So where to begin, Death Metal titans Cannibal Corpse are back in 2012 with their twelfth album entitled Torture. The album is the follow up to 2009s Evisceration Plague and continues down the route of relevant and modern death metal.
So for those of you who don't know Corpse, they are a five piece Death Metal band from the USA and are often considered pioneers of the genre with such classic albums as Butchered At Birth and Tomb Of The Mutilated, but enough of the past, lets talk about Torture and just what it has to offer.
Kicking off the album is the ever brutal Demented Aggression, the pre released song off of the album and a track which reflects Corpses style with utter precision, from the speed of the drums and guitar, to the sheer terror and brutality that the vocals inject, this is a pretty standard Corpse track. Fast as hell and yet with an easy to pick up chorus that will get stuck in your head for days it is a real fantastic song but nothing out of the ordinary for Corpse.
Next is Sarcophagic Frenzy, a track which executes some stunning riffs without detracting from the utter brutality of the song. All of the instruments work together very well in this song and being able to pick out the sound of the bass on this and every other track is simply a joy. Alex Websters playing ability once again shines through cementing him as one of the greatest metal bassist of all time. Overall another enjoyable track but still nothing that shows off the true perfection that lies within this album.
Scourge Of Iron comes chugging along after, quite literally, a song which goes down a slower path with hard riffs, this song is guaranteed to make you bang your head. It is one of the most brilliant songs on the album showing that Death Metal is not all about speed. Obviously Cannibal Corpse can be very fast and technical, but this song shows a slower more simplistic take on their music (aside from the fantastic guitar solo) which in turn sets the course for a really catchy and mind blowing song with some seriously epic moments. Scourge is a song that I can see Corpse playing for many many years to come and it really shows that George 'Corpsegrinder' Fishers vocals are nothing more than pure brilliance.
The slow pace doesn't last long however after we are thrown into Encased In Concrete where within seconds your face is melting with some ridiculous guitar shredding. Aside from the musical aspect, the title of this song is fantastic and takes me back to the early Corpse days reminding me of song titles like I Cum Blood and Rancid Amputation. A song that really puts the gore and death aspect into Death Metal, the chorus to this is in the same vain of Demented Aggression and is another song that'll have you screaming the lyrics for ages.
Following in the same way is As Deep As The Knife Will Go which adds yet another song to the list of catchy songs on the album, the drumming throughout the album is fantastic but I feel we really get a taste of Paul Mazurkiewicz drumming ability here with the relentless double bass crushing almost right the way through and some genuinely impressive and complex patterns. Not to mention the guitar solo, another fabulous piece of guitar work which works so well even when tossed into this mix of mindless brutality.
Continuing down the path of mindlessness is the next song Intestinal Crank which is nothing too out of the blue for Corpse or the album in general, a little bit of a break from the more catchy songs and more of a song which focus's on instrumentation than catchy lyrics, this said however it is still one that you will remember, perhaps not as a track by itself, but certainly when you are listening to the album in its gore soaked entirity.
Just when you thought Cannibal Corpse couldn't add another Death Metal anthem to this album they unleash the mighty Followed Home Then Killed which begins with a rather eerie and evil guitar riff before transitioning into the vocal fury of Corpsegrinder. This song, much like Scourge Of Iron, will get you headbanging like a maniac to the ferocious drumming in certain sections. The song on the whole is catchy, heavy and of course soaked in fast paced guitar riffs and yet another blood curdling solo.
Your not quite out of Cannibal Corpses grip as The Strangulation Chair takes hold showing off some of my personal favorite riffs in the entire album and not to mention another orgasmic signature Alex Webster bass solo something which couldn't help but make me think of Hammer Smashed Face. A song that brings brutality to the table and a fantastic representation of just how good Corpses playing ability is even after all of these years which is of course why they still remain one of the most relevant Death Metal bands to ever grace the earth.
Next we are still trapped with Caged...Contorted showcasing more speed, brutality and a song where the chorus works beautifully with the instrumentation to deliver utter Death Metal perfection. The solo on this song has a slower approach and is a favorite of mine from the album, as for the bass once again there is a constant speed element as Alex competes with Paul to get as crazy as possible.
After this, Crucifier Avenged launches in which is one of the only songs from the album which didn't particularly stick out for me. There is no way that this song is bad in any way, I just feel it isn't quite as good as some previous tracks. However it does serve as a little bit of a rest bite from the full force onslaught and just goes down as a bit of an average Death Metal track. It is nothing to be sniffed at and nothing which I think should be disliked, but just a song that is not quite on par with other material that this album provides.
Rabid soon kicks in however with all the instruments and vocals rushing in together, and vocals are something that are absolutely brilliant here. I highly enjoyed the chorus of this song and while simple, it is one to catch the ear and a real statement of Fisher's vocal ability. Alex also takes to the stage in this song once again providing his crushing bass and throwing in a few little solo sections here and there just for a little added effect, after ending the song with a little bass we are kicked into the final track.
Torn Through serves as a fair end to the album and is a good summery of what Corpse is all about. It brings you back to a similar style to that of the very first track Demented Aggression giving off a true idea of how Corpse play and what makes their songs so brilliant. The very end of this song is short and snappy and leaves you wanting more and at the same time in total awe of the brilliance of this album.
So after feeling almost weak after this forty minute Death Metal epic I can safely say that this is one of the best Corpse albums of recent times and I think it is leagues above Evisceration Plague. Plague was good, but after hearing Torture it feels like the start. Torture is an album which should defiantly be treasured and not forgotten. If you love Death Metal you most likely already have this, however if your new to the genre then this is a great place to begin, with songs that will stay with you for a long time and show why Death Metal is just so fucking awesome.
Rating: 9/10
ThatzNOTmetaL Reviews 2012
