Although I saw a little of Cannibal Corpse at Wacken two years ago, this was the first chance I had to see them up close and personal. Their most recent album EVISCERATION PLAGUE is classic Cannibal Corpse, and their DVD CENTURIES OF TORMENT showed us two things: a different side to the members of Cannibal Corpse both past and present, and their crushing live prowess. Tonight, they have the middle slot between two Finnish bands, Diablo and Children of Bodom.

“Hurry up!’ chants rang around The Forum as the sound guys were a little tardy in getting something sorted out. As the band started playing, it was immediately apparent that the delay was not in a good cause. The sound was absolutely appalling, even from the photo pit. No clarity from the guitars and all you could hear were the drums.

Not that Diablo impressed me or any significant majority of the crowd anyway. They were very energetic but the music, from what little I could hear, sounded trite melodic death metal. Possibly the only high point was their dedication of ‘Symbol of Eternity’ to Chuck Schuldiner (RIP).

The audience was pretty much split between those who had come to see Cannibal Corpse and those who had come to see Children of Bodom. Although the Bodom diehards dominated the front rows, the Corpseheads weren’t lacking in numbers either, and the moshpits were wild and dangerous.

If you’ve ever wondered where Corpsegrinder gets his bull neck from, wonder no longer…the man is a windmilling maniac! I cannot imagine the stress on his neck muscles every time he headbangs or windmills, but it is an impressive sight indeed. The stress on his vocal cords I dare not fathom, as he growls and grunts his way through twelve Corpse rippers.

Rooted to the spot, the four standing members of Cannibal Corpse remained rock solid throughout the forty minute set, masked in their shrouds of hair, the expressionless Rob Barrett and the even more dour Pat O’Brien concentrating on their flurrying fingers, while Alex Webster occasionally peered up from his bass wizardry. The first time Corpsegrinder even said a proper word was before ‘I Cum Blood’, and that was only to spit out “I wanna see some real headbanging out there!”

“This next song is a special dedication to the women here today…let’s see, 9, 10, 11, 12, that’s twelve women…’FUCKED WITH A KNIFE’!” as the crowd went crazy. Taking a breather, “We’re gonna slow it right down now. Don’t just stand there with your dick in your hand. Kick anyone who’s not slamming for this one, or I’ll come out and kill you myself!” before launching into ‘Sentenced to Burn’.

“This song goes out to all the sluts out there” introduced ‘Priests of Sodom’, one of the best songs on EVISCERATION PLAGUE. ‘Unleashing the Bloodthirsty’ only delayed the inevitability of ‘Hammer Smashed Face’, where a massive wall of death led to an even bigger pit; Cannibal Corpse received the biggest cheer for this live favourite.

‘Stripped, Raped and Strangled’ ended the night for many who attended, including myself, leaving the venue in droves without waiting for Children of Bodom. Not many bands could have topped that performance by the veteran deathsters, and I definitely left on a high, although slightly regretful that they didn’t play ‘Frantic Disembowelment’, one of my favourite Corpse tunes.