CANCER — To the Gory End (review)

Album · 1990 · Death Metal

4/5 · 2016-07-31
Unitron

To the Gory End is the debut studio album from death metal band Cancer.

While death metal first started to form back in the mid-late 80's, with bands like Death and Possessed spear-heading the genre (although Sepultura came earlier as a prototype), death metal really took off at the beginning of the decade of the 90's. Groups such as Morbid Angel, Deicide, Carcass, and Entombed really got the genre on full-speed, with Cannibal Corpse and Suffocation pushing forward with the most brutal end of the spectrum.

One of the more forgotten acts of the old school death metal scene is Cancer, which came onto the scene with their debut studio album in 1990. Immediately with the opening raw bark on opening track "Blood Bath", you know you're in for some classic old school death metal greatness with a blistering assault of thumping drums and razor-sharp riffs. That's not all though, as just take a listen to "C.F.C. (Cancer Fucking Cancer)" and "Die Die" and just try not to get addicted to those grooves. In fact, there's tons of great grooves here mixed in with the intense speed, "Into the Acid" especially showcases this blend well. "Witch Hunt" and "Body Count" also have this terrific fusion of rapid speeds and punchy riffs.

As you would get from the song titles and album cover, the lyrics are fun gore-centered lyrics for the whole family. Songs about bodies lying in radiation pits, limbs rotting, and smashing through one's skull is sure to bring a smile to any old school death metal fan's face. Also, the album flows really well. The album and songs are short, avoiding any monotony.

While it's no Alters of Madness or Necroticism, To the Gory End is quite a killer debut and an underrated gem in the old school death scene. If you like your death metal fast, groovy, gruesome, and short this would be a great choice.

Hope you found this review helpful, feel free to comment!

more than 2 years ago
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Unitron wrote:

more than 2 years ago

"Die Die" is one of my favorites as well, and I never knew this cover was most likely inspired by Dawn of the Dead. It would be too much of a coincidence for it to not be. ;-)

UMUR wrote:

more than 2 years ago

Well... as far as I know...from the uncensored version :-)

UMUR wrote:

more than 2 years ago

Oh and check out this pick: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HNnMxW4k180/V0a1QZGeuSI/AAAAAAAAAYE/qitbTblTP5oU0xdx4alvZZc3HbzaqoigwCK4B/s1600/dawn-of-the-deadoriginal-versionsmachete-zombie-pic.jpg. It´s from the original "Dawn of the Dead" movie.

UMUR wrote:

more than 2 years ago

I purchased this one on vinyl in the early 90s and I liked it quite a bit, but I´m not as fond of it today as I used to be. It´s still a solid old school death metal release though, and there are several really great tracks on it like "Blood Bath", "C. F. C. ", and of course "Die Die", featuring John Tardy from Obituary on some really powerful backing vocals. Love that song :-).