CANCER - The Sins Of Mankind CD

For old school fans of death metal, this was essentially the last thing of note that Cancer ever did, and their recent and second reformation has been defined solely by a desire to continue promoting that sound that was on full display up until this point. Generally Death Shall Rise is regarded as their magnum opus, and for very good reason, but amid their seminal trifecta of death/thrash offerings, The Sins Of Mankind holds a slight edge over the debut To The Gory End, if only for the reason that it shows this band in a more mature and calculated light, being able to balance the largely one-dimensional impact-oriented approach of their adopted style with a more nuanced songwriting approach that allows for some peripheral variation. It's not quite as astounding as the widely lauded contemporary classics in Napalm Death's Harmony Corruption, Bolt Thrower's The IVth Crusade or the somewhat lesser classic in Benediction's Transcending The Rubicon, but it is a highly competent, apocalyptic cacophony of hard-hitting aggression that should share a place alongside them for any trustee of early 90s death metal.