Cannibal Corpse (album)
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''Eaten Back to Life'' is the debut studio album by American
death metal Death metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep death growl, growling vocals; aggressive ...
band
Cannibal Corpse Cannibal Corpse is an American death metal band formed in Buffalo, New York, in 1988, now based in Tampa, Florida. The band has released sixteen studio albums, two box sets, four video albums, and two live albums. The band has had little radio ...
. It was released on August 17, 1990, through
Metal Blade Records Metal Blade Records (often shortened to Metal Blade) is an American independent record label founded by Brian Slagel in 1982 based in the U.S. state of California. The label primarily focuses on heavy metal. History Metal Blade Records was ...
. The album contains five
re-recorded A re-recording is a recording produced following a new performance of a work of music. This is most commonly, but not exclusively, by a popular artist or group. It differs from a reissue, which involves a second or subsequent release of a previousl ...
songs that were previously released on their 1989 demo.


Background and recording

With their debut, the band sought to further develop the extreme lyrics and imagery of other early death metal bands like
Carcass Carcass or Carcase (both pronounced ) may refer to: * Dressed carcass, the body of a livestock animal ready for butchery, after removal of skin, visceral organs, head, feet etc. *Carrion, the decaying dead body of an animal or human being, also c ...
and
Death Death is the end of life; the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms. The remains of a former organism normally begin to decompose sh ...
, and the violent nature of the subject matter has caused controversy and bans in multiple countries. According to bassist
Alex Webster Alex Webster (born October 25, 1969) is an American musician who is the bassist and a co-founder of the death metal band Cannibal Corpse. He is one of two original remaining members, alongside drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz. He is also the bassist ...
, "We saw that a lot of bands in Florida seemed to have more of a darker,
anti-religion Antireligion is opposition to religion or traditional religious beliefs and practices. It involves opposition to organized religion, religious practices or religious institutions. The term ''antireligion'' has also been used to describe opposi ...
thing going on uch as with Morbid Angel and Deicide (band)">Deicide Deicide is the killing (or the killer) of a god. The concept may be used for any act of killing a god, including a life-death-rebirth deity who is killed and then resurrected. Etymology The term deicide was coined in the 17th century from ...
], so we decided to do the Graphic violence, gore thing with the art and lyrics." Founding guitarist
Jack Owen Jack Owen (born December 6, 1967) is an American musician and guitarist of the death metal band Six Feet Under. He was one of the founding members of Cannibal Corpse. He also had a stint with Deicide—another influential and long-running Fl ...
half-joked that the album's gruesome song titles were conceived before the band had written any music. The band would record instrumental demo tapes that vocalist
Chris Barnes Chris Barnes may refer to: * Chris Barnes (actor) (born 1965), American child actor *Chris Barnes (bowler) Chris Barnes (born February 25, 1970) is an American professional Ten-pin bowling, bowler and member of the Professional Bowlers Associat ...
would then take home and write lyrics to. Founding guitarist Bob Rusay composed the guitar riffs to "A Skull Full of Maggots." Drummer
Paul Mazurkiewicz Paul Mazurkiewicz Jr. ( ; born September 8, 1968) is an American musician best known as the drummer of the death metal band Cannibal Corpse. Musical career Mazurkiewicz was originally inspired to play music by Kiss. His cousin was a drummer, ...
recalled, "It was just friends getting together playing music that we loved. ..That's as simple as it was and that's how it starts: you're not thinking of anything in the future, you're just thinking, 'Let's get together, make some cool music that we enjoy.' When Cannibal formed we were definitely looking to take it to the next level, but we were still just playing music we liked." The album was recorded at Morrisound Recording in Tampa, Florida, where many other influential early death metal releases were produced. Bassist Alex Webster specifically cited the band's appreciation of albums like ''
Altars of Madness ''Altars of Madness'' is the debut studio album by American death metal band Morbid Angel, released on May 12, 1989 by Combat and Earache Records. Considered a groundbreaking and important release in extreme metal, the album set a new precedent ...
'' by
Morbid Angel Morbid Angel is an American death metal band based in Tampa, Florida, formed in 1983 by guitarist, primary composer and sole remaining original member Trey Azagthoth, vocalist and bassist Dallas Ward, and drummer Mike Browning. Widely considere ...
and ''
Leprosy Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a Chronic condition, long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the Peripheral nervous system, nerves, respir ...
'' by
Death Death is the end of life; the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms. The remains of a former organism normally begin to decompose sh ...
as having inspired the choice of studio. They were able to make friends and connections within the burgeoning Tampa death metal scene and would ultimately relocate there. Webster and Mazurkeiwicz recorded bass and drum tracks simultaneously. Many songs were done in one take, as the band did not yet have the budget to spend long hours in the studio. The album cover, which depicts a zombie mutilating and cannibalizing itself, was created by horror comic book artist Vince Locke, who the band would continue to collaborate with in the future. In the Centuries of Torment documentary, Locke joked, "Chris Barnes hunted me down" to collaborate. A statement can be found in the album's liner notes, dedicating it to the memory of
Alferd Packer Alfred Griner Packer (January 21, 1842 – April 23, 1907), also known as the "Colorado Cannibal", was an American prospector and self-proclaimed wilderness guide who confessed to cannibalism during the winter of 1874. Though no clear or defini ...
.


Music and lyrics

Dubbed "
death metal Death metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep death growl, growling vocals; aggressive ...
for dummies" and a "
Neanderthal Neanderthals ( ; ''Homo neanderthalensis'' or sometimes ''H. sapiens neanderthalensis'') are an extinction, extinct group of archaic humans who inhabited Europe and Western and Central Asia during the Middle Pleistocene, Middle to Late Plei ...
version of death metal" the sound on ''Eaten Back to Life'' has been described as "the soundtrack to a
serial killer A serial killer (also called a serial murderer) is a person who murders three or more people,An offender can be anyone: * * * * * (This source only requires two people) with the killings taking place over a significant period of time in separat ...
's abhorrent lair," and employs many – if not all – of the genre's trademark characteristics. According to Greg Pratt of
Exclaim ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly ''Exclaim!'' print magazine publishes seven ...
, "''Eaten'' showcases an early stage of the band, not quite as extreme as they would become, incorporating more heavy thrash elements into their sound as opposed to the straight-up no-nonsense death metal the band would adopt on their next album and continue to run with for the rest of their career." The album employs growling vocals, "grinding"
guitar riffs A riff is a short, repeated motif or figure in the melody or accompaniment of a musical composition. Riffs are most often found in rock music, punk, heavy metal music, Latin, funk, and jazz, although classical music is also sometimes based on ...
,
chromatic Diatonic and chromatic are terms in music theory that are used to characterize scales. The terms are also applied to musical instruments, intervals, chords, notes, musical styles, and kinds of harmony. They are very often used as a pair, es ...
melodies,
tempo changes In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for 'time'; plural 'tempos', or from the Italian plural), measured in beats per minute, is the speed or pace of a given composition, and is often also an indication of the composition's character or atmos ...
and
blast beat A blast beat is a type of drum beat that originated in hardcore punk and grindcore, and is often associated with certain styles of extreme metal, namely black metal, death metal and their respective subgenres,Adam MacGregor, '' PCP Torpedo'' ...
s. According to music journalist T Coles, "with the
sonic Sonic or Sonics may refer to: Companies *Sonic Drive-In, an American drive-in, fast-food restaurant chain * Sonic (ISP), an Internet provider CLEC, serving more than 100 California communities * Sonic Foundry, a computer software company whic ...
standard now set, the band leant much further into the heavy
double bass The double bass (), also known as the upright bass, the acoustic bass, the bull fiddle, or simply the bass, is the largest and lowest-pitched string instrument, chordophone in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding rare additions ...
and
palm muting The palm mute is a technique for guitar and bass guitar known for its muted sound. It is performed by placing the side of the picking hand across the guitar's strings, close to the bridge, while picking. The name is a misnomer as the muting is ...
that would define the genre." The drumming has been described as "the relentless pound of meat hammers in the
abattoir In livestock agriculture and the meat industry, a slaughterhouse, also called an abattoir (), is a facility where livestock animals are slaughtered to provide food. Slaughterhouses supply meat, which then becomes the responsibility of a meat ...
." Guitarist
Jack Owen Jack Owen (born December 6, 1967) is an American musician and guitarist of the death metal band Six Feet Under. He was one of the founding members of Cannibal Corpse. He also had a stint with Deicide—another influential and long-running Fl ...
cited the works of
Exodus Exodus or the Exodus may refer to: Religion * Book of Exodus, second book of the Hebrew Torah and the Christian Bible * The Exodus, the biblical story of the migration of the ancient Israelites from Egypt into Canaan Historical events * Ex ...
, early
Sepultura Sepultura (, "grave")Barcinski & Gomes 1999, page 17. is a Brazilian heavy metal band formed in Belo Horizonte in 1984 by brothers Max and Igor Cavalera.Barcinski & Gomes 1999, page 16. They were a major force in the groove metal, thrash met ...
,
Celtic Frost Celtic Frost () was a Swiss metal music, heavy metal band from Zürich. They are remembered for their strong influence on the development of several metal subgenres, particularly extreme metal,Bukszpan, Daniel. ''The Encyclopedia of Heavy Metal' ...
,
Napalm Death Napalm Death are an English grindcore band formed in Meriden, West Midlands, in 1981. None of the band's original members have been in the group since 1986, but since ''Utopia Banished'' (1992), the lineup of bassist Shane Embury, guitarist Mi ...
and Dark Angel as influences present on the album. He said, "we were into
thrash Thrash may refer to: *Thrashing (computer science), where increasing resources are used to do a decreasing amount of work *Thrash (surname) * Thrash, mascot of the Atlanta Thrashers *''Thrash Rally'', a top-down perspective rally racing video game ...
and triplet playing on the guitar".
Chris Barnes Chris Barnes may refer to: * Chris Barnes (actor) (born 1965), American child actor *Chris Barnes (bowler) Chris Barnes (born February 25, 1970) is an American professional Ten-pin bowling, bowler and member of the Professional Bowlers Associat ...
' vocal performance on the album has been described as sounding like "
Satan Satan, also known as the Devil, is a devilish entity in Abrahamic religions who seduces humans into sin (or falsehood). In Judaism, Satan is seen as an agent subservient to God, typically regarded as a metaphor for the '' yetzer hara'', or ' ...
on a diet of
razor blades A razor is a bladed tool primarily used in the removal of body hair through the act of shaving. Kinds of razors include straight razors, safety razors, disposable razors, and electric razors. While the razor has been in existence since before ...
and
paint thinner Paint thinners are diluents — solvents used to adjust the viscosity of paint, as well as similar preparations such as varnish and lacquer, by dilution. For water-based paints, such as acrylic paints, water is the primary solvent, but notably, ...
." The album's lyrics have been described as "ludicrously over the top." Glen Benton of Deicide performs guest vocals on the tracks "Mangled" and "A Skull Full of Maggots."


Reception and legacy

Leslie Mathew of
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
gave the ''Eaten Back to Life'' an underwhelming retrospective review, lamenting the album's lack of variety and "interesting guitar work". John Weiderhorn of
Loudwire ''Loudwire'' is an American online media magazine that covers news of hard rock and heavy metal artists. It is owned by media and entertainment business Townsquare Media. Since its launch in August 2011, ''Loudwire'' has secured exclusive i ...
called the album "a raw and powerful collection of tunes that as stoodthe test of time." Adem Tepedelen of ''
Revolver A revolver is a repeating handgun with at least one barrel and a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold six cartridges before needing to be reloaded, ...
'' wrote in 2006: "Cannibal Corpse became a gore-metal franchise with the release of their now-mandatory, splatter-flick-inspired debut."


Track listing

All music written by Cannibal Corpse.


Personnel

*
Chris Barnes Chris Barnes may refer to: * Chris Barnes (actor) (born 1965), American child actor *Chris Barnes (bowler) Chris Barnes (born February 25, 1970) is an American professional Ten-pin bowling, bowler and member of the Professional Bowlers Associat ...
– vocals *Bob Rusay – guitar *
Jack Owen Jack Owen (born December 6, 1967) is an American musician and guitarist of the death metal band Six Feet Under. He was one of the founding members of Cannibal Corpse. He also had a stint with Deicide—another influential and long-running Fl ...
– guitar *
Alex Webster Alex Webster (born October 25, 1969) is an American musician who is the bassist and a co-founder of the death metal band Cannibal Corpse. He is one of two original remaining members, alongside drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz. He is also the bassist ...
– bass *
Paul Mazurkiewicz Paul Mazurkiewicz Jr. ( ; born September 8, 1968) is an American musician best known as the drummer of the death metal band Cannibal Corpse. Musical career Mazurkiewicz was originally inspired to play music by Kiss. His cousin was a drummer, ...
– drums ; Additional personnel *
Glen Benton Glen Michael Benton (born June 18, 1967) is an American musician, best known as the lead vocalist, lyricist and bassist for the Florida death metal band Deicide. In addition to his work with Deicide, Benton was also a member of the band Vital ...
– backing vocals on "Mangled" and "A Skull Full of Maggots" *Francis M. Howard – backing vocals on "Mangled" and "A Skull Full of Maggots" * Pat O'Brien – lead guitar on live bonus track *
George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher George Fisher (born July 8, 1970), better known by his stage name Corpsegrinder, is an American death metal vocalist who is the lead singer of Cannibal Corpse, Paths of Possession and the supergroup Serpentine Dominion. ''Loudwire'' placed Fi ...
– vocals on live bonus track


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eaten Back To Life 1990 debut albums Cannibal Corpse albums Metal Blade Records albums Albums produced by Scott Burns (record producer) Albums recorded at Morrisound Recording Obscenity controversies in music Works about Alferd Packer Death metal albums hu:Tomb of the Mutilated