Not too long ago I was in the mood for a full dose of CANNIBAL CORPSE, so I checked out their entire back catalogue again (in chronological order), starting with “Eaten Back To Life”. I hadn’t listened to the band for quite a while at that point of time and in my memory I always valued their earlier albums with Chris Barnes on vocals over the stuff that came later. Oh boy, how wrong I was! It’s pretty obvious how much the band progressed as musicians and songwriters, from album to album, without loosing their original brutality. It might have been due to all the recording and touring experiences, but probably also due to all the line-up changes that they went through. And to me, the new CANNIBAL CORPSE line-up with Alex Webster on bass, George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher von vocals, Paul Mazurkiewicz on drums and Erik Rutan and Rob Barrett on guitars is by far the best they ever had! So, I was really curious how the new, already 16th album “Chaos Horrific” would turn out. Well, here’s my impression: ‘Overlords Of Violence’ kicks off the album in a straight ahead and very thrashy way. Even the solo has some SLAYER vibes, so it’s basically George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher’s brutal vocals that turn the song into brutal Death Metal in the end. ‘Frenzied Feeding’ is next and pretty much continues on in the same way: pretty fast, straight forward and with an even more SLAYER – esque short solo right in the first part of the song. In the middle section the band slows down a little bit until another great solo leads the song to its original speed again. ‘Summoned For Sacrifice’ starts a lot more groovy, with killer riffing and an increased overall heaviness until it bursts into full speed as well and around the 1:15min mark you’ll hear some pretty obvious cool SLAYER worshipping again. This song also features the best solo section so far. Erik Rutan and Rob Barrett trade off some killer leads here. ‘Blood Blind’ is more midtempo, but very heavy and could easily have been featured on a MORBID ANGEL album (“Covenant” era) as well. It’s also one out of three songs that the band shot a rather bloody video for (‘Summoned For Sacrifice’ and the title track being the other two). ‘Vengeful Invasion’ speeds things up again and is basically an aggressive Thrash Metal song with Death Metal vocals. The riffing is just insane on this one and destined to split some skulls. And again… there’s some more SLAYER worshipping to be heard, which fits the band surprisingly well. The title track ‘Chaos Horrific’ probably has the most catchy chorus on the album, which CANNIBAL CORPSE fans most certainly will scream along to at upcoming shows. The song is another straight forward crusher that features all the best trademarks of the band in a perfect way. On ‘Fracture And Refracture’ and ‘Pitchfork Impalement’ it’s obviously drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz who pushes the band forward with his hard hitting, fast beats. But both songs also feature some incredible guitar work again from Erik Rutan and Rob Barrett. The main riffing of ‘Pestilential Rictus’ is pure fuckin’ Thrash Metal again, but the band mixed it with their Death Metal trademarks and Corpsegrinder’s brutal vocals, so in the end it turns into another great CANNIBAL CORPSE track. The album closer ‘Drain You Empty’ starts very moody’n’doomy, but bursts into the band’s typical brutality rather quick as well. But since it’s the most varied track on the album, it’s probably also a song that stands out the most from the rest, thus it’s a perfect way to close “Chaos Horrific”. The production of Erik Rutan is just perfect. It’s crystal clear, extremely heavy and every member can perfectly be heard in the mix, while longtime cover artist Vincent Locke again did what he does best: delivering a gory cover artwork in his unmistakable style. So to sum things up: if you’re a fan of the band, you might have different personal favorites from their back catalogue, but I still doubt that “Chaos Horrific” will disappoint you in any way, because overall it’s a fuckin’ great Death Metal album! www.facebook.com/cannibalcorpse, www.facebook.com/metalbladerecords

‘Overlords Of Violence’ is the name of the opener and that is a pretty fitting description for what CANNIBAL CORPSE have been standing for since their debut 33 years ago. While a band like INCANTATION, active for a similar length of time, years ago only played live in front of few listeners, CANNIBAL CORPSE were ever at the top. For some Metalheads outside the extreme Metal scene the band has always been and still is a common synonym for Death Metal. Rightly so, because the band from the USA has never released a bad album, and the current album is no exception. From my point of view, the secret, if it is one, is as follows: CANNIBAL CORPSE never changed their style and attitude, but at every moment were able to slightly enhance and thus keeping the original core alive and vivid (if terms like these are allowed within the realms of Death Metal). After the departure of Chris Barnes many thought he can not be replaced, but George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher put a new aspect into the band and has been an essential part of the band since his debut on “Vile” in 1996. Same procedure after the departure of Jack Owen and Pat O’ Brian. This time it is once again Eric Rutan who, like on the predecessor “Violence Unimagined” ensures that the typical sound is refreshed without diluting the core. So on their sixteenth album they are able to sound incredibly tight, fresh and aggressive, without giving up varied songwriting, of course within the narrow limits they have set for themselves. Once again CANNIBAL CORPSE play pure, unadulterated and everlasting Death Metal. For more information check out www.facebook.com/cannibalcorpse or www.facebook.com/metalbladerecords

CANNIBAL CORPSE releases its brand-new album “Chaos Horrific” on the 31st anniversary of the release of “Tomb Of The Mutilated”. This is the band’s 16th album and the second to feature guitarist Erik Rutan (HATE ETERNAL, ex – MORBID ANGEL), who joined in 2020 to replace Pat O’Brien. Although they have had several changes in their line-up, with bassist Alex Webster and drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz remaining as original members since their founding in 1988. Moving forward 30 years, gone are the days of the first-time and rotten “Eaten Back To Life”, the twisted “Butchered At Birth”, “Tomb Of The Mutilated” or “The Bleeding”. Specifically left behind is the time when Chris Barnes was the band’s vocalist, the times when the band’s sound was dirtier. The lyrics were extremely explicit, at more than extreme levels, not only bloodthirsty but also of extreme depravity and perversion. To this day CANNIBAL CORPSE maintains its sound full of brutality, but with a cleaner sound and not as dirty as before. But it is still powerful, even though the violence of the lyrics has decreased compared to the Barnes era. The present album as such can be seen as having a cleaner sound compared to former times, but has a certain thrashy edge to keep things interesting throughout the record. The moment Erik Rutan became a member, he produced a certain change by contributing his style of playing in CANNIBAL CORPSE. The brutal voice of Corpsegrinder has its overpowering impact as usual, but what is striking is that the riffs that are played are never exactly the same. Clear examples of this are ‘Overlords Of Violence’ and ‘Pitchfork Impalement’. The riff gets started but is rarely repeated completely. Instead, subtle changes are made that make it sound slightly different, where the credit can certainly be bestowed to the slithering hands of Eric Rutan. ‘Fracture And Refracture’ can make the old listeners thrust again, while the album closer ‘Drain You Empty’ has a surprisingly high Doom quality to raise anyone’s eyebrow for some time. In the end, anyone shall agree that Alex Webster’s axe-grinding bass work is a perfect unholy union with Paul Mazurkiewicz’s drumming. With all these CANNIBAL CORPSE wanted to push for a return to the more visceral, streamlined sound in their latest offering. Though I didn’t have any expectation or anticipation on this record, I am still glad to hear an enjoyable CANNIBAL CORPSE album in 2023, and I hope the band keeps going along with this formidable line-up and stays ferocious. Find out more about the band and label here: www.facebook.com/cannibalcorpse, www.facebook.com/metalbladerecords

I always thought that CANNIBAL CORPSE was just guts, blood and gore, with a shocking value and just brutal Death Metal to go along. And that they are probably the most famous band in the genre because they appeared in that Ace Ventura movie… and, let me tell you, that I am horribly wrong. I mean, I think their first two albums were good, but more than anything due to the brutal cover art and the overall brutality they delivered back in the day. I even did an interview with Alex (by regular air mail!) and saw them live a few times, still with their original vocalist. Then after they switched vocalist, I was really never interested in them. I was more looking for bands that offer more than just brutal gore Death Metal. But let me tell you, these guys have evolved so much musically, that there is actually very little to compare to their early albums, maybe just some lyrics are similar, but that’s it. They still play Death Metal, they are still brutal, but with this album they show a lot of their evil Thrash Metal roots. Also George Fisher has always ranked high for me, as his vocal work in the first MONSTROSITY album is fantastic. Well, he adapted a bit of his vocals on the first works with the new band, but now he is fully himself. And the music, since at least a few albums back, just simply kills. They are now what SLAYER would be if they played brutal Death Metal. This is all about the riffs. And a very competent rhythm section. Although the line-up changes have been inevitable, to me this is probably their strongest one. And having a great producer as part of your band, who also played in prominent bands, helps a lot. Song after song they punish with killer riffs with subtle eerie melodies and many old school evil Thrash Metal rhythms completed with pounding solos. And the brutal, yet very articulated vocals courtesy of the one and only Corpsegrinder himself. I still think the band name is probably between ridiculous and foolish nowadays, but believe me, their music has surpassed their name by far. And to be honest they are now a trademark that means some of the best Death Metal around. So, if you have been following the band, you know this is essential. And if you were like me, thinking they are a joke, oh boy, how wrong that is. Yes, another contender for album of the year. Like that. More info at: www.facebook.com/cannibalcorpse, www.facebook.com/metalbladerecords

“Chaos Horrific” is the 16th studio album by CANNIBAL CORPSE, always on Metal Blade Records, and came after “Violence Unimagined”, which was released just two years ago (in 2021). This can sound like a warning, but again CANNIBAL CORPSE put out another valuable album with so many highlights. Riffing, drumming and growling are fresh and will not disappoint you. I consider CANNIBAL CORPSE a band that can put together different Metal listeners, not only Deathsters, and this album is the living proof of this statement. As always, a great shout out to Vince Locke for such brutal artwork which perfectly fits with the album title and the whole ambience. I suggest you to listen to the album with the cover in front of you – not less than 30 cm / 12 inches – and you will immediately be launched into a putrefied and chaotic dimension. The album starts with ‘Overloads Of Violence’, which is definitely a declaration of intent, lyrically and musically talking – the first 10 seconds will already warn you that this will be a killer album in terms of violence and solos quality. ‘Frenzied Feeding’ is delivered to us with a great mix of pressing rhythm, solos and mid-tempo that define at its best the definition of CANNIBAL CORPSE. ‘Summoned For Sacrifice’ and ‘Blood Blind’ were anticipated as singles, so we already know how good they are, but in the totality of the album they sound even better. ‘Vengeful Invasion’ came to us with a crushing riff that will remain in your – already tortured – brain for days. The title track – ‘Chaos Horrific’ – will definitely be a new anthem in the setlist of the upcoming tour for such a sing-a-long refrain and a very catchy solo. And, to quote Frank Stöver, “when I say catchy, I definitely don’t mean radio friendly commercial crap”. The coupled ‘Fracture And Refracture’ and ‘Pitchfork Impalement’ are an undeniably straight ahead punch in your face with such pounding riffing and drumming. We are coming to the end, but we have enough time for a mighty preface – ‘Pestilential Rictus’ – to the conclusion of an album that flows perfectly. ‘Drain You Empty’ is the perfect ending as you will find yourself drained from the stateliness, the brutality and the intensity of the album. The rhythm section gave a touch of freshness to this album for sure: Paul Mazurkiewicz’s drumming is even getting better with time and Alex Webster is always ready to deliver us a bonebreaker sound. The growling of George Fisher is always a warranty in terms of matching with Rob Barrett’s riffing. What I believe gave an overwhelming energy to this album, and to its predecessor, is the Rutan factor, who is perfectly matched with an historical line-up. In most cases, new resettlements are not that much influential, but in this one we have a perfect match with a consolidated group and “new” member that knows how to grind some good riffs. This will be with no doubt a Death Metal classic. The risk, after 30 years, is to deliver something boring, but this isn’t the case as we can find another great album. Different arrangements and a trademark that last over the years are a winning combination. Definitely recommended! CANNIBAL CORPSE seems to be unable to disappoint us! More band info at: www.facebook.com/cannibalcorpse. If you are a splatter vinyl maniac, you definitely need to go and check here www.facebook.com/metalbladerecords

Anyone reading these reviews, or being a Metalhead in general, knows who CANNIBAL CORPSE is, they are almost a household name by now. I will admit to a bit of irritation at seeing their shirts at Spencers or Hot Topic (don’t ask me how I know, haha), but at 16 albums you have to kind of see it coming. We have a few posted reviews here today for this release, so I will keep it short. We all know what to expect from CANNIBAL CORPSE, both in their sound and in their visual presentation. It has been pretty much locked down since album #1 (except for a change in vocalist and a thrashier (?) more technical approach in sound). They are almost the AC/DC of the Death Metal scene (not necessarily a bad thing), but you know what to expect. So with this release not being too far off from the last output “Violence Unimagined” you are all probably wondering what can be different here with “Chaos Horrific”. After the first couple of listens, my first impressions are that the album is overall much more mid-paced. Track #1 ‘Overlords Of Violence’ with its cool-ass bass intro (I am a bass player, so sue me) may just well become their theme song, for sure at the least the tour opener. It’s catchy fast and just fits them to a T. It’s like they are singing “This is who we are!” ‘Frenzied Feeding’ continues the trend of the opener semi-fast fast and a bit catchy in its approach, but it is how the album progresses that it gave me my opening assessment. I don’t want to say time and age are factors and obviously with the addition of Erik Rutan you can expect a bit of a different approach with aspects of songwriting, but I prefer the more unhinged chaotic CANNIBAL CORPSE and the more frenetic solos of Pat O’Brien alongside Rob Barrett, I keep hearing a bit too much of HATE ETERNAL. Corpsegrinder has well, his vocals are just as good as ever just minus the screams and the more varied vocal approach from other albums. Here it seems sort of monotone in delivery. The drumming of Paul Mazerkiewicz is a standout, with a more varied approach to his play style. The production seems more well-rounded and focuses on the warmer tones. Whereas on past albums they were a bit more trebly, allowing the guitars to be at the forefront. I don’t know maybe it’s just me, but does it seem that they have regressed? What I mean by this is, sometimes in pace and mood the songs remind me of the very early demos when Chris Barnes was singing in a more Thrash style voice. Hell, I can hear moments of TIRANT SIN as well. So in conclusion, I have to say this is not a bad album by any means, it is just a different approach to their standard fare. Granted it is not my favorite and I stated briefly above some of my reasons, but as with anything CANNIBAL CORPSE, everybody has their favorites, and those not as much so. Barnes or Corpsegrinder? Which has better cover art etc. It is a good thing that we have the choice to pick and choose. Which I think is great in the overall scheme of things, it is just not my favorite. www.facebook.com/cannibalcorpse, www.facebook.com/metalbladerecords

CANNIBAL CORPSE belong to the small circle of bands that have not released a really bad album in their career so far. Of course, the Americans have not exclusively created masterpieces, but a merely average work of the cannibals is still first-class measured against the bulk of the competition. Especially since 2014, since the release of “A Skeletal Domain” the guys have raised the personal bar even higher and released only great albums. At the same time, they have always remained stylistically true to themselves and have only made minimal changes to the band’s sound, such as using light Thrash Metal elements or concentrating more often on songs in which the foot is taken off the gas pedal. Since 2014, the band has been on a “run”, releasing only true masterpieces. Can the new album keep up and continue this “winning streak”? “Chaos Horrific” is first and foremost pure CANNIBAL CORPSE, though there are a few nuances that seem new and / or changed. The Thrash elements have further gained in importance and the guitars sound again a touch more melodic than before and the Corpsegrinder sings a touch more variable, which is good for the band sound. However, the work doesn’t ignite as quickly as its predecessors and also contains some minimal weak points. The new album of the Death Metal legend needs a longer training period, seems bulkier and does not go as quickly into the ear, as the predecessor, but thus also has a higher “play I again” quality. Especially the Thrash Metal elements, the SLAYER vibes, provide interesting moments and make the fan sit up and take notice without being disappointed, or even put off by unnecessary innovations. Even the much better elaborated heavier, slower parts work excellently and settle in the ear. “Chaos Horrific” is a work with long-term effect, which grows with every listen and reveals its strengths. Certainly not the best work of the American Death Metal legend, but one of the most interesting. Why they have not used the alternative cover artwork, however, remains a mystery to me… “Chaos Horrific” is a first-class album that is slightly worse than its predecessor, but will still scare many competitors and definitely won’t disappoint any CANNIBAL CORPSE fan. More information you will find at: www.facebook.com/cannibalcorpse, www.facebook.com/metalbladerecords