Hammer Smashed Face | ||||
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EP by | ||||
Released | March 23, 1993 | |||
Recorded | January 1993 – Niagara Falls, New York | |||
Genre | Death metal | |||
Length | 26:17 | |||
Label | Metal Blade | |||
Producer |
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Cannibal Corpse chronology | ||||
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Single version | ||||
![]() Cover for the single version of "Hammer Smashed Face", which was originally from the album Tomb of the Mutilated (1992) | ||||
Audio | ||||
"Hammer Smashed Face" on YouTube |
Hammer Smashed Face is the debut EP and single by American death metal band Cannibal Corpse,released on March 23,1993 by Metal Blade Records.
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. The single version and the EP version both have different cover 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. [1]
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." [2]
The song's main riff has been called "hauntingly sinister." The song's breakdown has been called "clobbering." Revolver said the "lyrical specificity of a madman bashing a victim’s head to bits can still make even the most hardened headbanger squirm." [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]
"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 . [5] 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". [6] Barnes also hailed the group's cover of Black Sabbath's "Zero the Hero" as "one of the greatest". [6]
In 2023,Rolling Stone ranked the song No. 93 on their list of the 100 greatest heavy metal songs. [7]
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Hammer Smashed Face" | 4:04 |
2. | "The Exorcist" (Possessed cover) | 4:37 |
3. | "Zero the Hero" (Black Sabbath cover) | 6:35 |
4. | "Meat Hook Sodomy" | 5:47 |
5. | "Shredded Humans" | 5:12 |
Total length: | 26:17 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Hammer Smashed Face" | 4:04 |
2. | "The Exorcist" (Possessed cover) | 4:37 |
3. | "Zero the Hero" (Black Sabbath cover) | 6:35 |
Total length: | 15:17 |
Cannibal Corpse is an American death metal band formed in Buffalo, New York, in 1988, now based out of Tampa, Florida.
Six Feet Under is an American death metal band from Tampa, Florida, formed in 1993.
Paul Mazurkiewicz Jr. is an American musician best known as the drummer of the death metal band Cannibal Corpse.
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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.
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