ALBUM REVIEW: Violence Unimagined – Cannibal Corpse

In life, there are only a few certainties. Death. Taxes. And CANNIBAL CORPSE. Since the genre-pioneering band formed in the late 80s, the Tampa-based quintet have made a name for themselves as the MOTÖRHEAD of death metal; they have their formula, their sound, and they’ll be damned if they change it for anyone. This has led to a discography spanning of 15 strong, if perhaps predictable, full-lengths – none dipping below solid in quality, but few really earning status as a legendary album. With esteemed guitarist Erik Rutan joining the core of Alex Webster, Paul Mazurkiewicz, Corpsegrinder and Rob Barrett after 2017’s Red Before Black, does their newest offering, Violence Unimagined, continue the trend of solid strength? Or this is one of their rare moments of true excellence?

There is exactly zero seconds of messing around as soon as the needle drops. Murderous Rampage erupts from the speakers at breakneck pace, Corpsegrinder maintains a steady bark throughout, utilising his higher pitched shrieks to emphasise the end of bars – “The butchery will never stop!” is a particular highlight of his growl-to-scream vocal progressions. Throw in the chaotic solo work and slight tempo changes to a stompier groove, and we’re off to an expectedly brutalising start. Necrogenic Resurrection keeps that momentum rolling onward, again showing the band’s proficiency in mixing up their tempos with some of the fastest and slowest riff work of Violence Unimagined making an appearance across the three minute run time, while lead single Inhumane Harvest is just a perfect example of modern CANNIBAL CORPSE – grooving with bursts of unrestrained speed and aggression.

Anyone with any existing interest in CANNIBAL CORPSE, or even death metal as a whole, will have a reasonable idea of how Violence Unimagined is going to sound before they hit play – realistically, they aren’t out here to convince anyone at this point, you’re either into their brand of death metal or you’re not. That isn’t to say there aren’t some wonderful additions to their sonic arsenal, though. Enter Mr Erik Rutan. Across Violence Unimagined there are countless Rutan-isms, mainly in the solos – fans of the HATE ETERNAL mastermind will be familiar with his chaos-driven, if melodious, style of soloing, and many of the lead breaks and guitar solos across the record carry his signature.

However, his presence is felt strongest on the tracks he penned himself. The back-bone riff of Condemnation Contagion has a nice groovy swing to it, while little momentum breaks keep things from being a monotonous barrage. Ritual Annihilation, meanwhile, is an out-an-out rager built on pure barbarism. Tremolo-driven burst provide a nice, meaty platform for Corpsegrinder‘s gutturals to punch all the harder, while the song moves from high-octane aggression to doom-laden grooves with ease. Some more classic Rutan soloing adds to the melee, and Ritual Annihilation ends as one of the strongest CANNIBAL CORPSE tracks of the last decade. Overtorture rounds out Rutan‘s trio of contributions, and oh boy, it’s a belter. Borderline death-grind in terms of speed, Overtorture is two-and-a-half minutes of aural violence with potentially Corpsegrinder‘s fastest ever vocal delivery. It’s a mind melter, that’s for sure.

As exciting as the new energy and creativity Rutan has injected into Violence Unimagined is, there’s still plenty of stone-cold classic CANNIBAL CORPSE ragers to be found here. Surround, Kill, Devour is equal parts beefy and catchy, while Bound and Burned is crammed with chaos – be it the riffing or the lead breaks – and Slowly Sawn is a low-and-slow bruiser if ever there was one. Two tracks stand as clear highlights, though – Follow the Blood and closer Cerements of the Flayed. Follow the Blood is absolutely crammed with hooks, from the grooves to the vocal lines to the melodies to the absolutely stunning solo, and Corpsegrinder‘s refrain of “Follow the blood!” is an earworm, for sure. Things take a turn for the darker with Cerements of the Flayed. There is a atmosphere of grim intensity running through the closing track, the barbarism carrying a mystifying quality that’s a stark change from the typical ‘to the throat’ style CANNIBAL CORPSE generally utilise. It ends Violence Unimagined on a remarkable high.

There’s absolutely no question that the inclusion of Rutan into CANNIBAL CORPSE‘s ranks has given the band an incredible boost of energy and creativity. While there are few surprises here, and Violence Unimagined does sound very much like one would expect a CANNIBAL CORPSE album with Rutan to sound, the quality, energy and song writing mastery across the board leaves little doubt that this is the strongest material the band have put to tape since their 2006 classic, Kill. A new era of the band is dawning, and they are set to be stronger than ever.

Rating: 8/10

Violence Unimagined is set for release April 16th via Metal Blade Records. 

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