Cannibal Corpse – Chaos Horrific
September 22nd, 2023
Death Metal
Metal Blade Records
Buffalo, New York, USA
Cannibal Corpse is a band that needs no introduction, of course. Even those who are outside the purview of the metal spectrum are likely familiar with the name, as the group has been emblematic of extreme metal for pretty much their entire existence. With Chaos Horrific, the band has returned with their sixteenth full length offering of brutal, head-smashing, body-brutalizing tunes, and prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that they are showing no signs of slowing down.
While the band may have the perception of being a meat and potatoes death metal group who are basically considered the AC/DC of their respective genre, that doesn’t mean this record is in any way simplistic. Quite the opposite, in fact. This may be one of the more technically-oriented releases the band has dropped in recent memory. As members of the band have stated in interviews leading up to this album’s release, this is seen as a continuation of Violence Unimagined, the band’s previous effort from 2021. That album, as I noted in my review, maintained a level of technical proficiency that I would expect from such seasoned and skilled players as Erik Rutan and Alex Webster, while still expressed a great degree of catchiness and solid songwriting chops. The band doesn’t sacrifice memorability for technicality and that trend is continued here on this album.
George Fisher, better known by his stage name of Corpsegrinder, is of course as solid as he ever has been on this album. The man is one of the most consistent voices in the death metal genre and sounds just like he has on pretty much every Cannibal Corpse record before this one. I always appreciate the raw power behind his guttural voice, the way he enunciates every word, and the rhythmic patterns of his delivery. He’s got a great flow, one that has been tempered over several decades worth of composing and performing. I also like how there are some moments where the deeper gutturals are layered over higher pitched screaming, something I feel that Cannibal Corpse doesn’t really engage in much, so it offers an extra degree of novelty whenever that technique pops up across this album.
The riffs, provided by Rutan and Webster as well as Rob Barrett, are fantastic. There’s truly a lot of variety on this album, from riffs that make you want to pound a zombie’s head in with a sledgehammer to riffs that make you feel like your brain is being melted with acid. There’s a great degree of juxtaposition between catchier, mosh-inducing riffs and moments that feel way more fluttery for lack of a better term. Going from a song as frantic as “Summoned for Sacrifice” into the heavyweight slog that is “Blood Blind” is a perfect example of this band’s versatility. The soloing as well? Phew. That stuff is nuts on this record. Rutan and Barrett are on fire with their shredding capabilities on here. There’s just so much in the way of tasteful yet extreme fretboard wizardry on display here. It’s sick.
Drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz is also fantastic here. While there isn’t much in the way of blast beats, as one would expect for death metal, there’s a significant amount of Slayer-esque one two beats that go ultra fast. However, this is the first time that I’ve noticed that Mazurkiewicz’ technique is actually more akin to a d-beat when it comes to drumming at that speed, a detail I somehow missed in all of my years of listening to his work. If anything it makes this stuff sound more interesting now that I’m aware of it. He of course juxtaposes those faster beats with much slower sections of pounding, pulsating double bass and tons of crushing tom fills and cymbal mutes.
The production on this thing is raw and as organic as one could get without dipping into lo-fi territory. It feels like the instruments are all right there in the room with you. There’s not a droplet of reverb to be found on this thing. Everything is just so dry and in your face and natural. It’s nice and refreshing to hear an album produced this way in this subgenre in the modern day. That’s not to drop any shade on reverb-drenched cavernous death metal, because I love that stuff too, but this is a nice change of pace from that.
The lyrics, as one would expect, mostly deal in various and verbose stories about death, murder, killing, maiming, torture, execution, kidnapping, human sacrifice and other such gory subjects. Silly lines like “seas of gore as far as the eye can see” and “piercing the skin with violence so brutal it cannot be explained” fill out the liner notes on this record, and I’m all here for it. Cannibal Corpse have, as expected, been incredibly consistent in their one and only lyrical theme across their entire career.
For a sixteenth full length album, Chaos Horrific is a stellar entry into this legendary band’s discography. Still going strong after all these years, it’s no shocker that Cannibal Corpse are as revered as they are. Many bands would have faltered long ago in their delivery this far into their career, but not this New York quintet. They’re considered death metal royalty for a reason. This album is as good as any of the band’s best material yet, and would not be amiss among any year end lists that read at the end of 2023.
Final Verdict: 9/10
Awesome
Favourite Tracks:
“Overlords of Violence”
“Blood Blind”
“Vengeful Invasion”
~ Akhenaten
Where Strides The Behemoth? 