CANNIBAL CORPSE

It’s actually been a long time since I really sat down and had a good listen to Cannibal Corpse – in fact, it’s probably as far back as ‘Tomb of the Mutilated’, although the last album, ‘Kill’, did start to peak my interest in them again. My journey of metal listening took a different path to the mid 90s/ early 00s death metal – I had saturated my life with death metal in the early years of the 80s and into the very early 90s, so much of Cannibal Corpse’s mid-period has bypassed me as I found other genres more alluring! But, fast forward to 2009 and the latest offering from Cannibal Corpse for an old death metal fan! First impressions are that they aren’t the most brutal band around anymore BUT their ‘controlled’ brutality has helped distil what they are into; the well honed death metal machine they’re famed for. Never ones for technicality - what Cannibal Corpse always give, though, is 100% pure death metal and, after listening to ‘Evisceration Plague’, it’s plain to see this is a band still as passionate about the scene they helped shape all those years ago. Erik Rutan’s production really helps here with ‘Evisceration Plague’ becoming a living, breathing entity and in a world of production sterility the ‘live’ feel of the instruments on this album feels real as the heavy riffs hit in a primeval sludge, unrelenting and persistent. For me, one word could sum up this album - cohesive - if anyone asked me to say what is the stand out part of this album, I couldn’t tell you. Every band member’s performance and the production feel as though they are set up to enhance the whole which leads to a very satisfying record. Seeing them live recently on the Children Of Bodom tour also showed how these new tracks hold up live - with a groove and pace the new tracks really shone in the live arena. ‘Evisceration Plague’ feels and sounds like an album by a band on top of their game – for me, the attention to detail that seems to be added to the band with stellar performances from every member and an organic production help these songs sound like old friends, yet new and exciting at the same time. This is infectious stuff.

LABEL:

FORMAT:

Metal Blade Records

Album

EVISCERATION PLAGUE

Review by Paul Sims

RUNNING TIME:

38:55

RELEASE DATE:

2nd Feb 2009

TRACK LISTING

1) Priests of Sodom
2) Scalding Hail
3) To Decompose
4) A Cauldron of Hate
5) Beheading and Burning
6) Evidence in the Furnace
7) Carnivorous Swarm
8) Evisceration Plague
9) Shatter Their Bones
10) Carrion Sculpted Entity
11) Unnatural
12) Skewered from Ear to Eye

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:

USA

"'...after listening to ‘Evisceration Plague’, it’s plain to see this is a band still as passionate about the scene they helped shape all those years ago."