Cannibal Corpse's Newest Album Is Torture

Cannibal Corpse - Torture

The other night I was out enjoying a few adult beverages and generally having a great time when I suddenly felt that urge that we all have, the one to expel some fluid as soon as humanly possible. And when I approached the urinal and laid waste to the cake that quietly slept in its porcelain sarcophagus I felt a sense of extreme relief and satisfaction, one that can only be felt in that exact moment. But I began to think, is there any music that might get close to that sensation, one that makes you sigh and think, “Man that was amaaaaaaazing!”…………

Lo and behold, what was in my inbox but the newest long player from death metal legends and originators Cannibal Corpse! The 12th full length in CC’s long and hall of fame worthy career might just be that feeling of relief that I am after. The spleen splattering hatred of “Encased in Concrete” is exactly what we expect from CC, a brutalistic (yea that’s a word) symphony of pure anger. “As Deep As The Knife Will Go” is sure to be a crowd favorite at shows, from the very beginning it is trying to shove a shank through your solar plexus. The chorus will have the entire crowd banging their heads and when the solo kicks in towards the end of the song the pit is destined to be full of rage that only a reindeer in heat could imagine. The riffs on “Scourge of Iron” are a little too basic for the brand of death metal that we are used to from these wily vets. The plodding nature is very reminiscent of “Evisceration Plague” without the sense of dread that song evoked. This was one of the only low points of the album as the majority had CC’s characteristic pummeling nature, pinecone gargling vocals, and heavy as an elephants balls rhythms. Cannibal Corpse has put out another good album to add to their arsenal of debauchery. While nothing extremely different from what they have released in the past few years, it is definitely a satisfying collection of music that is very close to that urinary culmination.

Struck By Lightning Get Crusty

Combining the likes of metal and hardcore in the 80s was something revolutionary; it fused the ferocious anger of every day thugs in hardcore with the intricacies and brutality of those in the metal sphere. As time moved on, this “metalcore” became a fad that turned metal into a joke and made it very easy for crappy bands to become very popular very quickly. Nowadays there is a bit of a resurgence of combing hardcore and metal into something more crusty, something filthy that goads the listener into behaving in a primal way that equates to man wanting nothing more than food, fire, and fornication. Black Breath, Kvelertak, and Cancer Bats have all used this equation to create something beautifully grimy and now Ohioan sludger-mongers Struck By Lighting have come out with their sophomore outing Predation. The album is a fun filled romp of sludge/hardcore/death metal that will easily appeal to fans across any subgenre. The album is streaming in full HERE  at Brooklyn Vegan and is out now on Translation Lost. If your work day is dragging a little bit, make sure you listen to this now for that 2:30 feeling the commercials have been telling us so much about.

A View From The Pit: Black Dahlia Murder, Nile, Skeletonwitch, Hour Of Penance

Here we are, another Monday night show that comes on the heels of a solid sow the previous night. A week before was Onslaught following Deicide, this week its Black Dahlia Murder and guests following Dying Fetus, 3 Inches of Blood, and seemingly 100 other bands. Now I did not go to either of the Sunday shows but as I was driving to the venue I was hoping more people show up to this Monday show than the previous one. Onlsaught was playing their very first US date in the United States and the venue was empty, by the end of the night there was maybe 200 heshers there. When I walked around the corner from the parking lot this time my fears were quickly laid to rest as the line was around the corner. I hadn't seen a lineup this long to get in to a show at El Corazon in a very long time.

Death To All Tour 2012

Even though this is not coming anywhere near the great Pacific Northwest, the Death To All Tour 2012 is an amazing idea. Featuring the likes of Gene Hoglan, Sean Reinert, Steve DiGiorgio, and a handful of others, this 5 city tour is a benefit for Sweet Relief and is going to honor the memory of the godfather of death metal Chuck Shuldiner. Sweet Relief is a non-profit orgainization that helps musicians that need help with medical bills. Check out sweetrelief.org and if you live in San Fransisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York City, or Orlando be sure to go see this show, it is destined to be a great night.

March Madness, Metal Style

It is that time of the year again, where nothing much gets done because college basketball is dominating the airwaves and forcing us all to fill out our brackets (I’ve got Kentucky taking it all). Even if you don’t follow college basketball, everyone seems to get all wrapped up in the fun. Rooting for the underdogs, picking cinderellas, praying that your team’s name gets called on Selection Sunday, and wanting to do nothing but sit on the couch, drink beer, and follow the success or failure of your picks. And here at NW MetalHead Productions we have made our own metalized version of the brackets. We have drawn a bracket up for some of the best metal to come out in recent weeks or anticipated releases that are soon to be out. Do you agree with our picks or are you screaming at your screen with all the rage of a bull moose in heat?

A View From The Pit: Possessed,Gravenloch, Funeral Age, Crush Your Enemies

The renowned Possessed decided to grace the Pacific Northwest with their presence in order to spread their message of anti-religion and evil, and the masses were more than willing to accept them in to their cold, darkened hearts. One of the best things about this show was that the openers were all local bands! Normally there is only one local opener for the major headliner bands but this was an exception, the only touring band was Possessed and 4 local band were more than willing to jump on board.

Allegaeon Have New Song and New Album!!!

As most of you may know, I am particularly fond of melodic tech death metal band Allegaeon as seen in my Favorite Metal Albums of 2010. And by courtesy of the band's Facebook page they have announced that their brand new album Formshifter will be released via Metal Blade Records on May 8th! This was one of the albums that I have been most looking forward to (see I'm not lying!) and this news brought a smile to my face today. Along with this announcement was the premier of new song "Tartessos: The Hidden Xenocryst", I have no idea what that means but its an absolute ripper of a song. It follows along with songs off their previous album Fragments of Form and Function bringing forth tight melodies with crushing vocals and mindbending solos. Hopefully this means that there will be some tour dates announced soon but in the meantime the new track will keep us satiated.

Meshuggah is Koloss-al Once Again

The buzz that is surrounding the metal underground is all coming from Sweden, something that is not novel to us. Meshuggah have announced that their new album Koloss will be released March 27th in the US and they will be touring with Decapitated and Baroness, a tour that no one should miss. To get everyone pumped up they have have released 2 songs from the album already. Check out "Do Not Look Down" here and listen to another track below. The godfathers of djent are back!!!!

Metallica Announce Their Own 2-Day Festival

Today Metallica announced that they are to make their own festival this summer, it’s a 2 day festival with bands they supposedly picked on their own. It takes place June 23 and 24 with Metallica headling both nights. They are also going to be playing the Black Album in its entirety one of those night. You might be thinking that this is going to be a huge metal festival with tons of amazing bands both underground and above, yet when looking at some of the bands already announced, this is not the case. Artic Monkeys, Avenged Sevenfold, Modest Mouse, The Gaslight Anthem, Cage the Elephant and more odd bands fill out the list. Even the worst black metal band ever is going to be there, Liturgy. This seems to be just another Lollapalooza or Cochella, more big name bands that have nothing to do with good metal. The hate that a lot of metalheads have towards what Metallica has become is not going to be diminished by this announcement. Check out www.orionmusicandmore.com for more info on the fest as more bands should be announced in the coming weeks. The band is still doing their announcement as I publish this to discuss the fest in more detail, but it isn't telling me anything that would make me want to actually attend the show. It is streaming at the above mentioned site.

Stay tuned for more info as it develops

A View From The Pit: Ghost, Blood Ceremony, and Ancient VVisdom

Doom and gloom, a feeling that is easy to have in the Pacific Northwest this time of year. To go along with that atmosphere one needs music that is as heavy as the torrential downpour outside the windowpane and as dark as the ominous clouds encompassing the skyline. And what better group of bands than this trio of dark lord loving misanthropes! Whether through doom, 70s occult rock, or a more traditional heavy metal approach to doom, these bands came to celebrate all that is evil and dark, and the masses were more than happy to oblige on this particular night.