20.2.12

Cannibal Corpse 'Torture' (metalblade) 4/5

For a shade under a quarter of a century US splatter metal kings Cannibal Corpse have been offending everybody and their dog with their distinctive brand of musical gore-no, and now we have studio album number 12 to shred the nerves of the moral majority and subvert the children of the Christian right.

Now like many of the 'think of the children' brigades hate figures, there is nothing here to really cause that much offense. There are 12 tracks on offer here and whilst listening to this album, or any other Cannibal Corpse opus for that matter, is a bit like watching yet another edition of the SAW or Hostel movie franchises, its all good blood soaked fun. Although this album is played for maximum shock and full of mummy baiting possibilities there is nothing here really to take offense at, and fans of the band know that from the off. Tracks like As Deep As The Knife Will Go, Torn Through and Sarcophagic Frenzy are all nice and horrific little studies in death and psycho slaughter that sounds like a collection of short stories by Shaun Hutson, all played out in the bands trademark death thrash style.

And musically Cannibal Corpse are really rather good, although the band stick firmly to their tried and tested formula of brutal as fuck ear ravishing riffage, blast beat drumming and menacing death grunt vocals, they show enough imagination and creativity to still keep themselves interesting and listenable after all these years, and every so often, such as the bass lick in the middle section of The Strangulation Chair, you get hints to remind you that these guys really do have a bit of talent in the old playing department as well.

All in all this is another worthy offering from the Cannibal Corpse guys and one I would recommend to fans of gore metal everywhere

For fans of... Whitechapel, Hell Hammer, Decapitated etc.....