Very little needs to be said when I write to introduce the mighty Cannibal Corpse, 14 albums in and showing no signs of slowing in any way, shape or form. Much like when you put on a Slayer or Napalm Death album, you know exactly what you getting.
The new opus “Red Before Black” kicks off in typical CC fashion, foot flat to the floor straight ahead brutality. The first track “Only One Will Die” and the title track showcase exactly why these guys remain peerless in terms of production and sound, now I know it’s most likely an over used term now days but the band have really gone back to a much more stripped down sound. Think “Eaten Back To Life” era CC while at the same time not letting the album stagnate or become dull. “Remaimed” (top marks for the titles by the way) is your traditional Cannibal fare with gigantic guitar hooks and unholy wrath we have come to expect over the years, some of the guitar work on this album really makes you sit up and take notice.
Vocally George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher has not lost any of his hell inducing rapid fire delivery that I rate extremely highly in today’s death metal scene. Respectively the tracks “Heads Shoveled Off” and “Firestorm Vengeance” captures various tempo’s and furious instrumentation, “Corpus Delicti” (Delicious Corpse for those of you playing along at home) is without doubt one of the most brutal slabs of meat – pardon the pun – across the vast CC back catalogue. “Destroyed Without A Trace” and album closer “Hidious Ichor” were built to utterly pulverise you and leave you in a state of ruin and leave you with out one doubt that this band reign supreme over the rest of the pack.
While this album slots into the expansive discography nicely with plenty to keep diehard fans entertained/ disgusted for hours on end, there isn’t a lot of room for growth or experimentation and is just missing that little something special. For what it’s worth in my humble opinion you can only push death metal so far without flogging a proverbial dead horse, the real question is do I hold this album amongst some of the band’s finest hours? If I’m honest, not really but conversely would I purchase this album? Yes I sure would based on sheer dogged brutality and and unwavering output over the years. Like 99 percent of the albums I review the true test will come on the live front and if any of my past experiences are anything to go by, then prepare for hell and bring it on!
TRACKLIST
Only One Will Die
Red Before Black
Code of the Slashers
Shedding My Human Skin
Remaimed
Firestorm Vengeance
Heads Shoveled Off
Corpus Delicti
Scavenger Consuming Death
In the Midst of Ruin
Hidious Ichor
