Cannibal Corpse @ Metro Theatre

Friends, Romans and countrymen all played an integral part in the opening act of the evening. Hour Of Penance, a Roman band, were – in spite of their particularly forceful take on technical death metal – out to make friends of our countrymen. It was a gradual process, but it’s safe to say that theirs was a successful mission, with many lending their ears – followed, naturally, by their heads, which thrashed about in perfect time with the songs.

Watching each band member became somewhat of a spectator sport. Vocalist/guitarist Paolo Pieri had one leg up on the foldback, truly indulging his inner rock star. To his left, bassist Marco Mastrobuono was the instigator of several empirical fist-based chants, while guitarist Giuilo Moschini kept to himself, underselling his nimble fretboard lapping. The star of the show, however, was easily drummer James Payne, who tore through each song’s beastly tempo with the utmost of ease. He stood up at the end of every song, in the same way a classical pianist will stand at the end of recitals. With their maiden voyage a success, it seems likely we’ll find these Romans on this side of the world again soon.

Back for the first time in just under two years, Cannibal Corpse indulged in a career-spanning setlist that kept every head in the room thrashing. Older fans roared in appreciation of ‘Addicted To Vaginal Skin’ and ‘Edible Autopsy’, while the younger ones in attendance popped loudest for more recent numbers like ‘Evisceration Plague’ and ‘Make Them Suffer’. No matter what your entry point, everyone was going home happy – at least, as happy as a death metal fan can be.

At the centre of attention, as always, was frontman George Fisher – better known as Corpsegrinder. A towering behemoth of a human, potentially more neck than man, he proved to be quite the unexpected showman. Whether he was taunting those “too pussy” to be in the mosh pit or convincing the audience to get into a new song (‘Sadistic Embodiment’), his stage presence was one of the major selling points of the show. Plus, anyone who can windmill like that at 45 years old deserves some kind of medal.

With the one-two combo of ‘Hammer Smashed Face’ and ‘Devoured By Vermin’, Corpse were gone. Still terrifying after all these years – and wickedly fun, too.