Cannibal Corpse - Skeletal Domain (2014)

Somewhere along the way Cannibal Corpse got stuck in the rut of releasing albums that all sound the same, one after another. Sure, not each note is the same, yada yada, but basically since 'Vile', shit, basically since The Neck took over the mic CC's stuck with the same formula and aside from their mounting technical prowess nothing's really changed all that much since 1996.

After reading a couple of interview snippets where certain members of the band had indicated that this would be a more "evil" sounding record, I was fairly psyched. Could Cannibal Corpse truly be venturing fourth into uncharted territory? Not quite. When I hear the phrase 'evil death metal' I tend to think of bands like Incantation and Immolation. Coffin Texts, etc. I'm not sure what part of this album the band considered "evil sounding" but I assure you that this is yet another run o' the mill Cannibal Corpse offering. If you're really that into what the band is doing then by all means, knock yourself out. I promise that Cannibal will not let you down this time 'round and in all likelihood, EVER, but for those of you who were hoping that they perhaps added a few new instruments to their arsenal of torture, well, you might want to keep it movin'.

Honestly, Cannibal Corpse did sound evil once upon a time in their career and that was way back in the early '90's during a time when they were more prone to write tremolo laden odes to shredded cunts and maggot filled assholes. Even though they could never have been accused of being a satanic themed band, their older material (Butchered at Birth, Tomb of the Mutilated) had a pretty good grasp on the evil vibe that bands like Immolation and Incantation based their careers around. Somewhere along the way, though, CC began to advance, technically, and that's when all of the weirdo-isms of their sound got kicked to the curb and forgotten, not to mention that Corpsegrinder honestly doesn't do a whole lot for me, vocally. Sure, his diction is among the best but there's always been something "diet" to me about the sound of his voice. It never sounded monstrous enough for a band called Cannibal Corpse. On Skeletal Domain it's yet another case of business as usual. Nothing different. More of the same. Again, if you're into the same album being cloned 30 times, then boom, there you go, but for those of you hoping for a change, fuhgetabahtit. Even the album cover, which at first glance seems to be a bit of a change is really just another plain old rendering from trusty ol' Vince Locke. Same ol', same ol'.