Cattle Decapitation Discography and The Harvest Floor Review

January 23, 2009 by Scott

In order to review Cattle Decapitation’s latest release, The Harvest Floor, I had to reach back in to the rest of the collection to see where they have come from as a group. The only other album I had at the time of getting The Harvest Floor was Karma.Bloody.Karma. I wanted to see if The Harvest Floor was a progression in their music or if it sounded like all their other albums. After getting a good listen to all they had to offer with the exception of their Ep’s and split, I figured why not do a discography, as most people know little or nothing about this band. All they know is that they have a sick name. I’m new to the band as well so this was a learning experience for me too.

If you’re not familiar with Cattle Decapitation, here’s a quick run-down. They are a death metal/ grindcore band from San Diego, California. They are vegetarians that detest the slaughter of animals, particularly cows and have huge resentment for mankind. The current line-up includes Travis Ryan on vocals, Troy Oftedal on bass, Dave McGraw on drums and Josh Elmore on guitars.

Human Jerky (1999) is Cattle Decapitation’s first full length studio record…that is still shorter than most band’s Eps. With a running time of 16 minutes and 17 seconds, Human Jerky proves short, but somewhat sweet. A fast onslaught of blast-beats, mostly incomprehensible lyrics sung in both a low, gurgle/growl and high toned growl, it comes at you in the sense that a lot of people describe as a wall of noise. It’s kind of a wall of noise, but with melody and short but relevant breakdowns. The longest song on this record is 1 minute and 8 seconds long. While your ears may fight to make out words, the song titles pretty much let you know what they are singing about. With song titles like Veal and The Cult Of Torture and Bludgeoned Beaten and Barbecued, you get the picture.

Homovore (2000) is an improvement on song length, but not by much. With Homovore you get an extra 5 minutes. You also get a rather long intro son that is 3 minutes and 28 seconds, making it the longest song. The shortest? 35 seconds. Homovore isn’t much of a progress from Human Jerky. You could put both albums on one cd and probably would never know the difference or transition. Again with the vocal clarity thing, you still get the basic grasp of the songs with titles like Carnal Fecophelia Due to Prolonged Exposure to Methane and Colostomy Jigsaw Puzzle.

To Serve Man (2002) is where I can start seeing some progress. Maybe because it was under the Metal Blade label and they were forced to put together more than just a 20 minute cd, I don’t really know. To Serve Man has a certain progression to it, yet the band keeps to form and it’s unmistakable that this is the same band. Through bigger label support comes better production and a better overall sound. The song titles do not stray from the bands original intent of being shockingly gross to those that don’t understand the concept of the band. Testicular Manslaughter kicks off the album with a blood-gurgling, agonizing moan (similar sounds are heard on other albums as well) and fast, melodic guitar work that takes the band to a whole new level.

Humanure (2004) continues where To Serve Man left off and again brings the band a bit further in songwriting and musicianship. Humanure is probably better known for it’s album cover and not so much the music that lies inside. The album starts off with an eerie piano number and then transverses in to the title track. More melodies, more breakdowns, slightly more clear vocals (with less of the higher toned backing) and solos solidify Cattle Decapitations presence as a great metal band.

Karma.Bloody.Karma (2006) is yet another great Cattle decapitation album that brings more experience to the game with bigger melodies and more breakdowns. Karma.Bloody.Karma also brings more matured and less gory song titles to the game. The goriest titles here are Success is…(Hanging By The Neck) and Suspended In Coprolite. Karma.Bloody.Karma is another step in the right direction for a band that wants a continual path of improvement as artists.

Now that we’re all up to speed, let’s look in to the bands latest release. The Harvest Floor (2009) brings the same band, with the same message and same basic feel as Karma.Bloody.Karma with a little better production. Again, much more mature song titles. Breakdowns with a cool leads and hooks that make it all worth more than a few listens. Progression is something that a lot of bands in the same genre as Cattle Decapitation lack. Each album starts to sound the same, but Cattle Decapitation prove that you can sound the same without sounding the same. Progress without compromising the band’s sound and integrity. Wall of noise, no. Brutal sound of semi-melodic death metal with a grindcore feel to it, yes. Blast-beats, lightening fast hammer-ons and pull offs, the occasional solo, power and bar chord breakdowns and you’ve got yourself The Harvest Floor.