When I first discovered Cannabis Corpse a few years ago, I was under the impression that they were a parody band who changed song titles and lyrics of Cannibal Corpse songs to cater for the diehard stoners who enjoy death metal, but with each release they have put out, it proves that they are more than just a token band in the genre. Using their weed-based word play, they have twisted the Gorguts album title “From Wisdom to Hate” to their own end and the result is a wider tribute to other death metal bands such as Death, Six Feet Under, Gorguts along with Cannibal Corpse as usual.
“Baptized in Bud” opens the album with a pretty standard death metal intro, pounding chords and drums until the speed significantly picks up as the verse starts. The twisting bassline underneath the furious guitar assault and harshly growled vocals catches the ear and the song pounds away, going from insanely fast to pounding grooves effortlessly. The solo is everything you’d expect – fast paced and aggressive. “Zero Weed Tolerance” follows a similar pattern, switching between incredibly fast and heavy groove laden sections. An evil sounding harmony section round two minutes into the song precedes a frenzied shred solo with plenty of whammy bar abuse, whilst the rhythm section keeps up the groove, giving you plenty of chance to headbang along. “Weedless Ones” follows and it is full of tricky, precise descending guitar runs between furious riffs. The bass comes across as very Steve DiGiorgio like as it snakes its way across the rhythm section and adds more of an edge to the already intense number.
“Individual Pot Patterns” is the next track, and it features a nice surprise – Chris Barnes of Six Feet Under (and formerly of Cannibal Corpse) provides vocals on this one. His trademark approach over a very aggressive slab of weed-fuelled death metal makes this one of the most intense and heavy tracks on the album. The almost hypnotic at times bassline in the chorus section with the furious riffs and fills from the guitars and drums all throughout the track make this stand out. “Pull the Carb” is another wordplay on a Death song’s title and it does have that dramatic edge to it which most Death songs have with the powerful vocals, the dramatic guitar in the chorus sections and the relentless bass. “Considered Dank” kicks the speed of the album back up again as it starts off with a furious assault of riffs and fills which give the song a sense of urgency. The increased pace of the song slows down halfway through for an atmospheric like breakdown which doesn’t last very long as it speeds back up again. Towards the end of the song, there is a terrific death metal scream which signals the start of the guitar solo section over a tightly played breakdown styled riff which leads into the final chorus once more to wrap things up.
“Voice of the Bowl” is another fast paced death metal assault and the drum work stands out on this track. Its relentless battering and gratuitous use of double-kick will give even the most seasoned of windmill headbangers trouble keeping up with the pace it sets. Much like the previous track, it slows down about halfway through to add a bit more depth to the song, easing it up just enough to allow it to rip back through at full force again. “THC Crystal Mountain” leads with a dramatic intro – a synth sound which gives it an ‘eastern vibe’ before it kicks into a technical solo which complements the groove underneath it. The rest of the song is your usual fast, aggressive sound. The track, like some of the others so far switches from slow and pounding to fast and in your face, giving you some time to recover but not long enough as the final minute of the track is a blistering paced section. “With Their Hash, We Will Create” keeps the pace up with its quick riffs and its thunderous groove provided by the bass which helps create an intense sound. The drums hammer away in a blastbeat styled fashion between rolls and fills and the vocals are more snarled than screamed which helps with its in your face styled approach.
The title track is the penultimate number on this album and it starts off quite evilly with a chilling scream and sinister sound. The song is slower than most of the others but it still retains the ferocity of the rest of the album with its heavy sound which, sounds similar to the Gorguts song which they modified the title of. “Medicinal Healing” closes the album, and it starts with a sinister sounding sample before a massive wall of death metal hits. The colossal sound of the slow paced intro is retained as the song significantly speeds up to a frantic, slowing down on the odd occasion just to reinforce the massive presence the band gives whilst the vocals are delivered with a deep harsh growl and the solo towards the end is every bit as frantic as the rhythm underneath it which speeds the song up significantly for the ending.
As Death Metal albums go, this is worth a listen, but apart from the guest vocals from Chris Barnes and some riffs and breakdowns during the album it’s just a death metal album about weed… Which isn’t always a bad thing.
(6.5/10 Fraggle)
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cannabis-Corpse-Official/104903899597371
18/06/2014 at 1:27 pm
Drugs are bad, mkay.