Written by:	omne metallum
Published:	October 16, 2024
Event:	Cannibal Corpse: European Tour 2024
Location:	Roundhouse, London, United Kingdom

If there is one thing Metal Storm can be counted on for is quality... oh, and also live reviews of Cannibal Corpse shows. Adding to this count (but maybe not the quality part) thanks to a stacked tour package, I attended the sold-out London date of an extensive European tour that looked to be one of the early highlights of the post-festival season. With the winter touring cycle starting up, tonight ushered in the start of a busy time of year for metal bands and metal fans alike, and what better way to kick it off than with a stacked four-band bill.

While I've had my issues with The Roundhouse in the past, either attendees or the venue have learnt their lesson, and things ran smoothly tonight. Arriving at the venue, I was taken aback by the demographic of the audience, with the number of younger attendees outnumbering the old hands by a decent margin; Gene Simmons may say that rock is dead, but if younger metalheads have already discovered Cannibal Corpse, then I'd say the scene is in good health and the kids are alright.

With there being ample time to get in and grab a drink (£6 for a 330ml can of Brewdog?!), it became apparent that the crowd for this sold-out show was here for more than just the headliner, as it filled up from the off and the first band would be playing to a near-full venue from the start.

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Schizophrenia 18:00-18:25




Kicking off what was, on paper, set to be a solid night of speed and power, Belgian death thrashers Schizophrenia took to the stage with a look that was part Bill & Ted and part Spinal Tap. With big hair and even bigger riffs, the band kicked off with their foot to the floor and rarely looked back. It quickly became apparent that they had drawn the short straw in terms of the live mix, as the band's power dissipated into an aural mess of noise rather than coherent songs. Even as they launched into a cover of Slayer's "Necrophobic", it was hard to distinguish one instrument from the other, as the muddy mix blended them together into one audible blur.

This didn't deter the audience much, however, based on the fervour of the mosh pit, giving an early indicator that the crowd tonight was going to be particularly lively and eager to move at the slightest hint or beat.

Immolation 18:45-19:25




Up next were the old school New York stalwarts Immolation; thankfully the sound engineer had found his hearing aid, and was able to resolve the issues that plagued Schizophrenia’s set.

You know you've succeeded as a band when the audience is loathe to see you leave the stage, having played a set that had them rapt in your old school style. Making time feel endless, the band managed to cram what felt like a full set into their allotted time with a career-spanning set that took in long established favourites such as "Into Everlasting Fire" alongside a healthy dose of tracks off of the modern classic Acts Of God album; strangely, however, only "Father, You're Not A Father" appeared from Close To A World Below.

Immolation were in top form, and laid down a gauntlet for the following bands; this was worth the price of admission alone, but thankfully there was plenty of value to be wrung out of this line up yet.

Immolation setlist:

01. Abandoned
02. An Act Of God
03. The Distorting Light
04. Kingdom Of Conspiracy
05. The Age Of No Light
06. A Glorious Epoch
07. When The Jackals Come
08. Noose Of Thorns
09. Father, You're Not A Father
10. Into Everlasting Fire

Municipal Waste 19:55-20:40




Flying rubbish bins, Roundhouse circle pits, calls to dive from the balcony and odes to beer... so, a typical Municipal Waste show then.

Up next were perhaps one of the bands guaranteed to cause chaos, with many attendees desperate to get to the front or to the pit; somehow, the already cramped venue felt even more packed than before. From the second the band launched into their frenzied barrage of riffs, the crowd was moving like a bunch of hyperactive kids that had just discovered Red Bull, finding another gear from the preceding performances this evening.

Municipal Waste were on top form tonight, benefitting from yet another solid sound mix and Foresta's vocals being still being strong and not hoarse (thankfully this show was near the start of the tour). It was surprising to hear the band drop several tracks that were until now staples in "Beer Pressure" and "Mind Eraser", though thankfully their absences were felt minimally thanks to some excellently played replacements culled from their two latest albums.




With the closing trio of "The Art Of Partying", "Demoralizer" and "Born To Party" seeing the crowd reach deafening levels of singing along, it seemed like Municipal Waste could easily overshadow the headliners, though as the band left the stage, it was an interesting prospect how the Corpse could top this.

Municipal Waste setlist:

01. The Executioner
02. Breathe Grease
03. You're Cut Off
04. The Thrashin' Of The Christ
05. Poison The Preacher
06. Crank The Heat
07. Headbanger Face Rip
08. Blood Drive
09. High Speed Steel
10. Wave Of Death
11. Sadistic Magician
12. Slime And Punishment
13. Restless And Wicked
14. Under The Waste Command
15. The Art Of Partying
16. Demoralizer
17. Born To Party

Cannibal Corpse 21:10- 22:30




It was announced on social media the day before that Erik Rutan had left the tour owing to hurricane damage to his home; when the band acknowledged this, the level of applause from the crowd highlighted just how popular he was. Indeed, playing the show as a four-piece showed how much on an impact he has on the band.

After what felt like a subdued entrance, Cannibal Corpse just appeared on stage with no grand fanfare before they suddenly deafened everyone with a roaring rendition of new cut "Blood Blind". Strangely, even though the band were down one guitar, Webster's bass was buried in the mix for the first few songs, so this one-guitar Cannibal Corpse experience felt like a power trio of drum, guitar and vocals, and the songs suffered for it.

Thankfully, the sound engineer rectified this come "Disposal Of The Body", and the band's performance improved vastly thanks to audible bass rumblings of Webster flying across the fretboard. The decision to make the set a career-spanning set may have meant the omission of several classics, but given it meant hearing rarer cuts like "Pounded Into Dust" and "Pit Of Zombies", it was a worthy trade-off.




With the absence of Rutan, there was a missing element throughout the evening that did detract from the set; however, it was still a strong performance and one that highlights the ongoing power of a band nearing their 40th year.

Cannibal Corpse setlist:

01. Blood Blind
02. Scourge Of Iron
03. Inhumane Harvest
04. Chaos Horrific
05. Death Walking Terror
06. Disposal Of The Body
07. Pounded Into Dust
08. Summoned For Sacrifice
09. Fucked With A Knife
10. The Wretched Spawn
11. Unleashing The Bloodthirsty
12. Pit Of Zombies
13. Kill Or Become
14. Staring Through The Eyes Of The Dead
15. Stripped, Raped And Strangled
16. Hammer Smashed Face

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After a night of pummelling death metal, the cool air outside was a refreshing change of pace. Aside from the poor mix that hindered Schizophrenia severely, the night had been quality set after quality set, hopefully encouraging the younger members of the audience to delve further into a genre that continues to go from strength to strength.

The bar has been set high already; hopefully the shows that see my year out can match, or rise above, the lofty expectations set here.