Bloodthirst [PA] by Cannibal Corpse (CD, Oct-1999, Metal Blade)

With the previous release of Gallery of Suicide not living up to my expectations, Bloodthirst was going to be a true test with the question being asked of "Does it Suck?" and "Should I give up on them?" Well, I am pleased to tell you that no it doesn't suck. In fact, it's very good and is musically the best album they put out so far. This album is only topped by "The Bleeding" in terms of their best releases. Now sit down son, daddy's got a little story to tell you about this one.

The reason this album is so good is because most songs are distinguishable between each other. Production of the album increased from Gallery of Suicide in terms of the vocals being brought out into the forefront and the drums don't sound as muddy as their previous releases (maybe they were tuned a little differently). Combine that with Cannibal Corpse's small switch to go into a more technical writing style to their music, and having (sir) O'Brien (and his magical Bb tuned 7-string) put in his input on this one and you have one sick album.

Once again Paul Mazurkiewicz and Alex Webster provide the foundation as they usually do. However, this time there isn't as much brutal speed. On some of the songs, they slowed down on the foot and hand speed to create a more forceful, powerful groove that makes the songs more brutal but at the same time more "listener friendly". Combine that with the guitarists, who decided to expand on their style and try some new sounds like arpeggios, random harmonics, and 7-strings (in Bb) and you have a very good formula that could cause you to reach through some concrete, pull out the devil himself and slap him around for the glory of your new Cannibal Corpse purchase.

This album is unlike anything I have heard before in terms of just raw beautiful death metal talent. The only problem is that the first six songs brutalize. The last five (with the exception of Sickening Metamorphosis) become typical Cannibal Corpse good songs but not as chaotic or fun to listen to as the first six.

Song summaries include...

1. Pounded into Dust - Hear that? That was my ass being kicked across three states. Chanting vocals with good speed make this one so good. A+
2. Dead Human Collection - Best song on the album. Good tempo throughout the song. Grinding lows, random highs. Fun to listen to! A+
3. Unleashing The Bloodthirsty - Slow lurching intro. Slower song altogether :44 seconds in come the harmonics. 1:39 they go into some speed and just brutalize. A
4. Spine Splitter - Fast typical Cannibal Corpse style song until 1:38 into it. That part is just strange to listen to and doesn't seem to fit with the rest of the song, but that's what makes it so good! A
5. Ecstasy in Decay - Slow, fast, slow, fast intro. Then into typical Cannibal Corpse style until :59 into the song. Then it's just strange again. A
6. Raped By The Beast - Fast hellish beats. Tough to follow. Great song. A+
7. Coffinfeeder - Good song but doesn't seem to go with the album. Nothing special here. C
8. Hacksaw Decapitation - After the intro, fast and brutal! Chanting vocals. Good change at 1:38. Nothing too incredible though and the solo isn't very original for them. C+
9. Blowtorch Slaughter - Once again, typical Cannibal Corpse song. Just nothing too special or ear catching here. C
10. Sickening Metamorphosis - Lows, highs, tempo changes, chanting vocals, harmonics, everything a growing death metal boy needs at the

Cannibal Corpse, for me, was always Chris Barnes, until the day i heard Unleashing the Bloodthirsty (Track 3) of this album.
George Fisher's performance on this album is incredible. The riffs are awesome and the time signiature changes are subtle. This album fuckin cranks and it is easily one of my favorite death metal albums of all time.

There's some great Cannibal songs on this album!!! Like any other Cannibal Corpse album, I would recommend this to anyone who appreciates good death metal. They truly are the greatest death metal band of all time!!!

As a devout fan of Cannibal Corpse, I bevlieve that this album, like all of their albums except the Bleeding are a true example of what metal should be like.

Brutality at it's finest. Anyone who knows Cannibal Corpse and enjoys them will not be dissappointed. It's another smasher, brutal, fast paced, one killer album. This is to be expected of reliable corpse.