Cancer
Death Shall Rise

Discovering forgotten Death metal, chapter II. Among the pioneers of Death metal that no one will ever mention when talking about this musical genre are, indeed, the English band Cancer, who debuted back in 1990 with the legendary (in the strict sense) “To The Gory End.”

The Cancer, as I was saying, completely neglected by fans and critics, have recently returned to the scene with “Spirit In Flames,” an unwelcome revival of golden times that I prefer not to address here. Because despite this latest chapter (“my friends call me Joker the jester”), they have contributed to writing some of the purest pages of untouched Death Metal. If someone told you they are the European brothers of Obituary, they wouldn't be wrong; and indeed, not only is their sound extremely similar to that of the famous Florida band, but none other than the baron James Murphy has played in their ranks. For those who don’t know him, I’ll give a brief biographical overview: our good James has long been one of the most appreciated guitarists in the genre because he has always been able to display excellent technical skills without giving up a very Metal attitude and a taste for typically '80s solos. His fame and talent grew to such an extent that he received offers from all the Death bands of the time; Death (on “Spiritual Healing”), Obituary, Testament, Cancer, Disincarnate, Gorguts (featured on “Considered Dead”), ending with an ambitious solo project.

Let's say that for those who know and love the sound of old school Death, this name should be a guarantee, and the same goes for those who love to hear a guitar played as God intends; and still, even for those who hated this guy, it’s undeniable that he’s a great musician and that he has made the history of Death Metal, especially considering that he never considered the bands he played in as “Side Projects” but on the contrary, he always gave his best in all of them.

But let's go back to “Death Shall Rise”; the content of the CD could, without fear of being wrong as might happen in other cases, be reduced to a careful observation of the cover. “Death Shall Rise” is affectedly macabre, it is designed to shatter eardrums and give a show, it is conceived with a stage approach and is Trash as well as Thrash (one more of these puns and kill me, please). Starting from titles like “Hung, Drawn And Quartered” (cult song), one can perfectly immerse in an extremely playful and boastful atmosphere. The sound is still very indebted to '80s Thrash but, as is obvious, it is made more vicious and extreme: massive riffs follow one another relentlessly, without focusing too much on technique but aiming directly for the throat and, even more so, the heart of all true metalheads. Exaggerating a bit, I could say that the riffing of this album is composed to please fans, because it is simple and straightforward yet irresistible and powerful at the same time. A riffing that takes us back to the times of “Scream Bloody Gore” and “Cause Of Death”, a riffing that leaves behind the adolescent anthems of “Cancer, Fucking Cancer” (another cult song from “To The Gory End” as well as the counterpart of “Slowly We Rot”) to focus on something darker (I also sense Benediction here) but equally rowdy. It’s impossible not to appreciate Murphy’s six-string meows, his solos that smell of spikes, leather jackets, and ripped jeans. The drummer, not a master of his instrument, keeps pace well with his mates without sparing the use of double pedals and instead sparing the overly “progressive” blast beat (much loved instead by emerging Brutal Death groups).

The same can be said about the vocals, a growl that is not at all deep and a child of the very angry Thrash voices that strongly oppose the gurgles of Chris Barnes and Frank Mullen (in Cannibal Corpse and Suffocation, respectively). Finally, the bassist, not a virtuoso but who strangely occupies a precise place in the band’s compositions: aided by a massive production (really excellent for a Death record, much closer to a Thrash one) and, again, in every way similar to the cover (bright colors and easy but well-defined drawings). But neglecting these technical details, one can reach a simple conclusion: “Death Shall Rise” is the history of Death metal and is also, perhaps even more so, a measurement gauge of this type of music. Eight ignorant and pounding songs for an epochal album that must absolutely figure among the most important of the genre; once again we can talk about Raw Death metal for its impact, for how it sounds, for who plays it, and for whom it is intended.

Mandatory.