The world of Cannibal Corpse has always surrounded itself with death. Sickened images of mutilated bodies, blood, gore and decayed remains have littered the lyrics and artwork of the band since it's inception. Controversial, yes, but like any innovator in any kind of profession, one must search out and find his own niche. Cannibal Corpse did that. And they continue carving out that niche in 1998, not afraid to go farther and more expansive than their past material.

Cannibal Corpse have done all that gore stuff, ten times over. That aspect of their music is still there, but the band has grown in the past ten years and seems fitting that, after a decade or so of stomping through vicious bites of gory detail, it's time to spruce things up.

Welcome to their latest sicko slab of sickened metal called _Gallery Of Suicide_.

"It was great for us to put together this material for _GoS_. We aimed hard to make this record sound great," states drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz over the phone from his home in Florida. "We worked to make the riffs heavier and just give the music burst of creativity. We have done all that gory, death stuff for years and it seemed like we should add some ideas and just take it up one step. And that is what we did."

Following in the footsteps of _Vile_ (1996), _GoS_ again features the powerful vocals of George 'Corpsegrinder' Fisher (who took over for Chris Barnes who since went on to forming Six Feet Under) fronting one of metal's favorite death metal outfits. "Unlike most of out past records, this was a pretty smooth one for us," relates Mazurkiewicz over the phone. "We really had no problems surfacing making _GoS_. And also having George in the band [rounded by new guitar player, ex-Nevermore axeman Pat O'Brien, other guitarist Jack Owen and bassist Alex Webster] has been a great asset for us. He has a lot more rhythm and direction. With Chris [Barnes] it was really difficult to get stuff going, whereas with George it comes together very automatically for us."

Does Mazurkiewicz still feel that Cannibal Corpse is the same band as it was when it started? Or does it feel like a totally different band?

"I think when Chris left the band and whatever other changes have occurred with the band; we have changed somewhat, but for the most part the overall core of Cannibal Corpse is still intact. Things change. I think we have matured as a band and this seems to be the strongest lineup to date for us. I think we are in this for the long haul and that is why we continue to do this. We are aiming to progress with each album and we have managed to do that. It's all about growing with your music and I think we have done quite well."

Look at what Cannibal Corpse has been able to provide to us metallers over the years. Ground-breaking and innovative albums like _Eaten Back to Life_ ('90), _Butchered at Birth_ ('91), _Tomb of the Mutilated ('92), _Hammer Smashed Face_ EP ('93) and _The Bleeding_ ('94) set the trends for bands and riddled our brain with masterful epics of brutality shed upon society. And that glowing realm of anger and aggression keeps Mazurkiewicz making music. "I love what we do. I play and continue to play this music 'cause of the aggression and what people get out of this music that Cannibal Corpse delivers to them. I've just been a big fan of all metal music like Napalm Death and Morbid Angel in the early years and it carried over into us trying to making a name for ourselves and make it fast, violent and aggressive. I think we have succeeded in that."

On the new LP, Mazurkiewicz says, "I think this record offers a lot more personality than what we have done in the past. I think our listeners will see and hear that when they hear this LP. I think this record is very different from a lot of the albums that are out there right now. We are trying a lot of different things with this record and we are pleased," he says. "Overall, the reaction to the new record has been very positive for us. Both critics and fans are digging it so that is a good thing."

With the release of the new LP, as the ways things usually go for bands with new releases, the band will be taking this LP on the road. Mazurkiewicz is excited about going on the road. He always is. He comments, "It's great to be on the road playing all of this new material. I just love the feeling of going somewhere different. Playing different cities and meeting new fans. It has been about a year and a half since we have been out on the road and we are all eager to go."

He adds, "It'll be good to go out on the road and incorporate all of the cool song ideas we did with _GoS_ into the set. It'll be a blast to play this shit live."

As the interview winds down, I ask Mazurkiewicz about today's metal music scene and where he thinks veterans like Cannibal Corpse fit in. "It's a good music scene out there right now. There are a lot of good metal bands. I'm aware that there isn't a really big metal scene but it is coming back. Right now there are death metal bands, but what people are perceiving as metal bands are just rock bands giving hard music an edge. Bands like Korn and Deftones and that kind of music is real big but it ain't metal. As for where we fit in? I dunno... I just see us as a band, a metal band, that is doing our own thing and still putting out aggressive music for people to pick up on and enjoy it. We're still Cannibal Corpse doing the same shit we have always done. We aren't going to change now. We've been doing this far too long to change now."