Cancer Culture

Decapitated is one of those sadly few bands that are seemingly unable to make a bad album. Even their weakest effort – 2004's "The Negation" – is still pretty damn solid. And at the risk of spoiling this review up front, well, they just did it again. There are those who say that the band has become more generic and adherent to standards on their later albums. And while those people do have a point, there's just no denying the amount of ass that gets duly kicked here. "Cancer Culture" is pure, professionally controlled aggression – which, when you think about it, is the definition of metal done right.

Tonally, it's an overall more melodic and less dissonant album than we've had from Decapitated until now. But the energy and intensity are still red-hot, and this is especially due to the band's secret weapon, fast-as-fuck and tight-as-tits British drummer James Stewart (formerly with Decapitated's countrymen and former touring partners Vader). With a perfect amount of immaculately executed details and variations, each of his tens of thousands of strokes all the way throughout stands crystal clear, even. In fact, this album might have THE perfect drum production.

Two major counterpoints, though. First, as its title suggests, Decapitated's 8th album is largely a collection of comments on current social issues. Five years have passed since "Anticult", and in these years, as we all know, a lot of shit has collectively turned the world upside down like few times before in history. This has given the band something to write about. And it's symptomatic for "Cancer Culture" that it is a very written album. Early on in their career, Decapitated wrote songs with a much more immediate and creatively raw approach that made them original and exciting. However, as initially remarked, the band HAS come to rely upon certain standards within the genre rather than challenging themselves and the listener.

Second, the fact that "Cancer Culture" seems written rather than inspired is also reflected on the lyrical front. I should've known by the more or less deviant titles like "Just a Cigarette", "Hello Death", and "Suicidal Space Programme": The lyrics here are dealing with some very specific hot-button issues, and they're doing it in very specific phrases, often leaving nothing to the reader in the way of interpretation. For example, the album closer "Last Supper" is about global warming:

Revenge is a dish
Best served cold
Ironic given the fact
We got the planet boiled
So grab your forks
And sharpen your knives
It's just about time
To eat yourself alive

The title track is about those "woke" social justice keyboard warriors:

Unfollow and report
So easy to feel better
Throwing digital rocks
Smug righteous citizen
Chained to his desk

And "No Cure" is about the new wave of conspiracy wackos:

4Chan university graduates
Experts in funny pictures and cats
Grew small in shadows of chemtrails
In fear of syringes

Don't get me wrong, gentlemen: Your messages are important, and nobody sympathizes more with your sentiments than I do. But in an extremely aggressive genre, there are certain words that are just plain weird; "cats", "4Chan", and "funny pictures" are some of them.

Still, none of this takes away anything vital from the fact that the whole thing just plain hauls ass no matter how you look at it. Any fan of Decapitated's last coupla albums is gonna dig it. In fact, from a purely musical perspective, there aren't any low points, so I can't name any tracks that are better than others. The slow, almost doomy "Hours as Battlegrounds" does stand out dynamically, but the quality is impeccable throughout. Also, fans of Jinjer and Machine Head will dig the contributions from their respective frontmen/-women: Robb Flynn on "Iconoclast" and Tatiana Shmayluk on "Hello Death".


(Originally posted at https://www.globalmetalblog.com/l/decapitated-cancer-culture)

Since I am not a huge fan of later Decapitated, I did not expect much from this album. I was glad to have been proven wrong: "Cancer Culture" is now among my favorite albums of all time and my favorite release by the band since the debut, especially strong in comparison to its bare-bone predecessor "Anticult".

After the sinister instrumental intro "From the Nothingness with Love", the album strikes you with the fervent intro of the title track, which is plain AWESOME. The grinding drums are difficult to overestimate, the main riff is catchy and brutal, Rafał's vocals, although not changed significantly compared to "Anticult" sound much more well-integrated into the music. The "clean" version of the chorus also fits the song, while the guitar section following the second repetition of the chorus (the one when Rafał screams "Cancer") is absolutely sick and overwhelming (while I don't like bands like Darko that utilize this style of pinch harmonics, here it's impeccable).

The rest of the album is a consistent, unrelenting flow of epicness, offering powerful riffing ("Just a Cigarette", "No Cure") balancing with epic tragic melodies ("Suicidal Space Programme", "Hours as Battlegrounds"). Most elements are utilized in multiple songs (quiet yet ominous and atmospheric background vocals appear on the title track, "Just a Cigarette" and "Hours as Battlegrounds", while the pinch harmonics of "Cancer Culture" can also be found on "Locked"), but don't feel overused. The most remarkable part of the album (besides the "Cancer Culture" riff) is undoubtedly the melodic singing of Robb Flynn of Machine Head in the middle of "Iconoclast". It fits the song perfectly and makes it stand out from the rest of the album. The vocals of "Hello Death" (Rafał's intro scream and melodic singing of Tatiana Shmayluk of Jinjer make the track much more epic and remarkable) should be noted, too.

I enjoyed the album's lyrics a lot. Besides the fire social commentary (I especially loved the lyrics and message of "Cancer Culture", "Just a Cigarette" and "No Cure"), it offers some effective bleak imagery ("Suicidal Space Programme", "Last Supper"). As always, Decapitated don't disappoint regarding the exploration of the album's lyrical themes.

In conclusion, "Cancer Culture" is a brilliant release with stunning melodies, interesting application of the guest musicians' vocals as well as an awesome cover art. Definitely my favorite album of 2022 and an excellent example of modern death metal.

Decapitated is a fascinating band. Once the wunderkind group of death metal, they have faced tragedy and controversy on their journey from young prodigies to the release of Cancer Culture in 2022 and those of us that have been along for the ride can appreciate the band's 8th full-length album even more for what it contributes to the already impressive discography.

It is difficult to listen to such an established band like Decapitated without comparing it to their previous eras to some capacity. Cancer Culture plays out like a mix between the best parts of Carnival is Forever, Organic Hallucinosis, and The Negation, while sounding like none of them. Five years removed from Anticult and with a fresh approach by the band, they seem to have successfully melded their 2000s tech death and 2010s groove sounds into one hard-hitting, mean, ferocious album.

First single, Cancer Culture, was a statement of musical intent when it was released, gracing our ears with a gnarly guitar tone that may be the best in the band's eight LPs. What immediately struck me upon hearing it was the inspiration, the ferocity of the song on full display. Rafal sounds the best he ever has, perhaps even delivering the best vocal performance of Decapitated's career, finally reaching the potential he had displayed for three albums. While many bands choose their best song as the lead single and fail to deliver from there, I can safely say Cancer Culture isn't even in the top five.

The production should be of particular note, clean enough for a tech band, yet not sacrificing any meat off these ferocious riffs. Just A Cigarette would be the best example of such, masterfully alternating between melodic, melancholy riffs to heavy chugs within seconds. Although, no amount of production can fix bad writing, which riff-meister Vogg is averse to. One need only listen to the first minute of Last Supper to see that the sole-founding member is filled to the brim with inspiration and not slowing down after over twenty years. New drummer James Stewart, who the more astute death metal fan will recognize from Vader's recent output (I did not), cannot be discounted as a contributing factor to the band's newfound inspiration. The drum parts accentuate the riffs perfectly, slowing when needed and showing off when applicable.

Cancer Culture is Decapitated 3.0 and should satisfy fans of the first three albums with its edge yet appeal to later-era enthusiasts with the groove-laden riffs throughout. The only downside(s) I can find in the album would be the guest performers, Tatiana Schmayluk of Jinger and Robb Flynn of Machine Head. It's not that they do a poor job, but the performances themselves feel misplaced, like two soft spots back-to-back in what is otherwise a furious onslaught from start to finish. The entire song Hello Death, second single for the album, feels like a B-side for Anticult that made its way here, while not being a bad song, derails the excellent beginning. Robb's clean singing also comes out of left field, while the harsh vocals feel appropriate given the section that follows emulating the better parts of Machine Head. This is the only knock on an otherwise flawless album, although I imagine many fans will welcome these performances with open arms.

As it stands now five months through in to 2022, this is my album of the year candidate until, or unless, it can be dethroned. Cancer Culture is venomous death metal with the fighting spirit of Misery Index from the perpetually surprising Decapitated.

I think they decided to include the intro track simply because they liked the sound of its title. Admittedly, From Nothingness with Love sounds cool and emotes a nostalgic image of broad shoulders, pointy pistols, and bare-breasted femme fatales, which is an interesting choice considering how the remaining 97% of this album deals strictly with social toxicity, conspiracy, and disillusion. All very fitting themes for a death metal album. The opening to the album’s title track sounds like old Decapitated (by which, of course, I mean pre-"Carnival" era) but with more meat on the bones. One of the first things I noticed was the album’s beefy production. Sole remaining member Vogg’s layers of guitars sound icy cold on the high end and viciously thick on the low end. The drums are loud but not overbearing in the mix, without any distracting “click” sound on the kick pedals, and every cymbal has its own distinct ring to it. This all works very well to provide a dense soundscape that listeners can further unpack during each subsequent listen.

What sparked my initial interest in this album was watching the music video for Just A Cigarette the album’s third track and one of its singles. Aside from just being a blizzard of a song, the lyrics are surprisingly thoughtful and poetic, much less on-the-nose than what Rasta typically writes. There’s also a really strong breakdown section where the guitars and foot pedals play in unison while Vogg tears into a soulful-sounding solo. A similar technique drives the second half of Hello Death forward after the midpoint, where guest Jinjer vocalist Tatiana Shmailyuk battles with Rasta for mic control while Vogg’s guitars transcend into progressive metal sounding territories. It’s ironic that these less brutal moments are some of my favorites on the album but they certainly would not hold so much sway out of context. It is the sheer intensity of the moments that bookend these softer sections that make them such a welcome reprieve for the listener. Iconoclast is one of the tracks I’ve listened to most often so far, and not because I’m a Machine Head fan. Far from it, in fact. But the songwriting on this one is just so damn good. Stewart’s drumming kicks up a full notch here, pairing high-BPM footwork with diverse 4/4 patterns that trade off between hi-hates, ride, and crash cymbals. That kick-pedal-and-snare sequence he plays in the opening and bridge sections is played at an uncommon time signature that I still can’t wrap my head around, but love the sound of. And when it comes to Robb Flynn’s guest appearance, I find myself confused as to why I enjoy the clean vocal approach he takes so much because it walks a very fine line between menacing and Linkin-Park-alt-rock-level aggressive. Somehow it all comes together.

Some of the album’s shortcomings start to become apparent during the second half of this album. In terms of lyrics, Suicidal Space Programme is one of the weakest on the album and probably in the Decapitated discography. Rasta approaches the issue of dying Earth with all the grace of a high school bully drafting an essay on the failings of American McCarthyism. Lyrics aside, the song is still enjoyable. But I started to hear a little too much of Pantera’s influence over Vogg’s songwriting and guitar playing on this half. Palm muting? Check. Chug guitar riffs? Check. Aggressive vocals? Check. Even that signature ring-a-ting ride cymbal sequence made an appearance. It’s almost like if the song Slaughtered has been written by the Hoffman brothers instead of the Abbotts then covered by these guys. The final two tracks have a lot of skillful musicianship on display, almost what you would expect more from a progressive metal band than a death metal one, but they both came off as uninspired and lacking any real punch. It gives the album a feeling of fizzling out. Last Supper at least has a spirited performance from Stewart, whose kick pedals flutter at mechanical speeds while Vogg scans across the fretboard in a frenzy of notes in a way that sounds eerily close to ~That Classic Decap~ sound.

A short side note about the drums: Unfortunately, Decapitated was once home for one of death metal’s most proficient and talented drummers before his life was tragically cut short by a road accident. It’s unfortunate because no one will ever fill the void left by Vitek’s passing. His mastery over constructing rhythms, playing lightning-fast tempos, and exhibiting raw athleticism behind the kit were truly unparalleled. I haven’t heard much of the band’s work since Vitek passed until deciding to write this review, but what I’ve heard so far is that James Stewart is a proficient drummer in his own right who mostly sticks to the formula in order to maintain that classic Decapitated sound. His playing is capable, if not exactly innovative.

All in all, this albums is just as great for a workout session as it is for casual listening and its worthy of repeated listens – which is more than I can say for a majority of modern metal albums I’ve heard recently.

Widely heralded as one of the premier bands in revitalizing the death metal in the early 2000s, Poland tech death wizards Decapitated have never been an outfit to shy away from innovation. Having established themselves as one of the most insanely virtuosic folds in the business with their early millennial fits of mayhem Winds Of Creation and Nihility in spite of their extremely young age at the time, the years since have seen guitarist and founding member Vogg explore territory that one might consider in keeping with the times, though never to the point of abandoning the blend of unrelenting aggression and elite instrumental prowess that original made them a household name. It is within this context that their latest studio venture, the fittingly dubbed Cancer Culture, makes an excellent show of tapping influences from a diverse array of recent metal trends while avoiding the trap of abandoning the core sound that originally inspired the likes of Decrepit Birth and Soreption to take up the art.

Opting to continue the concise formula within which to contain their increasingly eclectic array of aggressive anthems, this album keeps things beneath the 40 minute mark, no small feat considering the massive amount of ideas that makeup each entry. Starting in storybook fashion, the opening prelude “From The Nothingness With Love” builds up a colossal level of tension with a droning military drum line and a repeating dissonant, Slayer-like melodic motive that is peppered with a correspondingly Kerry King-influenced series of chaotic guitar sounds before landing with a thudding blast on the title song “Cancer Culture”. True to form, this song splits the difference between the band’s chaotic earlier sound and the newer, Pantera meets Gojira groovy one and manages to be both unhinged and catchy at the same time. Similarly dualistic crushers like “Just A Cigarette” lean a bit heavier on the furious side of things while the dreary “Suicidal Space Programme” brings a more melodic and atmospheric gloss to the equation, but overall this album is a consistent mix of blaring brutality and a side order of other stuff.

For his part, newly acquired drummer James Stewart does an apt job of emulating the wild technical flair originally brought to the table by the dearly departed Vitek and his two prior successors, and veteran growler Rasta shines in keeping the Frank Mullen end up, but at the end of the day this album is a manifesto of guitar-centered brilliance. In what can be best described as a continuation of arguably the most auspicious variant of the death metal guitar solo, Vogg satiates with his riffs but utterly wows with his brilliant lead breaks. Chalk it up to a brilliant merger of Trey Azagthoth-styled chaotic shredding with the structuralism of Chuck Schuldiner and James Murphy, but the end result is something that could easily rival the expressive brilliance that Ralph Santolla took to Deicide while also trading blows with the sea of shred-obsessed modern tech death guitarists out there. One listen to the extended display adorning the jarring atmospheric beast “Hours As Battlegrounds” could easily dispel the idea that technical flash has to come at the expense of musicality.

Though by no means an afterthought, it is interesting to note that there is also a pair of auspicious guest vocal slots that play into the traditional meets modern flavor that this album exudes. Taking the microphone for part of the precision-based kill session “Hello Death” is none other than Jinger vocalist Tatiana Shmailyuk, who brings a pristine sense of melodic consonance to what is otherwise a heaping stream of dissonant riffs delivered in rapid succession. Likewise, the brief clean sung slot offered on “Iconoclast” by groove metal icon and Machine Head front man Robb Flynn offers an interesting metalcore-like contrast to what otherwise an exercise in unrelenting auditory carnage as only modern tech death can deliver. It’s basically the cherry on top of what is already a highly competent sundae, one that checks all the boxes for those who are long term fans of the band and also those who lean more towards the modern end of the death metal spectrum. It’s not quite the astounding technical fest that was Organic Hallucinosis, let alone the brilliance that preceded it, but it stands tall among their post-2009 reformation material.

Originally written for Sonic Perspectives (www.sonicperspectives.com)

So is this good or bad ? Well for one, it doesn't have the sheer creativity from 'Nihility', the majesty from 'The Negation', nor the explosive and obscure exhilaration from 'Organic'. It's surely more impressive sounding than those records... simply because it's Decapitated 15-20 years later. Over the last few albums, everything post Vitek really, the material has focused quite a bit more on the high tempo stuff and the music has lost a bit of its natural groove from the first batch of albums. A good chunk of depth and darkness has also been omitted, resulting in vastly superficial-sounding metal. The song-writing being more ordinary means there's more time for staleness to set in, as the music has turned a fair bit to the generic side. Decapitated has always been a particularly aggressive brand of death metal, but it seems the newer stuff is shoving it in our faces, contrary to the earlier material that was irresistibly magnetic with how mighty and authentic it was. So smoothly written, with such a balance between rhythmic heaviness and detailed technicality, alternating seamlessly between complicated and simple; both outstanding in the field; one couldn't help but play the records, voluntarily putting their hand up to get the living fuck beaten out of them, time and time again. They were in the absolute zone then, and it's only fair game to compare a band's newer stuff with their older classics, and there isn't a doubt on this reviewer's mind we're talking two entirely different calibers between 2000's Decapitated and, say, this album.

The first song 'Cancer Culture' is riffy as hell and definitely fun to listen to, among the more memorable tracks on the whole album (hence being awarded the status of title-track) and a bit of a throwback to the signature Decap groove. Despite being a riff Vogg could come up with at the beginning of any random jam session; and this seriously isn't a stretch if one has heard what the guy can do on command; it would've sounded killer on any of the early records in context with the excellent material on there. But this is 2022. It doesn't help that the complementary part to that riff is a bland Behemoth-style atmospheric guitar section with suspended notes. "Ugh, another one of those" one might think. The point is: it is all stuff we know. Stuff that we know really well...that's been done a lot, here and elsewhere. This seems more influenced, even conditioned, by the modern scene around the band. It's more manufactured. Mechanical. Almost automatic. They're more of a band following the industry standards now when they were complete outliers before with close-to-revolutionary takes on death metal. Some of this is largely innocuous: a track will end, without ever capturing one's attention, and far less their imagination. The vocals, the guitars, the solos, the drums, the writing, the production... they're all adequate for this style, and it's all impressive sounding - but rather harmless.

As far as the more unique facets of it; because not all of it is totally uneventful; there's the track 'Hello Death' with a female guest on vocals and Vogg's intricate palm-muted lead frenzy as accompaniment. Novelty, finally, a breath of fresh air in trying something totally different is definitely what one should ask of this band at this point. Only, well, she sounds like a goddamn chipmunk and the association with vocalist 1 doesn't seem to produce anything more than the sum of vocalist 1 and vocalist 2. There's hardly a special effect produced from having those two on the same track. The guitar part is pretty impressive in itself though, the same way the melodic middle part on 'Iconoclast' (a funny title given how conforming the track is) would be another example of the evolved Decapitated sound done well: a different take on an immediately recognizable signature feel, old and new simultaneously. More of this and we'd be talking a whole different game here. Instead, the more melodic/emotional parts generally just come across as same old, same old; with the stereotypical bits of harmonic minor pushing their luck some more.

Had this been an album from anyone besides Decapitated, it could've come across as solid. But this is indeed Decapitated. It's Vogg, who was once undeniably one of the most talented guitarists and song-writers in death metal history. Back then, he could write this stuff in his sleep, bar maybe 2 or 3 of the better parts - which he could write over breakfast. That he would settle for an album that's so much flash/little substance, relying almost entirely on the big sound to bail out the well below-par creative fiber, is surely disappointing. This doesn't grab the audience, it doesn't offer excellence or a whole lot more one couldn't get from the next decent studio grade groove/death metal band. Even the last track, 'Last Supper', is as perfectly underwhelming as any previous average track, and thus the album ends on such a flat note, and so this review does as well. Oh masterful composition and hypnotic chaos from 'Organic', where art thou ?

What stood out to me immediately about the new Decapitated album ‘Cancer Culture’ were Wacław ‘Vogg’ Kiełtyka’s guitar solos. There are far more of them than on other recent Decapitated releases and most of them are surprisingly melodic or atmospheric. From there, ‘Cancer Culture’ gradually started to intrigue me more and more. It is a rare example of a modern death metal album that is highly creative without trying to sound smart or losing the aggression inherent to the genre. If anything, ‘Cancer Culture’ is the most aggressive album Decapitated released in a long time.

On the surface, ‘Cancer Culture’ may seem a similar type of groovy contemporary death metal album as its three predecessors. However, there is something different about the album. It is clearly the most dynamic album the band released since the death of original drummer and Kiełtyka’s younger brother Vitek. Possibly even more dynamic, because ‘Cancer Culture’ has a great deal of variation in the tempo department, expertly handled by newcomer James Stewart on drums. ‘Cancer Culture’ has some of the fastest moments in recent Decapitated history. Partly because of that, the groovy and atmospheric elements stand out more.

Although the album contains a number of highlights, ‘Just A Cigarette’ is one of the most incredible extreme metal tracks I have heard in a while. It alternates surprisingly melodic, at times almost black metal-esque tremolo riffs supported by blastbeats with extended clean passages which effectively make it a strangely paradoxical death metal ballad with a fantastic guitar solo. ‘Cancer Culture’ is full of those types of moments that subvert your expectations ever so slightly. Take ‘Hello Death’, which starts out like a violent mosher, only to suddenly open up for an almost Nevermore-ish section with clean vocals by Jinjer’s Tatiana Shmailyuk. The album constantly keeps you on your toes as a listener.

The other end of the spectrum contains ‘Locked’ and ‘No Cure’. The former is not even two minutes long and is carried by a twisted riff that would not have sounded out of place on Gorguts’ ‘Obscura’ album, the other an annihilating thrasher that comes closest to something the band could have done on one of their first four albums. In all honesty, I find most of the early Decapitated albums somewhat exhausting to listen to, but when moments like these are paired with groove monsters like the fantastic title track and ‘Iconoclast’ or atmospheric moments like the intense near-doom of ‘Hours As Battlegrounds’, you are suddenly left with an extremely listenable album.

‘Cancer Culture’ probably is not going to win back any fans who abandoned the band when their early technical hyperspeed death metal sound was traded for something a bit more groove-based. It is, however, an album with the potential to appeal to a very wide audience. Aggression, atmosphere, groove and even melody are excellently balanced on ‘Cancer Culture’ and complement each other perfectly. On these pages, I have often been fairly critical on the state of modern death metal, but Decapitated single-handedly shows the scene how a contemporary album in the style should be done.

Recommended tracks: ‘Just A Cigarette’, ‘Cancer Culture’, ‘Hello Death’

Originally written for my Kevy Metal weblog