Cannibal Corpse - Violence Unimagined - Reviews (2024)

In 2021 we saw Cannibal Corpse (CC) emerge out of the pandemic stronger than ever. And with a new lineup, or with a new guitarist in simpler terms. That new guitarist is Erik Rutan, replacing Pat’OBrien after a whole bunch of madness surrounding an incident in late 2018. Which saw Pat being arrested and charged with a majority of things. And CC made a great move of getting Rutan, not just because he’s produced a sh*t ton of their stuff. But he’s also been in death metal bands and he even fronts his own band Hate Eternal. So he’s not exactly a newbie. With these new changes, CC made it out on top with one of their best albums. A f*cking masterpiece of old-school death metal. And that masterpiece is entitled “Violence Unimagined”.

Right out of the gate, it’s absolutely barbaric and thrashy. Wasting no time smashing your skull in with the opening song “Murderous Rampage”. I love how ungodly ruthless it is in its attack. The production on this album is what a death metal record should sound like. Raw, punchy, but not too raw. It has that perfect balance with all the instruments. The guitars, bass, drums, and vocals all have so much power to them. It brings the music up even more just because of how dirty the production is. The riffa*ge of this album is absolutely fantastic as well. This album is filled with gut-wrenching grooves, gnarly bass sections, and very deranged solos. This album does a good job of balancing all-out intensity with pure chuggy grooves and songwriting. Because each song is memorable and has its own charm to them.

Corpsegrinder in particular sounds especially angry and aggressive. His vocals are very abrasive and in your face the entire way through. His diverse performance continues to show why he’s been at the top of the game for so long. He can be slow, fast, and ungodly low. His versatility and vocal flow are also impressive. He lays his vocal patterns down along with the music perfectly. Paul Mazurkiewicz's drumming has also been upped a notch. His tightness when it comes to drumming has increased a lot. I’m not saying he ever lost his rhythm or edge but this record seems different. His playing is an all-out assault. Filled with blast beats, thrashy and groovy sections, and of course double bass. What’s not to love? It’s everything you’d expect from him except much more dynamic and tight.

Erik Rutan makes himself known on this album. His songs are immediately recognizable as they have a different flare to them than other songs on the album. Being the frontman and guitarist of Hate Eternal some elements have been spliced into here. Take the song “Condemnation Contagion” for example, starting off with just a nasty chug and bend to kick off the song. It’s very riffy and especially chuggy, I also love the frantic drum fills as well. It’s very dynamic and explosive in its ability to absolutely ground-pound you. And the thing that begins to show on this record, is that the solos are f*cking perfection. Just like the solo on this song, it has a lot of feel to it and it’s shredding. It’s a highlight of the album for me. But all of the songs are highlights because each song has a hook and something memorable about it.

“Necrogenic Resurrection” keeps things thrashy and in your face. Erik and Rob Barrett work perfectly together when it comes to lead and rhythm guitar. This song also has an obnoxious breakdown halfway through the song, it’s very dissonant with its gut-churning drum fills and slow chugs. And songs like “Surround, Kill, Devour”, “Cerments of the Flayed” and “Inhumane Harvest” keep things groovy and intense. “Ritual Annihilation” probably contains the most amount of blast beats, it’s easily the most blast-beat-filled and fast song on this record. It has this very dreading feeling that fits this album well. I love everything they have to offer from the grooves, solos, diversity, and dynamics. It’s all ear candy for me. I have nothing but praise for these songs.

However, there is one song on this album that is my personal favorite from this record. And has grown to become one of my favorite CC songs ever. That song is “Follow the Blood”. It starts off slow with a drum fill and a very nice riff before it slowly builds up into the main hook. And that’s that f*cking slow BEND, which is just absurdly heavy. With this bendy riff, they shift into a nice groove which adds heaviness when they throw that bend in. Which is used throughout this whole song. This song, in general, feels different than all of the songs, it just has a certain sinister and ominous feeling that doesn’t come out of any of the other songs. Reading along to the lyrics of this song as well makes this song all the more evil. It speeds up a bit at times before kicking into the main buildup that was used at the beginning. And then it uses one last bend before kicking into my favorite moment on this album. That being the solo, which is one of the best solos I’ve heard in my entire life and from this band. It’s a very emotionally driven solo that perfectly flows with the music, and it fades away effectively as the music transitions into the main hook again.

This album continues to get better as time goes on for me. It has everything I love about CC and more, they came out of the pandemic and a member change stronger than ever. And with this, it’s just gonna continue to get better and better. I’ve been contemplating giving this a perfect score as I’ve been listening to this album more and more since it came out. This record has meant a lot to me as time has gone on so I feel content now giving this thing a 100%. Yes it’s only 2 years old but I don’t care, it’s a perfect record to me. Check this monster out if you somehow haven’t already. Masterful death metal in its most primitive form. Perfection.

One of death metal’s most legendary acts Cannibal Corpse, whom need no introduction, return with their 15th album.

Blasting right into an assault of hammering drums and maniacal riffing, the brutal cascade of offal that can only be called Cannibal Corpse launches right back in where they left off. The savage vocals and tight yet unfathomably heavy instrumental work is just as much of a functioning unit of depravity as ever with their very able yet easily enjoyable songwriting ferociously delving right into the carnage from the get-go. Blistering solos add even more frenzy to the gore-drenched mayhem in sharp bursts while the bludgeoning riffs and concrete drums never relent in their aggression, nor does Corpsegrinder in his forever punishing vocal attack. This is the first record with new guitarist Erik Rutan (of Hate Eternal), whom brings a visceral groove to their sound which certainly can be compared to his other works, while not tainting the pure venomous Cannibal Corpse sound. The lyrics are certainly more impressive than the surface would allow, with a fine vocabulary to paint a gruesome picture alongside the monolithic onslaught of morbidity. Cannibal Corpse have returned, shaking the ground in their wake.

High-octane rampages continue to run wild with a feral speeding intensity to add more dizzying brutality to the slower chugging grooves, which work together in a harmonious relationship as most metalheads will know by now, this formula of fearsome sound hasn’t changed, as most will appreciate, Cannibal Corpse do not stray from their own path. Some of the melodic work adds a refreshing and new angle to the sound, akin to Hate Eternal perhaps. Though it doesn’t feel alien, just like a band who have a new energy in their presence and utilise that well. While I speak of how tight they are musically, that does not mean this record feels any less frantic than their previous works, just perhaps even more like a juggernaut of gore lurching right towards you. You will not escape its all-consuming wrath.

Pulverising us from start to end, these 11 pieces of torturous barbarity are ceaseless, yet with plenty of diversity within the healthy Cannibal Corpse sound. To tame a beast like this is impossible, but to see them still churning out memorable and ripping tracks on their 15th studio album is nothing short of marvellous, a testament to the stubborn death metal spirit never dying or faltering. A band whose musicianship and passion for macabre visions has not wilted away with age or time, still doing what they love without regard for outside influence. That is something to be commended. Lunging right through the vital organs, this album will tear you to shreds, rebuild your zombified remains and repeat the process. Blast this album at the risk of being spewed into a cavern of horrors by the masters of gory death metal devastation and be obliterated by the sheer density of this slab of putridity.

A new Cannibal Corpse record is always something that will have most death metal fanatics in a state of ecstasy. While this band isn’t known for reinventing the wheel, that could be because they helped invent it. So what do we get here that we haven’t had before? There is certainly more groove and punchiness, along with a more feral, untamed feeling of urgency. If you don’t like Cannibal Corpse, I cannot promise this will change your mind. However for the legions of dedicated headbangers who adore them, you will not be disappointed in your quest for brutal and punishing metal.

Written for www.nattskog.wordpress.com

From the times of "Red Before Black" to "Violence Unimagined", which is relatively quickly for a band with such a discography, the Americans made a taste more than the previous, after all, very good albums. With that - seemingly - a minor shift in the position of a new guitarist (where Pat O'Brien has been messy with law enforcement to be replaced by Erik Rutan - whom the other four know as thick as thieves) has generated a lot of interest. Well, the quick teasers in the new line-up began to raise hopes that Cannibal Corpse with the frontman Hate Eternal as the second guitarist will gain a slightly different style or maybe even a "second face".

Surprisingly, more or less something like that can be found here - despite the fact that the hero of Rutan is rather of a background on this album. "Violence Unimagined" is another of the newer Cannibal Corpse albums, which makes an even better impression than the older ones and which is not one of their most typical ones. The changes - traditionally - are not colossal, although we are pleased with the greater variety of material (and the number of motifs with them), spontaneity, concert-catchiness and more interesting solo performances (here applause especially for Erik, for good feeling). You can also feel that a lot of effort has been made so that "Violence..." is not boring, and all small novelties (i.e. Hate Eternal-like melodies, bass insertions, rolling rhythms, Mazurkiewicz's thrash acceleration etc.) are not inserted without ideas and do not dominate the whole disc. Examples include "Follow The Blood", "Condemnation Contagion", "Overtorture" or "Slowly Sawn", which in this respect really refresh the "familiar" patents. There is nothing to be tormented over the other components of "Violence..."; the Americans kept the excellent standard of their predecessors and maintained their previous patterns. So, they repeated their most valued advantages and put them in a meaningful, fresher setting.

Cannibal Corpse with the release of "Violence Unimagined" once again created remarkable material at an excellent level. They recorded an album that does not differ from the previous ones, and at the same time contains - as for them - some non-obvious features. It's even more impressive considering that "Violence Unimagined" is their fifteenth lp.

Originally on: https://subiektywnymetal.blogspot.com/2022/05/cannibal-corpse-violence-unimagined-2021.html

Not that averages are the absolute gold standard to go by in something like music, but taking a look at the average ratings on this website for the last decade's set of Corpse albums, there's probably some significance to appreciate there: 'Torture' 83%, 'A Skeletal Domain' 84%, 'Red Before Black' 84%, and 'Violence Unimagined' is currently standing at 85%. What was that ? Yes, consistency. But not consistency as in safe and boring - rather consistently writing and producing albums of a guaranteed certain quality.

This surely begs the following philosophical discussion: what's the point of perpetually releasing albums in exactly the same style ? The evolution of a song-writer's music mirrors their evolution as a human being in life throughout the years. With Cannibal Corpse, there isn't so much a developing story to follow as they'd obviously decided what they were definitively about, long ago, and stuck to their guns, freezing their identity for good. There's less of a natural human progression there. They're more robotic in that sense, with how they've had one motivation and one motivation only, like a function or task, and have made sure they completed that task with adequate accuracy. Yes, Rutan adds a bit of his own dynamic, notably on the solos, adding his more melodic dramatic approach, but have there been substantial changes over the last two decades of albums with this band ? The changes are there, but they're also incremental. In all aspects of the production, lyrics and song-writing including a rich variety of fresh, crushing riffs, the band have that sort of clinical excellence about them that's basically been their signature - what they're best known for.

The obvious problem here is that the peaks were earlier in their discography. Tracks like the hyper-technical masterpiece 'Frantic Disembowelment' or the monumental 'From Skin to Liquid', those strikes of genius won't appear on this last line of albums because the current approach has been to keep the level up but in a risk-free capacity, with riffs that are still very solid but that aren't experimental. What they do still is easily above average in the field and takes great commitment, almost like a pro athlete's conditioning. Would you believe all members are in their fifties as of this writing ? So they're well past the point of youthful brilliance with that flaming passion and urge to keep pushing the envelope. It's likely their older albums may've had more disparity between the tracks; with some genius and some weakish; and their last brood of albums would be more consistent from track to track. But music is all about those peaks, isn't it.

The ones that do stick out here would probably be the single 'Inhumane Harvest', for which you need to verify your age on YouTube to watch the clip - intrigued, I'm sure - and then 'Condemnation Contagion' where, still on YouTube, you get to watch Rutan perform and frown so hard at his guitar there's a bit of suspense over whether his eyebrows will drop low enough to reach his beard thus turning his face into a multi-dimensional void of terror. Also the final track 'Cerements of the flayed' has a trippy, fairly powerful outro with Corpsegrinder's delay-backed line, repeating in a loop "...of the flayed !". In the category of lesser effort, one will find 'Slowly Sawn' as a strong contender. It must've not taken the band a lot of minutes to write that one. Is that a lesson in basic chromatic scale navigation, or is it the single most boring song in their discography ? Perhaps both. Basically, the first 4 tracks are genuinely pleasant Corpse material (although not all-time greats) and then... it's probably alright if you stop there, and you're very likely better off going to older tracks instead as there isn't anything novel to discover from there.

The bottom line here is it's fun to listen to new enormous-sounding Cannibal Corpse tracks, and with every new release it almost feels like the band are "trolling" their audience by making stuff that sounds 100% like them but still, somehow, fresh and exciting to discover (at least for a short while). Finally, just a thought to entertain: it's odd how they're almost insulting the fans' intelligence by selling them the same product over and over again, and yet, despite knowing this, as the fans we can't help but perpetuate the tradition and throw ourselves at the new Corpse CD. Oh, one more thing: how the hell do these guys remember their songs for live shows, I mean what is this, studio album no.19 ? I'm surprised by now they don't just start playing a song and then slip into some totally different song halfway through without noticing.

Some bands simply suffer from an almost permanent writer's block after releasing too many albums and becoming something of a copy of themselves. Cannibal Corpse is one of the rare bands, especially in a genre as saturated as death metal, that manages to stay true to their own style of doing things and keep fresh and at the top of their game.

Four years after "Red Before Black" and having to record under severe crisis - if the pandemic was not enough, the band lost its longtime lead guitarist, Pat O'Brien, the eccentric firearms-nut, arrested after a bizarre crime -, the band managed to overcome the mishaps and release one of its best works in recent years. The visceral energy, the brutal wall of sound bringing all the instruments together in wicked unison, the vocal power and always impeccable performance of George “Corpsegrinder” Fischer, it's all back in all its characteristic splendor and glory. This time around, though, they come with the special touch of the addition of guitarist Erik Rutan, famous for his work ahead of Hate Eternal, but also a longtime friend of the band and producer of their records for the last decade and a half. With this background, it is impossible to say that Rutan's choice was inconsequential or random.

The division of labor on the album proved to be very well thought out. The musicians participate in different ways on many of the tracks, including composition and lyrics by Rutan on some of the most iconic ones. A good example is the fourth track on the album, "Condemnation Contagion”, an obvious allusion to the new coronavirus pandemic that not only has lyrics that terrify for its realism, but also has an exquisite guitar work, with extremely contagious(pun not intended...?) riffs and in a spiral style full of personality.

The band's musical work remains flawless. Where so many bands have a hard time repeating a formula successfully in two albums in a row, Cannibal Corpse manages to easily repeat the same sound strategy in many sequential albums, but without losing the authenticity of each one. Each outing by the band seems to be born from a new dose of brutal inspiration that is just full of life and vigor. The riffs, this time around, may not be the most memorable in the world, but they have enough consistency and quality to get into your head and demolish it from the inside. The work on the lead guitar, done by Rutan, is stunning. The solos are absolutely organic, full of succulence, with an exact melodic measure that does not clash with the perversity of the rest. Webster and Mazurkiewicz, the oldest members of the band still in the foil, continue to show the kind of unique and irreplaceable performance they have stated since their 1989 debut. The bass is even fatter and fuller on this album, the drums remain fast but very well paced, despite the back problems faced by the legendary man behind the kit. The entire rhythm section of the album contains the tastiest and most indispensable ingredients of traditional death metal made with care and enough technique to be above average.

The lyrics continue with the refinements of debauchery and cruelty so controversial and characteristic of the legendary group, in addition to the equally conspicuous intelligence they present. Corpsegrinder, who contributed few lyrics over his twenty-six-year stint with the band, usually says he hasn't worked on lyrical content for the group anymore because the lyricists (in the case of this album, mainly Webster, Barrett and Rutan, with two contributions from Mazurkiewicz) are so good that his vehement self-criticism doesn't let him get in their way. I'm sure George is just being hopelessly modest, but the fact remains that the other members of the team are truly talented and have few rivals in the gore death metal scene.

Perhaps the record is not even better and more qualified because there are no tracks so unique that they can be considered indisputable highlights or immediately memorable. There are some songs that brought me, of course, better moments, like “Inhumane Harvest”, with its unstoppable intro and menacing mid-tempo cadence from there on; the aforementioned “Condemnation Contagion”, with its relatable lyrics and urgent and desperate melody; the interesting “Overtorture”, also work by Rutan, with less than two and a half minutes in duration and a more thrash or even punk take. However, while little is worthy of immediate remembrance, the whole record is very lively, full of interesting nuances on guitar and vocals, a particularly effective work by Webster and Mazurkiewicz, and overall, it's impossible to deny the ease with that these Tampa, Florida guys manage to stay relevant, playing death metal that is classic and easily recognizable, but not easily imitated or recreated with equal quality. In an age filled with brash modernistic takes and an increasingly eclectic scene, Cannibal Corpse manages to showcase old-fashioned music with a vigor that cannot be underestimated by any young band. Just imagine these tracks live! I really hope to have this unique experience someday.

This is the first Cannibal Corpse album featuring Eric Rutan on guitars after 15 years or so of working with him as a producer in the studio. The behaviour displayed by Pat O’Brien when he was fired completely justifies the decision of the band, in my opinion. My hypothesis is that they told him he was out when they came back home from the gigs with Napalm Death and then Slayer’s final tour; probably the relationship was already strained due to his eccentric personality and radical political views, but the music they did together somehow still functioned -Torture for example, is in my top 3 of CC’s albums- but Red Before Black was kind of a lackluster. I had the opportunity to watch them live a couple of months before Pat’s outburst and I could tell he was still ripping; playing solos exactly as they are on the records and such, but composition-wise the band needed a breath of fresh air. Don't’ get me wrong, Red Before Black is still a solid CC album but you get the feeling they can do better, as they did here on Violence Unimagined.

Eric Rutan’s contributions on songwriting -tracks 4, 6 and 10- begin with “Condemnation Contagion”. It’s funny how it sounds like Jack Owen’s songs or even Rob Barrett’s stuff, old-school and totally Cannibal Corpse, it’s like he worked with the band all his life. I have played in death metal bands too and CC’s influence is so present even on our amateur riffing style, I imagine it’s not hard to mimic for someone as gifted as Rutan. Track 6, “Ritual Annihilation” has a hint of Hate Eternal’s epic sense of melody in the beginning but when the verse kicks in along with the vocals it is like a classic CC song. “Overtorture” is faster and shorter; not like Pat’s ultra technical pieces, but it still kicks ass big time.

The rest of the album is a tribute to their earlier works, a way to distance themselves from the most technical stage of the band and to write more memorable songs. Both singles are credited to Rob Barrett and they actually take you back to the golden years of Chris Barnes’ era. When they came out I thought this record was going to be something like Butchered at Birth; in the end it sounded like “Bloodthirst”, another one of my top 3 alongside “The Bleeding”. Webster’s pieces are a little bit more technical with those insane bass lines, while they avoid falling in the wankery nonsense pit. Enjoyable as it gets, I recommend this to any Florida DM fan.

Cannibal Corpse is one of those acts whose audience seems to always fluctuate between static appreciation and stagnant indifference, so it's curious to see the raised level of buzz concerning their first full-length proper with Erik Rutan on-board as a full-time guitarist and writer. A lot of the chatter revolves around the different sound he brings to the band, and I'll admit that there's one area in which he certainly contributes to a mildly different experience, but I think ultimately Violence Unimagined falls right in line with the style has been exploring since Corpsegrinder joined the band for Vile, and it's one that some might continue to find samey and repetitious in terms of its riffing portfolio, and that others like myself will just continue to admire with each seasoned recording...this is not a band that really ever makes mistakes or half-asses anything, there have been a few albums that don't quite past muster, but Violence Unimagined is not among them.

Yes, you might hear a little bit of the Hate Eternal and Ripping Corpse bleed into Cannibal's forceful, thrash-inspired brutality, but I'd have to say that if not for some of his spurious leads, which bear a degree of distinction in the death metal community, most wouldn't really be able to glean a difference. And that's because, for all the time Erik has spent producing, touring and helping out with this band, he's gotten a complete grasp of what they're all about, and by no means is he out to step on any toes. This is business as usual, with the one exception that you might find a few of the rhythm guitar patterns a little more clinical, and the leads here to just be more epically fleshed and rounded out. He and Barrett remain just as synced as Rob was with Pat, but occasionally you get a dissonant, weirder, bouncier or atmospheric riff that feels more akin to what Erik would insert into his mainstay. But with Alex and Paul plugging and battering along beneath them, and George giving plastering his trademark, agile, syllabic guttural attack on top, you could probably mix and match some of these tunes in with anything from Kill to A Skeletal Domain to Gore Obsessed and be none the wiser, other than perhaps a few production details.

And I have no problem with that whatsoever, because this band remains the posterchild for the planned, professional death metal assault which I can depend on year in, year out. Vince Locke's gruesome cover artwork is just as edge-worthy as its ever been, and the band supports that with loads of riff-intensive maiming and bludgeoning which I promise will never put you to sleep. There are some slight variations as always within the actual guitar structures, but all fall within a similar lexicon to what you've heard from the band post-The Bleeding, with just enough freshness to keep this one engaging even if you had been a little plagued with redundant feelings for some of its more recent predecessors. Now I'm not going to say this one has a load of absolutely unforgettable riffs; many are just permutations of their predictable, punishing backlog, but the chugging and feral thrashing that has clung with the band since its origins blend into some eerie tremolo picked patterns that will put you in carnage heaven. Paul's performance here is monstrous, the fills intensifying everything around them, and you don't need yet another of my reminders of how Alex is one of the best ever...I don't know that this style works without his swift and malevolent anchoring presence below the hacking higher pitched axes.

Persistence pays off again, and much of this material is set-ready to blend in with their other 100+ choice cuts dating back to the mid-90s. I did find the production a little dry, and like I said there isn't really a particular hit single here which stands out for me far above its surroundings, but rather the whole 43-minute experience had me sh*t-kicking my office and experiencing daymares of rending flesh, horrifying killers and apocalypses brought to you by the undead. And that earns my money. Every. Single. Time.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

I checked out a few tracks on here and it got me curious. Upon official release in the states, I downloaded the whole album on Spotify. I was really impressed so I went ahead and bought the CD. I thought that the riffs were really solid and now entire Rutan and exit O'brien. I think it was a good move for the band though I was a fan of O'brien's guitar playing. The solos on here weren't their greatest, but Barrett was still solid. The whole band was responsible for the songwriting which of whom were the ones that performed the best on here. I thought that Corpsegrinder was solid too, but it's a lot less screaming.

All the tracks to me were interesting and catchy. They're still tuned down to B-flat creating that real low sound guitar/bass wise. I thought they were heavy as f***. Everything seemed to flow rampantly and overall, I thought their best since 'Gallery of Suicide' and 'A Skeletal Domain'. 'Red Before Black' was also solid but I just liked this more. I thought that they put together a lot of their talent on here and it really showed overall. The music videos were also pretty vile, but it's Cannibal Corpse, what do you expect?! The sound quality on here is top notch as well. Overall, definitely an A-.

There wasn't anything on here that was half-assed or done without precision. I felt all 42 minutes of this was exceptional. And the production sound was right on there. Yeah, they also don't sing about religion or politics but gore?! In that respect, controversial. Some of their lyrics were banned in foreign countries. Not for this album (that I know of) but if they haven't seen the lyric sheet, they might as well. Nevertheless, we still have their music down. And if Rutan stays with the band for succeeding releases, he'll be damn well as good as he is on here! As long as they continue to come together on the songwriting, they continue to have a long career (as they already have!).

As I said, I was curious to see if this was more solid or about equal to 'Red Before Black' upon a couple of tracks that were singles, I found that I like this one more. Am I saying flat out buy the CD? No! But if you give this a chance, you'll hear that the riffs are more solid on here than they are on previous recordings. And Corpsegrinder tells interviewers too that it was a one-in-a-million chance that he'd fit in a band which he always wanted to ignoring schoolwork to perform in a band which was his passion. That's brought him today with numerous releases on Cannibal Corpse albums since early on. His message though: "stay in school." And 'Violence Unimagined' is a boon to their discography!

The best way to describe Violence Unimagined is “it’s a Cannibal Corpse album”. You know what you’re going to get, Cannibal Corpse still do it well, and the music is still enjoyable to listen to. The music is still very much Cannibal Corpse – from their trademark thrashy death metal riffs with a slight technical bend and occasional crushing slower bits, to Corpsegrinder’s signature hard-hitting growls. The execution is still as tight as ever. Corpsegrinder sounds like he’s about thirty years younger than he actually is, with a vigorous roar and a thunderous presence permeating throughout the record. The riffs come in like a freight train while still being melodic in their execution. They do hit a bit harder, as Erik Rutan shows his more straightforward approach to his playing, as opposed to Pat O’Brien’s relatively more technical style. At the same time, his playing also plants these subtly creeping seeds that give the songs a bit more bite – like, bite from the monster in the album cover. But it’s this energy that brings it up above the relative slouch Cannibal Corpse had found themselves in with A Skeletal Domain (“Kill or Become” aside) and Red Before Black.

It certainly starts off on the right foot, with the hard-hitter that is “Murderous Rampage”. Pummeling the senses with a pounding rhythm and a heavier, more crawling section before quickly firing off a short solo with real lasting impact, this song is absolutely a statement of intent. Like this right here? If you thought we were starting to decline with no way out, then cast those doubts aside, because we’re f*cking back! It continues throughout the next five tracks. “Necrogenic Resurrection” and “Ritual Annihilation” are these quick-paced razor-sharp joints while “Condemnation Contagion” is a more crushing affectation. This culminates into the eminently catchy “Surround, Kill, Devour”, with hammering melodies worming their way into your mind and a chorus that is not leaving your mind anytime soon.

And it’s these kinds of melodies that end up standing out throughout this album. “Inhumane Harvest” almost seemed like the odd one out – like, you have this blasty Hate Eternal-style riff kicking things off before calming down with a more rolling style of play that seems more passive than you’d expect from Cannibal Corpse. Having this one as the lead single was a bit of a strange choice as it wasn’t quite as exciting or initially great as you’d expect a lead single to be, unless the point was to show the album’s more of a grower than a shower? I say that, because the more I listened to it, the more it grew as its melodies, much like “Surround, Kill, Devour”, wormed their way into my subconscious. Just these twisted f*cking melodies and the way that they find themselves progressively festering there makes it a right highlight of the album.

It does taper off a bit after “Ritual Annihilation”, with the next three songs not sounding quite as fresh or as well put together. Not as pounding or twisted in their compositions, and there isn’t a whole lot else to make them stand with the other tracks. Then “Overtorture” comes on and makes up for that with a short and sweet punishing blow. Like what is this, the long-awaited sequel to “Demented Aggression”? Unfortunately, the album ends on a relatively lesser note, as “Cerements of the Flayed” is like if “Condemnation Contagion” had less of the good sh*t going on. It’s like most of the album hits just right and the rest is like one or two good ideas away from being just as good or perhaps even better, and the ending number is a real shining example of this phenomenon.

Slightly wavering qualities aside, Violence Unimagined is Cannibal Corpse with extra bite and, although it’s not quite up there with their best works, it’s absolutely worth the price of admission.

If there is one thing you could definitely say about Cannibal Corpse it's that they are nothing if not consistent.One could even argue that in death metal they are one of the most easily identifiable bands, influential to many (if not most) in their genre, and fairly prototypical to the genre they've spearheaded for several decades.Pretty much since their inception they have had an extremely consistent sound and delivery that is instantly identifiable,albeit sometimes to a fault. Because of this, one could also argue that in their consistency they can sound boring for lack of a better term. Even through member changes with various guitar players and an oft-reference vocalist change in the mid-90s, they have always sounded like Cannibal Corpse.

Despite being a dedicated fan for nearly 3 decades, I am not so die-hard that I won't say I've strayed during certain periods in the band's career. Most recently, I haven't found much to latch onto with the band's previous three full-length records save for a couple of incredible tunes on "Torture" some 9 years ago. With that, this new record is definitely the band's most inspired and enjoyable in more than a decade. The first couple of tunes, "Murderous Rampage" and "Necrogenic Resurrection" are probably the least-inspired on the whole outing, bringing to mind some extreme Slayer-like tendencies in the riffa*ge and delivery with skan*-beat drumming and riffs very comfortable in thrash-happy Eb keys. Good, but not up to snuff compared to what is still coming on this disc. The Rob Barrett-written "Ïnhumane Harvest" sets a tone for the majority of the remainder of the album by upping the brutality and chunky chug. From there, it honestly is just full-bore theentire rest of theway with tunes like "Slowly Sawn" and "Ritual Annihilation" just overflowing with sick, groovy headbanging riffs interspersed with tremolo-picked blasts, harmonies, pick squeals, and literally anything else in this band's wheelhouse that you've heard a million times from them already...and yet still every bit as awe-inspiring as has ever been.

Rob as a guitar player and writer is someone you have to respect because although he's never been the most technically proficient of death metal guitarists, he is probably the best team player in the genre. Whether with Jack, Pat, or now with Erik freakin' Rutan, he not only holds his own but he compliments the styles of anyone he shares guitarist duties with. And how about Erik jumping right in and making himself right at home here. His soloing is on point, his riffing and writing is tailored to fit his new gig, and it literally comes across as a perfect fit. Alex is still the standard by which other death metal bassists are measured, holding down the low-end and adding extra meat to the tones, and while his rhythm section partner-in-crime Paul has been gradually simplifying his delivery to primarily d-beats and slow build-ups and carpet rolls on previous releases, even he seems a bit more energized on this record with a lot more of his signature Mazurkiewicz bomb-blasts on display. And dude...this may sound like something far-reaching, but Corpsegrinder has never sounded better than on this record. His gutturalgrowls are even more ballsy and aggressive and his screams are still every bit as perfect as they have ever been; that perfect fry-scream that has been the golden standard for the entire extreme metal genre.

Going into this record, I had heard rumblings of an extremely bold statement surrounding this record. I kept hearing the word perfect being thrown around. I would not dare to call this record perfect by any stretch, not even from the same band that has given us "The Bleeding," "Kill," and "Bloodthirst." A better statement to be made is that this is the perfect record for them to make at this stage in their career. This record is Cannibal Corpse stating very enthusiastically that they are still here, they are still killing it, and they still have it in them to show the entire scene that they are still that prototypical band that the others hold in such high regard. Long live Cannibal Corpse!

Though not necessarily the first band to fly the decrepit banner of death metal, it’s all but impossible to have a conversation about said sub-genre of extreme metal without the name Cannibal Corpse being the first to be dropped. Between their prolific studio output and no nonsense approach to touring every reachable venue on the planet, they have more than earned the right to be synonymous with death metal itself. And while being a band that is perhaps best known for being among the most stylistically consistent acts in existence over the course of 33 years and now, 15 studio albums, they have seen a fair share of evolution since their humble beginnings. Often times these subtle shifts in priority within this outfit’s generally horrific and dissonant formula would coincide with changes either in the lineup of the players themselves, or whoever happened to be working on the other end of the mixing board to hone this raw beast into a refined killing machine.

Developing from a primordial mode of brutality that built off the example provided by Slayer and Possessed, the early days with Scott Burns in the engineer’s chair would eventually give way to a more technically charged and chaotic sound thanks to the entry of former Nevermore guitarist Pat O’Brien. With 2006’s standout offering Kill, this more complex template was scaled back to more of a thrashing, straightforward mode of brutality, coinciding with the entry of Hate Eternal guitarist Erik Rutan as producer and engineer. To be clear, though what would round out the second half of the 2000s and the entirety of the 2010s was more streamlined, O’Brien’s occasional songwriting input and refined soloing style would continue to shape Cannibal Corpse’s sound, thus his exodus from the fold just prior to the recording of their latest and 15th studio LP Violence Unimagined would be far from inconsequential. Ultimately it would be Rutan himself that would take his place as this outfit’s second lead guitarist, and he proves to be about as competent of a shredder as his predecessor.

Despite the significant change in personnel, this album is stylistically well suited for the straighter up thrashing and accessible songwriting approach that has been the band’s staple since the mid-2000s. Then again, for those who have seen the uncensored version of the album art provided by long time collaborator Vincent Locke, the graphic violence on display would seem to hint that this quintet is looking to relive their primeval days in the early 90s. Indeed, one cant’ help but note the Slayer-like thrashing brutality that permeates the opening crusher “Murderous Rampage”, which throws some Eaten Back To Life nostalgia the listener’s way while also being a bit more elaborate. Similar displays of high octane, tremolo riff-steeped mayhem that leans a bit more towards a thrashing demeanor include the muddier and flashier “Ritual Annihilation” and the frenetic blur that is “Overtorture”, which in addition to being chock full of inhuman kit work courtesy of Paul Mazurkiewicz and unfettered guitar mayhem, also sees vocalist Corpsegrinder delivering his signature barks with machinegun-like precision to rival any of his past guttural tongue twisters.

Naturally Cannibal Corpse’s brand of extreme applies not only to high velocity execution, but also in the jarring transitional moments and groove-infused pummels that occur in between, painting a picture that is elaborate as it is ferocious. The punchy, almost slam-like character of “Condemnation Contagion” strikes each chord heavily enough to be likened to an giant zombie built out of thousands of corpses putting craters into a decrepit marshland with each step, and showcases a solo section that has an almost melodeath like quality at times. Speaking of which, the rhythmically nuanced and almost progressive stomp of “Follow The Blood” (mad props to Rob Barrett for penning this bad boy), in addition to having a number of sudden shifts in feel, also features another quirky foray into consonant melodic territory during its solo section, all but to the point of sounding like something off a recent Arch Enemy album. The more almost death ‘n’ roll pacing of “Slowly Sawn” also throws an interesting curveball into the equation, presenting a thudding and vile display of heaviness that will probably appeal heavily to Entombed and Six Feet Under fans.

There are no weak links to speak of here, not moments where one is tempted to hit the skip button, just a consistent and solid display of old school brutality that continues and long and time honored tradition. True to bassist and co-founder Alex Webster’s own sentiments, this album is a collection of distinctive offerings that are recognizable regardless of where the needle drops, or whatever song is blindly selected from the track list for those listeners who aren’t part of the vinyl-obsessed crowd. It goes without saying that from both a band’s perspective and often their primary audience, the latest offering will feel like the best one ever, and while I’d personally put this impressive LP a tad below such seminal classics as Eaten Back To Life, The Bleeding and Bloodthirst, this is definitely among the best things to come out of Cannibal Corpse’s ever expanding graveyard of classics in the past two decades. This ghoulish cadaver may be suffering from more than 3 decades of fermentation, but it’s still primed to rip your proverbial head off, in a good way.

Originally written for Sonic Perspectives (www.sonicperspectives.com)

The notorious American cannibal gang has been accumulating dead bodies for three decades now in an unprecedented killing spree. The pile of corpses is so impressive that even the cold-hearted cannot remain indifferent to a slaughter of this magnitude. Meat hook sodomy, necrophilia, severe decapitation, disembowelment - you name it. The sicko death squad has already inflicted all kinds of damage and suffering, showing no sign of regret. This musical psychopathy, despite its different cycles and actors, has never undergone drastic changes. Granted, the Chris Barnes-era can be singled out since it does mirror a rather particular early stage of the band, but the creative DNA, in its essence, has remained unchanged over the years.

The arrest of guitarist Pat O'Brien in December 2018 is a relevant fact in the band's most recent history, not only due to the bizarre nature of the event but also because it led to musician, producer, and longtime friend Erik Rutan joining the band's ranks. With the possible exception of Jack Owen, no one else could fit in so easily. Erik's recruitment not only ensures a smooth transition into this new cycle but also generates high expectations about what he might actually add to Cannibal Corpse's sound. There is common ground between Hate Eternal and Cannibal Corpse, namely the relentless and brutal character of both, yet the question that matters is whether Erik will embed his ultrasonic imprint into Cannibal Corpse's more orthodox DNA, and ultimately whether this blend will warp the identity of the cannibal collective.

Of the three songs Erik Rutan wrote, 'Condemnation Contagion', 'Overtorture' and 'Ritual Annihilation', the latter is the one that gravitates closer to Hate Eternal while being one of the most interesting tracks on the album. It manages to inject some fresh blood into the band's trademark by adding the recognizable Rutan-ish ultrasonic layer I mentioned earlier. This song somehow unveils what it would sound like if Corpsegrinder were part of Hate Eternal's ranks and if Rutan replaced his usual warp-speed blast beats with Mazurkiewicz's more old-school tempos. While 'Ritual Annihilation' and 'Overtorture' catapult the band to breakneck speeds, 'Condemnation Contagion', through its midtempo approach and tasty power chords, mirrors a more restrained side tailored to Cannibal Corpse's personality. Rutan thus succeeds in introducing some novelty into the mix while respecting the band's marked character.

Keeping the tradition alive, the album takes off fiercely. 'Murderous Rampage' and 'Necrogenic Resurrection' are both relentless assaults in the vein of classics like 'The Time to Kill Is Now' or 'Demented Aggression', and honestly, I wouldn't expect anything less. It's the boys' usual warm welcome to their slaughterhouse. This overwhelming facet of the band works like a serial killer's signature mirroring their modus operandi. However, these overpowering moments are promptly counterbalanced by 'Inhumane Harvest' and 'Condemnation Contagion', two mid and slow tempo offerings that not only bring contrast to the chromatic palette but also contribute to the album's initial flow. This balance, while not new, generates dynamics and the required diversity in a style that easily falls into repetition. The catchy breakdown in 'Surround, Kill, Devour' or the superb groovy riff in 'Bound and Burned' are other contrasting moments worth highlighting.

Overall, Cannibal Corpse sticks to its usual formula, swinging between grinding power chords and high-speed tremolo picking, with occasional pinch harmonics. The Webster-Mazurkiewicz foundation remains among the most solid in the business, and even though Paul is not a virtuoso drummer his trademark pounding is already part of the band's brand, along with Corpsegrinder's massive gutturals. Rutan's leads brought colorful tones to the heavy landscape, among which I would highlight the solo in 'Condemnation Contagion' for its interesting flow. The high-caliber performances and in-depth know-how are a common denominator, mirroring the collective's long experience. This musical maturity coupled with the lads' genuine enthusiasm override less accomplished moments such as 'Follow the Blood' and 'Cerements of the Flayed', which despite not being by any means a failure, do not match the quality of the remaining songs, thus not adding value to the whole.

Thirty-two years after the first killing, the vile cannibal squad shows no signs of slowing down or willingness to change its disgusting diet. Meat is back on the menu, now with fresh blood and repulsive new ingredients, courtesy of chef Erik Rutan. Violence Unimagined is thus not only a treat for those who feast upon flesh but also a proof of resilience, power, and determination. It is yet another successful chapter in one of the best portfolios the genre has to offer.

Originally written for www.sputnikmusic.com

When death metal legends Cannibal Corpse manage to make one of their best releases with their 15th album, one can only be pleased. Perhaps the surprising change of their guitarist was ultimately an unexpected blessing in disguise.

Pat O'Brien, one of the band’s longest-serving members, played the guitar in the band for more than 20 years, but eventually ran into serious problems with the authorities. A guitarist in prison isn't really much of a use to the band - especially with a really active one such as Cannibal Corps. And so enters the game Erik Rutan, the band's long-term partner and producer, replacing O'Brien as a guitarist. With his contribution, the band also got a new compositional angle that brings some fresh ideas to the band, as can be heard on Violence Unimagined.

The song-writing responsibilities are divided among quite a few guys now, but without compromising the style of the band. Brutal death metal may perhaps evolve and progress as any other genre, but certain borders can not be crossed if the band wants to stick to their style, given that the fans love and expect that from these guys. This is exactly what has happened in this case as well and the end result is one of the band’s best albums ever. I would go as far as to say this is one of their best albums ever.

Even though Violence Unimagined includes some really familiar Cannibal Corpse ideas, both in good and in bad, listening to the album brings me nothing but joy. The overall production is crushing and heavy, and also very clear and crisp yet without being sterile. Fisher's trademark growl vocals are as good as one can expect from his previous works: strong and high quality. These proves well that it doesn't matter as he gets older, he is still very much on the top of his game.

However, it's the string section and their style that makes this magic happens. It doesn't matter how good the production is or how well the growled vocals are if there are not good songs. But that's exactly what's going on here: these guys have created a wonderful album full of interesting riffs with brutality, a little bit of technicality and just showcasing full understanding how to create an interesting album in the world of brutal death metal. They have all the right tools and skill sets to pull it off. The result is phenomenal, and one could say, near-perfect in the genre.

The record manages to be very violent and grim even if the tempo remains rather slow quite often. The album also gives room for the bass guitar, which is of course exactly Mr. Webster has well deserved. After all, he's one of the song-writers and the original members of the band. CC just wouldn't be the same without his input. And even if you don't think the record is too technical in itself, there is so much more the songs than just basic death metal.

In my opinion Violence Unimagined is one of the best death metal records of this era, even if it also sounds quite timeless in the genre. I wouldn’t be surprised if Violence Unimagined would be included among the best albums of 2021.