Kill

The new Cannibal Corpse record. "The Wretched Spawn" already showed some signs of major technical improvement, but "Kill" is the album where nothing seems to stop them anymore.

"Kill" is a record full of insanely technical riffing, brutal arrangements and something that many people claimed to be impossible in Cannibal Corpse's case: VARIETY.

One of the most noticeable improvements in the variation department is the drumming. Paul Mazurkiewicz really got his act together this time. His playing ranges from standard thrash beats to fast blastbeats and slow, technical drumming with wicked time changes. His range of styles is fantastic this time around. To be brutally honest, I've never thought that Paul was a very skilled drummer. But "Kill" proved me wrong.

Rob Barrett's return is also noticeable. Some of his least-technical riffs on "Kill" remind of their most technical ones on their 1996 album "Vile". Just an example of the technical prowess showcased on "Kill".

The album opens with "The Time To Kill" is now, and by the first seconds you can already hear the changes they made. Corpsegrinder's vocals are as good as ever, but sound even a bit rawer, which fits very well to the albums style. Great leads are also appearing throughout the song.

I wasn't able to count all the riffs contained in these songs, but there sure as hell are a lot of them. Same with the solos and lead guitars. They are scattered all over the technical riffage, but always fit the song. The most "oldschool" sounding song on here is "Five Nails Through the Neck" (one of my favourites). It sounds like a slightly more technical left-over from "Bloodthirst". The average speed of the album is very high, the rhythm changes are absolutely unpredictable which gives the album a very high replay value. You'll explore more details with every single listen.

It's very difficult to find any flaws on this album, but if I had to point out one, I'd be it's technical character. Yes, I said I think the technical riffage is great, so is the drumming and Alex Webster's great bass-lines, but sometimes (not very often though) the technicality is so high and complex, that all catchiness is lost, even if it's just for a moment, it can detract from the song a bit. Not a major complaint, though.

Overall, "Kill" is my second favourite Cannibal Corpse album ("Bloodthirst being my favourite) and it's definitely a high-point in their career.

Yes, Cannibal Corpse still have it after all those years. I recommend "Kill" to any CC fan and any Death Metal fan in general.

Highlights: "Make them Suffer", "Necrosadistic Warning", "Five Nails Through the Neck"