arcane-beautiful Since Evisceration Plague, I've been waiting for a new Cannibal Corpse album for a whilst now. These guys havent disapointed me in the past 10 years, and I wasn't really expecting them to.

Now to try and say that these guys do the same thing over and over again is a bit of an overstatement. These guys are the biggest death metal band in the world, and if they didn't deliver there standard sound, then people would be upset. But these guys are sneakily able to add a little something else to the music now and then.

Musically, the album is a little different than their last 3 albums. It's a lot heavier in my opinion and a lot of modern influences and experimentation is heard in this album, with flirts of groove metal, tech death and if you open your ears, tiny seeds of djent can be heard throughout. Corpsegrinder's vocals are also better than I've ever heard them. And the guitar sound is one of the most bone crunching guitar sounds I've heard in ages (I'm guessing that's thanks to Eric Rutans producing).

I think the material at times is their best I've heard in years. I mean it, there are some real anthems on this album that I will be hearing in my head for a whilst. My brother told me before listening to it that he thought this was their catchiest album to date, and in a way I kind of agree with him. But If I'm honest...this is their weakiest album in a long string of albums.

Now I'm not saying it's a bad album, in fact it's a pretty great album, but comparing this album to Kill, Evisceration Plague, or even The Wretched Spawn, which I think is one of the best death metal albums ever made...is a bit of a challenge. The album is great, but there are a lot of weaker moments on the album, which drag it down a little.

But hey...it's death metal...you get what you expect...which is some of the heaviest stuff you will ever hear in your life

1. Demented Aggression – These guys are always able to get your attention by starting off the album with an incredibly kick as song. Some earth shattering riffs. 10/10

2. Sarcophagic Frenzy – One of the most kick ass songs on the album. Some really killer riffs on this song. Amazing chorus in the song too. 10/10

3. Scourge Of Iron - A slower song, but mammothly heavy. I love the changes in tempo throughout. One of the most interesting and best songs on the album. 10/10

4. Encased In Concrete – Fast and brutal. I really love the lyrics on this song, especially cause the thought of being buried alive in concrete...is a bit of a fear of mine. The music video for this song is pretty killer too, and I advise people to check it out.8/10

5. As Deep As The Knife Will Go – One of the best chorus' on the album. I literally thought this was a melodic death metal song for these guys, but it's heavy and brutal enough to confuse you. This is the band's new anthem for this decade. 10/10

6. Intestinal Crank – Great lyrics. Love how the song changes in the middle and becomes something completely different. 9/10

7. Followed Home Then Killed – Great tempo changes throughout. Pretty heavy moments and a killer chorus. 8/10

8. The Strangulation Chair – These guys most technical song in my opinion. If it weren't for the technical musicianship, this song would be pretty standard. There's also a killer bass solo on this song. 8/10

9. Caged...Contorted – One of the most grooviest songs on the album, so the riffs are the main focus. Rather than that, it's pretty standard. 7/10

10. Crucifier Aveneged – I love the storytelling element of this song. Other than that, it's pretty standard. 7/10

11. Rabid – This song would be better if it was quicker and shorter. It's a bit drawn out to be honest. 6/10

12. Torn Through – Love the lyrics in this song. The discordant riffs and the fast paced narrative really helps the evilness of the song. 8/10

CONCLUSION: By far there best, but still...these guys do death metal better than most bands, especially in today's metal society. LONG LIVE DEATH METAL!!!

7.2/10

UMUR "Tomb of the Mutilated" is the 3rd full-length studio album by US death metal act Cannibal Corpse. The album was released through Metal Blade Records in September 1992. After releasing two very successful and increasingly brutal death metal albums in "Eaten Back to Life (1990)" and "Butchered at Birth (1991)", the band opted to turn up the brutality factor one more notch on "Tomb of the Mutilated".

Featuring a sharp and clean yet powerful and raw sound production courtesy of Scott Burns (one of his best IMO), "Tomb of the Mutilated" kicks off with a blast with "Hammer Smashed Face". It´s clear from the start that Cannibal Corpse intend to take no prisoners, turning up the brutality level and the technical playing from the first note. The playing is in fact very impressive on the album delivered with a sharp precision. Multible tempo changes within tracks and fast and razor sharp brutal riffing. So far, so good. The instrumental part of the album and the sound production are way above standard for the genre. Especially since we´re talking about an album from 1992. The songwriting could have been more varied but we are talking brutal death metal here, so most people expect a limited range of stylistic elements and variation.

While the instrumental part of the music certainly is impressive, the completely unintelligible and processed growling vocals by Chris Barnes ruin a lot of my listening experience. Already by the end of the opening track "Hammer Smashed Face", monotony sets in because of the vocals. Of course some of the gore drenched songtitles like "I Cum Blood", "Entrails Ripped From a Virgin's Cunt" and "Post Mortal Ejaculation" are a good laugh, but the music would have been so much more effectful if I was able to just grasp a single word here and there. As it´s almost tradition with Cannibal Corpse albums, "Tomb of the Mutilated" of course features parental advisory explicit lyrics and artwork.

"Tomb of the Mutilated" is besides the monotone growling vocals a really great death metal album. I know a lot of people enjoy the album and even the vocals, so the vocals are definitely an aquired taste that will thrill some people and put others off. Personally I would have rated "Tomb of the Mutilated" with 4 stars (80%) if the vocals had been more varied, but as the album is now I´ll give it 3 - 3.5 stars (65%).

J-Man Cannibal Corpse is a band that, in spite of their huge following and universal acclaim, has yet to really grab me as more than a fairly monotonous brutal death metal act. Although the talent of the musicians is unquestionable and their influence on future death metal bands is enormous, none of Cannibal Corpse's albums have yet to impress me beyond a mildly enjoyable casual listen. Tomb of the Mutilated, the band's third full-length album, sees the American death metal pioneers continuing down the heavy, technical, and brutal style of Butchered at Birth - this, along with possibly the most disturbing Cannibal Corpse lyrics to date, virtually guarantees that the band has churned up yet another brutal death metal classic. A classic it is indeed, but a rather flawed one in my opinion. The one-dimensional songwriting and indecipherable growling style means that monotony sets in fairly quickly, and even though it is an undisputed classic for fans of the genre, Tomb of the Mutilated misses the mark in my book.

One quick glance at the repulsive cover art (so repulsive that the album was banned outright in Germany and an alternate cover was also offered worldwide) makes it rather clear that Cannibal Corpse had no intent of slowing down after their first two incredibly brutal full-lengths. Lovely song titles like “I Cum Blood”, “Addicted to Vaginal Skin”, and “Entrails Ripped From a Virgin's Cunt” may even suggest that this album shows Cannibal Corpse in a more brutal mindset than ever before. No matter what, one thing remains painstakingly clear throughout all of Tomb of the Mutilated - this is brutal death metal with absolutely no frills whatsoever. For better or worse, the band blasts away at their instruments for the CD's entire duration, leaving very little breathing room for the listener. This one-dimensional approach can be quite entertaining for the length of the album, but unfortunately it doesn't leave much of an impression once it ends. I do like a lot of the riffs here (“Post Mortal Ejaculation” sports some particularly great riffage), but the reality is that I have a tough time picking more than a few of them out in the end - this is ultimately Tomb of the Mutilated's downfall, and even though the musicianship and production are both stellar, the end result comes across as fairly uneventful.

Just like its predecessors, Tomb of the Mutilated is not an album that I'll be revisiting too often, but it's still difficult to deny quality like this. Cannibal Corpse is a group of impeccable musicians, and Tomb of the Mutilated is actually quite original when you consider that it was released in 1992. This is one of the most brutal albums from its time period, and although it has lost a bit of its originality over twenty years of countless clone acts, Tomb of the Mutilated should be regarded as a seminal brutal death metal album. The fairly monotonous songwriting does little for me, but the sheer precision of the riffs and rapid-fire compositions secure at least a 3 star rating for this classic release. While I can think of plenty of brutal death metal albums worth hearing first, Tomb of the Mutilated is still mandatory listening for those who wish to understand the genre.

J-Man Less than a year after their controversial and classic debut album put them on the map for death metal listeners worldwide, Cannibal Corpse had already returned with a follow-up album in the form of Butchered at Birth. Every bit as shocking as Eaten Back to Life indeed, Butchered at Birth sports an even more grotesque album cover than its predecessor, along with plenty of gruesome lyrics and crushingly brutal death metal music to satisfy their already rabid fanbase. On the cover of Butchered at Birth you'll see zombies mutilating a once-pregnant woman, removing the fetus from her womb to be placed on a meat hook along with a long line of other (presumably unborn) babies - pleasant, right? Well judging by the controversy this cover stirred up, it's clear that quite a large amount of people didn't think so. The album was originally sold in a generic white slip-on cover that just had the band's logo and the album title, but countries like Germany (once again) went as far as to ban the album outright. Ontario, Canada also mandated that record stores not sell the album to anybody under the age of 18. Although I personally find this idea of censorship and album banning to be absolutely appalling, make no mistake when purchasing Butchered at Birth - this is not a listen for the faint of heart!

The style of brutal death metal on Butchered at Birth is more or less the same thing we heard on Eaten Back to Life. This is very one-dimensional, brutal, and fast-paced death metal with a heavy emphasis on Chris Barnes's deep guttural growls. His growls are even more indecipherable this time around, and I tend to think they sound just a tad more generic - it's not a major issue, but it's worth stating nonetheless. In many regards, Butchered at Birth is more consistent than the debut; all around, this is the more professional and mature of Cannibal Corpse's first two efforts. The production is still thin and 'old-school' as hell, but the musicianship strikes me as much more tight and polished this time around.

Like Eaten Back to Life, Butchered at Birth unfortunately suffers from rather one-dimensional and unremarkable compositions. This is a very fun listen from time to time, but I do usually find myself remembering remarkably little when the CD ends. Cannibal Corpse just weren't masters at writing memorable riffs at this point in their career, and even though tracks like “Covered With Sores” (the highlight of the album) can get stuck in your head, the vast majority of this album isn't all that remarkable. Butchered at Birth is a fun listen for thirty-six minutes, but it doesn't leave any sort of lasting impression on me.

Technically speaking, Butchered at Birth is a notch above Cannibal Corpse's previous effort, but I feel like this album is a bit less charming and memorable Eaten Back to Life. That lack of charm is ultimately made up for by the quality of the musicianship and the energy of the performances, though, and I'd say both albums end up being pretty equal in terms of quality. Butchered at Birth is another 3 star album from Cannibal Corpse in my opinion. The 'classic' status and quality is definitely there, but it's simply too one-dimensional and monotonous to really excite me. Despite my somewhat mixed reaction, Butchered at Birth is still an essential album for most death metal fans and should be regarded as such if you're thinking about giving it a spin.

J-Man Back in 1990, Eaten Back to Life by Cannibal Corpse was the epitome of what it truly meant to be 'extreme' in the world of heavy metal music. A bloody cover laden with zombies and collapsing intestines is the first thing anybody will notice when taking a look at the album; open up the CD booklet, and you'll then read a kind little message that states “this album is dedicated to the memory of Alfred Packer, the first American cannibal (R.I.P.)”. But that's not all, folks - you also have song titles like “Edible Autopsy”, “Born in a Casket”, “The Undead Will Feast”, “A Skull Full of Maggots”, along with many other un-family friendly tunes. Factor in the gore movie-styled lyrics and it suddenly becomes a bit clearer why this generated so much controversy when it was released - Germany and a few other countries even went as far as to downright ban Eaten Back to Life with no censored alternative. Even though this may not seem quite as brutal today as it did over twenty years ago, Eaten Back to Life still stands as one of the most definitive and extreme examples of early brutal death metal. Cannibal Corpse's debut is flawed in many key aspects, but it is still a must-have for all death metal addicts.

The music on Eaten Back to Life is brutal death metal just like we're used to from Cannibal Corpse, albeit a bit more raw and unpolished than some of their following efforts. Calling this album 'primitive' death metal also wouldn't be too out of the question - most of the riffs are pretty fast paced and simple, the growled vocals are hardly decipherable, and the drumming is quick and energetic. The rather sloppy musicianship and thin production also serve as evidence that this is death metal in its most primitive form. Variation is seldom found on Eaten Back to Life, but Cannibal Corpse does manage to change up tempos every now and again to keep things interesting. Even though the music is very one-dimensional and not all that interesting, I always find myself having a great times when tracks like “Edible Autopsy”, “Mangled”, or “A Skull Full of Maggots” come on.

This short, thirty six minute album is pretty fun and enjoyable when it's on, but I do have an issue with its general lack of memorability. No matter how much fun I have when Eaten Back to Life is in the CD player, I have a tough time remembering more than a handful of riffs when the album ends; this is ultimately Eaten Back to Life's fatal flaw. Of course, I wasn't expecting any melodic hooks or catchy choruses, but a large chunk of the riffs just aren't interesting enough to keep my attention for too long. Cannibal Corpse still hadn't sharpened their songwriting skills at this point in their career, and hopefully this is something they improved over the course of their next few albums.

Eaten Back to Life is a shocking, disgusting, and pretty damn fun debut album from Cannibal Corpse, and every old school death metal fan should definitely label this as a 'classic'. I can't say that this album impressed me all that much, but there's enough quality material here to justify a 3 star rating. This is a seminal brutal death metal album, though, and I can fully understand why many people are willing to praise this much more than I am. This is just too one-dimensional to get more than a passive recommendation from me.