by Cannibal Corpse members addressed accusations of misogyny in their lyrics. Their responses were documented in ‘The Death Metal Bible: A Journey Through the World of Death Metal Brutality,’ as reported by Voice Metal.
The band members offered their perspective on the controversial nature of their lyrical content. They emphasized their artistic intentions.
“We like gruesome, scary movies, and we want the lyrics to be like that,” singer George Fisher said. “Anyone who gets upset about it is ridiculous.”
Bassist Alex Webster provided additional context about how their music differs from mainstream approaches.
“Most Western music is people singing from the heart – singing to a girlfriend, so a lot of people are freaked out by our songs,” he said. “Just by watching the news you can find plenty of inspiration. But none of the lyrics were ever meant to be specifically offensive to women.”
Drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz also weighed in on the controversy.
“We just write our songs,” he said. “Some have a little bit more brutality, I guess, towards women. I really don’t think it’s that big of a deal. If you’re a female into death metal, you know the mentality of the music and what it’s about and all that.”
The band’s defense of their lyrics comes after decades of facing censorship and criticism from various authorities worldwide.
Tone Deaf reported that the sale of Cannibal Corpse’s music was banned in Australia in 1996. The ban remained in place for about a decade. The band has also faced restrictions in Germany, where they were prohibited from performing songs from their first three albums. This ban was later lifted. More recently, Noisecreep revealed that Russia banned the translation and distribution of their lyrics and artwork due to violent content.
The controversy surrounding the band reached political levels in the United States as well. In 1995, Senator Bob Dole accused Cannibal Corpse of undermining national character alongside other artists. This reflected the broader climate of censorship efforts that had been building since the PMRC’s campaigns in the 1980s against explicit content in heavy metal music.
Songs like “Stripped, Raped, and Strangled” have particularly raised concerns about the band’s depiction of violence. These concerns led to broader criticisms of misogyny in their work. However, The Quietus noted that death metal bands often defend their lyrics as part of a fictional narrative or an exploration of dark themes, rather than promoting real violence.
The band members have consistently argued that their work is misunderstood and not intended to glorify the violence depicted in their songs. This defense aligns with the broader death metal genre’s approach to controversial content. In this context, extreme lyrics are viewed as artistic expression rather than literal advocacy for the acts described.
