By Andrew Bansal
Death metal legends Cannibal Corpse are ready to unleash their twelfth studio album upon us. While I was always aware of and familiar with the band’s music as well as the album cover imagery they’ve depicted in the past, my perception of Cannibal Corpse changed completely after I saw them live for the first time.
It was at the House of Blues in Hollywood, on that eventful night of May 6th, 2010. Previously I thought of them as an entertaining death metal band that always enjoyed creating controversy through their amusingly violent lyrical themes, but after that night, they escalated in my mind to become one of the fiercest live acts I have ever seen, and will ever see. Their relentless performance induced some seriously brutal mosh pits that night. And without a doubt, “Torture” has been the most eagerly anticipated Cannibal Corpse album for me, and with baited breath and high expectation, I gave it a spin.
The album starts off in typical Cannibal Corpse style, with “Demented Aggression”. Fast, brutal and chaotic, this has all the makings of a great live song, and certainly will be included in the set list on their upcoming tours. Things settle down a bit more in “Sacrophagic Frenzy”, which is steadier and not as chaotic as the opening tune. This one boasts of some killer guitar riffs, a crushing rhythm section, and of course, Corpsegrinder’s vocals are as epic as ever. “Scourge Of Iron” is a slow one, and for that reason I find it highly enjoyable. It gives the listener a chance to take a breather, absorb what the musicians are doing, and head-banging along to this one won’t result in a broken neck. Almost expectedly, “Encased In Concrete” is a contrasting follow-up, but more than anything, I find Alex Webster’s bass to be the standout aspect of this tune, and for this I give credit to the way this album has been mixed, allowing Webster’s bass to be as prominent as any other component of the overall sound.
Just like track #3, “As Deep As The Knife Will Go” and “Intestinal Crank” are mostly slow tracks, but intertwined with occasional fast-paced sections. The latter is probably the best song on the album, and puts forth the entire gamut of the band’s musicianship. It offers everything you’d want to hear in a Cannibal Corpse track, and the seamless transition between the slow and fast segments proves the sheer quality of the songwriting on display here. Having said that, the next track “Followed Home Then Killed” isn’t far behind by any means, and its dark, grim beginning alone is sufficient to capture the listener’s attention. This one is definitely different from everything else on the album, but still fits in very well with the overall theme and musical style. “The Strangulation Chair” is another tune wherein Webster’s bass creates the maximum impact. The bass solo made me yell out a huge “Fuck Yeah!” the first time I heard it, and I hit the repeat button instantly. Even though there are other tracks on the album that are musically as good or better than this one, “The Strangulation Chair”is my favorite.
The rest of the album consists of four more tracks, starting with “Caged … Contorted” which boasts of some truly killer riffs and solos. “Crucifier Avenged”, “Rabid” and “Torn Through” ensure that the intensity of the album doesn’t fade till its final moments, and will leave the Cannibal Corpse fan with satisfied smiles on their faces.
Critics often pigeonhole Cannibal Corpse into being a repetitive band, but I can safely say that the band has defied the norm with their latest release. Tunes like “Intestinal Crank” and “Followed Home Then Killed” showcase the musical progression they have made since their previous studio effort. The rhythm section is stronger than ever, which makes the album sound as heavy as anything they’ve ever released. Besides, I personally don’t think there’s anything wrong with sticking to the same musical style, specially for a band like Cannibal Corpse. Fans enjoy them for what they are, and there is absolutely no need for them to experiment with the musical direction at this stage of their career.
The only negative I can point out here is the album cover artwork, which left me slightly disappointed. For Cannibal Corpse, the cover imagery has been as iconic as the music itself, but unfortunately the artwork for Torture doesn’t quite scream “Cannibal Corpse” at me. With that said, I can understand why they have taken a safer approach with the cover as compared to their ‘we don’t give a fuck’ attitude of the past. The album sales in the present-day market are bad enough as it is, and it wouldn’t help if the album gets banned in some markets due to overtly violent artwork. But it’s good to see that the humor in song titles is still largely intact, with “As Deep As The Knife Will Go” and “Intestinal Crank” decorating the track listing.
The strongest album Cannibal Corpse have released in recent times, “Torture” is filled to the brim with pure menace and relentless technical precision.
Related: Interview With Paul Mazurkiewicz
Rating: 9/10
Record Label: Metal Blade
European Release Date: March 9th 2012
US Release Date: March 13th 2012
Track Listing:
01. Demented Aggression
02. Sarcophagic Frenzy
03. Scourge of Iron
04. Encased in Concrete
05. As Deep As the Knife Will Go
06. Intestinal Crank
07. Followed Home Then Killed
08. The Strangulation Chair
09. Caged…Contorted
10. Crucifier Avenged
11. Rabid
12. Torn Through