In a world of instability, it's so nice to be able to rely on some things: gravity, mom calling to remind about daylight savings time, new Cannibal Corpse albums. Because, man, fans can nitpick about the differences, but fact of the matter is -- and this is especially true of the band's last few -- a new Cannibal album is just going to be solid death metal, no frills, no surprises, which is a good thing.
As we previously reported, the long-running Tampa-via-Buffalo band are getting ready to release Torture, their 12th album, on March 13 via longtime home Metal Blade Records. And as the band recently explained, they're more than a little pleased with the results.
"It's kinda crazy how things go," says drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz in a recent interview with Exclaim! "We didn't really do anything different. Things have been really gelling for the past few recordings. This one's no exception. It's arguably the best stuff we've ever done."
The 12-song disc, which follows up 2009's Evisceration Plague, was produced by in-demand metal producer Erik Rutan (of Hate Eternal fame), as were the band's last two. On top of the great production, something else the Torture has going for it is a strong songwriting effort from lots of the band members.
"Having [guitarist] Rob [Barrett] step up and write three songs, [guitarist] Pat [O'Brien] writing four songs, [bassist] Alex [Webster] got the other five songs, it's a very diverse Cannibal Corpse record," says Mazurkiewicz. "And I think all three of them are writing the best songs they've ever written for us. So it took it to even another level, if that's possible. There's a little bit of an old-school vibe to it as well, some of the riffs sound a little bit like a younger Cannibal. It's a good mix of newer and old."
The drummer also says that Torture takes all the best parts of the two albums that came before it, finding the group fully alive with a confidence and songwriting ability that hasn't always been there -- or at least at the same time.
"I really think it's a good mix between Kill and Evisceration," says Mazurkiewicz. "The band's doing arguably better than ever before with the amount of touring we're doing, and we're feeling great. To come up with some great songs like that, it inspires you even more so."
Considering Cannibal Corpse started out back in 1988, it's surprising to hear Mazurkiewicz say that they're doing better than ever. But with everything the band have been through along the way, it's not surprising that they're emerging on album No. 12 as one strong beast. And having such a long and successful history is not something that the group take for granted.
"It's still very weird to us in a way because we never would have expected we'd be here, still talking about it and doing it where it's meaning something, with our best material, and we're on top of our game," says Mazurkiewicz. "We would have never have dreamed this would ever happen. It's weird to sit back and think, 'Wow, look what we've done. We've done a lot. We've been around a long time.' Sometimes you've gotta sit back and think of that because it's a little bizarre, a little surreal."
As we previously reported, the long-running Tampa-via-Buffalo band are getting ready to release Torture, their 12th album, on March 13 via longtime home Metal Blade Records. And as the band recently explained, they're more than a little pleased with the results.
"It's kinda crazy how things go," says drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz in a recent interview with Exclaim! "We didn't really do anything different. Things have been really gelling for the past few recordings. This one's no exception. It's arguably the best stuff we've ever done."
The 12-song disc, which follows up 2009's Evisceration Plague, was produced by in-demand metal producer Erik Rutan (of Hate Eternal fame), as were the band's last two. On top of the great production, something else the Torture has going for it is a strong songwriting effort from lots of the band members.
"Having [guitarist] Rob [Barrett] step up and write three songs, [guitarist] Pat [O'Brien] writing four songs, [bassist] Alex [Webster] got the other five songs, it's a very diverse Cannibal Corpse record," says Mazurkiewicz. "And I think all three of them are writing the best songs they've ever written for us. So it took it to even another level, if that's possible. There's a little bit of an old-school vibe to it as well, some of the riffs sound a little bit like a younger Cannibal. It's a good mix of newer and old."
The drummer also says that Torture takes all the best parts of the two albums that came before it, finding the group fully alive with a confidence and songwriting ability that hasn't always been there -- or at least at the same time.
"I really think it's a good mix between Kill and Evisceration," says Mazurkiewicz. "The band's doing arguably better than ever before with the amount of touring we're doing, and we're feeling great. To come up with some great songs like that, it inspires you even more so."
Considering Cannibal Corpse started out back in 1988, it's surprising to hear Mazurkiewicz say that they're doing better than ever. But with everything the band have been through along the way, it's not surprising that they're emerging on album No. 12 as one strong beast. And having such a long and successful history is not something that the group take for granted.
"It's still very weird to us in a way because we never would have expected we'd be here, still talking about it and doing it where it's meaning something, with our best material, and we're on top of our game," says Mazurkiewicz. "We would have never have dreamed this would ever happen. It's weird to sit back and think, 'Wow, look what we've done. We've done a lot. We've been around a long time.' Sometimes you've gotta sit back and think of that because it's a little bizarre, a little surreal."