Cancer: Inverted World
Reviewed By: Jon Santitoro
Review Score: 8.5
It’s been over thirty-five years since UK Death Metal legends Cancer came crashing through our speakers with their iconic debut album, To The Gory End. While much has changed in the three-plus decades since Cancer first blasted our eardrums, the band’s tried and true formula of making crushing Death Metal largely has not. To that point, Cancer’s latest release, Inverted World, proves the best aspects of Death Metal endure the proverbial “test of time” despite the criticism of doubters and the passing of various trends.
Combining a primarily mid-paced, riff oriented approach augmented by occasional blast beats, Inverted World is a straight-forward and powerful album that hold’s up well in today’s era. Opening with the aptly named ‘Enter the Gates’, Inverted World comes chugging right out with the single-minded determination of a Sherman tank. As with previous Cancer albums, Inverted World is a merciless sledgehammer of an album that doesn’t rely on flowery intros, keyboards, acoustic guitars, or sound effects to make it work. Each individual track is well written, cohesive, and memorable on it’s own, without superfluous instrumentation. And with it’s chugging riffs, frenzied solo, thundering percussion and ominous vocals, ‘Enter the Gates’ embodies the blueprint for the tracks that follow.
More sonic punishment follows with the equally unforgiving ‘Until They Died’ as earth shaking drum work accompanied by a relentless assault of guitar and bass rain destruction down upon the listener like brimstone from the heavens. As with the other tracks on Inverted World, the sync between guitars, bass and drums is undeniably tight and John Walker’s vocals, while growled, are clear and comprehensible.
The standout of Inverted World is, by far, the brilliant and alarming track, ‘39 Bodies’. Lyrically inspired by the Heaven’s Gate cult, ‘39 Bodies’ is a chilling look into the horrors of cultism and the predatory nature of their maniacal founders. ‘39 Bodies’ also features some of the most attention grabbing guitar work on the entire album, which serves to enhance the dark subject matter and the genius of the lyrics. ‘39 Bodies’ is a truly unique masterpiece in and of itself, and should find itself on the playlists of Death Metal fans everywhere. It’s definitely worthy of being a single.
Following up a track such as ‘39 Bodies’ could not have been easy, but Cancer managed to accomplish the feat with the equally unsettling number, ‘Test Site’. While stylistically different from the previous track, ‘Test Site’ also features catchy riffing, super tight drum work, and horrifying subject matter. As one would expect from the name, the lyrics of ‘Test Site’ center on the “Trinity” project; the detonation of the first atomic weapon in New Mexico in 1945. Musically, ‘Test Site’ is quite varied, ranging from a frenzied, up-tempo beginning to a thunderous conclusion. It’s a great track that hopefully won’t be lost in the deep cuts of the band’s catalog.
The first single from Inverted World is ‘Amputate’. A solid choice, as stylistically it’s probably the most typically Cancer sounding song on the album to longtime fans. While not necessarily breaking new ground on this one, ‘Amputate’ is also a good starting point for new Metalheads who may yet be unfamiliar with the band. No need to reinvent the wheel. Cancer have a specific sound that continues to work for them to this day.
Inverted World closes out with ‘Corrosive’, a crushing throwback to the band’s early ‘90s roots. With it’s bass guitar intro and hard stomping groove, ‘Corrosive’ is a track that is simply made to be played live. This one should be a mainstay in the band’s live set for years to come. One simply can’t listen to ‘Corrosive’ and not bang his head along to it. This track is destined to be a crowd pleaser.
Overall, Inverted World is a steam roller of an album; a triumphant return to Death Metal’s formative years when every band put their stamp on the genre and every album was a new discovery. Cancer have certainly lived up to their enduring legacy with this latest release. Inverted World will no doubt be enjoyed by fans old and new alike.
Inverted World is set for release 4/25/25 via Peaceville Records