‘Violence Unimagined’ arrives on Metal Blade Records on April 16th and will be the first album to feature Hate Eternal’s Erik Rutan as a full-time member of the band.
Among the forefathers of death metal, Cannibal Corpse have resurfaced with the announcement of their 15th full length studio album in Violence Unimagined.
With a release date set for April 16th via Metal Blade Records, the gore-obsessed groundbreakers have also made their recruitment of revered guitarist Erik Rutan official. Known for his work with Morbid Angel and as the architect of Hate Eternal, Rutan stepped up in the absence of the band’s longtime axeman Pat O’Brien in 2019. Violence Unimagined is the first album to feature Rutan as a full fledged member of Cannibal Corpse.
In addition to his contributions to the songwriting process, Rutan has also returned in his role as producer for the album. The band’s longtime bassist Alex Webster explained the fresh dynamic Rutan brings to a band with such a consistent MO.
“I think the most noticeable difference on this record will be the addition of Erik to the band. He wrote three full songs for the record, music and lyrics, and his song writing and guitar playing have added something new, and I think his musical style integrated into ours very well,” Webster says. “This is not all that he brings to the band. He’s a great friend of ours, so on a personal level, he’s been a perfect fit, as we knew he would be. Beyond that, he’s one of the hardest-working people I know, in music or otherwise, and he maintains a high-energy, positive demeanor in challenging situations where other people might go in a negative direction. This energy and great attitude rubs off on the rest of us as well. That’s really a perfect situation to have when you add someone to a band, or any kind of team: someone who’s great at what they do, and also inspires the people around them.”
As for the creative direction on album 15, fans can expect the same signature of extremity the band has spent more than three decades crafting, only this time with the intensity amplified. Webster shared that the addition of Rutan as both producer and songwriter only served to sharpen the technicality that has always been integral to the identity of Cannibal Corpse.
“This album is probably the most drum-intense album we’ve done yet. Part of that could be a result of Erik joining the band. His songwriting style often features technically challenging drumming, probably owing to his years of experience in high-speed death metal,” explained Webster.
Complete with deranged artwork from the band’s longtime collaborator Vince Locke that features a mother eating her own baby (the version in wider release is the censored one), Cannibal Corpse is back to assert their rank as innovators of extremity.
Violence Unimagined arrives April 16th on Metal Blade Records. Stream “Inhumane Harvest” below.
Sign up for the Knotfest Email List for exclusive access to news, tours, interviews, pre-sale codes, giveaways and more.