Where to begin…writing a review for the new Cannibal Corpse album “Violence Unimagined”. Well first and foremost, you know exactly what you are going to get when you hear this album bludgeoned firstly…and hate mail from your neighbours for the next six months for cranking this bad boy up! But in all seriousness this is album number 15 for these death metal legends which by any standards is a mammoth achievement and one very few bands could say they have reached.
Behind production on this album is none other then Mr Erik Rutan, everything this man touches seems to turn to gold and this is no exception. He also is now a permanent member of the band taking over from long term lead guitarist Pat O’Brien for the past two years. Now let’s get down to brass tacks here, death metal is not a genre that can be reinvented however Cannibal Corpse seem to have pulled out all the stops and have rejuvenated and sharpened their collective tools.
The production here is MASSIVE on the track “Condemnation Contagion“, George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher bellows from the depths of hell “is this the end of all that we know” and the answer my dear readers is a resounding YES! Vocally George has brought his absolute “A” game, his high’s and mid range are still death defying and his lows, well the horned one below approves entirely. The track “Overtorture” is a case in point that features his signature machine gun rapid fire vocals that “Corpsegrinder” is famous for.
The track “Ritual Annihilation” is my absolute favourite, relentless and punishing are words that spring to mind, the fret work at the 2:54 mark will most certainly make your neck snap. Another favourite here is the track “Slowly Sawn” with a slow grinding opening riff that makes you go, ‘Yes the metal gods have arrived’. I think the lyrics “meticulous slaughter” sum it up perfectly.
Paul Mazurkiewicz on drums is still a total powerhouse and has very few peers that can match his flow and groove but over all I don’t think anyone will be disappointed with this album, it’s a definite winner. I’ll put it to you simply and it’s a large call but this is a career defining moment. If this was a final move from Cannibal Corpse then in the words of one of my favourite video games Mortal Kombat – FLAWLESS VICTORY!
9/10
TRACKLIST
Murderous Rampage
Necrogenic Resurrection
Inhumane Harvest
Condemnation Contagion
Surround, Kill, Devour
Ritual Annihilation
Follow the Blood
Bound and Burned
Slowly Sawn
Overtorture
Cerements of the Flayed
