English death metallers bathing in cult prestige, Cancer, descended into slumber back in mid-90s, but returned a decade after for this comeback release and a full length platter. Then again, the demise befell on them...

1995 album 'Black Faith' heavily strayed away from death metal, but managed to sound a fucking original piece of metal anyways. On 'Corporation$', the band managed to present two new songs. The first one, 'Oil', took Cancer into more machiney territories. Beginning with annoying "mecca mass", the song includes some dirty low-tuned death metal guitars, but absolutely inapt drum machine beat. Vocals are in vein of 'Black Faith', meaning non-growled voice, and guitars also travel into Killing Joke style open chords. This is more Ministry than Cancer, if you ask me... The song itself isn't that shit at all, but I think the drum machine is totally not suitable with other elements! Well, I didn't expect anything from new Cancer anyways.

Bad-ass studio live version of 'Witch Hunt' with Carl "Smokes" Stokes on drums is the next one. Great! Well, the sound is still very unbalanced, but who cares?! Now, this is closer to what Cancer was all about. Another studio live cut 'Dethroned Emperor' is a good live cover of classic Celtic Frost song. But then comes 'Oxygen Thieves (Don't Breathe My Air Remix)' (the second newbie) and as you probably quess by its title, it's time for some machine-polluted stuff! Not a very good song from any point of view, I'm afraid. It's pretty boring, and this thing was made far more better (if you can put it that way, hehe) a decade ago. But the torture ain't over yet, because the remix version of 'Oil' is much, much worse than 'Oxygen Thieves...'. Total fuckig crap!!! That's what you're gonna get when old metal musician goes techno or whatever genre this shit is.

Thanks to 'Corporation$', I never got the final Cancer album 'Spirit in Flames' (2005). You think I'm close-minded? No I'm not, I just don't like this new Cancer thank you, and didn't bother to check out that last release! This mini album stinks. And the cover art is very bad, too. If you have huge coprolagnia, then you might want to check this shit out!!!

Rating: 2½ (out of 10) ratings explained

Reviewed by Lane
02/08/2008 08:55