There are certain things in life that define the expression ‘acquired taste’. Guinness Beer, the films of David Lynch, and pickled baby octopus immediately spring to mind and one can easily add ‘death metal’ to that list.
An extreme subgenre of heavy metal music, its characteristics include a bludgeoning, crushing sound, lyrics depicting the darker extremes of human nature and raw, guttural vocals that sound like Cookie Monster from Sesame Street after a serious bourbon and cigarette binge.
Formed in New York in 1988, five-piece Cannibal Corpse are one of the leading lights of this form and expression of music. They have also been one of the most controversial, due to their unsparing lyrics and highly graphic artwork on their albums.
They have had the rather unique honour of having their material banned in Australia for over a decade, a band that was lifted in 2006. Touring their latest album Torture tonight was an all-out assault on the senses.
For those arriving early, Entrails Eradicated and Dissentbomb set the mood nicely, with local takes on what death metal means today. The night really kicked up a few notches with highly talented Tasmanian band, Psycroptic.
Their uncompromising, ‘take no shit’ attitude and style entertained both the faithful and newcomers to their work. Their latest release, The Inherited Repression, is well worth a listen. Psycroptic are a highly promising band with a bright future ahead of them.
After the rather impressive sight of a fan crowd surfing to the bar, it was time for the brutal Cannibal Corpse to do their thing.
With no elaborate stage set or tricky light shows, sheer unadulterated aggression was the name of the game. This prompted what can only be described as the mosh pit from hell. A mosh so fierce and intense that you would have to be brave and/or crazy to go in for fear of losing a vital organ or a limb.
The song titles compliment the brutality of the music, with charming ditties such as “I Cum Blood”, “Make Them Suffer” and the seriously in your face “Fucked With A Knife”.
Performed live, the tracks match the intensity of their recorded counterparts, with George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher dedicating the last track “to all the ladies in the audience.” Who said Cannibal Corpse doesn’t have a romantic side?
“I Will Kill You” and “Hammer Smashed Face”, perhaps the best-known track of the band’s career thanks to a rather priceless cameo in the first Ace Ventura film (apparently, Jim Carrey is a huge fan) – got the biggest response from the crowd which, towards the end, went into complete and utter overdrive.
This sold out gig was a fine example of how metal is thriving in Melbourne, with Fear Factory selling out their gig the week before and at The Palace, The Amity Affliction selling out both an underage and an over-18’s show.
While unlikely to win new converts due to their uncompromising nature, this brutal line up was musical and spiritual nirvana for existing metal lovers.
