I could fill a couple of paragraphs with random Cannibal Corpse musings, but who really cares? Instead, here are the facts as I see them. Chris Barnes’ departure during the recording for Vile was the second best thing to ever happen to the band; the introduction of George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher as their new vocalist was the best thing. While Barnes and Six Feet Under have devolved into a stale stereotype, Cannibal Corpse has evolved into a genuine death metal powerhouse over the course of the past decade. Not content to simply bludgeon your mind with heaviness, their songwriting has evolved to also bend and twist it. Gore Obsessed and Kill both landed on my Top 10 lists for their respective years, so I had high hopes that Evisceration Plague would be more like those albums than the disappointing The Wretched Spawn. While it does succeed in that regard, it still falls short of those albums; but as top notch as they are, that’s hardly a bad thing.
Cannibal Corpse’s appeal to me lies in the execution. The songs are neither musically nor lyrically brilliant, and at the root of everything, they’re not doing much different from what the rest of the death metal world is doing. My wife, who doesn’t get the appeal of bands like this, once asked me what it was about these bands that I like – was it the speed, the heaviness, the screaming, what? I paused briefly before replying, “It’s the whole package. Everything has to be in place. One bad element can ruin an entire band.” That is something that Cannibal Corpse has achieved, and display prominently on Evisceration Plague. Vocalist George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher, to start, may not be the most dynamic vocalist, but he has complete control of his voice as an instrument. His low vocals are guttural yet clear, so we’re not subjected to 3- and 4- minute bursts of belching; his high screams fall just short of shrieking; and he can sustain a note on any register for an extended period of time. Just listen to that 8-second scream at the beginning of “Priests of Sodom” and the dual harmonies in the chorus.
Guitarists Rob Barrett and Pat O’Brien . . . well, I don’t know the virtuoso words for what they do, but I know that they are damn solid, each equally adept at playing tight rhythms, interesting fills, and blazing solos. People are quick to point out bands like Necrophagist and Dying Fetus for the speed and technical prowess, but I’ve always found them both to be a bit over the top, technicality for technicality’s sake. These guys don’t feel the need to show off and there is little wasted motion and few superfluous notes. “Beheading and Burning” certainly has room for showing off, the guys stick to the game plan with a few squeals and of course the obligatory solos. Later on, “Evidence in the Furnace” has its own share of memorable guitar moments.
Another point of honesty – I’m usually too wrapped up in guitars and vocals to pay close attention to the bass and drum battery (which may well render my previous statement invalid). That’s the foundation of the music, though, and there’s always a sense of awareness there. Alex Webster and Paul Mazurkiewicz, the only remaining original members of the band, hold down a heavy rhythm for the six-stringers to play over, with the headbanging grooves that are so crucial to the band’s effectiveness, not to mention the bulging muscles in Corpsegrinder’s massive neck. I could pick just about any track here to make my point, so I’ll just go with the title track, which grabs you by the hair with its viciousness, and then proceeds to force your head to move back and forth in time. Be careful, then, because if you’re walking somewhere while listening, you may find yourself moving in step, which would not only look strange to passerby, but possibly cause you to misstep into traffic. Beware also of “Skewered From Ear to Eye” for the same reasons.
When it all comes together, the band is damn near unstoppable. They can play fast, they can play slow, they can go back and forth without missing a beat or losing an ounce of power. “To Decompose” moves from methodical verses to fast bridge sections before going into breakaway leads. Conversely, “A Cauldron of Hate” holds a predominantly midtempo rhythm, and even when the double-bass kicks in, the guitars maintain that slower rhythm. Awesome.
I can’t believe I’ve just written this much about Cannibal Corpse. 16 years ago I was laughing at just how awful Tomb of the Mutilated was (the nicest thing the RIP Magazine review I read commended them for convincing a label to sign them.) Those were my pre-death metal days, though. While they may have ruined their own past for me, the Cannibal Corpse of today is simply one of the top death metal bands going, and Evisceration Plague is just further proof of that. However, I am still laughing at how dull Six Feet Under’s Death Rituals is.
