Paul Mazurkiewicz
{{Use American English|date=July 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{short description|American drummer (born 1968)}}
{{BLP sources|date=May 2013}}
{{Infobox musical artist |
| name = Paul Mazurkiewicz
| image = 20160515 Gelsenkirchen RockHard Festival Cannibal Corpse 0037 (cropped).jpg
| caption = Mazurkiewicz with Cannibal Corpse in 2016
| image_size =
| birth_name = Paul Mazurkiewicz, Jr.
| alias =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1968|9|8|mf=y}}
| birth_place = Buffalo, New York, U.S.{{cite web |url=https://www.discogs.com/artist/411609-Paul-Mazurkiewicz |title=Paul Mazurkiewicz's Artist Info |website=Discogs |access-date=August 3, 2023}}
| origin = Tampa, Florida, U.S.
| death_date =
| genre = {{flatlist|
}}
| instrument = Drums
| occupation = Musician
| years_active = 1987–present
| current_member_of = {{flatlist|
- Cannibal Corpse
- Umbilicus
- Heaven's Gate
}}
| website =
}}
Paul Mazurkiewicz Jr. ({{IPAc-en|m|ə|ˈ|z|ɜːr|k|ə|w|ɪ|t|s}} {{Respell|mə|ZER|kə|wits}};{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyRhUC0Xfag |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/xyRhUC0Xfag |archive-date=December 21, 2021 |url-status=live|title=Sound Legacy – Paul Mazurkiewicz|website=YouTube |date=October 15, 2014 |accessdate=September 11, 2020}}{{cbignore}} born September 8, 1968) is an American musician best known as the drummer of the death metal band Cannibal Corpse.
Musical career
Mazurkiewicz was originally inspired to play music by Kiss. His cousin was a drummer, and introduced him to the music of Van Halen and Rush.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBsc91YBG78 |title=Cannibal Corpse - The Making Of The Wretched Spawn (2004) |date=2017-12-05 |last=Rock-Пробег |access-date=2025-03-06 |via=YouTube}} Mazurkiewicz started off playing guitar before deciding to focus on drums. He spray-painted his first drum kit black because it was “not metal enough.”{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzLLt_yA7QM |title=Cannibal Corpse's Gear |date=2009-02-14 |last=j v |access-date=2025-01-27 |via=YouTube}} Mazurkiewicz's biggest influence in his youth was Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo. He said, "Dave Lombardo is my biggest influence, of course. If it wasn't for him, I probably wouldn't be doing what I'm doing. He's the king of thrash, double bass and all that, so as a teenager, hearing him play in the mid-'80s, obviously I wasn't playing at that point yet — I [was] just starting out — so that really solidified me wanting to play the way I play today, what he was doing and still is doing." Additionally, he cited band such as Iron Maiden, Metallica, Slayer, Kreator, and Death Angel as influences during his formative years.{{Cite web |last=Bellino |first=Emily |date=2024-12-19 |title=CANNIBAL CORPSE Drummer PAUL MAZURKIEWICZ: "DAVE LOMBARDO Is My Biggest Influence" |url=https://metalinjection.net/news/cannibal-corpse-drummer-paul-mazurkiewicz-dave-lombardo-is-my-biggest-influence |access-date=2025-01-27 |website=Metal Injection |language=en-US}}
=Cannibal Corpse=
Mazurkiewicz was originally the drummer for the band Tirant Sin alongside two other future Cannibal Corpse members, Chris Barnes and Bob Rusay. The trio joined Alex Webster and Jack Owen in 1988, forming Cannibal Corpse. Mazurkiewicz, along with Webster, is one of two remaining original members of the band.
Aside from drumming, Mazurkiewicz also plays the guitar, and is the group's primary lyricist and contributes heavily to composing songs; he penned the songs "Dead Human Collection", "Frantic Disembowelment", "Monolith", "Carrion Sculpted Entity", and "Worm Infested". Beginning with Kill, he began composing entire songs by himself on guitar (excluding guitar solos).{{cite web| url = http://www.tombofthemutilated.net/Paul-Mazurkiewicz-Cannibal-Corpse-Biography.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050411134134/http://www.tombofthemutilated.net/Paul-Mazurkiewicz-Cannibal-Corpse-Biography.html |archive-date=April 11, 2005 |title=Paul Mazurkiewicz Cannibal Corpse Biography}}{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81vjL8Ytti0 |title=Paul Mazurkiewicz (Cannibal Corpse) On 20 Questions With Scooter |date=2021-06-16 |last=Granville Guitars |access-date=2025-03-06 |via=YouTube}}
=Umbilicus=
In 2022, Mazurkiewicz co-founded Umbilicus, a 1970s-style hard rock group with Deicide guitarist Taylor Nordberg.{{Cite web|url=https://metalinjection.net/av/full-album-stream/umbilicus-cannibal-corpse-deicide-streams-psych-rockin-debut-album|title=UMBILICUS (CANNIBAL CORPSE, DEICIDE) Streams Psych-Rockin' Debut Album|first=Greg|last=Kennelty|date=September 29, 2022|website=Metal Injection}}
=Heaven's Gate=
Mazurkiewicz plays drums in Heaven's Gate, a crossover thrash project featuring Municipal Waste vocalist Tony Foresta.{{Cite web|url=https://beachimpedimentrecords.bandcamp.com/album/heavens-gate|title=Heaven's Gate, by Heaven's Gate|website=Beach Impediment Records}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Heavens_Gate/522|title=Heavens Gate - Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives|website=www.metal-archives.com}}{{Cite web|url=https://metalinjection.net/new-music/municipal-waste-cannibal-corpse-members-team-up-for-new-band-heavens-gate|title=MUNICIPAL WASTE & CANNIBAL CORPSE Members Team Up For New Band HEAVEN'S GATE|first=Greg|last=Kennelty|date=July 19, 2022|website=Metal Injection}}
Artistry
Mazurkiewicz was a self-taught drummer, and developed his craft by emulating and "making [his] own version]" of the stylings of Morbid Angel's Pete Sandoval.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGPot3rP53o&t=3153s |title=Cannibal Corpse - Centuries of Torment - DVD 1 - History (OFFICIAL) |date=2013-11-20 |last=Metal Blade Records |access-date=2025-03-21 |via=YouTube}}
Personal life
Mazurkiewicz divorced in 2019. He has one daughter.{{Cite web|url=https://bravewords.com/news/cannibal-corpse-drummer-paul-mazurkiewicz-talks-about-how-his-daughter-reacts-to-his-band-my-daughter-is-fully-aware-of-what-i-do-but-shes-not-interested-in-it|title=CANNIBAL CORPSE Drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz Talks About How His Daughter Reacts To His Band – “My Daughter Is Fully Aware Of What I Do, But She’s Not Interested In It”|website=bravewords.com}} He became a vegetarian in 2002{{cite interview|url=http://thequietus.com/articles/06343-cannibal-corpse-cooking-interview|accessdate=June 9, 2016|title=Alex Webster Of Cannibal Corpse On Home Cooking |first=Toby|last=Cook|date=May 31, 2011|journal=The Quietus}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcqEetUC7SI|title = Cannibal Corpse – Wikipedia: Fact or Fiction?|website = YouTube| date=March 2, 2016 }} and he lives with his family and animals on a farm-like property including a couple of acres of land.{{Cite web|url=http://www.moshville.co.uk/interview/2017/11/interview-paul-mazurkiewicz-of-cannibal-corpse/|title=Paul Mazurkiewicz of Cannibal Corpse – The Moshville Times|date=November 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171213175216/http://www.moshville.co.uk/interview/2017/11/interview-paul-mazurkiewicz-of-cannibal-corpse/|access-date=December 13, 2017|archive-date=December 13, 2017|publisher=The Moshville Times}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{cci}}
{{Cannibal Corpse}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mazurkiewicz, Paul}}
Category:20th-century American drummers
Category:American heavy metal drummers
Category:American male drummers
Category:American people of Polish descent
Category:Cannibal Corpse members
Category:American death metal musicians
Category:Jewish American musicians
Category:Jewish heavy metal musicians