Cannibal Corpse
Chaos Horrific
Metal Blade Records
Released 9/22/2023
9/10
This being the 16th studio album by Death Metal Legends Cannibal Corpse is a release I was looking forward to especially as it was to the large part unexpected so soon after Violence Unimagined. It is a pretty safe bet that it is Death Metal of the highest standard as CC have been delivering consistently great music for quite some time now. I think the listener can pretty much anticipate what is on offer here. Is it better than Violence Unimagined?
Yes I do believe it is. The standard of songwriting and musicianship is of the highest calibre and the songs are as brutal as always. I think the addition of long-term producer and Guitarist Eric Rutan was a masterstroke; he having a great musical legacy in his own right (Morbid Angel, Hate Eternal) and also a successful producer. I think he has added a nice (!!) melodic touch to the guitar solos and some of the riffs whilst maintaining the brutal bludgeoning intensity that CC are known for. He is the perfect partner in violence for long term guitarist Pat Garrett.
From opener "Overlords Of Violence" to closer "Drain You Empty" this album is full of the vicious, well structured songs executed by an awesome group of musicians at the top of their game. Kicking of with Overlords of Violence and the unmistakable bass of Mr. Webster the song is straight in your face and this is continued with "Frenzied Feeding", fast riffs with staccato and a nice breakdown in a Skeletal Domain feel really sets the tone for this album.
My favourite song from this album "Summoned For Sacrifice" follows with a great opening riff before taking off at pace. There are riffs aplenty here (something I love about CC) and some of those melodies in the solo create an aural onslaught of pleasure and pain. "Blood Blind" starts with a sludgy crawling type riff driven by the solid double bass work of Mr. Mazurkiewicz who as always is solid and dependable. This then brings the pace from a frenzied start to a mid tempo giving the listener some breathing space before "Vengeful Invasion" hits hard with riff and tempo changes aplenty to keep the listeners attention.
Chaos Horrific has a fast Scourge Of Iron feel to its intro riff before settling into familiar CC territory with those riffs and tempo changes throughout. After an intro that feels like its snapping bones "Fracture and Refracture" launches itself at you and has a great trilled riff in it. "Pitchfork Impalement" has a great triplet type riff in it breaking up the relentless riffing as well as a great solo from Mr Rutan. "Pestilential Rictus" and "Drain You Empty" close out the album in great style with the ending riffs having a draining effect to them. The performances of Corpsegrinder throughout are as always of the highest calibre and in my opinion he is probably the best Death Metal vocalist out there; maybe not the most versatile but certainly the most consistent and recognizable always delivering both live and in the studio. Long may Cannibal Corpse live, with albums like this I for one am a happy person.
Meathook Mike, HMS