Thy Art Is Murder

Tickets are available locally at Recycled Records (S Virginia) and the Cargo box office (inside Whitney Peak).Many words come to mind when you hear the name Cannibal Corpse, but one truly defines the soon-to-be thirty-year death metal veterans: Unstoppable. Returning with their 14th full-length, the monstrous Red Before Black, serves to not only reiterate this but to once more raise the stakes, making it very clear who sets the standard when it comes to always compelling music that is equally brutal and complex. Moreover, the band have pushed themselves again, ensuring that it stands out from their catalog. Throughout our career weve tried to improve the precision of both our musical execution and our album production, while still maintaining full-on aggression. Red Before Black continues in that direction, but might go even further on the aggressive side of things. Its definitely precise, but it has a rawness to it that goes beyond anything weve done recently, asserts bassist Alex Webster. We really worked super hard crafting these songs, practicing them, and getting them where we wanted to be more so than on any of our previous albums, adds drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz. And as Alex said, musically I think its the most raw sound weve had - and at the same time I think its our most focused, tightest and catchiest record.With 2017 seeing a slew of stunning new releases from death metals old guard - including Suffocation, Obituary and Dying Fetus - its been a landmark year both for the genre and its early innovators, and with Red Before Black Cannibal Corpse stand strong alongside their peers. Were proud to be part of a scene that has great, experienced bands that stick to their guns, affirms Webster. Death metal is an established form of underground music thats here to stay, and the leadership bands like these have shown by staying true to the genre is no doubt part of the reason it has such longevity. That Cannibal Corpse have carved out a career spanning almost three decades is testament to their work ethic, innovative songwriting, passion and devotion to extreme music - though it still remains an astounding feat to the members, as Webster makes humbly clear. Who could have imagined this? When we started, even Black Sabbath hadnt been around for three decades. There simply was no precedent for a lifelong career in metal, of any kind, let alone a relatively new form like death metal. Weve been unbelievably lucky, and we are so grateful to our fans for making it possible. In typically grounded fashion, they continue to forge ahead, seeing no end in sight, Webster stating he likes to think they have yet to write their best record, while Mazurkiewicz outlines their goals: I would say we just want to keep it going, try to better ourselves - and finally open for Slayer!