Cannibal Corpse Album: “The Bleeding [Edited]”

The first thing you need to understand is that Cannibal Corpse is a novelty. Every lyric about rape and torture and mutilation is only there to push the boundaries of morality and convention. If you want an album that takes gore to an almost ridiculous extreme then look no further because The Bleeding is perfect. You and your buddies will laugh over the lyrics for hours just like mine are doing right now. Even though the lyrics are ludicrous and the vocals are indistinguishable, the musicianship on this album is surprising. Cannibal Corpse uses a lot of hemiola (rhythm tricks that make you wonder where the beat is) and surprisingly unusual guitar riffs. So far I am unimpressed by the guitar soloing though. The solos are at best energetic and strenuous, but there isn't a lot of depth to them. On the other hand, the BASS does a few very short, head turning solos. For a metal bass player Alex Webster is extraordinarily audible and always an important part of the sound. Pop this one in the stereo, crank it to one zillion, and bang your head until your face resembles the cover art, or read the lyrics and laugh until you cry. The fact that you're even looking at Cannibal Corpse CDs shows that you're the kind of person who would enjoy this, so buy it right this minute.

I'm not a huge fan of Cannibal Corpse, as I prefer melodic death metal over traditional in many cases, but this album is magnificent. It features fast, yet organized, guitar work, and while the drumming isn't the fastest in the genre, it's very good. Chris Barnes doesn't pack the humor into his lyrics with this one, as it seems more serious (?) than other releases. It features Cannibal Corpse's best material to date. Track #3 is brilliant as far as guitar work, and the lyrics do find favor with your sadistic reviewer. I love how passionately Barnes describes the art of strangulation. Only a true sadist could appreciate it. His other topics are quite humorous as well. The vocal delivery is some of Barnes' best with Cannibal Corpse. But this is an album that is highlighted by its guitar work. The band did a good job with this one, and the people that give it bad reviews simply don't understand what death metal is all about. Yes, it sounds choppy. It's supposed to! You need to listen a little more closely to hear all of the musical intricacies, and if you do, you'll know that they put a lot of effort into this album. Every sadistic mind should possess a copy of this brilliant album.

First of all, I'm much more of a thrash metal fan. I like a little death, but it's a style I have just recently been getting into, so I don't know alot about it yet. I still think that CC's first albums are not very good at all, and they improved SO much with this one. The vocals are far better, you can hear the guitars and bass alot better(which are very technical and VERY hard to play, what's with all the people saying they have no musical talent? If there's one thing they have, it's musical talent. Even when I didn't like them, I recognized that.) The drummer is amazing and I really can't believe anybody could play that fast. The lyrics are pretty stupid, but I forgive that. Anyway, if you're a fan of metal at all, this is worth a look, but be warned some people(even fans of metal) probably won't like it. However, IMO, their early stuff really isn't worth owning. I'm not a big death metal fan though, so do check it out if you are. Give this some time, because if you're anything like me, it will grow on you.

Let's settle this now. If you think Cannibal Corpse has no talent, then die.

Now since that is settled, "The Bleeding". The original, released in 1994 under the immortal Metal Blade Records, was sort of a different step for Cannibal Corpse. Different in both lyrics, music and even album artwork. First off, the gory theme that made the first three albums hated by politicans, parents and censorship programs all over the world, was sort of toned down in this album. Sure, you still got "F***** With A Knife" and "The Pick-Axe Murders", but it was really not as bad as the other three. The original album artwork was a 1 out of 10 on the morbid meter, unlike the previous two albums which were just plain disturbing. And the music. Well, the songs were slowed down (a tad bit), with some cool breakdowns, better structure, more frequent solos and just better quality music. Not saying this music isn't brutal, but it is a little less intense, and more accessible for the average person. The vocals aren't as low pitched as "Tomb Of The Mutilated", and they sort of resemble Corpse's sophomore album, "Butchered At Birth". Barnes even adds in some higher pitched vocals he would later do with Six Feet Under.

The album starts off with, in my opinion, Cannibal Corpse's second best song. The now-infamous "Staring Through The Eyes Of The Dead" is overall classic death metal. This was a Headbanger's Ball favorite and was Corpse's first music video! The hilarious "F***** With A Knife" follows, and is a short but crazy little number. It even has a cool little bass fill in the beginning, which could get anybody horny as (...). Then, "Stripped, (...) and Strangled". Another fun fan favorite, with an amazing riff. "Pulverized" and "Return To Flesh" are the examples of (less) focus on shock and more on the music. Two classic songs. "The Pick-Axe Murders" (the song title never gets old) is another famous Corpse track, and more great riffing. "She Was Asking For It" is a lesser known song, and is probably their most underrated song. I love it. "The Bleeding" is the loser here, but it is still a great song nonetheless. "Force Fed Broken Glass" is a sweet five-minute opus, and a creepy breakdown somewhere in the middle where it sounds as if Barnes is choking on glass. And the album closer, "An Experiment In Homicide" is intense as all hell and caps off a legendary masterpiece in metal.

The impact of this album is huge, period. Great for newer fans of death metal and Cannibal Corpse. It could even be appreciated by non-metal fans, but that would probably never happen. This was Corpse, and Barnes, in their primes. Barnes would get booted from Cannibal Corpse the same year this was released, and Corpsegrinder would fill in. The George Fisher years will never match the Barnes years, no matter what. In other words, one of the best death metal albums ever. If you had to own one Cannibal Corpse album, then I would certainly recommend this one. Cannibal Corpse almost had their shot at MTV fame, because "Staring..." was a Headbangers Ball regular, but not surprisingly, never fit with the Nirvana crowd. 1994 was a great year for music in general. Grunge died, death metal was in it's prime and everybody was happy. Too bad that only 12 years later we are surrounded by war, terrorism and global warming, and the whole scene of music has changed for the worse, but whatever. This isn't a philosophy lecture or me ranting about the good ol' days.

This 2006 reissue is very different from the original 1994 release. First off, the album cover is completely different (just compare them). The CD is in one of the (...) digipacks, which I totally despise, but what are you going to do? There is no lyric book, but are actually on the fold-out of the digipack. So, kiddies, you can get easy access to those lyrics to offend somebody! This is re-mastered, of course, and sounds much better then the original. It is cheaper. It also contains a bonus track, a Possessed cover of "The Exorcist", which originally appeared on the "Hammer Smashed Face" EP a year earlier. The cover is pretty good, with better vocals then Possessed ever had. There is also the music video for "Staring Through The Eyes Of The Dead". What a great and classic video. If you already own the original, I would suggest you go and pick up this cheap reissue just for the video and for a better sounding quality. So go outside, turn off your computer, and go to the record store and buy it...now!

When someone mentions death metal, Cannibal Corpse is usually discussed, and they should be. Why? Because Cannibal Corpse is one of the rare death metal bands with a "trademark", distinguished sound. If you listen to it enough, you will be able to tell the difference between songs which is sometimes very difficult to do when listening to death metal. Cannibal Corpse's original sound comes from 5 distinguished elements that when combined produces the gateway straight to hell. Element 1 is tempo. They can play fast (preferred) or slow and still make hellish sounds. Element 2 Bass (who knew)! Alex Webster is the best bassist in death metal and the best part is that you get to hear him! Element 3 great drummer. The combination of Webster and Mazurkiewicz playing together creates a wonderful foundation for great song writing. Element 4 great guitar work! Unlike most metal, Cannibal Corpse uses every string! Grinding lows, screaming highs, squealing harmonics the harmonics.... and both guitarists can play solos and feed off each other. Element 5 the vocals of hell. This is usually where "normal" people of the world tune out death metal. Cannibal Corpse uses low grunting vocals used to scare the crap out of you and make Barry White cry, but, with all the other elements going, what else could the vocals be? They have to be hellishly low, and they are. This creates sound and style with no weak links.

Well, this album is everything death metal should be and should be played for anybody who is interested. Or, bring it to parties, funerals, divorces, baby showers, and any other social gathering in which you want people to leave. This album will do it, but is the album really that good? Hell yeah and change! Each song is at least an A on the Skin Split o Meter rating system. This album is really that good for the following reasons. Great production that allows you to hear every instrument individually, distinguishable songs, grinding lows, screaming highs, squealing harmonics, and an uncompromising attitude that causes the cats down the street to cry when they hear it. This is defiantly worth a listen. The only drawback is that it's short.