I really, really don't want to rank all of Cannibal Corpse's studio albums. I fear that in time, I may have to bite that bullet. I'm going to stall as long as humanly possible. I can't use my feet, but I can drag them! Heh, I made a funny. Right, so I have no idea where I would place 2002's Gore Obsessed in formation. It's a favorite, yet I have said the same for five or six CC records. Confound it, I believe I've even referred to Outback Steakhouse as a damn fine outing from the death metal stalwarts. The Bloomin' Onion is no joke, friends. The trick is to interlace the petals with bites of your steak.
Great, now I'm drooling. As for the seasoning, the dish is never too piquant--oopsy! I momentarily forgot what I'm reviewing. Following Bloodthirst, it's clear that the objective was to obviate sterile production. "Coffinfeeder," for instance, sounded so sanitary, I wouldn't be opposed to dining on the mixing board that was used to capture those unsullied riffs. Obsessed doesn't sound sullied per se; it's beefier, and devotees of Alex Webster will be merry to learn that it's bassier. I dig the production (as twiddled by Neil Kernon), but some of the choices made pursed my temples. The guitar solos are pushed way back when they should float atop the rhythm tracks.
Bassier? Probably not a word. At any rate, let's dissect the songs. The songs! "Savage Butchery" is a shot of epinephrine to the sinoatrial node that sets the metal in motion. And look, if you're wanting a definition for every single medical term that I deploy, I'll be here all day. Speaking of ill health, I remember "Hatchet to the Head" being an instant classic. The addictive chorus drives George's near-staccato delivery into your skullcap. This is also one of the more technical numbers, what with tempo shifts bobbing up at vital ticks.
"Pit of Zombies" is about a pit of zombies. It's cool. It was bound to be cool, on account of its title and the band playing it. I suppose you could say that the album tromps over a downswing in the middle of its runtime, a slight slump in momentum. You could say that, but I won't. Cuts such as "Compelled to Lacerate" and "Sanded Faceless" are fucking fun, and I haven't mentioned the jerky, spurtive drumming in "Hung and Bled." I swear, Paul must have lost weight pounding his kit for these sessions.
I'll touch on Corpsegrinder's throat-rending screams in greater depth when I launch into The Wretched Spawn, but I did want to highlight the neverending wail towards the end of "Mutation of the Cadaver." Yes, I tried to mimic it in my bedroom (I was seventeen...Daddy said I was too young, but I was old enough for Kip). Yes, I nearly blew out my voice. The trials and tribulations of being a Cannibal Corpse freak, y'know? In summation, Gore Obsessed is killer. It's undervalued, which is a shame. The mid-period of George's era is worth a look, if only to prove that this band is more than Kill and Tomb of the Mutilated.
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