Wear your unseasoned leather skins, for Cannibal Corpse have returned. The most formidable band in death metal is back with their fifteenth album, and you would think they would slow down a bit. Nope. Harder, faster and more brutal than ever, they have returned to the depths of gore and are showing no mercy. This is their latest epic album, Chaos Horrific.
Straight up-you’re either a Cannibal Corpse fan or not. If you closed your ears in Ace Ventura when Jim Carrey is walking through the crowd, this isn’t for you. If a smile creeped across your face and that’s EXACTLY what you imagined your metal concert to be like-welcome brethren. With new addition Erik Rutan joining their throne, expect a dynamic shift in sound. Rutan’s long stint in Morbid Angel, Ripping Corpse and Hate Eternal has created a rhythm section of voracious, unforgiving energy.
Cannibal Corpse refresh their sound
Now, we don’t want you to be comparing this album with Tomb of the Mutilated (what an album name). Cannibal Corpse are 30 years away, and you sound a bit old if you keep saying “it ain’t a classic”. There is more detail, precision and modulation in the riffs than ever before. Corpsegrinder continues his relentless growling, and the production is superb. It allows everything to be heard from a band like this, which is a lot.
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Overlords of Violence brings that relentless riffage immediately, after some uncooked meaty bass bars from Alex Webster. Rutan has also established himself as one of the most sought after producers for death metal. Frenzied Feeding shows why, as the layers cleave themselves for your ears. Tracks like Blood Blind show why Cannibal Corpse has retained the cream of the crop for so many decades. It isn’t constant, annihilating riffs that can’t be heard sometimes. They put in the effort to juice that tuning out, craft some of the most morbid riffs that the thickest of strings can put together. Form the biggest mosh pits in your mind, or search for a crowded arena. There is no law against moshing to this band, I can guarantee it. Drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz is sharp as ever, strafing us with some of the best machinery you’ll hear from the double bass.
Abhorrent pace, keep up
Focus on the lyrics and you might be in a blood soaked daze, but you have to hand it to the creativity. The band has been writing about death, disfigurement, impalement, necrophilia among other things for decades now. There are still shockers in the lyrics, and it just shows what the band’s aim is towards longevity. Anything is guaranteed longevity, anyone but who is subjected to the truth of those lyrics.
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Nostalgic fury might come together in tracks like Pitchfork Impalement. The onslaught of putrid poetry will always be contained within their songs, and the rhythms are exciting enough to keep track of. Pestilential Rictus brings the tones of thrash, with Cannibal Corpse infusing their own brutal style. One of my favourite riffs comes with Fracture and Refracture, especially in the verse section. It is odd, unpredictable, and still chugs through. Erik Rutan is an immensely powerful addition to this incredible band, and shows how the brutal vengeance of death can bring everyone together like a family.
There are no slow moments, only some incomprehensible ones, which tends to happen in this genre. Chaos Horrific, for the glorious name it has-is way too interesting in the rhythm to have any focus towards the lyrics. However, if your aim is to hear this live during their current tour, all I can say is that I am jealous. How I wish I could have broken a few bones in the pit as well.
Brutal is as brutal gets
By the time you reach Drain You Empty, you are drained empty. With the kind of vigour and aggressive energy that Cannibal Corpse show in their songs, you have no reason to doubt their blunt trauma to the head. The muck has been cleaned up, the band has smiled for the photo, and you can return to the pit-they will keep their speed on their knees. From founding member Paul Mazurkiewicz to the booming gutturals of Corpsegrinder, you know when the band is playing on a speaker. Also, if you hear this play on a speaker outside, you better befriend the playlist owner. It is a relationship you might cherish for the rest of your life.
So since 1992, what all have these conquerors gone through? From Vincent Locke’s graphic imagery to their “offensive lyrics”, the band has proclaimed their love for horror movies. In interviews, Cannibal Corpse ensures they let people know what they usually sing about-and it’s quite specific. So pull up your socks, and don’t make a stink about it if this isn’t your cup of tea.
There is no slowing down, no resting, and stopping is not even in the picture. Cannibal Corpse, even though they never had to, have proven themselves as death metal that is capable of reinvention. We are blessed, as much as the victims are unlucky for the band’s imagination. Listen to their explosive 15th album, here with us!:
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Self professed metalhead, moderately well read. If the music has soul, it's whole to me. The fact that my bio could have ended on a rhyme and doesn't should tell you a lot about my personality.
