There are very few people as ubiquitous to Death Metal than George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher. Longtime vocalist of Tampa/NY death metal flagbearers Cannibal Corpse, Corpsegrinder is a household name among fans of any kind of extreme metal. He has also spent time fronting Serpentine Dominion with Killswitch Engage’s guitarist Adam D., and Paths of Possession. 2022 sees Fisher’s first foray into solo music creation, under his eponym, with his debut, self-titled Corpsegrinder.

Corpsegrinder is a passion project from the Cannibal Corpse vocalist and Hatebreed’s Jamey Jasta, and the latter’s hardcore influences are immediately apparent on the runtime of this record. There are hardcore chugs and breakdowns strewn all over the record, albeit with a “death metal” sound owing to the chosen production values. Among the more straightforward “death metal” tracks is the album opener, and released single “Acid Vat” featuring Hate Eternal/Cannibal Corpse guitarist Erik Rutan who is another industry giant. His death metal chops are clear on “Acid Vat” making it among the most aggressive and techy tracks on the record. Many would-be hard-pressed to discern “Acid Vat” from a track in the Cannibal Corpse discography. Other tracks like “All Souls Get Torn” and album closer “Vaguely Human” (along with some handy black metal minor chord work) also have quicker traditional Corpse-esque guitar riffs.

The hardcore elements become immediately apparent on tracks like “Bottom Dweller” and “Death is the Only Key” Eschewing traditional modern death metal guitar work for hardcore staccato chugs, with some sections (the breakdown on “Master of the Longest Night”) careening perilously close to deathcore. But the DxC-haters need not be alarmed as none of the tracks make that transition, mostly owing to Corpsegrinder’s choice of vocal pitch and timber which colors even the core-est instrumentation in a more traditional death metal light. “Crimson Proof” and  “Devourer of Souls” even go as far as to nod in a more melodeath direction, keeping things fresh on what would have been a largely predictable record.

We cannot proceed to review a vocalist’s solo project without commenting on the vocals themselves, yet Fisher brings little to nothing new to Corpsegrinder. This isn’t to say that Corpsegrinder the artist does not have the most recognizable vocal style in the business, but he brings nothing new to the classic Cannibal Corpse growls in terms of pitch, cadence, or timbre, with his solo work. This could have been an opportunity for him to try out different vocal styles (not clean vocals, obviously!) in a space separate from his main band(s), and seems like a huge opportunity lost. It would have been fun to have Jasta’s hardcore bark add variety to the tracks. Other vocal/instrumentation features would have also elevated this record and made it truly special, seeing how Rutan’s contribution skyrocketed “Acid Vat” to the power track of the record.

Author’s Note: There is little to no information regarding the other musicians that contributed to the writing of this record other than the names mentioned and Producer Nick Bellmore (of Dee Snider and Kingdom of Sorrow fame).

In a particular point of praise, the production on Corpsegrinder is probably among the best in recent memory. The guitars and drums are punchy yet pristine, and the bass gets plenty of headroom to breathe, while not taking away from the vocal layers, which is the obvious focus on a record like this. In contrast, the album cover comes across as overtly cheesy. However, this may have been intentional, as an oversized cartoon version of Corpsegrinder crushing hordes of zombies is perfectly in-sync with the vibe of the record.

Unfortunately, Corpsegrinder does not break new ground in any meaningful way, nor does it excite any grizzled death metal, hardcore, or thrash metal veteran, meriting anything more than a passing listens or two. While a fun romp and what is clearly a passion project borne of friends coming together across subgenres out of mutual respect, the idea that Corpsegrinder will have any lasting impact is doubtful.

At the end of the day, it seems apparent that Corpsegrinder is a fun project from two genre titans, and by that metric, it is an enjoyable ride. As far as a serious foray into death metal, hardcore, or thrash metal, it is quite middling in its proficiency and falls behind many of the veteran bands in each of those genres.