Metal Storm logo
Cannibal Corpse - Eaten Back To Life review




Bandcamp music player
Reviewer:
7.0

447 users:
7.61
Band: Cannibal Corpse
Album: Eaten Back To Life
Release date: August 1990


01. Shredded Humans
02. Edible Autopsy
03. Put Them To Death
04. Mangled
05. Scattered Remains, Splattered Brains
06. Born In A Casket
07. Rotting Head
08. The Undead Will Feast
09. Bloody Chunks
10. A Skull Full Of Maggots
11. Buried In The Backyard
12. Born In A Casket [live] [re-release bonus]
+ Born In A Casket [live video] [re-release bonus]

'eaten back to life' is often regarded as one of the best death metal albums of all time. At its time of release it was one of the most brutal albums of all time and even 14 years on, it's still pretty extreme. Also, this is one of the first albums to play death metal as something completely separate to thrash so it's an important album in the history of extreme metal. Personally though, I think that it is completely over-rated.

Since this album, Cannibal Corpse has progressed significantly. Many people would consider their changes to be a bad thing as they are less extreme on more-recent releases. 'eaten back to life' is pretty much the same speed and style throughout the album and with few changes in tone in the vocals of Chris Barnes. However I think that the change in vocalist to George Fisher in 1996 was the best thing that ever happened to the band. To compare that to their latest release, their debut looks very average. In the 14 years since this, Cannibal Corpse has gradually changed becoming slightly less extreme and brutal but with a clearer sound and more variation in speed and vocals. The first time I listened to this album it seemed very monotonous and uninteresting and although it has grown on me, I still think it is average at best and its popularity has more to do with controversial lyrics and artwork and the fact that it was a milestone in the progression of death metal.

The vocals are incomprehensible which is probably a good thing judging by the song titles. Maybe I'm missing the point by criticizing an extreme metal album for being completely growled but the changes in tone and the slightly audible lyrics of the later albums seems like a good thing. This can hardly be described as a technical album and if it was it would just ruin the brutality of it but the solo's at the end of 'shredded humans' and 'mangled' were quite impressive considering the difficulty of putting instrumental sections into music as extreme as this. Overall I think it is a good album and perhaps I've been a bit harsh with this review. It is a great piece of brutal death metal which sometimes borderlines grind core (e.g. the undead will feast), it is definitive of the sub-genre and it has influenced hordes of bands that followed but because of this it is extremely over-hyped. If Cannibal Corpse released this album today as an unknown band instead of in 1990, I think it would be completely over-looked.

Written by -tom- | 20.12.2004




Guest review disclaimer:
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.


Comments

Comments: 11   Visited by: 166 users
17.03.2008 - 05:09
Uirapuru
Liver Failure
Agree with the review, but i would give the album an 8. It has kinda of an pure death metal atmosphere that is pretty rare. Best tracks: Edible Autopsy, Mangled and A Skull full of maggots.
----

----
member of the true crusade against old school heavy metal, early 80s thrash, NWOBHM, traditional doom, first and second wave black metal, old school death metal, US power metal, 70s prog rock and atmospheric doomsludgestoner. o/
Loading...
17.03.2008 - 09:14
ABUSOR
Account deleted
I would give this album an 8 also.. Pure old school Death Metal. I always enjoy the instrumental intro to Buried In The Backyard, being one of the better tracks on the album, even though the album all-round is excellent. Other great tracks: Edible Autopsy, Mangled, Scattered Remains Splatterred Brains and Bloody Chunks....
Loading...
28.06.2008 - 05:29
Rating: 9
Martin_metal

This album is a classic, and I think on this one Chris Barnes does his best vocal on an CC album..
Loading...
22.10.2009 - 20:44
Rating: 9
Aoaystheory

Overrated?... I would COMPLETLY disagree with you. This is not only a classic but every track is hard and even though the titles are cheesy who cares? The music is epic. I've heard about everything there is to be heard but still this ranks up there in one of the best Death Metal albums of all time. And I feel the same way about pretty much all of the other reviews of Cannibal Corpse. I feel like your missing something just like people who don't like the movie Office Space. You just need to get it man! haha
Loading...
22.10.2009 - 21:25
-tom-
Mr FancyPants
I'd probably give this album a 9 now. I did review this 5 years ago. Guess people change.

Fisher a better vocalist than Chris? How silly I used to be.
----
"This rudderless world is not shaped my metaphysical forces. It is not God who kills the children. Not fate that butchers them or destiny that feeds them to the dogs. It's us. Only us"

Read Watchmen.
Loading...
23.10.2009 - 16:32
theflyingmachine

I agree with the first two posts in giving this album an 8. There are some amazing tracks on this album (Shredded Humans, Edible Autopsy, Born in a Casket, and Buried in the Backyard), while maybe 2 or 3 are decent. But what prevents this album from being one of the caliber of Vile, Tomb of the Mutilated, or The Bleeding is the filler tracks (Mangled, Rotten Head, Bloody Chunks, etc.)

Oh, and is the beginning to the Scattered Remains, Splattered Brains track a Metallica solo? I am pretty sure it is...
Loading...
23.10.2009 - 19:58
Rating: 9
Aoaystheory

Its all good Tom, I am also like really into Cannibal Corpse now lol. But yeah dood Rock On!
Loading...
09.01.2010 - 22:17
treptolemus
aphotic_zoning
Skull full of maggots!!! ALL TIME CLASSIC!!!
----
\m/etalstor\m/
Loading...
16.02.2010 - 22:42
Rating: 8
Deadmeat
Necrobutcher
This one is probably on the top works of the band. surely the rating of 7 is wrong. im glad that you've changed your mind cause if you didnt you'd miss the chance to "understand" a really great album.
----
Υou've sold your human essence to the cold world of dead and empty things... You're SOLD!
Loading...
13.04.2010 - 16:55
Rating: 9
thewall30

Amazing album, its incredibly brutal and would recommend to any death metal fan...
----
Loading...
13.04.2010 - 17:50
soadbyob
Account deleted
Brutal. fucking. death metal.
Loading...

Hits total: 12552 | This month: 27