You know, I honestly haven't paid a damn bit of attention to Cannibal Corpse since "The Bleeding", for various reasons, and this is the first complete record I've listened to from the band since that time. And I must say, this is a lot better than I was expecting it to be. For my money it's safe to say that after all these years, the band's still got it, because this is a hell of a lot better than most of the death metal out there these days, including the leagues of bands trying to copy what Cannibal Corpse basically wrote the book on way back when. The kick it straight off with my favorite track on the record, "Severed Head Stoning", which has a crossover thrash thing going on, I shit you not. From that point on it's a mix of high speed riffing and slower, darker chord progressions... all played with insane precision. The vocals are also really strong as well - forceful low growls that are actually decipherable in many cases. All of the tracks are less than five minutes, many under four, so they keep things cranking and there's actually a lot of energy. "Festering in the Crypt" starts out far slower and has an almost doomy sense of dissonance to the intro harmonies and sustained notes, which is a great change of pace. But there's a great balance of riffing styles throughout the album, including plenty of the band's token pinch harmonics (thankfully rather restrained these days) and hammer-on/pull-off madness. Neil Kernon handled the recording, and for the most part I like it. I'm definitely missing the bass presence a bit, that needs to be a lot more up front, but I like the guitar tone, the vocals sound awesome, and despite being too rigid I can deal with the drums. If I could change just one thing I would mix the vocals slightly back in against the guitars, but it's not a big deal after your ears settle in. The layout... I mean, it's Cannibal Corpse, what do you expect? Lots of gore. Better handled than most bands, that's for sure, but you still should know what you're in for. Same story with the lyrics. Need I bother quoting songs like "Rotted Body Landslide" or "Frantic Disembowelment"? The promos don't come with the bonus DVD, which sucks because I'd love to see it, but whatever. That's less typing that I have to do, I suppose. But I can't imagine longtime fans of the band being let down by this. I was never even that big on the band and I definitely like this record better than "Butchered at Birth" or "Eaten Back to Life". I can't speak as to whether or not it's better than the band's other Corpsegrinder era albums, but I suspect that it might be. I'm pleasantly surprised.
[Metal Blade]
Running time - 44:22, Tracks: 13
[Notable tracks: Severed Head Stoning, Festering in the Crypt, Rotted Body Landslide, Slain]
Metal Blade Records - http://www.metalblade.com
