Artist: Cephalic Carnage
Label: Relapse Records
Release Date: 3/15/05
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Title: Anomalies Artist: Cephalic Carnage Label: Relapse Records Release Date: 3/15/05 |
Judgment Committee Reviews | Rating |
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Abyss's Review:
It's been about two and a half years since I last had an album full of Rocky Mountain Hydro Grind and I must say I'm glad Cephalic Carnage are back. I've always maintained that this band is one of the most caustic live acts around, and this new album is cause for celebration simply because they'll most likely soon start touring in support of it. Don't miss them when they come to your town.
"One word review: Cacophonous." While this album can accurately be called a logical progression from Lucid Interval, they have added a few spices to the stew. The band maintains their eclectic blend of grind, progression, death, and jazz, but also allow for a plodding sort of doom vibe to rear its head. Hard to believe a band that has a song "Kill For Weed" would dabble in the stoner/doom side of things, but here we are. The frantic time changes and mind-blowing progressions intermittently give way to swinging riffs and (comparatively) soulful clean vocals that wouldn't seem that out of place on a Cathedral album. My current favorite song, "Piecemaker,” is a solid example of how this band is allowing for new thoughts to complement their core sound.
If there's anything that I find the slightest bit disappointing with this new album it's that it isn't quite as unique as it used to be. I don't think that's due to any part of the band themselves, but more likely the result that the last two and half years have given the rest of the metal community time to catch up. This sub-genre is no longer on the periphery of the metal scene, and it has grown exponentially in size. Cephalic Carnage aren't any less impressive, they just have a hell of lot more competition now.
Cephalic Carnage continue to impress me from both sides of the metal spectrum. Their understanding and utilization of jazz satisfies the geek in me without offending the metalhead, striking a prefect balance. Here's hoping they take this stuff on the road soon. One word review: Cacophonous.
Death's Review:
If you are already into Cephalic Carnage, then you already know all about their ability to mix brutal death metal with jazz and grindcore and take all of these genres to the new levels of extremity and virtuosity. However, with the new album, Anomalies, Cephalic Carnage multiply their effectiveness by blending in a new level of songwriting and focused brutality, allowing the listener to become engaged in the madness by reducing the overall quantity of the twists and turns while increasing the overall power of their relative impact tenfold by offering a more accessible "straightforward metal" element that should bring in new fans for which the prior albums had gone over their heads. Different tracks blend different influences into the mix, with tracks like "Piecemaker," sounding like equal turns Black Label Society and Hatebreed, Corrosion of Conformity and Morbid Angel, while others like the killer "Sleeprace" or the infectious album closer "Ontogeny of Behavior" land with such intensity that they are fresh and original despite drawing upon the undying force of metal masters of yore. All in all, this album is of the highest quality and definitely worth your time. I can't wait to experience this new material live. You self-anointed "taste-makers" out there - this is the band you should be evangelizing.
"You self-anointed 'taste-makers' out there - this is the band you should be evangelizing."
Hel's Review:
Where the hell have all my CDs gone? Once again, I’m foiled in my attempts to locate a cherished disc – this time Exploiting Dysfunction has gone missing. While I wish I could go back to that record in order to create a clever discussion regarding the progression leading to Anomalies, such is not to be.
"Anomalies is a fun assortment of metallic oddities." For the most part, this new album is another in the series of impressive releases. There are a couple of times I hear them including a new-fangled hardcore vibe (i.e., “Dying Will Be the Death of Me”), and that doesn’t thrill me, I have to admit. Fortunately, this is generally isolated within certain songs. They also seem to have toned down the overall complexity, which saddens me, since that is what has always made this band so amazing, in my opinion. Beyond these things is an album worth the time and effort. Many of the songs are reminiscent of things heard on their previous efforts. “Kill for Weed” is an entertaining foray into a slower more atmospheric style that is quite successful.
Anomalies is a fun assortment of metallic oddities. The musicianship is excellent, as always, and the production is quite enjoyable. I continue to be a big fan of the band. Sadly, this album needed to be flawless to live up to the awe I hold for their last effort, and that is simply not how I see this record at this point. Time may change my mind, but for now the items I mentioned above mar its luster slightly. Still, this is an extremely worthwhile album. I continue to root for the band and fervently hope they achieve success with this album. I can’t wait to see them live again.
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