The Days of Lore

Black Friday: Cattle Decapitation <3 cattle

Friday, January 30th, 2009 | musiX | No Comments

These guys would fit in perfectly in Portland … Oregon, not Maine. San Diego grindcore quartet Cattle Decapitation opts to scare the living humanure out of people to get the message out about the meat industry’s inhumane treatment of animals.

The band—all four members are vegetarian—formed in 1996 and released four records before signing to Metal Blade in 2002. Cattle Decapitation goes with that old metal standby of using shocking imagery on their album covers, and writing songs with titles like “Parasitic Infestation (Extracted Pus, Mistaken for Yogurt and Gargled),” “Lips & Assholes,” “Open Human Head Experiments With Bleach, Lacquer and Epoxy,” “Humanure,” “Bovine, Swine and Human-Rinds,” “Unintelligent Design,” “Gestation of Smegma” …

Shall I go on?

… “Unclogged and Ready for Spewage,” “In Axetasy,” “Of Human Pride and Flatulence,” “We Are Horrible People,” “Bludgeoned, Beaten and Barbecued,” Human Jerky and the Active Cultures,” “Icepick Gag Reflex,” “Recapitation of Cattle” … the band even released a three-song EP en Español con canciónes repugnantes como “Tripas de Pepe” y “Queso de Cabeza.” Hay caramba.

Cattle Decapitation vocalist Travis Ryan told Peta2 (the college-aimed arm of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) that the tactics seem to be working. He also says that most people who eat meat simply don’t know any better.

“I also like to equate [people's] love of meat-eating or carnivorous urges to organized religion. I think most people are brought up to use meat as the primary part of their diet and are never really given an alternative, so they just grow up thinking, ‘This is the way it is.’”

Cattle Decapitation just released its latest opus The Harvest Floor, and will hit the road for the “Killing Til Oblivion Tour” through February.

OK, I’m a little disgusted by all of this. But what if Cattle Decapitation’s scare tactics are having the opposite effects, sort of like Supersize Me. I remember the entire time in the theater I was thinking about how good a Big Mac and fries sounded. Don’t pretend you didn’t, too.

“Humanure” - Cattle Decapitation

Tags: Cattle Decapitation, Humanure, Metal Blade Records, Peta, The Harvest Floor, Travis Ryan