CHRIS BARNES SUCKS ZOMBIE DICK
What’s funny about listening to Cannibal Corpse’s earliest material, collected in a new box set, 15 Year Killing Spree, for the first time, is hearing how bad they used to suck. As musicians, they were always tight and have gotten even better over the years, don’t get me wrong; very few people are capable of playing this kind of music, which is why death metal always attracts the strongest musicians. The main problem with the early Corpse is ex-frontman Chris Barnes: He has no rhythm and no vocal range whatsoever. Hearing it all together, I can now understand why Anal Cunt frontman Seth Putnam has devoted so much of his energy to making fun of Barnes–the guy just sucks, that’s all there is to it. He was overrated to begin with as both a lyricist and singer, and Cannibal Corpse was wise to kick him out of the band, effectively kickstarting phase two, with former Monstrosity frontman George Fisher taking over on microphone-destruction duty.
Fisher is the anti-Chris Barnes. He has an incredible vocal range, a rarity in death metal. He can grunt really low, then emit a high-pitched yelp in the same phrase. He can also sustain his screams for an incredible length of time. And he has a live presence that Barnes will never attain. Admire this piece of banter from 2000’s Live Cannibalism: "This next song goes out to all the fuckin’ women out there… It’s called [in death metal growl:] Fucked. With. A. Knife." To top it all off, Fisher probably has the thickest neck in death metal, a distinction he’s earned from years of excessive headbanging. If you were to attempt to wrap an issue of this newspaper around his neck, the paper would probably split in two.
The fact is, letting Chris Barnes go six feet under was the best thing to happen to Cannibal Corpse. Any idiot comparing the two eras contained on the "best of" CDs could see this. Barnes’ departure has allowed bassist Alex Webster to take over the majority of songwriting duties. His lyrics rival the sickness and depravity of Barnes’, and he’s largely responsible for coming up with my personal Corpse favorites: "Headless," "Savage Butchery," "Pit of Zombies" and "I Will Kill You," all of which are collected in the box set.
