Album Reviews |

Cancer Bats



Hail Destroyer 7 ( 2008 )
Hail Destroyer / Harem of Scorpions / Deathsmarch / Regret / Bastard's Waltz / Sorceress / Lucifer's Rocking Chair / Let It Pour / Smiling Politely / Pray for Darkness / PMA 'Til I'm DOA / Zed's Dead, Baby

Cancerbats have come to steal your momma. Well, unless she's a Napalm Death fan. What am I talking about? Well, twas twenty years ago Napalm Death and 'all that lot' crawled out of places like Nottingham, so why not? Your momma could be a death metal fan. If she is, I find that really cool. Better than being a Dolly Parton fan or something, surely? Anyway, Cancerbats provide us with two/three minutes thrashes with screaming, barely intelligle vocals in the best thrash-metal/underground style. They don't seem very mainstream, although the singer and the energy do enough to remind me both of Shellac ( alternative ) and Rage Against The Machine ( less so, and without the hip-hop ). Indeed, 'Pray For Darkness' encapsulates of all this within a mere ninety seconds, quite something. The delightfully titled 'Bastard's Waltz' raises a thought in my mind. These guys need more dynamic production and mixing. The way the album and the recordings are presented isn't distinctive enough to make anybody go wow, even though 'Hail Destroyer' is generally enjoyable.

'Regret' sees some heavy riffs mixed in with demented vocals and is really rather enjoyable. 'Hail Destroyer' of course is a rather one dimensional album it's better to dip into rather than listen to from beginning to end, but we don't mind. 'Cancerbats' are here to provide harmless fun, I don't yet take them seriously as they ain't quite heavy enough for my tastes, falling between two stools, so to speak, neither metal nor alternative. 'Whooooa NO!!' he sings though on 'Regret' and that's enough for me, you know?

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Readers Comments David Wasmuth Calgary, Canada Hey Adrian. I've been reading your reviews for a couple years now and have been wanting to thank you for all the amazing music you've introduced me too; Yes, Nick Drake, and The Stone Roses to name a few. You've shown me a lot of music that I'v missed out on because of my age, my location, and my musicless upbringing. I've finally decided to make a comment because seeing Cancer Bats on here was a real shocker. An obscure metalcore band that I didn't think anyone outside of Canada had heard of! Glad to see them get a nod. You should check out there first album which I think is superior. One Hundred Grand Canyon is enough to garner this a listen. Keep up the good work!