Customer Reviews

Wretched Spawn (W/Dvd)

5 star:		(70)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(27)

 

 

Cannibal Corpse ... is an introduction really necessary? Well, for starters, Cannibal Corpse perform technical, brutal Death Metal straight from America. Making use of complex riffing, tempo-changes and sheer brutality, Cannibal Corpse have come up with a truly successful formula. The Wretched Spawn, Cannibal Corpse's latest offering is definitely what I consider to be their best recording yet.

Starting off with the very Thrash-inspired Severed Head Stoning, it's clear that Cannibal Corpse have mastered the art of Death Metal as well as flawless production. The guitar, drums, vocals and even bass all shine through on this recording not having one particular instrument over-shadow the rest.

The Wretched Spawn actually shows Cannibal Corpse using a variety of song-structures, tempos and ideas. You have an extremely technical, brutal track like Frantic Disembowelment then you have tracks like Rotted Body Landslide and Decency Defied that could almost be considered, dare I say it ... "catchy;" well, to a Metal fan anyhow. I'd also like to mention that not one particular member of the band dominates the writing. Jack Owen (guitar), Alex Webster (bass) and Pat O'Brien (guitar) all contribute songs on this album giving you a nice variety of writing-styles.

Lyrically, well, it's Cannibal Corpse so you can expect gore-laden themes displayed in the song titles and obviously the lyrics. As far as the seriousness, it's brutal music with brutal lyrics. This style of music would sound quite silly with upbeat lyrics and themes ... the lyrics are not meant to be taken seriously although they often are ... for a reason I don't know.

The Wretched Spawn also comes with a bonus DVD that is simply awesome. I have been a musician for over eight years and I really enjoyed seeing Cannibal Corpse describe their set-ups, how the studio time works and the like. The bonus DVD is a true treat for musicians and fans alike giving you a good look into Cannibal Corpse's studio-life. There are also some excellent jam sessions recorded for the DVD that are mind-blowing (especially Frantic Disembowelment). Basically, if you're a musician (or a fan) you'll definitely appreciate the bonus DVD featured here.

Overall, I'd say this is possibly the best Death Metal album I've heard yet. If you consider yourself a Cannibal Corpse fan you are definitely missing out if you don't pick this one up. If you are just beginning to explore brutal Death Metal, this is definitely a good place to start. Simply put, a killer album from a killer band.

The title sums up Cannibal Corpse's imagery, and while it is an artificial means to provide shock value (which, even so, still works), it nonetheless has little to do with the quality of this album, a point obviously missed by many who gave low ratings to it.

Because the music here is excellent. It opens with Severed Head Stoning, which rips your face off with a brutally fast tempo that is too awesome to skip. It then continues to lead into highly variable-sounding songs that range from slow to mid-paced to fast again. There are no songs that sound like clones.

The guitars prove themselves worthy of playing the demandingly fast riffs while being able to sound more slowly sonorous in songs like 'Festering in the Crypt.' The drums, remarkably, can actually keep up with the fast paces when they need to (which couldn't be said of much of Cannibal Corpse's previous work) but can also compliment the slower riffs of the guitars when it needs to. The vocals, though not quite as low-sounding as Fisher's previous vocal-work, are more comprehensible and thus are more capable of being sung with.

The lyrics may sometimes sound a bit cheesy (part of this is due to the fact that you can distinguish the words more easily from previous works), as the rhyming structure is less subtle than on previous albums. Even so though, Cannibal Corpse has proven that you can indeed beat a dead horse by somehow still coming out with relatively original lyrics about rape, torture and murder even after 8 previous albums of the same thing. And though occasionally cheesy, it still works for the most part. Besides, whatever Cannibal Corpse loses on lyrics they more than make up for on the very professional-sounding musicianship and production.

The only substantial objection is that a lot of their songs are a bit short. None on here break the 5 minute mark either (sadly.)

If you like death metal at all, then you will appreciate this. If you are a Cannibal Corpse fan, then you will most certainly appreciate this. If you are some idiot who is going to judge the quality of music on artwork, you will appreciate my fist in your face as you shut the hell up.

One of the marks of a good band is songwriting. If you look at Cannibal Corpse's song writing from Eaten Back to Life to the present day, you notice significant advancement in musical composition. When Cannibal Corpse started with Eaten Back To Life, they sounded more like heavy death thrash...but this is a jaw dropping promotion to hellish, brutal, and technical death metal compared to the primitive and gruesome debut album. Instead of setting themselves into a comfort zone, they push harder and harder with each album, which shows in The Wretched Spawn when compared to their previous release - Gore Obsessed. Not only does this package come with the feral and fierce Wretched Spawn album, it also comes with a bonus DVD which contains footage of the making of the album.

I'll say right now that the drumming doesn't really compliment the acrimonious guitars and bass on the equal level. Paul is a great drummer for being self taught, but let's face it; the guy has been doing practically the same thing for the last ten years. Mid-paced blast beats and other medial drumming techniques are all he really seems to go for in a world of hasty music. I don't mind a drummer taking an intermediate stance in speed, but when it becomes the only style the drummer uses, it's pretty much an unspoken connotation that maybe they need to try something new. This isn't bad drumming by any standards; it's just very parallel to previous albums.

Gathering from previous performances, this is George Fisher's best vocal delivery since he's been with the band. Instead of trailing off in mid song and going in seemingly random directions, Fisher's singing goes more with the flow of the music and keeps that tight formation all the way through. This is why Barnes can't hold a torch to Fisher. Other than the fact that Barnes' bloated ego helped him gain momentum to being ejected from the band, he had no vocal rhythm in comparison to Corpsegrinder. Barnes, more or less, would wait for the band to conjure some devastating tunes, and then just dump his vocals onto them without any precision or planning.

Let's face it - Barnes was sloppy and Fisher is not. Undeniable is Fisher's ability to sing more coherently as well. Take Tomb of the Mutilated for example; that was a great album, but most of the time it was a vein effort to even attempt to understand what Barnes was singing. While vocal comprehension isn't always priority to most people who listen to death metal, I consider it a pleasure to be able to decipher what it is I'm listening to while it remains brutal and heavy. Little has changed in Fisher's voice since Gallery of Suicide; it's still got that mid-tone growl that lies in comparison with death metal singers like Glen Benton and Erik Rutan.

Jack Owen and Pat O'Brien rend flesh into nothing but pulp by creating a razor storm of sharp and succinct structure with their fleet and expeditious playing styles. Jack Owen wrote four songs on this album, some that I enjoy immensely, others that I think are just good. I don't know what it is about Owen's writing style, but his songs don't stick with me the way O'Brien's or Webster's do. Jack Owen tends to overuse fast chug riffs, has seemingly synthetic aggression, as well as lack of memorable tunes. Owen just seems to be short of passion in a lot of the songs he writes, as if he couldn't get into it.

I find Pat O'Brien to be much more of an interesting song writer than Jack Owen on this album, due to the fact that he usually goes for faster and more difficult riffs than Owen. I am not a believer of the whole "complexity equates to splendor" type of mind set, but Pat writes catchy stuff and manages to keep pushing the boundaries on difficulty. If you watch the DVD that came with this album, you'll be able to see Pat playing guitar for one of his songs, "Frantic Disembowelment," which takes away any doubt that Cannibal Corpse go for simplicity as Pat runs his fingers around the fret board with amazing speed. When Pat plays, he goes for unrelenting aggression and brutality; I notice that Pat tends to favor tremolo harmonization as well. This also gives me the idea that he actually loves what he's doing, unlike Jack (it's why he left the band after all).

The entire production is crystal clear, much like Gore Obsessed. This is also the first all digital album that Cannibal Corpse have done. The problem with old Cannibal Corpse albums was that the production usually rendered Alex's bass sounding almost like a joke. Remember the nice little bass solo on Hammer Smashed Face before the singing started? It sounds like a piece of rubber!

Thankfully, the serene production allows you to hear Alex's bass as it pummels in the background like a machine gun. I'd love to hear more standout bass activity from Alex, maybe a bass solo or two, but I digress. Production can't get much better than this. Almost every song on here is built around speed, except for the ever groovy "Festering in the Crypt," which speaks in more of a "sit down, relax, and enjoy" type of manner. Some thrash elements show themselves in songs like "Severed Head Stoning," and attack all bones in the listener's neck by forcing them to head bang until paralysis is achieved.

I can't say I was really looking forward to this album. I purchased it the day it came out, but I was expecting it to be somewhat of a Gore Obsessed clone, but no...This is even better! I tip my hat to the death metal veterans for spawning this fine creation.

I find it funny that most "metal fans" get on here and write reviews, bashing bands for sounding the same all the time. How many times have you heard "Vader and Cannibal Corpse keep putting out the same album every year, its getting old". Funny, but the minute one of these bands go out and change their syle or sound, you will also be the first to say, "THEY SOLD OUT". So tell me kids, witch is it? Do you want your band to stay true to their roots, and not become mainstream, or do you want them to go soft like Metallica? You see, bands like Cannibal corpse and Vader keep putting out these type of albums, because thats what made their fans love them. They are not trying to reach out to the "band wagon kids", or the casual fan like you. I once loved Metallica, but when i heard that Load ablum, i said thats it, they have died in my eyes. Metallica forgot who got them there, who their real fans were. They wanted MTV and pop success. True they make more money, but the hard core fans are long gone. They have no loyalty now, just kids who will listen for a while , then jump to the next big thing that comes out on MTV. Cannibal Corpse and Vader will always have their legions, no matter what, because they did not choose to sell out. So understand kids, these guys arent trying to convert anybody over, they already have fans. So, if you like them, you will enjoy this album. I dont give it 5 stars only because they should have just put out the special edition, witch is outstanding with the dvd and worm infested included, and not this version. Once again though, these guys are legendary for a reason, if you are a death metal fan, you should respect their place in history, if nothing else.

Cannibal Corpse was a very risque band when i first heard them. i was watching Ace Ventura, and i saw this death metal band playing a kickass song, and i found out it was cannibal corpse. i went online and found the lyrics for the song "hammer smashed face", the song in the movie. i was only 12 at the time, and the lyics actually scared me to death.

over time, i listend to mix cd's my friends had, which had some C.C. thrown in. i was starting to enjoy them more and more every day. in early 2004, i bought "The Wretched Spawn" and it is a D.M masterpiece in my eyes. Jack and Pat are guitar wizards, they can play at around 200 something BPM without missing a note, Alex is THE best bassist i have heard since i started listening to metal, Paul is crazy on the drums with his double bass assaults, and snare attacks, and finally, George's growls add a flair of death in the music.

The album highlights are Frantic Disembowlment, Slain, Festering in the Crpypt, and Severed Head Stoning. every song is good, but these ones take the cake.

the music is much more diverse in this album, and the bonus DVD has a few laughs in it as well. (listen to Jack play "My pockets got a hole in it"). but all in all, this album is a must have for either C.C. fans, or D.M heads. (not to mention that the album's cover art is totally badass!!!)

Take twenty dollars out of your wallet, and go buy this album for god's sake!!!!!!!!!!

I'm not the biggest fan of these guys, but COME ON, there is no need to write a thousand bad reviews for a band you don't like. It's rude, and proves that YOU are the moron, not the band. I can tell you have a low I.Q. by what you write , and the way you write it. Example: "DoOd, THESe guyS suKK, aLL thEy Du is Talk about DeAtH!?!???!" Well, DUH, you stupid, ignorant @sshole, they're called death-metal for a reason. Retard.

To some extent I'm a death metal snob. I love the super technical bands like Nile, Spawn of Possession, Deeds of Flesh, Monstrosity, and Decapitated. But you know what? Cannibal Corpse truly is as good as any band playing death metal today. First of all, they're more diverse than 95% of the bands out there. As with any of the last several Corpse CDs, you'll get a mix of brutal riffs, doom-laden groove, catchy mosh, impressive technicality, wild soloing, and blistering thrash. And the band always knows when to change gears at just the right time. Throw in the ultra-sick cover art, gore-drenched lyrics, and top-notch production, and what you end up with really is one of the most entertaining and quality packages in metal today.

In other words, don't listen to the snobs. The Wretched Spawn is my favorite Corpse album in years. Perhaps even better than Bloodthirst (high praise!). And I recommend it to any metal fan that enjoys a thick slab of gory death metal in their musical diet from time to time.

I can't pretend to be an old-school Cannibal Corpse fan who's followed the band loyally for over ten years. Sure, I've known about them since that movie, but never really checked out their music until just now, even though I was getting into other bands like Cryptopsy and Vader through the intervening years. Well, we all make mistakes, right? I have this incredible urge to go back in time and "discover" this band for myself sooner. Because, as many have found out, Cannibal Corpse delivers on all levels.

Most notable and obvious would be the artwork. Their traditional vicious pictures may be disturbing to some but a closer examination reveals that no hack could draw these - they are quite good. The music is exactly what you would expect - fast, heavy, punishing. George Fisher turns in a fantastic performance. I'm not sure if I like it as much as Peter from Vader, but he's a close second at least. The string section turns in some truly amazing sequences, particularly in the title track, though impressive riffs and leads abound throughout the album. Corpse employ advanced musical techniques without straying into the technical-for-it's-own-sake territory that bands like Cryptopsy comfortably inhabit. They are masters of rhythmic intricacy, but they leave it to the listener to realize over several listens. The drums are a little high-end heavy; the kick drums are clear but a little thin. I won't complain too much about that because it's a breath of fresh air from the usual trigger-off-the-radar kick sound that is death metal's trademark. And of course, as has been mentioned in many reviews already, the songwriting is solid; and in some places, an almost-hummable (or, growl-able) hook presents itself.

To cap off my long-winded rave, Cannibal Corpse is a band that I wish I had discovered much earlier, but as they say, better late than never. I bought. I listened. I believe.

what in the hell was eastnugga187 listening to this cd for? he sure doesnt listen to metal . all of his other reviews are pretty much top 40 or commercial b s. targeted to kids who cant think for themselves and watch too much mtv . his oppinion means very little to people who do listen to metal . This isnt the best corpse cd but its just what youd expect IF you like c.c. another brutal death metal cd NOT for the weak . Hopfully the corpse will will get some new elements for the next cd . and to eastnugga187 ..... please stick to what you know , maybe ill start giving all poor reviews to music i dont like ......RAP / HOPHIP yo yo yo im out , drink the blood of the goat 666 hail

Ican already guess what you will say. The words, "another year, another Cannibal Corpse album" just ecaped your brain from your mouth and/or keyboard. Sure you can think that. You'd be WRONG, but you'd think that. Let me show you what you (would have if not for my interference) missed.

Let's start at the beginning, shall we? Severed Head Stoning kicks things off somewhat deceptively, in that this tune works in a slightly punky method. No thinking, just ROCK. Just to keep you on your toes. Psychotic Precision Starts with a more modern addition to the Cannibal Corpse sound: polyrhythms. The really uninitiated would swear that Corpse is riffing off Meshuggah. The next real highlight of the album is Decency Defied, and this would be the single if MTV was half-way inclined to play death metal videos on TRL. The groove on this track would've made <A HREF="http://www.pantera.com">Dimebag</A HREF> proud. Frantic Disembowelment is another headsnapping experience(pun somewhat intended).
I'll stop at this since brevity is the soul of wit. Suffice to say, when(not if)you purchase this CD, do listen to the whole album. If you are already down with the head-pounding sound, you are not reading this review by this point. Those of you in this cateGORY have already bought the CD and don't require the lecture. Those not in this realm would do nicely to, in the very least, listen to some of the samples on this website, or on <A HREF="http://www.cannibalcorpse.net">the official Cannibal Corpse Website.</A HREF> I thank you for your time.