Death is June : Looking Back in Anger at Cannibal Corpse's "the Bleeding"

This album is where they refined things into songs worth listening to for more than the novelty of being "soooo sick". Previous album has challenges production wise and over the years they continued to refine their approach. This also marks Barnes' last album with them and a better performance than he gave on the albums more often reveared by them like "Butchered at Birth" or " Tomb of the Mutilated" . The first two songs run together so it is not until the best song of their carerr " Stripped , Raped and Mutilated" that they distinguish themselves , This could be the in the top 20 death metal songs of all time. Yes there tons of bands that sound like this now, but not in 1994. There was something about them that just had more grit and menace. After this album that began to get smoothed out . It took me many years to get on board with Fisher.

When they allow the grooves of the riffs to reign then their sogn writing shine. When the go into the faster stiff more punk like snare patten then not so much. I think one ofthe problems earlier on is the production of the snare sound was so flat it really made this punk like snare pattern more grating . This album has less of that. There is more of a Morbid Angel feel to the riff leading into " Return Flesh".  The mean riffs here hold it together amid this homage. Cannibal Corpse always conveyed more of the serial snese of evil rather thn the Satanic feel. This still comes across here, despite a slight change of character. They have never been the most original band , but they gave a grim and grusome personality to what they do that is not just conveyed in their t-shirts.  'She Was Asking For it' would never fly in 2020. I am not sure this band would even write a song romancing rape. If you are into extreme metal than you have to respect it for being extreme .

The title track doesn't break any new ground for them though the main riff is more intricate than what you might eecpt the song gets a little mired in the speed elements. I often complain about how death metal can be single minded in it's hyper aggression. This album shows how with proper songwriting you still make that work . I will round this up to a 10 , they are not my most preferred band in terms of death metal , but respect what they do and this album can not be denied.