Cannibal Corpse finally came back to Marathon Music Works on September 15th, 2025. It had been almost 2 years exactly since their last show at the same venue on September 22, 2023, and fans made sure the band knew they didn’t forget them or the energy they brought. Cannibal Corpse was able to bring together metalheads of all generations, including kids. Throughout the night, you saw parents lifting their kids up on their shoulders while they wore big headphones that made the kids look adorable. Despite the age difference between a lot of the attendees, it didn’t seem to matter. Everyone was making sure that people were taken care of, the kids were safe, and vocalist George Fisher (lovingly known as Corpsegrinder), even threw bottles of water out to some of the fans. The night started with three openers, Fulci, Full of Hell, and Municipal Waste. Each band had their own sound with Fulci leaning more toward a death/gore metal sound, Full of Hell was more grindcore mixed with electronics, while Municipal Waste was more of your classic punk blended with thrash metal. The bands were each pretty different from the next but it kept the crowd energized and anxious for who was gonna play next. Each band showed appreciation for Cannibal allowing them to play on their tour and Municipal Waste even made a tour exclusive shirt with the Cannibal Corpse vocalist on it.
Another thing that was unique about the merch was that Cannibal Corpse actually had handmade art, picks, and signed vinyls for very reasonable prices and you could use cash! In a world where the majority of venues have gone cashless for everything, it was a really nice touch and added a feeling of familiarity and unity with the man selling to you. When Cannibal Corpse finally took to the stage, people immediately went wild, the band everyone had come to see was finally going to play. They gave us a very extensive setlist but opened the night with “Blood Blind”, a song from their latest album Chaos Horrific. If you were lucky enough to witness them when they came in 2023, you know that their shows are unpredictable when it comes to their setlist. And this show was no different. The whole night, we bounced around from 1991, to 1993, up to 2021/2023 and then back down again to 2012. The way the band went around their discography easily pulled everyone in and kept their ears open for the next opening note. Even though the band was going through the years with their setlist, fans knew the majority of what was played and spent the night having mosh pits and getting up for crowdsurfing. Even though Brandon Ellis is filling in for Rob Barrett this tour, he absolutely shredded on his guitar. Even though he looks young, his skills are incredible. This was his first show on this tour with Cannibal Corpse and he easily pulled the crowd in and it was like he had always been there. Their bassist, Alex Webster, played his five string bass like it was a part of his body and he never once missed the beat. You heard every slap of his bass, every pull of the strings, and he was really interactive with his bandmates, especially their guitarist Erik Rutan.
Being able to see Paul Mazurkiewicz for a second time was an amazing experience. He has been with the group since 1988 and is one of the founding members. He has been the only drummer of Cannibal Corpse and you could tell just by watching him, that his playing came from his heart. He was so passionate and even had used drumsticks for sale at the merch table which felt really personal and brought the band closer to the fans. Erik Rutan tore up the stage with his sludgy but intricate riffs and it was hard to pull your eyes away from his fingers working the fretboard. George Fisher, best known for his catchphrase of “Respect the neck”, topped the night off with raw, unwavering vocals. His caring and joking nature couldn’t help but peek through while tossing out water between “Evisceration Plague” and “Disfigured” as he joked with fans about making sure to catch it. It was a sweet and calming moment but it didn’t last long before they started the music again and people were making a circle pit in the center. When they ended the night with “Hammer Smashed Face” it was like everyone got revitalized and went harder than they had at any other point during the set. This show was definitely one for the books and it seems that no matter how big Cannibal Corpse gets, they will always be humble and appreciative of all the love they receive from their fans. The personalized merch felt like a thank you to over 30 years of dedication and mutual respect and it really brought the whole show together at Marathon. Kids were laughing with their parents, couples were walking hand in hand, and friends could be heard talking about the show as we all left the venue. Community is the center of Cannibal Corpse and they made sure we all left feeling a little less alone.
- Ashlee Riggins
Photos Courtesy of Ashlee Riggins (For Bell Music Magazine)
