Cannibal Corpse | |
|---|---|
 Cannibal Corpse performing atHeidelberg,Baden-Württemberg, Germany in October 2024 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Buffalo, New York, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Works | Cannibal Corpse discography |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Labels | Metal Blade |
| Spinoffs | |
| Members | |
| Past members |
|
| Website | cannibalcorpse |
Cannibal Corpse is an Americandeath metal band formed inBuffalo, New York, in 1988, now based inTampa, 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 acult following began to build with the releases of their early albums, includingButchered at Birth (1991) andTomb of the Mutilated (1992). As of 2015, they achieved worldwide sales of two million units for combined sales of all their albums.[1][2] Cannibal Corpse received its best "first week" sales of all-time and first Top 10 on theBillboard Top Album Sales Chart with their fifteenth studio albumViolence Unimagined (2021), which entered at No. 6 with 14,000 copies sold.[3]
Cannibal Corpse has seen several lineup changes throughout its run, with bassistAlex Webster and drummerPaul Mazurkiewicz being the only constant members. The band's current lineup includes Mazurkiewicz, Webster, vocalistGeorge Fisher, and guitaristsRob Barrett andErik Rutan.
Cannibal Corpse was formed in December 1988 when members from recently disbandedBuffalo-area death metal bands Beyond Death (Alex Webster andJack Owen) and Tirant Sin (Paul Mazurkiewicz,Chris Barnes, Bob Rusay) started jamming and writing music together. Mazurkiewicz, Barnes and Rusay knew each other fromhigh school, and met Webster and Owen while attending area shows. Webster recalled, "when we got going, there were only a few other bands that you’d really call death metal".[4][5]
BassistAlex 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, which is now commonly known asA Skull Full of Maggots. The band's first live performance was opening for thrash metal bandDark Angel at a sold-out show in a small club. The band promoted the show by printing off thousands of posters in multiple colors, and handing them out at aMetallica concert. Afterward, the band gained traction in the Buffalo area, going as far to receive mentions byThe Buffalo News. During this time, the band also opened forBloodfeast,The Accüsed,Death andKreator. Cannibal Corpse would also often play shows with Malevolent Creation, as the latter were local to Buffalo as well. The band signed toMetal Blade Records in July 1989. Mike Faley at Metal Blade wanted to sign the band immediately after reading the song titles in their tracklist. He heard the demo tape after having had it sent to him by the manager of the record store in which Barnes was working. Metal Blade presidentBrian Slagel recalled: "I thought it was really interesting and cool. Plus, 'A Skull Full of Maggots' is one of the greatest song titles ever."[6][7][4][8] Mazurkiewicz said: "It was unbelievable; it was a dream come true. When we signed the contract with Metal Blade, we were only a band for eight months. And here we are having to finish off writing material and record a record."[9]
The band's debut album,Eaten Back to Life, was released in August 1990. The band played several local area shows to support the album.[9] Inspired by and seeking the new commercial and recording opportunities of the then-emergingFlorida death metal scene, the band relocated to Tampa.[10] The band released its second albumButchered at Birth on July 1, 1991. Webster recalled: "We went over to Europe in '91 forButchered 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."[4] The band members quit their day jobs and dropped out of college during this time.[9][8]
Friction arose between the band members while touring in support ofButchered at Birth. According to Webster, Barnes was managing a tour by himself for the first time, and there were uncertainties regarding how the tour's finances were being handled. The band privately dissolved and split into two separate camps during this time, and Owen claims to have been "in the middle" of the situation. Mazurkiewicz and Webster moved into an apartment just four doors down from the band's practice space, and composed the music to "Hammer Smashed Face" as a means to vent their frustrations with Barnes.[11]
Cannibal Corpse soon reformed and toured Europe withAtheist andGorguts in early 1992. That same year, the band toured withObituary,Malevolent Creation andAgnostic Front on theComplete Control Tour. Cannibal Corpse and Malevolent Creation shared a tour bus during this tour, and the latter of which future Cannibal Corpse guitaristRob Barrett was playing with. Barrett said: "We were like one big family, and I am pretty sure that is why I got the call to join with them the next year."[12][13]
So, we get into the studio and they all say, "We want Jack to do both guitars on the album." I was like, "Fuck that! This is a band." When they had Jack do both guitar parts, the whole thing broke. It was the final straw. People need to know I wasn't able to record my own fuckin' music. Shit I wrote. They did the same thing on theHammer Smashed Face EP. After about two weeks I got the call that I was fired. I don't think Chris had too much to say about it. It took me by surprise. I was working a club, Chris showed up, punched me in the arm, and then the next day I get a call, "We don't wanna jam with you anymore." It's like, "What? Do I have a choice here?" The way it was handled was pretty bad. I called Paul and he was frantic. Like a little girl. That's how they got rid of me. I tell people it was a mutual break-up and we weren't getting along, but now that we're talking about it I want to set the record straight.
The band released their third albumTomb of the Mutilated on September 22, 1992, which was said to have showcased "some of the sickest album art and song titles of all time." Vincent Jeffries ofAllMusic said: "the band's attention-getting tactics worked perfectly and record sales soared. Cannibal Corpse then became one of the biggest names in the death metal genre -- just as the group's discs and live performances were being banned all over the world."[15]
In February 1993, founding guitarist Bob Rusay was fired from the group and was replaced byMalevolent Creation guitaristRob Barrett, which the band emphasized as "definitely a professional decision and nothing personal."[16][17]
The band has since stated that Rusay, whose musical background was inpunk rock, was struggling to adapt to the band's increasingly technical musical approach. Owen recalled: "We tried to be professional. We were under the microscope. The budgets were getting bigger. He wasn't tight. It's not where we were at. It goes back toButchered." Owen stated that he had outright refused to take it upon himself to deliver the news to Rusay out of fear for his own safety. He recalled: "I really thought he'd kill me. Bob was a badass." According to Webster: "Bob was the tough guy in the band, for sure. He was in great physical condition and was really intomartial arts. When you're young, you tend to solve your problemsthat way instead of talking it out. That was something to think about. He could have found us if he wanted."[18]
The task of firing Rusay was ultimately assumed by Webster. Rusay was attending a party in celebration of theBuffalo Bills winning the Conference Championship Game when Webster phoned him to notify him of his dismissal. Webster was not a sports fan, and was unaware he had timed the actioning of the band's decision poorly. Webster recounted that Rusay hung up on him. Barnes has since stated that he and Owen did not agree with the decision to relieve Rusay of his duties, and expressed regret for having not called him afterward. However, by Webster's account, the decision to dismiss Rusay was unanimous.[18]
The band has stated that Rusay was deeply hurt by his dismissal, and has made no effort to contact them since. Despite his dismissal from the band, Mazurkiewicz commended Rusay in theCenturies of Torment documentary, calling him "monumental". Barnes credited Rusay for having composed some of the most important songs of the band's early career. Rusay subsequently withdrew from the music scene wholesale, and has since become agolf instructor.[19][18][20][21][22]
The band fired Rusay weeks before they were scheduled to leave for a US tour. Rusay's replacement, Rob Barrett, learned the entire setlist in two weeks prior to the tour.[12] In an interview at Milwaukee Metalfest in 1993, Barrett said: "The kids in Europe were disappointed about [Rusay's departure], 'cause [they were like], 'What happened to Bob?! He was the brutal-ist!' So I kind of had my work cut out for me, you know?"[17]
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Shortly following Rusay's dismissal, Cannibal Corpse had acameo appearance in the 1994Jim Carrey filmAce Ventura: Pet Detective, performing an abridged version of their song "Hammer Smashed Face".[23]
The band released their fourth studio albumThe Bleeding on April 12, 1994. According to Paul Mazurkiewicz, “The Bleeding had begun a process of change in the band. We were developing musically, and the aim was to really take things to the next level. I believe this was obvious with the music that the four of us were coming up with at the time.”[24]
AfterThe Bleeding's touring cycle had concluded, Barrett convinced the rest of the band to relocate to Florida.[25] Barnes stated in a 2025 interview that he was not given a say in this decision.[26]
In 1995, during recording sessions for their fifth albumVile, singerChris Barnes was dismissed from the band while on tour withSix Feet Under, which was at the time his side project. Barnes and the rest of the band members have since stated the split was due to creative and personal differences within the group that had been mounting for years. The band members have since admitted some semblance of jealousy towards Barnes on their part, partially due to media attention regarding his vocals and lyrical content, which often eclipsed attention towards the band's instrumentation and songwriting. Barnes stated "things just kept getting weirder and weirder between us at that point," and has gone as far as to allude to a "fist fight" with another band member that occurred during this time.[27][28][24]
In 2025, Barnes said: "There was always tension on a personal level in that band when I was in the band, and probably mostly my fault [laughs], so I'll be the first to admit it."[29]
Barnes was replaced byMonstrosity singerGeorge "Corpsegrinder" Fisher. According to Paul Mazurkiewicz: "George was the only person we ever considered. We believed he could do what we wanted. If he had declined, or hadn’t have worked out, I’m not sure what would have happened. It may have been the end of Cannibal Corpse. It was as serious as that." 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?" Mazurkiewicz said, “I’ll admit thatBrian Slagel, the head of [Metal Blade Records], wasn’t at all pleased. That was understandable. For any band to fire their vocalist is a really risky step. But we had complete faith in what George had done, and thankfully the fans’ reaction was almost totally positive."[30][24]
According to producerScott Burns: "I thought Barnes was irreplaceable. I had no idea who could take his place, but occasionally, amid the drama and confusion, Rob Barrett would speak up and say, 'Let's bring in George.' Rob was the easiest to get on board with the decision. I'll stress this: The decision to remove Barnes was ultimately the band's. Alex and the guys knew I didn't think Barnes's performance was up to par, but kicking out a band member was not my territory. I wasn't thinking about George at the time. I worried about getting the album done and didn't see how we would do it without Barnes. I remember the Cannibal guys saying they didn't care if Metal Blade dropped them. They wanted to make one record where they were as happy with the vocals as the music. It took a lot of courage to make that call."[31]
The band released their fifth albumVile in 1996. Mazurkiewicz said: "At first I think everybody was a little reluctant. [...] They loved Barnes, but we knew we were bettering the band and were just like, 'Wait until you hear it.' And I think, for the most part, everybody shut up after that. As soon as we put the album out, we went out on the road, and it was 'Barnes who?' at that point."[9]
The band toured North America withMisfits,Anthrax andLife of Agony in 1996.[32]
Barnes went on to perform with the bandSix Feet Under as his main project and later,Torture Killer. Barnes designed the original Cannibal Corpse logo, which was changed following his dismissal from the band. There has been speculation regarding whether Barnes had legal ownership rights to the logo. Mazurkiewicz clarified: "He didn’t legally own it, [...] but Chris did draw the thing in the first place. We needed a logo when the band started out, and he came up with something suitable. But once we’d fired him, then he started asking for payment on all CDs and merchandise we sold that carried his logo. Therefore, we decided to come up with a new one for theVile release, which also marked a new era for us. So, it really did the job on two levels."[24]
In February 1997, Rob Barrett left Cannibal Corpse due to musical differences and rejoined his previous bandsMalevolent Creation,Solstice, and HatePlow. Pat O'Brien replaced Barrett on guitar.[33][34] He had been recommended to the band by their soundperson, as well as bySteve Tucker, who had been playing withMorbid Angel at that time. Webster recalled: "When Rob left, we’d written about three songs for the new album. We carried on writing and took a couple of months before we chose another guitar player. This was one change that we didn’t have to make in a hurry, for once!" The band started recording new material in October 1997. Fisher shared a house with Mazurkiewicz and another friend during this time. He recalled: "it was a crazy time. We were slobs and justpartying!"[35]
The band's sixth studio album,Gallery of Suicide, was released on April 21, 1998. It was O'Brien's first studio appearance with the band.[36] The album proved popular with fans ofblack metal, and Cannibal Corpse would ultimately tour with Swedish bandsMarduk andDark Funeral during this time. Webster stated: "Black and death metal come from the exact same roots, from mid-80s stuff likeSodom,Kreator,Celtic Frost andPossessed, so there was no reason why they couldn’t tour together, and that worked out really well."[35]
The band's seventh studio album,Bloodthirst, was released on October 19, 1999. Steve Huey ofAllMusic opined: "It's rather remarkable how little the band's sound has changed over the course of an entire decade."[37]
The band's first live album,Live Cannibalism, was released on September 26, 2000.[38]
The band's eighth studio album,Gore Obsessed, was released on February 26, 2002.[39]
The band toured the US during the winter of 2004 withHypocrisy,Exhumed andVile.[40]
The band's ninth studio albumThe Wretched Spawn was released on February 24, 2004.[41]
Founding guitaristJack Owen left Cannibal Corpse in 2004 to spend more time on his second band,Adrift, and also joinedDeicide in late 2004.Jeremy Turner ofOrigin substituted on guitar for the band's 2004 tour of Mexico in support of their albumThe Wretched Spawn, after being referred to the band byErik Rutan ofHate Eternal (who would later join the band himself in 2019). The band also playedWacken Open Air and toured the US that year. Turner stated that he believes he played approximately 90 shows with the band over a six-month. The band ultimately did not hire him as a permanent replacement for Owen due to his locality in Kansas; although Turner said that he would have been willing to relocate to join the band, the band in the long run did not feel comfortable "uprooting" him from his family and life.Rob Barrett re-joined the band for a concert at the Northwest Deathfest in Washington in 2005, before ultimately reassuming guitar duties permanently following several months of deliberation. Barrett's mother stated in theCenturies of Torment documentary that she discouraged his decision to leave the band in the first place.[33][34][42]
The band's tenth studio albumKill was released on March 21, 2006,[43] and was considered a turning point in the band's career.
The band participated in the Sounds of the Underground Tour in 2006, which also featuredBehemoth andIn Flames.[44][45] The band also embarked on a headlining tour alongsideNecrophagist andDying Fetus in late 2006.[46][47]
Writing for the follow-up toKill began in November 2007, as indicated in an interview with bassistAlex Webster.[48]Evisceration Plague, Cannibal Corpse's eleventh studio album, was released on February 3, 2009,[49] to a highly positive response from fans. They also released a live DVD in 2011 entitledGlobal Evisceration.
The band toured withChildren of Bodom to promote the album. The band then participated inMayhem Festival 2009 along withMarilyn Manson,Slayer,Behemoth,Job For a Cowboy andThe Black Dahlia Murder.[50] The band then toured on the Decimation Of The Nation 2 tour along withHatebreed,Unearth,Born of Osiris andHate Eternal.[51] Throughout 2010, the band played various festivals in Europe such asWacken Open Air,Full Force andBloodstock Festival.[50] Following these festival appearances, the band toured the US during the spring of 2010 with Norwegian black metal band1349 and thrash metal bandSkeletonwitch.[52] The band toured the US during the fall of 2010 withDying Fetus,Vital Remains, andDevourment.[53]
Cannibal Corpse released its twelfth studio album,Torture, in March 2012.[54] 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.[55] The band toured the US from late 2012 into early 2013 withMisery Index andHour of Penance.[56]
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.[57] The same month, Metal Blade announced the publication of the band's authorized biographyBible Of Butchery, written by the British authorJoel McIver.[58]
In an August 2016 interview, drummerPaul Mazurkiewicz stated that Cannibal Corpse would likely begin recording a new album in 2017.[59] In September 2017, the band announced their fourteenth studio albumRed Before Black, which was released on November 3.[60]
On December 10, 2018, guitarist Pat O'Brien was arrested for assault and battery; his bail was set at $50,000.[61] On the eve of the news of his arrest, Cannibal Corpse was announced as one of the supporting acts forSlayer'sfinal North American tour, which would take place in the spring of 2019 and also be supported byLamb of God andAmon Amarth.[62] On January 18, 2019, Cannibal Corpse announced thatHate Eternal frontman and formerMorbid Angel guitaristErik Rutan would fill-in for O'Brien on their future tours.[63] The band toured the US withThy Art is Murder in the fall of 2019.[64]
Cannibal Corpse entered the studio in June 2020 to begin recording their fifteenth studio album.[65] On February 1, 2021, the band announced that the album,Violence Unimagined, would be released on April 16.[66] They released a music video for the song "Inhumane Harvest" from the album in February. The music video was largely inspired by theSaw movie franchise.[67] The band also announced that live guitaristErik Rutan has officially joined the band full-time.[68]
In early 2022, the band toured the US withWhitechapel andRevocation.[69] In fall of 2022, the band toured the US withDark Funeral,Immolation andBlack Anvil.[70]
By January 2023, Cannibal Corpse had begun working on their sixteenth studio album, which was listed byRevolver magazine as one of the "55 Most Anticipated Albums" of the year.[71] On June 22, 2023, the band released a new single "Blood Blind" and announced their next record,Chaos Horrific, would be released on September 22, 2023.[72]
In 2023, the band toured the US on a co-headlining tour withMayhem, along withGorguts andBlood Incantation.[73] The band toured Europe in the fall of 2024 withMunicipal Waste andImmolation. During this tour, Erik Rutan's house suffered "catastrophic" damage fromHurricane Helene, which forced him to leave the tour early. The band completed the tour with Barrett assuming all guitar duties.[74][75]
The band toured the US withMeshuggah andCarcass during the spring of 2025. In April, a couple made headlines after getting married during Cannibal Corpse's set on the Pittsburg stop of this tour.[76]
The band announced a headlining tour of the US for the fall of 2025 with support fromMunicipal Waste andFulci.[77]Full of Hell was later added to the tour.[78]
Cannibal Corpse is adeath metal band.[79][80] Various publications have also classified the band asbrutal death metal[81][82] andold school death metal.[83]
The band's sound is characterized by what is described as a "wall of sound", and its songwriting is described as "brutally aggressive but melodic." GuitaristRob Barrett said "You can be melodic without having it sound happy or triumphant. We try to go for the more uglier sounding stuff." Many of the band's melodies make use ofatonality. GuitaristPat O'Brien said, “a lot of stuff that we have to putsolos over is not in a particularkey, or doesn’t fit in a particularscale pattern. [...] It’s totally free, it’s almost likejazz in a lot of ways, because you can get as crazy and as 'out there' as you want. [...] That’s why I like it. It’s not limited.” He also stated the band uses scales that "sound evil," such as thediminished andHungarian minor scales.[84][85] The band's early releases are recognized for their rawness, and have been described as being "live sounding." Bassist Alex Webster said: "I guess there’s little things I’d consider mistakes on [the early albums], but that captures something -- It gives them that live feel." A great deal of the band's early material was composed by original guitarist Bob Rusay, including tracks such as "Skull Full of Maggots," "Post-Mortal Ejaculaton," and "Beyond the Cemetery." His musical background was inpunk rock, and his writing style was described by his bandmates as abrasive, unorthodox, and "offbeat." The guitar tone on early Cannibal Corpse releases, such asButchered at Birth, has been characterized as a "beehive-wall ofwhite noise." The band's later releases are generally considered to be more rhythmically and melodically complex, which was partially the result of Alex Webster's desire to explore the "technical side of music," beginning withTomb of the Mutilated. According to Joel McIver ofMusicRadar: "Behind the horrible song titles, lyrics and artwork lies a band of unexpected subtlety and skill."[86][12][87][88][18][89]
The band's early releases are described as "a progressively over-the-top approach to gore-themed death metal that pushed the envelope in every imaginable way, from cover art to song titles to the music itself." In reviews of early albums, critics have made note of the unintelligible, "thundering," "grunting"death growls of vocalistChris Barnes, who was called "one of the best growlers in the business".[90][15][91] Founding guitaristJack Owen described the band's first four albums: "Eaten is thrashy,Butchered is overwritten but in a good way,Tomb is abrasive and violent, and thenThe Bleeding was like 'okay slow it down and concentrate." He also said,:"You can hear everyone’s writing style in their own songs."[92][93] The writing process for the band's early releases were largely collaborative efforts. However, by the time of the writing forTomb of the Mutilated, the band members began composing more material on their own, and beginning withVile, songwriting credits began being attributed to individual band members.[citation needed]
Despite the increasing technical proficiency and polish on the band's studio releases throughout its career, the overall style has remained relatively unchanged, "in other words, zero chance of [any] stylistic experimentation," according to Greg Prato ofAllMusic.[94] According to former guitaristPat O'Brien: "There are certain areas where we're not going to be able to go where other bands have gone. But we don't want to; we're Cannibal Corpse and we're just gonna do what we do."[9] In an interview withInvisible Oranges, Webster stated: "Unless you’re anexperimental metal band by nature, people don’t really want thatexperimentation, I don’t think. They want us to try and out-do what we’ve done – I don’t think people want us to stand still and put out the same album again and again but I think what they want is something stylistically consistent and hopefully even a little better than the last album. When bands go too far away from their style it’s generally not well received in themetal community. Consistency is a big part of our genre."[95] In an interview withGuitar World, he said: "Some of the side projects I’ve done have allowed me to stretch out a little bit more [in terms of style], but Cannibal is really about being a big, heavy rhythm machine, and stepping out too much might detract from that."[96] Mazurkiewicz is quoted saying: “I always hated when bands [...] changed their style, something happened. You’re so into the sound of a band and then all of a sudden – ‘wait, what happened? Why did they have to go in that direction? What’d they do?’ And you were let down big time. We never wanted to be that band, you know?”[97]
The band's songwriting incorporateshooks into its lyrics, and vocalcadences andguitar riffs.VICE News assessed that the band's third album,Tomb of the Mutilated "sounds like death metal aspop – the genre stripped to its basics."[98] Webster said: "We want the songs to be memorable, as long as there is no sacrifice in the level of heaviness. [...] Those two things should not have to be exclusive. I think you can have really catchy things that are all really heavy. I mean if we can manage to write some lyrics that are going to make you want to remember them and sing along to them each time they come around, then mission accomplished I think right?"[99]
Chris Barnes' vocals on early Cannibal Corpse albums have been described as "indecipherablegrowls," while opting for a more intelligible style onThe Bleeding.[100] Barnes' vocals were generally characterized by a slower, groovier delivery style, while current vocalistGeorge Fisher is noted for his highly intelligible, rapid-fire vocal delivery on later Cannibal Corpse releases, such asVile andKill.[101][102][additional citation(s) needed]
According toGuitar World: "Webster’s galloping three-finger technique unlocks speed and accuracy that other bassists can only dream of; remarkably, he achieves great attack and clarity without the need for a pick."[86]
[Barnes] was never writing any of these lyrics from the point of view that the characters in the songs werecool [...] or were people that he related to. [...] It’s just interesting stuff to write about. If you have a movie with evil characters, people understand that the guy who made the movie doesn’t relate to those characters. If you have ahorror novel with evil characters in it – like a horror novel that features a rapist or a killer or a molester – you understand that the author doesn’t relate to those characters, and isn’t espousing that type of behavior. Neither are we. [...] Death metal is a type of horror music, and we’re not saying that any of the characters in our songs are people that we admire.
The band'slyrics and song titles draw heavily onhorror fiction,horror films andtrue crime. In the early years of theFlorida death metal scene, the group was considered one of the most shocking and "least subtle" for its transgression of taste with its depiction oftorture,murder, andmutilation, often in highlysexual,misogynistic andsadistic terms.[104][87][105] According toAlex Webster: "We saw that a lot ofbands in Florida seemed to have more of a darker,anti-religion thing going on, so we decided to do the gore thing with the art and lyrics."[106] The band's lyrics have been characterized as "parading a revolting fascination with thehuman body," drawing comparisons to British extreme metal bandCarcass, albeit "with a vividlycinematic perspective."[107]Loudwire wrote that "it's hard to think of any other band so hyper-focused on tales of people getting killed in gruesome ways."[108] George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher stated that the band does not sing aboutreligion orpolitics, and described the band's songs as "short stories" that could be converted into horror films. He said: "We like gruesome, scary movies, and we want the lyrics to be like that."[109] According to Webster: "Just by watchingthe news you can find plenty of inspiration – and then on top of that, you’ve got all the great horror movies and novels out there. There’s an unlimited amount of bad things happening in the world, real and imagined, so it’s not too hard for us to come up with stuff."[35] GuitaristRob Barrett has expressed his belief that the lyrical possibilities in death metal are "endless," and that limitations within the artform are nonexistent. He joked that "there's all [sorts of] new ways to talk about maming and killing and torturing."[110]
The lyrics of original vocalistChris Barnes have been described as "ludicrously over the top."[111] Examples of macabre song titles from the band's early releases include “Entrails Ripped From a Virgin’s Cunt,” “Fucked With a Knife,” "Addicted to Vaginal Skin," "Meat Hook Sodomy" and “Post Mortal Ejaculation.” According to sociologist Natalie J. Purcell: "the lyrics of these songs contain terrifying lines describing morbid urges toslaughter andsexually exploit others, particularlythe weak. Perhaps these songs are especially disturbing because they relate such talesfrom the perspective of the perpetrator."[112] In his review ofThe Bleeding, Jason Birchmeier ofAllMusic said that "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."[113] Webster stated: "We’re not trying to make a happy story; we’re trying to make a negative, frightening story, and that requires sometimes very disturbing imagery. Chris never wanted to limit [himself], and he didn’t. You can see it in the lyrics that he wrote. He had no limits and some of it is really disturbing for that reason, but it’s what he felt he needed to do."[114]
The lyrics on later releases by the band are considered to be less extreme and more mature than those written by Barnes. According to Joel McIver ofThe Quietus: "The band have evolved away from the blunt shock/splatter approach that they took in their earlier years. Nowadays the horrors that they write about are more streamlined and precise, the equivalent of graduating from whacking a person on the head with a stick to dissecting someone with a scalpel."[115]
The band has stated that many of their song titles are made first, with the lyrical pieces being written around them.[84][116]
The members of the band were originally inspired bythrash metal bands such asMetallica,Slayer,Testament,[117]Dark Angel,[118]S.O.D.,Sadus,Sodom,Kreator,D.R.I. andSacrifice, and earlydeath metal bands such asDeicide,[5]Possessed,Autopsy,Napalm Death,[118]Obituary,Morbid Angel andDeath.[119][120][121] Both former vocalistChris Barnes and current vocalistGeorge Fisher have cited late Death vocalistChuck Schuldiner as a major influence in their development as vocalists.[122]Jack Owen also stated that he was influenced byBay Area thrash bands such asExodus in the beginning, and also stated that the band was influenced byNapalm Death andSepultura.[123][124] Webster has stated that the band was fond ofearly black metal bands such asVenom andBathory in its early days as well, and Owen citedCeltic Frost as an early influence.[4][124] DrummerPaul Mazurkiewicz said: "Nothing inspired me other than what we were doing. We were narrow-minded in those days. If it wasn't death metal, we weren't listening to it."[125] OnTomb of the Mutilated, the band began drawing more technical andprogressive influences fromFlorida death metal acts such asAtheist andCynic.[126] On theHammer Smashed Face EP, the band paid tribute to Englishheavy metal bandBlack Sabbath, covering the song "Zero the Hero" from their 1983 albumBorn Again. In addition to Black Sabbath, the members of Cannibal Corpse have citedhard rock and metal bands such asAC/DC,Accept,Deep Purple,Iron Maiden,Judas Priest,Kiss,Mercyful Fate,Motörhead,Rush andVan Halen as their influences and inspirations.[120]
Alex Distefano ofOC Weekly said Cannibal Corpse are "hands down, the undisputed kings of death metal."[127] Quentin Thane Singer ofForbes said Cannibal Corpse are "by and large the face of the death metal sub-genre" and "one of metal’s most notorious and celebrated bands."[128] Cannibal Corpse has been called "one of metal's goriest, most vile outfits."[129]MusicRadar included the band on the site's list of the "scariest" bands or artists.[130] Greg Prato ofAllMusic said: "For the most part, as far as the genre of death metal goes, there is Cannibal Corpse, and there is a bunch of copycats."[94] Bands known for emulating the band's sound during the 1990s have been dubbed "Cannibal Clones" by some publications. According to Chris Dick ofDecibel: "I used to get a lot of demos back then and 9 out of 10 bands clearly had listened toTomb of the Mutilated."[123] Cannibal Corpse has been cited as an influence byextreme metal andheavy metal bands of numerous subgenres, includingThe Black Dahlia Murder,Disgorge,Whitechapel,All Shall Perish,Suicide Silence,Carnifex,Slipknot,As I Lay Dying,All That Remains[131] andEscape the Fate.
Jordan Blum ofLoudwire named Cannibal Corpse as one of the "Big Four" of death metal along withDeath,Morbid Angel andThe Black Dahlia Murder, and said the band were "perhapsthe most widelymemed group in [the genre]."[132]
According to Jon Weiderhorn ofLoudwire, Cannibal Corpse was influential in the development of the "even more extreme" style of death metal,goregrind.[133]
In 2023, readers ofRevolver voted Cannibal Corpse the "most brutal band of all time."[134]
"[The controversy] actually almost got me killed at gunpoint in 1994 before a show inEast L.A. Some gang members came on the bus and told me they didn't like my lyrics. One of them had just got out ofSan Quentin, and he had a.38 [caliber] stuffedinto his belt lining. He said, 'We're gonna kill you if you keep writing about this stuff.' I just tried to talk to him calmly and say, 'Hey, I respect your opinion,' but it was pretty scary. Luckily, we had a really goodtour manager, who somehow got those guys off the bus."
Cannibal Corpse's lyrics, song titles,album covers and merchandise artwork frequently featuretransgressive andmacabre imagery, including depictions ofextreme violence. Throughout their career, the band has consistently defended the violent imagery in their work as simplyartistic expression that isclearly fictional. Joel McIver ofThe Quietus wrote: "Almost as depressing as the song themes is the regularity with which the members of Cannibal Corpse have been forced to explain that a) no, they don't take their violent lyrics seriously, b) no, they don't advise that anyone tries these things at home and c) no, they themselves are not violent or in any way generally extreme as human beings."[136] BassistAlex Webster said: "MostWestern music is people singing from the heart — singing to a girlfriend, so a lot of people are freaked out by our songs".[137] The band's album covers arewatercolor paintings (most often done by comic book artistVincent Locke) that draw heavily onhorror fiction andhorror films, and are highly controversial. At various points in the band's career, several countries, such asGermany andRussia, have banned the group from performing within their borders, or havebanned the sale and display of original Cannibal Corpse album covers.[138][139]
Webster recalled: "It got to the point where it enteredglobal politics. That's something I never imagined, and I never heard [Senator]Joe Lieberman actually say these words, but he said this about us: "[Cannibal Corpse] is deplorable. They have a song about having sex with a severed head." I wish I could have heard him say that shit. I'd love that sound bite."[106] 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."[citation needed] Original vocalistChris Barnes, who wrote the lyrics to the band's first four albums, said: "I never did anything for controversy. That was more a nuisance. I wanted to just write something that was exciting to me. Controversy was secondary."[140] According toMetal Blade Records presidentBrian Slagel: "There were times in Europe that were really scary, to the point where the local government said if they played their songs then [they] wouldarrest them immediately."[141] Webster stated: "I think for our band in particular, a lot of the reason we have so much trouble is [because] we're so visible. I mean, there's a lot of great gore death metal bands out there that have lyrics that are even worse than what we do – which therefore means they'rebetter – but they're just not as well known as us, so we catch a lot more heat."[142]
The things we sing about in this band are incredibly brutal and negative -- we wanteverything in this band to be brutal and negative. Really. And that might sound strange to the average person, but it's what we want. You know, that's the way to make it effective death metal and to effectively capture the emotion we're going for. If you're gonna make music that sounds aggressive and hateful, then [obviously] the lyrics should also be aggressive and hateful. It makes complete sense to me. And if it's something that is about something negative, but it makes you feel good when you're done listening to it, and no one's been harmed by doing that, then there's nothing wrong with it at all. [...] I mean, we're not too surprised that people want to censor us, because most of the people who are in political offices [...] they were teenagers when Elvis was being censored for moving his hips around on Sullivan's Show. So people who grew up with that -- what are they going to think of a band that sings about eating people?!
Current vocalistGeorge Fisher has stated that death metal is best understood as "art" and claims that far more violent art can be found at theVatican; he expressed his belief that such depictions of violence are arguably more transgressive – as they actually happened.[144] On the same topic, George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher stated the band does not sing aboutreligion orpolitics, and that the band's songs are simply "short stories" that could be converted into horror films: "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."[145] Webster also said: "It's not like we're maniacs. People from outside the death metal scene get a little spooked sometimes because they just don't understand we're just doing this for entertainment. It's really ugly entertainment, but if we enjoy it, and it's harmless, why not?"[146]
Some journalists have opined that some of the band's more extreme lyrics have not aged well within the context of a modern political climate. Brad Sanders ofSterogum wrote in 2021: "Some of Cannibal Corpse’s lyrics and artwork are, in fact, a littlebeyond the pale. Every song in the band’s discography depicts extreme violence, but few are interested in excavating its trauma, which means the less cartoonish the lyrics, the ickier they feel. That’s not an argument for censorship, but it is a fair warning that diving deep with Cannibal Corpse’s catalog is going to mean seeing and hearing some things that don’t necessarily hold up in 2021."[147]
Years ago, we had problems; we’d get a lot of people boycotting us and whatnot, but I think in the end—trust me, I’m married, I have a beautiful wife, I understand where people think we’re being insensitive to rape and things like that, we’re not being insensitive to that. I can understand how people would think that we’re glorifying it, but [same as when] movies have rape scenes in them—there are actual rapes that happen, unfortunately, in this world. We’re not condoning any of that, obviously.
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".[148] He also believes the violent lyrics can have positive value, saying "it's good to have anger music as a release."[149]
George Fisher has dismissed the notion that extreme music "[undermines] the youth," sarcastically saying: "Yeah, because we want people to get arrested and not come to our shows. We want regular jobs – great plan!”[citation needed] He further stated: "There's nothing ever serious [in the lyrics]. We're not thinking of anybody in particular that we're trying to kill, or harm or anything."[150] When pressed on his personal feelings in regard to performing some of Barnes' more extreme lyrics, being the father of two daughters, he stated: "If one of my daughters went to college and was raped or something [...] would I then want to play those songs on stage? I don’t know. I’d have to cross that bridge. I can understand how some people would be like, 'If it’s happening with you and your daughters, you should feel that uncomfortable with everybody,' and I don't have a problem with at least listening to people's opinions about it."[151]
In May 1995, then-US SenatorBob Dole accused Cannibal Corpse—along withhip hop acts including theGeto Boys and2 Live Crew—of undermining the national character of the United States.[152] A year later, the band came under fire again, this time as part of a campaign byWilliam Bennett, SenatorJoe Lieberman, then-SenatorSam Nunn, andNational Congress of Black Women chairC. Delores Tucker to get major record labels—includingTime Warner,Sony,Thorn-EMI,PolyGram andBertelsmann—to "dump 20 recording groups [...] responsible for the most offensive lyrics".[153]
As of October 23, 1996, the sale of any Cannibal Corpse audio recording then available was banned inAustralia and all copies of such had been removed from music shops.[154] At the time, theAustralian 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".[155][156]
All ten of Cannibal Corpse's albums, the live albumLive Cannibalism, the boxed set15 Year Killing Spree, the EPWorm 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.[157] 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 actThe Chaser did alounge music version of their song "Rancid Amputation" on their showThe 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.[158]
In Germany, numerous albums have been indexed by theFederal 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.[159]
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.[161][162]
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'."[171]
In a 2019 interview withChrista 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.[172]
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."[173] The gig inNizhny Novgorod was stopped halfway through the set, after police conducted a search for drugs at the venue.[174] The concert in Saint Petersburg was canceled at the last minute because of unspecified "technical reasons",OMON arrived shortly after and arrested eighteen concertgoers.[175] Cannibal Corpse members stated that Russian authorities threatened to detain the members if they performed because they did not have the correctwork visas.[174]
Current members[104][176][177]
| Former members
Touring
|
Timeline
Recording timeline
| Role | Album | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | ||||||||||||
| Guitar | Jack Owen | Rob Barrett | ||||||||||||||
| Bass | Alex Webster | |||||||||||||||
| Drums | Paul Mazurkiewicz | |||||||||||||||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
