Spring Break
Cannibal Corpse knows how death metal is done
Stephen Ortiz
Issue date: 2/5/09 Section: Focus
Veteran metal band Cannibal Corpse return with their 11th - yes, 11th, who would have thought - album to date, and guess what? It's probably the best one yet.
Despite being made up of just two original members, bassist Alex Webster and drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz, Cannibal Corpse is still thrashing like it's "Tomb of the Mutilated" (that's 1992 for those who aren't up to par on their death metal), only with much more experience, which in turn creates a progressive and impressive record. In fact, if you love death metal, you will love this album, no doubt about it, so let's pinpoint "Evisceration Plague's" miscues first.
The one thing that draws the album back from being the best it could be are the indistinguishable lyrics and tired vocals. Lead singer George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher delivers his best, barking and roaring fiercely over the album's 12 tracks, but unless you look up the lyrics, there is no way to tell what in the world he's saying. It's understandable - this is a common issue with death metal - but seeing how vastly the production values have progressed over the course of the band's discography, a little more effort in the vocals department would have made this a true classic for the genre.
Oh, and the drums only have one speed - blast beat. This, however, is a very minor issue and some might find this appealing. Some also find rap metal appealing. Hey, whatever floats your boat.
Now, the good stuff. "Evisceration Plague" is riff-tacular. From start to finish, guitarists Rob Barrett and Pat O'Brien, who make riffs that should make any other band jealous, are in complete control. Their best work can be found on "Beheading and Burning," "Priests of Sodom" and title track "Evisceration Plague." On the surface, they seem simple, but when given a closer listening, you'll notice just how bone-crushingly awesome they are. They're cold, mean and so unwelcoming that you can't help but admire it.
To the untrained ear, "Evisceration Plague" is just noise, but for fans of Slayer, Kreator and Anthrax, this is great, advanced thrash metal.
Young thrashers listen up - this is how death metal is done.
Despite being made up of just two original members, bassist Alex Webster and drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz, Cannibal Corpse is still thrashing like it's "Tomb of the Mutilated" (that's 1992 for those who aren't up to par on their death metal), only with much more experience, which in turn creates a progressive and impressive record. In fact, if you love death metal, you will love this album, no doubt about it, so let's pinpoint "Evisceration Plague's" miscues first.
The one thing that draws the album back from being the best it could be are the indistinguishable lyrics and tired vocals. Lead singer George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher delivers his best, barking and roaring fiercely over the album's 12 tracks, but unless you look up the lyrics, there is no way to tell what in the world he's saying. It's understandable - this is a common issue with death metal - but seeing how vastly the production values have progressed over the course of the band's discography, a little more effort in the vocals department would have made this a true classic for the genre.
Oh, and the drums only have one speed - blast beat. This, however, is a very minor issue and some might find this appealing. Some also find rap metal appealing. Hey, whatever floats your boat.
Now, the good stuff. "Evisceration Plague" is riff-tacular. From start to finish, guitarists Rob Barrett and Pat O'Brien, who make riffs that should make any other band jealous, are in complete control. Their best work can be found on "Beheading and Burning," "Priests of Sodom" and title track "Evisceration Plague." On the surface, they seem simple, but when given a closer listening, you'll notice just how bone-crushingly awesome they are. They're cold, mean and so unwelcoming that you can't help but admire it.
To the untrained ear, "Evisceration Plague" is just noise, but for fans of Slayer, Kreator and Anthrax, this is great, advanced thrash metal.
Young thrashers listen up - this is how death metal is done.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Dave Vicentn
posted 2/09/09 @ 2:01 PM EST
The writer is obviously unfamiliar with the death metal genre. The indistinguishable vocals are a staple of the form and it is highly doubtful that any death metal fan would see this as a drawback. (Continued…)
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