Review Summary: Fast, Ruthless, and Melodic!
Upon hearing that Cattle Decapitation, the band known for such gems as "Bukake Tsunami", "The Harvest Floor", and "Lips & Assholes", was to put out a 7th studio album, needless to say I was a little excited. The very thought of their righteous and raw, vegan based metal propelled my tip to the sky, if you know what I mean. However, I did not expect what I heard on this album. Their sound had always been very gritty, and borderline rabid. The kind of sound you would expect from a Gore Grind/Death Metal band. This album would hold a very surprising element, though. Melody and vocal expression other than the typical vocals belted out by Travis Ryan.*
I recently came into an early release of this album for my listening pleasure. Laptop plugged in, speakers turned to maximum poundage, coffee table-side, air instruments tuned and ready to roll.*
This album starts out with a powerful beginning, The Carbon Stampede. We are introduced to Monolith with the sound of an enveloped atmosphere followed by some great rhythms laid down like always. Out of left field, in come the beloved piggy vocals. From there this song picks up tempo and doesn't stop. This song also comes equipped with a sporadic solo and an abrupt stop at the end followed by chanting. Skipping ahead through some other great tracks, including track 2 which has a straight up nasty bass line, we come to my favorite track of the album, Lifestalker. This track crowned this album, for me, as metal album of the year 2012.*
Pounding blast beats, guitars (dun-nunnunnun, dunnun nun nun eee nun nen), and then into some low, low pig vocals. After some more blast beats, and plenty more neck damage for me, we come to a bass line that takes us into the most melodic chorus/solo I've ever heard from Cattle Decapitation. Ever. Travis actually kind of sings and it amazes me. He's no Adele, that's for certain, but his vocals do not disappoint for this album. The solo has melody unseen. It almost takes your breath. It's beautiful and mystical, kind of like seeing a unicorn that has cattle decapitation tattooed on its side. The song picks brutality back up after the solo and some more clean vocals. After that it kind of gives you whiplash until the end.
After Lifestalker you have PLENTY more brutality. The album is capped off with a song called Kingdom of Tyrants. If you've made it this far into the album you've probably already destroyed a body or two and are looking for more victims. The chorus for this song is yet again more amazing rhythm and cleaner vocal works by Mr. Ryan. By the end of Tyrants I am feeling thrashed, torn and ready for round 2.
Bottom line, that way I can stop rambling and finish this damn review for the few who will read it, this album deserves the highest rating it can get. In my mind, this album was instant gold to the ear drums. The horrid, mangled, destructive brutality mixed with the mystical, magnificent, and melodic tones found in this album is the perfect combination for 1) A great Death/GoreGrind album and 2) The perfect Cattle Decapitation album. I don't care how much of a fan boy I sound like, this magnum opus makes me want to kick newborn children into the fires of Muspelheim. And, to me, that is what turns a potentially good Death Metal album into a masterpiece.*
Monolith of Inhumanity: 4.5 fast approaching 5.
