Cattle Decapitation — Karma•Bloody•Karma

𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐑𝐘𝐏𝐓𝐒 - 𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐏𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐀𝐋𝐁𝐔𝐌 𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄𝐒 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐃 𝐑𝐎𝐂𝐊 & 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐕𝐘 𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐋…

17 years ago today, Cattle Decapitation left us “Alone at the Landfill” during “The New Dawn”!

On this day (July 10) in 2006, Cattle Decapitation released their third full-length studio album, “Karma•Bloody•Karma” via Metal Blade Records.

Background:

The track "Total Gore?" features guest vocals from Joey Karam of The Locust. It is the last album to feature drummer Michael Laughlin.

The album cover depicts a figure resembling the Hindu deity Shiva, while the album name refers to karma, a concept attributed to Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Taoism.

In an interview with Aggressive Tendencies, Travis Ryan explained that the album cover was actually a plan B.

The Wells Perspective:

Cattle Decapitation's 2004 release, "Humanure", was a huge step forward from the restrictive goregrind of "To Serve Man" as far as the arrangements and a the more death metal leanings. With "Karma.Bloody.Karma", the quartet expanded a bit further, with even more added experimentation. Josh Elmore's guitar wizardry, along with Travis Ryan's additon of Black Metal screams to go with his distinctive growl, and the pandemonium of the song structures make "Karma.Bloody.Karma" a prominent force among conventional Death Metal and Grindcore releases.

Together with discharges of devastating Grind and brutal Death Metal, Cattle Decapitation meanders its way through deranged structures, as Ryan indignantly rancors against the inhumanity and deterioration of the earth and its populace. Not to mention, Elmore's guitar work is an exceptional spectacle to behold. Melodic swagger is combined with winding solos, while ensuring that technical wizardry never hinders the fundamentals of the composition. Together with drummer Michael Laughlin's anomalistic attitude and bassist Troy Oftedal's equally unrestrained thunder, the listener will find themselves overpowered by the sheer intensity of the album at first listen, causing them to beg for mercy, and yet returning for more abuse like an habitual masochist. — E.N. Wells

Noteworthy:

Metal author and journalist Garry Sharpe-Young once acknowledged Cattle Decapitation as "one of the few Metal bands whose message hits as hard as their music".

Critical Reception:

Greg Prato from Exclaim! stated;

“While California-based Cattle Decapitation’s last album, Humanure, was a wildly enjoyable gore-grind and death metal affair, they’ve outdone themselves with Karma.Bloody.Karma. There’s more diversity, an overall amplified feeling of rage, and an even more antagonistic musical approach.”

While Amy Sciarretto from Alternative Press wrote;

“Leave it to San Diego’s Cattle Decapitation to inject a little irony into standard meat ’n’ potatoes (sorry, we had to) death metal. On Karma.Bloody.Karma, Travis Ryan spits up his vocals over blindingly fast riffs that could shift the earth’s plates, while the machine-gun blast beats will have you running in zig-zag formation.”

Links to Artists, Albums, and Music Videos:

Click this link to listen to “Karma.Bloody.Karma” via Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/karma-bloody-karma/160474373

Click this link to listen to “Karma.Bloody.Karma” via Spotify: Karma.Bloody.Karma https://open.spotify.com/album/0V0pO1Tp6NCeVO4ueHjOHL

Click this link to purchase “Karma.Bloody.Karma” via Bandcamp: https://cattledecapitation.bandcamp.com/album/karma-bloody-karma

Click this link to follow Cattle Decapitation on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cattledecapitation

Note: The reviews shared here are for historical reference. The views and opinions expressed within are not always supported (in full or in part) by Into the Wells. — E.N. Wells

Cattle Decapitation — Karma•Bloody•Karma

Background:

The Wells Perspective:

Noteworthy:

Critical Reception:

Links to Artists, Albums, and Music Videos:

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