The Anthropocene Extinction

Lyrical concept

The last record, Monolith of Inhumanity, dealt with the future of Earth, if mankind keeps its current style of life. The Anthropocene Extinction deals with the results of mankind's influence on the environment, such as the Great Pacific garbage patch.

Critical reception

The album received very positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic (a review aggregator site which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 from music critics), based on 4 critics, the album has received a score of 86/100, which indicates "universal acclaim". Reviews particularly praised Travis Ryan's vocal performance, with Exclaim! writing that "Littered throughout the wasteland of gurgling growls and shrill shrieks that fill The Anthropocene Extinction are the snarls that the vocalist experimented with on 2012's Monolith of Inhumanity, a sort of pseudo-singing that just might be more unsettling than his more traditional death metal scream, and which showcases his impressive range." About.com praised the variety and songwriting on the album, praising the band's attention to detail. "Cattle Decapitation write albums, a quality that allows each song to fit within the entire grand vision. An interlude like "The Burden of Seven Billion" may seem like filler, but its placement allows a reprise from a first half of life-draining potency. A similar claim follows the gloomy "Ave Exitium," which follows in the vein of "The Harvest Floor" and "The Monolith" as a haunting intro to a momentous closer in "Pacific Grim.""

Track listing

All lyrics written by Ryan; all music composed by Cattle Decapitation.

Personnel

Writing, performance and production credits are adapted from the album liner notes.

Cattle Decapitation

Guest musicians

Additional musicians

Production

Artwork and design

Studio