Doing what they do, more and less.
Cannibal Corpse, "Violence Unimagined" (Metal Blade)
Cannibal Corpse parted ways with their 12-year guitarist and replaced him with their producer during a pandemic. It turned out to be a reasonable way to revive death metal.
If Hate Eternal's Erik Rutan doesn't match Pat O'Brien's ax mania, Rutan nevertheless enhances the wider varieties of songcraft bragged on lately by founding bassist Alex Webster. Dig, if you will, Rutan's twiddling wah amid drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz's trashcan thrash on "Necrogenic Resurrection," which breaks down thrillingly into a bridge that sounds like a broken locomotive grinding up the Great Divide. Or lick up Rutan's low squeals, melodic gracelines and boiling solo on his own "Condemnation Contagion," which is stocked with a rapid beat contrasting with a turgid riff in support of an especially blood-drunk sample of George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher's insistent vocal expostulation.
Prog-metal connoisseurs will savor the alternating pigfeed-waltz time signatures and Rutan's arabesque leads on the album's best track, the cutlass-slashing "Inhumane Harvest," which could make you visualize Macduff charging around the stage with Macbeth's severed head in paw. Also notable: "Follow the Blood," whose multiple changes and descending riff qualify it as a modern "In-a-Gadda-da-Vida." Webster points to Mazurkiewicz's drums as a special focus of the album, and Mr. M does get to stretch throughout, not only via rhythmic changes but in the jazzwise way he sometimes loosens up to build a bigger environment, as on Rutan's blasting "Ritual Annihilation."
The mp3 sounds sharper on earbuds than on speakers, but oddyophiles might try CD or vinyl. Violent entertainment must leave nothing to the imagination.
Cactus, "Tightrope" (Cleopatra)
Just as John Wayne was the American Laurence Olivier, the '70s blues-rock band Cactus has been described as the American Led Zeppelin. With its sixth studio recording, Cactus intends not to leave that hangar unoccupied.
Let's start with the good stuff. Original drummer Carmine Appice (Vanilla Fudge) remains just perfect, right up there with John Bonham, whacking the skins with a dynamic subtlety that's recorded so precisely, you'd guess he might have some influence around here. New lead guitarist Paul Warren owns a bagful of rounded tones, and turns in a creditable vocal on "Papa Was a Rolling Stone," on which he spieled silky leads next to Wah-Wah Watson's rhythm behind the Temps back in '72. Pick a song? Gimme the Doobian "Third Time Gone," with Appice's tumbling beat and Randy Pratt's honkin' harp.
Coupla Zep masquerades if you've worn out your "Physical Graffiti" vinyl -- the whitefunky "Primitive Touch" and the stop-beat title tune. Nods to Boston ("Wear It Out") and even Elton John ("Suite 1 & 2," which might have made an involving instrumental).
Overall, despite all the barstool-bustin' expertise, "Tightrope" sounds generic. Although Plant or Coverdale or Marriott coulda gotten away with it easy, Jimmy Kunes' vocal strutsmanship strains. Well, that was always Cactus' prickly spot. Original singer Phil Naro and original guitarist Jim McCarty make special guest appearances . . . someplace.
Appice calls this "one of the best Cactus albums." So "Tightrope" lands firmly in the top half-dozen.