I enjoy Cannibal Corpse. I can often times support their themes of ridiculous fantasy violence as an art statement, as long as it does not cross into extreme misogyny. At the best of times, Cannibal Corpse is much like Gwar, but just overly obsessed with pathology and horribly descriptive lyrics. What is most enjoyable, however, is the band's stoic dedication throughout the years which has pushed them to write blood drenched lyrics with little concern for change. Sometimes it works, other times it does not. For the most part, it will always be good.

The death metal pilgrims celebrate their 12th album and subsequently 24 years in existence. If one were to tally up the amount of death seen in Cannibal's Corpse's albums, the number would be staggering and mimic a medium sized battle. This is the type of legacy one has come to want and deserve.

_Torture_ is the third album with the contemporary line-up (Fisher, Mazurkiewicz, Barret, Corpsegrinder, O'Brien). The five band members have made it their goal to keep the legacy of Cannibal Corpse while maximizing the brutality. Since 2006's _Kill_, Cannibal Corpse is experiencing a dark renaissance which consists of heavier sounds and optimized pulverization. Perhaps this is the destiny for the band -- to become the greatest scientific killing machine. By the second track in _Torture_, this listener is aware of a serious effort for craft and structure. While all the elements of Cannibal Corpse remain (vocals, guitar, bass, inhuman percussion) the sound coalesces into aone of the most interesting efforts in the band's contemporary career.

Cannibal Corpse continues their great second age with an album which is both deserving of attention and merit. In terms of timing and delivery, _Torture_ is an award winning death metal record comparable to other classics in the genre. This is accomplished by selling the concept of gore swathed in a blanket of well balanced madness. "Sacrophagic Frenzy", "Demented Frenzy" and "The Strangulation Chair" all have their own moments of blistering wonder which both scares and delights. Perhaps one of the most successful aspects in _Torture_ is the ability to make songs memorable and unique. Even in 2012, Cannibal Corpse makes exploitation gore and demented villainy interesting.

For a time, Cannibal Corpse was just a series of funny album covers with adorning soundtrack. Today, things are different. Long time visual collaborator Vince Locke has even refocused his efforts to reflect a more serious tone. Oh, wait... I just saw the uncensored album cover. Yep, didn't see the hanging cadavers. Regardless, Cannibal Corpse is making serious strides for redefinition in the world of death metal. This band is not a joke nor a walking parody of metal. They are the kings of evisceration and you should be terrified.