Band:	Cancer
Album:	To The Gory End
Style:	Death metal, Thrash metal
Release date:	May 1990

01. Blood Bath
02. C.F.C. (Cancer Fucking Cancer)
03. Witchhunt
04. Into The Acid
05. Imminent Catastrophe
06. To The Gory End
07. Body Count
08. Sentenced To Gallows
09. Die, Die

England is arguably the country that pioneered heavy metal. Some of the genre's most loved and praised acts hail from there, including ones of the death metal subgenre. But as is with any country or a certain region, there are many lesser known bands out there. Cancer is one of them, debuting with their 1990 release To The Gory End.

Okay, first, let me begin by saying that this album doesn't aim to break new grounds or innovate. It's here to provide a raw and powerful death metal experience and it definitely achieves its goal. The guitar tone is crunchy and fierce, and there are good riffs to be heard here. The general tempo of the album is mid-paced, but there are plenty of fast breaks as well, including some nice, distorted solos. The drums are always pummeling and filled with energy, but they don't bombard you with blast beats like in many other death metal albums, there's some nice use of the kick drum. The bass, although not always audible, is generally coherent with the flow of the music. The vocals are sick and raspy, somewhat comparable to those of Carcass. Also be aware of the thrash elements in the music, which go well and were present in earlier death metal.

Standout tracks are "Blood Bath" (nice solo and riffs), "C.F.C. (Cancer Fucking Cancer)" (probably the band's signature song and the best track here, simply energetic), "Witch Hunt" (catchy riffs and probably the best solo), "Into The Acid" (heh, same as the latter with a quick devastating solo), "Imminent Catastrophe" (the longest track, nice tempo changes and riffs), the title track "To The Gory End" (though not the best, it's fairly good) and "Die Die" (nice chorus, overall valid). The other two tracks are decent (especially "Body Count"), but not as noteworthy.

I guess you have to like the genre to appreciate the album to its fullest, otherwise it may not be particularly appealing to you. But for fans of old school death and early Death (including Mantas), I think this'll have a nice place in your album collection.