Cannibal Corpse vocalist George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher is an incredible champion of the death metal genre. Since joining Cannibal Corpse in 1995, Corpsegrinder has forever changed the death metal landscape; not only has he been responsible in creating some of the most brilliant releases to come from the genre, he also makes sure to shout out the younger acts killing it in the contemporary scene.
He also fondly reflects on the bands that have inspired him and have shaped his love for heavy music. In a recent interview he did with Decibel Magazine, Corpsegrinder spoke about some albums that have had a profound impact on him. He mentions records from the likes of Death, Morbid Angel, Obituary, and a couple others, but one highlight that really caught our attention was that of Black Sabbath’s 1970 debut.
“That basically is what changed my view of music in general,” Corpsegrinder says in the interview. “…That pretty much changed my whole mentality about music and started me on the path of ever thinking about wanting to be in a band.”
He goes on to also say, “The song ‘Black Sabbath,’ it was just scary. I mean, it was like, ‘Woah!’ When you hear it, Ozzy’s voice is just… I wouldn’t be here without Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne. In a death metal capacity, I would say there are other bands that put me where I’m at as a death metal singer but wanting to be a musician of any sort, it was Black Sabbath without a doubt.”
We may not think of Black Sabbath as a death metal act in a typical sense; their sound contains elements that align them with that of doom and traditional heavy metal. But when you listen to how the band presented themselves back in the day, their lyrics and that sound of theirs – there is a tremendous ominous quality to their music. It exudes such a grim atmosphere, so it is easy to see how the band could inspire one of the most demonic voices in death metal history.
Corpsegrinder’s debut solo record will be releasing as of February 25th. You can check out the song “Acid Vat,” featuring Erik Rutan below:
Cannibal Corpse will also be heading out on tour with Whitechapel, Revocation, and Shadow Of Intent next month.
***
Words by: Michael Pementel
