Cephalic Carnage - Xenosapien

01. Endless Cycle Of Violence
02. Divination And Violation
03. Molting
04. Touched By An Angel
05. Vaporized
06. Heptarchy (In the U.K.)
07. G.lobal O.Verhaul D.evice
08. Let Them Hate So Long As They Fear
09. The Omega Point
10. Megacosm Of The Aquaphobics
11. Ov Vicissitude
12. Hidden Track

Band: Cephalic Carnage
Album: Xenosapien
Genre: Brutal Deathcore/Technical/Experimental
Year: 2007
Label: Relapse Records
Official Website
Origin:

Line-Up
Zac Joe - guitar
Lenzig Leal - vocals
John Merryman - drums
Steve Goldberg - guitar
Nick Schendzielos - bass

Formed in Denver, Colorado in 1992, CEPHALIC CARNAGE set out to break down musical barriers by raising both the expectations and standards of extremity in heavy music through the construction of uninhibited "ultra-grindcore". A grindcore band that is also heavily influenced by death metal, CEPHALIC CARNAGE thrives on integrating various experimental aspects into their unique, forward-thinking style of music. In 1993, founding members Lenzig (vocals) and Zac (guitar) recorded and released their first demo, Scrape My Lungs. Although the recording was well-circulated in the underground, the band split up soon afterwards.
In 1996, CEPHALIC CARNAGE reformed and added members John (drums) and Steve (guitar), formerly of the Denver unit MOLESTER. The infusion of new blood into the CEPHALIC ranks kicked things into high gear for the band and only two months after the new lineup had been together, a second demo, titled Fortuitous Oddity, was recorded and released.
A four-piece at the time of the recording, the band was stronger than ever as the duel-guitar onslaught merged effortlessly with extremely technical drumming, rapidly moving bass lines and Lenzig's wildly schizophrenic vocal attack. The band added friend Doug Williams (now of ORIGIN) on bass. The word was out: CEPHALIC CARNAGE were making a name for themselves...in a big way. The band hit the road for a self-financed U.S. tour in the fall of 1997, alerting many to the unbelievable CEPHALIC CARNAGE live show...something that must be witnessed to be believed. Soon after the release of Fortuitous Oddity, the band caught the attention of Italy's Headfucker Records, and in the summer of 1998 CEPHALIC released their debut album, Conforming To Abnormality. Conforming... confounded many as it unveiled a style of extreme music that was completely original in it's makeup, blending mind-melting guitar technicality with inhuman drumming, varied vocal assaults, smatterings of jazz sensibilities and devastating sub-bass drops (?!). The level of musicianship displayed on Conforming... was critically-acclaimed immediately upon the album's release. CEPHALIC CARNAGE then added a new bassist by the name of Jawsh to the fold and hit the road in support of the album. The band criss-crossed the United States twice, hitting every major market along the way and, again, doing so completely on their own coin. A crushing set at the 1998 Milwaukee Metalfest cemented the band's name in the minds of music fans and journalists and verified all accounts of their (now) legendary live performances as the band laid waste to Metalfest attendees with one of the best sets of the entire festival. The band also appeared at the 1999 Dallas Grindfest, the 1999 March Metal Meltdown, the 1999 Ohio Deathfest, the 1999 Denver Hatefest, the 1999 Milwaukee Metalfest and the 1999 November To Dismember, stopping at nothing to bring their futuristic ultra-grind to the masses. Having witnessed the CEPHALIC CARNAGE live experience many times over and marveling at the complete and utter extremity displayed by the band, the grinding death fiends at Relapse Records became friends with CEPHALIC and shortly thereafter invited them to become members of the Relapse family. The band's initiation consisted of joining labelmates SOILENT GREEN, TODAY IS THE DAY, EXHUMED and MORGION on the Relapse 1999 Contamination Tour for select dates. In December, 1999, CEPHALIC entered New Orleans' Festival Studios with producer Keith Falgout (SOILENT GREEN, CROWBAR, ACID BATH) and recorded Exploiting Dysfunction, their debut full-length for Relapse. Destroying parameters by juxtaposing dissimilar composition, CEPHALIC CARNAGE stupefied and astounded with Exploiting Dysfunction, curtailing varied musical elements and configuring them with a surgical precision. Shortly after the mastering of Exploiting ... a short U.S. tour with labelmates THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN crushed those who dared attend, showcasing two of extreme music's most forward-thinking acts. Amazing sets at the March Metal Meltdown 2000, New York's famous CBGB's, the Ohio Deathfest and Milwaukee Metalfest cemented the band's place as one of the most jaw-dropping live acts in heavy music today. Absorbing and integrating experimentation incessantly, producing a hybrid synthesis of underground sound that bombards the listener like an immense sonic boom, CEPHALIC CARNAGE drop state of the art bombs of schizophrenic death-grind unto the ears of the unsuspecting. Blistering passages of unfathomable speed and technical proficiency seamlessly meld with swarming vocals, light-speed percussion,mesmerizing progressions and earth-shaking sub-bass plunges. CEPHALIC CARNAGE blur the lines of musical reality, challenging the listener to question preconceived notions of what constitutes extreme grindcore.
CEPHALIC was invited to play the 2002 SXSW Festival in Austin, TX (along with labelmates HIGH ON FIRE, MASTODON and ALABAMA THUNDERPUSSY) and the band accepted, debuting new material in front of a hip crowd of industry insiders and music fans. The high-impact set introduced the band to some while showcasing the band's streamlined 2002 sound to those already familiar. In August, 2002, CEPHALIC CARNAGE unveiled Lucid Interval, a high-impact dose of unique sound(s) combining various styles of heavy music with elements of jazz-fusion and an ultra-keen sense of progression. Bending genres with wild counter-rhythms, exceptional musicianship and hairpin twists and turns, CEPHALIC CARNAGE accelerated their creativity while delivering a thought-provoking eye-opening to the musical status quo. Press poured in immediately upon the album's release, with noted tomes Alternative Press, Revolver and CMJ leading the way. The band then hit the road in support of Lucid Interval garnering personal tour invitations from noted veterans CANNIBAL CORPSE and DESTRUCTION. CEPHALIC CARNAGE will return to SXSW in March, 2003 as one of the featured acts of the Relapse Records Showcase. The band will then hit the road as part of the Relapse Records North American Contamination Tour 2003 (with labelmates MASTODON, UPHILL BATTLE and DYSRHYTHMIA) before joining up with SHADOWS FALL for a U.S. trek.

Text taken from their website