Cattle Decapitation - Death Atlas

I guess I’ll never have the chance of truely thank this page for giving me the opportunity of having the pleasure of knowing so many bands that I didn’t know before and to add more loved ones to my infinite list of beloved bands. In these three years of colaboration to Metal Addicts I had the pleasure of knowing so much cutting edge bands that I can’t even recall all them. Now it’s the time for knowing one more. I know they are veterans, that Cattle Decapitation have been on stage since 1996, but I am deeply sorry to say that I didn’t know them until I get this masterpiece “Death Atlas.” The impression is that words won’t be enough to express all the feelings I had while listening to “Death Atlas” from head to toe. As I don’t have enough info to compare it to other Cattle Decapitation’s efforts, I won’t waste my and your time trying to compare it. I’ll just go right to it.

First thing that sparks the attention to Cattle Decapitation is the complex and amazing vocal work done. Travis Ryan is such an amazing and talented vocalist that he does a dozen of different vocals in “Death Atlas.” From the most common gutural to the simple and effective clean voice. In the middle there are all kinds of insane things that he does with his gifted voice. Death Metal hardcore fans won’t like it, but in “Time’s Cruel Curtain” his voice sounds as Metal Church’s David Wayne. Make no mistake, this comparison does not take the credit from Travis Ryan, on the contrary, it gives him more, because it’s not easy to sing as he does in all the album. Worth mentioning is also the mad guitar solos and riffs that make us proud.

The fourteen tracks that make “Death Atlas” are examples of how a band can be as loyal to the bones to their beliefs and still write an album that mixes many influences and extreme variety of tempos, moods, and feelings. Again, it is worth mentioning that Cattle Decapitation are a band with an agenda. Their songs go from all kinds of human misery and the poor service we are doing to our planet. Cattle Decapitation mercilessly go through human vices and the tendences to make everything wrong our species have. “One Day Closer to the End of the World” and “The Geocide” summarize it in a pretty good way. Well, I guess the millenials might not know, but Metal bands have the inconvinient tradition of making fun, mock and criticize our species tendency to do everything wrong. So sorry, my child of the night. If that bothers you, there is always Rihanna and the likes to please oneself with their vapid music. By the way, please don’t feel the urge to “Finish Them” as the lyrics say.

If I may, go direct to “Death Atlas,” a track that summarizes everything Cattle Decapitation want to pass to the fan. If I may, again, a masterpiece! Masterpieces sometimes say inconvinient things, don’t you agree? “Yes, sir” was never a match to any kind of metallers. At least, I guess so.

Cattle Decapitation “Death Atlas” will be released on November 29th via Metal Blade Records.

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