ALBUM REVIEW: Cannibal Corpse - "Red Before Black"

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 03/11/2017

Label: Metal Blade Records

Once again, Cannibal Corpse have crushed all in their wake and returned as conquering anti-heroes of the death metal genre.  Cannibal Corpse remain the death metal band by which many other death metal bands are judged and remain my go-to band of choice if I want to listen to something extreme, violent, uncompromising and also oddly, inexplicably, insanely listenable.

“Red Before Black” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Only One Will Die
2. Red Before Black
3. Code of the Slashers
4. Shedding My Human Skin
5. Remaimed
6. Firestorm Vengeance
7. Heads Shoveled Off
8. Corpus Delicti
9. Scavenger Consuming Death
10. In the Midst of Ruin
11. Destroyed Without a Trace
12. Hideous Ichor

The Review:

Erik Rutan returns to production duties for this, Cannibal Corpse's fourteenth (!?) album. The production is thus a little more in keeping with their earlier work than the very modern sounding last outing “A Skeletal Domain”. Naturally, first things must come first: the album is brutally heavy. The production is reliably clear but also feral in just the right way- it sounds fantastic. There are plenty of catchy hooks and riffs here. Simply put, from the opening “Only One Will Die” onwards, this is a shredding whirlwind of a death metal album.

The title track comes second in the track list and is a high water mark for the album- thrashy leanings combine with the band's death metal fury (much like their earliest material) as George Corpsegriner Fisher growls with consummate authority. Cannibal Corpse has never made a bad album, to my knowledge, and they have not started here. Whilst I may be more familiar with some albums than others over the course of their career- which is now knocking on the door of thirty years in length!- when I get into their records, I really get into them.

Over the course of the last week, I have had this album on every day- all the way up until this weekend, when sadly the news of John Rossi of Pilgrim passing away caused me to revisit that excellent doom band's albums. However, I am playing “Red Before Black” on my headphones as I write this and after a weekend of sloth like doom, it is as forceful and extreme as I recalled from my listens over the last week.

There are certainly stand outs here- “Code of The Slashers” is a modern Corpse classic- whilst the slower and gnarly “Shedding My Human Skin” recalls death metal of the old school vintage. Naturally, over the course of twelve tracks it would be forgiveable for the intensity to drop- but it does not. If there is any criticism to be made, it is that the record is slightly front loaded with the best material hitting the listener sooner rather than later. That said, “Remaimed” and “Firestorm Vengeance” are as ripping as the opening two tracks and when “Heads Shovelled Off” opens what would be side two of the vinyl, it does so with a blasting intensity. Sure, “Corpus Delicti” is not as memorable as the title track, but the band has made a fine job of keeping the motor running at high revs throughout.

Alex Webster's bass makes a very welcome appearance front and centre on “Scavenger Consuming Death”, which is a late album highlight for me. The final three tracks run the gamut from the more dynamic riffing of “In The Midst of Ruin” to the frenzied “Destroyed Without a Trace” to the more atmospheric closer “Hideous Ichor”. Once again, then, Cannibal Corpse have crushed all in their wake and returned as conquering anti-heroes of the death metal genre.

There is not a bad track here, no real criticism can be levelled at the production or the playing and overall, this is an old school throwback of a death metal record. Cannibal Corpse remain the death metal band by which many other death metal bands are judged and remain my go-to band of choice if I want to listen to something extreme, violent, uncompromising and also oddly, inexplicably, insanely listenable. Long may they reign.

“Red Before Black” is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook