Carla Harvey, founding vocalist of the metal band Butcher Babies, comic book author, artist, novelist, and holder of multiple degrees in Mortuary Science and Thanatology, has unveiled “Sick Ones”—the debut single from her new project, The Violent Hour (Megaforce Records). Available now, the track was co-written by Harvey and Anthrax’s Charlie Benante, features guitarist John 5, and can be streamed HERE.
“’Sick Ones’ is a rock ‘n’ roll anthem about cutting the toxic people out of your life,” said Harvey. “It’s a call of freedom, a fist-to-the-face to anyone who has tried to hold you down, hold you back or dim your light. It was written at a vulnerable time in my life when I was forced to end relationships I thought would last forever.
“When choosing a theme for this song,” Harvey added, “I thought about a phrase I had scrawled across a journal from 1999: ‘Cut The Sick Ones Loose.’ Those words became my mantra over the last couple years and felt perfect to chant over Charlie’s guitar riffs. ‘Sick Ones‘ also features an absolutely shredding guitar solo by John 5 that brings this thrasher to a whole different level.“
“‘Sick Ones’ has a Modernized NWOBHM (New wave of British heavy metal) vibe to it,” said Charlie Benante. “The riff is very catchy and stays with you like a good riff should. ‘Sick Ones’ is just the tip of the iceberg for this project. Many of the songs we crafted for The Violent Hour are unlike anything Carla has ever done as a vocalist, reflecting different moods and a new beginning. The music flowed out of me because I had this motivation, this drive…it was unstoppable.”
Carla Harvey is cut from a very unique cloth. She loves to be challenged and is of the opinion that fear is a great motivator in life, that when you throw yourself into what it is that you’re most afraid of, when you’re uncomfortable, you feel alive and are the most creative. When the Butcher Babies decided to part ways with Carla after 15 years, it indeed felt scary. But she definitely grew from the experience. “Since I was a kid,” she said, “I’ve questioned everything. I listened more than I spoke to take in the world around me, and I tried to make art out of the discord.”
“The Violent Hour’s first music video, was directed by Vicente Cordero/Industrial Films, and is due out April 25.
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