Year: 2023
Label: Metal Blade Records
Rating: 8,4 / 10
Let me remind you that I did not like the previous CANNIBAL CORPSE album very much, and over the years I have only become more convinced in this opinion. The forced replacement of Pat O'Brian with boring Eric Rutan had an obvious effect on the music. It got to the point that I wrote about the album in the Blitz section, and this is a shame for such a famous band. "Violence Unimagined", in my opinion, is the weakest work of CANNIBAL CORPSE in its more than 30-year history. Therefore, in 2021, my prognosis for the future of them Cannibals was quite sad.
But I am happy to admit that I was wrong! The new album sounds much stronger, heavier, more beautiful than the previous one. In every sense. Even for the sake of the technical side, it's already worth listening to. Rutan, I give him his due, did not make another of his castrated production, but a real CANNIBAL CORPSE sound (not for the first time, of course), where super-heavy guitars roar and count your ribs during thrashy races. The rhythm section and vocals - it's all clear here, nothing can spoil them.
It's only the beginning of the positive aspects. By some miracle, Rutan managed to write three songs that are 100 percent in line with the band's style. This is especially true for "Frenzied Feeding", a powerful hit, where there is everything – from demented aggression to the characteristic painful intonations of a lead guitar. Webster and Barrett, who did the other 7 tracks, didn't hit the mark everywhere, but also did some strong things. Thanks to this, we have another CANNIBAL CORPSE full-length with 3-4 outstanding songs that are perfect for gigs (the promo campaign of the album currently has as many as 3 video clips, and you understand that they don't shoot videos for shitty songs). Of course, it's also worth noting that Cannibals usually write music based on their lyrics, so it always sounds unique. Pat is not in the band anymore, so we shouldn't expect another song about removing a face with a sander. But Webster, for example, wrote an epic work about killing with pitchforks, which is also not bad at all.
What else can I add? Probably, traditional stuff: the cover by Vince Locke once again is fantastic, and the frenzied violent energy of the band that consists of 55-years old men with chronic musical illnesses, once again surprises. Hail CANNIBAL CORPSE!
English (UK) 
Крыўская