Today marks the official unveiling of “Terrasite”, the herculean tenth studio album from San Diego, California-based deathgrind behemoths, CATTLE DECAPITATION, out now on Metal Blade Records. The follow-up to 2019’s “Death Atlas” was once again produced by Dave Otero (ALLEGAEON, KHEMMIS, ARCHSPIRE), with artwork by longtime collaborator Wes Benscoter (VADER, KREATOR, BLOODBATH, HYPOCRISY).
In celebration of the release of “Terrasite”, today the band has unleashed a video for “A Photic Doom.” Watch it below.
Offers Ryan of the track, “[The lyrics for “A Photic Doom”] are more of just a metaphor for being alone in your head and turning away from the life that is exposed by the light of day. Shaking your fist at the sun for exposing this place to us. For uncovering the depravity of our species and casting light onto subjects rather than letting them rest in the darkness.“
Order the album HERE.
“Terrasite” is available as a jewel case CD, digitally, and on vinyl in the following color variants:
- “The Fleshy Architect” Orange/Peach Marble vinyl (US exclusive)
- “Hadean Eon” Orange Blend vinyl (US exclusive)
- “Gomorrah’s Flora” Green Blend vinyl (US exclusive)
- “Winds Of Solastalgia” Purple Blend vinyl (US exclusive)
- 180g Black vinyl (EU exclusive)
- “Pupa To A Nymph” LP1: Black Ash Smoke vinyl – LP2: Transp. Skin Marble vinyl (EU exclusive – limited to 700 copies)
- “Irradiated Alight” Sunset Marble vinyl (EU exclusive – limited to 500 copies)
- “Living Death Spirituality” White w/ Purple Splatter vinyl (EMP exclusive – limited to 300 copies)
- “Terrasitic Jizzplosion” Clear w/ Gold Splatter vinyl (EU exclusive – limited to 300 copies)
- “Life Finds A Way” Clear w/ Green + Purple Splatter vinyl (EU exclusive – limited to 300 copies)
Though many bands have tried, no one articulates the real apocalypse humanity is facing as vividly and succinctly as CATTLE DECAPITATION. With 2019’s “Death Atlas”, they reached the apex of this, perhaps leading some to believe they had no place left to go beyond such an achievement, but alas, they return with “Terrasite,” which is as bold a statement as they have ever made.
“After a record like “Death Atlas”, you have to make a turn,” notes guitarist Josh Elmore. “Everything about that album – the concept, artwork, music, etc, was a final statement. The only way to move forward is rebirth. In approaching the newest record, it was not only necessary to keep the musical trajectory the band has been aiming towards since the beginning, but also to further explore the ambient/textural elements that were part of “Death Atlas”.”
As such, “Terrasite” pushes their sound further into more epic and varied territory, and in the hands of vocalist Travis Ryan the governing concept takes a new and disturbing direction. “I wanted to do the 180° opposite of “Death Atlas.” I already had the concept idea from years back and since “Death Atlas” was so dark and brooding, I wanted a completely opposite effect – I wanted this to take place in the daylight. I’ve always found daytime horror to be really unsettling so I wanted to make sure what was going on on the cover took place in the light of day, which also finds its place within the lyrics.”
The title is a word invented by Ryan that brings together “Terra-“ meaning “earth” and “-site” derived from the Greek word “-sitos” which means “food.” “The combination of the two means ‘earth-eater.’ It’s a metaphor for humanity’s role in the destruction of the planet and is a play-on-words of the very fitting word ‘parasite.’” This is vividly brought to life in the artwork by longtime collaborator Wes Benscoter (Vader, Kreator, Bloodbath, Hypocrisy). “We see the nymph stage of this human/c**kroach hybrid that is more of a fully grown being that has just molted from its ootheca stage, startled, confused, frightened but also pissed off. “Terrasite” is dedicated to the memory of Gabe Serbian.
Comments vocalist Travis Ryan: “We’ve all heard the old saying about how the c**kroach is so pervasive… so invasive… so insidious… that they could survive a nuclear war… Our previous album, ‘Death Atlas’, left the world blackened and lifeless.. or so we thought. It turns out that the carbon-encrusted bodies that adorned the album’s layout and music video (and that resemble the victims of Pompeii that were frozen in time by the Mt. Vesuvius disaster of 79 A.D.) were actually more of a cocoon stage for something much more vicious to come: Humanity 2.0.
“On the cover we see the terrasite, aka ‘earth-eater,’ molting from its ootheca. Having lived the tortuous existence of being a human, they have now re-emerged into a new world… saddened… confused… PISSED; rebirthed as a new variant of human disease, now adapted to continue and finish the utter ravaging of its home planet, Earth.”
“Terrasite” track listing:
- Terrasitic Adaptation
- We Eat Our Young
- Scourge Of The Offspring
- The Insignificants
- The Storm Upstairs
- …And The World Will Go On Without You
- A Photic Doom
- Dead End Residents
- Solastalgia
- Just Another Body
CATTLE DECAPITATION is:
- Travis Ryan / Vocals
- Josh Elmore / Lead guitar
- Belisario Dimuzio / Rhythm guitar
- Olivier Pinard / Bass
- David McGraw / Drums
“Death Atlas” featured a number of guests: Laure Le Prunenec (IGORRR, RICINN),Riccardo Conforti (VOID OF SILENCE),Dis Pater (MIDNIGHT ODYSSEY),Jon Fishman (PHISH) — plus, brass instrumentalists from Ottone Pesante.
