Paul Mazurkiewicz's Drum Setup on Cannibal Corpse's Butchered at Birth (1991) | MetalForge

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the oldest Cannibal Corpse albums?

The oldest Cannibal Corpse albums are Eaten Back to Life (1990), Butchered at Birth (1991), and Tomb of the Mutilated (1992). Eaten Back to Life was the band's debut, released August 17, 1990 on Metal Blade Records — one of the first death metal albums released by a nationally distributed major independent label. Butchered at Birth followed on July 1, 1991, escalating the debut's tempo and extremity. Tomb of the Mutilated (1992) completed the debut-era trilogy and became the band's first commercial landmark, containing 'Hammer Smashed Face.' All three were recorded at Morrisound Studios in Tampa, Florida, produced by Scott Burns, with Paul Mazurkiewicz behind the kit.

Was Butchered at Birth banned and why?

Butchered at Birth was banned in Germany under the country's youth protection laws (the Bundesprüfstelle für jugendgefährdende Medien indexing system), alongside its 1992 follow-up Tomb of the Mutilated. The ban was driven by the album's extreme cover art and the graphic content of tracks like 'Meat Hook Sodomy' and 'Living Dissection.' Indexed albums in Germany could not be advertised, displayed openly in stores, or sold to minors. The bans amplified both albums' underground reputations internationally, contributing to Cannibal Corpse's status as the most notorious and commercially significant death metal band of the era.

What drums did Paul Mazurkiewicz use on Butchered at Birth?

Paul Mazurkiewicz recorded Butchered at Birth (1991) on a Pearl kit from the pre-endorsement era — either Pearl Export or Pearl Masters MX configuration, a step up from the most basic debut-era shells. The setup included two 22-inch x 16-inch bass drums for double-kick independence, 10-inch and 12-inch rack toms, and a single 16-inch floor tom. His snare was a 14-inch x 5.5-inch wood-shell drum tuned medium-high for brightness and cut. He had no Pearl endorsement in 1991 — the Pearl Reference kit that defines his modern setup came years later. Sticks were standard Vic Firth 5B wood-tip; the signature Paul Mazurkiewicz Vic Firth model did not exist yet.

How does Butchered at Birth fit in the Cannibal Corpse discography?

Butchered at Birth is Cannibal Corpse's second album (1991), bridging the debut Eaten Back to Life (1990) and the genre landmark Tomb of the Mutilated (1992). It escalated the debut's tempo and extremity while maintaining the Morrisound Studios / Scott Burns production team and Paul Mazurkiewicz's pre-endorsement Pearl kit. The album was subsequently banned in Germany alongside Tomb of the Mutilated. It fills the crucial middle position in the CC debut-era arc: after the genre-launching debut, before the album that contained 'Hammer Smashed Face' and cemented the band as death metal's commercial leader.

What makes Mazurkiewicz's drumming on Butchered at Birth notable?

Paul Mazurkiewicz's drumming on Butchered at Birth is notable for demonstrating how his debut-era approach scaled under increased tempo demands. A year of touring behind Eaten Back to Life had sharpened his foot technique, and the escalated blast beats and double-kick patterns on tracks like 'Meat Hook Sodomy' and 'Innards Decay' reflect that development. Crucially, the locomotive philosophy — consistent stroke weight, metronomic double-bass, serve-the-riff phrasing — survived the tempo escalation intact. The most technically difficult thing on the record is what Mazurkiewicz didn't change: he maintained the architectural, consistent approach to blast beats even as the speeds increased, which is harder than simply playing faster.