Torture

On 2008's career retrospective `Centuries of Torment' George `Corpsegrinder' Fisher (vocals) observed when they finally call it quits he is likely to have neck problems from all the years of head banging. Cannibal Corpse have been in existence for almost 25 years and there is no end in sight. Like the undead they seem destined to forever roam this planet, slowly evolving their sound with each new album. In the last decade CC has gone from strength to strength. 2003 saw them become the first Death Metal act to reach sales of over one million discs, album No 10 `KILL' (2006) took the band to new levels of critical acclaim and 2009's `Evisceration Plague' entered the billboard 200 at #66 their highest ever position.

Of course album sales do not equate to music quality and while it's arguable if they've since released anything as essential as `Tomb of the Mutilated' or `The Bleeding' this is a band that has made a career of producing albums of ever increasing quality. Recorded late 2011 at Sonic Ranch studios Texas (Gore Obsessed, The Wretched Spawn) as well as Mana Studios Florida (KILL, Evisceration Plague) album no 12 `Torture' is the 3rd to be produced by Erik Rutan. In recent interviews Alex Webster (bass) explained that a lot of effort had been made to ensure each song had it's own unique identity and compared to the two previous albums this is indeed the facet of Torture that defines it above anything else.

As album opener `Demented Aggression' kicks in the first thing you notice is the rich production and depth of sound. This one has a thrashy feel. It's not quite CC at full force- not quite `Hammer Smashed Face' or `The Time to Kill is Now' but it's a nice warm up. Second track `Sarcophagic Frenzy' is mid tempo with more interesting riffs than the opener and smatterings of blastbeats. But it's track 3 `Scourge of Iron' where Torture really comes to life. This is a slow grinding song, the lyrics tell the story of mass of prisoners having the flesh beaten and torn from their bodies and the song itself sounds like the soundtrack to the gates of hell. `Encased In Concrete' is next and full force from the start kicking off with a rabid Pat O Brien solo. This one is classic CC with multiple time changes, riffs that get seared into your brain and Corpsegrinder barking out the vocals as only he can.

`As Deep As The Knife Will Go' is a straight up anthem and possibly the best song on the album- super catchy riffs, blastbeat sections and a chorus you can't help but sing along to. It makes you want to ram knifes into peoples eye sockets, in a good way. `Intestinal Crank' is another classic with churning rhythms giving way to groove sections & wild solos before dissolving into some awesome time changes to end the track. As the great songs pile up it soon becomes clear CC have produced yet another masterpiece in Torture. `The Strangulation Chair' is a virtual eargasm filled with `The Bleeding' styled riffs and an Alex Webster bass solo. Final track `Torn Through' is pure Cannibal Corpse perfection- relentless blastbeats, riffs that are at the same time crushingly heavy and equally catchy and Corpsegrinder laying waste to all with a devastating vocal performance. It simply does not get any better than this.

Cannibal Corpse, purveyors of gory death metal for more than twenty years, show they haven't lost a step with their latest blast of extremity. First things first, the real story here is Alex Webster, who puts a unique stamp on this band's music with his incredible bass playing. Webster shines on Torture, exhibiting an impressive range of skills. He rumbles along with the solid death metal tracks like Demented Aggression, provides a heavy, distorted buzz beneath Sarcophagic Frenzy, and dazzles with technical brilliance on Intestinal Crank, The Strangulation Chair, and Caged...Contorted. Big points go to Webster for helping CC distinguish themselves from other bands. This is no small point, as several parts of Torture remind me of a few Florida death metal acts, plus a certain older band that heavily influenced them; but, Webster's bass keeps each song entrenched in the Cannibal Corpse sound and makes them their own.

Torture starts with a bang. Three of the first four songs remind me in spirit of Slayer's Hell Awaits-Reign in Blood period. It isn't that they sound like those songs, but the heaviness, production, and breakneck speed create the same atmosphere of ferocity. The one exception in this group, Scourge of Iron, slows things down with a heavy crawl that brings Morbid Angel to mind. The fifth track, As Deep as the Knife Will Go, starts with an intense blast beat that shifts into a thrashy death metal crunch that reminds me more than a little of Deicide. The next three tracks that make up the album's midsection inject a trace of variety, keeping the songs from starting to sound the same. Track 6, Intestinal Crank, features some of the most technical riffing and bass on the album, plus a couple of great solos. Next, Followed Home Then Killed has a crushing groove and thrash sensibility. Then, The Strangulation Chair mixes a death groove with technicality, including a brief, but amazing, bass solo and some spacey runs by Webster. The last four songs finish with more intensity, with Caged...Contorted recalling early Malevolent Creation death-thrash, Crucifier Avenged giving an old-school death metal stomp like Slayer on steroids, Rabid scorching with fiery thrash metal, and Torn Through ending everything with massive blast beats.

This album shows why Cannibal Corpse is one of the elite bands in death metal. Every song boasts quality riffs that are catchy and brutal, as well as good solos and a mix of speeds. They intersperse fast sections with monstrously thick slower parts, giving dynamics to the overall sound. And though I'll concede that George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher's vocals are somewhat monotonous, his delivery is vicious while still being intelligible, so I'll give him credit. It seems to me that anyone who's into death metal would have to try to find something to dislike about this music.

Update 4/8/12: I just got back from seeing Cannibal Corpse live in Huntington, WV, where they played half of the new album, six songs, as well as a ton of old classics. As far as the new songs go, they opened with Demented Aggression, which was beyond brutal, and I'm now convinced that Scourge of Iron is one of the heaviest songs ever. They played the first five songs from Torture, plus Crucifier Avenged. I've seen some of the top death metal and extreme metal bands live, like Morbid Angel, Napalm Death, Grave, Entombed, At the Gates, and a few others, and this show might have had the best sound of any of them. All the instruments were clear and incredibly loud, and the intensity was relentless. Watching Alex Webster's fingers while he plays bass reminds me of watching Trey Azagthoth play guitar. And I now have a newfound respect for Corpsegrinder, not only because he was surpisingly entertaining and funny, but because his vocals were insane, brutal, and they sounded just like on the albums, a feat some of the other death metal vocalists I've seen have been unable to match. After this show, I can see why Cannibal Corpse is the top selling death metal band in existence. They really are like the Slayer of the genre.

I've been a Corpse fan going all the way back to "Eaten" when I was 14 years old.
Corpse has evolved over the years that's for sure.
When I read that this album would be a return to the sound of their earlier albums I was excited.
I heard the two tracks that the band released and I was very happy with "Scourge" and "Demented".
Now that I have the disc in hand?
Is this really a return to form?
I would say yes.
It has the catchy hooks that earlier albums like "Bleeding" had but with the more tech elements of recent albums.
Stand out tracks...
Demented.
Scourge.
Followed Home.
Chair.
Caged.
Avenged.

There really aren't any weak tracks.
Paul blasts away with skill and conviction.
No one can produce the rapid fire barks of Corpse Grinder and he excels here.
Webster, the bass master proves why he's one of death metals finest players.
Pat and Rob shred every song to pieces.
The production is crisp and clear.
All in all another fine addition to the Corpse catalog.
Is it their definitive moment?
Yes and no.
Every album is a definitive moment for this group.
I can name at least one or two epic moments from every album and this one is no different.
After all these years Cannibal still shows everyone how it's done.
Fast and brutal with tons of dynamics.
Right up there with their best.
Recommended.