Cattle Decapitation

The Harvest Floor

[3.5/5]

Cattle Decapitation have been on a mission to promote vegetarianism through death metal and grindcore since 1997. Subtlety hasn’t really been the band’s thing-the original cover of 2004’s Humanure, which depicted a cow defecating out a man, was banned. But their sound has evolved quite a bit from the 18 songs in 16 minutes of 1999’s Human Jerky EP to this disc, which features guest appearances from Jackie Perez Gratz (of Grayceon and Amber Asylum) and Jarboe (Swans). Lyrically and musically, The Harvest Floor is an impressive work of art. The downtuned guitar riffs, barked/growled/shrieked vocals and frantic drumming are as brutal as ever, but there’s a sophistication to every aspect of this album that wasn’t present on earlier efforts. The Harvest Floor doesn’t have the hooks of, say, Carcass’ Heartwork, but it’s a mature effort. (METAL BLADE; metalblade.com) Phil Freeman