Cannibal Corpse | |
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Background information | |
Origin | Buffalo, New York, U.S. |
Genres | |
Discography | Cannibal Corpse discography |
Years active | 1988–present |
Labels | Metal Blade |
Spinoffs | |
Members | |
Past members |
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Website | cannibalcorpse |
Cannibal Corpse is an American death metal band formed in Buffalo, New York, in 1988, now based out of Tampa, Florida.
The band has released sixteen studio albums, two box sets, four video albums, and two live albums. The band has had little radio or television exposure throughout its existence, although a cult following began to build with the releases of their early albums, including Butchered at Birth (1991) and Tomb of the Mutilated (1992). As of 2015, they achieved worldwide sales of two million units for combined sales of all their albums. [4] [5] In April 2021, Cannibal Corpse received their best "first week" sales of all-time and first Top 10 on the Billboard Top Album Sales Chart as Violence Unimagined entered at No. 6 with 14,000 copies sold. [6]
The band has seen several lineup changes throughout its run, with bassist Alex Webster and drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz being the only constant members.
Cannibal Corpse was formed in December 1988 when members from recently disbanded Buffalo-area death metal bands Beyond Death (Alex Webster and Jack Owen) and Tirant Sin (Paul Mazurkiewicz, Chris Barnes, Bob Rusay) started jamming and writing music together. Mazurkiewicz, Barnes and Rusay knew each other from high school, and met Webster and Owen while attending area shows. [7]
Bassist Alex Webster came up with the name Cannibal Corpse. The band played its first show at Buffalo's River Rock Cafe in March 1989, shortly after recording a five-song self-titled demo tape.
Within a year of the band's first live performance, the band was signed to Metal Blade Records. Mike Faley at Metal Blade wanted to sign the band immediately after reading the song titles in their tracklist. [8] He heard the demo tape after having had it sent to him by the manager of the record store in which Barnes was working. [9]
The band's full-length death metal debut album, Eaten Back to Life , was released in August 1990. Inspired by and seeking the new commercial and recording opportunities of the emerging Florida death metal scene, the band relocated to Tampa. [10]
The band released its second full-length album Butchered at Birth on July 1, 1991. Webster recalled:
We went over to Europe in ’91 for Butchered At Birth and saw this great reaction from all these people on the other side of the ocean. We were like, ‘Wow, all these people know who we are!’ We were getting two or three hundred people a night at these shows, which was really great for a band with only two albums out. It was a great surprise.” [8]
The band released their third full-length album Tomb of the Mutilated on September 22, 1992. In February 1993, founding guitarist Bob Rusay was fired from the group and was replaced by Malevolent Creation guitarist Rob Barrett. [11]
Cannibal Corpse had a cameo appearance in the 1994 Jim Carrey film Ace Ventura: Pet Detective , performing an abridged version of their song "Hammer Smashed Face".
The band released their fourth studio album The Bleeding on April 12, 1994.
After The Bleeding's touring cycle had concluded, Barrett convinced the rest of the band to relocate to Florida. [12]
In 1995, during recording sessions for their fifth album Vile, singer Chris Barnes was dismissed because of personal differences with the rest of the band [13] and was replaced by Monstrosity singer George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher. The band released their fifth album Vile in 1996. Webster commented, "I feel that certain people at our record label [Metal Blade] were making it sound like our careers would be over without Chris. And if the only good thing about our band was Chris Barnes, then we weren’t much of a band then, were we?" [14] Barnes went on to perform with the band Six Feet Under and, later, Torture Killer.
In February 1997 Rob Barrett left Cannibal Corpse due to musical differences rejoined his previous bands Malevolent Creation, Solstice, and HatePlow. Pat O'Brien, who first appeared on Cannibal Corpse's 1998 release Gallery of Suicide , replaced Barrett on guitar.
Founding guitarist Jack Owen left Cannibal Corpse in 2004 to spend more time on his second band, Adrift, and also joined Deicide in late 2004. Jeremy Turner of Origin substituted on guitar for the band's 2004 tour in support of their album The Wretched Spawn . Barrett re-joined the band for a concert at the Northwest Deathfest in Washington in 2005. [15]
Writing for the follow-up to Kill (2006) began in November 2007, as indicated in an interview with bassist Alex Webster. [16] Evisceration Plague , Cannibal Corpse's eleventh studio album was released February 3, 2009, [17] to a highly positive response from fans. They also released a live DVD in 2011 entitled Global Evisceration.
Cannibal Corpse released its twelfth studio album, Torture , in March 2012. [18] Two early bands of the members reunited for one respective benefit concert each for Tony Lorenzo of the group Sons Of Azrael in January 2012. [19]
In February 2014, Cannibal Corpse announced that they had begun recording their thirteenth album, A Skeletal Domain , which was released on September 16. "Sadistic Embodiment" was released as a single in July. All the song titles of the forthcoming album were announced on the same day. [20] The same month, Metal Blade announced the publication of the band's authorized biography Bible Of Butchery, written by the British author Joel McIver. [21]
In an August 2016 interview, drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz stated that Cannibal Corpse would likely begin recording a new album in 2017. [22] In September 2017, the band announced their fourteenth studio album Red Before Black , which was released on November 3. [23]
On December 10, 2018, guitarist Pat O'Brien was arrested for assault and battery; his bail was set at $50,000. [24] On the eve of the news of his arrest, Cannibal Corpse was announced as one of the supporting acts for Slayer's final North American tour, which would take place in the spring of 2019 and also be supported by Lamb of God and Amon Amarth. [25] On January 18, 2019, Cannibal Corpse announced that Hate Eternal frontman and former Morbid Angel guitarist Erik Rutan would fill-in for O'Brien on their future tours. [26]
Cannibal Corpse entered the studio in June 2020 to begin recording their fifteenth studio album. [27] On February 1, 2021, the band announced that the album, Violence Unimagined , would be released on April 16. [28] They released a music video for the song "Inhumane Harvest" from the album in February. The music video was largely inspired by the Saw movie franchise. [29] The band also announced that live guitarist Erik Rutan has officially joined the band full-time, [30] in spite of that it is currently uncertain as to whether or not guitarist O'Brien will return to the group following his 2018 legal troubles.
By January 2023, Cannibal Corpse had begun working on their sixteenth studio album, which was listed by Revolver magazine as one of the "55 Most Anticipated Albums" of the year. [31] On 22 June 2023, the band released a new single "Blood Blind" and announced their next record, Chaos Horrific , would be released on September 22, 2023. [32]
Cannibal Corpse is a death metal band and have also been called brutal death metal and old school death metal. [33] Bassist Alex Webster recalls "when we got going, there were only a few other bands that you’d really call death metal". [8] The members of the band were originally inspired by thrash metal bands like Metallica, Slayer, Testament, [34] Dark Angel, [35] S.O.D., Sadus, Sodom, Kreator, D.R.I. and Sacrifice, and death metal bands such as Deicide, [7] Possessed, Autopsy, Napalm Death, [35] Morbid Angel and Death. [36] [37] [38] Webster has stated that the band was fond of early black metal bands such as Venom and Bathory in its early days as well. [8] Founding guitarist Jack Owen commented on Cannibal Corpse's first four albums:
"Those first four albums are all completely unique in their own respects. Eaten is thrashy, Butchered is overwritten but in a good way, Tomb is abrasive and violent, and then The Bleeding was like 'okay slow it down and concentrate". [39]
The band's lyrics, song titles and album artwork draw heavily on horror fiction and horror films. [40] Jason Birchmeier of Allmusic remarked, "though it's probably obvious, it's worth noting for novices that this stuff isn't for the lighthearted and shouldn't be taken too seriously, even if songs titles like "She Was Asking for It" perhaps go too far, even for this genre." [41] Jon Weiderhorn of Loudwire wrote,
Cannibal Corpse were competent, charismatic players, but what separated them from other death metal bands were the grizzly lyrics. Song titles included “Entrails Ripped From a Virgin’s C--t,” “F--ked With a Knife” and “Post Mortal Ejaculation,” and the lyrical extremism matched the graphic subject matter, an aesthetic that helped fuel the development of the even more extreme subgenre goregrind. [42]
Cannibal Corpse was particularly influential in pushing the extremity of lyrical subject matter in extreme metal.[ citation needed ] In the early years of the Florida death metal scene, the group was considered one of the most shocking for its transgression of taste in its depiction of torture, murder, and mutilation, often in highly sexual, misogynistic and sadistic terms.[ citation needed ] Its extremity influenced the emergence of the even more extreme subgenre of goregrind.[ citation needed ] Cannibal Corpse has been cited as an influence by extreme metal and heavy metal bands of numerous subgenres, including The Black Dahlia Murder, Disgorge, Whitechapel, All Shall Perish, Suicide Silence, Carnifex, Slipknot, As I Lay Dying, All That Remains [43] and Escape the Fate.
Cannibal Corpse's lyrics, song titles, album covers and merchandise artwork frequently feature transgressive and macabre imagery, including depictions of extreme violence, which the band has always defended as artistic expression that is clearly fictional. Bassist Alex Webster commented, "most Western music is people singing from the heart — singing to a girlfriend, so a lot of people are freaked out by our songs". [44] The band's album art (most often by Vincent Locke) and lyrics, drawing heavily on horror fiction and horror films, are highly controversial. At different times, several countries, such as Germany and Russia, have banned Cannibal Corpse from performing within their borders, or have banned the sale and display of original Cannibal Corpse album covers. [45] [46]
Vocalist George Fisher has stated that death metal is best understood as "art" and claims that far more violent art can be found at the Vatican, pointing out that such depictions are arguably more transgressive because they actually happened. [47] On the same topic, George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher stated the band does not sing about religion or politics, and that the band's songs are simply "short stories" that could be converted into horror films. He said:
Really, that's all it is. We like gruesome, scary movies, and we want the lyrics to be like that. Yeah, it's about killing people, but it's not promoting it at all. Basically these are fictional stories, and that's it. And anyone who gets upset about it is ridiculous." [48]
In May 1995, then-US Senator Bob Dole accused Cannibal Corpse—along with hip hop acts including the Geto Boys and 2 Live Crew—of undermining the national character of the United States. [49] Vocalist George Fisher recalled,
"people were bitching us out on TV but it was like ‘cool, you’re not hurting us and you’re telling millions of people who we are’ – good job. ‘Undermining the youth’ – yeah, because we want people to get arrested and not come to our shows. We want regular jobs – great plan!”
A year later, the band came under fire again, this time as part of a campaign by William Bennett, Senator Joe Lieberman, then-Senator Sam Nunn, and National Congress of Black Women chair C. Delores Tucker to get major record labels—including Time Warner, Sony, Thorn-EMI, PolyGram and Bertelsmann—to "dump 20 recording groups [...] responsible for the most offensive lyrics". [50]
As of October 23, 1996, the sale of any Cannibal Corpse audio recording then available was banned in Australia and all copies of such had been removed from music shops. [51] At the time, the Australian Recording Industry Association and the Australian Music Retailers Association were implementing a system for identifying potentially offensive records, known as the "labelling code of practice". [52] [53]
All ten of Cannibal Corpse's albums, the live album Live Cannibalism , the boxed set 15 Year Killing Spree , the EP Worm Infested , and the single "Hammer Smashed Face" were re-released in Australia between 2006 and 2007, finally classified by ARIA and allowed for sale in Australia. However, they are all "restricted" and only sold to those over 18 years of age. Some are sold in "censored" and "uncensored" editions, which denotes the change of cover art. [54] Despite this, when displayed in some stores, even the "uncensored" editions are censored manually.[ citation needed ]
After discussion of banning them from touring, Australian comedy act The Chaser did a lounge music version of their song "Rancid Amputation" on their show The Chaser's War on Everything , arguing that being able to perform the same song as lounge music on television proves that the music, and not the lyrics, is the problem. [55]
In Germany, numerous albums have been indexed by the Federal Agency for Child and Youth Protection in the Media, which means that these albums may only be offered and sold to adults and must disappear from regular retail outlets. [56]
The indexed songs may only be played in front of an adult audience and the organizer must ensure that no minors attend the event by means of an age check.
Some albums have even been confiscated by the courts and may no longer even be sold to adults. [58] [59]
In a 2004 interview, George Fisher attempted to recall what originally provoked the ban:
"A woman saw someone wearing one of our shirts, I think she is a schoolteacher, and she just caused this big stink about it. So [now] we can't play anything from the first three records. And it really sucks because kids come up and they want us to play all the old songs — and we would — but they know the deal. We can't play 'Born in a Casket' but can play 'Dismembered and Molested'." [68]
In a 2019 interview with Christa Jenal, the teacher behind the numerous banning proceedings, spoke about the band:
"I have been dealing with the potential for brutalization in society for decades. In this context, I came across the band around 25 years ago because, as a teacher, I saw pupils wearing T-shirts depicting babies on grappling hooks. They were freely available on the market at the time. I've been educating people ever since. Cannibal Corpse is not the only band, but I see it as symptomatic of how far things can go when state institutions turn a blind eye. [69]
Six of the eight planned shows from the band's 2014 Russian tour were canceled after protests from local Orthodox activists. A month before the tour, religious activist Dimitry Tsorionov said Cannibal Corpse's music was punishable under Russian law because it "incites religious division." He commented unfavorably on the lyrics, saying they promoted "death, violence, as well as various kinds of sexual perversion." [70] The gig in Nizhny Novgorod was stopped halfway through the set, after police conducted a search for drugs at the venue. [71] The concert in Saint Petersburg was canceled at the last minute because of unspecified "technical reasons", OMON arrived shortly after and arrested eighteen concertgoers. [72] Cannibal Corpse members stated that Russian authorities threatened to detain the members if they performed because they did not have the correct work visas. [71]
In response to accusations that his band's lyrics desensitize people to violence, Alex Webster argued death metal fans enjoy the music only because they know the violence depicted in its lyrics is not real:
"If you really saw someone get their brains bashed in right in front of you, I think it would have a pretty dramatic impact [...] you'd react to it, no matter how many movies you've watched or how much gore metal you've listened to [...] even though we've got crazy entertainment now, our social realities are actually a bit more civilized than they were back then [...] we're not hanging people or whipping them in the street and I think that's positive improvement for any society". [73]
He also believes the violent lyrics can have positive value, saying "it's good to have anger music as a release." [74] George Fisher further explained, "there's nothing ever serious. We're not thinking of anybody in particular that we're trying to kill, or harm or anything." [75]
Current members [40] [76] [77]
| Former members
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Timeline
Recording timeline
Role | Album | |||||||||||||||
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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) | Gore Obsessed (2002) | The Wretched Spawn (2004) | Kill (2006) | Evisceration Plague (2009) | Torture (2012) | A Skeletal Domain (2014) | Red Before Black (2017) | Violence Unimagined (2021) | Chaos Horrific (2023) | |
Vocals | Chris Barnes | George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher | ||||||||||||||
Guitar | Bob Rusay | Rob Barrett | Pat O'Brien | Erik Rutan | ||||||||||||
Jack Owen | Rob Barrett | |||||||||||||||
Bass | Alex Webster | |||||||||||||||
Drums | Paul Mazurkiewicz |
Alex Webster is an American musician who is the bassist and a co-founder of the death metal band Cannibal Corpse. He is one of two original remaining members, alongside drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz. He is also the bassist of Blotted Science and the supergroup Conquering Dystopia. Before Cannibal Corpse was formed, he was a member of Beyond Death.
Chris Barnes is an American death metal vocalist who is the frontman of Six Feet Under. He is noted for his low guttural vocals and explicitly violent lyrics.
George Fisher, better known by his stage name Corpsegrinder, is an American death metal vocalist who is the lead singer of Cannibal Corpse, Paths of Possession and the supergroup Serpentine Dominion.
Butchered at Birth is the second studio album by American death metal band Cannibal Corpse. It was released on July 1, 1991 through Metal Blade Records.
The Wretched Spawn is the ninth studio album by American death metal band Cannibal Corpse. It was released on February 24, 2004 by Metal Blade Records. The cover art is by Vincent Locke. This is the last studio album to feature guitarist Jack Owen, one of the band's founding members, and up to the 2012 album Torture, the last with an album cover depicting violence and gore. The album was distributed with a making-of DVD produced by Nick Sahakian. The Wretched Spawn is Cannibal Corpse's fourth album to be named after one of the tracks on the album, after Butchered at Birth, The Bleeding and Gallery of Suicide.
Eaten Back to Life is the debut studio album by American death metal band Cannibal Corpse. It was released on August 17, 1990, through Metal Blade Records.
Tomb of the Mutilated is the third studio album by American death metal band Cannibal Corpse, released on September 22, 1992, by Metal Blade Records.
The Bleeding is the fourth studio album by American death metal band Cannibal Corpse, released on April 12, 1994 through Metal Blade Records.
Vile is the fifth studio album by American death metal band Cannibal Corpse, released on May 21, 1996 through Metal Blade Records.
Bloodthirst is the seventh studio album by American death metal band Cannibal Corpse. It was released on October 19, 1999 through Metal Blade Records.
Gore Obsessed is the eighth studio album by American death metal band Cannibal Corpse, released on February 26, 2002 by Metal Blade Records.
Kill is the tenth studio album by American death metal band Cannibal Corpse, released on March 21, 2006, through Metal Blade Records. This release marks the return of guitarist Rob Barrett, who had previously played on The Bleeding and Vile. The European version of the album comes with a live DVD filmed in Strasbourg in 2004 called Hammer Smashed Laiterie. The album was produced at Mana Recording Studios by Hate Eternal and future Cannibal Corpse guitarist Erik Rutan. It is also the first album in which the band tuned down to G♯ standard.
Pat O'Brien is an American musician best known as the former lead guitarist for death metal band Cannibal Corpse. He is also a former member of heavy metal band Nevermore, a former live guitarist for Slayer, and is currently the lead guitarist for Exhorder.
Centuries of Torment: The First 20 Years is the third video album by American death metal band Cannibal Corpse, released in 2008. It contains a three-hour documentary on the history of the band and several concert performances as extra features. It was released on July 8 in USA and July 14 in Europe. This DVD has also been certified platinum in Canada.
Evisceration Plague is the eleventh studio album by American death metal band Cannibal Corpse. Released on February 3, 2009 by Metal Blade Records, the album was produced at Mana Recording Studios by Hate Eternal guitarist Erik Rutan.
Torture is the twelfth studio album by American death metal band Cannibal Corpse, released on March 13, 2012 by Metal Blade Records. The album was produced at Sonic Ranch Studios by Hate Eternal guitarist Erik Rutan.
Serpentine Dominion is an American death metal supergroup consisting of Killswitch Engage lead guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz, Cannibal Corpse vocalist George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher and former The Black Dahlia Murder drummer Shannon Lucas. They released their debut album on October 28, 2016.
Red Before Black is the fourteenth studio album by American death metal band Cannibal Corpse, released on November 3, 2017. This is the band's final album to feature guitarist Pat O'Brien before producer Erik Rutan officially replaced him in 2021.
Violence Unimagined is the fifteenth studio album by American death metal band Cannibal Corpse, released on April 16, 2021.
Chaos Horrific is the sixteenth studio album by American death metal band Cannibal Corpse, released on September 22, 2023, by Metal Blade.
As one of the pioneering bands in the brutal death metal scene, Cannibal Corpse has capitalized on violence and gore in every aspect of their albums and defined their subgenre.