There are few bands in the death metal genre which excite me upon the release of new material as Cannibal Corpse do. This may be because after 30 years they are still (with the occasional lapse) producing albums full of quality material. There are many who believe that they have seen their best years. I wasn’t a fan of Torture. But rest assured - “A Skeletal Domain” sees the band back at the top of their game and proves that there is life left in the band for years to come.
No one can doubt the musicianship of the band and this album showcases this throughout the entire 44 minutes. The opener “High Velocity Impact Spatter” is a great album opener before launching into the frenzy of “Sadistic Embodiment”. “Kill or Become” is probably well known to Corpse fans after the Facebook and you tube promotions of the video. Seen as a live classic in the making - The title track has the early feel of Gallery Of Suicide about it before becoming a riff fest, rich in the traits that make Cannibal Corpse so revered.
George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher is on form throughout this album and the production ensures that all the musicians shine through, notably the bass tone of Mr. Webster is prominent without ever being muddy. “The Murder’s Pact” is a song that shines on this album, bearing the trademark speed/precision and heavy riffs that have for so long made Cannibal Corpse stand at the forefront of death metal. “Icepick Lobotomy” smashes and grinds you into submission as does “Bloodstained Cement”.
Yes there may be faster, heavier and extreme bands out there but what makes this band stand out is the class of the songs and the ability to produce and deliver consistently over 30 years (and counting) material which still has people queuing for tickets and buying(downloading) their products. Not many bands (in the extreme metal genre) can lay claim to this kind of history. So if you are new to death Metal then this album is certainly an excellent starting point, if you are already into death Metal then I suspect that you may be buying or downloading this album - if not then why not? This album represents all that is good about death metal. Now for the live show October 31st at the Forum in London – how appropriate is that!
Meathook Mike, HMS
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