Since their inception in the mid-'90s,
Cattle Decapitation have been consistently written off as a side project of
the Locust (lineup changes have squashed that connection) or a gore-obsessed
novelty act (can't a band have a sense of humor, albeit a pitch-black one, without being stuck with this tag?).
Humanure changes all that, though. On the surface it's not very different from
To Serve Man or
Homovore: gore-minded
hardcore punks playing a brutal fusion of
grindcore and
metal. The difference here is in the playing and a higher level of songwriting in general. New to
CD is drummer
Michael Laughlin, who also plays in political
metal conceptualists (really)
Creation Is Crucifixion, and his impact on the band is immediate. Former tub-thumper
David Astor was a great
hardcore drummer, but
Laughlin is clearly a
metal drummer of higher technical ability, and that more than anything has allowed
CD to blossom into something more than an also-ran.
Laughlin is just part of the puzzle here, though, as is veteran producer
Bill Metoyer, who -- along with the band -- went for a cleaner sound more typical of European
metal bands. Standout tracks include
"Lips & Assholes," "Bukkake Tsunami," and (surprisingly) the indulgent closing soundscape,
"Men Before Swine" -- a collage of pig squeals, rattling
metal, and swirling hiss, it's not something that
metal fans will like but ultimately it's indicative of just how comfortable
CD are right now, because
noise has been an interest for all of these guys all along in their other projects (e.g.,
Uum), and it's nice to see them owning up to it here. ~ Wade Kergan
![Blackwater Park [Bonus DVD]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0886976943110_p0_v1_s90x140.jpg "Blackwater Park [Bonus DVD]")
![Swansong [Full Dynamic Range Remaster]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/5055006516098_p0_v1_s90x140.jpg "Swansong [Full Dynamic Range Remaster]")
