If we’re to talk about the most influential, impactful, and unyielding bands that have come about in the vast realm of death metal since the turn of the century, Cattle Decapitation has long stood as a name that more than qualifies as such and demands more than just respect whenever their name is uttered. Even if they never strayed from their roots in order to keep an utterly voracious brand of grind as their main product, I have no doubt that Cattle Decapitation would still be widely revered, but that’s a talk for a different reality as it has been for the last eleven years and three albums that we’ve seen the band tweak their sound to something on an entirely differnet level. For years now, this has never been a band to fuck with as it was every subsequent album that showed us time and again just how monolithic of an act this was. Many may have their own preferences as to what’s the band’s greatest work to date, but none can deny the sheer power of each work in their entirety. Now, four years since “Death Atlas”, they’ve returned to us with another onslaught that is nigh on befitting a name like Cattle Decapitation.

Immediately, a creation like this demands fanfare. For some time now, Cattle Decapitation has been one of the biggest names in the world of death metal with their last three efforts particularly what have drawn many in, myself included. Thus, it’s such that the path forward is scorched as it is behind us, but how this band would take the next step after a work like “Death Atlas” is anybody’s guess, but the reality of “Terrasite” makes me wonder just how we could have gone anywhere else after witnessing the sheer horrific wonders of the ten tracks that make up Cattle Decapitation’s tenth offensive upon humanity. The constant evolution of a band like this is always something to behold for all that are lucky enough to bear witness to such greatness, and much like the hideous creature that sees mankind evolving as it continues to bastardize the Earth, “Terrasite” takes Cattle Decapitation further into the flames. Doubling down on the ambient cues and themes that were laid forth in its predecessors, “Terrasite” sees the band explore territory that’s still as haunting, viciously heavy, and undeniably capturing as what we’ve come to expect from the band at this point.

While the core of Cattle Decapitation is still very much intact, the concept of rebirth and evolution are constantly present in these tens tracks as the riffs, the atmospheres, and the lyrics of the album drive us further into such a post-cataclysmic world the likes of which only human hands are capable of bringing about in such an abominable form. Still as much as a personal statement for Cattle Decapitation as much as it is a rallying cry to save the planet before its too late, “Terrasite” stands as an obvious banner for one of the year’s best and most compelling creations without having to even think about it. This is an album that demands multiple listens in order to fully absorb all that is put on the table. It is undeniably tempting to try and compare this album to its predecessors, but that is to do great injustice upon both the band and the work itself. Each is a statement that has its own horrors and messages even if they all stem from the same sources of despair for the planet and hatred for the plague it inhabits, yet it is this newest wave that demands to be heralded in under its own merits rather than some paltry aftershock. Rather, “Terrasite” is a worldwide earthquake whose power cannot be ignored, denied, or underestimated.

Whether it’s the unbridled rage, stretches of undeniable melody that more than tie everything together in tremendous form, or the harrowing contrast that continues to broaden what is possible for Cattle Decapitation, “Terrasite” rises from the charred soil to present us with a visage that is as powerful it is timely, purposeful, and utterly merciless. No one is safe before the power of the terrasite, for that is our gruesome fate should we not heed the warnings.

“Terrasite” releases on May 12th via Metal Blade Records!

LISTEN to singles from “Terrasite” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Cattle Decapitation on Facebook here.