Cannibal Corpse/Vile

Vile, released in 1996, is the 5th studio release by Floridian Death/Grind Masters Cannibal Corpse. Originally recorded with founding vocalist Chris Barnes, and titled Created To Kill, the release was re-recorded after Barnes was fired and George ‘Corpsegrinder’ Fischer joined the band. The original recording was later released in the Cannibal Corpse Boxset. Vile is the first Death Metal record in recording history to appear on the Billboard Top 200 Chart, hitting #151.

Devoured By Vermin—-There is never any introduction or starting point for a CC song….the songs always begin with huge noise and this is of no exception. George delivers an introduction bellow that still hold up very well in 2010. The lower register of his voice is damn menacing….even more sinister and evil than Barnes. This is a huge straight forward head slamming adventure full of guitar squeals and a deep bass sound that will require a defibrillator after continued listens.

Mummified In Barbed Wire—-The vocal begins almost from the first note….the speech is so fast you struggle to keep up even with the lyrics. The band displays their great ability to shift from tempo to tempo with ease masterfully. The lyrical content is so disgusting that it seems satirical and hilarious to me. Come on…you can not take this stuff seriously.

Perverse Suffering—-The bass guitar and the drums work so well together in this band and there is a real sense of melody that runs through the song…if you concentrate just on the music, the chunkiness of the sound is freaking brillinat…the guitar squeals are always timed perfectly. george fits more words into a sentence than I speak all day and he does it everytime…WITHOUT fail. This is fantastic!!!

Disfigured—-The tone of this track is higher pitched…which is kind of nice after all the dirge. This song, again, serves up a modest helping of melody and a great rhythm. the drums are a tad too much to the back for me, but the result is nice…the high hats of the drums are miced nice and you clearly hear them and they become vital to the song. When the bashing really kicks in, the drum trades with the vocal and becomes the star. this is fantastic…the little song has many movements and treats….incredible.

Bloodlands—-Melding perfectly from the previous song, the deep sound of the song is almost a shock after the previous track. The vocal is so-so on this track….not really my favorite. the lead guitars are the star…this is fantastic…think of Sabbath on Crack and you have a nice feel for the song. Brilliant!

Puncture Wound Massacre—-Back in the saddle of pure brutality, this song sets off on a mission from the first note….kick your ass…and it does!!! The vocal is so fast and frenzied, you fear george is going to have a stroke. The level of sound that this band produces is phenomenal…..this is pure brutality and delivered with authenticity and urgency.

Relentless Beating—-From the onset, this has a nice straight up Heavy Metal feel to it….the leads are clear and the drums kick your ass. This has, also, a nice level of tempo and tone changes that just show how fast these guys can move their fingers. a great instrumental….full of sheer musical brutality.

Absolute Hatred—-Definitely a song that is so well rounded and preformed as to make every instrument the star of the show. the voice is in your face and brutal…the drums are superhuman and the bass is a huge wall. The leads soar nicely and add so much life to the song…this is pretty fantastic.

Eaten From Inside—-Again, the band surprises me with the level of diversity and talent that it has. This is a classic Heavy Metal sound…only the vocals separate it from the Heavy Metal community. The music is classic…great leads and shift changes….fantastic drumming and a sound that is clearly an entire community in itself. This is brilliant!!!!

Orgasm Through Torture—-Full of a nice chugging bass line that appears again and again throughout the song, this is fantastic. george is so hoarse and perfect, it is as if this band was made for him. This is beyond genius, this is a masterpiece of noise, gore and disgust all wrapped in a cover of brutality, Wow!!!

Monolith—-Incredibly fast from the onset, the song downshift and increases at the drop of a dime. the voice is so tortured and sick that you marvel at it…the bass downshift propel the song…the result is a classic song that I am glad to hear from time to time…it only proves that this band has talent and finesse despite the genre.

**** out of 5