Butcher Babies

Butcher Babies is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, consisting of frontwoman Heidi Shepherd, guitarist Henry Flury (Amen), bassist Ricky Bonazza, and drummer Devin Nickles.

[6] Rock journalist Keith Valcourt stated in his review of one of the band's shows: "The Butcher Babies deliver a loud crashing blend of heavy metal, punk and thrash that recalls Pantera, adding their stage show embodies the horror antics of Alice Cooper and Rob Zombie.

Carla and Heidi don't merely sing: they assault the crowd with a blinding flash of aggression and abuse.

[9] On May 24, they released their first music video for "Mr. Slowdeath", which was produced by Mudrock (Avenged Sevenfold, Godsmack), which is from the band's self-released EP.

[10] The band signed a worldwide deal with Century Media Records in November 2012, and a month later embarked on a North American tour from January to February with Marilyn Manson.

[11] Only days after wrapping the tour in the City Of Sin, the band was in an L.A. studio with producer Josh Wilbur (Gojira, Lamb of God, Hatebreed) recording their debut album, Goliath.

[15] On July 26, In an interview with Artisan News, Shepherd and Harvey spoke about their decision to ditch the nipple-tape look during their live performances.

[16] In early 2014, the band took part in The Hell Pop Tour II headlined by In This Moment with additional support from Devour the Day, All Hail the Yeti, and Before the Mourning.

Regarding the album title, vocalist Carla Harvey said: We all come from different places and backgrounds, but every member of this band had to fight to be the person he or she is today.

[26] On January 22, 2019, Butcher Babies posted a black and white slogan and pictures with possible titles of songs in the upcoming fourth album on their instagram page @butcherbabies.

[27] She eventually announced her full departure from the band in 2024, leaving Shepherd as the sole vocalist;[28] Harvey would later explain her new-found focus on her career in deathcare as the deciding factor.

[38] In an interview with Revolver Magazine, Harvey said: "As a biracial kid growing up in the Detroit area, I got a lot of shit for loving hard rock and metal, and seeing musicians that were also African American playing the music I loved made me strong enough to say, "Fuck you, I'm going to like what I want.

"[9] They also stated in an interview, they are heavily influenced by horror films such as The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, House of 1000 Corpses, and The Devil's Rejects.

[36] The Butcher Babies are known for their aggressive stage appeal, such as wearing nipple tape in the earlier years of their career.

Butcher Babies performing in 2014
Butcher Babies performing in Germany, 2022
Heidi Shepherd (left) and Carla Harvey in 2014