Cannibal Corpse Still Haven't Sold Out

07/07/06 6:00pm

by Andre Mihsin (CHARTattack)

Go on to any heavy music message board and the term you're likely to see more than any other is "sellout."

Ever since Metallica filmed the music video for "One," metalheads have always loved to point out the slightest indication of turning mainstream. Even bands on this year's Sounds Of The Underground tour, a supposed collection of some of the best bands in the underground, have been crucified by fans for allegedly selling out.

Then there's Cannibal Corpse. With more than a million albums sold and next to no mainstream media attention, the undisputed kings of the metal underground have in their 18 years earned the respect of even the greasiest metalhead that never leaves his mother's basement. For bassist/lyricist Alex Webster, it's not about trying to maintain that underground cred, it's simply about doing what they want to do.

"We're not concerned with being the next big thing or anything like that. Obviously it's way beyond that point. I mean, we've had a good steady career for a long time now. I think it's important that we pay the most attention to our original fans, the people that are really into our band, and also we got to do our kind of music."We never wanted to compromise to get bigger or anything like that. If we manage to get a little bigger, it will be because other people change their musical tastes to start liking the kind of stuff we do, not because we would change our music for them, because we're not going to do that."

Along with early material from grindcore legends Carcass and Repulsion, Cannibal Corpse helped pioneer "gore metal," a sub-genre that combines the speed of death metal with gruesomely violent lyrics inspired by classic horror flicks like Day Of The Dead and Dead Alive. It may seem silly to some and, with song titles like "Entrails Ripped From A Virgin's Cunt" and "Fucked With A Knife," these guys may come across as a joke.

"We're serious about what we do, but I don't think we take ourselves that seriously either," says Webster. "I mean you got to have a fine line where, yeah, we're making music and we're having a good time doing it and everything, but at the same time we take it seriously and we want it to be professionally done and well-crafted. It's not a joke to us."

Having paved the way for bands like Cattle Decapitation and Aborted, Cannibal Corpse hope to convert more followers on this year's Sounds Of The Underground tour.

You can check them out along with As I Lay Dying, In Flames, Trivium, Gwar and others on these Canadian stops:
July 11 Toronto, ON @ Kool Haus
July 12 Montreal, QC @ Metropolis
August 6 Winnipeg, MB @ Winnipeg Convention Centre
August 7 Saskatoon, SK @ Saskatchewan Credit Union Centre
August 8 Edmonton, AB @ Northlands Agricom
August 10 Vancouver, BC @ PNE Forum