Editor’s note: For this blog’s first-ever review, I wanted to start off with a doozy from 2008. I know, I know… it’s a little dated now, but fuck it… it rules, and that’s all that matters.

Chris’ Review:

Although I can’t count myself among them, I have to think that this extensive video package is a treat for hardcore Cannibal Corpse fans. For the casual fan or uninitiated the documentary is entertaining, but three hours of interviews covering all things Cannibal Corpse is perhaps more than you need.

It may be hard to believe that the three-hour documentary, narrated entirely by interviews of dozens of people, leaves any stone unturned but I thought some subjects may have been a little light while many subjects were over detailed. For example, as legitimate of musicians as the fine young Cannibals were, I have to think much of the band’s early notoriety was owed to their offensive album covers and lyrics. Original singer and lyricist Chris Barnes gets credit for setting the standard for death metal gore, and it was even he alone who sought comic book artist Vince Locke to draw the dead babies and zombie porn record covers for their first three albums. These details were explained in the movie but no one, not even the execs at Metal Blade, admitted that these factors defined Cannibal Corpse much more than their ‘death metal songwriting.’ It becomes a cliche how “focused” the band was on “songwriting” for every album cycle, and how the production was even “more brutal” than the last album.

Vain as the film may be, the point is effectively made that Cannibal Corpse is a band with a work ethic and talent that has kept them relevant in the genre they helped create.

But their self unawareness persists: did anybody out there actually care that Cannibal Corpse was the band in the background on some scene in Ace Ventura? This is played up in the documentary like proof that Cannibal Corpse made it to the big time. For me, being the band that stands in when the script calls for ‘heavy metal band’ is not a notable achievement.

On the other hand, many important topics were covered: Credit to the band and the producers for not glossing over personal issues between the many former members of the band, while still keeping the details personal; the question of why so many death metal bands came from Florida was approached, if not answered; the fact that multiple members of Cannibal Corpse were former members of Monstrosity is addressed; Ice-T was interviewed. A detailed family tree of the late 1980’s death metal scene in Buffalo, New York was missing from my life, but that void has been filled. Actually the start of the documentary struck me as a good description of how any scene happened in the era just before websites, e-mail, and file sharing. Let’s just say there was a lot of copy machines, cassette tapes, and driving involved.

Again, the target audience for this material is obviously those who can’t get enough Cannibal Corpse, and whether it’s their techniques for making home movies or a guided tour of every place they ever practiced, the Centuries of Torment documentary delivers. Add four more hours of live concert footage, music videos, and extra interviews, and you’ve got quite a weighty package of death and gore.

Chris’ Rating:

King says: “I actually have a Hammer Smashed Face, that’s why I’m always wearing this shit.”

Justin’s Review:

Whether you’re a veteran hesher who’s still rocking out to that Butchered at Birth tape stuck in the cassette deck of your Z28, or his MySpace-haired-Job-for-a-Cowboy-loving-douche-bag kid… this DVD is for you.

I think it’s safe to say, if you’re a fan of metal… this DVD is for you.

Hell… if you’re a fan of DVDs… this DVD is for you.

In fact, I think I’m going to e-mail my mom right now and tell her to add it to her Netflix Queue.

Put simply… Centuries of Torment sets the new standard for quality music DVDs. Going well beyond your run-of-the-mill, multi-camera live show (combined with stupid backstage antics that no one gives a shit about), Centuries of Torment is an in-depth look at one of the world’s most vile group of nice dudes.

Disc one features a three hour Biography-style documentary, highlighting Cannibal’s sordid career… a fascinating look at their transition from stereotypical 80s burnouts to death metal masters, and everything in between. While it’s true, as Chris points out, that this is “perhaps more than you need”… it has to be said that this IS Cannibal Corpse we’re talking about. Not exactly the types to sugar-coat anything, let-alone their 20-year retrospective. In addition to detailing the highs and (hilarious) lows of their career, the film delivers a candid look at every Cannibal album, injecting studio footage, a wealth of interviews, and a brutal trip down memory lane.

Disc two features your run-of-the-mill, multi-camera live show(s) (combined with the parent-filmed, grainy basement shows of yester-year), spanning their entire career. Topped off with a heaping dose of Cannibal music videos, this disc is worth a once-through.

Disc three (also known as “Bonus Chunks“) contains a multitude of featurettes, ranging from the dissecting of Cannibal’s album covers, to brutal stories from the road, to sick individual member profiles. Pretty much every gory detail the historical biography didn’t cover (and then some). If learning more about narcoleptic bus drivers, partying with Cher, and Corpsegrinder’s nasty t-shirt funk sound as hilariously entertaining to you as they do to me, Bonus Chunks is definitely worth your time.

Between Sam Dunn and the fine folks who bring you Centuries of Torment, I think it’s safe to say we have a lot to look forward to in the world of metal on film. Let’s just hope that other filmmakers look to it for inspiration, as Centuries of Torment has raised the bar pretty fucking high.

Justin’s Rating:

King says: “This DVD got me so excited for Cannibal, I bought this “Skull Full of Maggots” collector’s cup off ebay!  It’s time for tea!”