Guest review of Monolith of Inhumanity by Cattle Decapitation written by The Left Hand Creation bassist Rob Holden

I would just like to take the time to introduce a guest reviewer that is helping me out by bringing you a more in depth look at some of the albums I will be reviewing. Rob Holden is the bassist of Oshawa, Ontario based metal band Left Hand Creation. They combine all types of metal and make it their own with brutal riffs and gut wrenching vocals. You can like their page here and you should show some support for local bands!

1. The Carbon Stampede

2. Dead Set On Suicide

3. A Living, Breathing Piece of Defecating Meat

4. Forced Gender Reassignment

5. Gristle Licker

6. Projectile Ovulation

7. Lifestalker

8. Do Not Resuscitate

9. Your Disposal

10. The Monolith

11. Kingdom of Tyrants

Monolith of Inhumanity is Cattle Decapitation’s fifth studio album, and by far their most progressive and talented effort to date. Each of these eleven tracks are methodically arranged into the most brutal and ear crushing progressions possible in the Grindcore turned Death metal genre. The drums on this album reach speeds never before heard by Cattle Decap fans, however, the slower grinds are just as powerful as the hyper gravity blasts. The bass tone trumps any post grindcore band out there right now, and the guitar riffs are masterful and creative. That being said, the vocal range will surely be the most talked about trait of Monolith of Inhumanity. From gut-wrenching lows to piercing highs, and newly added (almost clean) melodic vocals; This man’s range is out of this world. Truly a step forward in the Death Metal scene.

Opening track ‘The Carbon Stampede’ begins with a slow grind for the first minute, until an explosion of gravity blasts and speed riffs, vocals and guitars are well placed together. The last 30 seconds ends with an oddly placed chug and chant, which changes the pace and is overall chilling. Excellent. The next track ‘Dead Set On Suicide’ has an interesting arrangement; Speed riff, bass solo, speed riff, choking sounds, speed riff, heaviest breakdown in history (I checked), awesome solo. Great track.  ‘A Living Breathing Piece Of Defecating Meat’ and ‘Forced Gender Reassignment’ are both very grinding songs with reminders of Aborted and most definitely Carcass influences, except the awesome range and style of the vocals. The next few tracks are nothing short of the last few, with awe-inspiring riffs and solo’s, mind numbing speed parts, and an assortment of lows, squeals and whatever else is coming for the vocals, there is a lot going on. Nothing tedious, nothing overdone, everything is a true pleasure to listen to amidst the chaos.

‘Your Disposal’ is one of my favorite tracks off of the album, and is also one that seems to jump away from Cattle’s distinct sound just a little bit. The Monolith is a creepy instrumental  and sample, leading into the final track ‘King of Tyrants’, which I think is the best track off of the album. Through all of the chaos an eclectic rapid fire drums and guitar, this song is so ridiculously tight, and eventually slows to an epic chord progression and nearly black metal meets nu-metal chant (I know that sounds terrible, but its incredible). The track ends in typical speedy Cattle Decapitation fashion.

This album was a pleasure to listen to and to pry apart piece by piece. I see it as a major leap forward for the genre, and a truly masterful album beginning to end. I recommend this album to anyone into Extreme Metal.