Year: 2021
Total Time: 42:48
Label: Metal Blade
If someone told you that CANNIBAL CORPSE has sold over two million albums, would you believe him? You would be quite wrong if you don’ t, as it is a very pleasant reality and confirms that the band remains steady and firmly at the top of the Death Metal scene during the last years. Four years after the notable “Red Before Black”, they return this year with “Violence Unimagined”, which is the fifteen chapter in their blood-stained discography.
On the new album there is a significant difference in relation to their 2017 line-up, as the guitarist Pat O’Brien left the band (after a string of crazy actions) and his replacement is the awesome guitar player (and CANNIBAL COPRSE’ s producer for the last fifteen years), Eric Rutan (HATE ETERNAL, ex- MORBID ANGEL, ex- RIPPING CORPSE). As for Pat O’Brien’ s departure, the loss was enormous as he was an especially important member of the band who, for twenty years, was responsible in each record for two to five compositions and his phrenetic guitar playing influenced the band’s sound. So, the question was whether Rutan could fulfil that gap. The answer is given by him in “Violence Unimagined” with his three compositions and his general contribution.
The title of the new album is also representative of the violent musical experience during its aural enjoyment. The full-on assault begins with the two first songs “Murderous Rampage” and “Necrogenic Resurrection” with furious speeds dominating, as it is the case in the majority of “Violence Unimagined” ‘s compositions, where the Thrash Metal influences are quite evident. The frequency of blastbeats has decreased and Paul Mazurkiewicz plays in a more “old-fashioned” way allowing the compositions to “breathe”. The combination of speed and drums gives an immediacy and sustains the feeling of general aggression bringing to our mind the “Bloodthirst” and “Kill” albums, while tracks like the amazing first single “Inhumane Harvest” and “Bound and Burned” prove the band’s talent with their adventurous structure.
Of course, the mid-tempo moments with the devastating rhythm such as “Follow the Blood”, “Cerements of the Flayed” and “Condemnation Contagion” are present. The latter is Rutan’s composition, who has also wrote “Ritual Annihilation” and “Overtorture” (album’s most fast and savage song). It is impressive that the songs are completely identical to the CANNIBAL’s characteristic musical style proving more than convincingly not only Rutan’s excellent musicianship but also his increased adaptability, while his and Rob Barrett’s perverse riffs and solos sound well-worked and enjoyable. Another element that is impressive (and in this record) is the fact that the band sounds extreme but also technical at the same time and this is due to founding members Alex Webster and Paul Mazurkiewicz, whose rhythm section demolishes everything giving a huge wall of sound throughout its duration. As for George “Corpserinder” Fisher, who from 1995 transformed the band, he once again “destroys” microphones with his sick growls. Finally, Eric Rutan did an excellent job in the production (and in this record), while the extreme cover was edited by Vince Locke.
CANNIBAL CORPSE is a band that has never let us down and this tradition continues in the enjoyable “Violence Unimagined”, where they make our ears bleed again with the violent sound and cause heart attacks to the “sensitive” with their brutal Death Metal. The Americans continue strong and dedicated to the extreme paths they have forged for three decades, showing that no “obstacles” can stand in their way. As a conclusion, Eric Rutan has already made us forget about Pat O’Brien and “Violence Unimagined”‘s each song possess its own identifiable character and is the album that will help you avoid the annoying neighbors. We can say that 2021 finds the Cannibals passionate, alive and kicking, earning for one more time our admiration and respect.
Rating: 7,5/10
Editor: Nikos Manousis
Related Link: CANNIBAL CORPSE – Official Page
