Cannibal Corpse | Torture

by Trevor Portz
Staff Writer –

Good ol’ Cannibal Corpse, perhaps the only death metal band that, according to Scott Ian, could be considered “classic” enough to be shown on VH1’s That Metal Show. Through vocalist and guitarist changes, Bob Dole-fronted criticism, continuous banning in various countries, and even an appearance in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, these guys just keep on pumping out good, old-fashion gory brutality the way mom used to make it. Seemingly frozen in time (yeah, a nod to Obituary there), core members Alex Webster and Paul Mazurkiewicz appear content to just keep on doing what they do best, with nary a concern for keeping up with those newer bands they helped influence. While this may be comforting to death metal fans opposed to change, it can also make the band look like a bunch of mangled old dogs afraid to learn anything new. Unfortunately, their latest album, Torture, is a bit too much of the latter—a [body] bag full of old tricks.

If Torture had come out in 1990, extreme metal fans would be drooling over its goretastic lyrics and detuned rumble. As is the general course of things, though, death metal has evolved a lot over the last 20+ years. The blasts have gotten faster, the riffs more complex, and the grunts even more guttural. Some older bands have done well to keep up—Suffocation and Nile come to mind—but others have stayed true to their original sound. Like Bolt Thrower, Benediction, and the aforementioned Obituary, Cannibal Corpse seems to have taken a more AC/DC-like path. Sure, no one expects a drummer in his mid-40s to compete with the high-speed lunacy of John Longstreth (Origin) and Tim Yeung (Hate Eternal, among others), but it’s the fact that virtually every riff and beat on Torture seems recycled from a previous Cannibal outing. Several listens will fail to leave any imprint, and if anything will only serve to make fans reach for their copies of The Bleeding, Vile, and Tomb of the Mutilated.

With that said, there’s not much to praise about the individual songs on Torture. There are no Beavis and Butthead-ready “hits” like “Staring Through the Eyes of the Dead,” no whiplash-inducing headbangers like “I Cum Blood,” and no wicked experimentation such as that seen on “From Skin to Liquid.” This is Cannibal Corpse by numbers.

Like the songs, the production and performances are equally mediocre. That’s not to say that either is bad. These guys are great technical musicians, and while the playing is solid, it feels a little uninspired. Erik Rutan’s production is also good, but also sounds a little too similar to everything else out there. There’s just nothing here to make this record stand out in any way.

The bottom line here is that, like the Saw movie franchise that they go so well with, Cannibal Corpse has made a few too many sequels copping the plot of the original. With the amount of talent and influence contained by the members, it’s quite a letdown to see them falling into monotony. This is the band that could officially become known the Rolling Stones of death metal, but they’ve got to up the game to hold the [extreme metal] world’s interest.

Genre: Death Metal

Band:
George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher (v)
Pat O’Brien (g)
Rob Barrett (g)
Alex Webster (b)
Paul Mazurkiewicz (d)

Track Listing:
1. Demented Aggression
2. Sarcophagic Frenzy
3. Scourge of Iron
4. Encased in Concrete
5. As Deep As the Knife Will Go
6. Intestinal Crank
7. Followed Home Then Killed
8. The Strangulation Chair
9. Caged… Contorted
10. Crucifier Avenged
11. Rabid
12. Torn Through

Label: Metal Blade

Website: cannibalcorpse.net

Hardrock Haven rating: 4.8/10

CANNIBAL CORPSE Announce U.S. Headlining Tour

Today legendary death metal legion CANNIBAL CORPSE are pleased to announce their U.S. headlining tour. Brought to you by Metal Blade Records, Good Fight Entertainment and dB Drum Shoes, the U.S. Torture Tour 2012 will commence on April 5 in Jacksonville, Florida and level 23 stages before coming to a close on May 3 in Gainesville, Florida. Support on the near month-long trek will be provided by Exhumed, Abysmal Dawn and Arkaik. Read more

LIVE! | 70,000 Tons of Metal: Day 1

by Chris A.
Staff Writer –

Rocking the Boat: The 70,000 Tons of Metal Day One

As the ship pushed away from its berth and headed into the Caribbean sea, amps were powered up, lights dimmed, and the heavy metal sailors started to fill the various on-board venues. By 6:30 p.m., the first bands kicked off the cruise.

With multiple artists performing on multiple stages, fans and photographers had to carefully review the schedule to catch their favorite bands. The main deck of the ship had been converted into an outdoor venue, while additional performance venues were set up for other bands on below decks.

Day No. 1 performers included: Alestorm, Grave Digger, Tristania, Coroner, Moonsorrow, Cannibal Corpse, Nightwish, Samael, Candlemass, Vicious Rumors, Edguy, Eluveitie, Channel Zero and Massacre. Day one music ended at 4 a.m. the following day.

70,000 Tons of Metal Day 1 Photo Gallery

Photos Appear Courtesy of Chris A.

70000TONS OF METAL 2012 IS SOLD OUT!

70000TONS OF METAL 2012 IS SOLD OUT!

While altering course North-East, heading for The Channel, they heard more rumors about their American scouting party not going directly to Florida, but rather going the other way first, all the way to California. Rumors, rumors, all these rumors… are they all VICIOUS RUMORS? Read more

Mayhem Festival Live!

August 7, 2009 at the Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden, NJ

by Steve trager
Staff Writer

Fans of pure metal have found themselves with the newest edition of summer festivals simply called Mayhem Festival. It is similar to one the greatest tours ever to roam across America, which is “Ozzfest.” Mayhem Festival certainly has kept the doors opened to one of the best-known genres in music, which is Heavy Metal. Last year’s initial run with Mayhem was an indication that we can still rock out in the hardest way with some of the greatest bands on three stages for one decent priced ticket.

This year’s Mayhem Festival definitely cranked up the word “Heavy” with a brutal line-up that turned most pits into total chaos during such sets like Cannibal Corpse, Behemoth, Trivium and God Forbid.

The nice feature about Mayhem Festival is that you have three stages, loads of music, and rockstar bling for those who always want to make a fashion statement to the rest of the world. Last year’s festival had a great line-up that could have very well been just a one-time slot of Mayhem. But the response from last year brings us to the second annual Mayhem festival. It featured great sets from well-known artists like veteran thrashers Slayer and the rock shock anti-Christ himself, Marilyn Manson, who closed out the main stage.

For most of us who endure the heavier side of metal, there were bands like Job for A Cowboy, WhiteChapel and Behemoth that can grab your attention once the music kicks in. Everyone likes something different when it comes to music in general. While I might dislike some of the bands that played on the Hot Topic stage, it still was an incredible experience to see a long list of bands that certainly hold the record for mosh mayhem.

Perhaps each set could have been longer for bands like God Forbid, Trivium, All that Remains, and Bullet for My Valentine, which opened the main stage, the fans still get the packing punch we have always come to expect at a metal show.

I still have to give props to Killswitch Engage for their stage attire at a metal show. Even dressed slightly unusual for head bangers delight, front man Howard Jones still has that voice that can go through you like a lighting bolt. I especially enjoyed Dio’s “Holy Diver“ cover, which was filled with anger and great guitar work and the balls-to-the-wall vocals makes that ‘80s classic truly come alive as only Killswitch can do so well live.

Slayer also out did a great show, captivating their finest works as an old-school thrash band that they are. Slayer is a true metal band that has never changed its sound and never has sold out for radio success but has kept a cult following all these years in the true genre of pure metal. Even Manson played a great quick set; however, I am not much of a big fan. Music fans always like something different, and that makes them unique. This is an indication that Mayhem Festival will be around for a long time (we can all hope).

The Great: Bullet for My Valentine, All That Remains, Killswitch Engage, Trivium, God Forbid, and Slayer.

Hot Topic / Extreme Metal Stage:
WhiteChapel
Black Dahlia Murder
Job for A Cowboy
Behemoth
Cannibal Corpse

Jagermeister Music Stage:
Beyond The Star
God Forbid
All That Remains
Trivium

Rockstar Energy Drink Main Stage
Bullet For My Valentine
Killswitch Engage
Slayer
Marilyn Manson

Mayhem Festival 2009 Photo Gallery

Photos by Steve Trager.