Summary
The Anthropocene Extinction is the sixth studio album by American death metal band Cattle Decapitation. It was released on August 7, 2015, on Metal Blade Records.[2] It became Cattle Decapitation's first album to chart on the Billboard 200, debuting at No. 100 (No. 44 on "Top Albums").
| The Anthropocene Extinction | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 7, 2015 | |||
| Recorded | January–February 2015 | |||
| Studio | Flatline Audio, Westminster, CO | |||
| Genre | Technical death metal, deathgrind | |||
| Length | 46:14 | |||
| Label | Metal Blade | |||
| Producer | Dave Otero | |||
| Cattle Decapitation chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from The Anthropocene Extinction | ||||
| ||||
Lyrical concept edit
The previous record, Monolith of Inhumanity, dealt with the future of Earth, if mankind keeps its current style of life. The Anthropocene Extinction deals with the results of mankind's influence on the environment, such as the Great Pacific garbage patch.[2]
Critical reception edit
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 86/100[3] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| About.com |   [4] |
| Exclaim! | 9/10[5] |
| Metal Hammer | [6] |
| MetalSucks | [7] |
| Sputnikmusic | 3.1/5[8] |
| Ultimate Guitar | 8.7/10[9] |
The album received widespread acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic (a review aggregator site which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 from music critics), based on four critics, the album has received a score of 86/100, which indicates "universal acclaim". Reviews particularly praised Travis Ryan's vocal performance, with Exclaim! writing that "Littered throughout the wasteland of gurgling growls and shrill shrieks that fill The Anthropocene Extinction are the snarls that the vocalist experimented with on 2012's Monolith of Inhumanity, a sort of pseudo-singing that just might be more unsettling than his more traditional death metal scream, and which showcases his impressive range."
About.com praised the variety and songwriting on the album, praising the band's attention to detail: "Cattle Decapitation write albums, a quality that allows each song to fit within the entire grand vision. An interlude like 'The Burden of Seven Billion' may seem like filler, but its placement allows a reprise from a first half of life-draining potency. A similar claim follows the gloomy 'Ave Exitium', which follows in the vein of 'The Harvest Floor' and 'The Monolith' as a haunting intro to a momentous closer in 'Pacific Grim'."
Track listing edit
All lyrics are written by Travis Ryan; all music is composed by Cattle Decapitation
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Manufactured Extinct" | 4:40 |
| 2. | "The Prophets of Loss" | 4:07 |
| 3. | "Plagueborne" | 4:58 |
| 4. | "Clandestine Ways (Krokodil Rot)" | 4:34 |
| 5. | "Circo Inhumanitas" | 4:03 |
| 6. | "The Burden of Seven Billion" | 1:23 |
| 7. | "Mammals in Babylon" | 4:09 |
| 8. | "Mutual Assured Destruction" | 2:42 |
| 9. | "Not Suitable for Life" | 3:16 |
| 10. | "Apex Blasphemy" | 3:45 |
| 11. | "Ave Exitium" | 3:06 |
| 12. | "Pacific Grim" | 5:25 |
| Total length: | 46:14 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 13. | "No Light and No Life" | 3:24 |
| Total length: | 49:34 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Cannibalistic Invasivorism" | 4:00 |
| 14. | "No Light and No Life" | 3:24 |
| Total length: | 53:32 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Forced Gender Reassignment" (live at Party San 2012) | 3:46 |
| 2. | "Your Disposal" (live at Party San 2012) | 4:22 |
| 3. | "Lifestalker" (live at Party San 2012) | 4:14 |
| 4. | "Projectile Ovulation" (live at Party San 2012) | 3:40 |
| 5. | "Kingdom of Tyrants" (live at Party San 2012) | 4:33 |
| 6. | "Your Disposal" (music video) | 4:36 |
| 7. | "Kingdom of Tyrants" (music video, extended mini film version) | 9:00 |
| 8. | "Regret and the Grave" (music video) | 4:36 |
| 9. | "A Body Farm" (music video) | 5:33 |
| 10. | "Reduced to Paste" (music video) | 4:13 |
| 11. | "To Serve Man" (music video) | 3:10 |
| 12. | "Making of The Anthropocene Extinction" (studio report) | 15:50 |
| Total length: | 67:27 | |
Personnel edit
Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[10]
Cattle Decapitation
- Travis Ryan – vocals, keyboards, drums on "Ave Exitium"
- Josh Elmore – guitars
- Dave McGraw – drums
- Derek Engemann – bass, additional gang vocals on "The Prophets of Loss", keyboards and drums on "The Burden of Seven Billion"
Guest musicians
- Philip H. Anselmo – narration on "The Prophets of Loss"
Additional musicians
- Author & Punisher – intro of "Plagueborne"
- Jürgen Bartsch (Bethlehem) – spoken word on "Pacific Grim"
Production
- Dave Otero – production, mixing, mastering
- Shane Howard – engineering assistance
Artwork and design
- Wes Benscoter – album artwork, photo editing
- Brian Ames – album layout
- Sam Lanthrem – photography
- Denise Ryan – photography
- Zach Cordner – photography
- Travis Ryan – art direction, concept
Studio
- Flatline Audio, Westminster, Colorado – production, mixing, mastering
Charts edit
| Chart (2015) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[11] | 88 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC)[12] | 43 |
| UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[13] | 22 |
| US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[14] | 44 |
| US Billboard 200[15] | 100 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard)[16] | 5 |
| US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)[17] | 5 |
| US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[18] | 14 |
| US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[19] | 11 |
References edit
- ^ "Stream Cattle Decapitation's New Flexi Disc "Cannibalistic Invasivorism"". Decibel. September 5, 2019. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
- ^ a b Staff writer(s) (May 20, 2015). "CATTLE DECAPITATION To Release 'The Anthropocene Extinction' This August Via Metal Blade Records" (Press release). Metal Blade Records. Retrieved May 23, 2015.
- ^ The Anthropocene Extinction at Metacritic
- ^ Marsicano, Dan. "Cattle Decapitation - The Anthropocene Extinction Review". heavymetal.about.com. About.com. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
- ^ Zorgdrager, Bradley (August 5, 2015). "Cattle Decapitation The Anthropocene Extinction". exclaim.ca. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
- ^ Dare, Tom (July 21, 2015). "Cattle Decapitation: The Anthropocene Extinction". Metal Hammer. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
- ^ Rothmund, David Lee (August 7, 2015). "Album Review: The Extinction of Cattle Decapitation". MetalSucks. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
- ^ K., Elijah (August 12, 2015). "Review: Cattle Decapitation - The Anthropocene Extinction". www.sputnikmusic.com. Sputnikmusic. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
- ^ Quigley, Joseph (August 7, 2015). "The Anthropocene Extinction Review". Ultimate Guitar. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
- ^ The Anthropocene Extinction (liner notes). Cattle Decapitation. Metal Blade Records. 2015.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Cattle Decapitation – The Anthropocene Extinction" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts.
- ^ 14, 2015/131/ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company.
- ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company.
- ^ "Cattle Decapitation Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
- ^ "Cattle Decapitation Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
- ^ "Cattle Decapitation Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard.
- ^ "Cattle Decapitation Chart History (Top Hard Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
- ^ "Cattle Decapitation Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard.
- ^ "Cattle Decapitation Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard.
External links edit
- The Anthropocene Extinction at AllMusic
- The Anthropocene Extinction at Metal Blade