The Bleeding (album)

{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2012}} {{Infobox album | name = The Bleeding | type = studio | artist = [[Cannibal Corpse]] | cover = The bleeding-alt.jpg | released = {{Start date|1994|4|12}} | recorded = November 12 – December 3, 1993 | venue = | studio = [[Morrisound Recording]], [[Tampa, FL]] | genre = [[Death metal]] | length = {{Duration |m=36 |s=54}} | label = [[Metal Blade]] | producer = [[Scott Burns (producer)|Scott Burns]] | prev_title = [[Tomb of the Mutilated]] | prev_year = 1992 | next_title = [[Vile (album)|Vile]] | next_year = 1996 | misc = {{Extra album cover | header = Remastered cover (2006) | type = studio | cover = Cannibal_Corpse_-_The_Bleeding_remastered.jpg | border = | alt = | caption = }} {{Extra album cover | header = Remastered cover (2009) | type = studio | cover = Cannibal Corpse reissue.jpg | border = | alt = | caption = }} }}{{Over-quotation|date=February 2026}} '''''The Bleeding''''' is the fourth studio album by American [[death metal]] band [[Cannibal Corpse]], released on April 12, 1994 through [[Metal Blade Records]]. It was recorded at [[Morrisound Recording]] in [[Tampa, Florida|Tampa, Flordia]] and was produced by [[Scott Burns (music producer)|Scott Burns]].

The album's music is considered to be much more [[Groove (music)|groove]]-oriented and "commercial" than its three predecessors, making use of linear [[Song structure|song structures]] and [[Hook (music)|hooks]]. Although the album continues the [[sexual violence]] themes present on ''[[Tomb of the Mutilated]]'', its lyrics are considered by some to be less extreme than on previous releases, with some tracks exploring [[psychological horror]] themes. Frontman [[Chris Barnes (musician)|Chris Barne]]'s vocal performance is decidedly more [[Elocution|enunciated]], a departure from the indecipherable vocal style he had become known for on previous releases. As with ''Tomb'', the album's production and [[Audio mixing (recorded music)|audio mix]] elevate the bass performance of [[Alex Webster]].

It is the last album featuring singer and founding member [[Chris Barnes (musician)|Chris Barnes]] and is the first album featuring guitarist [[Rob Barrett]]. According to [[SoundScan]] numbers, ''The Bleeding'' is the fifth top-selling death metal LP in the [[United States]], amassing over 98,300 copies sold. ''The Bleeding'' is also Cannibal Corpse's most successful album to date.<ref name=allbleed>{{AllMusic |class=album |id=mw0000112632 |label=''The Bleeding'' – Cannibal Corpse |last=Birchmeier |first=Jason}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=16769 |title=It's Official: Cannibal Corpse Are the Top-Selling Death Metal Band of the SoundScan Era |publisher=[[Blabbermouth.net]] |date=November 17, 2003 |accessdate=June 1, 2008 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20031202023121/http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=16769 |archivedate=December 2, 2003 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

''The Bleeding'' is considered by most publications to be one of the band's finest albums, and some consider it to be one of the greatest [[Heavy metal music|heavy metal]] releases of the 1990s. "Staring Through the Eyes of the Dead" and "Stripped, Raped and Strangled" have become staples of the band’s live sets.

==Background and recording== Following the ''[[Tomb of the Mutilated]]'' album cycle, and original guitarist Bob Rusay's replacement with [[Rob Barrett]], producer [[Scott Burns (music producer)|Scott Burns]] pushed the band to compose stronger material and be "right up there with the best [[death metal]] bands in the world," such as [[Morbid Angel]] and [[Death (metal band)|Death]]. The band composed and arranged the album's material during the winter in a haunted house. Barrett claims to have cowritten several of the album's tracks with Webster and Owen. The band members have stated that tensions were high between them during this time.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGPot3rP53o&t=3153s |title=Cannibal Corpse - Centuries of Torment - DVD 1 - History (OFFICIAL) |date=2013-11-20 |last=Metal Blade Records |access-date=2025-01-20 |via=YouTube}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Norton |first=Justin |date=2017-03-28 |title=Cannibal Corpse - "The Bleeding" |url=https://www.decibelmagazine.com/2017/03/28/cannibal-corpse-the-bleeding/ |access-date=2025-01-20 |website=Decibel Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref>

The album was recorded at [[Morrisound Recording]] in [[Tampa, Florida]] during the fall of 1993.

A video was made for the song "Staring Through the Eyes of the Dead". A re-mastered version of ''The Bleeding'' is available and features new cover art, a bonus track ("The Exorcist", a [[Possessed (band)|Possessed]] cover) and the music video of "Staring Through the Eyes of the Dead". This music video would later be featured in ''[[Beavis and Butt-Head]]''.<ref>{{cite web |date=March 13, 2024 |title=Blood, guts and Jim Carrey: How Cannibal Corpse became death metal's first million selling band |url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/cannibal-corpse-death-metal-history-interview-2012}}</ref> ==Music and lyrics== Called "the essence of Cannibal Corpse," the music on ''The Bleeding'' is generally considered to be less extreme, more mature, and more accessible than on the band's prior releases.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bowles |first=Amy |date=2024-04-15 |title=HEAVY MUSIC HISTORY: The Bleeding - Cannibal Corpse |url=https://distortedsoundmag.com/heavy-music-history-the-bleeding-cannibal-corpse/ |access-date=2025-01-06 |website=Distorted Sound Magazine |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=An Essential Guide to Cannibal Corpse │ Exclaim! |url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/an_essential_guide_to_cannibal_corpse |access-date=2025-01-06 |website=An Essential Guide to Cannibal Corpse │ Exclaim! |language=en}}</ref> [[Decibel (magazine)|''Decibel'']] said that the band "set to change their destiny from shock to substance."<ref>{{cite web |date=March 28, 2017 |title=Cannibal Corpse - "The Bleeding" |url=https://www.decibelmagazine.com/2017/03/28/cannibal-corpse-the-bleeding/}}</ref>

''The Bleeding'' is noted for its more advanced musicianship and refined approach to songwriting when compared to its predecessors, and according to [[Metal Hammer|''Metal Hammer'']], it "added brains to the blood and gore".<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.decibelmagazine.com/2017/03/28/cannibal-corpse-the-bleeding/ | title=Cannibal Corpse - "The Bleeding" | date=March 28, 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.metalreviews.com/reviews/album/1624 | title=Cannibal Corpse - the Bleeding }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://metalinjection.net/news/jack-owen-on-cannibal-corpses-the-bleeding-its-my-favorite-album | title=JACK OWEN on CANNIBAL CORPSE's the Bleeding: "It's My Favorite Album" | date=April 27, 2024 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/cannibal-corpse-death-metal-history-interview-2012 | title=Blood, guts and Jim Carrey: How Cannibal Corpse became death metal's first million selling band | date=March 13, 2024 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=updated |first=Metal Hammer last |date=2020-03-26 |title=The 100 best metal albums of the 90s |url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-100-best-metal-albums-of-the-90s |access-date=2025-01-18 |website=louder |language=en}}</ref> According to drummer [[Paul Mazurkiewicz]], "This was the era where we started really refining our sound and it was the beginning of a more modern Cannibal style of writing."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cannibal Corpse │ Exclaim! |url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/cannibal_corpse-staring_through_eyes_of_banned |access-date=2025-01-23 |website=Cannibal Corpse │ Exclaim! |language=en}}</ref> Justin Norton of Decibel said, "While ''[[Butchered at Birth]]'' and ''[[Tomb of the Mutilated|Tomb]]'' were [[Club (weapon)|cudgel]] strikes, ''The Bleeding'' is more a methodical [[Surgery|surgeon’s cut]]."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Norton |first=Justin |date=2017-03-28 |title=Cannibal Corpse - "The Bleeding" |url=https://www.decibelmagazine.com/2017/03/28/cannibal-corpse-the-bleeding/ |access-date=2025-01-20 |website=Decibel Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref> According to Barnes, "I think they were wanting to, in a way, prove themselves as well-skilled musicians."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kennelty |first=Greg |date=2025-01-13 |title=CHRIS BARNES Talks The Bleeding & Tension Within CANNIBAL CORPSE: "It Was Probably My Fault" |url=https://metalinjection.net/news/chris-barnes-talks-the-bleeding-tension-within-cannibal-corpse-it-was-probably-my-fault |access-date=2025-01-20 |website=Metal Injection |language=en-US}}</ref> Founding guitarist [[Jack Owen]] believed ''The Bleeding'' to be "almost a commercial evolution in death metal songwriting."''<ref>{{cite web |date=April 27, 2024 |title=JACK OWEN on CANNIBAL CORPSE's the Bleeding: "It's My Favorite Album" |url=https://metalinjection.net/news/jack-owen-on-cannibal-corpses-the-bleeding-its-my-favorite-album}}</ref>'' The album's song structures have been described as more "linear" than on the band's previous work. The album has also been called "death metal with hooks," and “Stripped, Raped, And Strangled" has been called "as close to a [[radio single]] as the band would ever write.”<ref>{{Cite web |last=Norton |first=Justin |date=2017-03-28 |title=Cannibal Corpse - "The Bleeding" |url=https://www.decibelmagazine.com/2017/03/28/cannibal-corpse-the-bleeding/ |access-date=2025-01-06 |website=Decibel Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-07-20 |title=The 15 greatest death metal albums of the '90s |url=https://www.kerrang.com/the-15-greatest-death-metal-albums-of-the-90s |access-date=2025-01-18 |website=Kerrang! |language=en}}</ref>

Rich Hobson of ''Metal Hammer'' wrote that the addition of [[Rob Barrett]] on guitar "brought a tightness and precision to the Cannibal Corpse sound that had been conspicuous by its absence on their earlier albums". The album's [[lead guitar]] parts have been likened to [[Slayer]].<ref>{{cite web |date=March 13, 2024 |title=Blood, guts and Jim Carrey: How Cannibal Corpse became death metal's first million selling band |url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/cannibal-corpse-death-metal-history-interview-2012}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Enis |first=Eli |title=Fan poll: Top 5 CANNIBAL CORPSE songs |url=https://www.revolvermag.com/music/fan-poll-top-5-cannibal-corpse-songs/ |access-date=2025-01-06 |website=Revolver |language=en-US}}</ref> As with its predecessor, the [[bass guitar]] is extremely prominent in the album's mix. According to bassist [[Alex Webster]], "All the songs have cool little bass things that jump out and go a little bit beyond what the guitar is doing in a particular section – for example, there’s a bunch of cool almost-solos on the bass in ''An Experiment In Homicide.''"<ref>{{Cite web |last=Staffpublished |first=Bass Player |date=2022-05-24 |title=Cannibal Corpse bassist Alex Webster on his 5 best bass albums |url=https://www.guitarworld.com/features/cannibal-corpse-alex-webster-5-best-bass-albums |access-date=2025-01-06 |website=guitarworld |language=en}}</ref>

The album has more [[Groove (music)|groove]]-based sections than previous releases. ''Decibel'' said: "They’re not just slamming toward the finish line like they used to: they’re playing as a unit, and they’re focused on a common goal." The slower riffs on "Return to Flesh" have drawn comparisons to fellow [[New York (state)|New York]] death metal band [[Immolation (band)|Immolation]]. The album still contains some "straight ahead death metal" songs in the vein of the band's earlier releases, with ''Decibel'' stating that the track "Pulverized" would not sound "out of place" on ''[[Tomb of the Mutilated]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pratt |first=Greg |date=2017-04-20 |title=Hall of Fame Countdown: Cannibal Corpse's The Bleeding |url=https://decibelmagazine.com/2017/04/20/hall-of-fame-countdown-cannibal-corpse-s-the-bleeding/ |access-date=2026-02-25 |website=Decibel Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref> and some of the album's grooves have been described as "pure filth." The album is also noted for the more decipherable approach to vocals by [[Chris Barnes (musician)|Chris Barnes]]. According to Greg Pratt of [[Exclaim!|''Exclaim'']], the album foreshadows the style Barnes would pursue in his work with his next project, [[Six Feet Under (band)|Six Feet Under]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=An Essential Guide to Cannibal Corpse │ Exclaim! |url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/an_essential_guide_to_cannibal_corpse |access-date=2025-01-06 |website=An Essential Guide to Cannibal Corpse │ Exclaim! |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Cannibal Corpse │ Exclaim! |url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/cannibal_corpse-staring_through_eyes_of_banned |access-date=2025-01-23 |website=Cannibal Corpse │ Exclaim! |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> His vocals on the album have been described as "hideous."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Enis |first=Eli |title=Fan poll: Top 5 CANNIBAL CORPSE songs |url=https://www.revolvermag.com/music/fan-poll-top-5-cannibal-corpse-songs/ |access-date=2025-01-06 |website=Revolver |language=en-US}}</ref> Barnes himself said in early 2025: "It just felt right to enunciate and pronounce the lyrics more clearly [on <nowiki>''</nowiki>The Bleeding<nowiki>''</nowiki>] because I felt the music was more clearly pronounced. [...] I think that at that point in time I wanted to prove to myself that I could still sing really heavy [...] but people could understand my lyrics more, because the lyrics [and storylines] are very important to me [...] it’s an artwork to me [...] and I want my art to be heard."<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LoeWc41ios |title=Chris Barnes explains his vocal change on The Bleeding by Cannibal Corpse |date=2025-01-06 |last=DeathSpace Archives |access-date=2025-01-20 |via=YouTube}}</ref>

In addition to the [[macabre]] and [[sexual violence]] themes present on the band's previous albums, the lyrical content on ''The Bleeding'' also explores [[psychological horror]]. In a 1994 interview with ''[[MTV]]'', Barnes said, "I think there's many faces of horror, and you can explore the different types of horror out there."<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyS3FhN44z0 |title=Cannibal Corpse - MTV Special In Las Vegas 1994.07.04 (Headbangers Ball Full HD Remastered Video) |date=2023-09-15 |last=Vince Distefano's Hard Rock & Heavy Metal Vault |access-date=2025-02-25 |via=YouTube}}</ref>

== Legacy == {{Album ratings | rev1 = [[Allmusic]] | rev1score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref name=allbleed/> | rev2 = ''[[Martin Popoff|Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal]]'' | rev2score = 6/10<ref>{{cite book |last1=Popoff |first1=Martin |author-link1=Martin Popoff |title=The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 3: The Nineties |publisher=[[Collector's Guide Publishing]] |year=2007 |location=[[Burlington, Ontario]], [[Canada]] |isbn=978-1-894959-62-9 |page=71}}</ref> }}Jason Birchmeier of [[Allmusic|AllMusic]] called ''The Bleeding'' one of the "standout death metal albums of the mid-'90s".<ref name=allbleed/> Chris Krovatin of [[Kerrang!]] said, "Showing a confident sense of style, an [[wikt:indomitable|indomitable]] momentum, and some of the band’s most iconic and memorable songs, this record is a declaration of the Cannibal Corpse we’ve all come to know and shed blood for in the past two-plus decades."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-07-20 |title=The 15 greatest death metal albums of the '90s |url=https://www.kerrang.com/the-15-greatest-death-metal-albums-of-the-90s |access-date=2025-01-18 |website=Kerrang! |language=en}}</ref> ''[[Metal Hammer]]'' named ''The Bleeding'' as one of the best metal albums of the 1990s, saying it contains "some of the most horrifyingly violent and undeniably catchy anthems in the band’s arsenal."<ref>{{Cite web |last=updated |first=Metal Hammer last |date=2020-03-26 |title=The 100 best metal albums of the 90s |url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-100-best-metal-albums-of-the-90s |access-date=2025-01-18 |website=louder |language=en}}</ref> Joe DiVita of ''[[Loudwire]]'' named ''The Bleeding'' as the best death metal album of 1994.<ref>{{cite web | title=Best Death Metal Album of Each Year Since 1985 | website=[[Loudwire]] | date=December 18, 2024 | url=https://loudwire.com/best-death-metal-album-each-year/ }}</ref> ''[[Metal Injection]]'' included the album's second track "Fucked with a Knife" in its list of "The 10 Gnarliest Extreme Metal Lyrics", joking "maybe they got rid of Chris Barnes after ''The Bleeding'' because the band was close to going respectable. Just look at that romance".<ref>{{cite web | title=The 10 Gnarliest Extreme Metal Lyrics | date=June 9, 2016 | url=https://metalinjection.net/lists/the-10-gnarliest-extreme-metal-lyrics }}</ref>

"Staring Through the Eyes of the Dead" and "Stripped, Raped and Strangled" have become staples of the band’s live sets. Founding guitarist [[Jack Owen]] cited ''The Bleeding'' as his favorite Cannibal Corpse album.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://metalinjection.net/news/jack-owen-on-cannibal-corpses-the-bleeding-its-my-favorite-album | title=JACK OWEN on CANNIBAL CORPSE's the Bleeding: "It's My Favorite Album" | date=April 27, 2024 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Norton |first=Justin |date=2017-03-28 |title=Cannibal Corpse - "The Bleeding" |url=https://www.decibelmagazine.com/2017/03/28/cannibal-corpse-the-bleeding/ |access-date=2025-01-06 |website=Decibel Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref> Bassist [[Alex Webster]] said, "I feel that ''The Bleeding'' was a big step forward for me as a bass player, and as a band it put us on the same level as some of the other groups we thought were a little more professional-sounding than we were. We looked up to bands like [[Morbid Angel]] and [[Death (metal band)|Death]]."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Staffpublished |first=Bass Player |date=2022-05-24 |title=Cannibal Corpse bassist Alex Webster on his 5 best bass albums |url=https://www.guitarworld.com/features/cannibal-corpse-alex-webster-5-best-bass-albums |access-date=2025-01-06 |website=guitarworld |language=en}}</ref>

In 2021, Brad Sanders of ''[[Stereogum]]'' ranked ''The Bleeding'' as the worst Cannibal Corpse album, stating his opinion that the album's lyrics and song titles had not aged well. He wrote: "The band’s [...] effort to clean up their production for a broader audience rendered Chris Barnes’ voice crystal-clear for the first time, a choice that meant their most grotesque lyrics to date were also their most legible. The tasteless lyrics weren’t the only problem with ''The Bleeding''. The sterile production doesn’t work for Cannibal Corpse’s sound, and guitars that should sound like buzzsaws sound flat and distant. There are diehard fans who consider this the best Cannibal Corpse record. To each their own."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-10-27 |title=Cannibal Corpse Albums Ranked Worst To Best |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2165252/cannibal-corpse-album-rankings/lists/counting-down/ |access-date=2025-09-05 |website=Stereogum |language=en}}</ref>

In 2025, Joe DiVita of ''[[Loudwire]]'' named ''The Bleeding'' as the best death metal release of 1994. He wrote: "In 1994, these gorehounds just couldn’t be matched. [...] ''The Bleeding'' possesses the perfect combination of fleet-fingered fretwork, pulsating rhythmic beatdowns and catchy songwriting that culminated in a string of Cannibal Corpse favorites."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-08-16 |title=What Is the Best Death Metal Album of Each Year of the 1990s? |url=https://loudwire.com/best-death-metal-album-each-year-1990s/ |access-date=2025-09-01 |website=Loudwire |language=en}}</ref>

== Track listing == {{Track listing | total_length = 36:54

| all_lyrics = [[Chris Barnes (musician)|Chris Barnes]]

| title1 = Staring Through the Eyes of the Dead | music1 = {{flatlist| * [[Alex Webster]] * [[Jack Owen]] }} | length1 = 3:30

| title2 = Fucked with a Knife | music2 = Webster | length2 = 2:15

| title3 = Stripped, Raped and Strangled | music3 = {{flatlist| * Webster * Owen * [[Rob Barrett]] }} | length3 = 3:27

| title4 = Pulverized | music4 = {{flatlist| * Webster * Owen }} | length4 = 3:35

| title5 = Return to Flesh | music5 = {{flatlist| * Webster * Owen }} | length5 = 4:21

| title6 = The Pick-Axe Murders | music6 = Webster | length6 = 3:03

| title7 = She Was Asking for It | music7 = {{flatlist| * Webster * Owen * Barrett }} | length7 = 4:33

| title8 = The Bleeding | music8 = Owen | length8 = 4:20

| title9 = Force Fed Broken Glass | music9 = {{flatlist| * Webster * Owen * Barrett }} | length9 = 5:02

| title10 = An Experiment in Homicide | music10 = {{flatlist| * Webster * Owen * Barrett }} | length10 = 2:36 }} {{Track listing | headline = Remastered version bonus track | total_length = | title11 = The Exorcist | note11 = [[Possessed (band)|Possessed]] cover | lyrics11 = Mike Torrao | music11 = Torrao | length11 = 4:36 }}

== Credits == Writing, performance and production credits are adapted from the album liner notes.<ref>{{Cite AV media notes |title=The Bleeding |others=[[Cannibal Corpse]] |year=1994 |type=liner notes |publisher=[[Metal Blade Records]]}}</ref>

=== Personnel === ==== Cannibal Corpse ==== * [[Chris Barnes (musician)|Chris Barnes]] – vocals * [[Rob Barrett]] - guitars * [[Jack Owen]] - guitars * [[Alex Webster]] – bass * [[Paul Mazurkiewicz]] – drums

==== Artwork and design ==== * [[Vincent Locke]] – [[cover art]] * Brian Ames – [[design]] * Frank White – [[photography]] * Joe Giron – photography

=== Studios === * [[Morrisound Recording]], [[Tampa, FL]], [[USA]] – recording, mixing * Fullersound – mastering

==Charts== {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" |+Chart performance for ''The Bleeding'' ! scope="col"| Chart (1994) ! scope="col"| Peak<br />position |- {{album chart|BillboardHeatseekers|30|artist=Cannibal Corpse|M|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211117182806/https://www.billboard.com/artist/cannibal-corpse/chart-history/tln/|title=Cannibal Corpse Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)|work=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|access-date=March 6, 2026}} |}

==See also== *[[Florida death metal]] *[[Morrisound Recording]]

== References == {{Reflist}}

== External links == * {{AllMusic |class=album |id=mw0000112632 |label=''The Bleeding''}} * [http://www.metalblade.com/us/releases/cannibal-corpse-the-bleeding/ ''The Bleeding''] at [[Metal Blade Records]]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bleeding, The}} [[Category:1994 albums]] [[Category:Cannibal Corpse albums]] [[Category:Metal Blade Records albums]] [[Category:Albums produced by Scott Burns (record producer)]] [[Category:Albums recorded at Morrisound Recording]]