Cancer Culture: Vinyl LP

Across eight studio albums, DECAPITATED grew from the adolescent dream of teenagers from a small Central European town to one of the leaders of the metal genre. Each successive album further expands the bands sound with genre-bending authenticity and integrity. As Metal Injection rightfully observed, any self-respecting death metalhead knows the name well.

DECAPITATEDs music is a weapon forged by four young men from a historic medieval-fortified town in Poland, which catapulted them to the top of a worldwide subculture. Like a rose in the devils garden, the DECAPITATED story builds triumph from tragedy. The gleeful grotesquery of extreme metal imagery and rifftastic bludgeoning beckons listeners to uncover broader truths.Upon the release of 2017s Anticult, Metal Hammer declared DECAPITATED a serious successor to the likes of Pantera and Lamb Of God a band who can draw new legions into the metal world as its new champions. Their diverse follow-up, 2022s Cancer Culture, delivers on that promise.

Instantly recognizable devastation and deceptively sinister hooks abound. Freshly minted DECAPITATED anthems like Last Supper, Hello Death, Just Cigarette, No Cure, Iconoclast, and Cancer Culture shimmer with sonically sharp production and unrelenting bombast. Theres also a newly increased emphasis on melody, even venturing into darkly romantic territory. Wacaw “Vogg” Kietyka (guitar), Rafa “Rasta” Piotrowski (vocals), Pawe Pasek (bass), and James Stewart (drums) are at the top of their game, delivering the goods at peak performance. Jinjer vocalist Tatiana Shmayluk and Machine Head frontman Robb Flynn make guest appearances.

Set on the descending plains of a mountain range amid a dense forest, Krosno boasts a 14th-century Gothic church, a Subcarpathian museum, and stunning artisan glassware. In this Polish town, teenage music student Wacaw “Vogg” Kietyka discovered records from bands like Morbid Angel, Cannibal Corpse, Metallica, and Machine Head. The guitarist and his younger brother, drummer Witold Vitek Kietyka, cofounded DECAPITATED in 1996, inspired by a wide range of technical death, blackened thrash, and local heroes, like KAT and the world-renowned Vader. Death and black metal reigned supreme in the Polish scene of the 1990s, where Behemoth originated as well. In fact, a Vader song called Decapitated Saints inspired the bands moniker.

The organic musical chemistry between the Kietykas was akin to the brotherly connectivity and vibe driving Pantera, Gojira, and the classic era of Sepultura. In 2006, Kerrang! praised the first three DECAPITATED albums – Winds of Creation (2000), Nihility (2002), and The Negation (2004) as superbly conceived and executed eruptions of technical brilliance and razor-sharp songwriting that turned these youthful Poles into one of the genres most widely respected bands. That years Organic Hallucinosis further perfected Voggs penchant for blending extremity with catchy hooks.

The rule-breaking ferocity and invention of the first four albums reinvigorated death metal, as DECAPITATED inspired a new generation of bands who followed suit. Sadly, this era came to a shocking end in late 2007. While touring Russia, the bands bus collided with a large truck near the border with Belarus. Both Vitak and then-singer Adrian Covan Kowanek sustained severe head injuries. Tragically, Vitak passed away in a Russian hospital a few days later. He was just 23.Vogg summoned the courage to continue, in honor of his brother and what they created, and returned with a new incarnation of DECAPITATED and the fiercely adventurous comeback album, Carnival is Forever (2011) featuring new vocalist Rafa “Rasta” Piotrowski. Blood Mantra (2014) introduced bassist, Pawe Pasek. Blabbermouth declared it perhaps the most poised and gutsy DECAPITATED album, adding its courageous bends make it a turbulent but pleasurable ride.

Cancer Culture sounds brilliant, modern, and tasty. There is no place for any fake, plastic, bullshit drum machine or anything like that, Vogg insists. Its all organic, pure, and clear, showing the true face of the band. Vogg and company entrusted the Cancer Culture mix to David Castillo at Swedens Fascination Street Studios / Studio Grndahl (Sepultura, Carcass, Opeth, Katatonia), and legendary American producer Ted Jensen (Metallica, Slipknot, Pantera, Machine Head, Korn).

The devoted supporters who traveled to see DECAPITATED on international tours with the likes of Lamb Of God, Meshuggah, Soulfly, Fear Factory, and Suffocation over the years will recognize the ever-present pummeling backbone. Longtime fans and newcomers alike will connect to the variety of atmospheric depth throughout Cancer Cultures ten boundlessly energetic and creative tracks.

If you told me 25 years ago, in my neighborhood in the South of Poland, that I would be in Machine Head, sharing riffs with Robb Flynn, Vogg marvels. Its simply incredible. It means that everything is possible in your life. That gives me the faith to believe that I can achieve even more in my career. The dreams we have when we are kids, things we can barely imagine, can happen. Flynn contributes a hauntingly beautiful vocal to the Cancer Culture track Iconoclast. Clean vocal singing is a really new thing in DECAPITATED, Vogg notes. Its really unique and amazing.

Driven by Voggs passion and integrity, the dual emphasis on creative invention and technical prowess maintains DECAPITATEDs stature as genre-leaders in 2022 and beyond. The bands supporters continually demonstrate confidence and absolute certainty DECAPITATED will deliver.