We're gonna do this track by track, but my initial reaction to the album as a whole is that it's another great addition to the lineup of now 13 albums. While I'm not as well versed in their older material as I probably should be, I know at least 2 songs from each album.
Released on September 16th, the album had a lot of hype in the Death Metal community. Even if you aren't a particularly huge fan of CC, you should at least respect what they have added to the scene as a whole.
Known for their questionably lyrics, heavy sound, a the singers massive thigh of a neck, they have been around since 1988 with only 3 members having changed over the course of that time. These guys are solid members of the Metal world.
Now without further ado, a track by track review.
1. High Velocity Impact Spatter
Like I said before, I can't claim much knowledge about this compared to a lot of the older stuff. That being said, I like a lot of things about this song. As a whole, this stuff feels a lot tighter than a lot of the older stuff but I don't think that takes away from it at all. The guitar work is very good and I love the what Fisher does toward the end of the choruses.
2. Sadistic Embodiment
Starting out kinda weird with borderline conflicting rhythms in the verses, this song has a cool and unique sound from a lot of the rest of the album. However, it does feel a little Tech-y, which isn't really CC's thing usually. Not a bad song at all, and lyrically it feels right, but not the best on the album in my opinion.
3. Kill Or Become
Now this one is probably my favorite track. As a bassist, I really freaking love Alex Webster's bass work, and while this song doesn't have super complicated stuff you can hear some killer tone in it that isn't as obvious in a lot of the other tracks.
Also for some reason I have a strange attraction to the line, "Fire up the chainsaw, Hack all their heads off." Don't ask me why, I just do.
4. A Skeletal Domain
This song starts out with tones of Death/Doom, and I really like it. As it unfolds you can almost hear the horror welling up in the music which is a really cool effect that you rarely feel in a style like Death Metal. The feelings this song brings up really do fit with what the art on the album would begin to conjure to your mind.
5. Headlong Into Carnage
I don't have as many strong feelings about this song right away to be honest. It's a good song, but I don't feel strongly one way or another about it, ya know? The more I listen to it, the more it seems to grow on me though, which in my book makes it a good song.
6. The Murderer's Pact
Ah, the single I've been hearing for a while now. On one hand, singles are chosen because they are the best on the album. On the other hand, that can make them feel old far too quickly. That is not the case with "The Murderer's Pact" thankfully, because it really feels like a solid CC song. I'm serious, lyrically and musically it feels right. I wouldn't call it classic, but I would say that it's a killer track.
7. Funeral Cremation
This song feels a little great to me. It has a wonderful doom and gloom feel to the intro followed by the tormented travels of a murderer. Really, what more could you want, right? Then it turns out that all the killings were his own family, which makes the whole package fit together nicely.
8. Icepick Lobotomy
Dat bass tho, listen to it ring out. Then there's the alternately horrifying and hilarious picture of Corpsegrinder operating on some poor soul. On the other hand, this song definitely feels different and maybe not quite right. Musically it is just that small step different from the rest of the album. Also reading up on legit icepick lobotomys has freaked me out a little, and these lyrics do a good job at summoning that old "creeped out" feeling I had.
9. Vector Of Cruelty
I'm not sure what it is about this song, but it is a very close second to "Kill Or Become" in my favorite list. There's some good bass work in this one too, and it also has (I almost hesitate to say it) a bouncy feel to it. It flows really well and is pretty fun to listen to.
10. Bloodstained Cement
Not to stereotype, but I feel like this song sums up what a good number of guys feel like when we think about what would happen if we got jumped somewhere. Don't lie, you've thought of it.
Musically it almost feels repetitive though, so there is that as a downside.
11. Asphyxiate To Resuscitate
One of the best things about this song is that the managed to take a Wah solo and make it not suck. This has been a problem in the metal world since Kirk Hammett ruined it for everybody back in the 90s. This is a pretty good song though, with a good beat that borderline reminds me of some of the stuff from the 90s era CC.
12. Hollowed Bodies
As I finish the album, I feel like I have very little to say about this track. Is it good? Yes. It it Brutal? Yes. I simply have this issue with the last track of an album, where I really struggle with having an opinion or any major sort about it. Musically it's killer, and Fisher takes us through a wonderful little tale, but be that as it may, I hold no major feelings about it.
That unfortunately, brings us to the end of the album. Hope you all liked it and remember, if you really enjoy music, support the band by actually buying the music and going to shows. That's my 2 cents.
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