Cephalic Carnage

Cephalic Carnage is an American death metal band formed in Denver, Colorado in 1992. The band comprises vocalist Leonard Leal, guitarists Steve Goldberg and Brian Hopp, drummer John Merryman and bassist Nick Schendzielos. Cephalic Carnage has released six studio albums and toured in North America, Europe and Japan.

Cephalic Carnage play a technically proficient deathgrind style, progressively experiment with other genres, and incorporate songs of joke nature into their albums, such as parodies of black metal or metalcore. They refer themselves as "rocky mountain hydro grind".<ref name="Decibel Anomalies">Template:Cite journal</ref>

History

Conforming to Abnormality and Exploiting Dysfunction (1992–2001)

Cephalic Carnage formed in Denver, Colorado, in 1992 by vocalist Leonard Leal, drummer Anthony Chavez, bassist Tom Clenin, and guitarist Zac Joe. The quartet recorded a demo EP titled Scrape My Lungs in 1993, but then took a break until 1996, when they recruited drummer John Merryman, guitarist Steve Goldberg and bassist Doug Williams.<ref name="AMG bio">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="MusicMight">Template:Cite web</ref> Merryman also collaborated with Secret Chiefs 3.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Soon after the reformation, their second demo EP Fortuitous Oddity was released. During 1997, Cephalic Carnage financed its own tour across the United States.<ref name="AMG bio"/><ref name="MusicMight"/>

In 1998, the band caught the attention of Italian record label Headfucker Records, which released the band's debut album Conforming to Abnormality that year. Williams left in 1999 and joined Origin. He was replaced by Jawsh Mullen, and the band toured at the Milwaukee Metalfest in 1998, the Dallas Grindfest, the Ohio Deathfest and the Denver Hatefest in 1999.<ref name="AMG bio"/><ref name="MusicMight"/>

In 2000, Cephalic Carnage signed to heavy metal record label Relapse Records and released its second album Exploiting Dysfunction, which included a tour with Napalm Death and The Dillinger Escape Plan.<ref name="AMG bio"/><ref name="MusicMight"/>

Lucid Interval and Anomalies (2002–2006)

Lucid Interval, the band's third album, was recorded in early 2002 and released in August that year.<ref name="AMG bio"/><ref name="MusicMight"/> The band toured a month later in Canada<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and subsequently in the U.S. with German thrash metal veterans Kreator and Destruction.<ref name="MusicMight"/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In May 2003, the band undertook the "North American Contamination" tour alongside Mastodon and others. That September, Cephalic Carnage and Madball supported Hatebreed on the North American "Rise of Brutality" tour.<ref name="MusicMight"/>

In September 2004, the band recorded its next album, Anomalies, with producer Dave Otero. Darren Doane directed a promotional music video for "Dying Will Be the Death of Me",<ref name="MusicMight"/> which premiered at MTV's Headbangers Ball.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The song parodies American metalcore with its music, lyrics and vocals.<ref name="PopMatters Anomalies">Template:Cite magazine</ref> In March 2005, Anomalies was released, and the band toured in North America once again.<ref name="MusicMight"/>

Mullen exited in January 2006 to prioritize his education and other acts,<ref name="MusicMight"/> and the band soon found replacement Nick Schendzielos.<ref name="blabbermouth May 31, 2006">Template:Cite news</ref> In March, the band's recording studio was robbed.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Dead link
Template:Cite news</ref> They played several shows in the United States in April, and an extensive European tour followed in June<ref name="MusicMight"/> with Darkest Hour.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Xenosapien (2007–2009)

File:Cephalic Carnage Steve Goldberg 02.jpg

Guitarist Steve Goldberg in 2009

The band recorded its next studio album between November and December 2006,<ref name="blabbermouth May 31, 2006"/> and its release was set for May 2007 under the title Xenosapien. In March 2007, the band supported Brujeria on U.S. dates<ref name="MusicMight"/> and subsequently embarked on "Xenosapien World Tour",<ref name="Cephalic Carnage Completes Work On New Video - May 16, 2007">Template:Cite news</ref> which started in continental Europe on May 4,<ref name="Cephalic Carnage: New Album Title Announced - Mar. 21, 2007, Blabbermouth">Template:Cite news</ref> continued in United Kingdom and Ireland in May<ref name="MusicMight"/><ref name="Cephalic Carnage: New Album Title Announced - Mar. 21, 2007, Blabbermouth"/> and resumed in the "Summer Slaughter" trek (dubbed the "Summer's Laughter" by band members)<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> across the U.S. throughout June and July along with Decapitated among others.<ref name="MusicMight"/><ref name="Cephalic Carnage Completes Work On New Video - May 16, 2007"/> The band also filmed a music video for the song "Endless Cycle of Violence".<ref name="Cephalic Carnage Completes Work On New Video - May 16, 2007"/> On November 20, 2007, the band's van was robbed. Their "recent earnings from the tour (close to $4,000), a laptop with more than $2,000 in music-software programs loaded, an iPod and various personal items" were stolen.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Cephalic Carnage reissued Conforming to Abnormality under Relapse Records on April 29, 2008. They participated in a "mini-tour" of Japan in May 2009, performing in Osaka, Nagoya, and Tokyo.<ref name="MusicMight" /> In June 2009, Cephalic Carnage, along with Cattle Decapitation and Withered, pulled out of the Blackenedfest tour due to organization problems and said they were "getting on with writing the next full length, (...) as well as finishing construction of our late night poutine stand, where we will serve country-fried giraffe eggs and your favorite French-Canadian specialty."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In October 2009, the band released a music video for the song "Vaporized" while writing a new album and announced a planned concert DVD entitled Live at Your Mom's House.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Misled by Certainty (2010–present)

Cephalic Carnage began recording their new album, Misled by Certainty, in May 2010. It was released August 31, 2010 by Relapse Records.<ref>Cephalic Carnage Begins Recording New Album - May 14, 2010 Template:Webarchive, Blabbermouth.net</ref> They also reissued Lucid Interval on September 13, 2011.

Musical style

AllMusic describes the style of Cephalic Carnage as "crazy concoction of truly experimental grindcore, death metal, and jazz".<ref name="AMG bio"/> Their music varies from deathgrind,<ref name="Decibel Xenosaphien">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> technical death metal,<ref name="PopMatters Xenosaphien">Template:Cite magazine</ref> occasional surf rock,<ref>Lucid Interval review, Exclaim!</ref> instrumental, to flamenco interludes<ref name="AMG Lucid Interval">Template:Cite web</ref> or violin-and-sax ambient jams.<ref name="Stylus Lucid Interval">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Their early style is typically progressive and technically proficient, with some comedic songs. Their later work developed into a more experimental,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> complex direction.<ref name="AMG Lucid Interval"/>

Cephalic Carnage is also known for its humorous songs. Popmatters points out some examples: "On past albums, the band has taken satirical swipes at the overtly image-oriented black metal ("Black Metal Sabbath") and the oversaturated, angst-ridden metalcore sound ("Dying Will Be the Death of Me"), and even in live settings, they're not above taking the odd spontaneous piss-take to bring some levity to a situation. One notorious YouTube clip has a fight starting in the pit at a Cephalic show in Toronto, and in an inspired moment, the band launches into a rousing excerpt from "Eye of the Tiger", to a raucous ovation from the kids."<ref name="PopMatters Xenosaphien"/>

Members

Current members

• Leonard Leal – lead vocals (1992–present)
• John Merryman – drums (1996–present)
• Steve Goldberg – rhythm guitar (1996–present)
• Nick Schendzielos – bass, backing vocals (2006–present)
• Brian Hopp – lead guitar (2009–present)

Former members

• Zac Joe – lead guitar (1992–2009)
• Anthony Chavez – drums (1992–1996)
• Tom Clenin – bass (1992–1996; died 2020)
• Doug Williams – bass (1996–1998)
• Howard Hubbard – bass (1998–1999)
• Jawsh Mullen – bass (1999–2006)

Timeline

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id:guitar1 value:teal        legend:Lead_guitar
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id:bass    value:blue        legend:Bass
id:drums   value:orange      legend:Drums
id:studio  value:black       legend:Studio_album
id:other   value:gray(0.6)   legend:Others_releases
id:bars    value:gray(0.95)

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bar:Leonard text:"Leonard Leal"
bar:Zac     text:"Zac Joe"
bar:Brian   text:"Brian Hopp"
bar:Steve   text:"Steve Goldberg"
bar:Tom     text:"Tom Clenin"
bar:Doug    text:"Doug Williams"
bar:Howard  text:"Howard Hubbard"
bar:Jawsh   text:"Jawsh Mullen"
bar:Nick    text:"Nick Schendzielos"
bar:Anthony text:"Anthony Chavez"
bar:John    text:"John Merryman"

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bar:Leonard  from:start      till:end         color:vocals
bar:Zac      from:start      till:07/01/2009  color:guitar1
bar:Zac      from:start      till:03/01/1996  color:guitar2 width:3
bar:Brian    from:07/01/2009 till:end         color:guitar1
bar:Steve    from:03/01/1996 till:end         color:guitar2
bar:Tom      from:start      till:03/01/1996  color:bass
bar:Doug     from:03/01/1996 till:05/01/1998  color:bass
bar:Howard   from:05/01/1998 till:08/01/1999  color:bass
bar:Jawsh    from:08/01/1999 till:03/01/2006  color:bass
bar:Nick     from:03/01/2006 till:end         color:bass
bar:Anthony  from:start      till:03/01/1996  color:drums
bar:John     from:03/01/1996 till:end         color:drums

</timeline>

Discography

Studio albums

• Conforming to Abnormality (1998)
• Exploiting Dysfunction (2000)
• Lucid Interval (2002)
• Anomalies (2005)
• Xenosapien (2007)
• Misled by Certainty (2010)

Extended plays

• Halls of Amenti (2002)
• Digital Carnage (2005)

Demos

• Scrape My Lungs (1994)
• Fortuitous Oddity (1996)
• Promo 1997 (1997)

Splits

• Cephalic Carnage / Adnauseam (1998)
• Impaled / Cephalic Carnage (1999)
• Perversion... and the Guilt After / Version 5.Obese (2002)
• HF Seveninches Collection Vol. 1 (2008)

External links

• Template:Facebook
• Cephalic Carnage at Relapse Records Template:Webarchive
• Template:Allmusic