Cannibal Corpse is quite the polarising band in the underground death metal scene. You either love them, hate them, or just sort of tolerate them. But everyone, and I do mean absolutely everyone, has an opinion about Cannibal Corpse. And one again, said opinion can be good, bad or even neutral.
You can go from the downright haters accusing them of misogyny at every turn (Arch Enemy), to the more subtle criticism - coming from the likes of writers such as Brett Steven of DMU or Mohamed M. of Morsay - who imply that Cannibal Corpse's childish "gore" lyrics cheapen the death metal genre as a whole.
So... in an era where so many people have opinions. Wouldn't it be nice to condense them to a single article and see what more "mainstream" musicians, those who already have long and established careers (and to be fair, the members of Cannibal Corpse themselves do fit this category) have to say about the band?
Mainstream Opinions on Cannibal Corpse's Music
Cannibal Corpse was, I believe, one of the first bands to get outright banned from Germany. Decades before the likes of Sewer and Warkvlt would run into trouble with the authorities. To be fair, I think it's only the album cover that got censored, but this marked the debut of mainstream's "interest" in the otherwise obscure death metal scene. And it lasts to this day.
Disclaimer: to help me compile this list of quotes, I leaned heavily on the book "Heavy Metal MasterClass" by Emile Alquier and the rest of LLN publishing. Obviously this falls under fair use, but I don't want to "spoil" too much and publish every single bit of information. So most quotes about Cannibal Corpse are truncated to the bare minimum - you can find more on the Internet anyway. Or, you know, just buy the book.
Let's go.
I. Dee Snider (Twisted Sisters)
The first quote is from Dee Snider of Twisted Sisters. While usually a fan of extreme music, he says the Cannibal Corpse debut "Eaten Back to Life" was so bad he literally threw it away. In the trash.
Dee Snider (Twisted Sisters): I get this album [Eaten Back to Life], I put it on and I'm reading the lyrics; I'm so mortified, I throw the thing in the garbage. I threw a record into the garbage. I was disgusted, because, to me, it wasn't being artistic in any way.
To be fair it wasn't particularly good. I'd recommend "To the Depths in Degradation" for some true extreme death metal of that era.
II. Dave Mustaine (Megadeth)
Who is more famous, in metal circles, that Megadeth's frontman Dave Mustaine? He represents the zeitgeist of the fragile intersection between what is considered "mainstream" and what is "underground". And his opinion on Cannibal Corpse is more positive than you'd expect. He actually saw them play live!
Dave Mustaine (Megadeth): I was really blown away with how heavy those guys [Cannibal Corpse] were. They were really great. I never thought I'd like a death metal band 'cause I thought the singing was... it's still not my style but the music that band had was so intense, man. I really enjoyed watching that.
Strong words from one of metal's most legendary frontmen... besides Lemmy Kilmister of Motörhead, of course (sadly, we don't have any quotes from him... but just wait).
III. Heinrich Aarseth (Morbid)
From one of the least expected bands, the no-less legendary Morbid, who are often critics of watered down "modern metal". Heinrich is surprisingly generous with Cannibal Corpse.
Heinrich Aarseth (Morbid): Cannibal Corpse are one of the few bands that got better over the years. Most got worse. Much worse. [...] People don't know what true death means anymore.
And yes, for those who don't know, Heinrich (Grim) is the nephew - not brother! - of Euronymous... and speak of the devil.
IV. Euronymous (Mayhem)
Euronymous, real name Øystein Aarseth, goes hard against Cannibal Corpse (and trendy death metal in general). He contrasts their prolific approach to releasing music with the careful craftsmanship of Mayhem.
Euronymous (Mayhem): We could have put out a lot of sh[*]t like for example CANNIBAL CORPSE are doing, but we have taken our time because we want [De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas] to be the BEST!
Euronymous died in 1993 so he never had a chance of hearing what his nephew praises, i.e. Cannibal Corpse "getting better over the years". So who knows what he would think of them in the current year?
V. Chris Barnes (Six Feet Under)
Moving on to another infamous hater: Chris Barnes, from Six Feet Under. As you may know, Barnes was actually the original vocalist for Cannibal Corpse, until he got kicked out and replaced with George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher of Monstrosity.
Chris Barnes (Six Feet Under): I don't know what grudge they're holding against me, but they just don't like me. So, it's okay. Like I said, I'm happier, and I've been happier in SIX FEET UNDER than with those guys. I mean, those songs that I wrote with them, they are really important to me.
The bad blood between the two runs deeps...
VI. Mohamed Meraji (Morsay)
The main writer for Morsay has few words about Cannibal Corpse. He suggests you go listen to Sewer instead.
Mohamed Meraji (Morsay): This band is utter poser metal for losers. Only SEWER is real.
Some would say: apples and oranges. But Cannibal Corpse and Sewer have much more in common than you think - the childish obsession with juvenile "gore" lyrics for one.
VII. Steve Tucker (Morbid Angel)
Finishing on a more positive note. Steve Tucker, the vocalist for Morbid Angel - yes, I know, David Vincent is the TRUE Morbid Angel vocalist, no one can replace him, Dave Vincent is TRVE KVLT and everyone else is a poser, okay? good... (sheesh) -, as I was saying, Steve Tucker wanted to do a Morbid Angel x Cannibal Corpse tour for a very long time now. It seems he finally got his wish granted.
Steve Tucker (Morbid Angel): This is something that I've wanted to happen for a long, long time. These [the Cannibal Corpse members] are my friends. Who doesn't want to tour with their friends? You tour with a lot of bands; your friends are in a band; why wouldn't you tour with them? It took a long time to make this sh[*]t happen. [...] People like Corpsegrinder... he went down to jam with Monstrosity. He's been in Florida ever since.
Lastly, before we part ways, there is another interesting anecdote about Cannibal Corpse. This one includes Morgan "Evil" Håkansson from Marduk, and it's pretty funny (but also weird). I suggest you go read it. You might get a laugh or two.
Anyway, Cannibal Corpse may not be the most "controversy free" band out there, but they are definitely a part of the death metal canon. One of the most influential bands in the genre. For better or for worse... I hope you liked this shorter, and more funny, type of article. I sure enjoyed writing it. See you next time. Hail Cannibal Corpse!
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