Cannibal Corpse and 16

Cannibal Corpse - Evisceration Plague (7.5/10):  Cannibal Corpse have released their 11th album, and I guess it's going to take a true fan of the band to point out the subtle differences between this album and their last release, "Kill".  It's all here:  great riffs, tight musicianship, the typical gore-infused lyrics and a killer production courtesy of Erik Rutan.  What this album lacks, that "Kill" certainly had, was standout songs.  That's not to say the songs here aren't good, but they have a tendency to blend together, even after repeated listens.  Instead, the band has left us with an album full of solid, if not ground-breaking, death metal from start to finish.  There's just nothing here that makes me think "damn, I need to hear that again."

16 - Bridges to Burn (7/10):  I completely missed the boat on 16 the first time around, and have only recently been acquainted with their music.  Full of lyrics about hating mom and dad, throwing in the towel and other angsty-type subjects, this would've been great to listen to during that age when I hated my parents and wished the world would die.  Unfortunately, I never really felt that way so much of the message is lost on me.  Is that what matters, though?  Not to me, b/c the songs here are built on a solid foundation of what I'd call hardcore and metal-laced hard rock.  Definitely heavy, but even-paced throughout.  If you can take the hardcore-styled shouted vocals present throughout most of this disc, I'd recommend checking it out.