Evisceration Plague is the eleventh studio album by American death metal band Cannibal Corpse. Released on February 3, 2009 by Metal Blade Records, the album was produced at Mana Recording Studios by Hate Eternal guitarist Erik Rutan.
| Evisceration Plague | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 3, 2009[1] | |||
| Recorded | September–October, 2008 | |||
| Genre | Death metal | |||
| Length | 38:45 | |||
| Label | Metal Blade | |||
| Producer | Erik Rutan | |||
| Cannibal Corpse chronology | ||||
| ||||
The album entered the US Billboard 200 at number 66,[2] selling 9,600 copies its first week.[3]
Background and recording
editBassist Alex Webster said about the record:
In Cannibal Corpse, our goal has always been to try and make each new album we record our heaviest. That goal was a bit more challenging this time since we were extremely satisfied with our last album Kill, but we knew that by working with producer Erik Rutan at Mana Recording Studios again, we would be able to start at that same level of heaviness and take it even further... Evisceration Plague has the best guitar sound we've ever recorded, and the entire band has never played with more precision and power.[4]
In another interview with Terrorizer magazine, drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz stated his thoughts on the album saying: "I think working with Erik again has definitely brought things up a little for us. I mean all the band were involved in the writing process of this album along with Rutan and so I think this one's a tad more individual than Kill."
A video was produced for the song "Priests of Sodom". The video was released on March 25, 2010.[5]
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| About.com |   [6] |
| AllMusic |  [7] |
| Blabbermouth.net | 7.5/10[8] |
| Exclaim! | positive[9] |
| Exclaim! | positive[10] |
| Metal Forces | 8.5/10[11] |
| Metal Storm | 7.8/10[12] |
| PopMatters |   [13] |
| Record Collector | [14] |
| Sputnikmusic | 4.0/5[15] |
Evisceration Plague received highly positive reviews from critics upon its release.
Greg Prato of AllMusic awarded the album 3.5 stars out of 5, stating, "All the expected elements of a solid Cannibal Corpse recording are present -- metronome-like precision drumming, razor-sharp riffing, guttural growls akin to a caveman, and dark lyrics. Go ahead and take a pick of any of the tracks here ("Priests of Sodom," "To Decompose," the title track, etc.), and you're in for an intense metallic onslaught." Prato concluded that the album "shows that 11 studio releases into their career, Cannibal Corpse remain one gnarly group of metalheads."[16]
Denise Falzon of Exclaim! also praised the album, stating that "in terms of technicality and style, Cannibal Corpse surpass expectations. With insanely fast drumming and some of the most threatening blast-beats imaginable, drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz delivers his finest performance yet. Guitarists Rob Barrett and Pat O'Brien shred through heavy riffs with supersonic speed, while bassist Alex Webster uses sporadic tempos, giving tracks like 'A Cauldron Of Hate' a menacing atmosphere. And George 'Corpsegrinder' Fisher's vocals are as merciless as ever." Falzon concluded, "Cannibal Corpse have remained consistent with their standard themes of death and mutilation, and the imagery of disembowelment continues with 'Beheading And Burning,' 'Shatter Their Bones' and the severely gruesome 'Skewered From Ear To Eye.'"[17]
Mark Fisher of Metal Forces scored the album an 8.5/10, commenting, "There is something about the down-tuned, bent sound of the guitars as they spiral out of control, while the rhythm section holds the song together, that is entirely addictive. It’s like watching a train wreck; you just can’t pull yourself away from it." Fisher added, "The rest of the album is simply more pure brutality set to complex guitar work and groove-heavy rhythms, it’s formulaic at its core but it sets itself apart from the pack by the masterful musicianship of all involved."[18]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Priests of Sodom" | Alex Webster | Webster | 3:31 |
| 2. | "Scalding Hail" | Webster |
| 1:46 |
| 3. | "To Decompose" | Paul Mazurkiewicz | Pat O'Brien | 3:03 |
| 4. | "A Cauldron of Hate" | Webster | Webster | 4:59 |
| 5. | "Beheading and Burning" | Webster | Webster | 2:15 |
| 6. | "Evidence in the Furnace" | Webster | Webster | 2:48 |
| 7. | "Carnivorous Swarm" | Mazurkiewicz | O'Brien | 3:36 |
| 8. | "Evisceration Plague" | Webster | Webster | 4:30 |
| 9. | "Shatter Their Bones" | Barrett | Barrett | 3:35 |
| 10. | "Carrion Sculpted Entity" | Mazurkiewicz | Mazurkiewicz | 2:33 |
| 11. | "Unnatural" | Webster | Webster | 2:22 |
| 12. | "Skewered from Ear to Eye" | Webster | Webster | 3:49 |
| Total length: | 38:45 | |||
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Skull Fragment Armor" | Webster | Webster | 2:10 |
Credits
editWriting, performance and production credits are adapted from the album liner notes.[19]
Personnel
editCannibal Corpse
edit- George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher – vocals
- Pat O'Brien – guitar
- Rob Barrett – guitar
- Alex Webster – bass
- Paul Mazurkiewicz – drums
Guest musicians
edit- Erik Rutan – guitar solo on "Unnatural"
Production
edit- Erik Rutan – production, engineering, mixing
- Shawn Ohtani – additional engineering
- Brian Elliot – additional engineering
- Mike McCracken – studio drum assistant
- Alan Douches – mastering
- Neil Kernon – production, mixing only "Skull Fragment Armor"
- Justion Leeah – engineering only "Skull Fragment Armor"
Artwork and design
edit- Vincent Locke – cover art
- Brian Ames – design
- Alex Solca – photography
Studios
edit- Mana Recording Studios, St. Petersburg, FL, USA – recording, mixing
- West Westside Music – mastering
- Sonic Ranch, Tornillo, TX, USA – recording only "Skull Fragment Armor"
Charts
edit| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[20] | 41 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[21] | 71 |
| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[22] | 25 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[23] | 42 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)[24] | 256 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC)[25] | 22 |
| UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[26] | 17 |
| US Billboard 200[2] | 66 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard)[27] | 6 |
| US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)[28] | 7 |
| US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[29] | 22 |
| US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[30] | 7 |
References
edit- ^ Staff writer(s). "Cannibal Corpse "Evisceration Plague" - Metal Blade Records". www.metalblade.com. Metal Blade Records. Retrieved February 12, 2015.
- ^ a b "Cannibal Corpse Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
- ^ Teitelman, Bram (11 February 2009). "Metal By Numbers – 2/11 – Death Metal In Top 100? Of Corpse! - Metal Insider". www.metalinsider.net. Retrieved February 12, 2015.
- ^ "CANNIBAL CORPSE: New Album Title, Track Listing Revealed - Nov. 3, 2008". blabbermouth.net. 2008-11-03. Archived from the original on 2008-12-21. Retrieved 2008-11-03.
- ^ "Cannibal Corpse Posts New Music Video For "Priests Of Sodom" Online".
- ^ Bowar, Chad. "Cannibal Corpse Evisceration Plague Review - Review of Evisceration Plague by Cannibal Corpse". heavymetal.about.com. About.com. Archived from the original on April 4, 2013. Retrieved February 12, 2015.
- ^ Prato, Greg. Evisceration Plague - Cannibal Corpse at AllMusic. Retrieved February 12, 2015.
- ^ Alisoglu, Scott (2 February 2009). "CD Reviews - Evisceration Plague Cannibal Corpse - Blabbermouth.net". www.blabbermouth.net. Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved February 12, 2015.
- ^ Deneau, Max (February 9, 2009). "Cannibal Corpse Evisceration Plague". exclaim.ca. Retrieved February 12, 2015.
- ^ Falzon, Denise (February 17, 2009). "Cannibal Corpse Evisceration Plague". exclaim.ca. Retrieved February 12, 2015.
- ^ Fisher, Mark. "CANNIBAL CORPSE – Evisceration Plague (2009) - Album / EP Reviews @ Metal Forces Magazine". www.metalforcesmagazine.com. Metal Forces. Retrieved February 12, 2015.
- ^ Herzebeth (February 20, 2009). "Cannibal Corpse - Evisceration Plague review - Metal Storm". www.metalstorm.net. Metal Storm. Retrieved February 12, 2015.
- ^ Begrand, Adrien (February 12, 2009). "Cannibal Corpse: Evisceration Plague - PopMatters". www.popmatters.com. PopMatters. Retrieved February 12, 2015.
- ^ McIver, Joel. "Evisceration Plague - Record Collector Magazine". recordcollectormag.com. Diamond Publishing. Retrieved February 12, 2015.
- ^ Spencer, Trey (January 29, 2009). "Review: Cannibal Corpse - Evisceration Plague - Sputnikmusic". www.sputnikmusic.com. Sputnikmusic. Retrieved February 12, 2015.
- ^ "Evisceration Plague - Cannibal Corpse | Album | AllMusic". AllMusic.
- ^ "Cannibal Corpse │ Exclaim!".
- ^ "CANNIBAL CORPSE – Evisceration Plague (2009) | Album / EP Reviews @ Metal Forces Magazine".
- ^ Evisceration Plague (liner notes). Cannibal Corpse. Metal Blade Records. 2009.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Austriancharts.at – Cannibal Corpse – Evisceration Plague" (in German). Hung Medien.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Cannibal Corpse – Evisceration Plague" (in French). Hung Medien.
- ^ "Cannibal Corpse: Evisceration Plague" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Cannibal Corpse – Evisceration Plague" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts.
- ^ "エヴァイスレイション・プレイグ - カンニバル・コープス - ORICON STYLE".
- ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company.
- ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company.
- ^ "Cannibal Corpse Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard.
- ^ "Cannibal Corpse Chart History (Top Hard Rock Albums)". Billboard.
- ^ "Cannibal Corpse Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard.
- ^ "Cannibal Corpse Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard.