Cannibal Corpse: Uncensored Covers
Can you remember the last time you heard Cannibal Corpse on the radio? What about on MTV? This is a band that gets zero mainstream support but is one of the highest selling death metal bands in the world.
Cannibal Corpse’s covers, while not exactly the best examples of good taste or typography have become an important part to the bands image. Fans expect the cover artwork to be as raw and confronting as their sound and lyrics. Extreme sells and Cannibal Corpse has been working this angle for over 15 years.
After watching Metal: A Headbangers Journey last night I was surprised to see that almost every one of Cannibal Corpses album covers had been censored and alternate covers produced. As vocalist George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher explains in Metal; “it’s art, just look at it as art. Yeah, it’s disgusting…but go to the Vatican and look at some of the art there. That’s real, that’s representing something that’s real, that could happen. This [artwork], you know, that’s never going to happen…monsters aren’t going to rip out of people’s bodies anytime soon.”
If the cover doesn’t shock you then the band hasn’t done their job properly.
I now present to you the complete discography of Cannibal Corpse, in order, with alternate/censored covers for your enjoyment. If you’re eating you might want to finish it before scrolling further down.
| Eaten Back To Life: 1990
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 You can’t walk past an album cover like that and even the title itself is pure gold. |
| Butchered at Birth: 1991
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| Tomb of the Mutilated: 1992
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 Cannibal Corpse’s first alternate cover to feature artwork. Also the introduction of the Parental Advisory label standard. |
| Hammer Smashed Face: 1993
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 This was just an EP but the band was featured in Ace Ventured Pet Detective playing this very song. It’s also probably the worst of all the covers and it’s hard to decide which one is worse. Again kudos for the great song titles. |
| The Bleeding: 1994
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 The most conceptual cover and it’s an censored one. Its a very tight crop of the man’s bleeding chest. |
| Vile: 1996
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 Nice and simple crop, some head and chest surgery and you have your alternate/censored cover. Cannibal Corpse also dropped their old logo for a slightly more refined version. |
| Gallery of Suicide: 1998
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 I actually prefer this censored cover but it doesn’t fit with the title of the album. |
| Bloodthirst: 1999
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 This is probably the most gory alternate/censored cover produced for CC. |
| Live Cannibalism: 2000
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 Another cropping effort. |
| Gore Obsessed: 2002
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 As a piece of art I feel the censored version is stronger. I guess CC don’t really wan to reply on their fans imagination for the covers. |
| Worm Infested: 2003
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| The Wretched Spawn: 2004
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Another copped alternate cover. I wonder if the artist himself suggest’s this or the band do this to save time and money. |
| Kill: 2006
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All props to Vince Locke the actual artist behind the horror cover art. The band has shown great loyalty by using him for all their covers.
And if you have never heard a Cannibal Corpse album then Youtube is the best way to experience them.
Here’s the lounge version of Rancid Amputation:
Here’s an unreleased film clip of their early days:
But seriously here is them performing Hammer Smashed Face live:
All these vidoes have over 500,000 views just showing the intrigue this band creates and the mainstream media void they experience.
The only other band I can think of that comes close to using controversy like Cannibal Corpse is GWAR. But they are a joke band right?
If you think censoring these covers are justifed then explain why Tool’s Undertow and Fat Boy Slim’s You’ve Come a Long Way Baby were censored. Do American’s hate the site of fat people?
The Mothers of Invention: Weasels Ripped My Flesh » Sleevage » Album Cover Blog. Music, Art, Design.:
[…] Can you imagine how she would have responded to the Cannibal Corpse albums. […]
# 10 Oct 07 at 12:21 am
Tomas:
Great compilation! I have never seen some of the uncensored covers, even though I’m a fan of the band. Lousy at surfing, huh?
A few reflections:
I bought my uncensored copy of Worm infested in a local record store in Sweden. So it’s not only available online.
My censored version of Gore Obssessed are similar to the first two albums. Just a slipcase with the logo over the actual cover.
I really like the uncensored cover of Vile, probably my favorite.
I also asked myself if they’ve succumbed to the pressure from censors with the release of Kill. That artwork sucks.
And aldso: great website!
# 14 Nov 07 at 7:36 am
daniel:
good job on your website,
everything was good except one thing i cant take seriously
in the videos section “the video of their early days” isnt really cannibal corpse. its just some video somebody made for comedic purpose
other than that good job
# 23 Dec 07 at 7:22 pm
Ash:
Hey Daniel,
it was a joke :)
# 24 Dec 07 at 1:17 pm
angel:
great! this compilation is good cc is one of the best bands of the world but in the aspect that they dont have much promo is kind of unlucky cuse the albums turn out to be hard to find in a world of “normal people”….. assholes!
# 06 Jan 08 at 6:07 am
Michael:
Very nicely done. I appreciate how Cannibal Corpse push the envelope on good taste while remaining intelligent and artistic. As for the more “stripped down” album covers, I like how they can work with a change of pace and image; the subtlety reminds us that one can still get a point across without being over the top.
Yes, I like the artwork for “Kill”, too.
# 02 Mar 08 at 12:56 pm
bob_hope:
the cover art for KILL was designed as it is because “they wanted their fans to focus on their music and not to be distracted by a gory cover”
and gwar is not a joke band, or really that controversial. they just wear goofy shit in their live shows, its more rock (metal?) oprea than anything. check out aeon or dying fetus’s old shit if u want controversy in ur lyrics.
# 06 Mar 08 at 1:04 pm
bob_hope:
also ur “censored” version of the bleeding is the original art work, the first first cover is the art work of the reissue.
# 06 Mar 08 at 1:06 pm
Joe:
Ive gotta say my favorite covers are from their earlyer days, like eaten back to life and butcherd at birth
# 29 Mar 08 at 11:42 pm
Miko:
The first two are the best, I think. Those staring faces are more disturbing than all the gore in the rest of the covers. And the cartoonish and less refined style goes well with the band’s monomaniacal output.
# 18 Apr 08 at 7:52 pm
pock:
great research. Man, should you believe that John Wayne Gacy JR’s actually might party in groups, these covers are intolerable to look at. The lyrics of these guys look like they’re written by Vogon Orcs, I couldn’t accuse them of intelligence (sorry fans).
# 21 Apr 08 at 6:43 pm
mekishikojin:
They can ban them in the wallmart but they can’t ban them in my iPod XD
# 17 May 08 at 11:55 am
ouxavbn,:
cannibal corpse wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooow
# 14 Jun 08 at 7:26 am
NOTordinary:
cc is one of my favourite bands.I hear them since I’m 13(now I’m 14)but its really hard to get an uncensored album especally here in germany
# 15 Jun 08 at 2:07 am
Jon:
Great compilation I just have one piece of criticism; the “KILL” cover was supposed to reflect what was on the album itself “Simple, technical brutality”. I have a poster of the inside piece on my wall by the way, which in concept is simple but it’s actually very detailed.
Also a complete version would have the 1989 demo cover, on which the band did their own artwork.
# 01 Jul 08 at 3:43 pm
jacob:
I love cannibal corpse they are fucking amazing!!!!!!! On that I love dying fetus what’s so controversial about their lyrics
# 05 Jul 08 at 7:11 pm
Warulver:
Woa!You did a great work!! Some cover was unkow to me o.O Thanx man! xD All Hail Cannibal Corpse!! All Hail Brutal Death!!
# 16 Jul 08 at 7:50 am
mark:
i love cannibal corpse and if i ever, EVER buy one of thier cds and its been censored or edited, i would seriosly go back to the store and slit thier fucking throats for fucking with cannibal corpse’s music
it wouldnt be cannibal corpse if they censored it.
you guys fucking rule!!!
# 07 Aug 08 at 2:41 am
DarkGexx:
I actualy like the last cover. It’s the best for me, ’cause I heard and love their music, that’s the important thing, not the covers. Anyway, censors are stupid. I don’t see anything wrong in the covers, that scenes will never happen (I hope so)…
# 18 Aug 08 at 8:55 am
sam:
I like the artwork to KILL :)
Gore Obsessed [censored] is my favourite art work.
# 03 Sep 08 at 5:49 am