UMUR "Chaos Horrific" is the 16th full-length studio album by US, Florida based death metal act Cannibal Corpse. The album was released through Metal Blade Records in September 2023. It´s the successor to "Violence Unimagined" from April 2021. Erik Rutan has become a permanent member of the band after initially temporarily filling in for Pat O'Brien on "Violence Unimagined" (and subsequent touring), while the latter was dealing with his mental and legal issues after his December 2018 psychotic episode. O'Brien apparantly wasn´t able to return to Cannibal Corpse and was permenantly replaced by Rutan in February 2021.

The release of a new Cannibal Corpse album is always a big happening on the death metal scene. They are arguably one of the most famous, successful, and by now legendary artists on the scene. They are also one of the hardest working acts out there and they have built their reputation through hard work, an offensive gory image, and equally offensive lyrics, and off course overall quality death metal releases. Through the years they´ve deviated some from their early releases, but it wouldn´t be wrong to say that they haven´t strayed far from their original chosen path, and you know almost 100% what you´re gonna get before putting on a new Cannibal Corpse album. That creates a nice warm feeling of safeness for the listener, but unfortunately also a feeling that Cannibal Corpse are done taking chances and done challenging their audience. It´s been like this for many years and many albums now, and "Chaos Horrific" isn´t much different from the last many releases from the band.

There´s absolutely nothing wrong with the performances, which are generally on a high level for the genre. I´ve however always found George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher to be a slightly one-dimensional vocalist (although he performs both brutal growling and higher pithced screams), and his performance on this release doesn´t change my opinion. He gets the job done, but he is not what I deem an exceptional or particularly distinct sounding growler. The material is well written and relatively memorable for the genre, but again it´s nothing out of the ordinary for Cannibal Corpse, and "Chaos Horrific" is not an album which stands out in their discography. I won´t name individual songs as they are all quality death metal tracks, but maybe "Blood Blind" deserves a mention after all for it´s slow pace, heavy riffs, and dissonant harmonies...Rutan enters the songwriting team.

It´s basically more of the same semi-technical and brutal old school death metal and the sound production (which is courtesy of Rutan who has produced, engineered, and mixed the album) is also very similar to the sound production of the last album. It´s not that I expect Cannibal Corpse to make drastic changes to their core style (why would they?, they are incredibly successful), but damn I miss a little experimentation or a few more songs which stick after the album ends, or maybe a different production style...just something which could have made "Chaos Horrific" stand out. As it is it´s just another good quality death metal release from Cannibal Corpse (featuring zero surprises) and a 3.5 star (70%) rating isn´t all wrong, despite my issues with it.

UMUR "Cannibal Corpse" is the eponymously titled first demo release by US, Buffalo, New York based death metal act Cannibal Corpse. The demo was independently released in May 1989. Cannibal Corpse was formed in December 1988 by three members of Tirant Sin and two members of Beyond Death. Both contemporary Buffalo thrash metal acts. It´s the only demo by Cannibal Corpse before they were signed to Metal Blade Records for the release of their debut full-length studio album "Eaten Back to Life" (August 1990).

The demo features five tracks and a total playing time of 11:52 minutes. All tracks were re-recorded and included on "Eaten Back to Life". Although tracks like "A Skull Full of Maggots" and "Scattered Remains, Splattered Brains" are easily recognisable, these demo versions are quite different from the studio versions which would appear on "Eaten Back to Life". First and foremost as a result of Chris Barnes vocals, which are raw thrash metal shouting. There are very few growling vocals and a few higher pitched screams here, which could be labelled death metal vocals. So to my ears this demo isn´t really a death metal demo, but more a death/thrash metal hybrid release. The instrumental part of the music could also be mistaken for really brutal thrash metal (Dark Angel and Devastation are for example not much less brutal than this). I imagine that fans of this demo who subsequently purchased and listened to "Eaten Back to Life" must have been in shock at what they heard.

The sound production is of a pretty good quality considering that this is a demo, but it´s not like this demo could have been released as an official studio release. For that it´s too raw and unpolished. Upon conclusion it´s a good quality first demo release by Cannibal Corpse, but don´t expect a fully matured Cannibal Corpse on this release...don´t even expect this to be a fully fledged death metal release. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Violence Unimagined" is the 15th full-length studio album by US, Florida death metal act Cannibal Corpse. The album was released through Metal Blade Records in April 2021. It´s the successor to "Red Before Black" from 2017 and features one lineup change since the predecessor as guitarist Pat O'Brien has been replaced by Erik Rutan (Ripping Corpse, Morbid Angel, Hate Eternal). The former had what can probably best be described as a psychotic episode i December 2018, which led to his arrest, and after some uncertainty regarding O'Brien´s situation and his legal issues, Rutan started filling in for him on tours in January 2019 and finally replaced O'Brien in February 2021.

Stylistically the material on "Violence Unimagined" is the sound of Cannibal Corpse as we know them. Brutal gore/horror themed old school death metal played with great technical skill. Rutan is a suitable replacement for O'Brien, so the guitar riffs are as challenging and sharp as always, and the guitar solos few and far between (as usual). Lead vocalist George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher has a pretty one-dimensional growling vocal style, which becomes monotone after a few tracks. The monotony of the growling vocals are thankfully interrupted by a couple of higher pitched screams here and there, but the vocals are generally not that interesting. A little more emotion and a few catchy vocal phrases would have helped, but I´m not hearing that. The only track I remember after listening to the album many times is album opener "Murderous Rampage" (and bits and pieces from other tracks).

Cannibal Corpse are a technically well playing band, and every track is loaded with fast-played riffs, Paul Mazurkiewicz distinct sounding drumming, and Alex Webster impressive bass lines. This is what we´ve come to expect from the band, and they fully deliver on that promise. The songwriting is solid, but like the growling vocals, "Violence Unimagined" quickly becomes a little monotone and one-dimensional. More spins help, but Cannibal Corpse often appear more interested in delivering brutality at any cost than delivering catchy and memorable songs (I guess that can be said about a great deal of their albums). It´s interesting because the parts are pretty strong. There are some killer riffs on the album (I love how thrashy some of the riffs actually are), and the rhythm style is unique, and although I find Fisher a monotone listen, he arguably gets the job done, so it´s the sum of the parts, which could have worked better.

The whole thing is packed in one of those dry and sterile Rutan productions, and that doesn´t help the material shine either. Riff details are often blurred in the production, and although it initially appears to be a professional and well sounding production, something is off. So upon conclusion this review came out pretty negative, but it´s only because I expect high quality from an artist like Cannibal Corpse, and all the prerequisites are here for success, but to my ears the songwriting isn´t memorable enough to warrant more than a 3.5 star (70%) rating.

UMUR "Red Before Black" is the 14th full-length studio album by US death metal act Cannibal Corpse. The album was released through Metal Blade Records in November 2017. It´s the successor to "A Skeletal Domain" from 2014 and features the exact same lineup who recorded the predecessor. Cannibal Corpse are by now an institution on the death metal scene, and one of the most commercially successful artists on the scene too, but when you reach your 14th full-length studio album, it´s always interesting to hear if a band as seasoned as Cannibal Corpse can keep up the pace. There´s also a question of not stagnating artistically, and most artists would probably struggle with that at this point in their career...

...but that´s not really the case with Cannibal Corpse. Sure the quality of the songwriting has been a slightly (only slightly) up and down on their now many studio albums, but there has always been a certain standard that they have never sunk below. You can always count on excellent musicianship, a professional sound production, and consistent material, and nothing has changed in those departments on "Red Before Black".

Stylistically we´re treated to the brutal death metal sound, that is unmistakably the sound of Cannibal Corpse. George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher´s brutal growling vocals and occasional higher pitched scream, technically intriguing and powerful guitar riffs, the occasional screaming guitar solo, and the ever solid and hard hitting rhythm duo of bassist Alex Webster and drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz. The gory lyrics (and another signature Vince Locke cover artwork) are also in place.

"Only One Will Die" opens the album in great style and establishes right away, that we can expect to be bludgeoned as always. From then on it´s one solid death metal track after another. Some faster, some heavier, but always of a good quality and in a few cases memorable. They could overall easily have been more hook laden though, and thereby also memorable longer after the album has ended, because that´s not exactly the case, and it´s not an album you remember many songs from. It´s not a major issue considering the brutality level and the fact that a one-dimensional songwriting style isn´t anything out of the ordinary on other contemporary releases in a similar style. At least Cannibal Corpse have a signature sound, and they deserve praise for that.

"Red Before Black" was produced by Erik Rutan, who has previously produced several of the band´s albums, and he has created a powerful, raw, and detailed sound production, which suits the material well. So upon conclusion "Red Before Black" is another quality death metal release by Cannibal Corpse. It´s not one of their most standout releases, but it´s consistent in quality and style and an overall solid release. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

Vim Fuego With a band like Cannibal Corpse, it would be entirely reasonable to expect to find a body buried in the back yard, or a disfigured sibling kept locked in the attic, but it just hasn’t happened. Despite the themes of murder, mutilation, cannibalism, tracing back to the band’s earliest days, there are no true life horrors like "St. Anger", "Cold Lake", or "Risk" lurking anywhere in their back catalogue. The days of a tour de force like "Butchered At Birth" or "Tomb of the Mutilated" seem to be a long time ago, but “Red Before Black” proves that the same band which recorded those slabs of maggot riddled carrion still exists today.

Metal has evolved since the heady days of the early 1990s, and Cannibal Corpse have also evolved, while still keeping the essence and vitality which made them unique. This is a band which started out playing death metal and is determined to keep playing it until the bloody end.

“Only One Will Die” blasts off, no horror movie or acoustic intros needed, and it’s death metal bliss. Ah, fuck, you know what it’s like. Hammer smashed face drums, monolithic bass, hatchet to the head guitars, and vomit the soul vocals, and the aural horror show is back for another instalment. “Code of the Slashers” is one of those songs which should become a live favourite, with an impending doom crushing opening riff, followed by Corpsegrinder’s bestial vocals, and then a fast section kicks in. It’s uncompromising as fuck. It’s hard to imagine five guys all aged around 50 are still making such fucking brutal, complex, crushing, unearthly, thunderous music, but they are.

“Remaimed” is, if anything, heavier than “Code of the Slashers”. Once again, it seems Cannibal Corpse are going to sacrifice speed for the sake of heavy, but the song changes gears effortlessly between the two. And that’s one of Cannibal Corpse’s great strengths. They make this seem easy, when it’s anything but. Screaming “head shovelled off!” at the top of your voice along with Corpsegrinder is great fun, and that is exactly what “Red Before Black” is all about, albeit a dark sort of amusement. There are still plenty of elitists out there who wrote off Cannibal Corpse a long time ago, and can’t or won’t change their opinion. The band’s crime? Becoming too popular through their controversial artwork and lyrics, and even popping up as “thrasher band Cannibal Corpses” in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. That’s like judging a beer by the bottle and not what’s inside. Fuck ‘em. They are the ones missing out on some of the finest crafted death metal there is, and the band’s longevity has proved beyond doubt that any hint of gimmickry is long gone. Cannibal Corpse is no longer the most brutal and vicious band around (and fuck off once again to the elitists who say they never were) but fucking hell, how many bands are still creating such killing riffs 14 albums and nearly 30 years into a career? And look at the regularity of those albums too. There are no half decade gaps anywhere in the discography. This is a band that lives, breathes, and shits death metal. “Red Before Black” is for the fans who do the same.