Review
Cannabis Corpse
Beneath Grow Lights Thou Shalt Rise

You may think you know everything there is to know about Cannabis Corpse. Which is two things (maybe three if you're into Municipal Waste - as they share Philip "Landphil" Hall in common).They love Cannabis And Cannibal Corpse. Whilst these two statements are more than true, Cannabis Corpse are a damn fine band in their own right and Beneath Grow Lights Thou Shalt Rise should firmly cement their standing in the death metal arena. You may think that Cannabis Corpse are a bit of a joke, but this is serious business, and their first full length release since 2008's Tube Of The Resinated is an absolute beast of a record. Cannabis Corpse do what they do best. Slay. And get high.

Things kick off with "Visions From The Dank Side," a cool little intro featuring a hospital monitor beeping and some eerie screaming. Look to the cover art for a clue as to what this all could mean ! First track proper is "Lunatic Of Pot's Creation." The musicianship on show here is tight, the guitars crunching and the vocals ripping. Deeper than the Mariana Trench and almost as bottomless.

Beneath Grow Lights Thou Shalt Rise is a short, punchy album. Packing in as many fat riffs as humanly possible and as much insane drum work as your ears can handle in a twelve track, thirty six minute run time. This is an accomplished band and whilst their song titles might be giggle inducing, the lyrics a little bit silly, there's some real meaning behind them if you scratch beneath the surface. Tales of weed induced paranoia, living for the high, swearing some kind of heady allegiance to cannabis and it's paraphernalia. It may be a little more incisive than you realise.

"Blaze Of Torment" is likely to be the highlight of this album. Staggeringly fast blast beats pound you about the head, a scream in the middle section (and again in the closing seconds) you can barely believe comes from the same larynx as the gut punching growl heard in most tracks here, and the most technically proficient guitar work this side of genre legends and inspiration Cannibal Corpse themselves.

The final, and title track "Beneath The Grow Lights Thou Shalt Rise" is a catchy number. Initially pummeling you into complete submission, all wailing guitars and growls, it suddenly breaks and it's all you can do not to get up and throw yourself around like a madman. Albeit one that's somewhat impeded by their drug of choice. It's laden with groove, and just enough swagger to get your head nodding like there's no tomorrow.

This is a ridiculously fun album. All joking and parody aside, Cannabis Corpse can lay waste to any of the more "serious" death metal bands out there with hardly a look back at the trail of destruction left in their haze filled wake.