Decapitated – Cancer Culture
Release Date: 27th May 2022
Label: Nuclear Blast Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Technical Death Metal, Death Metal.
FFO: Necrophagist, Nile, Obscura.
Review By: Trina Julian Edwards
Death metal fans, rejoice! On Friday, May 27, renowned Polish death metal masters Decapitated release the 8th album in their storied discography. Cancer Culture is the long-awaited follow-up to 2017’s genre-defying Anticult, which distinctively blended death, grind, atmospheric black, and stoner rock, among other genres. Cancer Culture ups the ante, again melding a number of diverse styles to create their current vision. Long-time fans know each album has a different sound from the previous, but Decapitated never moves too far from their technical roots. Cancer Culture continues the tradition with technical intensity and all the speed and blast beats you could wish for, but also with a renewed emphasis on melody and atmosphere.
Cancer Culture features Wacław “Vogg” Kiełtyka (guitar), Rafał “Rasta” Piotrowski (vocals), Paweł Pasek (bass), and James Stewart (drums), with Jinjer vocalist Tatiana Shmayluk and Machine Head frontman Robb Flynn making guest appearances. As with 2011’s Carnival Is Forever, Journalist Jarek Szubrycht composed the lyrics and album title for Cancer Culture. Szubrycht is the vocalist for avant-garde metal band Lux Occulta, whose line-up includes Vogg on guitar. Lyrics tackle themes such as the internet as a tool to spread hated and lies, social media power trips, the disparity between human aspirations and human capabilities, humanity’s short-sightedness, and the temporal nature of life.
The album sets the mood with the short, atmospheric instrumental track, From the Nothingness with Love, before jumping off the deep end into the title track, Cancer Culture. It’s speedy yet groovy, impassioned but restrained, with a purpose. Blistering leads from Vogg, and Piotrowski’s shouts for retribution of Biblical proportion, “Eye for an eye… Tooth for a tooth…,” illustrate that barely leashed fury, but the precise, thunderous rhythm of Stewart and Pasek helps keep this train on the rails. Just a Cigarette follows, bringing a moodier vibe, and both the dynamics in the vocal performance and the meticulously arranged guitar work contribute to the thoughtful atmosphere. Vogg’s solo here is particularly enjoyable, and gives the track a bit of blues-y element one might expect in a song titled Just a Cigarette. No Cure goes on the offensive right from the start and never lets up. Stewart is absolutely relentless in his assault, pairing impeccably with Vogg’s frenetic lead runs. Speed, aggression, technical mastery…This is Decapitated doing what they do best, and it’s a definite highlight of the album for me.
Hello Death heralds a bit of a departure for Decapitated, and I’m still on the fence about it. The rhythm in this track is machine-like in its faultlessness, and their traditional speedy, techy guitar work is downright glorious. The arrangement couldn’t be better. Tatiana Shmayluk’s notable cleans fit perfectly and bring an interesting twist to the song, but it may take some time for me to wrap my brain around it. Which Decapitated is apparently trying to force me to do, as Iconoclast also features a lovely clean vocal performance from Rob Flynn. This track leans a bit toward the groove metal end of the spectrum, and a tad more thrashy. I can easily see Iconoclast reaching a wider audience than the band might typically command, as it has a kind of epic arena-rock feel that will serve them well live.
Suicidal Space Programme was another highlight for me. It’s more atmospheric than the previous tracks, building in intensity, but no less brutal for all that. Portentous riffs abound, and there’s a nice bit of tremolo going on, but the seamlessly shifting dynamics are what really keep you on your toes. Those mid-tempo sections even gave me some slam-type feels, and I’m totally ok with that. Locked is a shorter track, coming in at just over a minute, but it’s proof they only need a minute to make an impression. The insane drumming, frantic guitars, and creepy spoken vocals, “Suffocating smoke…” “You’ll die if you go…” “The battle is coming…” “There is no place like home…” connect listeners to impressions many of us may have experienced during events of the past few years.
Hours as Battlegrounds is another slower tempo track that begins suspensefully and develops in its own time. It drifts, darkly moody and melodically, through the soundscape, yet it somehow seems massive. Last Supper wraps up the album with a return to the more thrashy elements of previous tracks. Vogg’s monstrous riffs, Stewart’s impeccable drumming, Pasek’s thunderous bass, and Piotrowski’s fierce vocals drag this final track kicking and screaming to its well-deserved ending.
Overall, Cancer Culture confirms Decapitated has managed to retain the bombastic elements that make them unique, yet they’re still changing, evolving, and yes, improving after over 20 years. The songwriting and musicianship has clearly continued to mature, as evidenced in the intentional arrangements and meticulous production. If fans are looking for another Winds of Creation or Nihility, that ship has long since sailed, but some of the best aspects of those records can still be heard in the more recent albums, and Cancer Culture is no exception.
(4.5 / 5)
