Butchered at Birth
| Butchered at Birth | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 1, 1991 | |||
| Recorded | 1991 | |||
| Studio | Morrisound Recording, Tampa, Florida | |||
| Genre | Death metal | |||
| Length | 36:34 | |||
| Label | Metal Blade | |||
| Producer | Scott Burns | |||
| Cannibal Corpse chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 6/10[2] |
| Kerrang! | [3] |
| MusicHound Rock | [4] |
Butchered at Birth is the second studio album by American death metal band Cannibal Corpse. It was released on July 1, 1991 through Metal Blade Records.
With their sophomore album, Cannibal Corpse sought to create a heavier sound and even more gruesome imagery than their debut. The album cover was created by longtime collaborator Vince Locke and is frequently identified as one of the most gruesome album covers of all time.[5] Vocalist Chris Barnes handled all of the lyrics for the album and strove to create the first death metal concept album, with the stated concept being "butchery."[6]
Still based in Buffalo, New York at the time, the band rehearsed and wrote the album in a practice space converted from a hospital for the incurably ill. Following their experience recording Eaten Back to Life at Morrisound Recording in Tampa, the band made frequent trips and became entrenched in the booming death metal scene there. The spirit of competition within the scene encouraged them to keep a quick pace with releases and to develop the heaviest sound possible. Producer Scott Burns was revered within the scene and helped the band to further refine the sound they had created on their debut to be even more dissonant and guttural.[6]
Track listing[edit]
All lyrics written by Chris Barnes. All music written by Cannibal Corpse.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Meat Hook Sodomy" | 5:46 |
| 2. | "Gutted" | 3:15 |
| 3. | "Living Dissection" | 4:00 |
| 4. | "Under the Rotted Flesh" | 5:04 |
| 5. | "Covered with Sores" | 3:17 |
| 6. | "Vomit the Soul" (featuring Glen Benton) | 4:30 |
| 7. | "Butchered at Birth" | 2:45 |
| 8. | "Rancid Amputation" | 3:16 |
| 9. | "Innards Decay" | 4:38 |
| Total length: | 40:30 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 10. | "Covered with Sores (live)" | 3:59 |
Personnel[edit]
Cannibal Corpse
- Chris Barnes – vocals
- Bob Rusay – lead guitar
- Jack Owen – rhythm guitar
- Alex Webster – bass
- Paul Mazurkiewicz – drums
Additional musicians
- Glen Benton – backing vocals on "Vomit the Soul"
- Pat O'Brien – lead guitar on live bonus track
- George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher – vocals on live bonus track
References[edit]
- ^ AllMusic review
- ^ Popoff, Martin (2007). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 3: The Nineties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. pp. 70–71. ISBN 978-1-894959-62-9.
- ^ Russell, Xavier (September 14, 1991). "Rekordz". Kerrang!. No. 358. EMAP. p. 19.
- ^ Knopper, Steve (1999). "Death Metal". MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. pp. 319–320. ISBN 978-1-57859-061-2 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ Krovatin, Chris (July 2021). "30 Years On, 'Butchered At Birth' Proves That There's Still No One As Disgusting As Cannibal Corpse". The Pit. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
- ^ a b "Cannibal Corpse interview with Chris Barnes: From the Vault". Disposable Underground. October 2020. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
