We have arrived at my first Cannibal Corpse studio album. I was fifteen and I was beginning to dip my toes into the underground to get my musical fix. I don't know why (I'm sure that science has an answer), but we don't form "pop culture" opinions until our teen years. Who can honestly assert that they held critical, nuanced views of Jesus Jones in first grade? I knew that I gravitated towards rock, but apart from desultory inclinations, I couldn't tell you why I loved Nirvana. In high school, metal was sucking my innards (eww) into its orbit.
Again, I wasn't clear on why I craved heavier stuff. I just did, and I'm glad that I did. I was also exposing myself to Six Feet Under. Technically, the Chris Barnes offshoot may have been my gateway drug into death metal, but with all due respect, I prefer to say that CC corrupted my mainframe. I mean, they are closer to tr00 death metal. Don't lecture me. So "Pounded into Dust" initiates the proceedings by pounding the listener into dust. It's a compact rotary hammer of a composition that falls in line with "I Will Kill You" as a charged opener. From Gallery of Suicide all the way up to Kill, the first track is nitroglycerin. Why break tradition, guys?
If you were a dyed-in-the-stool (hehehe) fan of the band in 1999, the production might have been a shock to the system. Bloodthirst sounds sexy and streamlined. The drums are crisp, the guitars are deep (the tuning was probably different, but I'm no gearhead), and George enjoys a clarity that he has never really had at his disposal before. This is a heavy record, but in my feckless opinion, it doesn't strike as being bigger than Torture or The Wretched Spawn. Does that make sense? It doesn't feel MASSIVE. Still, the riffs rip out your ribs and barbecue them. Mine were dressed with kiwi and dusted with a chili spice dry rub.
Nearly every song is a highlight. "Dead Human Collection" stomps a hole into the universe, its rhythm section merging with the vocal patterns to consummate a living, breathing motherfucker. Also, it gave this review series a catchy designation. "Unleashing the Bloodthirsty" is a blast. I tried like hell to growl along with Corpsegrinder in my bedroom two decades ago, but my throat (and my parents) told me to cut it out. "The Spine Splitter" contains my favorite CC guitar solo. "Ecstasy in Decay" has a demonic, minacious vibe to its lurch. Fucking "Blowtorch Slaughter" has an awesome title, and jeepers, that ending is brutal. If you're not headbanging during that riff storm, fuck you.
I can admit that there is a skerrick of sentimentality attached to Bloodthirst. Well, for me. It was my introduction to my favorite extreme metal band. I do have a couple of nitpicks, though. The production is fantastic, as I propounded above, but it's a dash too fantastic. I don't mind the music coming across as clean; it just...hmm, how should I put this? I used all-caps to denote size. By comparison, Bloodthirst is a lowercase opus. Badass? Yes. Lightweight? Yes, even though it's barbaric. While I'm whining, "Condemned to Agony" is a weak closer. It's actually better when you hear it out of context.
Robert Z'Dar says, "I listen to Foghat. Leave me alone."
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