By Jake Rivett
Torture is the brand new album from death metal legends, Cannibal Corpse.
The album is forceful and blasting, yet still retains a groove; feeling stronger than Kill but weaker than the much more catchy, Evisceration Plague.
It seems the band went for sheer brutality on this one. Cannibal Corpse have a signature sound that epitomizes death metal, with the little twist that is Alex Webster’s incredible bass lines, which are often the focus of the song.
George ‘Corpsegrinder’ Fisher’s vocals, as usual, are spot on. Putting the absolute pure touches of brutality in where necessary, yet always keeping it understandable.
The guitar tone of the entire album really crunches and unwilling crushes the unsuspecting listener. Pat O’Brein’s solos are, as always, incredible. Cannibal Corpse are genuinely talented musicians that are not coasting on their 20-odd year legacy.
These guys remain out there – touring and getting everything note perfect as well as keeping it ultra brutal and creating excellent music.
Demented Aggression (currently available for download at Metal Blade Records) is a track that will leave the listener feeling breathless as the sheer brutality pummels them into submission. Encased in Concrete is the first video from the album, and evidently the most catchy.
The band take a different move with Scourge of Iron, a mid tempo song that touches on a doom quality, nicely breaking the album up.
A couple of tracks act as fillers, such as Crucifier Avenged and Rabid, towards the end but take every track at face value and they work, independent of the others..
It’s aggressive and still retains enough groove to keep listeners constantly interested. Is it the best things they’ve ever done? No. Is it one of the best of the latter albums? No. Is it a damn fine album from a group that are still pushing death metal to the limits for their fans? Yes. Here’s hoping it’s going to be the best death metal record of 2012.
Torture, by Cannibal Corpse is out now and check out Culture Bomb’s interview with George ‘Corpsegrinder’ Fisher!
Tags: cannibal corpse, corpsegrinder, death, demented aggression, metal, metal blade, music, review, scourge of iron, torture