VG+ Cannibal Corpse Hammer Smashed Face 7" Single 1993 Metal Blade RED Vinyl OG

$

179

ARTIST: Cannibal Corpse TITLE: Hammer Smashed Face 

LABEL: Metal Blade Records ‎– 3984-14014-7
RECORD GRADING: VG+
SLEEVE GRADING: VG+
NOTES: RARE!!!

This specific pressing—Metal Blade 3984-14014-7—is a 1993 relic from the most volatile and iconic era of death metal. While the red vinyl is a collector’s trophy, the music inside represents the moment Cannibal Corpse went from underground gore-hounds to the most infamous band on the planet.

The "Tomb" Era: 1992–1993

When this single was released, Cannibal Corpse was living in the wake of their 1992 masterpiece, Tomb of the Mutilated.

• The Controversy: This was the peak of "Satanic Panic" moral outrage, but CC swapped the devil for forensic pathology and slasher-movie gore. The "Censored Version" you have exists because the original Vincent Locke artwork (depicting a corpse performing a lewd act) was being seized at borders and banned in Germany.

• The Transition: The band had recently moved from Buffalo, NY, to Tampa, FL, to work with legendary producer Scott Burns at Morrisound Recording. This solidified the "Florida Death Metal" sound—thick, humid, and punishingly heavy.

• Intra-Band Tension: Interestingly, the music for the title track was written by Alex Webster and Paul Mazurkiewicz specifically to vent their growing frustration with Chris Barnes' behavior.

The Tracks

1. "Hammer Smashed Face": Widely considered the "national anthem" of death metal. Its fame was cemented by their cameo in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. Jim Carrey was a genuine fan and insisted they appear in the film to perform this specific song. It features one of the most famous bass solos in metal history—a brief, percussive bridge that leads into total chaos.

2. "The Exorcist" (Possessed Cover): A tribute to the godfathers of the genre. CC took the thrashy speed of the original and "Corpse-ified" it with lower tuning and Barnes’ guttural roars.

3. "Zero the Hero" (Black Sabbath Cover): A surprising choice that showcased the band’s groove. While death metal is often about speed, this track proved that CC could be just as heavy when they slowed down to a crawling, "Born Again" era Sabbath pace.

The Chris Barnes Vocal Peak

This era captures Chris Barnes at his absolute zenith. Before his voice began to deteriorate and before he left to form Six Feet Under in 1995, he was the gold standard for the "Cookie Monster" vocal. He didn't just growl; he sounded like a rhythmic instrument, using percussive "ughs" and deep, chest-resonant barks that influenced every "Slam" and "Brutal Death Metal" vocalist that followed.

50 Similar Bands (Old School, Brutal, & Slam)

If you want that specific 90s Florida/NY stank or the modern bands keeping the "Barnes era" spirit alive, check these out:

1. Deicide (The kings of blasphemy; CC’s Tampa brothers)

2. Obituary (The masters of the slow, swampy groove)

3. Morbid Angel (The technical, occult titans of Florida)

4. Suffocation (The NY band that invented the "slam" riff)

5. Malevolent Creation (Aggressive, thrashy Buffalo-bred DM)

6. Monstrosity (Where George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher started)

7. Immolation (Dark, dissonant NY death metal legends)

8. Incantation (The fathers of cavernous, "murky" death metal)

9. Mortician (Extreme gore-grind that heavily used horror samples)

10. Baphomet (Later known as Banished; pure NY brutality)

11. Dying Fetus (Political gore with massive technicality)

12. Devourment (The band that took the CC "groove" to the extreme)

13. Internal Bleeding (The bridge between CC and modern Slam)

14. Pyrexia (Heavy NY-style groove and brutality)

15. Skinless (High-energy gore-obsessed death metal)

16. Disgorge (US) (Filthy, guttural, and relentless)

17. Abominable Putridity (Russian slam masters)

18. Kraanium (Norwegian "party" slam/gore)

19. Pathology (Ultra-fast, guttural medical gore)

20. Gutteral Secrete (The name says it all; pure filth)

21. Carcass (The UK pioneers of medical-themed gore)

22. Benediction (British heavy-hitters with a similar stomp)

23. Bolt Thrower (The ultimate "tank" of death metal groove)

24. Grave (The HM-2 "buzzsaw" sound from Sweden)

25. Dismember (The melodic but vicious side of Swedish DM)

26. Entombed (The Left Hand Path of Stockholm death)

27. Sinister (The Dutch answer to the Florida sound)

28. Vader (Poland’s relentless death/thrash machine)

29. Krshuna (Raw, primitive early DM)

30. Broken Hope (Chicago’s finest gore-metal)

31. 200 Stab Wounds (The modern kings of the CC-style riff)

32. Undeath (Perfectly capturing the Tomb of the Mutilated vibe)

33. Sanguisugabogg (The "Caveman" DM masters of the current scene)

34. Frozen Soul (Cold, heavy, Bolt Thrower-inspired DM)

35. Gatecreeper (Massive stadium-sized death metal)

36. Creeping Death (Hardcore-infused Texas death metal)

37. Fulci (Italian band dedicated to horror movie soundtracks)

38. Coffin Mulch (Gritty, old-school filth from Scotland)

39. Snuffed on Sight (The new face of brutal, ignorant slam)

40. PeelingFlesh (Merging CC brutality with modern street culture)

41. Pungent Stench (Austrian weirdness and gore)

42. Autopsy (The kings of the "sick" and "rotting" sound)

43. Exhumed (Gore-grind that worships early Carcass)

44. Jungle Rot (Simple, effective, "working man’s" death metal)

45. Vomitory (Swedish speed and CC-style aggression)

46. Severe Torture (Dutch band that sounds almost exactly like CC)

47. Vital Remains (Glen Benton-fronted technical blasphemy)

48. Cerebral Effusion (Abstract, technical brutality)

49. Defeated Sanity (Jazz-fusion level technicality meets slam)

50. Six Feet Under (Specifically the album Haunted; Barnes' first post-CC step)