CANKER is a Thrash/Death Metal band from Spain. This is a review of both their Self-Titled 1991 Demo and their first full-length album "Physical," which was released in 1994. There are fourteen tracks between the two CDs...two of which are on both CDs. We will talk about the five-track Demo first. Early incantations of Death Metal had been around for several years before this, but it really boomed in the late 1980's and early 1990's. While the Demo tracks are fairly raw, it really captures the early spirit and energy of the genre. Compositions are course and unprocessed, and the guitar riffs and vocals carry much of the sound. Vocally it falls somewhere between Thrash and that early Death approach. Pleasantly, they are able to offer some variation from track to track, which is unlike a lot of traditional Death Metal. Still, the focus of the music is on the brutality and speed of the instrumentation in most cases. "Evil Attack" is a strong opening track for this kind of music. I also like the riff and meter changes in the song "Torture" and can really feel the attention they pay to the compositional structure of this track. They really do a decent job of mixing in a lot of elements into the Demo. Moving onto the debut album "Physical," there is an immediately recognizable growth in both the complexity and overall connection of their product. Take "Inquisition" for example. It flows through many riff and time changes; sometimes standing strong like a building and other times carrying you downstream in a current with no known path.

"Obliteration" is another strong track on the debut here, allowing the bass to open the track and carry through gives this some more breadth, whereas "Big Shit" is more of a statement track with an ominous, mid-tempo riff and more traditional stanza and chord progressions.
By contrast, "Canker" is just a raucous, fist pumping fueled exercise in everything that is hard and heavy in Heavy Metal. This feeling carries through in the track "Dark Destiny," which features extended instrumentation, a flurry of guitar solos, and an ultra-swift pace. Though we heard the track "Torture" on the Demo CD, it really shines well on the debut album with increased production. It is an evil sounding song that just abounds with dark energy. This is Death Metal folks, and this is what that sounds like. You will not be in for many surprises here and if you like your Death served on a familiar plate without mystery side dishes, this is for you. With that being said, I am still impressed at the variation they are able to bring to the table in this often-unforgiving sub-genre of Heavy Metal.<