Album Review: Decapitated - Cancer Culture

Since their inception in 1996, Polish Technical Death Metal band Decapitated have been known as titans and trailblazers within the extreme metal genre. A long-awaited follow up to 2017’s Anticult, Cancer Culture expertly walks the line between brutal technicality and crushing groove-laden stomping rhythms. Don’t let ‘groove-laden’ put you off though, Decapitated have maintained that core, aggressive brutality which they have expertly honed over their 25 year tenure.

The band have said on the album: “Cancer Culture raises thought-provoking ideas related to our society and the disproportion between the dreams, ambitions and aspirations of humanity and the actual human capabilities.”

The record kicks off with an instrumental number in ‘From The Nothingness With Love;’ a rolling drumbeat and sinister riffage blending seamlessly in to the title track. Aggressive vocals, screeching riffs and blistering blast-beats, the opening track doesn’t hang around and neither does the rest of the record.

The record continues on the same ferocious trajectory with ‘Just A Cigarette‘ and quite possibly increases the aggressive level with ‘No Cure‘ grabbing you by the jugular and refuses to let go with it’s insane riffage, thunderous drumming and demonic screams.

Decapitated have utilised special guests on their 8th studio album to keep you on your toes. ‘Hello Death‘ welcomes vocals from Jinjer’s Tatiana Shmailyuk; the added juxtaposition of clean vocals to Rafal ‘Rasta’ Piotrowski‘s gutturals changes the pace up, proving that they still have the ability to pull surprises out the bag. Whereas Machinehead’s Robb Flynn is instantly recognisable on ‘Iconoclast’ which carries a very heavy Machinehead influenced soundscape.

‘Suicidal Space Programme‘ is a sprawling, technical endeavor which showcases the band’s musical ability with bouts of time changes, hefty shredding and more insane blast-beats. ‘Locked‘ is a short but viciously intense interlude bringing forth the penultimate and closing tracks. ‘Hours as Battlegrounds‘ is an atmospherically dark and moody offering which bleeds in to the aptly named ‘Last Supper,’ leaving you with a bout of gloriously intense death metal and one last screaming solo.

Utterly aggressive, powerfully impassioned and an exhilarating journey into the joy that is technical death metal, Decapitated have capitalised on every element of their 25 year tenure to bring together a record which is stunningly ferocious.

Rating: 9/10

Released By: Nuclear Blast

Release Date: 27th May 2022

For Fans Of: Meshuggah, Allegaeon, Suffocation

Favourite Track(s): Cancer Culture, Hello Death, Iconoclast, Suicidal Space Programme