ABORT Magazine™

Album Review: Cannibal Corpse – Torture

CD Review: Cannibal Corpse
Torture
Metal Blade Records

For a band like Cannibal Corpse, one of the highest calibre brutal death metal bands in the world, there is a lot of pressure to deliver the best material of its career with every new release. No small feat considering the bar set early on with the now legendary Tombs of the Mutilated. Since then, much to the horror of its most vehement critics (mainly in the 1990s), Cannibal Corpse has proven that despite early and on-going accusations of exploiting violent themes to sell records, this sensationalism is only a superficial layer beneath which lies some of the best musicianship found in metal music and beyond.

With its twelfth studio release titled Torture, Cannibal Corpse unleashes yet another evolution in its long-cultivated signature style. The first track “Demented Aggression” introduces an extremely aggressive bass tone, so beastly and massive that it competes with Corpsegrinder’s guttural vocalizations. Alex Webster really stands out on this album. Take for instance “The Strangulation Chair”, (one of two tracks that feature a bass solo), which contains that brutal low end sound as well as crisp, clear higher tones that make their way to the forefront even in the midst of a complete aural onslaught.

Other highlights of Torture include an increase in melodic elements coming from the bass and the guitars: tracks such as “Sarcophagic Frenzy” and “Scourge of Iron” feature melodic guitar solos and clearly discernible melodic elements even in the most dense of parts. In regards to capturing the essence of each member’s sound and creating the best possible mix for the album, producer Erik Rutan (vocalist and guitarist for Hate Eternal) must be given his dues. He’s clearly perfected the formula after having already done a stellar job with the Kill (2006) and Evisceration Plague (2009).

Cannival Corpse

By Alxs Ness

WANT MORE ALBUM REVIEWS? CLICK HERE

Copyright © 2004-2012 ABORT Magazine. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of this publication, in whole or in part, in any form or medium without express written permission from Abort Media Publishing Corporation (AMP Corp.) is prohibited. All use is subject to our Terms of Use.

Comments are closed.