CATTLE DECAPITATION — Monolith Of Inhumanity (review)

CATTLE DECAPITATION — Monolith Of Inhumanity album cover Album · 2012 · Death Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
UMUR
"Monolith Of Inhumanity" is the 6th full-length studio album by US, California based deathgrind/death metal act Cattle Decapitation. The album was released through Metal Blade Records in May 2012. It´s the successor to "The Harvest Floor" from 2009 and features one lineup change since the predecessor as bassist Troy Oftedal has been replaced by Derek Engemann.

"Monolith Of Inhumanity" is the album where Cattle Decapitation moved on to something new and produced a more mature version of their sound. It´s still furiously fast-paced, aggressive, and brutal technical deathgrind, but the memorability of the material and the level of songwriting sophistication are on a higher level here than before. Lead vocalist Travis Ryan delivers all sorts of extreme vocal styles, from deep growling, unintelligible effect laden growling, high pitched aggressive screaming, and his raw semi-melodic vocals. The latter vocal style has now become a fully integrated part of the band´s music, and when they appear, those parts often work like semi-melodic breathers amidst the otherwise chaotic soundscape. A good example is the slower middle part of "Lifestalker", where the "clean" vocal part provides that section with an almost epic quality. The clean vocals are also quite effective on "Dead Set on Suicide", where they appear over a fast-paced chaotic sounding part.

"Monolith Of Inhumanity" is generally a very busy and technically challenging release, and it´s definitely not an easily accessible album. There´s a progressive/avant garde edge to Cattle Decapitation´s sound which sometimes takes the listener off guard. It for example took me many listens to fully grasp album opener "The Carbon Stampede". The chaotic and almost avant garde nature of that track was a real challenge, but after some spins it clicked with me, and I understood the brilliance of the composition. So for some listeners (myself included) work is needed to learn to appreciate an album like "Monolith Of Inhumanity".

"Monolith Of Inhumanity" features a sharp, detailed, and powerful sounding production, which suits the material perfectly. I´ve always had at least some minor issues with the band´s previous sound productions, but Cattle Decapitation have finally managed to produce a near perfect sound for their music. Upon conclusion "Monolith Of Inhumanity" is a high quality release by Cattle Decapitation. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.
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