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CATTLE DECAPITATION
Monolith Of Inhumanity

Metal Blade (2012)
Rating: 8/10

As a huge fan of The Locust, I have been following California’s Cattle Decapitation since one of my writers brought their Three.One.G seven-inch into my office and plopped it down on my desk. Over time though, the band evolved into something more than a seven-inch shock band and became one of the leaders of the current generation of underground metal.

Focusing on apocalyptic futures, mankind’s selfishness, the rise and subsequent prominence of technology in our society, and our inhumanity towards each other as a whole, Cattle Decapitation have never failed to have something valid and / or challenging to say, but over the last couple of albums I felt the band had hit a wall musically. Monolith Of Inhumanity goes a long way towards changing that perception.

One of the many things here that should be noted is the superb production of Dave Otero (Allegaeon / Cephalic Carnage). While I’ve never had much of a problem with the band’s prior production values, this one seems really crisp. You can hear every instrument completely distinctly and when it comes time to explode, the production really shines it up and makes you feel it.

‘A Living, Breathing Piece Of Defecating Meat’ is one of the better examples; it descends into chaos before hooking onto a pretty strong melody that appears and reappears at opportune times as the band delivers short burst riffs and insanely guttural vocals interspersed with near black metal shrieks.

‘Lifestalker’ is another excellent tune that makes you feel like the band has freshened themselves up a bit. The shrieking vocal this time is backed up by the guttural one, but what truly sets this tune apart is its wildly progressive approach with huge guitar leads and some intricate bass work. The last half of this song is probably the slowest the band has gone in their entire history.

Later, ‘The Monolith’ comes into play. At first it seems like it’s going to be an ambient piece but it builds into something very hard to describe but very, very cool. It leads the way into ‘Kingdom Of Tyrants’ which, aside from being almost five minutes long, reminds you of everything you dig about this band in one fell swoop, wonderfully incorporating elements old and new.

Not everything is great here. There are a few tracks that seem to go nowhere, like opener ‘The Carbon Stampede’ and ‘Gristle Licker’, but for the most part this album is on 11.

Part of me felt like the band had run their course and had become a bit of a novelty for metal fans, but Monolith Of Inhumanity is a breath of fresh, albeit technology and selfishness stenched, air and perhaps a new birth for Cattle Decapitation. I’m anxious to see where they take their sound next.

Mark Fisher

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