Cannibal Corpse @ Town Ballroom, Buffalo, NY 2-19-16

It’s always an absolute honor when a band plays their hometown, knowing they will deliver an uncompromising performance, because home is where the heart is. This show was no different for death metal band Cannibal Corpse. The bands roots lie in Buffalo, NY and will always remain there. The packed house welcomed the boys home and proved their allegiance will never waiver.

Original members Alex Webster, Bob Barrett, and Paul Mazurkiewicz drove us through an hour and 20 minutes of death metal insomnia, playing 3 songs off of their 2014 release “A Skeletal Domain,” with the remainder of the songs being plucked from their 13-record catalog.

Since 1995 George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher has sufficiently filled the void of former vocalist Chris Barnes (Six Feet Under) providing the bands traditional death growl vocals. Guitarists Bob Barrett and Patrick O’Brien punished the crowd with merciless rhythms and skin crawling leads.

Although Cannibal’s signature style of brutal lyrical content may not appeal to the mainstream, there is no denying their artistic qualities and marked contribution to death metal is respected by their peers as well as their fans. They have exceeded expectations again and again despite radio airplay, relying solely on faithful fans, live shows and word of mouth. There lies a loyalty in metal that doesn’t exist in any other genre. So, whether you are a long time fan or just looking to expand your horizons, I can’t think of a better band to check out than Cannibal Corpse, who has spent a 28-year career with a ranking that still holds true in my eyes, as the number one death metal band in the United States (even Europe would agree). Tonight proved no exception to that fact.

Setlist:

Evisceration Plague

Time to Kill

Scourge of Iron

Death Walking Terror

Stripped, Raped and Strangled

Wretched Spawn

Pit of Zombies

Kill or Become

Sadistic Embodiment

Ice Pick Lobotomy

Covered with Sores