Centuries of Torment: The First 20 Years
Cannibal Corpse · 2008
418 min · 58 tracks · death metal
A relentless barrage of guttural growls and intricate guitar riffs, embodying the extremities of death metal's most visceral themes.
Top tracks — play these first
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Eaten Back to Life Start here — This track serves as a pivotal representation of Cannibal Corpse's early sound, blending ferocious energy with haunting melodies that set the tone for their career.
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Hammer Smashed Face — As one of the band's most recognizable tracks, it epitomizes their signature style with its heavy riffs and aggressive tempo, becoming a staple in death metal playlists.
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The Time to Kill Is Now — This song captures the essence of Cannibal Corpse’s later work, showcasing evolved songwriting while maintaining their raw intensity that fans expect.
Elevation
Our rating, out of 100 — and why.
AI-generated from five scored dimensions. An opinion, not a measurement.
The album showcases Cannibal Corpse's signature sound but lacks significant innovation or cohesion across its extensive tracklist.
What we noticed
- The album features a continuous flow of tracks with relentless tempos, rarely dropping below fast-paced drumming and aggressive guitar riffs.
- Vocals are predominantly growled with occasional high-pitched shrieks, maintaining a consistent intensity throughout the majority of the record.
- Many tracks incorporate abrupt tempo changes, often transitioning from blast beats to slower, heavier sections, creating dynamic contrasts within individual songs.
- Composition 25% of the score
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6/10
- Craft 20% of the score
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7/10
- Durability 25% of the score
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5/10
- Distinctiveness 18% of the score
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6/10
- Sequencing 12% of the score
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4/10
the writing — melody, harmony, structure, lyrics
production, performance, arrangement
whether it rewards returning to it
whether it sounds like itself
running order, pacing, length
Known within its scene. Reported but not counted — how far a record travelled describes its reception rather than the record, and a newer release has had less time to travel than an older one.
Is this for you?
Good fit if you like
- grueling marathon of intensity
- cathartic release through chaos
- demanding focus for full experience
- uncompromising exploration of extremes
- headphone detail hunting for nuances
Maybe skip if you
- prefer concise, standalone tracks
- seek immediate gratification
Where this album fits
- In the catalog
- Deep Cut — A compilation celebrating the band's legacy, appealing to dedicated fans.
- Themes
- gore-filled narratives· extreme metal evolution· death metal legacy
- Career context
- Released in 2008, Centuries of Torment: The First 20 Years comes at a time when Cannibal Corpse had solidified their status as death metal pioneers, following their previous album Kill in 2006. This compilation reflects two decades of pushing boundaries in extreme music, showcasing their evolution and resilience within the genre.
- Stylistic neighbors
- Deicide· Obituary· Dying Fetus
Moments worth listening for
Where the writing does something specific.
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Stripped, Raped and Strangled
The verse culminates in a shocking narrative shift where the perspective changes from passive observation to direct confrontation with violence.
This structural choice amplifies the horror elements, forcing listeners to engage more deeply with the disturbing themes rather than remaining detached.
Tracklist
Disc 1
- 1 Intro 14:35
- 2 Demo 24:27
- 3 Eaten Back to Life Start here 11:18
- 4 Butchered at Birth 16:47
- 5 Tomb of the Mutilated 19:46
- 6 The Bleeding 22:52
- 7 Vile 14:04
- 8 Gallery of Suicide 4:00
- 9 Bloodthirst 1:55
- 10 Gore Obsessed / The Wretched Spawn 13:41
- 11 Kill 31:26
Disc 2
- 1 Unleashing the Bloodthirsty 4:27
- 2 Murder Worship 4:04
- 3 Disposal of the Body 2:10
- 4 The Time to Kill Is Now 2:20
- 5 Disfigured 3:27
- 6 Death Walking Terror 3:49
- 7 Covered With Sores 3:55
- 8 Born in a Casket 3:23
- 9 I Cum Blood 4:19
- 10 Decency Defied 3:37
- 11 Make Them Suffer 3:18
- 12 Dormant Bodies Bursting 2:36
- 13 Five Nails Through the Neck 3:57
- 14 Devoured by Vermin 4:43
- 15 Hammer Smashed Face 4:30
- 16 Stripped, Raped and Strangled 4:44
- 17 Puncture Wound Massacre 2:29
- 18 Sentenced to Burn 3:31
- 19 Fucked With a Knife 3:02
- 20 Psychotic Precision 3:25
- 21 Pulverized 3:30
- 22 Pounded Into Dust 2:19
- 23 The Wretched Spawn 4:14
- 24 The Spine Slitter 3:36
- 25 Dead Human Collection 2:51
- 26 Mummified in Barbed Wire 3:40
- 27 Entrails Ripped From a Virgin's Cunt 4:41
- 28 Pulverized 3:39
- 29 Shredded Humans 5:10
- 30 Rotting Head 2:50
- 31 Staring Through the Eyes of the Dead 3:29
- 32 Devoured by Vermin 3:12
- 33 Sentenced to Burn 3:06
- 34 Decency Defied 3:04
- 35 Make Them Suffer 2:50
- 36 Death Walking Terror 3:52
- 37 Stripped, Raped and Strangled 2007 4:34
Disc 3
- 1 Compelled to Illustrate 10:55
- 2 Every Ban Broken 9:58
- 3 Covered With Ink 1:34
- 4 Maniacal Merch 2:40
- 5 Relentless Touring 29:10
- 6 Word Infested 9:04
- 7 Sickening Metalocalypse 3:44
- 8 Diverse Offerings 6:17
- 9 Staring Through the Eyes of the Band 32:26
- 10 Kill Crane 4:58
What to play next
Evisceration Plague
2009
Continues the aggressive sound while introducing fresh elements in composition.
Kill
2006
Sets a similar intense atmosphere leading into the relentless energy of Centuries of Torment.
If this landed
Records by other artists that run on the same instinct.
Reference: Wikipedia · MusicBrainz · Wikidata
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