Vincent Locke: To be honest, I don’t listen to it all, outside of what Cannibal Corpse sends me. I like ‘60s and ‘70s rock, blues, Pink Floyd, The Doors. I do like Nine Inch Nails and lately I’ve been into The White Stripes.
Being a family man, is there ever a disconnect between some of the imagery you’ve created and your family, or are art and life two separate realms?
The only hard part is not being able to let my kids see some of the artwork. There are times they can’t come in my studio. Since I work at home, they often come and go and see what I’m working on. But there are definitely times where they need to stay out, or I work out a way they won’t see it accidentally. Some stuff is not for kids, right?
Do you feel like death metal covers that try to be as violent and extreme as possible without attention to the artwork are missing the point by just going for gore?
Definitely. Cannibal Corpse sings about violent, horrific stuff, but there is artistry behind what they do. It’s not just cranked out. The artwork should be the same; there should be artistry behind it. Without some thought behind it it’s not interesting.
Can you see doing another graphic novel project with the band?
I’d love to. I had a blast working on this. The whole thing was just a blast, some of it was editing work, some of it was painting. I was able to do whatever worked at the moment. My favorite story was “Carrion Sculpted Entity.” I loved the whole idea of a carcass coming to life, killing other things and attaching them to itself.
How do you feel when you see people wearing shirts with artwork you designed our on the street?
It’s strange. Recently, I met a few of my neighbors and got to know them a little better. I found out they were fans of mine. They were like “You’re Vince Locke? You do the stuff for Cannibal Corpse?” (laughs).
