CARLA HARVEY Says She Was “Kind Of Squeezed Out” Of BUTCHER BABIES

In a new interview with Matt Wake of AL.com, former Butcher Babies vocalist Carla Harvey opened up about her split with the band nearly a year and a half ago, ending a 15-year run as a founding member. According to Harvey, the break began after she was unable to tour in the fall of 2023 due to a serious eye injury, at which point the band moved forward without her.

“I couldn’t do a tour because I had a serious eye injury and they went and did a tour without me. Then it was like, ‘Well, we’ll just do the band by ourselves.’ When you’ve put your heart and soul into something for so long and you do get kind of squeezed out of it, there’s a moment where you’re like, ‘I can either lay down and not do anything else, or I’m not gonna let someone else tell me when I’m fucking done doing what I do.'”

Harvey credited her now-husband, Anthrax and Pantera drummer Charlie Benante, with helping pull her out of that moment and encouraging her to start fresh with a new project called The Violent Hour: “He was like, ‘No, get out of bed. Fuck that. We’re gonna write an album.’ Charlie‘s excitement about it was really instrumental in my excitement. He’d be playing guitar riffs in the morning with our coffee.”

Butcher Babies officially announced their split with Harvey in July 2024. Harvey co-founded the band in 2010 with co-vocalist Heidi Shepherd and helped shape the group’s identity over the next decade and a half. In a statement at the time, the band praised Harvey’s contributions while making it clear they intended to continue.

“Carla has been an integral part of our journey, bringing her unique talent, passion, and energy to the band,” the statement read. “We are grateful for the incredible memories we’ve made together… and we are excited for this new era of Butcher Babies.”

In a separate interview on The Ward Bond Show, Harvey explained that constant touring had become unsustainable as her life changed. She noted that she now has a stepdaughter with Benante and that being on the road for most of the year no longer made sense: “As you get older, your life changes. You have relationships, you have a partner, I have a stepdaughter. The idea of being on the road 10 to 12 months out of the year became a lot to handle.”

She also pointed out a harsh reality facing mid-level touring bands: “Bands my size? You’re not breaking the bank. You’re not earning a livable wage unless you’re on the road 12 months out of the year. You can’t support yourself.”

Following her departure from Butcher Babies, Harvey returned more fully to her longtime work in the deathcare industry, recently accepting a role with the post-cremation service Parting Stone. Harvey holds a degree in Mortuary Science from Cypress College and has worked for years as a grief counselor and end-of-life specialist, including founding her own grief coaching company.

“I’m glad I never quit my day job,” Harvey said. “All the while over the last 15 years, I’ve been getting more education and certifications so I could continue on in deathcare in some aspect.”

Ultimately, Harvey said she was thinking long-term: “I always thought, ‘This is awesome right now — but what about when I’m 60?’ Life changes. We’re still going to be working. I’d rather have that be a career than a job I’m forced into just to survive later.”