Travis Ryan isn’t too fond of his species. Something he’s been shoving down our throats since the last decade through his eloquent yet twisted lyricism that is sure to unnerve those with a weak stomach or just anyone who takes their personal hygiene seriously. In his eyes, humanity is analogous to a highly resilient and foul parasite that gradually eats away at its host from the inside out, spreading uncontrollably in all directions and corrupting everything it touches. While past Cattle Decapitation records saw this being expressed in shockingly graphic and provocative ways, Travis seems to have been becoming more subdued but also more articulate over the years, transforming his persona from someone who was simply not fun at parties into someone whom you don’t invite to parties because he’ll suck the joy right out of the room and make everyone fear for their lives. If “Manufactured Extinct” is just a tiny glimpse of what this transformation has produced, I think I already know what my metal album of the year will be and it’s interesting to see Cattle Decapitation delve deeper into environment-related themes which they had previously dabbled in on 2012’s Monolith of Inhumanity.
The Anthropocene Extinction releases worldwide August 7th.
ASASI 