CATTLE
DECAPITATION
“Karma.Bloody.Karma”
Travis
Ryan – vocals
Troy Oftedal – bass
Josh Elmore – guitar
Michael Laughlin– drums
Over
the span of a decade, Cattle Decapitation has forged
its not-so-humble beginnings in gore-grind into one
of extreme metal's most relentless forces, encompassing
a sound as schizophrenic as their record collections
but with a determined lyrical stance resolutely damning
the ills of humanity.
After a couple early line-up shifts, “Human
Jerky,” Cattle Decapitation's first full-length,
was released in 1999 as LP-only by Nevada label Satan's
Pimp. The album featured the bass-less trio of Travis
Ryan on vocals, Gabe Serbian on guitar and Dave Astor
on drums. Serbian and Astor split duties with the
ubiquitous arty-grind act The Locust. “Human
Jerky” as well as 2000's “Homovore”
(released by San Diego's Three One G label) showcased
Ryan's obsessively gore-oriented musings laced within
his pro-vegetarian/anti-human posture. In keeping
with the spirit of the genre as well as the lyrical
urgency, the 90's trio was additionally known for
its ultra-short songs and unforgettable live performances
(Ryan was known to occasionally perform in a mask
sewn of beef jerky). The band procured Venezuelan
installation artist Nelson Garrido's arranged pieces
of deceased livestock for two unmistakable album covers.
The early twenty-first century brought about a slew
of changes in personnel and increased sonic brutality.
Shortly after the release of Homovore, Troy Oftedal
filled the formerly-vacant bass slot. Josh Elmore
(previously of notorious humor-grind act 7000 Dying
Rats) was brought into the fold on second guitar only
to take on sole duties after Serbian's departure to
focus on The Locust. The revised line-up carved their
debut for Metal Blade with 2002's “To Serve
Man,” a coalescence of brutal grind and death
metal with an increased spotlight on Elmore's arrival.
After months of touring in support of the album, the
band parted ways with longtime drummer Dave Astor
and swiftly brought aboard good friend Michael Laughlin,
formerly of San Francisco's tech-grinders Creation
is Crucifixion. With Laughlin instantly adding an
increased rhythmic dynamic to the group, the relentless
tour cycle was resumed straight up to the release
of 2004's “Humanure.” The album offered
a beefed-up production, an evolved song craft and
artwork that perfectly depicted the ultimate revenge
on humanity, a cow excreting human remains (resulting
“Humanure” as their most-banned album
domestically as well as overseas). The band's experimental
leaning on this record reared its head in the form
of a ten-minute long track constructed almost entirely
of slaughterhouse field recordings.
Between more tours Cattle Decapitation recorded 2005's
split 7” shared with the canine-fronted grindcore
oddity Caninus. This material saw a return-to-form
in terms of song lengths but introduced an increasingly-diverse
range of extreme metal. This has laid the framework
for 2006's full-length, “Karma.Bloody.Karma.”
In Ryan's words, “This will be the most nihilistic,
pessimistic and hateful record we’ve ever done
lyrically. Musically, imagine the Caninus split material,
just longer in every way.” The album features
guest appearances by Joey Karam (The Locust) and John
Wiese (Sunn0))),Bastard Noise) and production by Billy
Anderson (Swans, Mr. Bungle, Melvins).
http://www.cattledecapitation.com
http://www.myspace.com/cattledecapitation
