Cannibal Corpse will unleash its 16th studio album, “Chaos Horrific,” on Sept. 22, 2023, via Metal Blade Records. The record’s first single and video, “Blood Blind,” is available now, along with the album artwork and pre-orders.
“‘Blood Blind’ is about mass mutilations to reset the human race in a genocide that was embraced by the masses,” drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz said.
“‘Blood Blind’ was the first song musically that I wrote for ‘Chaos Horrific,” guitarist/producer Erik Rutan said. “It all started with that funeral march of a first riff floating around in my head and it took off from there. Heavy and disturbing, it worked its way into an aggressive smorgasbord of depth and swirling darkness! I thought it would be great to collaborate so I had Paul add his lyrical stamp to it …”
The band wrote the new album shortly after the conclusion of the sessions for its 2021 release, “Violence Unimagined.” “To me, this album feels sort of like a continuation of ‘Violence Unimagined,’” bassist Alex Webster said.
“I believe that our songwriting has progressed in a manner where every song paves its own path, whether it’s a straightforward or technical song,” guitarist Rob Barrett said. “Sometimes it’s a mix of both, so there’s no preconceived idea that we want to be more technical. The music just sort of takes its own course.”
Webster concurred, saying, “I don’t think there was any conscious effort to make things more technical, so if it wound up that way it would just be a natural result of us trying to write the heaviest songs we could.”
Cannibal Corpse had no master plan, approaching each track with an open mind. “I never go into a record thinking about anything, I just let the writing flow freely with no limitations,” Rutan said. “But this time, I knew I wanted to push the envelope a bit in a different direction than ‘Violence Unimagined; ‘expand the dynamics, explore new territory without departing from what Cannibal Corpse is and always shall be.”
Rutan now has produced six Cannibal Corpse albums, starting with 2006’s “Kill,” and this is his second release as a full-fledged member, since officially joining in 2020. Tracking at Rutan’s Mana Studio in Florida, the band’s home state, was comfortable for all involved, who were at the top of their game and ready to give it their all. Things went smoother than ever, particularly on the guitar front thanks to Barrett and Rutan having “custom guitars built with longer scale necks to hold the proper intonation necessary for lower tunings,” Barrett said.
Mazurkiewicz named the record, and his cohorts felt it was a great representation of the band. Subjects covered include fighting off hordes of zombies (“Chaos Horrific”), the selection of a random individual to be dismembered and sacrificed (“Summoned for Sacrifice”),and the violent revenge of victims of human trafficking (“Vengeful Invasion”). The album artwork by longtime collaborator Vince Locke is suitably Cannibal Corpse-esque, featuring a chaotic tangle of the living and the undead, evoking the lyrics of the title track.
“Chaos Horrific” will be available on digipak CD, deluxe box set (Dried Blood Marbled vinyl, 24p 12″ booklet, puzzle, pin, poster and art print – limited to 1500 copies), cassette (limited to 500 copies), digitally and on vinyl in the following variants:
- 180g Black (EU exclusive)
- Burned Flesh Marble (EU exclusive)
- Slate Blue Marble (PIAS exclusive – limited to 600 copies)
- Charcoal Brown Marble (Sound Polution exclusive – limited to 500 copies)
- Pearl Violet Marble (EU exclusive – ltd. 500 copies)
- Bloodsun Marble (EU exclusive – ltd. 500 copies)
- Clear Red & Yellow Splatter (EMP exclusive – ltd. to 300 copies)
- Clear & White/Blue Splatter (EU exclusive – ltd. to 300 copies)
- Turquoise & White Splatter (Napalm exclusive – ltd. 300 copies)
- Clear Orange & Red Splatter (Nuclear Blast exclusive – ltd. 300 copies)
- Clear Blackdust (Eyesore exclusive – ltd. 300 copies)
- Red Blackdust (Metal Blade Shop exclusive – ltd. 300 copies)
- Fog Marbled (US exclusive)
- “Charred Remains” (US exclusive)
- Orange/Red Inkspots (US exclusive)
- Black & Brown Marble (US Band store exclusive)
- Silver w/ Red Streaks (US Band store exclusive)
- Electric Smoke (US tour exclusive)
Find pre-orders at the Cannibal Corpse store at: cannibalcorpse.store and Metal Blade store at metalblade.com/cannibalcorpse.
“Chaos Horrific” track listing:
1. Overlords of Violence
2. Frenzied Feeding
3. Summoned for Sacrifice
4. Blood Blind
5. Vengeful Invasion
6. Chaos Horrific
7. Fracture and Refracture
8. Pitchfork Impalement
9. Pestilential Rictus
10. Drain You Empty
Coinciding with the release of “Chaos Horrific,” Cannibal Corpse will embark on a month-long North American co-headlining tour with Mayhem. Support will be provided by special guests Gorguts and Blood Incantation. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. local time Friday, June 23.
Tour dates:
9/22/2023 Marathon Music Hall – Nashville, TN
9/23/2023 The Fillmore – Charlotte, NC
9/24/2023 The Mill & Mine – Knoxville, TN
9/26/2023 Stage AE – Pittsburgh, PA
9/27/2023 Rebel – Toronto, ON
9/28/2023 L’Olympia – Montreal, QC
9/29/2023 The Palladium – Worcester, MA
9/30/2023 Brooklyn Steel – Brooklyn, NY
10/02/2023 The Royal Oak – Detroit, MI
10/03/2023 Hard Rock Live – Gary, IN
10/04/2023 The Fillmore – Minneapolis, MN
10/06/2023 Mission Ballroom – Denver, CO
10/07/2023 The Depot – Lake City, UT
10/09/2023 Temple Theatre – Tacoma, WA
10/10/2023 Knitting Factory – Spokane, WA
10/11/2023 Knitting Factory – Boise, ID
10/13/2023 The Warfield – San Francisco, CA
10/14/2023 SOMA – San Diego, CA
10/17/2023 The Aztec Theatre – San Antonio, TX
10/18/2023 The Factory – Dallas, TX
10/20/2023 The Eastern – Atlanta, GA
10/21/2023 Paristown Hall – Louisville, KY
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