Founding vocalist for the metal band BUTCHER BABIES, comic book author, artist, novelist, and the holder of multiple degrees in mortuary science and thanatology, singer/musician Carla Harvey has released the official music video for “Sick Ones”, the first single from her new project THE VIOLENT HOUR, via Megaforce Records. The new track was co-written by Harvey and her fiancé, ANTHRAX and PANTERA drummer Charlie Benante, and features MÖTLEY CRÜE guitarist John 5.
“‘Sick Ones’ is a rock ‘n’ roll anthem about cutting the toxic people out of your life,” said Harvey. “It’s a call of freedom, a fist-to-the-face to anyone who has tried to hold you down, hold you back or dim your light. It was written at a vulnerable time in my life when I was forced to end relationships I thought would last forever.
“When choosing a theme for this song,” Harvey added, “I thought about a phrase I had scrawled across a journal from 1999: ‘Cut The Sick Ones Loose.’ Those words became my mantra over the last couple years and felt perfect to chant over Charlie‘s guitar riffs. ‘Sick Ones’ also features an absolutely shredding guitar solo by John 5 that brings this thrasher to a whole different level.”
“‘Sick Ones’ has a modernized NWOBHM (New wave of British heavy metal) vibe to it,” said Benante. “The riff is very catchy and stays with you like a good riff should. ‘Sick Ones’ is just the tip of the iceberg for this project. Many of the songs we crafted for THE VIOLENT HOUR are unlike anything Carla has ever done as a vocalist, reflecting different moods and a new beginning. The music flowed out of me because I had this motivation, this drive…it was unstoppable.”
The “Sick Ones” video script, written by Harvey and directed by Industrialism Films‘ Vicente Cordero (BLACK VEIL BRIDES, Kat Von D),sees Harvey portraying each of the video’s five personalities.
“While ‘Sick Ones’ is about cutting toxic people out of your life — those who constantly devalue you — I wanted to flip that narrative for the video,” Harvey said. “I’ve always been interested in the idea that sometimes the most dangerous person to confront is yourself. The video explores what it means to face those darker versions of who we’ve been and whether we can truly leave them behind… or, as the ending suggests, learn to coexist peacefully. Vicente took my vision and brought it to life. I came to him with a wild idea and no clue how to execute it — and we made it work! I loved getting a chance to play multiple larger-than-life characters.”
Not many people have comic book author, embalmer and musician on their resumes. Carla boasts all three and so much more.
Carla was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan — a city known for its grit, resilience, and often deep divides. Navigating life as a bi-racial kid in a fractured environment wasn’t easy, but Carla found her escape in art, music, and self-expression. By day, she hustled, attending the prestigious College For Creative Studies alongside working odd jobs like perfume counter girl and gas station attendant, and by night, she was on stage with local bands, saving every dollar she could for a one-way trip to Los Angeles.
At twenty, she put all her belongings in her car and navigated from Detroit to Hollywood with a paper map. In L.A., she landed acting roles on shows like “Rules Of Engagement”, played in bands searching for her sound, and never stopped creating. But beyond the music was a driven academic. Carla had a deep love for science and eventually pursued a Bachelor Of Mortuary Science (graduating as valedictorian) and a Master Of Science in thanatology. Carla became a licensed funeral director and embalmer and founded her own grief counseling service — all while touring the world extensively as a founding member of the BUTCHER BABIES.
Today, In addition to her music career, Carla is a grief specialist for the innovative death care company Parting Stone that transforms cremated remains into environmentally friendly stones that the departed’s family can hold, treasure and honor.
Beyond her professional life, Carla is a devoted collector of pop culture oddities: comics, wrestling figures, vintage Barbies, Elvira, the Incredible Hulk, and rock relics from her wildest nights in Hollywood. She still holds on to her Rainbow Bar & Grill drink tickets from the ’90s and a poker chip from Lemmy‘s last birthday party. Her creative heroes — Russ Meyers, Robert Williams, Robert Crumb and Charles Bukowski — mirror her love of the bold and the raw.
To date, Carla has released six albums, multiple comic books and a 2014 novel, “Death And Other Dances”. But if you ask her…she’s still just a blue-collar kid from the Midwest with big dreams.
BUTCHER BABIES announced their split with Harvey in July 2024, saying in a statement that “Carla has been an integral part of our journey, bringing her unique talent, passion, and energy to the band,” and wishing “her all the best in her future endeavors.”
Carla, who co-founded BUTCHER BABIES in 2010 with fellow vocalist Heidi Shepherd, confirmed her exit from the band in a separate post, saying that she was “super proud” of her work with BUTCHER BABIES and adding that she was “not done making music and performing.”
In the fall of 2023, BUTCHER BABIES completed a European tour without Carla, who sat out the trek in order to undergo emergency surgery on her left eye.
In January 2024, Harvey and Benante announced that they were officially engaged.
Photo credit: Stephanie Cabral
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