Band:	Cattle Decapitation
Album:	Monolith Of Inhumanity
Style:	Deathgrind, Death metal, Grindcore
Release date:	May 2012

01. The Carbon Stampede [feat. The Cephalic Carnage Community Mens Choir]
02. Dead Set On Suicide
03. A Living, Breathing Piece Of Defecating Meat [feat. Lenzig Leal]
04. Forced Gender Reassignment
05. Gristle Licker
06. Projectile Ovulation [feat. Mike Majewski]
07. Lifestalker
08. Do Not Resuscitate
09. Your Disposal
10. The Monolith
11. Kingdom Of Tyrants

Cattle Decapitation have taken quite a few significant strides in becoming one of the leaders of the grindcore scene, from some early amateurish goregrind work to a more professional brand of grindcore to their current style of technically-driven deathgrind. That's a whole lot of fancy descriptors for a band that doesn't concern itself with being pigeonholed.

Monolith of Inhumanity is another major step forward for these veterans, propelling them further into the mainstream limelight shed upon them with the release of a much more mature, solidified work in The Harvest Floor. Of course, these releases aren't without their differences. Where its predecessor is more restricted in its approach - straightforward in comparison - this album is all over the place. Depending on your personal preference, this will either come across as a sloppy mess or a boundary-free foray into avant-grind territory.

Throughout the course of this album, the most apparent trait is the lack of flow. Songs differ completely from each other, at times focusing more on breakdowns or more on intricately woven tech-death melodies, while elements such as thrashy riffs or complicated vocal patterns are given more attention at other times. This makes for a truly dynamic listen that keeps the listener on their toes and maintains a labyrinthine layout. Assuming the audience is up for a challenge beyond listening to 30-second distorted riff-fests accompanied by relentless blastbeats, Monolith of Inhumanity should appeal to the band's current fanbase while opening their name up to a wide variety of newcomers who appreciate a more progressive, technical approach to extreme metal.

Now, before you walk away thinking this is going to be the Images and Words of grind, some cons need to be exposed - namely the vocals. Travis Ryan isn't exactly known for his clean melodious delivery, yet fans of the band will unfortunately have to endure some truly atrocious clean vocals (in addition to some questionable guest vocal input, although given their capacity, one can't help but feel these cameos are more humorous in nature than anything). He manages to perform some guttural growls, high-pitched squeals (of the non-Susian variety), and typical shrieking, however, so the vocal delivery isn't a complete annoyance. That being said, this album does require more effort to consume than your average Cattle Decapitation release, and this transition into more progressive territory will undoubtedly divide listeners like an ax through the neck.