Subjective ratings, which is ultimately what any score at the end of a review is, are always on a sliding scale. The more great music there is in a given genre, the more likely it is that the average score will go down. For there to be peaks, or high scores, there needs to be mediocrity and bad albums. Cannibal Corpse‘s last outing, Violence Unimagined, got a little boost by being decent in a year of underperforming Death Metal. Two years later – the usual tonus for the bands release schedule – the metagame has changed considerably. While I am always a camo shorts-wearing Death Metal nerd, I can’t argue that the genre usually produces only one or two real hitters in a year, but this year I could easily construct my whole end of the year list of the genre I hold the dearest. Sadly, it shows as I would instinctively rate Chaos Horrific much worse than its predecessor, without being able to pinpoint why exactly.
Both albums are very much influenced by the bands newest member, Erik Rutan. Rutan had replaced Cannibal Corpse’s lead guitarist after an altercation with the law had sent him out of commission. Rutan‘s accolades include playing for cult act Ripping Corpse and his main project, Hate Eternal, both projects that are quite distinct in approach to Cannibal Corpse. Ripping Corpse has much more of a thrash backbone than the corpse ever had, while Hate Eternal plays with much denser and often harmonically richer textures than Webster et al. Rutan seemed to be one of the driving forces on Violence Unimagined and it seemed like he was trying to write in the style of Cannibal Corpse. While not being able to abandon his own stylistic quirks, and even improving on some of the issues of his main project like the incessant over-drumming present on every Hate Eternal album, I would still stand by Violence Unimagined beyond being a solid effort in a weak year. Chaos Horrific has fewer high points in general, but also a less impactful production. Compared to its predecessor the album seems muddier and less percussive. At the same time, there seems to be less harmonic flavor in most songs. This excludes the last song, which sees the band go even deeper on the more open textures that come with Rutan‘s usual style and even approaches a blackened Death Metal sound.
While most of the band seems to just deliver about the bare minimum, George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher‘s minimum is still higher than what most vocalists deliver. Fisher is not the flashiest vocalist and has a certain tone he sticks with, but it is his delivery and phrasing as a kind of master of ceremony that elevates some songs beyond being purely average. While Corpsegrinder has an immensely low and distorted growl, he manages to craft memorable lines and at times catchy choruses. Without him, this album could easily be a flat five, but his presence motivates me to at least add a qualifier. Sadly, in a packed year, I can’t go higher.
