Released September 22, 1992 | Length 35:11 Release date 22 September 1992 | |
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Similar Cannibal Corpse albums, Brutal death metal albums, Other albums | ||
Tomb of the Mutilated is the third studio album by American death metal band Cannibal Corpse. It was released in 1992 through Metal Blade Records and is the last album featuring founding guitarist Bob Rusay. The album was banned in Germany, due to the violent cover and the extreme nature of the lyrics.
Contents
Because the liner notes on Butchered at Birth feature quotations from American serial killer Albert Fish, he is often incorrectly credited with being the voice at the beginning of "Addicted to Vaginal Skin". However, the taped confession heard at the beginning of the song most likely belongs to the "Genesee River Killer" Arthur Shawcross.
The song "Hammer Smashed Face" was featured during the band's cameo appearance in the film Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, and downloadable content for the Rock Band video game series. The song "I Cum Blood" is also featured in the video game Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned.
Lyrical Themes
Esteemed reviewers Jack Murray and Connur Joyce have both stated their belief that Tomb of the Mutilated is a high-concept album concerned with extreme necrophilia and sadism. Murray said "It's a very clever idea concerning the rape and murder of a young girl with a large knife, and continuing to rape the corpse until orgasm. This theme is particularly present in the last four tracks on the album", while Joyce announced in Finnish metal magazine Mutilate, "The album has heavy connotations throughout. It's definitely linked; especially in the last three tracks. The explicit nature in which Barnes grunts his way through the increasingly morbid lyrics certainly demonstrates the theme running through the album, that is to say the increasingly deteriorating mental state of the protagonist."
Chris Barnes stated on page 71 of the June 2008 issue of Decibel Magazine that "Entrails Ripped from a Virgin's Cunt was based on two brothers, one of whom was semi-retarded, who were serving life. They captured some girl, and the semi-retarded brother was talked into putting a coat hanger up her pussy to pull out her intestines. That story freaked me out." It is unknown exactly who Barnes was referring to.
Reception
Reviewers praised the album. Heavy metal webzine Kicked in the Face stated, "I loved every second of it. This is a must have for any Cannibal Corpse fan. ... It would be hard to pick out the good or the bad tracks on this one because, well, they're all pretty damn good."
Metal Storm announced "the music here is a little more complex and better elaborated, the effort is shown in songs like 'Hammer Smashed Face' with maddening and unforgettable riffs, a crushing bass playing, and incredibly fast drumming, and 'I Cum Blood' showing incredible pulsations ... a high-quality album in general, really one of the greatest albums in Cannibal Corpse history and maybe in Death Metal history too".
In 2005, Tomb of the Mutilated was ranked number 278 in Rock Hard magazine's book of The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time.
Track listing
All lyrics and vocal arrangements by Chris Barnes; music by Cannibal Corpse.
Personnel
Songs
1Hammer Smashed Face4:05
2I Cum Blood3:42
3Addicted to Vaginal Skin3:32