Reviewed:
- Eaten Back to Life (1990)
- Butchered at Birth (1991)
- Tomb of the Mutilated (1992)
- The Bleeding (1994)
- Vile (1996)
- Gallery of Suicide (1998)
- Bloodthirst (1999)
- Live Cannibalism (2000, live album)
- Gore Obsessed (2002)
- Worm Infested (2003, EP)
- The Wretched Spawn (2004)
EATEN BACK TO LIFE 1990 (Metal Blade)
- Standouts: 'Shredded Humans', 'Put Them to Death', 'Mangled', 'Scattered Remains, Scattered Brains', 'Born in a Casket', 'Rotting Head', 'A Skull full of Maggots'
I've been holding back on reviewing Cannibal Corpse's catalogue for such a long time now. I've wanted to do it for years because I've owned pretty much all of their major releases for at least 15+ years now (i.e. when you have everything apart from their latest album at the time), and they're also the band that got me into death metal in the first place. But considering they have something like 16 studio albums under their belt at this point in time, and also the fact they're a band that have been generally stuck in their ways for such a long time (by the way, I don't think that's a bad thing), I just fear I'll end up repeating myself with most of these reviews for each album. Hell, pre-COVID, I did have a page dedicated to Cannibal Corpse - but it was such a poor quality read that I deleted it many years ago. So fuck it, I'm starting over. And anyway, I successfully managed to review a bunch of other mostly formulaic bands like Motorhead, Grave Digger, AC/DC, Saxon etc. (well, successful to me anyway), so how hard can it be?
A bit more personal backstory with me and Cannibal Corpse. I got into them in my later school years. I want to say I was 15 and in year 10 at school when I picked up their 2006 album Kill (at the time their latest release). I was massively into thrash at that point, but was obviously curious about death metal. I remember downloading their most famous track, 'Hammer Smashed Face', on LimeWire prior to actually buying Kill (naughty me) and initially not actually liking Chris Barnes' gutteral vocals. I loved the riffs, but I still wasn't digging death metal vocals at that point. So I just kept listening to that track over and over again until I did like it. And that's when I picked up Kill. From that point on I started getting into death metal (pretty sure I picked up Morbid Angel's Altars of Madness not long after) as well as adding more Cannibal Corpse albums to my collection and actually seeing them live for the first time in 2009 in Leamington Spa.
Eaten Back to Life is their 1990 debut, and despite me banging on about this band having a largely particular sound they've always stuck to, I will still say that some of their albums - particularly during the earlier Chris Barnes era - do have subtle differences that make them easier to differentiate from one another. For starters, although Eaten Back to Life is unquestionably old-school death metal at it's core, it's also their thrashiest record. That's not entirely surprising, given this was 1990 and death metal was still kind of a new thing at that point. Death metal was hugely influenced by thrash anyway, seeing as that was one of the most extreme forms of music prior. But there's a lot of riffs and structures on Eaten Back to Life that undoubtedly sound like thrash to my ears. 'Scattered Remains, Splattered Brains' would sound exactly like a classic Slayer tune if it weren't for the growling vocals of Chris Barnes. Same goes for tracks like 'The Undead Will Feast', 'Edible Autopsy' and the short, snappy 'Put Them to Death'. I think another part of the reason for the thrashier tones of the music (other than the fact it was released in 1990) is the tuning of the guitars. I'm not saying you can't play death metal in a higher tuning, but it definitely gives the music more of a thrashy edge.
That said, there's a lot of riffs on here that I can only be described as death metal - no more, no less. Combined with some pretty intense drumming from Paul Mazurkiewicz, there's plenty of brutality to be digested on songs like 'Shredded Humans', 'Rotting Head', 'Born in a Casket' and my personal favourite, 'Mangled'. I dunno why I've always liked 'Mangled' best, but I have done ever since I first heard it as a teenager. I think it might be that cool breakdown part towards the end of the song. In general, most of the songs are fast and furious in tempo with the odd mid-tempo, slower riffs here and there. I wouldn't describe any of the songs as particularly slow or doomy however - and they would come out with some crushingly heavy slow stuff here and there with later albums. Still, there aren't any bad songs on here, even if some are more memorable than others. 'A Skull Full of Maggots' has become kind of a classic, and is played pretty regularly by the band live to this day if I'm not mistaken. Oh yeah, and then there's the whole gore thing.
Aye, one thing that was already in place from the get-go with Cannibal Corpse was the gory artwork and hilariously over the top lyrics. Barnes would write even edgier lyrics than this on subsequent albums, sure, but to any person that's never heard a death metal album in their life, the lyrics and song titles on Eaten Back to Life along with the zombie eating it's own intestines on the album cover will no doubt appear to be quite extreme. But it's the band's whole schtick. Even though it's gotten some of their albums censored or even banned in countries like Australia and Germany, I'd argue it's only helped sales for them. I'm pretty sure they've sold more albums than any other band in death metal! And they were also a gateway band into the genre for a lot of metalheads, including myself. The gore/horror themes are of course, not to be taken seriously. The band themselves don't take it seriously, and neither should you. To be honest, it's something that baffles me at times. Everyone loves watching violent films and TV shows, video games and whatever else - but translate that to music and the average person just doesn't get it. Their loss! Mind you, I wouldn't want everyone to suddenly start listening to death metal overnight either.
The fact there's some obvious thrash tropes going on here automatically makes Eaten Back to Life one of the least heavy albums in this catalogue. But that's not a bad thing - for me personally, this one easily a top 10 in their discography. Not one of their best, but not one of their worst either (not that they have any legimately bad albums). The production isn't as crushing as a lot of their later stuff, but there's a charm to this album that I've always really enjoyed. It's as old-school as Cannibal Corpse gets. Like, the album is as technically-competent as you'd want from the band, the songs are packed full of riffs and gory imagery, Chris Barnes is gruff and growly throughout and the music kicks arse. But it still feels like they hadn't quite found their mojo yet due to the higher tuning and obvious influences from thrash bands like Slayer, Kreator and Sodom. It's all the more reason for me to spin this thing!
I own 2 copies of this thing. The first is my 2010 Metal Blade reissue CD, which I've had since about 2010 of course! The other is my 2025 vinyl reissue (again from Metal Blade). I spent a day in Birmingham in December last year between Christmas and New Years Eve to find a suit for my wedding in October this year (I found one thankfully!). Since I actually found the right one within about an hour of getting there, we had the rest of the day free - so me and my fiancée did a bit of shopping on the side. We went to a really cool shop in Digbeth called The Goth's Playground. It's kind of a general alternative/goth/witchy-type shop, but it does sell some metal shirts/patches and vinyl too. I bought this really nice LP reissue of Eaten Back to Life - I don't buy vinyl all that often, but I've always wanted something from Cannibal Corpse in that format, so I snatched it up.
Adam's rating: 8.2/10
BUTCHERED AT BIRTH 1991 (Metal Blade)
- Standouts: 'Meat Hook Sodomy', 'Gutted', 'Under the Rotted Flesh', 'Covered with Sores', 'Vomit the Soul', 'Butchered at Birth', 'Rancid Amputation', 'Innards Decay'
Let's just say this album isn't what you'd call "clean"! Pure rotten filth, that's what Butchered at Birth is. Of all their bloody album covers too, this sports the first one that always comes to my head when someone utters "Cannibal Corpse" for some reason. I think it might have been the first CC album cover I ever saw when browsing CDs back in school, so that could be why.
When it comes to the songs, well, things have changed a fair bit compared to Eaten Back to Life. There's no real thrash elements left in the music anymore, which isn't really surprising. If anything, Butchered at Birth sounds almost exactly how you'd expect it to, especially as a 1991 death metal album. Chris Barnes was already growling on the debut, but now he's in full gutteral mode; deeper, more gargly and certainly less legible unless you're reading the lyrics at the same time! I'm a fan of how he sounded on the first album, but considering the intensity of the music has been taken further now, Barnes had to match that style too. So that's what he did. In my humble opinion, he's not necessarily one of the best to ever do it, but I will give him a ton of credit for being one of the first.
Like I said, the intensity's been cranked up another notch, so the guitars are tuned lower and sound much heavier for it. And the riffs are death metal, and death metal only. More technically-impressive, but also much dirtier! They're much more twisted too - the opening riff to 'Gutted' for example, is just FUBAR! Yet it's also really catchy!! And the whole album is full of 'em. The thing about Cannibal Corpse is, their riffs are most definitely technical, even if they're not the most technical in their genre. Their vocals are most definitely extreme, even if other bands have gone further. The same goes for the drumming etc., but you always get that untouchable B-movie horror death metal experience because the way they write their songs is unqiue and instantly recognisable. And often catchy too. Songs like 'Covered with Sores', 'Under the Rotted Flesh' and 'Rancid Amputation' are a natural progression from Eaten Back to Life, and I love 'em. It's hard to remember all of them because let's be honest, this album has one running theme and style, and the band never detour from it. Yet whenever I listen to this album, I can always remember how a lot of these riffs go. That's what I mean when I say the band can be surprisingly catchy in their ways.
But really, what I like so much about Butchered at Birth is just the griminess of it all (in case you hadn't already guessed). I think this album made a huge impact on how they would approach songwriting with later albums, sure, but nothing else in this catalogue has quite the same sonic feel that this one does. I guess it's a combination of the production and the fact Chris Barnes was still in the band at this point. When you hit play on this album and 'Meat Hook Sodomy' blares from 'yer speakers, you're immediately met with this wall of filthy distortion for about 40 seconds before the song kicks in properly. Combined with a really distinctive but hard-hitting drum tone that sounds under-produced to my ears along with Barnes' vocals, and you have the sickest album in this catalogue. It's not their heaviest, it's not their most technical, and it's certainly not their best-produced either - but that's why the album sounds this way.
Weirdly, in all my years of listening to this band, I reckon I've listened to the debut probably twice as much as I have Butchered at Birth. Not sure why. BaB is clearly the superior album. That's not to say there aren't flaws here; as much as I enjoy the distinctive sound of this album, I'm glad they didn't produce all their albums this way. It's still not my absolute favourite CC album sonically, I just admire it's uniqueness. And songs-wise it's not their best either, even if there ain't any duffers to be found. Still, this is no doubt a great record that sounds exactly how you'd expect it to after one glance at the album cover!
Adam's rating: 8.5/10
TOMB OF THE MUTILATED 1992 (Metal Blade)
- Standouts: 'Hammer Smashed Face', 'I Cum Blood', 'Split Wide Open', 'Necropedophile', 'The Cryptic Stench', 'Entrails Ripped from a Virgin's Cunt', 'Beyond the Cemetary'
This album features such catchy ditties like 'Hammer Smashed Face', 'I Cum Blood', 'Entrails Ripped from a Virgin's Cunt' and 'Necropedophile', and for that reason I suppose you could say Tomb of the Mutilated is Cannibal Corpse's best-known album? I mean, they pretty much play 'I Cum Blood' at every concert, and 'Hammer Smashed Face' is their signature concert closing piece. It's also the Chris Barnes era CC album I default to most, even though I'm not the biggest fan of Scott Burns' production this time. That's not to say I think this is a poor-sounding record by any stretch of the imagination; in fact, like Butchered at Birth, I think Tomb has a unique sound of it's own as well. Paul Mazurkiewicz's drums sound great in fact, I think they cut through the mix without overbearing the songs (and have only gotten more technical and precise too). I just find the guitar tones on this album aren't as crushing as they could've been, because the riffs have only gotten better this time around. And Barnes' vocals seem to blend in with the instruments a little more this time too, and sound less prominent for it? I dunno. At least the bass sounds great, 'cos Alex Webster is one of the best players in the business.
As I said though, I default to Tomb of the Mutilated the most out of the Barnes era. The reason for that is simply because I like most of the songs better than on either of the previous 2 as well as (spoilers) it's follow-up, The Bleeding. Being more technical and playing to a higher standard doesn't automatically equal better songs, but I do think the fact the playing has gotten more complex still at this point does make the music better in this instance. They already started getting more technical instrumentally on Butchered at Birth, and they continued to do so on Tomb. Simply put, Jack Owen and Bob Rusay (this being Rusay's last effort with the band) crank out even better riffs this time around. This is evident the second 'Hammer Smashed Face' comes on for the first time. Same goes for songs like 'I Cum Blood' and the underrated 'The Cryptic Stench'. They're technical and heavy as fuck as this sort of death metal deserves, but there's also hints of groove in both the faster and slower riffs throughout the album that makes them catchy. BaB had catchy riffs too, yet somehow the guitars on Tomb are more technical and more catchy at the same time! That's a win if you ask me. And Alex Webster's bass playing is starting to play a bigger and more noticeable role within the songs too.
The production combined with the further-developed songwriting gives Tomb of the Mutilated it's own identity once again. This band would become very formulaic a little further down the line, but during the first 4 albums (the Chris Barnes era), the band certainly evolved. The debut was an old-school affair, Butchered at Birth was far dirtier and grimier, while Tomb of the Mutilated was actually the heaviest yet at the time, but also a bit cleaner and more professional in the production department. The key B-movie horror atmosphere remains intact however, thankfully. And while the song structures still pretty much consist of about a thousand riffs one after the other, they've just gotten better. Lyrically this album has gotten even more edgy and ridiculous too, but that was always the point. Really, had Tomb been mixed a little differently (beefier guitar tones and louder vocals), it'd be an easy 9/10 album for me. I'd still say this is my favourite of the Barnes years though, even if I don't think it's perfect. A death metal classic for sure.
Adam's rating: 8.9/10
THE BLEEDING 1994 (Metal Blade)
- Standouts: 'Staring Through the Eyes of the Dead', 'Fucked with a Knife', 'Stripped, Raped and Strangled', 'Pulverized', 'The Bleeding', 'Force Fed Broken Glass', 'An Experiment in Homicide'
The Bleeding ended up being Chris Barnes' last outing with Cannibal Corpse. Barnes was either fired or left to focus on his other band, Six Feet Under. Now there's a band I never cared much for. I mean, SFU's early stuff was okay, but they've become a meme in more recent years due to Barnes' declining vocal ability, his own outspoken attitude online and all those god-awful Graveyard Classics cover albums he kept insisting on putting out! Whatever your thoughts are on Chris Barnes, I think it's safe to say he was at least great in Cannibal Corpse. Integral too, as far as their early years went.
Funnily enough, The Bleeding was my least favourite of the Barnes period for many years. It's not uncommon to see this ranked as the best of that era (or at least second behind Tomb), so maybe I just found it to be a little overrated? Don't get me wrong - I don't think there's any such thing as a "poor" Cannibal Corpse album. I just never liked this one as much as the previous bunch for 1 reason or another. As I've gotten older though, it seems a little crazy to stick this below Eaten Back to Life (although I'm struggling to put it above Butchered at Birth). The Bleeding almost feels like the final blueprint for how the band would write albums from hereon in their career. And it's good! I still don't like it as much as Tomb of the Mutilated because I feel that one packs a little more punch, but whatever!
The songs feel a little more structured and well-rounded now. The riffs are still crushing and vary in tempo, but there's a noticeably even higher level of catchy grooves to be had in these songs, and instrumentally everything just flows that extra bit smoother too. That's not to say the songs have been stripped-back instrumentally either; this album is easily as technically-impressive as Tomb of the Mutilated, and certainly more proficient than the first 2 albums as well. I'm wondering if the addition of guitarist Rob Barrett had something to do with that? There's some really interesting and occasionally diverse riffage going on, especially on the title track and 'An Experiment in Homicide' which particular always impress me. Meanwhile, songs like 'Staring Through the Eyes of the Dead' and 'Stripped, Raped and Strangled' are memorable even after first listen. A lot of past songs took mutiple listens to really digest, but the one's found here not so much. I also think the production was maybe the best yet. The album has much more bass and low end than any of the previous 3, and also the guitar tones are murky and heavy (but still clear enough to easily make out every note). The drums could've sounded better, but they're audible enough. And the vocals are also balanced just right.
Speaking of the vocals, despite being gutteral, Barnes' lyrics are actually easier to decipher here than on Butchered at Birth or Tomb of the Mutilated. Whether or not that's a good thing is up to you. I'm indifferent. The lyrics being that little bit more audible kind of makes them feel less extreme in some ways, yet at the same time it takes a lot of skill to be as gutteral as this and still be able to make your words heard. Chris Barnes was great once upon a time, people! And according to Wikipedia, some fans find this album to be somewhat mild lyrically after the first 3. I mean sure, there's nothing on here as edgy as 'Entrails Ripped from a Virgin's Cunt' or 'Necopedophile' - but this is still a pretty daft complaint if you ask me. The Bleeding has song titles like 'Fucked with a Knife', 'Stripped, Raped and Strangled' and 'Force Fed Broken Glass' for crying out loud! Stupid complaint.
This isn't Cannibal Corpse selling out. This is effectively the band they were always inevitably going to evolve into. I'm not saying every single following album sounds identical to The Bleeding; for starters, they'd change vocalists after this one. And there's definitely albums to come that are far heavier still - but this was definitely an important record for the band in terms of songwriting and style. I'll admit this still isn't one of my all-time favourite CC albums, but the riffs and grooves they laid down on these tracks are really hard not to love!
Adam's rating: 8.3/10
VILE 1996 (Metal Blade)
- Standouts: 'Devoured by Vermin', 'Mummified in Barbed Wire', 'Disfigured', 'Bloodlands', 'Puncture Wound Massacre', 'Relentless Beating', 'Eaten from Inside', 'Monolith'
Out goes Chris Barnes and in comes George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher - the man with quite possibly the largest neck in the world! I'm certain there's Barnes fans out there who think this band should not exist without him, but I think the average Cannibal Corpse fan these days only has good things to say about Corpsegrinder. For starters, he's still with the band to this day, has recorded 12 albums with them, and his vocal ability hasn't declined in any considerable way unlike a certain Barnes. I think the Chris albums are all great, and (spoilers) I can't say the same for every album with George - although there isn't any such thing as a bad CC album, just sayin'. But on the whole I'm a bigger fan of Corpsegrinder. I have less attachment to Barnes. 2006's Kill was my first Cannibal Corpse album which I bought around '07, and every time I've seen this band live (I want to say about 6 times since 2009), Corpsegrinder has been present of course.
The thing about George is that he isn't trying to sound like Chris. I'd agree that Barnes is maybe better at that low gutteral sound (at least in the '90s), but I don't think he has the same diversity that George does. Corpsegrinder goes for a low, growling roar - which suits the music perfectly - but he also likes to throw in these higher, raspy screams that just adds another level of derangement that the music deserves. If you ask me, the band found a perfect replacement in Corpsegrinder.
So Vile was his first effort with the 'Corpse then, and I'm always surprised to see this one so low down in peoples' ranking lists. It's not rare at all too see it garner criticism, and I've never really understood why. Maybe I'm a bit biased towards Vile; I know for a fact this one was one of the first CC albums I got my hands on after Kill, and it's one I actually return to fairly often in terms of this catalogue. To me, this album is just as good as, if not better than a fair whack of the rest of their discography. It feels like a natural follow-up to The Bleeding. The vocals are different of course, and Corpsegrinder lets you know that with his throat-shredding scream at the very beginning of album opener 'Devoured by Vermin', which just happens to be one of my favourite CC tracks of all time. It's fast, brutal, and oddly catchy like a lot of CC tracks should be. And there's tons of other killer numbers to sink your teeth into here; 'Mummified in Barbed Wire' is a 'banger, and 'Bloodlands' has some really cool transitions (including a brief moment of pure doom towards the end of the song, thanks to Alex Webster and his bass). 'Puncture Wound Massacre' is a short but pummelling cut, 'Monolith' is a chugging beast and 'Relentless Beating' is a show-offy instrumental in terms of technicality, but also an instrumental that totally TEARS ARSE! Oh, and I appreciate the soloing near the start of 'Eaten from Inside', it's a breath of fresh before the song once again starts hammering rusty nails into the middle of your face!! To be fair, there's maybe a bit more soloing going on in general on Vile, just listen to 'Absolute Hatred' to see what I mean. I'm not talking about tasteful solos, I'm talkin' shreddy yet messy solos that only add to the music!
I'm a fan of the production here too, again courtesy of Scott Burns. The album has a lot of bass grunt to it, the guitar tones are thick and heavy in distortion - but the riffs can easily be made out. Also, the drums sound excellent and never overpower the rest of the instruments. In general I might even say this was their best-sounding record at the time of release. If you disagree with that, fine. Whatever. The production may also play a large part in the reason why I enjoy Vile so much, actually.
It's honestly quite hard to pick any serious holes with Vile. This is also true for quite a few of their albums. It mostly boils down to things like production, or just number of memorable songs/riffs. Well, I suppose I can criticise the fact not all the riffs on Vile are necessarily memorable, but all the songs are still good. And again, I think there are better Cannibal Corpse than this one, but there's also worse. Vile didn't reinvent the wheel for them (although it did introduce their new vocalist), but it certainly didn't hinder them in any way after the success The Bleeding. In my opinion anyway. In fact, I still find myself listening to Vile more often than I do The Bleeding. The songs aren't that much better than what the predecessor cooked up, but since I still turn to Vile more than I do said predecessor, a slightly higher score is in order here! Just a totally rock-solid effort in their catalogue, and I will reiterate the fact I don't really understand why Vile often gets criticised online.
I have the Metal Blade 25th Anniversary Edition. It's not an anniversary in celebration of Vile though, because it came out in 2007! No, it's an anniversary for the Metal Blade record label. Not sure why they decided to celebrate it via this specific album, but whatever! Anyhow, it comes packaged in a nice slipcase and a bonus DVD of a concert filmed at The Berkeley Square in 1997 (which I think is in San Francisco, according to Google AI). I haven't watched this in years, because I don't really touch DVDs anymore, but when I bought this album in college about 17/18 years ago, I remember enjoying it. Sound quality wasn't great, but it was interesting to see Corpseginder doing his thing way back in the '90s.
Adam's rating: 8.4/10
GALLERY OF SUICIDE 1998 (Metal Blade)
- Standouts: 'I Will Kill You', 'Disposal of the Body', 'Sentenced to Burn', 'Gallery of Suicide', 'From Skin to Liquid', 'Centuries of Torment'
Considering how well this band are known for their grotesque album covers, it's surprising how good any of their censored one's are. I actually prefer Gallery of Suicide's censored cover more than I do the naughty one. And as for the album itself, it's one of the one's I don't often reach for. Most criticisms I have with any of Cannibal Corpse's albums normally isn't down to the quality of the music. I think all their records are good, it's just that I may have some niggles regarding production, or the fact there just aren't as many absolute peak tracks on them. But the music is never poor. Like, ever.
In the case of Gallery of Suicide, I guess I just can't pick as many obvious standouts here as any of the previous albums. I'm wondering if the fact this one has 14 songs on it has something to do with this? As of 2026, it's still the CC album with the highest number of tracks. A handful of them are on the shorter 1-2 minute length, but it makes the album a bit harder to remember for me. But hey, I hadn't listened to this album in years, and as soon as I span it again for this review, I could immediately pick out a few choice cuts that have practically always been in rotation for me whenever I feel like hearing some Cannibal Corpse. I mean, you can't go wrong with opener 'I Will Kill You'. Firstly, it's title is about as straight to the point as can be. Secondly, the breakdown near the end of this track is savage! 'Sentenced to Burn' totally bulldozes. And the title track was a little bit different for them too; it's still gonna tear you a new one of course, but it has all these dark, brooding riffs on it too. Very cool! I also really like the sludgy, doomy and atmospheric instrumental 'From Skin to Liquid'. Yeah it's slow as fuck, but it still has that signature Cannibal Corpse horror atmosphere written all over it. I think 'Centuries of Torment' is very cool too. Again, it's devastating, but the guitars have this strangely melodic, yet twisted nature about them.
I'll remind you again, the reader, that none of these tracks are weak. 'Unite the Dead' and 'Every Bone Broken' maybe qualify as filler, but they're still Cannibal Corpse just being Cannibal Corpse. I don't like the way 'Crushing the Despised' ends so abruptly either. And again, the fact there's more songs on here this time around makes them a little more difficult to take in. Another gripe I have with Gallery of Suicide is the sound of the drums. I'll never complain about Paul Mazurkiewicz as a drummer, but the way these drums settle in the mix is a little too weak and clean-sounding. Not the worst the drums have ever sounded on a CC record (there's an album from much later on that's far worse for this), but not quite as hard-hitting as I'd like either. The bass is a tad lacking as well, but I will at least say that the guitar tones are great - as good as they were on Vile. To be honest, it probably sounds like I'm dissing the production as a whole, but in actuality I think this album sounds pretty good overall. It's just not one of my favourites of theirs in that regard, is all.
Like so many other formulaic bands with large discographies, there's always gonna be a handful of albums that I never give as much attention to as others. I guess Gallery of Suicide is one of them. But there's nothing majorly wrong here either. The playing on it is great as always - the riffs are as crushing and heavy as you'd want them to be, as is the technicality of the instrumentation in general. There's plenty of catchy grooves to be had on practically every song too, which is what this band do so well. Corpsegrinder's vocals are as nasty as always. He's given better performances, but he's also (probably) done worse too. Yeah. I can hardly call Gallery of Suicide "essential" Cannibal Corpse, but you know, it is still Cannibal Corpse at the end of the day. And it's very good! Totally recommended, just not one of their best in my humble opinion.
Adam's rating: 7.7/10
BLOODTHIRST 1999 (Metal Blade)
- Standouts: All of it!
Ahh, now this is the dog's bollocks! After the longer-than-usual Gallery of Suicide, we're back to 11 tracks in total here, and a shorter play time of 34 minutes. That means all killer, no filler. Yeah the songs are pretty short; the longest is just 4 minutes and 11 seconds ('Hacksaw Decapitation'), but it's crazy just how many kick-arse riffs Jack Owen and Pat O'Brien crammed into such a short album! 'Pounded Into Dust' is one of their best ever openers, it'll rip 'yer throat out with it's brutality! Same goes for 'Dead Human Collection', and the utterly pulverising yet massively groovy 'Unleashing the Bloodthirsty'! That fancy, tappy guitar part in the middle of 'The Spine Splitter' is oh-so cool as well! To be fair, the playing in general feels that extra bit more special on Bloodthirst. There's lots of little guitar and bass playing techniques scattered throughout the songs that make all the difference, yet don't detract from the sheer heaviness of the music. You can the technicality of the riffage/composition in all the songs I've just mentioned, as well others like 'Ecstasy in Decay', 'Raped by the Beast', 'Blowtorch Slaughter' and 'Sickening Metamorphosis'. Technicality does not always make death metal better; for example, it's not wrong to prefer the raw ugliness of a band like Autopsy over the technical brutality of a band like Suffocation. I just feel that Cannibal Corpse upped their game a little in terms of playing ability on Bloodthirst, and the album is only better for it.
Bloodthirst rarely slows down. It has some mid-tempo chuggy moments (usually filled with groove), sure, but in my opinion this was the heaviest album they ever made at the time. I did like some of the slower, doomier moments of Gallery of Suicide, but I'm never gonna be opposed to Cannibal Corpse going all-out with the rage like they did here. It also helps that I consider this to be the best-produced CC album they had going by 1999 too. Not the best in their entire discography as of 2026, but at the time I think it was for sure. The instruments are all mixed just right; I can't moan about the drums being too quiet/loud, or the guitar tones being weaker than they should be etc.. Nope, the guitar tones are spot-on, Alex Webster's bass playing is audibly awesome and Paul Mazurkiewicz's pounding drums sound the best yet. I can't really say Corpsegrinder sounds any better here than he did on Vile or Gallery of Suicide, but then again I think ol' George has always been pretty consistent with his vocals on every CC album.
It may seem surprising to slap a higher score on this than an album like Tomb of the Mutilated, which almost everyone considers to be a classic. I don't think the songs on Bloodthirst are necessarily better than the songs on Tomb (although they're certainly not worse), but the tip-top production elevates this album for me. And I just feel that the songwriting here was the most focused of all their albums for the time. Even if Bloodthirst still follows the same generic formula as all their other releases, when they're really on it like they are here, then that formula really proves why this band have won over so many death metal fans.
Adam's rating: 9.1/10
LIVE CANNIBALISM 2000 (Metal Blade)
Live Cannibal Corpse are a force to be reckoned with. I've seen them a bunch of times over the years (although it's been a while as of 2026), and I have to say that when I first saw them in 2009 as a 17 year old kid on the European Plague tour with Dying Fetus in support, I was blown away. Still one of the best gigs I've ever been to. Yeah okay, it was my first death metal show - so some bias no doubt plays a part in why I enjoyed it so much. But every time I've seen this band since, they've always killed it. And that's exactly what they're doing on this live album - killin' it on stage in Milwaukee back in 2000. The songs sound even more brutal in the live setting. You get an even greater sense of fury from Paul's drumming and blastbeats, Corpsegrinder roars his way through the setlist, Alex's basslines add a ton of "oomph" to the songs, and the guitars are full of meaty distortion and even the use of feedback between songs is expertly timed. It all adds up to make one killer slab of live death metal.
The setlist is great too. 18 tracks in total; a nice mixture of Barnes and Corpsegrinder-era tunes, and George himself handles the old Barnes material just fine. He adds his own touches to them of course, but it takes nothing away from the originals. All the usual classics are on here - 'Hammer Smashed Face', 'Stripped, Raped and Strangled', 'I Cum Blood', 'Devoured by Vermin', 'A Skull Full of Maggots' etc., and seeing as they had less albums out in 2000, there's some deeper cuts from those early Corpsegrinder albums to be found here too. Songs such as 'Blowtorch Slaughter', 'Gallery of Suicide', 'Perverse Suffering' and the like. Really can't complain at all for a setlist of this calibre given the year it was recorded. The only thing I can really moan about is I'm not often in the mood to listen to death metal live albums - as much as I love live albums, I tend to gravitate more towards straight-up heavy metal or hard rock bands more than I do extreme metal. It's just a preference when it comes to live albums for whatever reason. Still, of all the extreme metal albums I do revisit, this one is up there.
Adam's rating: 9/10
GORE OBSESSED 2002 (Metal Blade)
- Standouts: 'Savage Butchery', 'Hatchet to the Head', 'Pit of Zombies', 'Dormant Bodies Bursting', 'Compelled to Lacerate', 'Hung and Bled', 'When Death Replaces Life'
The forgotten Cannibal Corpse album? I haven't listened to it much at all over the years. I was even just looking at band statistics on Setlist.fm, and Gore Obsessed is the album they've touched the least in the live setting. In that crappy deleted post I made many years ago where I first reviewed Cannibal Corpse's discography ("reviewed" is being generous), I'm pretty sure I ranked this one at the bottom. If not stone-dead last, then somewhere dangerously close. It's not that I thought it was straight-up bad, 'cos yet again I'll remind you that there is no such thing as a weak Cannibal Corpse album. It's just that I treated this particular album as one of those records that's kinda just, ya know, there. But hearing Gore Obsessed again for the first time in many a year, I can honestly say this one deserves more attention. It starts off with a hattrick of terrifically deranged songs - 'Savage Butchery', 'Hatchet to the Head' and 'Pit of Zombies'. Speaking of Setlist.fm, I see that 'Pit of Zombies' actually made it's way back into the live set last year (for good reason), so it seems that this album has been getting some attention from the band recently.
There's plenty more strong material to be found here too. How about the frantic assault that is 'Dormant Bodies Bursting', or the utterly bruising 'Compelled to Lacerate'? 'Hung and Bled' is as maniacal as ever! And 'Mutation of the Cadaver' slams!! Meanwhile, 'When Death Replaces Life' brings back some of the dark, doomy atmosphere of Gallery of Suicide. You can't really go wrong with any of these tracks, unless you really waste too much time dissecting them to a tee. I will admit that it's hard to really call any of them "peak Cannibal Corpse"; there's definitely albums far better than this one in the discography, but all in all the bulk of Gore Obsessed still provides me with my CC fix. To be honest, I realised it's not really the songs themselves that hold back this album in any way, it's a particular aspect of the production that annoys me. *Cough* The drums! *Cough*. Yeah, the drums have this weirdly glossy, almost plastic-y sound to them that takes away from the fury of the songs a tad, in my opinion. I've heard far-worse sounding drums for sure (this is no St. Anger), and I'm not saying they sound horrible or anything like that. They just don't pack the same punch as any other aspect of this album's production - especially after the monstrous production that Bloodthirst boasted. Everything else sounds pretty great to me. The guitar tones are as chunky as ever, and as usual I cannot fault George's vocals and the way they've been integrated into the mix.
If it weren't for that niggling issue, I think Gore Obsessed would probably sit comfortably alongside Vile for me. The songs are great, even if they're not amongst their best. They kick arse and the band show no signs of slowing down. The music has not been stripped down or simplified in anyway - they're still playing technically-complex music, yet they're not being show off-y about it either. I was initially going to score this a 7.9/10, meaning I think it's very nearly great. But even with that mediocre drum sound, I still think Gore Obsessed is a great album. Much better than I remembered, and I definitely like it more than Gallery of Suicide these days.
Adam's rating: 8/10
WORM INFESTED (EP) 2003 (Metal Blade)
- Standouts: 'Systematic Elimination', 'Worm Infested', 'The Undead Will Feast'
There's 2 Cannibal Corpse EPs out there - the Hammer Smashed Face EP from 1993 (which I don't own a copy of), and this, 2003's Worm Infested. Until just a few days ago, I had never listened to this disc, which is weird because I have heard the Hammer Smashed Face EP before. I was well aware of Worm Infested's existence since I first started getting into Cannibal Corpse way back when, I just never bothered to seek a copy until starting this new blog post. I don't think I've ever seen a copy of this for less than £10, and considering it is just an EP, I suppose it was never high up on the priority list. But hey, the last time I bought anything CC-related that I didn't already have (my vinyl LP of Eaten Back to Life which I bought last year doesn't count) was when Chaos Horrific dropped in 2023, so I went on Discogs and bought a brand new copy of Worm Infested for £12. Still kind of pricey for what it is I guess, but it's nice to have something new from this band in the collection.
So anyway, there's 6 tracks in total here. 2 are originals ('Systematic Elimination', 'Worm Infested'), 3 are covers ('Demon's Night' - Accept, 'Confessions' - Possessed, 'No Remorse' - Metallica), and 1 is a re-recording of an oldie ('The Undead Will Feast'). The new tracks are just plain ol' Cannibal Corpse, so what more do you want? They could have easily fit on Gore Obsessed or Vile. Just the band up to their usual tricks, bringing the blood-soaked brutality to a stereo near you!! But in all seriousness, they're really good. 'Systematic Elimination' is fast, tight, technical... brutal. You know the drill. 'Worm Infested' is a nice mix of mid-tempo crushing riffs and fast-paced savagery. And the re-recording of 'The Undead Will Feast' - originally from Eaten Back to Life - is cool too. It still sounds like an old-school CC number, because it is. But the higher production values combined with Corpsegrinder's vocals give it a fresh coat of paint. Speaking of production, the EP sounds pretty similar to Gallery of Suicide or Bloodthirst, and is pretty hard to fault in that regard.
It's the covers that I'm on the fence with. I don't mind cover songs depending on which band is actually performing them (and the choice of song of course), but I'm not really a big fan of when death metal bands have a go at covering classic heavy metal bands. I was never even that keen on Death's cover of Judas Priest's 'Painkiller'; everyone else seems to rave about it. Nor do I particularly enjoy Cannibal Corpse's own cover of Black Sabbath's 'Zero the Hero' from the Hammer Smashed Face EP years before. So Cannibal Corpse covering Accept's 'Demon's Night' doesn't do a lot for me. It's not a terrible rendition by any means, it just doesn't get my juices flowing. A lot of people seem to really dig their cover of 'No Remorse', originally found on Metallica's debut, Kill 'Em All. Again, me not so much. I love Metallica, I don't need to hear Cannibal Corpse cover them. But I won't say it's terrible either. It's a fun novelty if nothing else. I do at least think the cover of Possessed's 'Confessions' is rather cool however. Possessed are obviously a death metal band anyway, but Corpsegrinder actually sings this in a higher-pitched throaty way that is a bit closer to Jeff Becerra than his own signature tone.
Half this disc is great, the other half is decent, but more of a novelty to my ears. Still a good EP at the end of the day however, if inessential. Hardcore fans and collectors should absolutely track it down. Casual fans might just wanna stream this one.
Adam's rating: 7/10
THE WRETCHED SPAWN 2004 (Metal Blade)
- Standouts: 'Severed Head Stoning', 'Psychotic Precision', 'Frantic Disembowelment', 'The Wretched Spawn', 'Festering in the Crypt', 'Slain'
Another fun-filled, jolly little record full of songs about rainbows, unicorns and fluffy critters! I'm kidding of course. The Wretched Spawn is pretty much exactly what you were expecting from Cannibal Corpse. It was also the last album with founding guitarist Jack Owen, who went on to join Deicide for a number of years, and more recently reunite with Chris Barnes in Six Feet Under... although why anyone would want to play in Six Feet Under in 2026 is baffling. Not to take anything away from Mr. Owen (he played on and contributed to many a great CC album), but in my opinion Cannibal Corpse haven't declined in any way since his departure. Still, there's no denying that his last outing with this band is another great one.
It's funny I should say that, because like Gore Obsessed and Gallery of Suicide, The Wretched Spawn is another one of those albums in this catalogue that hasn't actually received a lot of attention from me in all my years of owning it. And I've owned this album for a long time now. It's not the production, because unlike Gore Obsessed, The Wretched Spawn's sounds pretty damn great in almost every respect. We're talking Bloodthirst levels of greatness here, pretty much. The guitar tones have tons of crunchy/nasty distortion, but are still clean enough to make out the complexity of the riffs. There's plenty of bass and the drums sound organic. Maybe, just maybe George's vocals are mixed a tad too high, but I could just be looking for something to complain about there. The production is really hard to fault, and there's still better-sounding Cannibal Corpse albums out there than this one!
Nah, the production has nothing to do with why this album has never really been a go-to CC record for me. I think this time it's probably just a lack of more memorable songs? They're all good of course, because Cannibal Corpse are largely a 1-trick pony - and this is a heavy album alright. I just find it harder to pick out standout riffs/catchy passages on this one, and I think it's more to do with the pacing of the album than anything else. There's a lot of really fast songs around the start of the record this time - 'Severed Head Stoning', 'Psychotic Precision', 'Frantic Disembowelment'... these are all really fast, slaying numbers that will absolutely wreck you. Great stuff, I just don't like how they've all been plonked one after the other at the very beginning of the album. It's not until song number 5 - the title track itself - that we get any sort of mid-tempo groove/chugging. To be fair, the band do mix it up a little later on in the album to, like on the doomy 'Festering in the Crypt'. I'd also probably say that this was the most technically-complex CC album at the time, in terms of instrumentation, and I sometimes wonder if that positively or negatively affects how memorable the riffs are.
Hmm. Unlike Gore Obsessed, which was better than I remembered, my opinion of The Wretched Spawn hasn't changed all that much. I struggle to remember a lot of the tracks on the second half of this album, except maybe the bulldozing 'Slain'. It's one of those albums that is 100% Cannibal Corpse in every sense of word, but a lot of the songs just go in one ear and out the other. Yet I don't feel the urge to skip them either! Ughh, I'm struggling to settle on a rating for this one too! The production is excellent which definitely counts for something. And the songs are good, but not great. I suppose I'm just gonna have to be honest and say that I like this one less than everything else that came before it (apart from the Worm Infested EP of course). I can't see myself returning to this album anytime soon, and the fact I still feel the same way about it now as I did whenever the hell I first got it probably means it'll never become a favourite. That's not to say I don't like it. I do. I think my views are not really common opinion of this album, judging by other peoples' rankings - but that's just the way I feel about it!
When all is said and done though, when I am ever not going to recommend a Cannibal Corpse album?
Adam's rating: 7.6/10
Monday, 17 August 2026
CANNIBAL CORPSE
Monday, 3 August 2026
Random albums I want to talk about #7: CARPATHIAN FOREST - Morbid Fascination of Death (2001, Peaceville)
In this series of posts I'll discuss a random album in my collection I feel like talking about!
Okay, so I may not think as highly of Carpathian Forest as I do other Norwegian black metal bands like Emperor, Mayhem or Darkthrone. But there's still a lot to like about them. They certainly have their own unique charm without feeling like they try too hard. Yes, their lyrics are often pretty ridiculous. CF are edgelords no doubt, but it's quite clear that they don't take themselves too seriously either. There's something fun about CF, kinda like how Darkthrone don't really take themselves all that seriously these days either! Yet they're still a legit respected black metal band from the same scene as all the other legendary bands to come out of the Norway in the early 90s. They still don the corpsepaint and dress the same way a lot of their contemporaries do, but they still have a personality of their own.
I'm all for raw lo-fi black metal production and trebly tremolo-picked riffing, but Carpathian Forest aren't really about all that. They have an almost black n' roll feel to their music, and a lot of their riffs have much in common with the Venom/Celtic Frost/Hellhammer-style of black metal to my ears. And that is certainly the case on Morbid Fascination of Death. The riffs are quite often big and beefy, thrashy, pummelling or even doomy. And old-school of course. That's not to say you don't get segments of the more frantic-style that is typical of second-wave black metal (for instance, like on the title track and also parts of 'Knokkelmann'), I'm just saying that CF quite often bring that more classic style of black metal to their scene. Combined with some frenetic drumming however, and CF are just as intense as the rest of their contemporaries. And a bit less serious too of course!
Most of the duration of this album is a good time for me. I totally appreciate the way they approach their riffs - it's the first thing I think of when someone mentions Carpathian Forest, and what makes them standout for me. Vocalist R. Nattefrost gets the job done too. It's hard to really pick out any notably distinguishing features when it comes to his vocals; he's maybe a bit generic in that he sounds like so many other black metal vocalists with his raspy, harsh tone - but like I said, he gets the job done. It's hard to really pick holes with him even if he's not really doing anything you've not heard before. You do get some more atmospheric moments here and there too, such as on the foreboding 'A World of Bones'. Kind of expected from a black metal band of this ilk, and they pull it off rather well too, even if other bands have done it better.
The production is one of the best aspects of Morbid Fascination of Death. I feel the same way about the other 2 CF albums I've got in my collection too. As I said earlier, I'm totally in favour of a raw, lo-fi black metal sound depending on the band in question, but it wouldn't work in Carpathian Forest's favour. Their riffs are too punchy and meaty, and I feel like a raw production would kill the intended vibe of these songs. So the production is actually a bit cleaner here than what you'd typically expect from a lot of other black metal bands. Not clean in a way that's particularly modern or over-produced, no, it just means the guitar tones are thick and hefty (as they should be considering the band's approach to riff-writing), and the rest of the instruments are mixed in a way that is comfortably audible to the listener.
The band aren't afraid to experiment, but sometimes they go a little too far for my liking. I really can't get on board with the saxophones (!!) on the second-to-last track 'Cold Comfort'. The strange, mystical atmosphere of this track has potential, but the sax kinda kills it for me. It also goes on for at least 2 minutes longer than it needs to, and I almost always skip it about half-way. The same goes for the final song, 'Speechless'. Okay, there's no sax on this one (just pianos instead), and the song is all about slow, spacey atmosphere once again... but it doesn't really go anywhere, and I just think ending on 2 back-to-back atmospheric songs was the wrong call. Had 'Speechless' been followed-up by something hard and nasty, it'd feel like it has more purpose on the album. That's my opinion anyway.
All in all though, this is a strong effort from Carpathian Forest. A couple of filler tracks at the end bring it down a bit, and I think Black Shining Leather and Strange Old Brew also suffer from a couple of filler numbers too (BSL had that random cover of The Cure's 'A Forest' tacked on the end - I could do without it). And although there's aspects of this band that others do better (mostly vocals and atmosphere), I really do enjoy CF's approach to riffs and the overall ridiculousness of the lyrics/attitude. Of the 3 CF albums I have in my collection, Morbid Fascination of Death ranks in the middle for me. They don't have the biggest catalogue - 5 studio albums in total and a pretty notable compilation (We're Going to Hell for This). I'm not in a rush to collect the rest of their albums, but I like this band enough to pick them up if I see them for sale at a reasonable price.
Adam's rating: 7.6/10
Wednesday, 29 July 2026
Random albums I want to talk about #6: GRAVE PILGRIM - Molten Hands Reach West (2022, EP, Death Prayer Records)
In this series of posts I'll discuss a random album in my collection I feel like talking about!
Grave Pilgrim certainly have their own brand and sound musically, and you can hear it across all 3 of their main studio albums. For me however, I feel Molten Hands Reach West summarises the band best. It's a perfect gateway into Grave Pilgrim's music. They are unquestionably black metal in sound and character, but they fuse old folky/bluesy Americana influences into their style of black metal, with plenty of melody to go with it. It's almost like listening to Old West black metal! That's the vibe I often get when I listen to Grave Pilgrim, but in particular this EP. It's good. It's sooo good!
The folk/blues-type styles seem to go hand-in-hand with the raw yet melodic black metal the band play. It doesn't feel like their trying too hard, nor does it feel like a gimmick in any shape or form. For example, the powerful BM of 'Forged in the Fires of a Setting Sun' is seamlessly followed-up by the masterful acoustic piece that is 'John Glanton's Bones' - it sounds like it could have come from a Sergio Leone Spaghetti Western! Those Americana-style blues and folk influences are also particularly notable on the instrumental intro 'Sanguine Dawn' and 'Blood Memory', as well as the superb 'Young Hickory'. 'Young Hickory' is almost entirely traditionally blues/folk-based in terms of it's instrumentation, but the raw production, dirty overdriven guitars and dark, muted vocals are what give the track it's black metal edge. Excellent stuff.
Even the more "typically black metal" songs - 'Molten Hands Reach West', 'Forged in the Fires of a Setting Sun' and 'Hard to be a God' - standout from the crowd. They're more metallic in the traditional black metal sense than 'Young Hickory' of course, but Grave Pilgrim still write riffs in a way that make use of bluesy licks and extremely memorable melodies that with any of the tremolo-picked riffs that is textbook black metal. These tracks are riffy, and even if the production is appropriately raw, every note/chord/lick is audible - and since there's actually quite a lot going on within these 3 songs, that's a good thing. The vocals are as raspy and grim as you'd expect; maybe they're a tad too low in the mix audibly, but I don't think the vocals are necessarily supposed to be at the forefront of the songs anyway. If anything, they serve more as atmosphere - that's how I perceive them anyway.
This genre has become one of my favourites over the past few years (it only took about 16 years!) - I've liked black metal since my late teens, but I've only really grown to love it as I've gotten older. I've gotten hold of quite a lot of black metal albums over the past few years from bands old and new. Some of these I like a lot, sure, but but when I bought The Bigotry of Purpose earlier this year, I immediately picked up the rest of their main catalogue immediately afterwards. I pre-ordered this year's The Pungent Wine of Pride on vinyl too (it was released at the end of May). That's how much I liked Grave Pilgrim's music. I get a totally different and unique vibe/atmosphere from this band that I don't get with other black metal bands. It's not like I want every BM band to sound like Grave Pilgrim of course, I just appreciate bands that go out the extra mile to sound that little bit different. And as much as I really enjoy their full-length albums, it's this EP - Molten Hands Reach West - that I seem to return to the most. It's like a bite-sized looksee into their catalogue, and that's how an EP should work! Very cool stuff.
Please bear in mind that I'm reviewing this based on the fact it is an EP and not a full-length studio album. The 9/10 rating doesn't mean it's necessarily better than their full-lengths. It just means it's a really fucking strong EP!
Adam's rating: 9/10
Thursday, 23 July 2026
Random albums I want to talk about #5: BACHMAN-TURNER OVERDRIVE - Not Fragile (1974, Mercury)
In this series of posts I'll discuss a random album in my collection I feel like talking about!
So many music-based YouTubers out there have made "Top 100 albums" lists, and I have no idea how they do it. I could make a long list of my own favourite albums, but I'd never be able to number them. And as for a "Top 100 songs" list, well, that's even more difficult! I have hundreds, maybe even thousands of favourite tracks!! One song that would definitely make that list for me is Canadian group Bachman-Turner Overdrive's 'You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet'. I LOVE that song. And the album it appeared on, 1974's Not Fragile ain't too shabby either!
Not Fragile is actually quite a heavy album for it's time. BTO are not a heavy metal band, but it's fair to call this album hard rock. Riffy hard rock with the occasional blues/boogie influence, a bit like a heavier Status Quo maybe? The opening title track kicks arse! It's a slow, lumbering number with a fantastically heavy guitar and bass riff that drives the track along. And 'Rock Is My Life, and This Is My Song' is a stupendous hard rock anthem. The verses are melodic and mellow which build up to the fist-pumping chorus, which is completely awesome. '70s heavy rock rules! 'Roll On Down the Highway' achieved some success as a single, and you can see why. A very strong and upbeat hard rocker with some blues influence and plenty of great gooks to go with it.
'You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet' was obviously the big hit from this album, and the BTO song that most people know. As I said, it's one of my favourite tracks of all time - which is admittedly a rather long list, but it's on there! Randy Bachman's vocals are ridiculously catchy, and I genuinely don't think the song would have had the same impact if it weren't for the stuttering chorus!! It's part of it's charm. Musically, the verses are actually pretty melodic guitars-wise, but the chorus has those simplistic yet powerfully heavy BTO riffs that you want. An S-tier 70s rock tune for me personality!! My second favourite track from this album is easily 'Sledgehammer'. Absolute banger! Like 'Rock Is My Life, and This Is My Song', there's some mellowness in the verse, which builds up to one of the biggest, most in-your-face choruses/riffs ever!! One thing I like a lot about BTO is the contrast between Randy Bachman and C.F. Turner's vocals. Turner has more of a deep, imposing voice, while Randy's is a bit higher in tone. Randy isn't necessarily great in terms of vocal ability, but I admire the honesty and raw passion in his voice. It's perfect for BTO. 'Sledgehammer' is a great example of their shared vocals. 'Givin' It All Away' too, is a top-notch speedy boogie rocker and an excellent way to close this record.
Complaints are of course, pretty minor. 'Blue Moanin'' is a fun song, but it does have a typically 70s blues rock feel compared to the rest of the album. Not necessarily a bad thing, but it's the sort of thing a lot of other bands were doing at the time, and feels a little less special to the rest of the songs as a result. I guess 'Second Hand' is maybe a tad underwhelming next to everything else on here, but again, still a good time that doesn't take much away from the album (if anything at all). I also like the inclusion of the jammy instrumental 'Free Wheelin''. It was memorable ever since I first heard it. Production is great too. I love 1970s guitar tones, and the guitar tones on Not Fragile are stupendous.
In conclusion, this kicks arse. Maybe it doesn't quite top Montrose's debut as far as killer 1970s heavy albums from across the pond goes (and probably not as influential either), but it's a classic alright. I don't really know if I have an all-time favourite era for music as I think it depends on the genre more than anything, but I do find that a lot of my most played albums come from the 70s. Not Fragile is a 70s album that always puts a smile on my face. It's a 9.1/10 for me, because not every song on here is perfect, but there's more than enough outstanding cuts on here for the album to achieve classic status.
Adam's rating: 9.1/10
P.S. I own the 2012 Cherry Red issue. It bundles in their next album, 1975's Four Wheel Drive, onto a single disc (another really solid album). Totally recommend this reissue!
Saturday, 18 July 2026
Random albums I want to talk about #4: SABBAT - Dreamweaver (Reflections of Our Yesterdays) (1989, Noise)
In this series of posts I'll discuss a random album in my collection I feel like talking about!
Sabbat formed in Nottingham, and it's definitely notable that renowned metal producer Andy Sneap came from this band. Sneap is one of the biggest producers in the genre these days, having worked with some of the biggest bands in the biz - Judas Priest, Megadeth, Accept, Saxon, Testament, Exodus, Amon Amarth... the list goes on! Back in 1989 however, he was a guitarist in Sabbat and had nothing to do with music production. Speaking of which, I've always thought Dreamweaver sounds brilliant. The guitar tones on this record are sharper than a Swiss army knife, and even though the album as a whole has a very dry feel, I find it actually suits the nature of the music here perfectly. It's funny, because even though Dreamweaver is a pretty highly-rated album in the metal underground, I've actually seen it's production criticised quite regularly on the internet. It's one of the only criticisms I really hear about it. Me, I can't really imagine Dreamweaver sounding any other way.
As I said, it's probably one of my favourite thrash records ever. I've been cranking this thing since I was about 16, and I reckon I spin it at least a couple of times a year. Pretty impressive considering I'm 34 now. I don't agree with Dani Filth's claim that it's "One of the most important metal albums - ever" like the sticker says on the jewel case of my 2007 Sanctuary reissue. That's an insane take - it's not Master of Reality, Stained Class, Ride the Lightning, Reign in Blood etc. - importance suggests influence on the genre, and I don't think Sabbat were influencing the world of thrash like a lot of other US bands had already done prior. Thrash was already an established subgenre by 1989, and I don't think the band were necessarily doing anything "new" with the genre here. And it doesn't matter anyway, because you don't have to be breaking new ground to be great. Dreamweaver is an underground metal classic; a fantastically technical, almost progressive thrash metal record.
The sheer number of riffs on this album is insane. The songs don't really follow any basic, formulaic structure. Sure, riffs are repeated, but the songs are usually written in a way that stacks a ton of riffs together, with some solos/melodic parts thrown in for good measure, as well as some shorter, atmospheric interlude tracks like 'Advent of Insanity' and 'Happy Never After'. The riffing is dark, heavy and the tempos range from fast as fuck to mid-tempo and chuggy. But aside from the odd proggy melodies here and there, the music is almost always HEAVY. To fit all these complex, technical riffs, the songs are generally on the longer side - aside from the interlude tracks, the 4 and half minute 'Wildfire' is the shortest full-length number on here, with others such as 'How Have the Mighty Fallen?' and 'The Best of Enemies' clocking in at over 8 minutes long. Obviously I've always held this album in high regard, and since I'm a riff guy above anything else, Dreamweaver has always been one of my favourite thrash discs when it comes to riffs alone. Like I said, there's a stupidly long list of riffs within practically all these tracks, but all of them are great. None of them feel like they've been thrown together quickly, or laid down just to make the song longer. They're all technically-impressive, many of them are memorable and they all piece together and flow organically.
The vocals are certainly not as impressive as the guitar performances, but that's not to say Martin Walkyier deserves no credit here. His range is limited (although he does sing clean on acoustic interlude 'Advent of Insanity') - for 95% of this album, he kind of snarls/hisses his way through this entire album, and barely catches his breath. Yeah, there's a lot of lyrics within this record; when Walkyier stops singing, it's usually not for long. Since this is a concept album, the lyrics take inspiration from a book - Brian Bates' The Way of the Wyrd. Outside of Dreamweaver, I know literally nothing about it, and I can't say I've ever really cared for the actual meaning of the lyrics here either. But I've always thought these spiritual, Pagan/Celtic-esque lyrics have always suited the music perfectly, even if I've never really payed much attention to what Walkyier is actually trying to say. So even though Martin is not exactly the most memorable thrash vocalist in terms of his actual pipes, his unique approach to lyrical themes is what makes him stand out and why he suits to be on this album so much. Oh, and the lyrics perfectly accompany the album artwork, which in my opinion is one of the greatest metal album covers of all time. Look at it!
I also think Sabbat have a very unique atmosphere that is unlike any other band I can think of. Even though they thrash hard for most of the album, there's an undeniably dark, mystical atmosphere surrounding Dreamweaver. They do try to be atmospheric at times of course, like in the proggy solos/occasional acoustic and melodic moments within the tracks, but I've always felt the atmosphere never dulls at any point during the playtime of this record, regardless of what the band are actually doing. And that's impressive. To cut to the chase, this is a proggy/technical thrash album with an almost folk-like atmosphere. A folk-like atmosphere that even some dedicated folk metal bands would kill to achieve!
As much as I've enjoyed doing the "Blast from the past albums" series of blog posts, I needed an excuse to create a new, category/rule-free series of posts that allows me to talk about literally any album in my collection that I feel like. I've wanted to do a post about Dreamweaver for a very long time, because it deserves exposure. It does seem to have a cult following, at least here in the UK. I have a Dreamweaver hoodie somewhere in my crowded wardrobe, and practically every time I've worn it to a gig or festival in this country, at least a couple of people have commented on it. But worldwide, I don't really know how popular Sabbat are/were. They only made 3 albums in total, and then split up in 1991. Back in 2006 they reunited, but split again in 2010. I remember hoping to catch them live, because I first started going to concerts around this period, but I never got the chance. And since Andy Sneap is such an in-demand producer these days, not to mention the fact he's a touring guitarist with Judas Priest, I don't think we'll ever get another Sabbat reunion.
Still, I'll keep enjoying Dreamweaver for the rest of my days. It's maybe not my all-time favourite thrash album ever, but it's up there.
Adam's rating: 9.3/10
P.S. I am fully aware of the Japanese band of the same name, the old-school blackened thrash group called Sabbat! Never checked them out, don't know why. I should change that...
Friday, 10 July 2026
Random albums I want to talk about #3: BOB DYLAN - Rough and Rowdy Ways (2020, Columbia)
In this series of posts I'll discuss a random album in my collection I feel like talking about!
Of course, I'm no Dylan connoisseur. I don't really know what the fuck makes a Dylan album so great; like, I don't really know what makes Highway 61 better than, say, Love and Theft. But ask any critic or presumably any hardcore Bob Dylan fan, they'll likely tell you that Highway 61 is the better record. And I don't really know why Blonde on Blonde is considered to be better than Rough and Rowdy Ways. What I'm trying to say is the fact that I am a casual listener of Dylan at most, I suppose it means I can go into any of his albums pretty open-minded and unbiased. Maybe?
Whatever! What I do know is that I hadn't heard this album for a good few years, despite giving it a fair amount of attention back in 2020 (although not on this blog). I still remembered practically every song on here, which is a good sign. And I think one of the reasons I liked this album more-so than many of the others I picked up is the fact I actually think I prefer old Dylan's voice to young Dylan's voice, as mental as that sounds. If we're being honest, I don't think a lot of people consider Bob to be a good singer in terms of vocal ability. This doesn't really bother me - after all, look at all the metal and other shit I listen to, what percentage of those guys can actually sing?! If the vocals suit the music and vibe, then they don't have to be impressive. Neil Young is a prime example of this, so is Billy Corgan. And Lemmy. Ozzy anyone? And the same is true with Bob Dylan! But there's something about the weathered, haggard 79 year old Bob that just works for me when it comes to this album. I couldn't imagine his nasally, higher-pitched style of his earlier days working well with any of these tracks.
The blues songs, 'False Prophet', 'Goodbye Jimmy Reed' and 'Crossing the Rubycon', are great. They sound like the product of a seasoned blues band playing some dive bar in the Deep South. They're "rough", just like the album title suggests, although maybe not particularly "rowdy"! Again, old Bob's vocals really suits the style of these tracks. I also like the folky, if oddly dark 'My Own Version of You', plus the super-smooth ballad 'I've Made Made Up My Mind to Give Myself to You', with it's almost gospel/lullaby-like aura. It stands out in a good way. 'Mother of Muses' is pleasant enough, and strangely, I actually quite enjoy opening track 'I Contain Multitudes'. I say "strangely" because it's essentially a simplistic acoustic folk song with spoken-word vocals from Bob, talking about, erm, a "multitude" of crap I don't really understand (sorry)! But I like it!
Yeah, I'm not much of a lyrics guy when it comes down to it. They're not even a big deal for me when it comes to concept albums. Maybe that's one of the reasons why I'm not really a fan of Bob, even if I admire him. There's moments on this album where I really have no idea what the fuck Dylan is waffling on about, or trying to say. I wasn't sure if Bob was literally talking about himself on 'I Contain Multitudes', but in reality I think he's just talking about people in general. Maybe I'm just a total dumbass, because a lot of critic reviews of this album talk in much more detail about the lyrics, which is probably a fairer way to critique Bob's works in all fairness. For me, I somewhat pay attention, but I like a lot of what this album has to offer either way, so it's not really a big deal whichever way you look at it - from my perspective of course. Don't get me wrong, there are songs with lyrics that do resonate with me. But I certainly don't claim to be a lyrics guy, so unless the wordplay is so utterly terrible and embarrassingly stupid, they don't tend to affect my enjoyment of an artist too much.
That said, it's hard to avoid the lyrics to the album's finale, the near-17 minute 'Murder Most Foul'. It's kind of a heartfelt epic about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. It's basically an analysis of Americana and the decay of political trust/values in the USA. And there's probably a whole lot more to take away from Bob's storytelling in this one too, I'm just not smart enough to really get much more out of it than that! But I totally appreciate what the man was trying to do with this song, and it's probably the only song on here where I actually like the lyrics more-so than I do the music. It's entirely spoken-word, in similar fashion to 'I Contain Multitudes', with no real instrumentational melody/structure to speak off. There is soft background music of course, but it feels to me like it's there to set the tone for the vocals. The lyrics are the focal point of 'Murder Most Foul' for sure. Once again, I wouldn't want to hear a younger Dylan doing this track. I just don't feel like a younger voice would've had the same impact, especially considering all the themes going on here.
I will say that I don't like everything on here. The slow, lumbering 'Black Rider' bores me. Because the more energetic 'Goodbye Jimmy Reed' comes on straight after, it's completely forgettable to me. Good lyrics at least (ironically after everything I just said in the previous paragraph), but not enough to save me from boredom! The other track I could do without - because I'm a peasant who clearly doesn't fully understand the brilliance of Dylan - is the soft accordion-driven 'Key West (Philosopher Pirate)'. I think I might have appreciated this one more if it wasn't immediately followed up by 'Murder Most Foul'. 'Key West (Philosopher Pirate)' is 9 and a half minutes long, and is then overshadowed by the 16 minute epic. Had it been positioned elsewhere within the tracklisting, maybe I'd have more time for this one, but when played in order as the album was intended, it feels like a bit of a slog to me. This is one of the rare albums I decided to buy as a new release on vinyl instead of CD. I bought a new turntable in 2020, so that was probably why. 'Murder Most Foul' takes up the entirety of side D. If you buy the CD version of the album, 'Murder Most Foul' comes on it's own disc. So maybe 'Key West' is very much Rough and Rowdy Ways' true finale, while 'Murder Most Foul' is actually supposed to be it's own separate thing?
In terms of anything else, I have no qualms with the production. It's a fine-sounding record; all the instruments are as clear as daylight, Bob's vocals are pushed quite high in the mix (but then they should be anyway), and there's absolutely nothing fancy or pretentious about the album in this regard. The lyrics could be considered pretentious to some people I guess, but then I guess Bob Dylan usually wants his listeners to think about what he's saying. And that's why I don't think I'll ever fully understand the man, even if I can still enjoy some of his music here and there!! Like I said, I've always appreciated Bob, and I get why his songs have been covered by SO many other artists throughout history. I want to be Dylan fan, even though I'm not!
And that's my review of Rough and Rowdy Ways. A review from a casual listener at best! I certainly don't hold it to the same degree as a lot of the critics did when it dropped in 2020, and I still don't "get" the album enough to consider it to be great. But I still largely enjoyed hearing it again for the first time in a while, and I suppose it'll always be a go-to Dylan album for me, unless I do somehow become a fully-fledged fan at some point in the future!
Adam's rating: 7.8/10
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