Cannibal Corpse – Red Before Black

Cannibal Corpse often gets referred to as the Motorhead or AC/DC of death metal, but that description is somewhat unfair to the band. As great as both of the aforementioned groups are, Cannibal Corpse managed to be equally consistent, but also more unique with each record. Sure, every album this band has put out sounds definitively like Cannibal Corpse, but for a long time, their releases continued to have an individually identifiable feel to them. Even when they really started to settle into a predictable and comfortable sound with “Kill” and “Evisceration Plague”, they then went out and hit a home run with “Torture”, writing some of the catchiest and most brilliant death metal songs ever.

From there, the band’s path has been less clear. Truthfully, “A Skeletal Domain” was not the pinnacle of their creativity. It wasn’t bad, but it was the album where the band definitely got a little too comfortable. In many respects, their newest record, “Red Before Black”, is quite similar. The band brought back Erik Rutan to produce the album, but didn’t re-elevate their songwriting to the level of “Torture”. This doesn’t mean “Red Before Black” is a weak effort though. It’s a competent Cannibal Corpse album with a handful of truly potent songs. Of the 12 tracks, each of the first 7 manages to stand out in some way (something that could not be said about the previous release). Both the “Only One Will Die” and the title track come to mind as some of the more brutal, high-speed efforts, recalling straight forward thrashings like “Demented Aggression” or “Devoured By Vermin”.

Cannibal Corpse is somewhat multi-dimensional for a death metal band though. The obligatory crushingly heavy song comes in the form of “Code of the Slashers”. Again, it doesn’t quite live up to the standard of “Scourge of Iron”, but to the song’s credit, it does later increase the tempo to more appropriate speeds. The band’s technical side seems somewhat restrained this time around, but “Firestorm Vengeance” is the best example. It reminds strongly of “Intestinal Crank” with its offbeat time signatures in the chorus. Yet another dimension of the band is their ability to get dissonant in a melodic way. This album’s contribution to that side of the band is “Shedding My Human Skin”, which lets some notes ring out in its chorus to great effect.

From an individual performance standpoint, “Red Before Black” is on par with its predecessors. Paul’s drumming continues to take a thrashy approach, opting for limited, yet effective blast beats. Though the album as a whole might not be overly technical, the rhythms that both guitarists and Alex are playing are still off the charts in terms of difficulty and speed. The only member who is slightly different on this record is Corpsegrinder, who has somewhat of a raspier quality to his delivery. His enunciation is still fairly strong, but not quite as clear as in the past. He also doesn’t seem to do as many high-pitched screams on this record, which is not necessarily a problem. Overall, he’s by no means declining, but definitely sounds a little different. 

Up to this point, it seems like mostly positives on “Red Before Black”, but side 2 of the record isn’t as strong. It’s certainly not bad, and is very consistent with the band’s work to date, but it fails to stand out. Modern-day Cannibal Corpse is at their best when unleashing catchy choruses (a seemingly impossible task for many of the band’s peers), but the latter half of “Red Before Black” doesn’t aim to do that. Some will undoubtedly prefer this, but it’s not quite what I hope for from the band. At the end of the day, it’s Cannibal Corpse, and if you like them, that’s reason enough to auto-purchase their new album!

Be sure to check out and like Cannibal Corpse on Facebook!

Highlights

"Red Before Black"

"Shedding My Human Skin"

"Firestorm Vengeance"

"Heads Shoveled Off"

Final Rating

4.4/5 or 88%. 

Cannibal Corpse – A Skeletal Domain

It seems like “Torture" was released just yesterday, but Cannibal Corpse is breaking with their recent trend of having 3 years between albums to bring us another record of gore-splattering death metal. Although the band was on a huge roll with all of their albums with Erik Rutan, “Torture” seemed like a cut above. Every track was incredibly memorable, which is a rare feat for death metal this bludgeoning. Their new album, “A Skeletal Domain”, provides 12 tracks of fantastic Cannibal Corpse tunes that do not stray from the band’s path. This album is definitely less immediate and obvious than “Torture”, but ultimately ends up being nearly as satisfying.

“High Velocity Impact Spatter” kicks things off at full speed. The band rarely relents for a second over the next two tracks, both of which are incredibly brutal. “High Velocity Impact Spatter” and “Sadistic Embodiment” sound a bit technical at parts, and while I can’t be sure guitarist Pat O’Brien wrote these songs until the CD actually comes out, I’d have to imagine his influence crept in on both of these tracks. Amazingly the band manages to step things up even further for the track three. “Kill or Become” is the highlight of the album. There is nothing more satisfying in life than hearing a man named Corpsegrinder belt out the lyrics “fire up the chainsaw! Hack all their heads off!” That kind brilliant line is one only he could deliver so perfectly. Some parts of “Kill or Become” are reminiscent of “The Strangulation Chair” from the previous album, but this is the only song on the album where it feels like the band isn’t being completely original (a rare feat given how large their catalogue is at this point).

The rest of the record is not quite so straightforward. While Cannibal Corpse is not among the fastest death metal bands out there, they usually play with quite a bit of speed. By contrast, “A Skeletal Domain” feels like their most mid-paced record. Where this is really obvious is in Paul Mazurkiewicz's drumming. His playing is considerably more technical on this album than any of their others, and it is particularly noticeable in some of the slower parts where he does numerous interesting fills. With that said, there are some moments on the album where his drumming shines because of its simplicity. On the title track, for example, there is an opening section where the band isn’t playing anything particularly complicated but Paul is playing blistering fast double bass drumming. Something similar occurs later on in the album during the opening to “Funeral Cremation”, but it is something that Cannibal Corpse doesn’t do too often. It’s funny to think that a drummer steals the show on this album because Paul’s faces while playing suggests he’s about to die, and one would imagine that a drummer would be what would hold a death metal band back as they get older, but Paul’s playing is better than ever.

While Cannibal Corpse tends to stay the course with their new albums, the big change on “A Skeletal Domain” was changing producers. This is the first album with Mark Lewis at the helm. The album certainly doesn’t sound identical to the last three records with Rutan, but it also isn’t too different. Every instrument is still clear, though it feels like the drums may be a bit higher in the mix while the bass might be lower. The guitar tone is as crushing as ever; O’Brien and Rob Barrett are quite possibly the most accomplished rhythm guitarists in metal. The riffs are a never-ending test of endurance in the picking hand and finesse in the fretting hand. Their solos are chaotic with little sense but maximum carnage to them. Occasionally there is a more melodically inclined solo (such as the ones on “The Murderer’s Pact”), but they make use of plenty of dissonance. Corpsegrinder is still delivering brutal vocals. His highs seem to be a bit raspy, but they’re more than adequate. His growls are to this day unmatched in death metal in terms of both quality and enunciation. One small disappointment on “A Skeletal Domain” is Alex Webster’s performance. Make no mistake he is still crushing it in terms of his tone and his technical ability, but after the mind-blowing moment in “The Strangulation Chair” from the last record, I had hoped for something similar here. His bass playing tends to pop out whenever there are some higher tremolo-picked sections, but it doesn’t feel as unique as it did on “Torture”.

On the whole, “A Skeletal Domain” is another solid addition to the band’s discography. I don’t know that this record will be as big of a hit for the band as “Torture” was, but it’s also just not as good. At this point, all Cannibal Corpse needs to offer is 35-40 minutes of head-smashing brutality and I’ll be happy. “Torture” was a pleasant surprise, but the band is so skilled at writing death metal that they’re always going to deliver something great. The worst Cannibal Corpse record is better than 99% of death metal in existence, so anything negative that was said in this review is a reflection of the incredibly high standard I hold Cannibal Corpse to.

Be sure to check out and like Cannibal Corpse on Facebook!

Highlights

"High Velocity Impact Spatter"

"Kill or Become"

"Funeral Cremation"

"Icepick Lobotomy"

Final Rating

4.5/5 or 90%. 

Written by Scott

Scott's Top 10 Metal Albums of 2012

2012 has been one crazy and awesome year for music. I've heard more new releases than I ever have in one year, but most of the choices in my top 10 were fairly easy to make. If you've read most of my reviews this year, many of these choices will be obvious. For some reason, my choices tend to be a lot more mainstream than most other lists I look at, but the reality is that these are really great albums. Sometimes (read: most of the time) metal is way too serious. If you can step back and enjoy records that are fun, you are going to get a lot out of my top 10.

#10. Unisonic - Unisonic (Heavy/Power Metal)

Unisonic's debut could have been very disappointing if you had hoped it would sound exactly like Keeper of the Seven Keys Pt. 1/2. There are only a few tracks that are pure power metal, and while they are the best ones, there is still a lot of other quality material here. Kiske still sounds amazing and is the definite highlight of this album. A couple of the songs are a bit too light for me "Star Rider" and "No One Ever Sees Me", but this is still a killer album.

Highlights - "Unisonic," "Renegade" and "My Sanctuary"

#9. Rocka Rollas - Conquer (Speed/Heavy Metal)

"Conquer" is a completely different beast from this band's first album; however, it manages to be even better. This release is like the reincarnation of Running Wild. Galloping rhythms and soaring melodies are everywhere on this 4-track EP. It seems like the genius behind this band already has a large amount of material written for the future, so make sure to get this EP while it's still new from Stormspell Records.

Highlight - "Bloodbath"

#8. Sabaton - Carolus Rex (Power Metal)

Although this is among Sabaton's weaker releases, "Carolus Rex" still ranks among the best of the year, simply because of how good this band is. The title track is one of Sabaton's best anthems. The rest of the album has some unique tracks for the band. 2012 was definitely the year that Sabaton became one of my favourite bands and "Carolus Rex" definitely helped add to that hype!

Highlights - "A Lifetime of War," "Carolus Rex" and "Killing Ground"

#7. Testament - Dark Roots of Earth (Thrash Metal)

This is where this list really starts to get serious. Testament have come back with an album that really surprised me. Most of these songs are beyond heavy and are filled with riffs. Even though Chuck Billy mainly uses his clean singing voice, he still manages to sound brutal. Skolnick (and surprisingly, Peterson) are shredding all over this record. The only downfall of this album is that some songs sound like they are trying too hard to sound like Metallica. In particular, the title track and "Cold Embrace" have some very "new-Metallica" moments (I love new Metallica, but it doesn't fit this record). Still, "Dark Roots of Earth" is one of the best of 2012 and needs to be heard by every thrasher.

Highlights - "Native Blood," "True American Hate" and "Last Stand For Independence"

#6. Lich King - Born of the Bomb (Thrash Metal)

I have never come across a band who has improved so substantially on each album more than Lich King. I was introduced to the band by "Toxic Zombie Onslaught", which is an enjoyable record that is marred by poor production. 2010's "World Gone Dead" fixed the production and was an excellent thrash release by a promising band. "Born of the Bomb", however, is on a whole other level. The songwriting is still hilarious but is much more intense than it has ever been. The Agent Steel cover proved that Tom Martin is an even better singer than I had ever thought. Warning: not for those who are against fun in metal.

Highlights - "We Came To Conquer," "Wage Slave" and "Combat Mosh"

#5. Cauldron - Tomorrow's Lost (Heavy Metal)

Over the course of their last couple of CDs, Cauldron have really found a special sound. Their brand of hypnotic, solo-infused heavy metal has been occupying a lot of my time. "Tomorrow's Lost" is definitely an appropriate follow-up to "Burning Fortune" (though a bit weaker). The band has an amazing ability to take songs that could be quite boring (because they are mid-paced and don't have a ton of riffs), but turn them into really catchy tunes. If there is one band that I really struggle to describe, it would probably be Cauldron. With that said, if you like any form of simple heavy metal, this is for you.

Highlights - "Summoned To Succumb," "Burning Fortune" and "Tomorrow's Lost (Sun Will Fall)"

#4. Cannibal Corpse - Torture (Death Metal)

Cannibal Corpse is by far the best death metal band around today. They are consistently releasing records that compete with their classic material and "Torture" is no exception. This is one of their heaviest albums and definitely has the most memorable songwriting that the band has ever provided. Erik Rutan did a killer job with the production and all of the band members stepped it up on "Torture". The best moment is definitely the killer bass solo on "The Strangulation Chair"! Overall, this record was beyond satisfying and an appropriate addition to Cannibal Corpse's great legacy.

Highlights - "Encased In Concrete," "As Deep As The Knife Will Go" and "The Strangulation Chair"

#3. Wintersun - Time I (Melodic Death Metal)

"Time I" was possibly the most hyped album of the year and I think it actually did manage to live up to the expectations. I like guitar riffs as much as the next guy, but if you go looking for them here, you will end up disappointed. This album is all about creating epic moods and atmospheres that bring you into a wintery time. This album is mainly driven by the opener, "Sons of Winter and Stars". It is by far the best song on the album (and the best song to come out this year). I would buy this album for this song alone, but if don't mind very produced albums with lots of keyboards, check out "Time I".

Highlights - "Sons of Winter and Stars" and "Time"

#2. Dragonforce - The Power Within (Power Metal)

It is no secret that Dragonforce is one of my favourite bands. They take everything that is great about power metal and make it just a little bit more extreme. I found their previous effort, "Ultra Beatdown", to be the only album of theirs that was not amazing, so I was skeptical about another new album (with a new singer too!). The good news is that Marc Hudson is a killer singer. It didn't hurt that Sam Totman rediscovered how to write brillant songs. The tracks are a bit more concise, but they still sound like Dragonforce. This is an absolute necessity for all fans of power metal.


Highlights - "Fallen World," "Give Me the Night," "Seasons" and "Heart of the Storm"

#1. Kreator - Phantom Antichrist (Thrash Metal)

I wasn't sure if 2009's "Hordes of Chaos" was an anomaly in Kreator's catalogue, or if it was the start of Kreator's dominance in the thrash metal scene. Although their last two records have not been stylistically different from "Violent Revolution" and "Enemy of God", they display by far the best songwriting of any thrash band in recent years. All of these songs are beyond infectious and the melodies are triumphant. If you don't own this, you are missing the best album of the year.

Highlights - "Phantom Antichrist," "From Flood Into Fire," "Civilization Collapse" and "The Few, The Proud, The Broken"