Füneral Rain Press Cörps

Artwork, Track Listing And First Single Unveiled

America’s reigning kings of brutality, Cannibal Corpse, will unleash their twelfth studio offering this March via Metal Blade Records. Aptly titled Torture, the follow-up to 2009′s Evisceration Plague offers up 12 tracks of maniacally precise, soul-searing death metal. Torture was again produced by Hate Eternal‘s Erik Rutan at his own Mana Recording Studio in St. Petersburg, Florida as well as Sonic Ranch in Tornillo, Texas, and features the maniacal cover art by longtime Cannibal Corpse artist, Vincent Locke.

While Torture marks the latest progression in the band’s sound, it also witnesses a return to what drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz accurately terms “the frenzied attack of Butchered At Birth (1991) or Tomb Of The Mutilated (1992),” infusing the band’s advanced musicianship with the raw savagery that haunted their earlier releases, and in the process conceiving the definitive Cannibal Corpse record. Adds bassist Alex Webster on the outcome of the record: “We’re extremely happy with how Torture turned out. Erik Rutan did an amazing job with the production, and the songwriting and performances may be our strongest yet. We can’t wait until our fans get to hear the whole thing!”

Witness the gutting sounds of “Demented Aggression,” the band’s first single, as well as studio footage, at the official Cannibal Corpse landing page, at THIS LOCATION.

Torture Tracklisting:
01. Demented Aggression
02. Sarcophagic Frenzy
03. Scourge of Iron
04. Encased in Concrete
05. As Deep As the Knife Will Go
06. Intestinal Crank
07. Followed Home Then Killed
08. The Strangulation Chair
09. Caged…Contorted
10. Crucifier Avenged
11. Rabid
12. Torn Through

As a precursor to the release, Cannibal Corpse will perform a special one-off show at the Culture Room in West Palm Beach, Florida on January 22nd then head to the seas to take part in this year’s edition of the 70,000 Tons Of Metal Cruise. The band will get a short break before a near month-long march through Europe on the Full Of Hate 2012 tour with labelmates Behemoth.

Torture will be released in North America on March 13, 2012.

Cannibal Corpse:
Alex Webster – Bass
Paul Mazurkiewicz – Drums
Rob Barrett – Guitar
Patrick O’Brien – Guitar
George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher – Vocals

Where: Edmonton Event Centre
When: November 4, 2011

When I found out that GWAR were coming back to Edmonton for the second time in (barely) less than a year I was stoked. Blood was going to flow once more. And this time around they were bringing Every Time I Die and Ghoul! ETID have been a band I’ve only heard bits and pieces of, and liked what I’ve heard. And I’ve only heard Ghoul through the other band of two of its members, Impaled. So it was exciting.
Ghoul came onto the stage to lots of people shouting for them, which is pretty rare. An opener getting cheered by name from the crowd? Must be an Edmonton show. The band themselves were really good, high energy punk/thrash hybrid full of pit-inducing gory lyrics. They even brought up a stage show, spraying blood onto the crowd with a decapitated chicken as well as Killbot and Goreboar’s battle. Fucking awesome, and I hope they make it back to Canada again.
Every Time I Die were great, full of the acrobatics that many of their members have been known for. The crowd really got into them, moshing like crazy for breakdowns and crowdsurfing all over the place. I honestly didn’t know these guys were that big. I’ve seen them in tons of magazines and the like, but never figured they have this strong of a following. The music was loud, fast, and punk as fuck, with tons of hardcore breakdowns. If you get the chance to see these guys, do it, you won’t regret it. Even if the music isn’t for you, the show should be good.
At the end of the night though, this whole show was about one band and only one band. GWAR. Their stage was unveiled, and Corey’s guitar was brought out, placed on a stand with a light on it, and the tech that brought it took a knee before it. I can’t explain how moving that in itself was. For those that don’t know, Corey Smoot played the part of Flattus Maximus, and he had passed away in the tour bus the morning before, and GWAR still decided to finish the tour, the way Corey would want. The crowd, of course, loved it. Cheers were heard all over the EEC.
The band then came out and we let them slay as per their usual. But it wasn’t usual. A very palpable sense of sadness, mixed with anger and anticipation was coming from Oderus, Balsac, Beefcake and Jizmac, and I think it brought them to a closer level to the fans, who were also feeling the same. The set was very much emotionally charged, with Oderus frequently asking Flattus why he went to Planet Home, leaving them all behind. There was even one moment where it truly looked like Beefcake was genuinely choking down tears.
The blood and sweat and goo were all present, and Edmonton was well soaked by the end of the night, turned out into the cold November air. Everyone I saw was elated, full of the GWAR experience, but there was still some melancholy at the end of the amazing night.
Thank you GWAR for sharing your grief with us, and thank you Ghoul and Every Time I Die for joining them. Rest in Peace Corey, and have fun Flattus Maximus on Planet Home. Oderus says you’ll be killing shit and fucking it. I hope so.

Photos from the show are available for your viewing pleasure at the FRPC Facebook page.

Genres: Melodic Death Metal, Viking Metal
Label: Metal Blade Records

Amon Amarth’s eighth album doesn’t show too many changes with the band, keeping their signature sound pretty much the same, with perhaps more emphasis on more technicality in the drums. There isn’t much growth in songwriting either, but how do you grow from genius anyway?
AA meld gorgeous melodic guitars and bass that are heavy as the hammer of Thor at the same time, with a voice that is made from a mountain range, used in a singularly unique way that’s still melodic singing with a death growl. And it’s all to the tune of ancient Norse mythology!
Sonically, it’s all very Swedish, with some comparative elements to fellow countrymen Dark Tranquillity and At The Gates, with a slightly American polish on the quality of the production.
If this album doesn’t cement their reputation as one of top most important bands in death metal today, I don’t know what will. It’s damn near perfect. And also to illustrate just how much I actually like this album, I preordered it, the box set with the action figure. How many other bands have action figures with their albums?
9 out of 10.

Amon Amarth on Facebook.
Amon Amarth on MySpace.
Amon Amarth on Twitter.
Amon Amarth Official Site.

Genre: Blackened Death Metal
Label: Metal Blade

Lightning Swords of Death have been making a name for themselves for the past seven years, causing quite a stir in the underground.
Now on Metal Blade they seem poised to cause a stir in metal’s overground too, and with this album, The Extra Dimensional Wound, I think the stirring stick got bigger.
Huge sounding black metal riffs from Roskva and Menno, played with a more deathy tone and thrash feel with a severe grim coldness pervading the entire proceedings are the order of the day. Autarch’s vocals are as strong as Hell itself, with a frozen drum sound from Thrudvang. Altogether they sound something like a perverse beast made from elements of Goatwhore, Morbid Angel, and Bathory.
7.5 out of 10.

Genres: Black Metal, Folk Metal, Pagan Metal
Label: Metal Blade Records

So the other night Mrs. Blaspheme and I are in HMV, as usual, and she said she’d grab a CD for me that’s under $22. So I saw Primordial, and liking their newer stuff that I’ve heard but not hearing the first album before, I grabbed Imrama. It was sitting at $19.99, so it passed the cash test.
And now, after hearing it twice, it passes the ear test. This album is a classic for black metal fans, and I understand why. It’s definitely grim, but unlike Scandinavian black metal, it’s not frostbitten. There is a beautiful warmth from the album that gives it a very different feel, and sound, and overall aura in comparison with Scandinavian black metal.
Must be all the Guinness and Harp.
Instrumentally, there’s nothing too special or odd, but since these guys are Irish and there is folk metal going on here, whistle and bodhran are present, which adds a really cool flavor.
Over all, Imrama kicks ass and I’m glad Metal Blade re-released it. I recommend it if you’re into folk metal like Arkona, or black metal like Hellhammer or Bathory.

Also tacked onto Imrama is the Dark Romanticism demo from 1993, which is great because trying to find it otherwise would probably prove to be a pain in the ass.
These four tracks show what would essentially become the sound of Imrama, just slightly more raw. Really great stuff.

The DVD that came with this Metal Blade re-release is a live show from 1994, in Cork. The video, the sound, the entire thing is rawer than a still living steak, and fuck is it gorgeous to behold. Stage jumpers, intense moshing, and Alan with long, flowing hair!
If you’ve already got Imrama and Dark Romanticism, this set is worth buying just for this concert footage.

CD: 8 out of 10.
DVD: 8 out of 10.

Primordial on MySpace.