# Kill (Cannibal Corpse album)

Kill is the tenth studio album by American death metal band Cannibal Corpse, released on March 21, 2006, through Metal Blade Records. This release marks the return of guitarist Rob Barrett, who had previously played on The Bleeding and Vile. The European version of the album comes with a live DVD filmed in Strasbourg in 2004 called Hammer Smashed Laiterie. The album was produced at Mana Recording Studios by Hate Eternal and future Cannibal Corpse guitarist Erik Rutan. It is also the first album in which the band tuned down to G♯ standard.
Music videos were produced for the tracks "Make Them Suffer" and "Death Walking Terror".
In the week following its release, Kill became the second Cannibal Corpse album to make an appearance on the Billboard 200 chart, debuting at number 170. It is considered an essential album in the band's discography.

## Composition

Called "quintessential Cannibal Corpse," Kill has been described as having an "old school vibe," and was seen as a return to form for Cannibal Corpse, with a style similar to that of Vile. AllMusic likened the album to "a bloody hug from an old friend." About.com described the album's sound as "brutal, devastating death metal." Additionally, the album contains elements of speed metal. The songwriting and compositions on Kill are said to be "infinitely" more precise and technically proficient than on previous releases. The album's basslines have been described as "thick and gooey," and the guitar work has been described as "sickeningly crunchy." The guitar solos have been called "blistering" and "lacerating," and the chord progressions have been called "smart" and "lethal." The album's guitar riffs have been described as "devastating," and the harmonies between Pat O'Brien and Rob Barrett have been called "ominous." George Fisher's vocal performance on the album employs a combination of screams and growls, which have been described as sounding "psychotic." The album contains tempo changes that have been called "tricky," and Mazurkiewicz's drumming has been called "maniacal." The album's closing track "Infinite Misery" is an instrumental.

## Artwork

The album cover is notable for being the first Cannibal Corpse album to not feature explicit gore imagery. Alex Webster, in an interview, stated that they decided to have an album cover such as this because all the band members couldn't agree on a cover for the album. Also he stated that they wanted their fans to focus on their music and not to be distracted by a violent cover. He stated "this time they wanted to do something different." Kill is currently one of three of the band's albums to omit violent imagery on its cover to date.
The band recalled, "The original art that Vince [Locke] gave us was really cool, but we didn't think it would make the best cover. We decided to use it as interior art, and just have a simple band logo/album title type cover. The main focus of our band should be music anyway, so I don't think it's a big deal that the cover's not a blood soaked scene of carnage the way our others have been. This doesn't mean we won't have more bloody covers in the future though."

## Reception and legacy

Professional ratings :
| Review scores ||
| Source | Rating |
| About.com | |
| AllMusic | |
| Blabbermouth | 8.5/10 |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 8/10 |
| Metal Storm | 8.0/10 |
The album received positive reviews from critics. AllMusic gave it a 3.5 out of 5 rating, stating that "Kill doesn't break any new ground for the veteran sickos, but if it ain't broke don't fix it -- just turn it up louder", while also commenting that the songs are "13 aural assaults that will be welcomed by fans with open mouths"; About.com gave the album a 4.5 out of 5 rating.
Kill was considered a "turning point" in the band's career. Denise Falzon of Exclaim! wrote, "After releasing a series of arguably mediocre albums that lacked the vigour and intensity of their early efforts, the band were joined once again by guitarist Rob Barrett for his first record with Cannibal Corpse in ten years. Coupled with production by Hate Eternal's Erik Rutan, the results were remarkable." Greg Pratt of Exclaim! wrote, "Everything about this album was right: maybe it was the timing, maybe it was that a lot of people who got into Cannibal Corpse as 15-year-olds were just ready for a perfect, solid death metal album from Cannibal at this point. Whatever it was, the band were firing on all cylinders, crafting a perfect example of few-frills Floridian death metal with just enough technicality to shut up anyone who considers complaining."
In 2018, Kill was inducted into Decibel Magazine's Hall of Fame via a special Cannibal Corpse issue. Metal Hammer placed Kill at number 37 on its list of "The 50 best death metal albums ever", calling it as the band's finest album.

## Personnel

Writing, performance and production credits are adapted from the album liner notes.

### Cannibal Corpse

* George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher – vocals
* Pat O'Brien – guitar
* Rob Barrett – guitar
* Alex Webster – bass
* Paul Mazurkiewicz – drums

### Additional musicians

* Erik Rutan – backing vocals on "The Time to Kill Is Now"

### Production

* Erik Rutan – production, engineering, mixing
* Shawn Ohtani – additional engineering
* Alan Douches – mastering

### Artwork and design

* Vincent Locke – cover art
* Brian Ames – design
* Alex Solca – photography

### Studios

* Mana Recording Studios, St. Petersburg, FL, USA – recording, mixing
* West Westside Music – mastering

## Charts

| Chart | Peak position |
| French Albums (SNEP) | 187 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) | 59 |
| US Billboard 200 | 170 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard) | 16 |
| US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard) | 6 |