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Defining Death Metal for Three and a Half Decades - A Review of Cannibal Corpse's Chaos Horrific
Despite its gruesome image and imagery, American death metal pioneers Cannibal Corpse have been spreading creativity, energy and joy with their amusing, dynamic and entertaining live shows that should not be missed. However, the legendary quintet has been firmly establishing its trademark style for three and a half decades and counting which has logically lead to a certain stagnation in quality. Chaos Horrific is nonetheless one of the band's greatest most recent releases but it can't compete with the groundbreaking early records of yore.
''Overlords of Violence'' kicks the record off on a high note. The guitar riffs are fast, fierce and technically skilled, the bass guitar is dominant, energetic and vibrant, the drum play is precise, quick and rhythmic and the vocals are brutal, charismatic and low. The organic production adds some welcome additional oomph. The song gets to the point in just three minutes and doesn't take any prisoners.
''Blood Bind'' slows things down a little bit without losing any intensity. It's quite the opposite actually as the smoother parts sound brooding, menacing and sinister while the faster passages feel brutal, sudden and violent. The balance of these two sides is particularly excellent on this album highlight.
Title song ''Chaos Horrific'' goes for a different approach and sounds like an overwhelming sensory overload at first contact. Once you have digested the fittingly chaotic approach, there is some excellent technical musicianship to be discovered. The guitar riffs for instance are employed with clockwork precision and the drum play is so accurate that it almost sounds robotic. This is certainly a song that needs a few spins to unfold and grow on most listeners.
While this record includes no stinkers and has a perfect length of thirty-nine minutes, Cannibal Corpse obviously doesn't reinvent technical death metal here. The group keeps recalling its own back catalogue as well as influences from genre pioneers such as Malevolent Creation, Morbid Angel and Suffocation throughout the record. This is why this release as a whole can have a few moments that feel dragging, formulaic and repetitive. Genre enthusiasts certainly won't mind but occasional listeners might have a valid point when bringing up said issue.
In the end, Cannibal Corpse's Chaos Horrific is a very good release for anyone craving contemporary high-quality death metal. If you are however more interested in influential genre records, going back to the band's first five full length efforts and early extended play shall certainly prove to be more entertaining than discovering this somewhat formulaic new release. Cannibal Corpse's Chaos Horrific is good for what it is but won't leave much of a lasting impression to be honest.
Final Rating: 70%
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