Cannibal Corpse is an American Death Metal band formed in 1988. They are one of the few death metal bands known in the mainstream; this is due to their extreme, Gorn-filled lyrics, which have caused immense controversy in several countries. They have had little TV or radio exposure, but remain one of the most popular (if not the most popular) death metal bands. They're certainly among the top-selling, and are considered one of the most influential death metal bands of all time, pushing forward the subgenre of "brutal death metal".Their current lineup consists of George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher (vocals) *
(who was the inspiration for Metalocalypse's Nathan Explosion and also voiced a character in that show)
, Alex Webster (bass), Paul Mazurkiewicz (drums), and guitarists Pat O'Brien and Rob Barrett. They have had quite a few past members, the most notable of these being Chris Barnes, their first vocalist, who is now the frontman of another death metal band, Six Feet Under (not to be confused with the show, of course).Their albums are renowned for having extremely gory album art. You can see the albums and their respective art below, but bear in mind that they're extremelyNSFW.
The band provides examples of the following tropes:
Alliterative Title: The band's name itself, as well as the songs, "The Spine Splitter", "Bent Backwards and Broken", "Barbaric Bludgeonings", "Beheading and Burning" and "Caged...Contorted".
And I Must Scream: "Staring through the Eyes of the Dead" and "Dead Human Collection"
The Band Minus the Face: To some extent. Although most fans view current vocalist George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher as a formidable replacement to original frontman Chris Barnes, some still insist that the band lost defining characteristics after Barnes' departure.
Glen Benton from Deicide does back-up vocals on "Mangled, "A Skull Full of Maggots" and "Vomit the Soul".
Erik Rutan from Hate Eternal (also the producer of the band's albums starting with "Kill") does a guitar solo on "Unnatural".
Careful With That Axe: Several of their songs have sudden and particularly bloodcurdling screams, including "Blood Drenched Execution" and "Devoured by Vermin". "Blunt Force Castration" opens very suddenly and brutally with a massive growl, and could be considered a partial example of this.
Cover Version: They've covered "The Exorcist" and "Confessions" by Possessed, "Zero the Hero" by Black Sabbath, "Sacrifice" by Sacrifice, "Demon's Night" by Accept, "No Remorse" by Metallica, "Bethany Home (A Place to Die)" by The Accused, "Endless Pain" by Kreator, and "Behind Bars" by Razor.
So says he. The other reason given was that he was thrown out because his excessive marijuana usage had ruined his voice to the point where he couldn't pull off the gutturals that he was known for in the first place.
Double Standard: In the heavy metal documentary, "Metal: A Headbanger's Journey", Corpsegrinder mentions how artwork more violent than their lyrics and cover art can be found at the Vatican.
Early Installment Weirdness: The first album had a more thrash metal-esque tone to it, and Chris Barnes' vocals were less guttural.
Eaten Alive: This is what happens to the protagonist in "Devoured by Vermin". Even though his heart, lungs, and other vital organs are being ripped out, he can still feel pain.
"Pit of Zombies"
Epic Fail: According to Chris Barnes, the first song that the band attempted to cover (under the band's original incarnation of Tirant Sin) was something from Pink Floyd. You can guess how well that turned out.
Exactly What It Says on the Tin: Immediately before they play the song "I Cum Blood" in concerts, Corpsegrinder says "this song is about shooting blood out of your cock."
Facial Horror: The protagonist in "Disfigured" using a razor on his nose and ears, eventually lighting himself on fire so he can char his face.
Foot Focus: The video for "Staring Through the Eyes of the Dead" has a shot of 2 pairs of bare feet from corpses, as well as the protagonist who is also barefoot.
The video for "Devoured by Vermin" has 2 close-up shots of someone's sole wiggling around.
Hate Plague: The theme of their 2009 album, Evisceration Plague.
I Am the Band: Alex Webster and Paul Mazurkiewicz are not only the only original members left, but they compose most of the songs and write the lyrics as of Chris Barnes departure.
In fact, the band themselves, for death metal. If you ask someone to name a death metal band, chances are it's going to be these guys (unless the person you ask is a noob who says "Slipknot" or "Slayer"]].)
Lead Bassist: Alex Webster, Type A, B, and C (as CC is essentially his band).
Lighter and Softer: Many fans would say that after Chris Barnes' departure from the band, the lyrics became less sexual and were just straight up violent.
Man on Fire: The protagonist in "Disfigured" lights himself on fire because he loathes his appearance.
"Sentenced to Burn" and "Blowtorch Slaughter."
Mean Character, Nice Actor: Corpsegrinder is, according to those who know him, an extremely friendly person and a devoted father. You'd never know it from the music.
Metal Scream: Several, but the most epic one is the last scream of "Diiiiiiiiiie!!!" in "They Deserve to Die."
Milestone Celebration: For their 15th anniversary of the band forming, they released "15 Year Killing Spree", a boxset featuring two "Best Of" CDs, a CD with unreleased demos, and a DVD with 3 live performances by the band.
For their 20th anniversary, they released "Centuries of Torment: The First 20 Years": a three disc DVD set featuring a documentary that reunited almost all of the band's members.
For their 25th anniversary, they released "Dead Human Collection: 25 Years of Death Metal": a box set containing all of their albums, a live performance on CD and vinyl, a calendar and new artwork from Vince Locke.
Miniscule Rocking: There are quite a few songs under 2 minutes: "Put Them to Death", "Bloody Chunks", "Puncture Wound Massacre", "Disposal of the Body", "Dismembered and Molested", "Crushing the Despised", "Savage Butchery", "Severed Head Stoning", and "Scalding Hail"
Miscarriage of Justice: The protagonist in "The Strangulation Chair" is a victim of this.
Mohs Scale of Rock and Metal Hardness: Their earlier stuff (pre-Corpsegrinder) is heavier than their later stuff, however both generally stick to 10.
Mondegreen: Many, considering the band's vocal style, but the most infamous one is in the beginning of "Make Them Suffer" where Corpsegrinder screams "SUFFEEEEERRRRR!" but fans like to call it "SOFFFAAAAAAAAAAA!"
Also, in "Rabid", the scream of "RABBIDDD!" has been misheard as "RABBBITTTTT!"
Moral Guardians: The band was a favorite target of them in the mid 90's, coming under attack from both the left and the right for their lyrics and cover art. Their albums were outright banned in Australia from 1996 to 2006, their first three albums were also banned in Germany until 2006, and they were prohibited from performing any songs from those albums while touring there.
Motor Mouth: Corpsegrinder is shown to be one of these on some of their faster songs like "Severed Head Stoning" and "Disposal of the Body".
The former even has a reference to him, in Gorge the Corpsegrinder, the tank commander. "Confirmed in a recent interview with Cannibal Corpse in Decibel Magazine - "There's a character in the new World of Warcraft named after me," Fisher beams, coincidentally wearing a WOW t-shirt. "I mean, this is my favorite fucking video game and they made a character named after me. Millions of people are going to go to Gorge the CorpseGrinder and get quests from him. It's unbelievable, just unbelievable."" And he is, of course, an orc. Not some pansy alliance elf...
Reclusive Artist: One of the band's original guitarists, Bob Rusay, left music entirely after he got kicked out the band, and went on to become a golf instructor. He was the only member of the band who couldn't be reached for an interview in the band's 20th anniversary DVD.
Refuge in Audacity: Really, the entire point of the band and their music by their own admission.
Self-Backing Vocalist: Corpsegrinder tends to do this to create a demonic effect in his music.
Serial Killer: "Stripped, Raped, and Strangled" is about this.
Stylistic Suck: The "Global Evisceration" DVD has one. In the band's concert in Israel, the usual banner was replaced by a small white card with the band's name on it in blue marker to signify the band's luggage not arriving.
Uncommon Time: They're pretty fond of this. Appears more frequently in their later material, but can be heard in their earlier albums too.
Working Title: "Vile" was originally called "Created to Kill"
"Orgasm Through Torture" was originally "Gallery of the Obscene".
"Eaten From Inside" was originally "To Kill Myself"
The X of Y: "Gallery of Suicide", "Disposal of the Body", "Centuries of Torment", "Chambers of Blood", "Mutation of the Cadaver", "Pit of Zombies", "The Discipline of Revenge", "Priests of Sodom", "A Cauldron of Hate".
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