — I understood his decision to depart because it was a matter of health and his loyalty to his family. We have a policy in this band: family first. So any time any member needs time off or needs to step down to take care of family, this is understood without question. His presence made a big difference because Mike was a voice for keeping things simple and for upholding ideals. He was always there to make sure the band didn't get too wimpy — as he would say it — always pushing for that certain type of heavy feeling in the music.

AJon came in after Brynjar had to step down because of wrist surgery. I was happy Jon stepped in to help — he played on some of Rogga's other bands' albums, so I was confident in his skills. He definitely brings a different style to his approach than Brynjar, but it's still very fitting because it's rooted in the old school aesthetic. He's got a more aggressive approach, and that's what makes him more suited for old school death metal.

AJust because someone lives in Florida doesn't mean they can play proper old school death metal. I went through plenty of local guitar players who lived here, but they just didn't play much in that style. Plus, most people here are transplants from other places. Rogga and Jonny are both huge fans of the old-school style — they perform it in many of their own bands. I don't prefer to be called a band with a Tampa sound — that's very limited. Death metal is a worldwide phenomenon, not just localized. Too much emphasis is placed on a band's origins rather than on what they play. Even so-called Tampa bands aren't really from Tampa. Cannibal Corpse moved there from Buffalo, NY. Even the original DEATH was not from Tampa — Chuck, Freddy, and I all lived in Altamonte Springs, clear across the other side of the state. Too much emphasis is placed on the area rather than on the music. It's really sad.

A"Necrolution" is on vinyl — I have some sitting in my office right now. Earache always re-releases their old catalog. That is what labels do to the music they still own. I personally like vinyl, so I do a lot of vinyl records for Massacre. All the singles have been released on 7" vinyl at some point.

AI finally got sick of seeing the band being resurrected for the obvious reason of it just being a cash cow for some members. I came back in 2017 with the full intention of making it a band that would keep working, and the only true way to secure that was to completely take creative control of the band. If anything, the name stands for order out of chaos — exactly what a massacre is. Complete, utter destruction and death over and over again. A massive slaughter. Pretty much the band's namesake is the band's eternal curse — massacred over and over and over again.

AIf we do a split, it's because it's with a band I like and the same for them. You would never see us do a split with a band like GHOST or something of that nature — I won't sacrifice integrity just to get a release out. Ironically, trying to get a split organized is a bit harder than you might expect, because most of the time, each band doesn't have recorded material at the same time. It takes a lot of planning and patience. I think there's still a community, because unlike the rock star type of bands, I keep things down to earth. I try to keep in touch with other bands I like. I plan to do a split with COFFINS out of Japan — they are a favorite band of mine.

ALife is horror — every aspect of it is a horror show. When you're young, horror is the thing lurking under the bed, the shadows in the closet. When you're a teenager, it's the unexpected stranger in the parking lot or the overwhelming urge toward self-destruction. As an adult, it's things like the fear of war or the loss of a loved one. Homicide is in your life daily — on the news, across the street, in your neighborhood. As an elderly person, you begin to fear death by disease and sickness. Horror is always with us. Life is full of suffering, misery, and death. Always stuff to write about.

AIt's easier to talk to Filip of Agonia directly — it's not so damned corporate. When we were on bigger labels,, there was a disconnect between the artist and the label, all very corporate. But Agonia is much more personal. When I talk to Filip, it's me talking to the label manager and owner directly, not some kid that some CEO hired to handle certain bands in a section of the label no one else wants to handle.