Don’t try to stop Cannibal Corpse.
Since 1988, the American band has reigned unchallenged in Death Metal, and it’s with Chaos Horrific, their sixteenth album, that George « Corpsegrinder » Fisher (vocals, Spawn of Possession, ex-Monstrosity), Alex Webster (bass, Blotted Science, Conquering Dystopia), Paul Mazurkiewicz (drums, Heaven’s Gate, Umbilicus), Rob Barrett (guitar, Malevolent Creation, Solstice) and Erik Rutan (guitar, Hate Eternal, ex-Morbid Angel) that the band return to defend their crown.
Overlords of Violence sets the tone, with the musicians immediately developing a catchy instrumental basis, over which the vocalist unleashes his fury. Violence and technicality are on the riffs and sharp solo’s agendas, before the band move on to Frenzied Feeding, which continues to draw on the unstoppable rage, coupling jerky riffs with crushing groovy elements and devastating vociferations, helped towards the end by a few backing vocals. Ominous leads appear on Summoned for Sacrifice, a slightly slower at first, but eventually just as effective track, which eventually trades in its darkness for a steady return to violence, before letting Blood Blind nail us to the ground with its infernal heaviness. Even though the riffs accelerate a bit before the halfway point, accompanied by vocals, the sound remains oppressive, leading into the hypnotic Vengeful Invasion, which blends heady leads that regularly flare up with a relatively catchy basis. The eponymous track Chaos Horrific takes off again at full speed, offering us extremely energetic Old School tones from which a few virulent leads occasionally escape, then Fracture and Refracture follows a relatively similar pattern to continue fuelling the sonic aggression. The guitars give an abrupt relief to this solid rhythm, which takes off again with Pitchfork Impalement and its irregular riffs that often change rhythm, accentuating once again the chaotic impression that the band likes to develop, and that we’ll find to a lesser extent on Pestilential Rictus, a track that emphasizes the tortured leads while the relentless basis and the screams molest us. The break and solo work very naturally together, and lead into Drain You Empty, the final track, and its cataclysmic tone, expressed as much in the slow introduction as in the massive steady rhythm that follows.
Cannibal Corpse has not changed its recipe, still integrating Old School and massive elements into its Death Metal, marked by a strong musical personality. Chaos Horrific will seamlessly fit into their discography and live setlists.
90/100