Cannibal Corpse is an American death metal band formed in Buffalo, New York, in 1988, now based in Tampa, Florida.
The band has released sixteen studio albums, two box sets, four video albums, and two live albums. The band has had little radio or television exposure throughout its existence, although a cult following began to build with the releases of their early albums, including Butchered at Birth (1991) and Tomb of the Mutilated (1992). As of 2015, they achieved worldwide sales of two million units for combined sales of all their albums. Cannibal Corpse received its best "first week" sales of all-time and first Top 10 on the Billboard Top Album Sales Chart with their fifteenth studio album Violence Unimagined (2021), which entered at No. 6 with 14,000 copies sold.
Cannibal Corpse has seen several lineup changes throughout its run, with bassist Alex Webster and drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz being the only constant members. The band's current lineup includes Mazurkiewicz, Webster, vocalist George Fisher, and guitarists Rob Barrett and Erik Rutan.
History Formation and self-titled demo (1988–1989)
Cannibal Corpse was formed in December 1988 when members from recently disbanded Buffalo-area death metal bands Beyond Death (Alex Webster and Jack Owen) and Tirant Sin (Paul Mazurkiewicz, Chris Barnes, Bob Rusay) started jamming and writing music together. Mazurkiewicz, Barnes and Rusay knew each other from high school, and met Webster and Owen while attending area shows. Webster recalled, "when we got going, there were only a few other bands that you’d really call death metal".
Bassist Alex Webster came up with the name Cannibal Corpse. The band played its first show at Buffalo's River Rock Cafe in March 1989, shortly after recording a five-song self-titled demo tape, which is now commonly known as A Skull Full of Maggots. The band's first live performance was opening for thrash metal band Dark Angel at a sold-out show in a small club. The band promoted the show by printing off thousands of posters in multiple colors, and handing them out at a Metallica concert. Afterward, the band gained traction in the Buffalo area, going as far to receive mentions by The Buffalo News. During this time, the band also opened for Bloodfeast, The Accüsed, Death and Kreator. Cannibal Corpse would also often play shows with Malevolent Creation, as the latter were local to Buffalo as well. The band signed to Metal Blade Records in July 1989. Mike Faley at Metal Blade wanted to sign the band immediately after reading the song titles in their tracklist. He heard the demo tape after having had it sent to him by the manager of the record store in which Barnes was working. Metal Blade president Brian Slagel recalled: "I thought it was really interesting and cool. Plus, 'A Skull Full of Maggots' is one of the greatest song titles ever." Mazurkiewicz called it "a dream come true" that they signed with Metal Blade after eight months of being a band.
Eaten Back to Life and Butchered at Birth (1990–1991)
The band's debut album, Eaten Back to Life, was released in August 1990. The band played several local area shows to support the album. Inspired by and seeking the new commercial and recording opportunities of the then-emerging Florida death metal scene, the band relocated to Tampa. The band released its second album Butchered at Birth on July 1, 1991. Webster recalled being surprised by the crowd turnout and reaction while touring Europe in 1991 for Butchered at Birth. The band members quit their day jobs and dropped out of college during this time.
Friction arose between the band members while touring in support of Butchered at Birth. According to Webster, Barnes was managing a tour by himself for the first time, and there were uncertainties regarding how the tour's finances were being handled. The band privately dissolved and split into two separate camps during this time, and Owen claims to have been in the middle of the situation. Mazurkiewicz and Webster moved into an apartment just four doors down from the band's practice space, and composed the music to "Hammer Smashed Face" as a means to vent their frustrations with Barnes.
Cannibal Corpse soon reformed and toured Europe with Atheist and Gorguts in early 1992. That same year, the band toured with Obituary, Malevolent Creation and Agnostic Front on the Complete Control Tour. Cannibal Corpse and Malevolent Creation shared a tour bus during this tour, and the latter of which future Cannibal Corpse guitarist Rob Barrett was playing with. Barrett said: "We were like one big family, and I am pretty sure that is why I got the call to join with them the next year."
Tomb of the Mutilated and dismissal of Bob Rusay (1992–1993)
The band released their third album Tomb of the Mutilated on September 22, 1992, which was said to have showcased "some of the sickest album art and song titles of all time." Vincent Jeffries of AllMusic said: "the band's attention-getting tactics worked perfectly and record sales soared. Cannibal Corpse then became one of the biggest names in the death metal genre -- just as the group's discs and live performances were being banned all over the world."
In February 1993, founding guitarist Bob Rusay was fired from the group and was replaced by Malevolent Creation guitarist Rob Barrett, which the band emphasized as "definitely a professional decision and nothing personal."The band has since stated that Rusay, whose musical background was in punk rock, was struggling to adapt to the band's increasingly technical musical approach. Owen recalled: "We tried to be professional. We were under the microscope. The budgets were getting bigger. He wasn't tight. It's not where we were at. It goes back to Butchered." Owen stated that he had outright refused to take it upon himself to deliver the news to Rusay out of fear for his own safety. According to Webster: "Bob was the tough guy in the band, for sure. He was in great physical condition and was really into martial arts. When you're young, you tend to solve your problems that way instead of talking it out. That was something to think about. He could have found us if he wanted."
The task of firing Rusay was ultimately assumed by Webster. Rusay was attending a party in celebration of the Buffalo Bills winning the Conference Championship Game when Webster phoned him to notify him of his dismissal. Webster was not a sports fan, and was unaware he had timed the actioning of the band's decision poorly. Webster recounted that Rusay hung up on him. Barnes has since stated that he and Owen did not agree with the decision to relieve Rusay of his duties, and expressed regret for having not called him afterward. However, by Webster's account, the decision to dismiss Rusay was unanimous.
The band has stated that Rusay was deeply hurt by his dismissal, and has made no effort to contact them since. Despite his dismissal from the band, Mazurkiewicz commended Rusay in the Centuries of Torment documentary, calling him "monumental". Barnes credited Rusay for having composed some of the most important songs of the band's early career. Rusay subsequently withdrew from the music scene wholesale, and has since become a golf instructor.Cannibal Corpse: Centuries of Torment
The band fired Rusay weeks before they were scheduled to leave for a US tour. Rusay's replacement, Rob Barrett, learned the entire setlist in two weeks prior to the tour. In an interview at Milwaukee Metalfest in 1993, Barrett said: "The kids in Europe were disappointed about [Rusay's departure], 'cause [they were like], 'What happened to Bob?! He was the brutal-est!' So I kind of had my work cut out for me, you know?"
Ace Ventura cameo and The Bleeding (1994)
Shortly following Rusay's dismissal, Cannibal Corpse had a cameo appearance in the 1994 Jim Carrey film Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, performing an abridged version of their song "Hammer Smashed Face".
The band released their fourth studio album The Bleeding on April 12, 1994. According to Paul Mazurkiewicz, “The Bleeding had begun a process of change in the band. We were developing musically, and the aim was to really take things to the next level. I believe this was obvious with the music that the four of us were coming up with at the time.”
After The Bleeding's touring cycle had concluded, Barrett convinced the rest of the band to relocate to Florida. Barnes stated in a 2025 interview that he was not given a say in this decision.
Dismissal of Chris Barnes and Vile (1995–1996)
In 1995, during recording sessions for their fifth album Vile, singer Chris Barnes was dismissed from the band while on tour with Six Feet Under, which was at the time his side project. Barnes and the rest of the band members have since stated the split was due to creative and personal differences within the group that had been mounting for years. The band members have since admitted some semblance of jealousy towards Barnes on their part, partially due to media attention regarding his vocals and lyrical content, which often eclipsed attention towards the band's instrumentation and songwriting. Barnes stated "things just kept getting weirder and weirder between us at that point," and has gone as far as to allude to a fist fight with another band member that occurred during this time. In 2025, Barnes admitted to probably being most at fault for the tension.
Barnes was replaced by Monstrosity singer George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher. According to Paul Mazurkiewicz, "George was the only person we ever considered", and Fisher not joining could have ended the band. Webster commented that people at Metal Blade made it sound like their careers were over without Barnes, and he thought "if the only good thing about our band was Chris Barnes, then we weren’t much of a band then, were we?" Mazurkiewicz said Slagel was very displeased, but the band had faith and the fans reacted positively.Producer Scott Burns thought Barnes was irreplaceable, but recalled that the band knew Burns was not satisfied with Barnes's performance. Barret would occasionally bring up hiring Fisher and was easiest to get on board. According to Burns, the band said they "didn't care if Metal Blade dropped them. They wanted to make one record where they were as happy with the vocals as the music." The band released their fifth album Vile in 1996. Mazurkiewicz recounted people being reluctant since they loved Barnes, but upon release, "for the most part, everybody shut up after that. As soon as we put the album out, we went out on the road, and it was 'Barnes who?' at that point."
The band toured North America with Misfits, Anthrax and Life of Agony in 1996.
Barnes went on to perform with the band Six Feet Under as his main project and later, Torture Killer. Barnes designed the original Cannibal Corpse logo, which was changed following his dismissal from the band. Mazurkiewicz clarified that while Barnes did draw the original logo, he had no legal ownership. After Barnes' firing, he started demanding royalties for CDs and merchandise which had the logo. This led to the band creating a new logo for Vile, which Mazurkiewicz found to also fit the new era for the band.
Gallery of Suicide, Bloodthirst and Gore Obsessed (1997–2003)