Ex-DEATH/MASSACRE bassist TERRY BUTLER will not work with “toxic” KAM LEE ever again

"There's absolutely no way RICK ROZZ and I are gonna ever work with him in the future”

14-08-2026

In a recent interview with Terry Palamara of Loud And Proud Italy, Terry Butler spoke about LEFT TO DIE‘s debut full-length album, “Initium Mortis”, which came out on July 17 via Relapse Records.

LEFT TO DIE is the band featuring classic DEATH members Butler (also formerly of MASSACRE and currently in OBITUARY) and Frederick “Rick Rozz” DeLillo (ex-MASSACRE) paired with GRUESOME founders Matt Harvey (EXHUMED) and Gus Rios (ex-MALEVOLENT CREATION).

LEFT TO DIE performs most of the songs from DEATH‘s classic “Leprosy” album, along with cuts from DEATH‘s debut LP, “Scream Bloody Gore”.

“Initium Mortis” pays homage to the brutal beginnings of DEATH with newly recorded versions of songs from the band’s early catalog, including cuts from DEATH mastermind Chuck Schuldiner‘s pre-DEATH band MANTAS, which also featured Rozz and vocalist/drummer Kam Lee.

Asked if there was ever any talk of getting Kam involved with LEFT TO DIE, Terry said: ”Not at all. There is one trillion percent certainty that Kam will not be involved with LEFT TO DIE. I mean, I’ve worked with the guy, I’ve known him for 40 years. He’s always toxic. Yes, he’s talented, but he’s too hard to work with. I don’t know. His thought process seems to be not human, actually, sometimes. And, yeah, we can’t work with him. Rick and I will not work with him. And whatever. It is what it is.”

Butler continued: “He did play drums and sing on those (early MANTAS and DEATH) songs, but the best part of those songs on his part is the actual singing. Drums aren’t the greatest, but, hey, that’s what demos are.

“But, yeah, long story short — no, we never even gave it a thought, because we’ve all worked with him in the past, and there’s absolutely no way we’re gonna ever work with him in the future,” Butler concluded.

Back in 2008, Lee was toying around with the idea of re-recording some of the earliest classics from DEATH and MANTAS with various guest musicians. At the time, he wrote in a social media post: “Like it or not… I’m as much a part of that history as Chuck was, and I wouldn’t think to do anything to downplay his involvement in these songs. The simple truth is that most of the songs on MANTAS/DEATH‘s ‘Death By Metal’ demo ’83/’84, DEATH‘s ‘Reign Of Terror’ demo ’84 and DEATH‘s ‘Infernal Death’ demo ’85 — and many rehearsal tapes released during this time — were both lyrically written be me, and sung by me. Yes, both Chuck and Rick wrote the guitar riffs, but I wrote the drum patterns to these songs and the lyrics to most of these tracks. That’s the simple truth to it!”

Last June, LEFT TO DIE released their second single, “Witch Of Hell”. The song is taken fom their debut full-length album, “Initium Mortis”, releaed on July 17 via Relapse Records.

Watch “Witch Of Hell” below.

Watch the previously released “Archangel” below.

LEFT TO DIE performs most of the songs from DEATH‘s classic “Leprosy” album, along with cuts from DEATH‘s debut LP, “Scream Bloody Gore”.

Harvey comments: “After Gus and I performed (DEATH‘s) ‘Spiritual Healing’ in its entirety with Terry and James (Murphy at a tribute show to Chuck in 2021), Rick wondered if people might want to hear something similar, but with him joining the three of us to perform ‘Leprosy’. Of course, I leapt at the chance to do it, and we quickly threw together a tour which surpassed everyone’s expectations, especially in terms of how much fun we were having playing together. As we continued to tour throughout the U.S., Europe, Latin America, Australia and Asia, people kept asking if we were going to record or write anything. After going back and forth on the topic, we felt that (ahem) exhuming some of these old tracks made the most sense for us. After all, we’re not gonna top ‘Leprosy’. I gleefully combed through the myriad DEATH/MANTAS demos and rehearsals looking for stuff that would make sense for a record, and we ended up going with tunes that we felt would make the most cohesive album, hence why ‘Skill To Kill’ and ‘Back From The Dead’ sadly didn’t make the cut.

“I look at ‘Initium Mortis’ as a kind of ‘alternate-universe’ version of the ‘Scream Bloody Gore’ track list, as so many of these tunes were circling around the many DEATH lineups and rehearsals from ’83-’87. In fact, Chuck and Chris (Reifert) recorded a version of ‘Legion Of Doom’ for ‘Scream Bloody Gore’ that never got completed. In revisiting these songs, it was crystal-clear to me that Rick‘s fingerprints are all over the MANTAS stuff and tunes like ‘Slaughterhouse’, so with that connection, the songs where his style really shone through immediately made sense to include on ‘Initium Mortis’.”

Butler says: “LEFT TO DIE went from a thought to doing a full U.S. tour in about three months! Pretty remarkable. We wanted to play the early material for the fans that couldn’t see the first albums in a live setting. There are many young fans at our shows that are hearing the foundation that DEATH stands on to this day live for the first time! With Matt channeling the best Chuck Schuldiner out there and Gus playing the material perfectly and respectfully, we hit the road and haven’t looked back!

“For ‘Initium Mortis’, we wanted DEATH fans who never heard these demo songs to hear them with good production. Most of these early demos were recorded on a boom box, so by the time someone got their demo through tape trading it was almost inaudible! We think these tracks are a good representation of the birth of MANTAS/DEATH. This is ground zero — where it all started: three 15-year-old kids creating death metal history, and even within these choice cuts from the demo days you can hear the evolution of the music. ‘Archangel’ is a great way to introduce this album. It’s controlled chaos at its finest: catchy and riffy with a killer evil-sounding middle section!”

Rozz said: “First, I would like to thank Gus, Matt and Terry for making LEFT TO DIE happen. It’s been an honor and pleasure working with them for the past few years and beyond. It’s really cool to be able to hear these tunes from 1984 properly! The old-school DEATH fans are going to dig this release.”

Rios said: “The band started simply because Rick called me and asked if I’d be into it… Which I very promptly replied by referencing bears, shit, and woods. I then called Matt and Terry and the rest is history. DEATH‘s ‘Leprosy’ record is my favorite death metal album, let alone DEATH album. To be given this unbelievable opportunity to play those songs with Rick and Terry across the globe is an honor and a blessing I find hard to put in words. Matt and I are living our 14-year-old selves’ death metal fantasy! And now to make an album with the guys is flat-out surreal.

“I’m a pretty solid DEATH fan if I do say so myself, and yet these songs were all new to me. I never really gave the MANTAS stuff much of a listen because I’m just not a ‘demo’ production fan. To hear these songs with clean and solid, yet classic analog style production for me is like getting new DEATH songs… Which rules!”

“Initium Mortis” will be released on CD, LP, cassette and digital formats.

“Initium Mortis” track listing:

01. Legion Of Doom
02. Archangel
03. Power Of Darkness
04. Zombie
05. Witch Of Hell
06. Rise Of Satan
07. Summoned To Die
08. Mantas
09. Slaughterhouse
10. Death By Metal

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