Column

Thrashback Thursday: Carnivore - "Carnivore"

Carnivore are one of those bands usually discovered retroactively, mostly by Type O Negative fans who are told by more seasoned headbangers, "You should check out Carnivore, the band Peter Steele had before Type O Negative." This advice is heeded more often than not, and just as often will be met with positive results. Carnivore only released two full length albums; a self-titled effort in 1986 and "Retaliation" only a year later. Both albums were praised by both metal fans and critics and one song in particular which stands out to many is "Carnivore," from the album, "Carnivore," by Carnivore.

The song is very much a thrash metal track, though featuring many more elements than the average output in the genre. There's something of an industrial feel to the song, particularly in the vocal area, though not played up enough to really be a mesh of the industrial and thrash fields, as well as featuring one of the catchiest chouruses of classic eighties thrash. What helped the track so much more was its lyrical content, arguably one of the best, and maybe even the first metal songs about cunnilingus, which made it something of an them for all those who like to partake in the act. Even peers such as Kerry King of Slayer think of the song very fondly, who mentioned it in the bonus features of the Get Thrashed documentary, stating after bellowing the chourus, "Gotta have it!"