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CANNIBAL CORPSE
Chaos Horrific

Metal Blade (2023)
Rating: 8/10

If there is one thing I’ve learned from Cannibal Corpse it’s that their album covers just get goofier, but there is another, more important detail here on what is the legendary death metallers 16th full-length outing, and that’s the immense guitar work and general input of ex-Morbid Angel / ex-Ripping Corpse man Erik Rutan.

Since joining Cannibal Corpse in 2020 – although he was producing the band before that – Rutan’s style of play has added an extra dimension, and in turn bassist Alex Webster seems more inspired and motivated. This of course doesn’t mean that the American combo are spouting out experimental death metal, because this style remains the Cannibal Corpse we have always liked and sometimes loved. Even so, with Rutan’s involvement the band has stepped up a gear all round, shifting from a general pulverising consistency to something boasting extra violent vim.

Such qualities materialise on the twisted and semi-doomy ‘Blood Blind’ and the ominous ‘Summoned For Sacrifice’, which isn’t a world away from Slayer at their darkest and slowest. Elsewhere, there are still the standard brain bashers such as ‘Frenzied Feeding’, ‘Fracture And Refracture’ and the catchy ‘Vengeful Invasion’, but again all delivered with extra chunks.

Rather than seeing consistency as key, Cannibal Corpse propels itself into more aggressive and at times groove-laden dynamics. They still play to their strengths in creating thrashy death, but again Rutan brings something extra such as on the closing slab ‘Drain You Empty’. It’s nice also to see drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz expressing himself more and as a unit the combo just feels invigorated, so that while Chaos Horrific is still very much Cannibal Corpse there is a maniacal freshness and vigour.

The line-up and sound has become refreshed since Rutan became involved and that’s not just a relief for me but for the critics who might’ve sensed a stagnation brewing. Suddenly I find myself looking forward to the next batch of Cannibal Corpse records rather than dreading reviewing what was oh so quickly becoming generic.

Neil Arnold

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