The masters of super technical grind/death are back with their latest platter of madness titled The Harvest Floor. If you've loved their past tales of 'mankinds shortcomings', then you'll no doubt enjoy this collection of songs that deal with the erosion of Earth, cadavers, teeth, bathwater, hatred, and plenty of other topics that show how much the band like to poke fun at the human race. Lead singer Travis Ryan as always delivers the lyrics with his usual array of growls, grunts, and screams, the singer sounding like a man possessed with muliple personalities on tracks like "We Are Horrible People", "Tooth Enamel And Concrete", and "The Gardeners Of Eden". Musically, this 37 minute juggernaut never fails to impress, Josh Elmore's chaotic riffing and schitzophrenic leads & fills add a healthy dollop of complexity, while the frantic rhythms of drummer David McGraw and bassist Troy Oftedal are at times all over the place yet somehow hold the insanity together. A tune like "The Ripe Beneath The Rind" sees the whole band dragging the listener through a non-stop assault of slow death/doom, maniacal grind, and complex progressive metal, with no room for relaxation as the frenetic rhythms, staccato guitar riffs, and bizarro vocals are relentless in their delivery. Elmore is a house of fire on "The Product Alive", the guitarist churning out brutal riff after brutal riff, intricate leads, fills, pinch harmonics, and scrapes flying about the mix, showing a player that can certainly do it all. The one break from all this insanity comes on the title track, a 3-minute proggy instrumental of keyboard effects and soundscapes that features vocal melodies from Swan legend Jarboe.
The CD artwork depicting humans being led to the slaughterhouse was masterfully done by Wes Benscoter, and gives you the initial idea of what to expect within. The Harvest Floor is another fine example of extreme metal from Cattle Decapitation, a band that continues to push the boundaries in more ways than one.
Track Listing
1. The Gardeners Of Eden
2. A Body Farm
3. We Are Horrible People
4. Tooth Enamel And Concrete
5. The Ripe Beneath The Rind
6. The Product Alive
7. In Axetasy
8. Into The Public Bath
9. The Harvest Floor
10. Regret & The Grave