I don't know if anyone is reading these things. Is this all for naught? Am I alone in the universe? If so, Cannibal Corpse wouldn't exist. That would suck. Besides, I feel like I've talked to people, and if that's the case, my adoration for George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher is floating through the ether, a quark scouring the firmament. Space debris! I'm already beginning to wander, but all you need to know is that I'm a huge fan of the silo-necked vocalist. After Chris Barnes was expatriated from the line-up, Fisher stepped in and screamed down at those who dared to challenge his ascendancy.
Of course, Vile opens with The Neck's mighty roar. Imagine a demonic baby being pulled from his mother's loving snatch and greeting the world with a stertorous, bedrock-flaying wail that scalds all friars within a 5-mile radius...that's roughly how he sounds. Reportedly, it took a few takes for George to nail the scream, on account of nerves. He never fucking looked back. This isn't a solo release, though. The rest of the band is hungry, and you can tell from the zig-zag pulse of the rhythm section. And you bet, the riffs! These riffs are pissed off. The main run of notes that opens (and infects) "Orgasm Through Torture" is a personal favorite.
It's almost poetic that the closing chug of "Monolith" is a close runner-up, as it's the last piece of muzak we hear on Vile. Goodness, there is still much to cover. For example, the cover! It's a classic(k) lamina, a slate so repulsive, it made my putz bristle with distress. My poor, poor putz. Stepping back a bit to survey the character of the album's chemical composition, there aren't too many traces of The Bleeding. The dalliance with technicality remains, but by and large, songs are leaner. Quicker! We don't hear a rudiment of groove until "Disfigured," the fourth track (I'm not counting transient breakdowns). Since I brought it up, I don't care for "Disfigured." Or "Puncture Wound Massacre."
These lesser bangers don't fail for specific reasons; they're just not as memorable, says the author of this review. It's subjective. At least they don't bore me, which is a peccancy we'll encounter later in the "collection." A couple of random findings, if I may...the vocal patterns are killer. If I were presenting evidence in a court of law, I would cite the chorus of "Mummified in Barbed Wire" as Exhibit A. Appetizing melody shows its head on "Eaten From Inside" and "Orgasm Through Torture." I dig "Relentless Beating," an instrumental that goes as hard as the non-instrumentals. Finally, I refuse to watch the remake of Black Christmas on principle alone.
I can't bring myself to assign a perfect score to Vile. I heart it (aww), but other CC records are better yet. Hey, I totally get why some fans rank this maggot-saturated steamroller as George's finest hour as a Corpse. It's a fun listen, no doubt. I'm currently listening to Created to Kill (the Vile demo featuring Barnes at the microphone), and while it's far from being an embarrassment, you are woefully mistaken if you believe that the member switch was misguided. The guy who wrote "Bloody Underwear" and "Amerika the Brutal" does not deserve to front Cannibal motherfucking Corpse. All hail The Neck.
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