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To the Gory End (1990)
Recorded at the very end of 1989 and released the following spring, To the Gory End is the debut L.P. from Cancer. This is solid death/thrash from England that does well to create an aggressive and sometimes ominous feeling. It was produced by Scott Burns, who took the tapes back to Morrisound, unfortunately. There, he gave it the same flat and sterile mix as everything else he touched during that period. Unlike Napalm Death’s Harmony Corruption, however, To the Gory End rises above this curse based on the strength of the material. At least the guitars dominate the sound, which is as it should be.
The songwriting is consistent and even memorable at times. Tracks like “C.F.C.” and “Die Die” work their way into your brain even after one listen. The record is built on riffs that mix fast, chromatic death metal with mid-tempo thrash, adding a bit of weight and variation. The songs are tightly constructed, with clear pacing and direction. The band adds subtle variations that keep things from feeling as monotonous as many of their peers. You can hear traces of early Death and Sepultura throughout, while the short, hellish lead solos bring to mind mid-’80s Slayer. The drumming is rather basic, thankfully, doing the job without distracting from the guitars. The raspy vocals fit perfectly, possessing a ghastly quality that suits the vicious feel of the album. “Sentenced” stands out as the darkest track here, thanks to the addition of clean guitar in the intro and a cold tremolo melody near the end that brings in a surprisingly bleak atmosphere. To the Gory End is a strong record and one that definitely deserves more attention than it gets. Cancer's initial offering is one of the better releases from 1990 and would surely appeal to fans of Obituary, Thanatos, Malevolent Creation and so on.
The songwriting is consistent and even memorable at times. Tracks like “C.F.C.” and “Die Die” work their way into your brain even after one listen. The record is built on riffs that mix fast, chromatic death metal with mid-tempo thrash, adding a bit of weight and variation. The songs are tightly constructed, with clear pacing and direction. The band adds subtle variations that keep things from feeling as monotonous as many of their peers. You can hear traces of early Death and Sepultura throughout, while the short, hellish lead solos bring to mind mid-’80s Slayer. The drumming is rather basic, thankfully, doing the job without distracting from the guitars. The raspy vocals fit perfectly, possessing a ghastly quality that suits the vicious feel of the album. “Sentenced” stands out as the darkest track here, thanks to the addition of clean guitar in the intro and a cold tremolo melody near the end that brings in a surprisingly bleak atmosphere. To the Gory End is a strong record and one that definitely deserves more attention than it gets. Cancer's initial offering is one of the better releases from 1990 and would surely appeal to fans of Obituary, Thanatos, Malevolent Creation and so on.
(17 June 2025)
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