As popular as it's always been, death metal does seem to have an unfortunate habit of ignoring some of its icons. One band that can never be denied attention, however, is Cannibal Corpse. Bursting into the room with all the subtlety of a blood-drenched velociraptor, the Buffalo-born quintet has long been one of the most recognised and revered names in their field and continue to hold themselves up as the gold standard of death metal. They're a rare breed that isn't afraid to experiment, yet know what their fans want, a trait which continues on their sixteenth studio album, "Chaos Horrific."

There's a short bass solo before the album kicks off with the opening number, "Overlords Of Violence," a typically grizzly affair that sets the pace for the record. It's a break-neck speed track that features some impressively quick vocal delivery from vocalist George Corpsegrinder. The same can be said of the following track, "Frenzied Feeding," albeit with a slightly different atmosphere and something of a different vibe.

Despite it being his eleventh album with the band, this may be Corpsegrinder's best in terms of his performance. On many songs, he manages to spit out the lyrics with the grace of a machine gun, while being clear and precise. His prowess permeates the entire record and he's particularly impressive on "Pitchfork Impalement" and "Drain You Empty." Of course, it takes five to make a Cannibal Corpse and the rest of the band are on top form too, with Paul Mazurkiewicz perhaps standing out the most, while Erik Rutan proves himself to be a great focusing force.

"Chaos Horrific" is a bit of a difficult album to sum up, as it's pretty much exactly what fans expect from the band, but that's also not a bad thing. There are a few tracks that really radiate, such as the Discharge-fueled "Pestilential Rictus," as well as the excellent title track, which is perhaps the closest thing Cannibal Corpse has to a driving anthem. There are also a couple that get a little lost in the shuffle, most notably "Vengeful Invasion."

When going through their vast catalogue, "Chaos Horrific" won't stand out as a classic, but it'll be looked upon very favourably by fans, akin to Black Sabbath's "Sabotage" or Judas Priest's, "Sin After Sin." It serves as both a gift for longtime listeners and a good gateway to the band for newcomers. With this album, Cannibal Corpse proves why they still sit atop the skull-supported death metal throne and remain attractive to extreme music fans of all ages.