Review of Cannibal Corpse - Kill

Synopsis:

Quite possibly the best Cannibal Corpse album I’ve ever heard…certainly one that demands attention from all death metal enthusiasts.

Review:

The following is a conversation I had recently regarding the newly released, 10th studio album from Cannibal Corpse - Kill:

Me: “Fuck dude, have you heard the new Cannibal Corpse yet?”

Friend: “Su--ffEEEEEEEEERRRRrrrr!!!!!!!”

Yup, Kill will likely garner responses similar to the above from metalheads across the globe and personally I’m happier than a halfwit with a rubber band because of it. This is the album Cannibal Corpse deserves to release in 2006. That might sound strange, but I say it with conviction. Over the bands’ 18+ years of life, not only have self-righteous, wholly concerned right-wingers, preachers, pseudo-politicians and housewives mounted assaults, they’ve taken their share of damage from metalheads and critics as well - stabbing them with the ‘one-trick-pony’ shiv. Folks, Kill is the sonic equivalent of Cannibal Corpse pulverizing a critics’ head to a pulp with the skull of said ‘one-trick-pony’…again, and again, and again. Kill is Cannibal Corpse’s blazing FUCK YOU to anyone that’s stepped in the path of their ever rolling, gore-soaked, death metal combine, and by hell, they fucking deserve it.

So, what’s the magic ‘new’ ingredient that allows Kill to so cleanly lop off heads? What sinister weaponry could this album be concealing behind its back that previous releases somehow missed? Well, to be perfectly honest, the album still follows Corpse’s tried-and-true formula of brutal, face-pounding death metal, along with their characteristic lyrics of corpses, cleavers, and cruelty, so thankfully nothing’s changed in that department. There are, however, a number of elements that make Kill easily stand out from their previous releases. The most critical element, in my opinion, is the addition of the 6th member to the band - producer extraordinaire, Erik Rutan. For those who don’t know, Rutan spends a great deal of his time gutting metalheads with his own band, Hate Eternal, but in his free time, twists knobs in his home-based studio in Florida. And holy shit what a knob twister this feller is! I cannot stress enough how unbelievably titanic the production on this album is. Quite simply put, it’s flawless. Rutan knows exactly how death metal of this ilk should sound. The guitars are tight and devastatingly heavy during breakdowns. The drums are crisp, clean, and sans any kind of irritating snare sound. The vocals are brutal and in your face, without dominating everything else that’s leaping from the speakers. And the bass sound - dear readers, the bass sound - by God you hear the motherfucking bass on this album!

But it’s not just the bless-ed hand of Rutan that’s sure to send Kill to many metalheads’ top 10 lists this year. The boys behind the mic have done their share of maturing as well. This is easily one of the most focused records this band has ever done and it definitely shows throughout the albums’ entirety. Each song dips and swerves from marked, speedy ferocity to brutal fist-throwing mosh-fests absolutely seamlessly. To further add fuel to the fire, the Cannibals have definitely upped the level of technicality on Kill too, but without straying too far into the ‘jazz-fingers’ territory of the death metal spectrum. Songs like the amazing “Murder Worship” will have listeners hammering the shit out of anyone unfortunate enough to be at arms length. The song opens with a sweet little bass-lick, courtesy of remarkable 4-stringer, Alex Webster, before dropping the hammer 1:40 in with an absolutely neck breaking chug fest. And that ain’t the only one folks. “Five Nails Through The Neck”, “Purification Through Fire”, and the incredible “Barbaric Bludgeonings” all feature breakdowns that’ll have you pounding your chest like an enraged Silverback gorilla. Vocalist George Fisher is on top of his game here as well. He does an excellent job of mixing up his guttural belches with his now signature visceral screeches. “Make Them Suffer”, possibly the albums’ strongest cut, is proof enough, as Corpsegrinder’s ‘suffer’ shriek is sure to send you ducking for cover. The album closes out with an absolutely filthy, dirgy, slow instrumental, “Infinite Misery”, which puts a fine feather in the bloody mess of entrails spilt by this brutal album.

Honestly, there are so many distinct standout parts on Kill it would take another page of me yammering to do it proper justice. Let me just say this – please go buy this album. If you’re a Cannibal Corpse fan, you’re gonna shit a flailing, flesh-eating baby. And if you’re a death metal enthusiast that’s never really given this band your undivided attention, it’s time you heard what they’re truly capable of - a classic of the genre.

Release Details

Cannibal Corpse

Kill

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