So, while In Flames and Arch Enemy continue to ham it up to the delight of the masses, "The Time to Kill Is Now" wastes no time with tawdry introductions as it sets the stage for an unequivocal lesson in the art of true (literally) blood and guts death metal. That the long-serving Jack Owen no longer features as a member doesn't ever enter into the equation, as the band's familiar hallmarks are instantly and continually apparent. There's the nigh on certifiable technicality of "Necrosadistic Warning", the rumbling groove of "Death Walking Terror" and the dense, ominous atmosphere of "Infinite Misery" -- all led by George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher's imposing roar, who quite frankly has always bettered that of his predecessor Chris Barnes, and never more so than here.

Notwithstanding Hate Eternal mainman Eric Rutan's distinctly rawer production job, the differences between _Kill_ and its 2004 sibling, _The Wretched Spawn_, are finespun and unlikely to be evident to anyone who isn't acutely familiar with the band's back catalogue. This won't win over the hearts and minds of their detractors, but it hardly matters in the face of such a solid effort. Cannibal Corpse will never experiment with clean vocals or quasi-folk guitar flourishes, and I can imagine that Alex Webster would probably break out in hives at the sight of a keyboard. What the band's tenth opus confirms, if any doubt still existed, is that until the day they decide to call it quits, this Buffalo quintet will remain a staunchly uncompromising vanguard for relentless aural carnage.

Personally, that sits just fine with me.