Originally founded in 1996, Cattle Decapitation's songs protest the mistreatment and consumption of animals as well as the abuse of the environment. Lyrics may also focus on subjects such as misanthropy and genocide of the human race. Much of their music is based on putting humans in the situations that animals are subjected to (animal testing, slaughter, etc).
Their 2002 album To Serve Man saw controversy in Germany, where distribution company SPV refused to handle the album due to its graphic cover. The cover of the 2004 album Humanure, featuring a cow excreting human remains, was reportedly censored without permission from the label in some outlets. Record store owners did not display the album, making it difficult for customers to find and buy it.
Former member Gabe Serbian is a member of the band The Locust.
Metal author and journalist Garry Sharpe-Young once acknowledged the band as "one of the few metal bands whose message hits as hard as their music."
Cattle Decapitation has toured with many death metal bands including Suffocation, Cryptopsy, The Black Dahlia Murder, Deicide, Behemoth, Hate Eternal, Krisiun, and Job For A Cowboy. Their album The Harvest Floor was released in 2009.
The band has been cited repeatedly for being an early influence to bands such as Job For A Cowboy, The Black Dahlia Murder as well as a legion of "deathcore" hopefuls.
In August 2009, Cattle Decapitation parted ways with long-time bassist Troy Oftedal because of musical and personal differences.
Their 2012 album, Monolith of Inhumanity, was met with positive reviews upon release for introducing a more melodic tone - ultimately skyrocketing the band's influence and engaging a new audience. Their latest album, The Anthropocene Extinction, received the same feedback, with Metacritic giving it an 86/100. The Anthropocene Extinctions's lyrical content follows their normal style of the effects of mankind's influence on the environment, such as the Great Pacific garbage patch.
Apex Blasphemy
Cattle Decapitation Lyrics
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To the heart rushing blood to the limbs that will feed
The gaping maw, always open for that which is dead
Just as long as its lost its head
Packaged in plastic from the factory to your table
No longer willing or able
To use the skills now diminished to merely fables
You clawed your way to the top only to scrape from the bottom
Sounds like a loser to me
You've succumbed to apex blasphemy
A causality of overpopulation
Machines take the place of hands to fulfill the demand
Vastly outstaying out welcome
This world, where we are at in our so-called civilization
The great diminishing of life-giving land and seas
The grand "unsustenance" begins with unchecked procreation
The abolishment of the laws of nature and order
You clawed your way to the top only to scrape from the bottom
Sounds like a loser to me
You've succumbed to apex blasphemy
A causality of overpopulation
No longer the king, no longer the queen, if you know what I mean
We're only captains of our own ruination
The opening lines of the song Apex Blasphemy by Cattle Decapitation explores the concept of hunger and its close link with death. The insatiable hunger that humans possess has led to the rise of industrialized food, where skills have been replaced with the machines. The lyrics also criticize the destruction of the food chains and the impact of overpopulation on the environment.
The chorus of the song highlights how humans have climbed the ladder of success, only to end up at the bottom. It suggests that humans have lost their way, and their hunger has led to their downfall. The concept of "apex blasphemy" is introduced, which refers to the notion that humans have reached the highest point of their destructive nature.
Line by Line Meaning
This precious hunger of which you hold so dear
The desire for animal flesh that humans value above all else
To the heart rushing blood to the limbs that will feed
The biological process of circulating blood throughout the body to supply nutrients and sustenance
The gaping maw, always open for that which is dead
The mouth that hungers for flesh, regardless of whether it is alive or dead
Just as long as its lost its head
The human preference for pre-mutilated meat, separated from the animal's identity and life-spirit
Packaged in plastic from the factory to your table
The commodification of animal flesh and the industrialized process that brings it to consumers
No longer willing or able
The loss of traditional knowledge and skills related to hunting, fishing, and raising animals, due to the rise of industrial agriculture
To use the skills now diminished to merely fables
The devaluation of non-industrialized food production techniques, which are now treated as fictional stories
Food chains molested, now industrialized
The destruction of natural food webs, replaced by a violent, profit-driven chain of production and consumption
You clawed your way to the top only to scrape from the bottom
The irony of human domination over other species, which ultimately leads to our own suffering and demise
Sounds like a loser to me
The critique of a system that values dominance and exploitation over compassion and sustainability
You've succumbed to apex blasphemy
The acceptance of the idea that humans are superior to all other life forms, despite the ecological devastation caused by this belief
A causality of overpopulation
The root cause of the unsustainable human impact on the natural world
Machines take the place of hands to fulfill the demand
The automation and mechanization of food production, which erases the human connection to the land and to animals
Vastly outstaying out welcome
The fact that humans have overstayed their ecological welcome on this planet, and are now reaping the consequences of our disregard for natural balance
This world, where we are at in our so-called civilization
The current state of human society, which defines itself as 'civilized' despite perpetrating ecocidal practices
The great diminishing of life-giving land and seas
The ongoing process of environmental destruction, which degrades the ecosystems that sustain all life
The grand 'unsustenance' begins with unchecked procreation
The unsustainable human population growth, which exacerbates every other environmental issue
The abolishment of the laws of nature and order
The denial of ecological and ethical principles in favor of short-term economic gains
No longer the king, no longer the queen, if you know what I mean
The loss of human supremacy over the natural world, brought on by our own destructive actions
We're only captains of our own ruination
The realization that humans are not above natural laws, and that our reckless behavior will ultimately lead to our own downfall
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: JOSH ELMORE, DEREK PAUL ENGEMANN, DAVID MCGRAW, TRAVIS RYAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind