DAATH – Drummer Issues Recording Update

 Rigor Mortis is a pioneering thrash metal band from Texas, founded in 1983 by Harden Harrison on drums, Casey Orr on bass, and Mike Scaccia on guitar. Bruce Corbitt soon joined the lineup thereafter, bringing a highly unique vocal delivery and stage presence to the group's horror-film themed music. They shared legendary bills early on with the likes of Megadeth and Slayer, recorded a self-titled debut in 1988 on Capitol Records, an album that greatly influenced countless others, including fellow Texan metal giants: Pantera. In 2008, they are reunited once again and scheduled to perform at this year's Ozzfest.

The Metal Den's Randy "Rocket" Cody turns in the following Q&A session with:

Bruce Corbitt 

Rocket: Where were you born and raised?

Bruce: I was born in Dallas, Texas and I have lived here most of my life.

Rocket: What first drew you to music?

Bruce: My older brother Jeff (RIP) was a huge Beatles fan. Around 1966 or 1967 when I was 4 or 5 years old, I started going into his room when he was listening to his Beatles albums. I was mesmerized by their vocals and music. From that point on music became a big part of my life.

Rocket: Do you remember the first record you ever bought?

Bruce: It was the Batman TV series soundtrack… ha-ha! The 1st band album I actually bought myself was The Beatles “Yellow Submarine” soundtrack… that was in 1968 right after I had seen the movie.

Rocket: When did you first start performing in bands?

Bruce: It was back in 1982 when I was 19 years old. I started hanging out with a local band called Spectrum. That’s when I met Mike Scaccia, he was one of the guitarists in the band and he was only 16-years-old at the time. Anyway, Mike’s talent blew me away and I began to help the band in any way I could. I would run their lights, run their sound etc. They weren’t happy with their singer and I joked about singing for them one night. Somehow I got my chance and that’s when I first sang in a band. I sucked badly, but if I wouldn’t have at least tried it then… I may never have.

Rocket: Who are a few of your biggest vocal influences?

Bruce: Well, since I have a limited vocal range and vocal ability, none of my favorite singers really had an impact on my vocal style. I just had to learn to do what I could do with the voice I had. But, my favorite singers growing up were The Beatles, Steven Tyler, Ozzy, Dio and Bruce Dickinson.

Rocket: It's well known that Phil Anselmo is a big fan of RIGOR MORTIS. Do you recall the first time you saw PANTERA live? Everyone has their own way of expressing what seeing them for the very first time was like…

Bruce: Surprisingly I never went to see Pantera until early 1989. Of course I knew about them like everyone else around this area. But, in the early-to-mid 80s they were just part of a different scene than I was. When I joined Rigor in 1986, this area had like 3 big scenes going on at the time. There was the underground Thrash scene I was part of… with bands like Rigor, Gammacide, Rotting Corpse, Sedition and Hammer Witch. There was also the Glam scene that was going strong. Pantera was always the biggest band around here and they pretty much had their own scene all to themselves. With a few exceptions most of the bands and fans stuck to the scenes they were into back in those days.

Then Phil started coming to see Rigor Mortis and going to the underground shows in 1987. He was into heavier music and so he sort of bridged-the-gap between bands like Rigor Mortis and Pantera. After I was fired from Rigor in early 1989, one night he invited me out to see Pantera at a club called The Basement. The rest of the Rigor Mortis guys showed up at this show too, and I met their new singer Doyle Bright for the first time that night. Anyway, all the guys in Pantera were very cool to me and made me feel welcome to be there.

Then when I watched them jam that night I knew immediately what everyone saw in those guys. By this time they were already in the new direction and style that would make them the biggest metal band in upcoming years. They were tight as hell, intense… hell they were something special and a professional band on the brink of conquering the world. I admit that I was blown away and I wondered that night why it took me so long to check them out. But now looking back on it, I think I got to see them at the right time… I might not have liked the earlier versions of the band as much.

Rocket: Your music with RIGOR MORITS is steeply themed in horror movie-like imagery. It's thrash rooted in punk. But what I've always dug about you guys is that you've never gotten all made up in masks and crazy outfits to impress anyone. And coming from the 80's that had to be hard, not to wear Spandex for the suits like everyone else, right? Was there a lot of pressure to change?

Bruce: That is a damn good question. Honestly I am sure every member of Rigor wore some stupid shit that we laugh about now in some of our first bands back in the early 80s. Most of the local bands from that early 80s era were influenced by legendary bands from the 60s and 70s. Those bands all looked and dressed like Rock Stars. After having posters and albums of those bands growing up. It was almost like you thought you had to dress and look like a “Rock Star” before you did a show. Now I am not saying we were ever glam and wore makeup or spandex bullshit like that. But, we did do a little bit of the leather, spikes, bandanas, wrist bands thing in some of our 1st bands. I remember I had some “Ozzy” style fringe wrist bands custom made for me in the band I was in before Rigor Mortis.

By the time I joined Rigor Mortis, I wasn’t about to wear an outfit before I went onstage. I was always really just a music fan that got to get onstage and jam with one of my favorite bands. So I wore what I would wear on most days, that was usually just old jeans and a black T-shirt. We never wanted to dress up like Kiss or like GWAR would later on. Now we did talk about having some gore special effects like in Horror movies. Like some flesh eating zombies or if I could have done something like chewed my own arm off during a show etc. But we never really had the money to pull anything like that off.

Rocket: So how did RIGOR MORTIS land the Ozzfest '08 gig?

Bruce: I just woke up one day and had a message on my answering machine. It said they were booking for Ozzfest and wanted to see if Rigor Mortis would be available to do it. I was like, “yeah right!” I remember looking at my calendar to make sure it wasn’t April Fools Day… ha-ha! Anyway, I called them back and it was legit. So I called the rest of the band and within an hour we were booked.

Rocket: Now will this be with the original lineup?

Bruce: Yes, it’s going to be the lineup that was on the self-titled Rigor Mortis debut album/CD. The other guys got back together in 2005. They asked me if I wanted to do a few songs and fill in at some of the first reunion shows. But so far I have done every show with them since their reunion and we have done a few small US tours. Rigor Mortis is their band, but I guess I am still filling in at the moment… haha! I just try to have fun with it and I treat every Rigor Mortis show like it could be my last show with them.

Rocket: Can you give us a hint of what Rigor's setlist will be that night? And will there be any guest appearances? There's going to be a DIME tribute jam, correct?

Bruce: We are all aware that a lot of people will be at Ozzfest that have never seen Rigor Mortis. So we are going to pick what we consider the vintage Rigor Mortis songs. We are defiantly thinking of what the crowd at Ozzfest will like the most when it comes choosing a set list for this show.

Rocket: What's your favorite memory of the late great DIMEBAG?

Bruce: Like everyone that ever met him already knows, he was just a good guy. He was down-to-earth and humble, he had no ego and he enjoyed life and music as much as anyone I ever met. I regret now that I never really got to know him better. Just like with John Lennon, I prefer to not dwell in the tragedy of their deaths. Instead I try to think about all the good times they gave the rest of the world with their music and by just being special human beings.

 Bruce: My favorite memory of Dime was back around 1993. I was at a local show that Pantera was at and I got a little too wasted… to say the least. I ended up losing control and crashing my truck head-on into a brick building as I was leaving the club parking lot that night. Unluckily for me, one of the Pantera crew guys happened to have his video camera rolling as I was speeding by and he caught my accident on tape. My face was smashed and cut up from the rearview mirror and wind shield. I had blood pouring from my face all over the place. I remember being all dazed and then I looked out my driver’s window and there was Dime’s face… the first person to get there. I remember him saying, “Damn that’s Bruce” as I got out all injured and wobbly. It was one of my embarrassing moments, but Dime showed a lot of concern about my injuries… and I just always remembered that. Actually some of that footage made it on one of their home videos they released back in the 90s… ha-ha!

Rocket: What band(s) are you excited to see on the Ozzfest lineup?

Bruce: Goatwhore, Soilet Green, Cavalera Conspiracy and all of the bands playing on the Texas Stage. I am also anxious to see who will be involved in the All-Star Tribute to Dimebag. Of course it goes without saying that an old band like Rigor Mortis owes a great deal to Ozzy and Metallica for their impact on metal and the influence they had on us as a young band back then. So it is really an honor for us to be on a show with them.

Rocket: Who are some of the local Texas metal bands that are impressing you currently?

Bruce: Well, from the Dallas/Ft. Worth area I like Demonseed, Cunthammer, Creophagy, Amoricide, Protest, Blood Stain Carpet… I could go on and on.

Rocket: What's up with your side project TEXAS METAL ALLIANCE?

Bruce: Well, actually TMA is really my full-time official band. Because other band projects and work schedules with the Rigor guys have caused long breaks for the band since the reunion. Anyway, TMA is a band I was part of forming with Rick Perry and Scott Shelby from Texas Thrash legends Gammacide. We completed the lineup with Bassist Alan Bovee of DevilFist and Joe Gonzalez of Demonseed. We are close to having enough original material for a future full-length CD. It will be released sometime in 2009 on Philip Anselmo’s new label, which is called Housecore Records.

Rocket: Do you guys ever plan to release a new studio album?

Bruce: I really would like to release some new material with the original lineup. We have been talking about it for a few years now. Even if I am not involved, I know all Rigor Mortis fans would love a new release from the band.

Rocket: Besides Ozzfest, what are some of the other upcoming shows for RIGOR MORTIS?

Bruce: We are doing a few shows in Texas after we play at Ozzfest. Bassist Casey Orr is back in GWAR again and he leaves for a couple of months in October. So it might be 2009 before Rigor Mortis does anything else. We do have our first ever European show set up for April 2009 in Germany. It will be at the “Keep It True 12” Festival and we are all psyched about that show.

Rocket: Thanks very much for rockin' this out with me. Best of luck at Ozzfest and beyond with your music. Go ahead and give a shout out to your biggest supporters.

Bruce: Thanks, man. I enjoyed it! Like I always say… we aren’t shit without the supporters. So hails to all of them that have kept Rigor Mortis alive all of these years. Also, I hope they will check out my new band Texas Metal Alliance… you know damn well!

http://www.myspace.com/rigormortis