Cannibal Corpse sticks to gory, scary metal on new album

Ah, another year and another Cannibal Corpse release for me to review. The band tried to mix it up a little on Kill by bringing an old member back into the fray, but the gory, horror-driven death metal sounds almost practically the same as every one of their releases with George on the vocals. This could be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on your level of tolerance with the band and the genre of music.

One thing that I noticed right away with this release is that the level of the bass (not the bass guitar, but overall) is turned WAY UP! Now, I like my metal to pound but when you have the double kickers going, the mix has too much bass and you can't hear any of the guitar riffs!

In a shocking turn of events, the CD cover for this release doesn't have the horrific imagery that we're used to. No zombies, gore or mutilation here; just the band's logo and album title in red. The song titles, on the other hand, are just as warped (and perhaps over the top) as ever. We have goodies like “Submerged in Boiling Flesh,” “Five Nails Through the Neck,” and “Brain Removal Device.” Laugh or cringe here, people!

After listening to this disc a few times the standout track to sample (if you're unfamiliar with the speed and brutality of this band) would have to be the opening track, “The Time to Kill is Now.”

With over 17 years of experience and 10 studio albums under their belt, this CD proves to the haters that this band is still a force to be reckoned with and they aren't going anywhere. Yeah, it's more of the same, but with this band that's pretty good. I just wish the bass was a tad lower. 8 out of 10.

I would just like to thank everyone at the Interrobang for letting me contribute for another year. I'd like to thank Stephanie Taylor for letting me write whatever I wanted to, and John Said who had to put up my emails and taunts week after week (you rule, man).

Well, that wraps up all my reviews for the year. Hope you've had another great ride examining some artists that usually don't get much press and my takes on those that do.

If you hear anything that you want me to check out during the summer, please drop me a line at popeyepopsolive@hotmail.com. Have a great time off and I'll see those of you who are returning in September.