The sixth long-player from the British melodic metalcore outfit,
Cannibal sees
Bury Tomorrow working with
Dan Weller (
SiKth,
Babymetal), who also produced 2018's
Black Flame, to deliver an uncompromisingly heavy set that tosses melody and might into a blender and spams the pulse button. While hardly an updated recipe -- strident, gravel-gargling verses that yield soaring clean choruses -- it's a dish that the band have perfected over the years, and
Cannibal is the finest representation of that sound to date. Commencing with the aptly named "Choke," which arrives via a dark yet dulcet swirl of six-string finger-tapping before descending into a maelstrom of breakdowns and chugging riffage, the 11-track set augments its formulaic architecture with raw, unfiltered emotion -- themes of suffering through and overcoming mental illness loom large. The seamless interplay between
Jason Cameron's lofty cleans and
Daniel Winter-Bates' Vesuvian death rattles remains one the band's greatest assets -- that
Bates is one of only a few metalcore screamers with a discernable style also helps -- and their ability to stay on top of the perpetually cresting wave of sonic brutality that undulates below them is notable. Songs like "The Grey (VIXI)," the blazing "God & Machines," and the relentless title track feel tailor-made for a live setting, with each stabbing riff, atmospheric synth break, and pit-inducing chorus aimed at the rafters. Even the slow-burn "Quake," which sets up as a power ballad and then earns its moniker through sheer decibels, favors emotional vitality over studio chicanery, and it's that core aesthetic, along with some truly impressive playing, that makes
Cannibal such a violent delight. ~ James Christopher Monger
