Cannibal Corpse Albums (12)
'Evisceration Plague'
Release Date 2/3/2009
Tracks 13
Label Metal Blade
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
For the most part, as far as the genre of death metal goes, there is Cannibal Corpse, and there is a bunch of copycats. You know you can always count on this veteran metal act to deliver another brutal offering of extreme metal with each new release (in other words, zero chance of any needless stylistic experimentation -- the lads like things just the way they are). And this especially rings true on their 2009 release, Evisceration Plague. All the expected elements of a solid Cannibal Corpse recording are present -- metronome-like precision drumming, razor-sharp riffing, guttural growls akin to a caveman, and dark lyrics. Go ahead and take a pick of any of the tracks here ("Priests of Sodom," "To Decompose," the title track, etc.), and you're in for an intense metallic onslaught. Evisceration Plague shows that 11 studio releases into their career, Cannibal Corpse remain one gnarly group of metalheads. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Since the late-'80s, Cannibal Corpse has established itself as the vilest, loudest, and truest purveyor of B-movie audio horror, and with song titles like "Barbaric Bludgeonings," "Submerged in Boiling Flesh," and "Five Nails Through the Neck," the Buffalo, New York speed metal collective's tenth studio album feels like a bloody hug from an old friend. From the first explosive second of the blistering opener, "Time to Kill is Now," Kill reaches into the back of your throat and pulls out your writhing skeleton. This is metal crafted with little remorse for the eardrums and souls of its' people. Producer Erik Rutan (Hate Eternal/ex-Morbid Angel) cranks up the bottom end -- it's rare to be able to hear the kick drum in speed metal -- tightens the guitar leads and generally pounds the listener into submission through 13 aural assaults that will be welcomed by fans with open mouths. Kill doesn't break any new ground for the veteran sickos, but if it ain't broke don't fix it -- just turn it up louder. ~ James Christopher Monger, All Music Guide
'The Wretched Spawn'
Release Date 2/24/2004
Tracks 14
Label Metal Blade
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
For album number nine, Wretched Spawn, Cannibal Corpse continue on with much the same style of gore-themed death metal that had made them a mainstay of the stateside scene for a decade-and-a-half. Bassist Alex Webster and guitarist Jack Owen write most of the songs here, respectively, and those songs are pretty much what you've come to expect from Cannibal Corpse by this point -- musically pulverizing and lyrically unsettling. Vocalist George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher is as unrelenting as usual, especially on such songs as "Frantic Disembowelment," where he switches from growling to screaming with seeming ease. Wretched Spawn is overall a pretty brief album, clocking in just under 45 minutes, as few of the 13 songs break the four-minute mark. The title track is an exception, as are the lumbering "Festering in the Crypt" and the thrashing album-closer, "They Deserve to Die" -- these three longer songs being some of the more interesting ones here, given their unique characteristics. Most of the others are rather straight-ahead death metal blasts, and while they're on the mark stylistically, they may seem a bit workmanlike to longtime fans who have heard all this before. And that's perhaps the one lurking problem with Wretched Spawn -- it sounds great and is everything you'd expect it to be, but it's nothing new for this veteran band, who long ago perfected their death metal attack. If you're perfectly fine with the status quo, or are perhaps new to Cannibal Corpse, you'll surely find much delight here; however, if you're looking for something beyond another run-of-the-mill album from the band, you'll probably want to pass this one over. Unlike more memorable albums such as Tomb of the Mutilated (1992) and Bleeding (1994) where the band took its music to another level, Wretched Spawn is simply Cannibal Corpse continuing on with their trademark mayhem, seemingly confined by or content with their own musical boundaries, for better or worse. [Wretched Spawn is accompanied by a making-of DVD.] ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Cannibal Corpse have received a lot of attention and controversy over the years for their song titles alone. But aside from all the over-the-top gross outs of the band's lyrics, the music is really worth checking out. Their relentless combination of neck-snapping death metal beats, sinister detuned guitar riffs, and Cookie Monster vocals is harrowing and fun at the same time, and the execution is better than that of most similar bands. Most impressively, the album remains interesting from front to back, thanks to concise song lengths and a healthy variety of tempos, which alternate from rat-tat-tat machine gun-style onslaughts to chugging mid-tempo mosh sections (check out "Dormant Bodies Bursting" to hear it all in one song). And don't forget about those great song titles; fans won't be disappointed with numbers like "Hatchet to the Head," "Compelled to Lacerate," and the exquisite "Sanded Faceless." This is great stuff. Includes a Metallica cover hidden at the end. ~ Andy Hinds, All Music Guide
'Live Cannibalism'
Release Date 9/26/2000
Tracks 18
Label Metal Blade
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Live Cannibalism is Cannibal Corpse's first live album, recorded in 2000 at venues in Milwaukee and Indianapolis. The track listing includes fan favorites from both the George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher and Chris Barnes eras, and there isn't quite as much emphasis on later material as one might expect. There's nothing revelatory or unexpected here -- just a decent concert document for fans who either want to preserve the experience of the band's performances, or who can't make it to one. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Bloodthirst is the seventh full-length album by Cannibal Corpse, and it's rather remarkable how little the band's sound has changed over the course of an entire decade. Sure, their musicianship has gotten a little more polished, and they've perfected their formula a bit more, but it's essentially been the same vibe on every album throughout their career. Bloodthirst is not that much different from the other Cannibal Corpse recording with George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher (which in turn were not an incredible distance removed from the Chris Barnes era); there are the prerequisite detuned grinding guitars, hyperspeed blastbeat drumming, and vocals that sound like Fisher's larynx is being put through a garbage disposal, plus lyrics geared for maximum gore and shock value. The appeal of Bloodthirst, then, is likely to rest on your answer to the question "how much Cannibal Corpse do you really need"? If you enjoy the formula, haven't tired of it, and want to hear more material in the same vein, Bloodthirst is exactly what you're looking for. Otherwise, just get a couple of the Chris Barnes albums. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
'Gallery of Suicide'
Release Date 4/7/1998
Tracks 14
Label Metal Blade
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Cannibal Corpse settled into their own gruesome groove early on in their career, spitting out a predictable set of carnage-obsessed trash-rockers on each of their albums. Consequently, their albums can be a little interchangeable, and Gallery of Suicide -- the group's sixth album -- is no different. From the titles ("Disposal of the Body," "Blood Drenched Execution," "Dismembered and Molested," "Stabbed in the Throat," "Centuries of Torment," "Crushing the Despised," "I Will Kill You") to the incessant, buzzing guitars, it's Cannibal Corpse as the fans have come to expect them. It's a little fresher than its predecessor, Vile, but it does have the problem of sounding a little monotonous in comparison to their entire catalog. That may not matter to the hardcore fans, who will inevitably be able to spot subtle differences between this and their previous albums, but it does suggest that the band will need to find a new modus operandi soon in order to keep things fresh. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Released on Metal Blade in 1996, Vile is the first Cannibal Corpse recording to feature vocalist George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher. The band had built up a considerable following within the death metal community, and that success continued as Fisher brought a vocal dynamism and character that livened up the band's six-year-old sound. Fisher's ability to match the musical intensity and rhythm of Vile's more complicated assemblages of riffs created a more sophisticated yet equally tortuous essence. Both the album art and song titles -- while gruesome to the extreme -- were somewhat toned down when compared to earlier Cannibal Corpse efforts. The band members might have been put off by so many accusations of novelty, and intent on proving their worth as musicians. Vile demonstrates a commitment to musical growth: Tracks like "Devoured by Vermin" and "Bloodlands" feature more complex, focused, and just plain interesting musical ideas as well as precise execution. Fans of death metal who haven't yet discovered Cannibal Corpse would be wise to give Vile an open-minded listen, in order to understand how this group has managed to pull off thousands of successful shows and maintain such a rabid following. ~ Vincent Jeffries, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The final album of the Chris Barnes era, The Bleeding continues the trajectory Cannibal Corpse had established during their early-'90s heyday, that being a progressively over-the-top approach to gore-themed death metal that pushed the envelope in every imaginable way, from cover art to song titles to the music itself. The cover art here, as usual, speaks for itself, as do elaborate song titles like "Stripped, Raped, and Strangled," "Staring Through the Eyes of the Dead," and "Force Fed Broken Glass." (Though it's probably obvious, it's worth noting for novices that this stuff isn't for the lighthearted and shouldn't be taken too seriously, even if songs titles like "She Was Asking for It" perhaps go too far, even for this genre.) However, it's the music itself that is perhaps most notable, or at least what should be, especially given the key addition of guitarist Rob Barrett (in place of Bob Rusay), who co-writes a number of songs and plays on all of them. Ace producer Scott Burns gives the album a wonderful sheen that instantly sets Cannibal Corpse apart from most of the other death metal bands out there in 1994. The riffs absolutely grind, just as the rhythms pulverize and the vocals thunder. And it's indeed the thundering vocals of Barnes that make The Bleeding so special, definitely one of the standout death metal albums of the mid-'90s -- he's one of the best growlers in the business, and his subsequent departure (to join Six Feet Under) would be a gaping one, albeit one that wouldn't prevent Cannibal Corpse from lumbering on for many more years with their colorful madness. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
'Tomb of the Mutilated'
Release Date 9/22/1992
Tracks 9
Label Metal Blade
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Released in 1992, Tomb of the Mutilated helped establish Cannibal Corpse's reputation as one of metal's goriest, most vile outfits. Boasting some of the sickest album art and song titles of all time, the band's attention-getting tactics worked perfectly and record sales soared. Cannibal Corpse then became one of the biggest names in the death metal genre -- just as the group's discs and live performances were being banned all over the world. Listeners unfamiliar with the belching vocal style and pummeling drum and guitar attack typical of death metal probably won't understand what separates this or any other record that adheres so stringently to the genre's formula, but learned fans have come to appreciate Tomb of the Mutilated as a solid, if not important, offering. Vocalist Chris Barnes' constant barrage of Cookie Monster-esque lowdown grunting is pretty much unintelligible throughout, leaving his gross-out lyrics offensive only to those who read them. However, the effect works nicely and maintains tradition. Standout tracks include "Beyond the Cemetery" -- which boasts the record's best riffs -- and speedier cuts like "Split Wide Open" and "The Cryptic Stench." Generally not taken seriously in many metal quarters due to their fascination with cartoonish gore, Cannibal Corpse somehow managed to outlast many of their more critically accepted contemporaries due in no small part to early career efforts like Tomb of the Mutilated, with its powerful musical focus. ~ Vincent Jeffries, All Music Guide
