Cannibal Corpse Albums Ranked (rated from worst to best)

Cannibal Corpse are an American death metal band who were formed in Buffalo, New York in 1988. They are now based in Tampa, Florida and they gathered a cult-like following on the release of their early albums. The only original band members left are Alex Webster (bass) and Paul Mazurkiewicz (drums).

They were inspired originally by thrash metal bands like Metallica, Dark Angel, Slayer and Sacrifice, and death metal bands like Possessed, Morbid Angel, Death and Autopsy. Over the years Cannibal Corpse have been banned from performing or selling any of their albums in countries including Russia and Germany.

Best Cannibal Corpse Albums Of All Time

Cannibal Corpse have released 15 studio albums and as always we’ll rank them from the rest to the best as we see them. We can honestly say there are no bad Cannibal Corpse albums, just some are better than others, so here goes.

15. Evisceration Plague (2009)

This was their 11th album and it’s not a bad album by any stretch of the imagination. As we said earlier, there are no bad Cannibal Corpse albums. However this one sounds almost too predictable. The album produced the title track which is a mainstay during their live shows which to us, is its saving grace.

14. Red Before Black (2017)

This was their 14th studio album and their last with Pat O’Brien on guitar. He was replaced in 2021 by Erik Rutan. The band set out to create an album utilising slower doom elements and they managed that in a few songs but it just feels weak. There are a few great hooks in some of the tracks but overall, not their best work ever.

13. Vile (1996)

This was their 5th studio album and their first with George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher. It’s also their last with guitarist Rob Barrett until “Kill” (2006) as well as being the first album the band ever played at a lower tuning. An album of firsts, it’s also the first ever death metal album to appear on the Billboard 200 chart, it debuted at number 151.

12. Eaten Back to Life (1990)

This was Cannibal Corpse’s debut album which was released on August 17th 1990. On release, the album was banned in Germany and other countries due to the album cover and the lyrics. This album showed plenty of potential and a glimpse of what they were to become. Stand out track for us is “A Skull Full of Maggots”.

11. Butchered at Birth (1991)

This was their 2nd studio album and it marked their credentials as a death metal band. Their debut had been slightly too influenced by thrash metal but “Butchered at Birth” changed all that. This was the first album to feature Chris Barnes’s lower voice with its almost inhuman growl and grunting.

10. The Wretched Spawn (2004)

This was their last album to feature Jack Owen who was one of the founding members of the band. This is one of their more technical albums and includes some pretty intense guitar playing. If there can be any criticism, it has to be with the songwriting. Stand out track for us, “Decency Defiled”.

9. A Skeletal Domain (2014)

This was their 13th studio album and also their most successful on the charts. “A Skeletal Domain” entered the Billboard 200 chart at number 32 which is their highest charting album so far. They pretty much got it all right with this one. We especially like “Kill Or Become”.

8. Gallery of Suicide (1998)

This was their 6th studio album and their first to feature guitarist Pat O’Brien. This album found George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher in great form. The highs and lows are brutally gruesome in a really great way. Stand out track for us is “I Will Kill You”.

7. Torture (2012)

This was their 12th studio album which entered the Billboard 200 chart at number 38 on its release on March 13th 2012. Another great Cannibal Corpse album, “Torture” deserves a higher position in our ranking if it wasn’t for the better material to come. It’s an album that will definitely give you earworms with tracks like “As Deep As The Knife Will Go” and “Scourge Of Iron”. It feels like the band got it all together for this one.

6. Violence Unimagined (2021)

This is their 15th studio album and their first in 4 years. It appears that the pandemic did Cannibal Corpse a good turn, giving them a well needed break from touring. The band sounds tighter, more together and everything about this album screams success. The guitar, vocals, and even the drums sound better.

5. The Bleeding (1994)

This was the last album to feature Chris Barnes and the first to feature Rob Barrett. It was also the band’s most successful album to date selling more than 98,300 copies in the US alone. The music video for the track “Staring Through The Eyes Of The Dead” was featured on an episode of Beavis and Butthead. Another great Cannibal Corpse album, classic 90s death metal.

4. Tomb of the Mutilated (1992)

This is their 3rd studio album and their last to feature the full original lineup (Bob Rusay was fired after the release of this album). This album was banned in Germany due to its violent album cover and extreme lyrics. This is the album that contains Cannibal Corpse’s signature song, “Hammer Smashed Face” which was used during their cameo appearance in the film “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective”.

3. Bloodthirst (1999)

This was their 7th studio album and one of their best. George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher does a great job on the vocals reaching the highs and lows which really stand out. Best track for us is “Pounded Into Dust”. 

2. Gore Obsessed (2002)

This was their 8th studio album and one of their best, sadly underrated by many because it was released at a time when bands like “Soilwork”, “Engage” and “Killswitch” were getting all the attention. Unless you’re a true Cannibal Corpse fan, you’ll probably not know this album but see the band live and you’ll almost always hear “Hatchet to the Head”, a live show staple.

1. Kill (2006)

This was their 10th studio album which was released on March 21st 2006 and marks the return of guitarist Rob Barrett. It is also the first album that the band tuned down to G# tuning. This is the most perfect death metal album ever produced. Not just by Cannibal Corpse, by anyone. With tracks like “Death Walking Terror”, “The Time To Kill” and “Necrosadistic Warning” what’s not to like? We’ve made it our number 1 and we guarantee if you are a Cannibal Corpse fan you’ll be enthralled by this album too.

All Cannibal Corpse Albums In Chronological Order

Album	Date
Eaten Back to Life	1990
Butchered at Birth	1991
Tomb of the Mutilated	1992
The Bleeding	1994
Vile	1996
Gallery of Suicide	1998
Bloodthirst	1999
Gore Obsessed	2002
The Wretched Spawn	2004
Kill	2006
Evisceration Plague	2009
Torture	2012
A Skeletal Domain	2014
Red Before Black	2017
Violence Unimagined	2021

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