Since George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher joined Floridian death metal legends Cannibal Corpse in 1995, he has gone on to become one of the most highly respected figures in death metal and beyond. Not just for his fearsome guttural roar or for the unnerving ability to grow a neck wider than most people’s heads, but because underneath all the sweat, hair and spit he just seems so damn loveable. From his well documented obsession with World of Warcraft to donating toys to charities and hospitals, it’s quite astonishing how a man who regularly vomits up lyrics about dismemberment, blowtorches, necrophilia and evisceration has gradually developed into something approximating a role model.
Having appeared as a guest on Dee Snider‘s Leave a Scar (Napalm Records) album last year, it doesn’t really come as a surprise to find George working with producer and co-contributor Jamey Jasta himself now. Retaining the services of the same two musicians who worked so effectively alongside Snider, Jasta has turned to co-producer and drummer Nick Bellmore, and his brother Charlie Bellmore to provide the four and six string abuse.
Easing you into Corpsegrinder (Perseverance Music Group) nice and gently, Cannibal Corpse producer/guitarist Erik Rutan makes an appearance on suitably brutal opener ‘Acid Vat’, a thundering beast of chugging riffs and melodic solos. ‘Bottom Dweller’ continues the violent sadism while ‘On Wings of Carnage’ not only possesses a killer hook but more than a hint of Morbid Angel. ‘All Souls Get Torn’ piles on the savagery, George’s vocals sounding every bit as barbaric as they do on his day job.
Things slow down with the punishing grind of ‘Death is the Only Key’ while the bouncing bludgeon of ‘Crimson Proof’, ‘Devourer of Souls’ and the crunching ‘Defined By Your Demise’ owe as much to hardcore punk as death metal, Jasta’s own background and influences shining through as clear as day here. Meanwhile ‘Master of the Longest Night’ and pacey closer ‘Vaguely Human’ are two more deceptively catchy little earmaggots, ending the album with more melodic, homicidal mayhem.
Regularly crossing the bridge between thrash, death and hardcore, it’s clear straight away that this isn’t just a load of old ideas left over from the Cannibal Corpse camp. That’s not to say a few riffs couldn’t have found a home on their more recent releases but overall Corpsegrinder is a different beast entirely.
There’s no need for panic though. Nothing even approximating a ballad exists here and there isn’t a clean vocal in sight. However, if it’s possible to sound completely engorged with bile and inhuman rage while clearly having a total blast then George has absolutely nailed it.
Buy the album here: https://www.martyrstore.net/
8 / 10
GARY ALCOCK