UMUR "Bloodthirst" is the 7th full-length studio album by US death metal act Cannibal Corpse. The album was released through Metal Blade Records in October 1999. It´s the follow up to "Gallery of Suicide (1998)" and features the exact same lineup, who recorded that album. "Bloodthirst" marks the first time Cannibal Corpse recorded in another studio than Morrisound Studios in Tampa, Florida, instead opting to record at Village Productions, Tornillo, Texas with producer Colin Richardson.

Stylistically and production wise "Bloodthirst" doesn´t sound terribly different from "Gallery of Suicide (1998)" though. If anything it´s a bit slower paced and less memorable and since "Gallery of Suicide (1998)" wasn´t the band´s most inspired release, that´s not a positive development. The gory lyrical themes are intact, which songtitles like "Raped by the Beast", "Coffinfeeder", and "Blowtorch Slaughter" should make abundantly clear. The musicianship is on a high level and the sound production is professional, clear, and powerful, but it´s still like something is missing, and I think it´s in the songwriting department, where "Bloodthirst" is lacking.

It´s not a terrible release by any means, and I´m sure diehard fans of Cannibal Corpse love this one as much as any other of their blood drenched releases, but to my ears it´s one of the most unremarkable releases in their discography and therefore a 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is warranted.

metalmillennium In a scene that Cannibal Corpse helped define early on in the 90s, it's great to see that these guys can still put out some quality material when this form of Brutal/Technical Death Metal is not nearly as dominant as it was in, oh, say 1991 or 1992. Cannibal Corpse always manage to keep their albums sounding fresh without overdoing, overproducing, or changing with the times. Nothing is significantly different here than on earlier albums, although it might seem a bit more formulatic than in the past. "Corpse Grinder" 's vocals are very distinguishable in some places, and he adds a lot of variety to make this easy to digest without the album starting to sound monotonous or stagnate.

The vocal delivery is above average for Death Metal standards, with a lot of variety from "Corpse Grinder," and the brutal, thrash-ridden riffs layered around precise drumming raises the level of technicality and listening interest. The lyrics deal with death, mutilation, and rape, which are sure to make parents bend over backwards to keep their kids from hearing this.

Tracks such as "Pounded By Dust," "The Spine Splitter," "Hacksaw Decapitation," and "Blowtorch Slaughter" are up to par with the Corpse' best material: "Hacksaw Decapitation" and "Blowtorch Slaughter" are the two tracks that kept me really focused in this album, as they play with un-rentless sheer sonic bliss as if there's no tomorrow. Brutal, brutal, brutal!

Most reminiscent to Gallery of Suicide and The Vile, this should please fans of the band's latest material, as well as fans of older Corpse. Quality Metal from a band that has always been subject to controversy and media attention--don't let them fool you, these guys are some damn fine musicians.