The album contains five re-recorded songs that were previously released on their 1989 demo.[4]
Background and recording
With their debut, the band sought to further develop the extreme lyrics and imagery of other early death metal bands like Carcass and Death, and the violent nature of the subject matter has caused controversy and bans in multiple countries.[5][6][7] According to bassist Alex Webster, "We saw that a lot of bands in Florida seemed to have more of a darker, anti-religion thing going on [such as with Morbid Angel and Deicide], so we decided to do the gore thing with the art and lyrics."[8] Founding guitarist Jack Owen half-joked that the album's gruesome song titles were conceived before the band had written any music.[9] The band would record instrumental demo tapes that vocalist Chris Barnes would then take home and write lyrics to.[10] Founding guitarist Bob Rusay composed the guitar riffs to "A Skull Full of Maggots."[11] Drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz recalled, "It was just friends getting together playing music that we loved. [...] That's as simple as it was and that's how it starts: you're not thinking of anything in the future, you're just thinking, 'Let's get together, make some cool music that we enjoy.' When Cannibal formed we were definitely looking to take it to the next level, but we were still just playing music we liked."[12]
The album was recorded at Morrisound Recording in Tampa, Florida, where many other influential early death metal releases were produced. Bassist Alex Webster specifically cited the band's appreciation of albums like Altars of Madness by Morbid Angel and Leprosy by Death as having inspired the choice of studio. They were able to make friends and connections within the burgeoning Tampa death metal scene and would ultimately relocate there.[13] Webster and Mazurkeiwicz recorded bass and drum tracks simultaneously. Many songs were done in one take, as the band did not yet have the budget to spend long hours in the studio.[14]
According to Greg Pratt of Exclaim, "Eaten showcases an early stage of the band, not quite as extreme as they would become, incorporating more heavy thrash elements into their sound as opposed to the straight-up no-nonsense death metal the band would adopt on their next album and continue to run with for the rest of their career."[18] The album employs growling vocals, "grinding" guitar riffs, chromatic melodies, tempo changes and blast beats.[9][5] According to music journalist T Coles, "with the sonic standard now set, the band leant much further into the heavy double bass and palm muting that would define the genre."[15]
The album cover, which depicts a zombie mutilating and cannibalizing itself, was created by horror comic book artist Vince Locke, who the band would continue to collaborate with in the future.[13][12] In the Centuries of Torment documentary, Locke joked, "Chris Barnes hunted me down" to collaborate.[21] A statement can be found in the album's liner notes, dedicating it to the memory of Alferd Packer.[13]
Reception and legacy
Leslie Mathew of AllMusic gave the Eaten Back to Life an underwhelming retrospective review, lamenting the album's lack of variety and "interesting guitar work".[9] John Weiderhorn of Loudwire called the album "a raw and powerful collection of tunes that [has stood] the test of time."[22] Adem Tepedelen of Revolver wrote in 2006: "Cannibal Corpse became a gore-metal franchise with the release of their now-mandatory, splatter-flick-inspired debut."[23]
In 2023, Jon Weiderhorn of Loudwire wrote: "At the time of its release, Eaten Back to Life was one of the sickest, most demented death metal albums ever released. Of course, over the next five years Cannibal Corpse would release even faster, more disturbing songs and accompanying art work that would land them in the crosshairs of conservative, God-fearing Americans, politicians looking to gain points with scared parents and anyone unsettled by genuinely sick s--t. While it wasn’t the goal, the controversy helped Cannibal Corse sell more records and increase their following. Still, despite their influence Cannibal Corpse were too brutal to cross over into the mainstream." Weiderhorn also stated the belief that the album was "the perfect gateway to the underground" due to its thrash metal sound.[24]
Track listing
All lyrics written by Chris Barnes, except where noted. All music written by Cannibal Corpse.
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