There are two versions of the release,a single version that features the title song "Hammer Smashed Face" with two covers of songs by Black Sabbath and Possessed,and the EP version which includes the three tracks of the single version along with two original Cannibal Corpse tracks.
Music
According to Loudersound,"The song is notorious for its pummelling and rhythmic start,where Paul’s quick yet primal drumbeats give way to a brief,bass guitar-led interlude,all before a gigantic and climactic breakdown."[1]
The song's main riff has been called "hauntingly sinister." The song's breakdown has been called "clobbering" and "stomach churning." Revolver said the "lyrical specificity of a madman bashing a victim’s head to bits can still make even the most hardened headbanger squirm."[2][3] Drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz has commented that the lyrics to "Hammer Smashed Face" are "mild" compared to the rest of the tracks on Tomb of the Mutilated.[4]
Artwork
Unlike most releases by the band,the album's artwork was not created by longtime collaborator Vincent Locke. Cannibal Corpse did not approve the album artwork that was used in the final product and do not know the name of the artist who produced it.[5] The single version and the EP version both have different cover artwork.
Reception and legacy
"Hammer Smashed Face" is the band's most popular song,mainly due to a shortened version appearing in the 1994 comedy film Ace Ventura:Pet Detective.[6] Since it is included on Tomb of the Mutilated,it was banned from Germany until June 2006,when it was played at a 2006 performance at Essen.
When asked if he had a favorite Cannibal Corpse album,singer Chris Barnes described the Hammer Smashed EP as "one of the underrated ones".[7] Barnes also hailed the group's cover of Black Sabbath's "Zero the Hero" as "one of the greatest".[7]
In 2012,Joe DiVita of Loudwire wrote:"Easily one of the best death metal songs ever written,the track tends to often overshadow the mastery heard on the rest of the album."[8]
In 2023,Rolling Stone ranked the song No. 93 on their list of the 100 greatest heavy metal songs.[9]
Revolver called it "the perfect death metal song."[2] Graham Hartmann of Loudwire called the change to half-time in the song's middle section "one of the most stomach churning breakdowns ever recorded."[3]
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