I've found that an armada of metal freaks cherish 2006's Kill. In fact, they say it's their favorite. Makes sense. Personally, I don't think it quite measures up to The Wretched Spawn, but it's a raging cracker. I say that its popularity makes sense because of the circumstances surrounding its release. This is the record that introduced Cannibal Corpse to a new generation. The video for "Make Them Suffer" was played on the modern, streamlined version of Headbanger's Ball. And it didn't take long for social media (which was in its infancy at the time) to notice that George was an awesome nerd. With an ogre's thumb for a neck.
Another music video and a viral clip of George panegyrizing World of Warcraft (fuck the horde!) later, the mighty Corpse was cool. They had not been cool to the common teenager since The Bleeding. This was a big deal, no? Am I the only one who thinks it's noteworthy? Granted, CC's quickening wasn't as grand or as far-reaching as the revivification that Aerosmith enjoyed, but The Eagles maybe? They actually reunited for their comeback. I guess...I guess not. Whatever! Kill was successful. That's the crux of this provision. Hey, is World of Warcraft still a thing?
Kill was produced by Hate Eternal's lead demon and Florida's death metal cynosure (what a badass word) Erik Rutan. I don't love all of his production jobs. His own band's Fury & Flames sounds terrible, what with the nuances being rubbed out by obnoxious mixing. The drums are too loud, a verifiable truth that supports my theory - get ready - that the album was produced by Animal. Y'know, the muppet? That dude kicks ass, but keep him away from the studio when he isn't recording his tracks. Right, so Miss Piggy has clearly fucked every slip of felt under the sun and I...
...I forgot which piece I was writing. The production! I dig it! It retains the heft of The Wretched Spawn, while adding a dash of gloss. I spun the piss out of Kill that summer, so I'm more than qualified to proclaim that it's a perfect set for the sunlight-achromatized season. The energy is up. Way up, as Kill begins with the agile, riff-pitching "The Time to Kill is Now." I hope to Satan you've heard "Make Them Suffer." If you're a metalhead of a certain age, you would have heard it at some point. I'm almost sick of it myself, although I realize it's not a radio fixture.
The crushing midsection of "Murder Worship" is so heavy, it induces a sinkhole in the parking lot of the venue where CC is playing that night. The vocal patterns in "Necrosadistic Warning" are goddamn demented. "The Discipline of Revenge" might be my most preferred number. The opening stagger brilliantly utilizes Alex's bilious bass accents and a fidgety guitar harmony that brings the lyrics to life in the form of brutal death metal. And Kill is brutal.
Flies in the ointment? It doesn't strike me as a gravity-bending epic the way that its predecessor does, but I can't offer a categorical rationale. It's a feeling; it's not a reason I can explain. However, I do hold one more opinion about Kill, and it would never be confused for ambiguous. The cover. Okay, they wanted all of our attention to go straight to the songs. They worked hard on Kill and they didn't want the material to be obfuscated in the distance. I respect that, but goddamn it, if you're Cannibal Corpse, you better commission Vincent Locke to whisk a nasty, disgusting slab of artwork to jazz up your finished product. Like a flaming baby. Or a severed mutant penis skullfucking a zombie. Magnifique!
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