The time: end of the eighties, beginning of the nineties. The context: Death
metal is spreading blood, guts, growls, violence and creativity, virtuosity.
The place: the
Morrisound studio,
Tampa, Florida, where Death added unforgettable parts to the metal legend.
The same place where Obituary recorded ‘Slowly We Rot’ (89),
Deicide and Iced Earth their eponymous first album (90),
Napalm Death ‘Harmony
Corruption’ (90),
Morbid Angel
‘Blessed Are the Sick’ (91), Pestilence ‘Testimony of the Ancients’ (91),
Sepultura ‘Arise’ (91), Cynic ‘Focus’ (93), Loudblast ‘Sublime Dementia’ (93),
where Coroner ‘Grin’ (93) was mixed … feel free to complement this list.
‘Death Shall Rise’ (91) brings some good memories to me. The first notes of
‘Hung, Drawn and Quartered’ or ‘Back from the Dead’ are craved in my mind, as
the Cancer show in London at the Marquee Club in March 1992, meeting the drummer
Carl Stokes.
After a cult ‘To the Gory End’, Cancer gets the opportunity to take a step
forward. Produced by Scott Burns, the sound is typical from the time and the
place, especially the drums.
James Murphy who rose to fame by playing on Death ‘Spiritual Healing’ (90) and
Obituary ‘Cause of Death’ (90) is in charge of the lead guitar. Murphy brings a
superb and melodic touch which goes perfectly with John Walker’s solid,
efficient and often catchy riffs.
I
am not forgetting the quality of the bridges and more generally of the songs’
structure.
John Walker growls also well with… a clear diction. Maybe it is the British
accent, but you do not need to read the lyrics to understand the words. It does
not happen that often…
For the record, Glenn Benton screams the refrain ‘Hung, Drawn and Quartered’:
short but memorable guest vocals.
This reissue, with two live bonus tracks, by
Cyclone Empire is an
excellent idea. ‘To the Gory End’ (90) and ‘The Sins of Mankind’ (94) are also
re-released.
Cancer has already had some reunion shows in 2014, in May at
home at The Haygate, Telford, England, then at Neurotic Deathfest, Tilburg,
Netherlands, at Maryland Deathfest, Baltimore, USA, and in July at
Hell's Pleasure, Pößneck,
Germany.
‘Death
Shall Rise’ did not change my life like ‘Human’, ‘Grin’ or ‘Focus’ did,
but I still have a kind of affection for this record. You can really enjoy it in
2014. Do not hesitate.
