Cattle Decapitation-The Anthropocene Extinction
- By Aeonis
- Aug 2, 2015
- 4 min read
Cattle Decapitation presents their new CD The Anthropocene Extinction, and it starts out pretty heavy. Obviously production is good with the only exception is that the double bass is a little on the low side. However, all of instruments are equally heard from the bass, guitar to the drums and vocals. The production is a little dry, it cuts so fast because the gate control is set on a tight attack, but the Mastering really brings all of the instruments into levels that blast you from the beginning to the end of the CD.
"The Prophets of Loss" sounds like a song that belongs to a Black Metal band. Almost like an Old Man's Child and Dark Funeral type of chord progression in the beginning but then becomes classic Cattle Decapitation. And if the whole CD was like this I would give it 5 out of 5, but as some of the songs bring me up they do not keep me there. There are a lot of low points where I just felt like I was listening to something for the sake of listening to something. It is sort of like when you are cleaning your room and you need something to put on just to have metal in the background and that is what this Cd represents. Yes, the CD is powerful but that is production and not really the songs. I think my major problem is that the vocals are too fake. They are too clean for this style of music and despite that style, of which they are going for, it is just too fake. Consider this when you listen to the following song, "Plagueborne" which has plenty of good riffs but the vocals almost sound like the Cookie Monster from Sesame Street. Just block out the rest of the instruments and think of the Cookie Monster and then listen to the vocal parts and then you can imagine the band singing with the Cookie Monster. Some fucking guy in a Blue suit on stage with the band. To me this is just to ridiculous and i can't take these guys seriously because of this. I think if Travis would sound more aggressive like Thomas Lindgren from At the Gates then this would change the whole CD and the feel of the CD.
When you listen to "Clandestine Ways" it is really full of perfectly arranged and powerful riffs (something out of Nile's domain). Even the solos are exceptionally well. The power that they command is impressive but then at about 4:06minutes they go into this Six Feet Under style riff which really ruins the ending, and they have to learn not to do that. I think it is really that these guys are really talented and have not decided on one particular sound, and for me that is their limitation. The power blasts are massive and so well timed and coordinated which is so nice to see with a professional band in comparison to the underground bands. Actually, some of the lower level bands should take note of the deep connectivity that these guys possess. But the best parts of the CD are the harmonized vocal interludes that are thrown into each song for a small duration.
It is clear and really musically euphoric as in "Circo Inhumanitas". "Mammals in Babylon" is a nice track, and more on the melodic side than other tracks but tremendously fast on the specific drum parts. I feel that if the drums were more on the attack rather than on the low end the CD would be really powerful. "Mammals in Babylon" is such well placed track, because I was almost ready to call it quits but this was the breaking point where I either discard the rest of the CD or continue listening and they were able to catch my attention. but if the drums were a ever so slight bit louder and clearer. Maybe they could have used triggers in combination to the actual drums just to pierce through the guitars and add more to the attack of the drums. I know I going off on the drums but this could be such a better CD if the drums were more pronounced. The rest of the CD is just a little of the same where the best parts are the melodic alto vocals in combination with the guitar and drums that combine to transport you to another realm of a listeners state of mind.
And then came "Apex Blasphemy" and this is so reminiscent of Dimmu Borgir" with voted on the melodic vocals. The chord progression is like Dark Funeral, and I was mesmerized by the song. If this song specifically had a synth it would have kicked ass. The song really could have used some form of reverb to add ambience to the song's distinction.
I will not go into the theme of the CD because it has been said and done, I get it! Humans Bad and everything else is Good! Ok, Ok, we get. I think they could have been more lyrical and poetic with that, but then again the American educational system does not stress the art of the language especially since Eubonics is considered to be a real language by American standards, but Cattle Decapitation could have used a little more metaphor just to keep me wondering more, maybe next time right? And I think that that even over time you will be able to listen to this CD without becoming bored. Anyway, as it stands I will definitely give them a 4 out of 5 guitar picks because this is a CD worth picking up an listening time and time again.
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