Cannibal Corpse - Evisceration Plague

Intelligent death metal for all the family

The world’s biggest-selling death metal band by some way, Cannibal Corpse have built up a huge fanbase thanks to their policy of releasing albums of unflaggingly graphic nature and playing faster and heavier, when most of their contemporaries are slowing down due to neck ache.

Their last album, 2006’s numbingly violent Kill, was one of their best yet, thanks to a crispy production job by Hate Eternal frontman Erik Rutan. With the follow-up, Rutan backs off a little from the slightly overclean tone of Kill for a darker, slightly sludgy sound that adds a malevolent touch to the already uncompromising songs. Unnatural and Shatter Their Bones are speedy pit workouts for the kids; Beheading & Burning reveals a tricky time signature to confuse the headbangers in the front row; and Skewered From Ear To Eye exposes the ambition of the band, even 20 years down the line, with sections devoted to sickly-slow doom metal and complex, even slightly prog elements. Agonisingly good.

Metal Blade | tbc

Reviewed by Joel McIver
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