Register Forgot login?

© 2002-2024
Encyclopaedia Metallum

Privacy Policy

Cannibal Corpse > Torture > Reviews > LDSA
Cannibal Corpse - Torture

We've heard it all before - 30%

LDSA, March 23rd, 2012

There was a time when listening to a Cannibal Corpse album was exciting. There was a time when every song these guys recorded epitomized brutality and everything death metal was supposed to be about. But those days are long gone.

I don't doubt their musicianship. I don't doubt their ability to write riffs and play fast, but this album feels like another missed opportunity.

After listening to it, you can't help but feel that you just listened to pretty much the same song played 12 different times. There is barely anything that stands out. Torture simply lacks truly memorable tunes. It feels as if the band is merely going through the motions (again) and reusing the same tempos and riffs and lyrics over and over and over again.

It's all way too predictable. If you're an old school Cannibal Corpse fan and have listened to every single album they've made, you will find yourself wondering whatever happened to this band.

At some point in their careers, they just lost whatever it is they had that helped them write amazing and brutal albums such as Tomb of the Mutilated and Butchered at Birth.

Now, I know there are only so many ways you can write about killing people in horrible ways, raping corpses and eating their brains. That is why I've always thought that it must be really hard keeping your music sounding fresh after so many years of recording albums. But Cannibal Corpse lyrics have lacked originality and freshness for way too long. And that is one of the biggest pet peeves I have with their recent efforts. It's as if they only dedicated 10 minutes to the lyrics and were happy with saying the same thing over and over again. Yes, yes. We know, you kill your victim, then rape her, and then eat her guts. We've heard those songs before. It's no longer interesting. When most of your songs are about killing people in disgusting ways, you no longer achieve what you originally set out to do. You no longer scare anyone. (Yawn).

The music in the album is also a huge problem, because they're playing in automatic pilot. You don't feel they believe in what they're playing anymore. You don't feel they're really excited about being in a death metal band. You get the impression they're just doing the job they were hired to do and that's it. You don't feel they want to kick your ass anymore.

This album just feels like Cannibal Corpse minus the spirit, minus evilness.