I hate having to come back after a month of silence to rant on how dissapointing Cephalic Carnage's new album Xenosapien (Xenogaypien was the working title) is. Seriously - it really puts me in a bad mood to listen to it. They've always kind of led, to me anyways, the correct path on how to make creative, whacky metal without trying too hard and they've finally hit the album that - hold on, I have to turn it off because its distracting me from making a simple post its so bad - where was I? Whatever, it sucks.

It seems like they're playing into the whole "Whooaa! We have whacky riffage and janitor-like sweeping skills inserted randomly into our "songs" just to be different!" scene with other meaningless "tech" shit that really feels like lazy writing. They've fallen into the pool of knock-offs and copy cats that Cephalic and other good grind/death worthy bands have had biting their ankles for years. One of the biggest things that hits me with this album (besides a soggy dick) is its lack of personality. Go ahead - pop in anything pre-Anamolies and see if there isn't this alive characteristic in the albums that makes the album feel complete and more like a full, thought out album and not a random collection of throw-away songs. Why is there this distancing from their collective selves? Jawsh. He left and now they suck. The best songs on Anamolies were either the songs he personally wrote (i.e. Sleeprace) or a pre-existing song written in their earlier days (Kill for Weed). I'm sure this isn't the entire reason, but I guaran-fucking-tee that it has something to do with it. Live, he is the absolute soul of what CC is - unrestrained, goofy, and talented - and now they've got a gaping void in their band.

My main point is that it isn't unique or innovated. Maybe I'm wrong and its really normal quality Cephalic material and the real case is that this kind of shit just isn't anything new or unique anymore and has made the innevitable crossover to the realm of pedestrian crap. This is probably true.

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I really like the new album. Not as much pre-anomalies but I still think it's a solid metal album with a lot of interesting things going on, which appears to be pretty rare these days, so I'm not going to complain.

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I'm with you 100%.

I think they fell on the bandwagon of "technical for the sake of technical" shit like most of the other tech-bands.
They used to have really well written songs (i.e. the entire Lucid Interval album). ANd even Halls of Amenti was great. I didn't like Anomlies like most of the people on the board, but I thought maybe with Xenosapian they would get back on track after being fully recognized by a wider audiance. Wrong. It's even worse.

I also agree that Jawsh was probably the best member.

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youre still ALIVE?


i havent heard xenosapien other than the live tracks i heard, which definitely seemed that they were going the way of techmetalcore or whatever that nonsense is of random sweeps and song bits

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I can't say that I really like, or have heard that much of Cephalic Carnage. The only song I've heard that I enjoyed was "Dying will be the death of me".


If the new album is composed of stuff like that then I will definitely check it out.

The only songs I've heard from the new album are the two on their myspace, 'Endless Cylce of Violence' and another one I forget the name of. Endless Cylce was a good song but the other one was trash, it didn't make me varnish my pole like earlier Cephalic Carnage. I'll have to look into the whole album if I want to criticize it more.

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I like it, but its certainly not their greatest. Some riffs "have it", some don't. Not much brings me back to it.

Kinda felt like the new Cryptopsy to me, it's an album to listen to once or twice, nothing more.

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i only have exploiting dysfunction

it fucking blows. also worst production ever.

IMO its a good album, but once again this is my first CC CD. I'm only 14 so grind is actually kinda new to me, but I recently started getting into grind/brutal death metal like Dying Fetus, Wormed, Regurgitate, etc. but this album is really good to me. Endless Cycle of Violence is a little annoying, but the rest of the album is great. "Touched By An Angel" I think it was called, was a great song. The vocals I thought were just amazing. "Vaoprized" is also a good song...with good lyrics, also kinda makes me want a vaporizer....Ov Viccisitude is another good song, despite being 9 minutes long and slow as hell in most parts. The only thing I don't like about this album is the lack of great riffs. They made to many technical stuff, as others said, but was still an awesome album. Another is about the song 12. It doesn't come up on the back of the CD or in the jacket. Its a wonderful song, but it doesn't have a name or anything, also the next longest song on the record.

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ive heard four songs off of it. I don't think cc is trying to become core in anyway, i think certain riffs just come with the territory and they have always produced great progressive stuff. I mean honestly highly progressive or technical music as some people like to call it kind of just goes over alot of people's heads. I have heard alot of metal heads who HATE atheist,cynic,watchtower,dream theater, theory in practice and multiple other great bands that they just don't get. While xeno is not on par with albums like lucid interval (my fav. of theirs) and anomalies it is still quality material in many spots on the album. I think they have just gotten to a point where they wanted to make an album that is really progressive and very few people will really like it.

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What does Cephalic Carnage have to do with grindcore?

I don't think has anything to do with the album going over my head. What exactly is progressive about this album?



You could make the very lame and useless argument that they're not "pure grind" and therefor not grind, or you could drop the purist bullshit and easily recognize the grind elements they bring in.

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I WIN!

Cephalic Carnage has always been more overrated death metal that people try to make a big deal out of.

First, I have always liked Lucid Interval. Didnt ever hear much of Exploiting Dysfunction (or anything before)

Just checked out their myspace, i absolutely despise that track "Divination violation". that, seriously, sounds fucking AWFUL. however, "Endless cycle of violence" isnt bothering me AS much. still, it isnt even coming close to what the tracks on LI do. bleh.

The first thing I ever heard from them was "Dying will be the death of me" and that's what I expected of them when I listened to anything else, so naturally I didn't like them.


I'm liking the track Divination Violation, I might check out Lucid Interval and give it a chance, if it's suppose to be better than this. Just starting listening to "Endless Cycles of Violence" and I like it alot.

If these guys are grindcore, then this is probably the only grind band that I've enjoyed.



Is it just me or do they sound alot like a Canadian tech band?

edit:

HOLY FUCKKING DAMN SHIT

I just listened to the title track "Lucid Interval", it beats the other two tracks by a million.

Personally, i love the new CD. I think a lot of you guys over scrutinize things.

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Lucid Interval is a slice of fried gold. To me its one of those albums that you know the band could never top.. and you're really okay with that.

I don't think I'm scrutinizing things when I think an album sucks and I also don't think my opinions (or facts, whatever you prefer) are very far fetched. If I were to say it sucked because he changed the gauge on his strings and got sponsered by KY amps, then I might be scrutinizing. I also don't think KY lubrication manufactors amps anymore.

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No, although you could argue that he's right and that they have little to no grindcore influence at all!

I agree with Darko's point, but I always found Ceph' Carn quite pretentious-sounding anyway. I can enjoy the odd song mind you, but I can hear how it sounds like a medley of the kinda 'base' sounds of different bands, genres and styles, and it gets frustrating after a while.

I first opened this thread thinking it belonged to Infinity. I thought it would be interesting. Sorry to greviously insult you, Darko.

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No, they sound like they live round the corner from The Red Chord or PsyOpus.

Canadians tend to be more modest than that. Crazier, but more modest, if you get what I mean.

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Unanything: The day you insult me is the day Gene Hoglan sees his own penis. I also suggest that you get your band dates inorder. Cephalic began in 1992, SEVEN years before The Red Chord (1999) and 11 years before PsyOpus so, really, they both moved into Cephalic's neighborhood.



No grindcore influence? Are you deaf or do you just not have any grounds to comment on? Check the following songs:

Fortuitous Oddity (Lucid Interval)
AZT (Conforming to Abnormality),
Driven to Insanity (Exploiting Dysfuntion),
Britches, Trailer Park Meth Queen (Perversions and the Guilt After [split with Anal Blast]),

If you can't find grind in any of these songs then I seriously question your knowledge of "grind". It sounds to me like you're making the judgement that they have no relation to grind because you're just not familiar with their material.

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Grindcore = super fast punk, matter over mind, speed over songwriting, bar chords and blastbeats.

these guys riffs are like

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--------32-14-1----1-4----
----3-1----------32-----
-12-----------------

You didn't really reply to my post, Infinity. I asked that you check out any of those songs and tell me there are NO grind influences. You're right though, they are NOT Grindcore - they are a band that draws from some aspects of grindcore and applys it in their music.

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yes.

Why did I even bother to think we might be able to have a good debate? Why do you even bother to talk to other humans?

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Sometimes I ask myself the same questions at night... will you hold me?

Haha, No I don't know what you mean.


I listened to all of Lucid Interval and didn't like it, I could hear all the different styles, but there were not any I liked.


It really sounded like they were a grind band at most points.

But it's funny how they sound like botches of them both. Plus, if you say they are following the trends, what else am I assume. I know they are an old band, older than the two I mentioned they might live close to.

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