Cattle Decapitation. Sounds about right for my vegan self. I have to admit, I'd come across this band's name a couple of times already while reading up on other bands or genres and the name alone was so offputting for me, I never looked closer. Turns out, Cattle Decapitation is as pro-vegan as you can get in extreme metal. While none of the band members are indeed vegans, their music and their lyrics deal with animal exploitation and animal rights. Among other things.
Formed in San Diego in 1996, Cattle Decapitation have released eight studio albums so far. There are no founding members left in the band, but vocalist Travis Ryan has been with the band since 1997, replacing Scott Miller who was only featured in the band's first EP Ten Torments of the Damned (1997). The current line-up consists of Travis Ryan (vocals), Olivier Pinard (bass), Dave McGraw (drums), Josh Elmore and Belisario Dimuzio guitars).
The band's latest release Terrasite (2023) was ranked among the top metal albums of 2023 by various magazines and metal sites. The other day, I read Stefan Nordström's blog article dealing with the question Why do people stop listening to extreme metal music?
It was here that my interest in Cattle Decapitation was sparked, because they seemed to hold Stefan's affection while other bands couldn't. I still haven't listened to a lot of death metal and it probably will never become my favourite genre, mostly because all guttural vocals throughout a song tend to be very tiresome for me.
And this is where Cattle Decapitation immediately got my attention: Travis Ryan is a fantastic vocalist. He can do it all. He performs perfect death growls (the ones that have me giggling, because they are so awesome), but also incorporates shrieks, snarls and cleanish passages in his songs. Terrasite showcases a lot of layered vocals in the songs and this makes the vocal parts very diverse and just fun. It is really impressive what Ryan is able to pull off.
Terrasite features ten songs in total and runs for 52 minutes. Most songs range from punchy four to five minutes, the only exception is the closing track Just Another Body with a total length of 10:15. Lyrically, Terrasite is pretty misanthropic. The songs are about overpopulation and how humanity is destroying itself. And how it might just be better if we were done. There is a sense of desperation and hopelessness and most of all the album conveys deep contempt for humankind. Relatable.
Musically, Terrasite is demanding. The songs are incredibly fast, aggressive and violent death metal. It is exhausting. And yet, Cattle Decapitation uses melodies and synth elements, incorporating surprising turns and elements which keep the songs from being boring or monotonous.
There are even one or two choruses that are really catchy and have you hum along in no time. Best example would be Scourge of the Offspring, one of my absolute favourites on this album.
What a wondrous life this would have been // But I'm outnumbered // Like the stars at night // There's so many of us // That need to die // Like a swarm of flies // There's too many of us
While Scourge of the Offspring feels like a favourite, it is hard to settle, because each song seems to feature some or several elements that are outstanding. A Photic Doom for example - super fast blast beat intro by Dave McGraw that just blasts you off your feet, followed by those super intense goblin vocals and that great enunciation of 'r' I really like. The guitars are super groovy on this one. Definitely a favourite. The Insignificants, the last two minutes of the song where the synth and ambience kicks in and Travis is singing against himself are also super memorable. The line 'We have always been the virus' will stick with you for a while. The same goes for ...and the World Will Go on Without You. When the song slows down at 2:39 and the slower prog part sets in, it is really haunting. And of course there is Just Another Body that starts with this slow and beautiful piano intro that is so different from the rest of the album. In this last song, Cattle Decapitation are a bit more experimental and focus a lot on creating ambience. It is a powerful and epic closing track that fades out slowly and leaves you kind of melancholic and hopeless. Mission accomplished I'd say.
I am really curious to explore more from Cattle Decapitation's discography. Monolith of Inhumanity (2012), The Anthropocene Extinction (2015) and Death Atlas (2019) have all been praised among fans and critiques although there seems to be quite the controversy around Death Atlas. I think I'll listen to this one next and then probably backwards. I feel like Terrasite was a good entry point though as it seems to combine everything Cattle Decapitation has worked towards to in their career.
I enjoyed this album immensely and am yet again happy to be on my metal journey, always finding new and exciting music. Can’t wait to see McGraw drumming live on March 30th in Hamburg. See you guys at the Logo!
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