Cannibal Corpse
Bloodthirst (Metal Blade)
by Tim Den
To say Cannibal Corpse is one of the premiere death metal bands would be redundant. After all, this is the band that won “honorable mention” from the likes of Bob Dole and had the privilege of becoming the first death metal band to crack the Billboard top 200 (’96’s Vile). Not to mention that, since first formed in the late ’80s, the power quintet has released nothing but the finest of gory brutality. To anyone who has yet to experience the band’s glorious peak (’94’s The Bleeding, ’93’s Tombs of the Mutilated, and the ’89 debut, Eaten Back to Life), you have no idea what messy fun you’re missing.
By default, the seventh record from these Florida-by-way-of-Buffalo masters already rules. The third record to feature vocalist George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher, the band sounds more comfortable and willing to push the limits of technicality. Fisher’s vocals have finally been given the full exercise they’ve been lacking since original vocalist Chris Barne’s dismissal in ’95. It’s obvious Fisher (and the band’s other lyricists) took more time this time around to come up with playful, punctuating vocal patterns, beefing up not only the heaviness but the unpredictable in a form of music that’s “been there, done that” with every trick in the book.
Fisher’s punctuating vocals seem to be the only thing keeping time in the band. The drumming on this complex, multi-riffage-filled record barely makes any attempt to distinguish one measure from another, much less one time signature from another. There are no “signaling” cymbal hits, no fills at the end of a measure to give listeners a “heads up” to the next section. And if you aren’t reading along with the lyric sheet, you’ll never find your way out of the often too-complicated riffing. While the band got away with it in the past, Bloodthirst just isn’t as catchy (because of its less straight-forward approach) as the older material. Pity, because, for once, listeners who’re not musicians are going to have a tough time getting into this (but who are we kidding? A death metal fan who isn’t a music nerd? C’mon!).
BloodthirstyBloodthirst is still Cannibal Corpse running on full power: flesh-ripping guitars, blast beats, and always-reliable stomach-turning lyrics. It’s definitely a pit-inducer, and very likely to cause whiplash among Hessians. Though it’s not the most ground-breaking record, it doesn’t have to be. Cannibal Corpse stands as one of the first to play death metal, and one of the genre’s most essential assets. They’ve proven once again that they’re one of the best.
(2828 Cochran St. #302 Simi Valley, CA 93065-2793)
