# Red Before Black

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2017 studio album by Cannibal Corpse

Red Before Black Studio album by Cannibal Corpse Released November 3, 2017 (2017-11-03) Recorded December 2016, April–June 2017 at Mana Recording Studios Genre Death metal Length 46:26 Label Metal Blade Producer Erik Rutan Cannibal Corpse chronology A Skeletal Domain (2014) Red Before Black (2017) Violence Unimagined (2021) Singles from Red Before Black "Code of the Slashers" Released: September 19, 2017 (2017-09-19) "Red Before Black" Released: October 17, 2017 (2017-10-17) "Scavenger Consuming Death" Released: November 2, 2017 (2017-11-02)

Professional ratings Review scores Source Rating AllMusic [1] Angry Metal Guy [2] Blabbermouth.net 8.5/10[3] Exclaim! 8/10[4] GIGsoup 71%[5] MetalSucks [6] Metal Hammer [7] Metal Injection 9/10[8]

***Red Before Black*** is the fourteenth studio album by American [death metal](/source/Death_metal) band [Cannibal Corpse](/source/Cannibal_Corpse), released on November 3, 2017.[9] This is the band's final album to feature guitarist [Pat O'Brien](/source/Pat_O'Brien_(guitarist)) before producer [Erik Rutan](/source/Erik_Rutan) officially replaced him in 2021.

## Background and recording

The band started to write the album in 2016 after the last run of touring for their previous album, *[A Skeletal Domain](/source/A_Skeletal_Domain)*. When interviewed in 2017 drummer [Paul Mazurkiewicz](/source/Paul_Mazurkiewicz) stated that the band never go by any specific blueprints when they start writing for an album, pointing out that this was also the case with *Red Before Black*. However the idea of utilizing some slower [doom](/source/Doom_Metal) elements was discussed beforehand. This manifested in a couple of songs, while they mostly remained true to their death metal sound and thrash metal roots.[10]

Mazurkiewicz came up with the album title while sleeping in the middle of the night, making him wake up.[10] Further down the road of creating the album he said about the title "... I really pushed for it because I felt it was very strong and something very different than our previous titles. It’s simple, but effective".[11]

After hearing the song 'Only One Will Die', penned by bassist [Alex Webster](/source/Alex_Webster), all members of the band thought it should be the first track of the album. The first song they worked on was 'Red Before Black'. It started out as an unnamed piece written by guitarist [Pat O'Brien](/source/Pat_O'Brien_(guitarist)) with Mazurkiewicz contributing with a title and the lyrics later.[12]

Choosing to work with [Erik Rutan](/source/Erik_Rutan) as a producer again after working with [Mark Lewis](/source/Mark_Lewis_(music_producer)) on the previous album was partly because of convenience, enabling the band to stay focused during the recording process,[12] although Rutan's previous work with the band was also a deciding factor.[13]

## Music

[Alex Webster](/source/Alex_Webster) assessed: "Throughout our career, we've tried to improve the precision of both our musical execution and our album production, while still maintaining full-on aggression. *Red Before Black* continues in that direction, but might go even further on the aggressive side of things. It's definitely precise, but it has a rawness to it that goes beyond anything we've done recently."[14]

## Track listing

No. Title Lyrics Music Length 1. "Only One Will Die" Alex Webster Webster 3:24 2. "Red Before Black" Paul Mazurkiewicz Pat O'Brien 3:12 3. "Code of the Slashers" Rob Barrett Barrett 4:46 4. "Shedding My Human Skin" Mazurkiewicz O'Brien 3:29 5. "Remaimed" Mazurkiewicz O'Brien 4:14 6. "Firestorm Vengeance" Webster Webster 3:43 7. "Heads Shoveled Off" Mazurkiewicz O'Brien 3:37 8. "Corpus Delicti" Barrett Barrett 3:29 9. "Scavenger Consuming Death" Webster Webster 4:33 10. "In the Midst of Ruin" Mazurkiewicz Barrett 3:26 11. "Destroyed Without a Trace" Mazurkiewicz Barrett Mazurkiewicz 4:01 12. "Hideous Ichor" Webster Webster 4:34 Total length: 46:26

Limited edition bonus disc: Blood Covered No. Title Lyrics Music Original artist Length 1. "Sacrifice" Scott Watts Rob Urbinati Watts Joe Rico Sacrifice 3:04 2. "Confessions" Jeff Becerra Mike Torrao Possessed 2:58 3. "No Remorse" James Hetfield Hetfield Lars Ulrich Metallica 6:16 4. "Demon's Night" Accept Accept Accept 4:17 5. "Bethany Home (A Place to Die)" The Accüsed The Accüsed The Accüsed 3:20 6. "Endless Pain" Mille Petrozza Jürgen Reil Petrozza Kreator 3:11 7. "Behind Bars" Dave Carlo Carlo Razor 2:20

## Credits

Writing, performance and production credits are adapted from the album liner notes.[15]

### Personnel

#### Cannibal Corpse

- [George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher](/source/George_Fisher_(musician)) – vocals

- [Pat O'Brien](/source/Pat_O'Brien_(guitarist)) – lead guitar

- [Rob Barrett](/source/Rob_Barrett) – rhythm guitar

- [Alex Webster](/source/Alex_Webster) – bass

- [Paul Mazurkiewicz](/source/Paul_Mazurkiewicz) – drums

#### Guest musicians

- [Erik Rutan](/source/Erik_Rutan) – backing vocals on "Only One Will Die" and guitar solo on "In the Midst of Ruin"

#### Production

- [Erik Rutan](/source/Erik_Rutan) – [production](/source/Record_producer), [engineering](/source/Audio_engineer), [mixing](/source/Audio_mixing_(recorded_music))

- Art Paiz – assistant engineering

- Alan Douches – mastering

#### Visual art

- [Vince Locke](/source/Vince_Locke) – [cover art](/source/Cover_art)

- Brian Ames – layout

- Alex Morgan – [photography](/source/Photography)

### Studios

- Mana Recording Studios, [St. Petersburg, FL](/source/St._Petersburg%2C_Florida), United States – engineering, mixing

- West West Side Music, [Cornwall, NY](/source/Cornwall%2C_New_York), United States – mastering

## Charts

Chart Peak position Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[16] 29 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[17] 116 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[18] 70 Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[19] 33 French Albums (SNEP)[20] 101 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[21] 16 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[22] 29 US Billboard 200[23] 95

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Jurek, Thom. [*Red Before Black* - Cannibal Corpse](https://www.allmusic.com/album/mw0003110928) at [AllMusic](/source/AllMusic_(identifier))

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Beuller, Ferrous (October 30, 2017). ["Cannibal Corpse - Red Before Black Review"](https://www.angrymetalguy.com/cannibal-corpse-red-before-black-review/). *Angry Metal Guy*. Retrieved February 6, 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Van Horn, Jr., Ray (November 27, 2017). ["CD Reviews - Red Before Black - Cannibal Corpse"](http://www.blabbermouth.net/cdreviews/red-before-black/). *www.blabbermouth.net*. [Blabbermouth.net](/source/Blabbermouth.net). Retrieved December 2, 2017.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Falzon, Denise (October 29, 2017). ["Cannibal Corpse │ Exclaim!"](https://exclaim.ca/music/article/cannibal_corpse-red_before_black). *Cannibal Corpse │ Exclaim!*. Retrieved February 6, 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Peeke, Dan (November 7, 2017). ["Cannibal Corpse 'Red Before Black'"](https://web.archive.org/web/20200925032756/https://www.gigsoupmusic.com/reviews/album-reviews/cannibal-corpse-red-black/). *GIGsoup*. Archived from [the original](https://www.gigsoupmusic.com/reviews/album-reviews/cannibal-corpse-red-black/) on September 25, 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Album Review: Cannibal Corpse's Red Before Black"](https://www.metalsucks.net/2017/11/03/album-review-cannibal-corpses-red-before-black/). *MetalSucks*. November 3, 2017. Retrieved February 6, 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** McFee, Edwin (October 9, 2017). ["Cannibal Corpse - Red Before Black album review"](https://www.loudersound.com/reviews/cannibal-corpse-red-before-black-album-review). *louder*. Retrieved February 6, 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Album Review: CANNIBAL CORPSE Red Before Black"](https://metalinjection.net/reviews/cannibal-corpse-red-before-black). *Metal Injection*. October 31, 2017. Retrieved February 6, 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["Cannibal Corpse To Release 'Red Before Black' Album In November; Track Listing, Artwork Unveiled"](http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/cannibal-corpse-to-release-red-before-black-album-in-november-track-listing-artwork-unveiled/). [Blabbermouth.net](/source/Blabbermouth.net). September 7, 2017. Retrieved September 7, 2017.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-interview1_10-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-interview1_10-1) ["Interview: Cannibal Corpse Talks "Red Before Black", Their Essential Albums, and Gory Album Covers"](https://web.archive.org/web/20171213162214/https://aestheticmagazinetoronto.com/2017/11/03/interview-cannibal-corpse-talks-red-before-black-their-essential-albums-and-gory-album-covers/). Aesthetic Magazine. November 3, 2017. Archived from [the original](https://aestheticmagazinetoronto.com/2017/11/03/interview-cannibal-corpse-talks-red-before-black-their-essential-albums-and-gory-album-covers/) on December 13, 2017. Retrieved December 13, 2017.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** ["Interview – Paul Mazurkiewicz of Cannibal Corpse"](https://web.archive.org/web/20171213163526/http://crypticrock.com/interview-paul-mazurkiewicz-cannibal-corpse/). Cryptic Rock. October 19, 2017. Archived from [the original](http://crypticrock.com/interview-paul-mazurkiewicz-cannibal-corpse/) on December 13, 2017. Retrieved December 13, 2017.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-interview2_12-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-interview2_12-1) [""The title actually woke me up in the middle of the night." – An Interview with Paul Mazurkiewicz of Cannibal Corpse"](https://web.archive.org/web/20171213183702/https://overdrive-mag.com/2017/11/04/title-actually-woke-middle-night-interview-paul-mazurkiewicz-cannibal-corpse/). Overdrive Magazine. Archived from [the original](https://overdrive-mag.com/2017/11/04/title-actually-woke-middle-night-interview-paul-mazurkiewicz-cannibal-corpse/) on December 13, 2017. Retrieved December 13, 2017.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** ["Paul Mazurkiewicz of Cannibal Corpse – The Moshville Times"](https://web.archive.org/web/20171213175216/http://www.moshville.co.uk/interview/2017/11/interview-paul-mazurkiewicz-of-cannibal-corpse/). The Moshville Times. November 7, 2017. Archived from [the original](http://www.moshville.co.uk/interview/2017/11/interview-paul-mazurkiewicz-of-cannibal-corpse/) on December 13, 2017. Retrieved December 13, 2017.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-14)** Hartmann, Graham (August 5, 2019). ["Cannibal Corpse Announce 2019 Tour With Thy Art Is Murder"](https://loudwire.com/cannibal-corpse-2019-tour-thy-art-is-murder/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral). *Loudwire*. Retrieved May 15, 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-15)** *Red Before Black* (liner notes). [Cannibal Corpse](/source/Cannibal_Corpse). [Metal Blade Records](/source/Metal_Blade_Records). 2017. 3984-15547-2.{{[cite AV media notes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_AV_media_notes)}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_others_in_cite_AV_media_(notes)))

1. **[^](#cite_ref-ac_Austria_Cannibal_Corpse_16-0)** "[Austriancharts.at – Cannibal Corpse – Red Before Black](https://austriancharts.at/showitem.asp?interpret=Cannibal+Corpse&titel=Red+Before+Black&cat=a)" (in German). Hung Medien.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-ac_Flanders_Cannibal_Corpse_17-0)** "[Ultratop.be – Cannibal Corpse – Red Before Black](https://www.ultratop.be/nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Cannibal+Corpse&titel=Red+Before+Black&cat=a)" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-ac_Wallonia_Cannibal_Corpse_18-0)** "[Ultratop.be – Cannibal Corpse – Red Before Black](https://www.ultratop.be/fr/showitem.asp?interpret=Cannibal+Corpse&titel=Red+Before+Black&cat=a)" (in French). Hung Medien.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-ac_Finland_Cannibal_Corpse_19-0)** "[Cannibal Corpse: Red Before Black](https://www.ifpi.fi/lista/artistit/cannibal-corpse/albumi/red-before-black)" (in Finnish). [Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland](/source/Musiikkituottajat_%E2%80%93_IFPI_Finland).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-ac_France_Cannibal_Corpse_20-0)** "[Lescharts.com – Cannibal Corpse – Red Before Black](https://lescharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Cannibal+Corpse&titel=Red+Before+Black&cat=a)". Hung Medien.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-ac_Germany_Cannibal_Corpse_21-0)** "[Offiziellecharts.de – Cannibal Corpse – Red Before Black](https://www.offiziellecharts.de/album-details-341265)" (in German). [GfK Entertainment charts](/source/GfK_Entertainment_charts).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-ac_Switzerland_Cannibal_Corpse_22-0)** "[Swisscharts.com – Cannibal Corpse – Red Before Black](http://swisscharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Cannibal+Corpse&titel=Red+Before+Black&cat=a)". Hung Medien.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-ac_Billboard200_Cannibal_Corpse_23-0)** "[Cannibal Corpse Chart History (*Billboard* 200)](https://www.billboard.com/artist/Cannibal-Corpse/chart-history/TLP)". *[Billboard](/source/Billboard_(magazine))*.

## External links

- [*Red Before Black*](https://www.allmusic.com/album/mw0003110928) at [AllMusic](/source/AllMusic_(identifier))

v t e Cannibal Corpse Alex Webster Paul Mazurkiewicz Rob Barrett George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher Erik Rutan Bob Rusay Chris Barnes Jack Owen Pat O'Brien Studio albums Eaten Back to Life Butchered at Birth Tomb of the Mutilated The Bleeding Vile Gallery of Suicide Bloodthirst Gore Obsessed The Wretched Spawn Kill Evisceration Plague Torture A Skeletal Domain Red Before Black Violence Unimagined Chaos Horrific Live albums Live Cannibalism EPs Hammer Smashed Face Box sets 15 Year Killing Spree Video albums Monolith of Death Tour '96–'97 Live Cannibalism Centuries of Torment: The First 20 Years Global Evisceration Related articles Discography Six Feet Under Monstrosity Malevolent Creation Deicide Paths of Possession Serpentine Dominion Vince Locke

Authority control databases MusicBrainz release group

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Red Before Black](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Before_Black) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Before_Black?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.